RE: Survival - Chapter 55

The atmosphere turned cold, as if doused with ice water, following Yohan’s words. Though his tone was calm and matter-of-fact, the story he shared unsettled the team.

It was the first time they had heard him speak so pessimistically.

“Then… how did you survive?” Hajin’s question cut to the heart of the matter. Memories from Yohan’s past life flooded in—a time when he had lost even a shred of humanity, surviving only by instinct.

Yohan held his tongue. Instead, he looked at the group, who now stared at him as if he were their only hope, and presented them with a choice.

“We have two options. One, sacrifice a few to let the majority escape. Or two, fight even if it means everyone risks dying.”

“Does someone really have to be sacrificed? The fence we came through is clear of zombies. Can’t we all just retreat together?”

“If we run, David will chase us, and someone will end up a casualty. Since we’re the only survivors here, they’ll pursue us relentlessly. Even if we make it back to camp, the wave will follow and overrun the camp.”

“Hmm…” Hajin exhaled heavily.

“If we don’t fight and just run, someone will have to stay behind as bait to distract the mutant while the rest of us take as much ammo as we can and flee. At least a third of us would need to remain behind.”

That was how Yohan had survived in the past. Whenever a camp faced an insurmountable threat, he left. While others fought to protect the camp, Yohan walked away without hesitation.

Later, he would learn that those who stayed behind had all died.

He had survived by abandoning his comrades. That had been his way of life for a long time.

‘What’s the point of surviving alone after running away from everything?’

Yohan didn’t know why those words resurfaced now, but he clearly remembered who had spoken them.

Shin Noah of the Yeouido Camp.

A survivor from his final camp and a companion who had stayed by his side for a long time before eventually turning into a zombie and attacking him.

Noah had given Yohan a sense of camaraderie and taught him many things. If Yohan had known what Noah did before the apocalypse, he would have sought him out earlier. But Noah never shared his past.

If the future didn’t change too drastically, they would meet again. Yohan vividly recalled the time and place of their first encounter. But that was a story for the distant future. For now, survival was the only priority.

“Is there anyone willing to stay behind as bait and sacrifice themselves?”

No one answered. The silence was expected. Who would willingly choose to die?

“Then we fight.”

“But didn’t you say you don’t know how to beat it?”

“I did. But we don’t have any other options.”

At that moment, Sergeant Ong chimed in.

“If bullets don’t work, what about using heavy weaponry? There might be anti-tank weapons in the base.”

It was a reasonable suggestion, but Yohan shook his head.

“This isn’t a frontline base; it’s a rear base. Don’t expect too much firepower. And even if we find something, it could be dangerous if no one here knows how to operate it. Most heavy weapons have safety locks that require special keys or authorization codes.”

Heavy weapons required extensive training, far beyond the basic firearm training everyone underwent in boot camp and reserve drills. Even if they found an anti-tank gun or grenade launcher, it wouldn’t help if no one could use it.

“Leave David to me.”

“How…?”

“I’ll divide the team into four groups. Sweeper, Dong-seok, Sergeant Ong, and Jae-hee.”

The four responded in unison at Yohan’s call.

“Head to the main gate and stop the Goliaths from breaking through. Goliaths are mutants, but they’re relatively easy to handle if you’re careful. Think of them as big, strong regular zombies. They won’t die from headshots, so aim to cut them apart. But don’t engage them in close combat—retreat if it comes to that.”

“Roger.”

“Hyuk, Ji-won, Jae-ho, and Dan-woo, you’ll focus on clearing the zombies swarming in. Don’t let any of them reach me or Sweeper. Stay inside the depot; it’s too dangerous to fight outside.”

“Got it.”

“Seri, Eun-jung, Jung-soo, and… your name?”

“Kyung-wook.”

“Right. You four will handle reloading ammo. Keep the supply chain running without interruption. Start now.”

The four quickly opened the ammo crates and began loading magazines. Yohan turned to the only person who hadn’t been named.

“Hajin, you’re with me. We’re taking down David.”

When fighting mutants, too many people could be a hindrance. It only added to the list of things that needed protecting. One trustworthy ally at his back was all Yohan needed.

Ideally, he would have brought Sweeper, but Sweeper was crucial for holding off the Goliaths. Yohan and Sweeper had to split up.

Excluding Sweeper, Hajin was the most reliable fighter.

He trusted Sweeper to handle the Goliaths. Whatever mysterious strength Sweeper possessed, Yohan had no choice but to rely on it here.

Hajin gave a wry smile at the prospect of facing a mutant with just the two of them.

“Guess I’m the leading actor now.”

“If you’re scared, I can switch you with Sweeper.”

“No, this is exactly what I wanted. I’ve had enough of that thing’s ugly mug.”

Hajin cracked his knuckles and neck, grabbing some extra ammo as he prepared. The other team members looked visibly worried about the two going off on their own.

“Do you have a plan for taking it down?”

“I’m not certain, but I’ve got an idea worth trying.”

David, the mutant. In his past life, Yohan had never beaten it. But to be fair, he had never outright lost to it either.

After Yohan’s first shocking encounter with David’s capabilities, he had always avoided direct confrontations with the mutant. Once he met Noah and stopped fleeing from mutant battles, he was fortunate—or perhaps unfortunate—not to encounter David again.

This was the first time he was facing it head-on.

“Don’t die, everyone.”

With Yohan’s words, the team finished preparing to open the ammo depot door. The group split into two lines: the front line took kneeling firing positions, while the back line stood upright.

Yohan handed Sweeper the lid of an ammo box.

“What’s this?”

“What do you think? It’s an ammo box lid. If anything comes flying your way, try blocking it with this.”

While Yohan and Hajin launched their attack, there was a chance that David could hurl projectiles at Sweeper’s group as they moved toward the main gate. The makeshift shield wouldn’t absorb the impact, but it might at least protect against direct hits.

Sweeper chuckled at the flimsy protection.

“Wow, this is pretty pathetic.”

“Better than nothing, isn’t it?”

Both Yohan’s group and Sweeper’s group took an ammo lid each and prepared for battle.

“Opening now.”

When Yohan nodded, Hajin opened the door. Harsh light pierced their eyes as the wails of the undead flooded into the depot.

Through the narrow entrance, a firing line formed, and the rapid crack of gunfire filled the air. Zombies, driven wild by the prospect of prey, charged gleefully, only to collapse in heaps. Yet the front line slowly pushed back under the overwhelming pressure.

“Keep pushing! More!” Yohan shouted.

The firing line widened into a fan shape as the exit cleared. Yohan and Hajin lowered their rifles and were the first to move out.

Circling clockwise around the depot, they used the trees and underbrush behind it for cover, gradually working their way closer to David.

Long-range combat was futile. Prolonged skirmishes would only waste ammunition and increase the risk of a breach at the main gate or another point.

‘It has to be close combat.’

Even without knowing its close-range patterns, David’s reliance on heavy projectiles suggested a weakness in melee combat. Its small frame was irrelevant; the fact that firearms were ineffective ruled out any reliance on blades either.

Still, at its core, David was just another zombie. It consumed humans, which meant it had a digestive system. Surely, its stomach, intestines, and colon weren’t reinforced with steel.

If they could damage it from within, they might be able to distort even its grotesque features.

But the first hurdle was figuring out how to bring it down.

—

Sweeper’s group continued providing covering fire for about ten minutes after Yohan left, then turned toward the main gate.

“Sir, they’re following us!”

A cluster of zombies veered in Sweeper’s direction, prompting Sergeant Ong to call out. Looking back, Sweeper saw a sizable group shambling toward them.

He hesitated. Each team member had about ten magazines left, and there was no telling how long the fight would last. Saving ammo seemed prudent.

But what choice did they have? They’d just have to handle it. Sweeper twirled his hand axe with a grin.

“Let’s take them down, boys.”

At that moment, a grenade flew in from somewhere and exploded at the edge of the zombie horde, shredding dozens of them into gore and causing half the group to change direction.

“Nice shot.”

It had to be Hyuk’s work. Even in battle, Hyuk stood out as the most skilled survivor they had encountered since joining this camp.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Save your bullets, guys!”

Sweeper’s axe cleaved through zombie skulls with ease. Its sharp blade split heads apart regardless of angle, reducing the undead to piles of flesh and bone.

Dong-seok followed, using his brute strength to crush zombie heads like a nutcracker. However, his speed couldn’t match Sweeper’s.

While Sergeant Ong and Jae-hee each handled two zombies, the rest of the stragglers were already sprawled across the ground.

“Wow, you’re incredible, sir.”

“Of course I am,” Sweeper said with a grin, glancing toward the tower where David had been perched. Neither David’s gaze nor its attention seemed directed their way anymore.

The anticipated worst-case scenario hadn’t materialized. Thankfully, because even Sweeper found it nerve-wracking to dodge David’s projectiles.

The group resumed their march toward the main gate. But something felt off. Zombies continued to trickle toward them, one or two at a time.

The main gate was locked, and there shouldn’t have been a way for zombies to get in. If the gate had been breached, a swarm should have poured through.

Sweeper decapitated an approaching zombie with a horizontal swing of his axe, its head falling cleanly to the ground.

When they finally reached the gate, the sight before them was a spectacle worth sharing.

“Whoa, flying zombies?”

Several zombies were being flung into the air. More accurately, they weren’t flying—they were being thrown.

Behind the gate, zombies pressed against each other in a chaotic crush. At the center of this chaos was an enormous zombie, so large it dwarfed the others and left them immobilized, either crushed or unable to move.

The endless procession of zombies confirmed that, as Yohan had warned, if this gate fell, survival would be nearly impossible. Fortunately, the gate was a heavy sliding steel door rather than a flimsy rail-style accordion gate.

“That’s the Goliath.”

Sweeper pointed toward the monstrous zombie. Its hulking form was more fittingly described as a Hulk than a Goliath.