Chapter 66

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“This footage is being streamed from above Yeouido. As you can see, the gate—about one kilometer in diameter—is in a state of rampage. It’s currently classified as the main gate by the operations room.”

The gate’s rampage was far from majestic.

It was grotesque. Revolting.

Chunks of flesh spewed out of the massive hole like vomit from a drunk. One lump squirmed, rose on six legs, and lit up with green eyes.

Another nearby lump unfolded its wings and soared into the air. One more swayed its massive fins and dove into the Han River.

All sorts of monsters writhed between buildings, and the river churned like a basin full of loaches.

It was like a nest of venom.

Thousands of centipedes and scorpions seemed to writhe together in a grotesque tangle. The horror doubled when a centipede large enough to cover the ruins of the National Assembly crawled into view.

And then—

From the blue sky, devils rained down.

On the rooftop of the 63 Building, now charred and stripped to its frame—

The hunters stood.

—

At a military command facility in Sokcho, Gangwon Province—one of South Korea’s underground bunkers built in preparation for war with the North—the entire national leadership was gathered.

Or rather, appearing.

One wall was filled with screens displaying the faces of many people. It looked more like a massive video conference with dozens of participants.

And all of us were watching the video taking up a quarter of the screen.

Monsters were pouring from the massive gate.

It was Seoul’s own hellscape.

Kim Doo-sik, the de facto top operations commander of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, began his briefing.

“Around 1 a.m., the main gate above Yeouido began releasing monsters. It measures nearly one kilometer in diameter.”

Kim Doo-sik continued without flinching.

“As you can see, monsters are spreading in all directions. Though they look like mere lumps of flesh as they fall, they adapt and mutate to the environment almost instantly.”

A flesh lump fell into the Han River and grew fins as it writhed. Another sprouted wings and flapped off into the sky.

One grew fur and charged like an ape. Others clumped together and slithered between buildings like a giant centipede.

“If you look closely, there are a few hunters fighting back around the top of the 63 Building. But they aren’t having much effect. I personally suspect a connection to the rampage, but that’s just speculation. Let’s move on to more important matters.”

Priorities were set quickly.

We weren’t here to look at trees—we were here to see the forest. The screen showing Seoul’s hellscape switched to a tactical map of the capital region.

I kept scanning the footage, hoping to catch a glimpse of Yeo Do-yeon, but finally backed off in disappointment.

“The monsters are not remaining in their spawn zones like before. They’re rapidly expanding.”

Kim Doo-sik’s face showed no emotion.

“The troops stationed along the Chungcheong Defense Line have completed battle preparations.”

The map, focused on the capital region, scrolled slightly downward.

A red arc cut across central South Korea, from Asan Bay to the Taebaek Mountains.

Kim Doo-sik’s greatest achievement, the one that made him a national hero—

A solid shield formed by patching together retreating troops—

The de facto northern border of South Korea—

The “Chungcheong Defense Line.”

“We expect ground combat to break out in Pyeongtaek, the closest frontline, within four hours. Air battles have essentially already begun. Our fighters are in the air to intercept flying monsters.”

A translator for the U.S. Forces Korea commander urgently added,

“Uh, the missile deployments have just been completed. We’re awaiting the Korean military’s request for launch.”

Kim Doo-sik gave a small nod and continued.

“Thank you, General Abrams. In any case, though fierce fighting is expected, we believe the Chungcheong Defense Line will hold the monster assault for now. The real danger lies in the north.”

The map changed again.

The solid Chungcheong Defense Line disappeared, replaced by the northern Gyeonggi area.

Red circles and tactical symbols were scattered in a confusing mess.

It was hard to read, but the overall impression was—

It was flimsy.

“Northern Gyeonggi has no real defense line due to scattered minor gates. Each division is acting independently to rescue civilians, move them along the ceasefire line, and evacuate them south via the sea from Gangwon.”

Kim Doo-sik zeroed in on the core issue.

“If the monsters from Seoul reach northern Gyeonggi, our divisions there will suffer near-annihilation.”

A horrifying future loomed.

“And if the troops in northern Gyeonggi are wiped out, millions of civilians isolated in Gangwon will be in danger.”

Won Ok-bun asked,

“How long until the monsters from Seoul reach northern Gyeonggi?”

“Ground monsters: no more than three hours. Flying monsters: about one hour.”

Kim Doo-sik’s point was simple.

The south can be held at the defense line. Even if many die.

But the north has no such line.

…Which meant in three hours, everything would be screwed.

“First, pull out all northern capital region troops! Set up a defense line along the Taebaek Mountains!”

“The retreat is already underway, but gates have opened all along the Taebaek range…”

“We have to hold Sokcho! There are millions of people there!”

The meeting grew increasingly heated.

“After Seoul’s perimeter collapsed, the entire eastern approach has been monster territory, hasn’t it?”

“Most civilians have been rescued, but due to minor gates, our troops aren’t stationed there.”

“Then the monsters from Seoul will push through?”

“The Taebaek Mountains may slow them down, but it’s certain that northern Gangwon will be threatened within three days.”

The ‘Uijeongbu incident’ had already split South Korea into north and south.

And now, monsters born from the ‘Seoul Rampage’ were pushing through the crack.

“Most civilians in northern Gangwon are isolated, correct? Commander Yoo Hyun-jong, how many?”

“Uhh, estimated at around 6.3 million! Acting President!”

6.3 million civilians were trapped in the north.

“What’s the evacuation plan?”

Won Ok-bun brought up the topic of “evacuation,”

And Kim Doo-sik cut straight to the implication behind it.

“…Are you suggesting we abandon everything north of the Chungcheong Defense Line?”

“That hasn’t been decided yet. It’s only one of the options. However, if only the Chungcheong Defense Line can guarantee the people’s safety, then shouldn’t we evacuate as many as possible within that boundary?”

“Even at the Defense Line, we’re already predicting over 30,000 casualties. And frankly, it’s meaningless. At this rate of endless waves, the line will start to collapse within a week.”

People began throwing out ideas to save as many lives as possible.

“I heard the Donghae Expressway has mostly been restored. What about evacuating refugees by land—”

“That would increase the front line by 121.8 kilometers for a single four-lane highway.”

“So what you’re saying is we must rely solely on sea routes?”

At times, hidden interests slipped into the discussion.

“Doubling the speed of a container ship quadruples the fuel consumption. We should factor in the remaining fuel reserves—”

“You bastard! People are dying and you’re worried about fuel—”

“Please, Governor. Let’s not oversimplify. If we run out of fuel, the entire country collapses.”

“Mic 8, please. Yes, this is Chairman Lee Yong-chul. We’ve developed container ship propulsion technology using manastone energy—”

Some saw opportunity.

“Ah…! Apologies for being late. Is this mic 6? This is CEO Chun Geum-soon of GS Group.”

“Yes. This is Minister of the Interior and Safety, Yoon Sang-il. What is it?”

“Who’s currently managing Sokcho Port VTS?”

“Excuse me? V-T-what?”

“Ah, move aside! Yes, this is Deputy Minister Park Seon-a. What is it?”

“I negotiated with Russia to secure six 15,000 TEU vessels through the Northern Sea Route…”

“W-What!?”

“I have a partner company in Vladivostok… anyway! Can we link up with Donghae Port’s control center?”

“Truly excellent work! I’ll tell the Coast Guard chief to clear the channel!”

In the corner of the screen, the hunters were still fighting in Seoul.

“Mic 26, please. Yes. I’d like to add something, Minister. There are reports that a super-container ship sank in the Pacific due to a monster—”

“I didn’t hear about that.”

“It’s classified, so of course you didn’t. Anyway, large vessels are staying close to the coast…”

Strangely enough.

“Aren’t there too few trading ports on the East Coast?”

“Right now, they’re moving people using fishing boats right near coastal ports.”

“What if monsters show up?”

“Well, Cheonghaejin, right? Governor Chung Jung-yeop’s PMC specializes in sea monsters…”

No one cared about the hunters.

“Commander Kim Doo-sik. You said there are still civilians in unrecovered areas, didn’t you? I heard at least 800,000 are still isolated in the capital region. Shouldn’t the military directly—”

“We already ran war games, Minister. If we send troops north, over 200,000 will die. That’s more than half the soldiers holding the Chungcheong Defense Line. Sacrificing them for 800,000 civilians is not justifiable given the strategic importance—”

200,000. 800,000. 300,000. 6.4 million.

“Still! The military exists to protect the people—”

“Soldiers aren’t people?”

“You’re twisting my words! The duty of national defense—”

“You skipped reserve training to run for election. Unless you plan on shoving unlucky college kids in their early 20s into a furnace, keep your mouth shut.”

“Commander Kim Doo-sik! I still don’t understand why your focus on armored units over infantry gets criticized as political—!”

“Must I tell you to shut your mouth, Minister? Did you think I didn’t know you were nominated by the National Defense Party?”

“How dare you say that to the Minister of Defense—!”

“Isn’t it laughable for a puppet to flip the table and start grabbing side dishes now?”

The room threw around numbers that were no longer just numbers.

I just quietly watched the corner of the screen showing Seoul.

The battle raged on from afar. Every now and then something flashed and killed a monster. Every now and then, a hunter fell.

But from what the screen showed, there weren’t more than 50 hunters.

They leaped across rooftops, struggling desperately, but from this meeting room, they looked like nothing more than gnats.

I couldn’t see them clearly, but I scoured the screen hoping I might spot Yeo Do-yeon.

Damn it.

An aide shrank the Seoul feed and enlarged the tactical map.

Apparently, that was what mattered more.

So I had no choice but to press my face up against the screen.

“The most vulnerable area is southeastern capital region. 800,000 people are trapped there, and there are no troops. Because of minor gate distributions, we only conducted limited rescue operations—this is the result…”

“We have to rescue them! Even if we have to send a mobile unit!”

“The area’s already fallen to monsters. How are we supposed to send mobile forces while the Seoul monsters are flooding in?”

“Then send Gam Ji-yoon! There are other hunters too! We can deploy a mobile unit with them for support!”

“…Well, this time the Minister may have a point. As long as flying monsters don’t threaten Gam Ji-yoon—”

“U.S. Forces!”

“Yes. Ah, pardon me, Assemblyman Han Seung-Moon. Could you accompany Miss Gam Ji-yoon?”

Where is Yeo Do-yeon?

I kept staring at the monitor trying to find her, but the screen was too low-res to make out any individual figures.

“Assemblyman Han Seung-Moon?”

Even so, I couldn’t help it. That’s how people are—

“Assemblyman Han Seung-Moon?”

“Ah, yes! What is it?”

I snapped back to reality after burying my face in the monitor, startled by Commander Kim Doo-sik’s voice.

Kim Doo-sik calmly asked,

“Can you assist the southeastern capital region together with Miss Gam Ji-yoon?”

“…Excuse me?”

“U.S. Forces Korea will provide aerial support.”

“The 7th Fleet recently delivered additional supplies. Support won’t be an issue.”

“Ah…”

“…I understand what concerns you. But if you can just buy us a little time, we can save countless lives. We’re talking about 800,000 people. Please, just—”

My mind went blank. Kim Doo-sik kept talking, but none of it registered.

Do I really have to give up on Yeo Do-yeon? Sure, going with Gam Ji-yoon to that region would save the most lives.

And I couldn’t exactly whine about getting someone to rescue the hunters still in Seoul.

At some point, Kim Doo-sik had finished speaking and was waiting for my answer.

I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth. Countless thoughts raced through my head.

Should I ask for someone to rescue the hunters?

Should I say we need to find out why they’re fighting?

Should I argue we must investigate what caused the gate to rampage?

I froze and stammered, unable to respond.

…Am I really supposed to just obey the duty forced upon me like this?

Then—

“What the hell is going on here?!”

The Minister of National Defense slammed the table hard enough to break it and stood up.

A loyal subordinate of Won Ok-bun, he was the guy who skipped reserve duty to run for office and ended up clashing with Kim Doo-sik.

In short, the worse the civilian casualties, the worse it would be for him. He was the one who had to sacrifice soldiers and hunters to save the civilians.

He pointed a finger and shouted,

“Eight hundred thousand people are about to die, and you—what did you just say!?”

He wasn’t talking to me.

Hong Seon-ah smiled calmly as she answered.

“I said we’re refusing deployment.”

“You’re smiling while people are dying!?”

“I’m smiling because you’re trying to get us killed, Minister.”

Her sharp eyes lost all trace of humor.

“Do you see a uniform on me?”

“What…!”

“You should be grateful we’ve volunteered in Gangwon all this time. It’s not like we’re running away with our people—we haven’t said anything about leaving the Sokcho front—”

“Eight hundred thousand are trapped in southeastern capital region! The mobile unit—!”

“Then who’s going to protect us?”

Hong Seon-ah countered the Minister’s words point by point.

“You said tanks are too expensive and too slow to deploy. Looking at the deployment, it’s just trucks and infantry. That’s not a mobile unit, that’s a transport squad. We’re just the escorts.”

“What I mean is…! Our superhumans are the most efficient in that kind of mobile unit! While Gam Ji-yoon and the air force stall for time, you can save as many civilians as possible—”

“With monsters flooding the area, we’re supposed to walk into a death zone, fight until we die, and buy time while the military rescues people?”

“Of course hunters are better at fighting monsters than regular troops, so—”

She gave a troubled smile and cut him off.

“I don’t see why we should follow your orders. I don’t see why the army’s Awakeners aren’t being deployed. I don’t see why we should die for this. We reject the deployment agreement.”

“You treasonous bastard!”

“That’s harsh. After everything we’ve done for you until now.”

“You—! Even Kim Doo-sik said no! If none of you go—who the hell is going to protect the people!?”

“Well, wasn’t it you who disbanded the reserves to run for office…?”

Hong Seon-ah stood up silently with a smile.

“Sorry, but we have no obligation to die.”

No one wanted to carry the burden.

* * * * * * *

(T/N: I’m alive! 😂 Just dropping in with a quick update. Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)