A Gate Opened On My First Day As A Politician - Chapter 6: Superpowers on the Red Han River (3)

“……The connection is cut.”

This meant that the cable communication building in Seoul had been destroyed.

“Noona, you still have the map screenshot from earlier, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me see that for a sec.”

The people gathered around me by the campfire as I zoomed in and out on the pictures displayed on my smartphone, beginning my explanation.

“Our goal is to reach a military unit, and there are two ways to do it.”

First: We could pass through Paju City and join the front-line military unit.

Second: We could hide out in a secluded area and wait for the military to come to us.

Lee Ho-jung stood up with her high heels in hand, glancing past the blocked window.

“……Oppa, didn’t Mother say earlier that monsters were falling from a gate opened near Seoul?”

“Yeah.”

She gestured to Yang Il-ho.

“Il-ho, check if there’s a gate open in the sky on the other side of the window, dropping monsters.”

Il-ho jumped up and checked the window before shaking his head. Lee Ho-jung furrowed her brow slightly, voicing her thoughts.

“Hoo… Honestly, I don’t want to move any further. The gates in the sky only seem to be open in Yeouido, which is the center of Seoul. Judging by the dots falling from them, monsters are still pouring out.”

“So, the plan is to get as far away from the center of Seoul as possible?”

Lee Ho-jung nodded grimly.

* * *

The sun had already set. It was dark outside. We trembled with fear and exhaustion.

Trying to get up, I stumbled and fell to the side. Without my prosthetic leg, I was instantly rendered helpless.

Sighing in frustration, Yang Il-ho hurried over and helped me to my feet.

“Hyung……”

“Thanks. Let me check the window.”

Lee Ho-jung took my hand and led me to the spot by the window.

The dark night seemed like a cityscape painted over with black ink.

Seoul, which was illuminated with neon and fluorescent lights until just yesterday, was now dark, as if mourning the death of daylight, and eerily silent.

With the moon hidden behind clouds, a sinister blue glow emanated from the gates opened in the sky. Tiny figures continued to fall to the ground one by one.

“……It’s a relief we crossed the Han River.”

In the distance, across the river, a building collapsed. Gangnam was still a den of monsters.

I made a decision.

“We need to move.”

“What…!?”

“The monsters are rampaging in Gangnam, whether it’s day or night.”

Everyone hesitated.

“I just saw a building across the Han River collapse. The monsters are still active. We were fortunate to distance ourselves from the center of Seoul, but the monsters are still out there, hunting people.”

By now, they should understand. Although everyone frowned, no one opposed my decision. Anyone who complained about resting at this point would be left behind. Really.

“If we head towards the center of Paju, we’ll be moving into densely populated areas. Let’s follow the riverbank past Dochon and Gusan IC, and we’ll reach Paju City. The military should be there.”

Everyone began gathering their belongings. Meanwhile, Gam Chul’s daughter looked a bit strange.

“……Kid, are you okay?”

Since we first met, except when she was bitten by a monster, she’d been staring blankly into space. Gam Chul gripped her hand tightly, sadness etched on his face.

Did she lose her senses? I checked by asking her.

“Kid, what are you doing right now?”

“……I’m watching.”

“Huh?”

“I see blue dust floating around……”

Gam Chul and his wife’s faces twisted in discomfort. Had she developed a mental disorder? She’d been looking into empty space since we met.

“……What do you see?”

“Blue things.”

The child began reaching out into the air.

“They move…”

“……Can you touch them?”

“Yes… they’re pretty.”

This was unsettling.

“……What was her name again?”

“Ji-yoon. Gam Ji-yoon.”

“Alright, Ji-yoon.”

I started probing Gam Ji-yoon.

“What does it feel like to touch the blue dust?”

“Just. Just okay.”

“How much of it is there?”

“It’s filling the whole world…”

“Is it cloudy?”

The child nodded.

“Is the whole world filled with blue dust?”

“Yes……”

This kid has something. She doesn’t seem crazy.

At that moment, someone put a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned to see the schoolgirl who had been crying in the corner.

“Uh, ahjussi…!”

“Yes, miss? What is it?”

She stammered, trembling with anxious eyes.

“It’s, it’s coming. It’s coming.”

“Hmm?”

“Something big…!”

The girl clung to me, sobbing anxiously.

It was obvious what was coming.

“Shh…!”

I signaled the others, who were packing their bags and chatting, to be quiet. The factory fell silent instantly.

A faint sound was heard.

-Squelch.

It was the sound of something wet dragging along the ground.

-Squelch.

A damn big mop. Suddenly, the air was filled with a rotting stench.

Hearing the sound, everyone huddled around me.

Where’s that sound coming from? Damn it.

We crouched down against a wall of the factory, covering our mouths. I motioned to them silently to turn off their phones by showing myself doing it.

Something was moving toward the factory entrance.

We had to leave now.

I quietly gestured to the door on the opposite side. Please, no one should panic and run.

People began creeping toward the factory’s back door. My sister picked me up onto her back.

-Sssshh.

Something touched the factory door.

-Creak.

The door slowly opened.

Under the campfire’s glow, a dark figure was revealed.

Liquid. Eyeballs. Tongue. Teeth. Blackness.

How could I describe it? I’d never seen anything like it.

“Don’t scream, just run.”

It was horrifying. The monster shuddered for a moment, then slithered across the ground, chasing us.

Tears streaming down their faces, everyone covered their mouths and began to flee. Yeo Do-yeon and I were the last to escape the factory, locking the door behind us.

“It’s open! Quickly, get in!”

Gam Chul, who had dashed ahead, climbed into the driver’s seat of an abandoned car.

-Bang!

It took only two hits.

-Bang!

The door we had locked burst open.

The monster bolted out, slithering rapidly as it pursued us.

But damn, not everyone would fit in that car—it’s only a sedan, and there are nine of us.

In the darkness, I couldn’t see clearly, but it was obvious that the damn sedan had taken off with as many people crammed in as possible.

Since Gam Chul was driving, he probably made sure his family was all in before stepping on the gas.

As my sister carried me, I muttered.

“I told you not to cram people into a yacht.”

“Is that what’s important now?”

“Then what is?”

“Shut your mouth!”

In an instant, Yeo Do-yeon leaped over a white Benz with me on her back.

The monster swallowed the Benz whole, writhing and inching closer. Was it some kind of slime?

She asked in a panicked voice.

“Hey, hey, what now?”

“Just keep running.”

“Aaaagh! Damn it!”

“Stop screaming.”

“Just leave me behind!”

“Be my guest.”

Finally, I took stock of who was left.

Yang Pan-seok, an unnamed student, and us.

Yang Pan-seok was crouched under a truck, covering his mouth, and the student was just entering a nearby karaoke building.

The monster was targeting us.

Yeo Do-yeon was practically doing parkour to evade it, but it was only a matter of time before it caught us.

“Noona, leave me and go. Head to Paju.”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

“You want to die with a cripple?”

“Damn it! Shut up!”

She yelled, dodging another attack from the monster.

“Ah, before!”

I had never seen Yang Pan-seok yell, but now he was shouting from under the truck.

“The monster avoided the campfire!”

For once, I was thankful for Yang Pan-seok’s old-fashioned tastes. He’d lit his cigarette with a Zippo lighter. I still had that lighter.

And a Zippo lighter, once lit,

Could be thrown.

“Please, die.”

I prayed fervently, tossing the lit lighter at the monster. It was so close to us that it wasn’t hard to aim.

-!! –!!

With an inhuman shriek, the monster burst into flames. Yeo Do-yeon stopped running after a while, and Yang Pan-seok emerged from under the truck with a satisfied smile.

He walked over and stopped beside me.

“It’s burning nicely.”

“Thank you, Congressman.”

“If you nearly died, at least act a little shaken.”

He tapped my shoulder, still on Yeo Do-yeon’s back. She stood frozen, staring at the burning monster, her expression vacant. Suddenly, the area lit up.

“By the way, Miss, you’re impressive.”

“……Ah, th-thank you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Han Seung-Moon. He always said you two siblings were clos-”

I cut him off.

“Let’s hide for now. It’s too bright here.”

In the open space, we’d essentially lit a giant bonfire. Yang Pan-seok called out to me, holding a blue gem.

“Seung-Moon, this just came out of the monster’s body-”

“Over there! Over there!”

The student burst out of the karaoke building, pointing and shouting.

A five-meter tall, blue-furred gorilla monster with blood-red eyes was staring at us, its sharp teeth gnashing.

There wasn’t even time to yell for everyone to run.

The creature lunged at us with incredible speed.

-Bang!

A Renault Samsung SM6 premium diesel sedan barreled down the road, crashing straight into it.

The monster was sent sprawling, and thankfully, the car wasn’t damaged, probably due to the bulk it hit.

The car, with a damaged bumper, reversed and stopped in front of us. Through the shattered window, Gam Chul, blood trickling down his face, stuck his head out.

“Get in quickly!”

With the door broken, it was easy to get in. Although glass shards littered the seat, it was far better than dying.

Yang Pan-seok quickly claimed the passenger seat, and Yeo Do-yeon pushed me in, then sat next to me.

As the car was about to start,

“Don’t leave me! Please!”

The unnamed student ran toward us. She had hidden in the building, so she was still a bit away.

The blue gorilla regained its senses, snorting angrily with bloodshot eyes as it thundered toward us.

“Slow down a bit, Mr. Gam.”

He complied without question, slightly reducing speed.

I leaned out the car door, reaching my arm toward the student.

“Hurry up!”

“Ahjussi!!”

The student ran after the car, and the monster chased her. Two desperate hands reached out.

I couldn’t count how many times we’d been in this movie-like moment today.

Then.

The student fell.

I quickly assessed the situation and sat back in the car.

“She fell.”

Without a word, Gam Chul hit the gas. Yeo Do-yeon, too, remained silent.

We didn’t look back.