Season 3: Chapter 4: You Had a Plan (1)
"Zombies?"
Zombies had appeared. Given the smell of blood and the commotion, it wasn't strange for zombies to show up.
"Ugh, aaahhh! Run!"
"Scatter! Squid is telling us to run!"
As a result, all of Class 1 also retreated. This was certainly a relief for Almond.
[Exhausted]
His character also felt exhausted. Continuing to fight could have led to a collapse. The zombies appearing was actually a boon.
"Kraaaahhh!"
The problem was that Almond had no way out.
In front was Class 1 and behind was a closed bathroom door. Couldn't he just escape with Class 1?
"What about the kids behind him in the bathroom?"
That was problematic. This game wasn't about surviving alone. Ten Class 3 students were still in the bathroom.
If Almond ran away, these kids would be left alone without a player and effectively abandoned as if left for dead. Too many students had already been lost. Losing more was out of the question.
"Kraaaahhh!"
"Kraaaahhh...!"
If he were to re-enter the bathroom now, the previous forty-against-one battle would have been pointless.
'Not entirely pointless.'
He glanced at the sledgehammer that Radish Kimchi had dropped.
'I've got it now.'
After picking up the sledgehammer, he banged on the door and shouted, "Kids! Open the door!"
The students inside responded to Almond's voice.
"Huh? Ah, Almond?"
"Yeah, it's me! Open the door!"
The door slid open.
"Yeek...!"
Their eyes widened in shock.
"Close it!"
Almond quickly ran inside the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The charging zombies crashed into the door with their momentum.
Thump! Thump!
"What... what are these zombies? Why are there so many?"
"Class 1? What happened? Don't tell me you fought alone?"
They launched a barrage of questions at him. It was hard to discern what had happened outside from behind the door, especially since Almond had stuffed toilet paper in the peephole.
"Ah. They ran away when the zombies came," Almond lied, but they couldn't contradict him.
"Really?"
The students weren't fools. Even just by the sounds, they knew that it wasn't just because of the zombies that everyone ran away.
"Did they really run away because of the zombies?" a student named Song Gi-Taek asked.
He seemed a bit sharp.
"Why, don't you believe it?"
"No, it's just... kind of... I mean... circumstantial..."
"Wanna go out and check?"
"No, no! I believe it! I believe you!!"
Was there really a need to delve into the facts with mere suspicions? Song Gi-Taek shook his head involuntarily, deciding not to pursue it. Sometimes, it was better not to know.
— ??? Hey, Song Gi-Taek. Did Satan visit you?!
— SongDieTai lol
— Don’t need Bubblegum? lol
— Leadership (physically)
— Go out and check lol what exactly? lol
***
The commentators did not hold back their amazement.
"Forty against one, and the forty ran away like the thirty-sixth strategy of retreat!?"
"Is this really happening!?"
— Strategic retreat lol
— lol
— What is this even?
— An astonishingly true story
"No, we're seeing movie-like action in a game that's not even an action game!?"
"He even looks like an actor!"
"Yes. That definitely plays a part! If Takoyaki had fought, it would have looked like a gang turf war."
— lololol
— Really, bald gangster lol
— That’s too much lol
"Class 1 is running to the second floor now, right? The roof is close, but it's uncertain if that’s a good choice right now!"
The camera moved from Almond’s team to Class 1, who was fleeing.
Class 1 was pushing up to the second floor, closing fire doors to hold back the zombies. Among them, many students couldn't run properly or were bleeding.
"Ah. Even if they survive now, the damage Almond has inflicted on Class 1 is tremendous. There aren't any dead students yet, but..."
Almond hadn't caused any fatalities. If individuals started dying, morale and mental health issues would make it highly likely that the game wouldn't proceed normally.
Almond had given Class 1 an even grimmer gift by injuring them.
"Injuries are scarier in war, right?"
"Especially in Zombie School where there are hardly any ways to treat injuries. Just a scratch from a glass window can lead to a slow death!"
Given the nature of Zombie School, which focused on survival, even minor injuries could lead to death. In reality, diseases like tetanus from bacterial infections could also lead to death if small wounds went untreated. The question was whether that person would die a peaceful death alone.
"It would be better to die quickly. Otherwise, those around them would have to suffer until the injured ones die. They would have to find bandages and provide uncomfortable support."
"Right now, there are as many as thirteen people in Class 1 who will cause such inconveniences."
Out of forty, thirteen had sustained significant injuries. That meant one-third of them had suffered injuries.
"In Zombie School, you need to change bandages every two minutes... Can you handle that with thirteen people?"
— Every 2 minutes lol
— 13 people need a new bandage every 2 minutes lol
— They’re doomed
"If you tear up curtains, you can get quite a bit of cloth... but it looks like Class 1 will eventually aim for the infirmary on the first floor."
The broadcast showed Class 1 running toward the infirmary's hallway.
"Yes. They almost have to aim for that place since there are beds and sufficient bandages there. And they can probably disinfect their wounds too."
"Now let’s take a look at the remaining members of each class."
[Class 1: 40 members]
[Class 2: 36 members]
[Class 3: 23 members]
[Class 4: 37 members]
[Class 5: 41 members]
The audience stirred at the number of survivors.
— ???
— What's going on?
— What happened to Class 3?
— Eh?
— They really dropped wow
— There must've been some incident?
"Ah... Class 3 has lost a whopping nine members."
"Wait! Not just Class 3..."
Some incident that the camera couldn’t catch had occurred.
"Why has Class 5's number increased?!"
— ??
— Eh?
— Can it increase?
— Wow
— What?
"Class 5 went around to the back door of the main building, right?"
"Yes. And Bubblegum from Class 3 also went to close the back door."
"So the two forces must have met."
— wow
— What exactly?
— Bubblegum nooo
***
Thump. Thump.
Zombies pounding on the closed door grew familiar, yet this irregular and grim noise could be quite traumatic for the faint-hearted.
"Uh... Uh..."
"Ugh... sob..."
During World War II, there was a strategy of continuously subjecting towns to unexpected bombing sounds. It was meant to constantly remind people of the unpredictability of death.
Thump. Thump.
Now, those bombing sounds were replaced by the monotonous knocking of zombies. Constantly worrying about death, humans could break down mentally.
"Are we trapped here?" one of the students from Class 3 asked.
"Can we get out of here?"
Almond shook his head.
"We're just hiding, not trapped."
"... Sob," the student sobbed as if questioning his logic.
Then, a smart-looking girl stood up and said, "Actually, it's good that we settled in the bathroom."
Her name was Seo Yeon-Ji.
"We can manage our waste and we have water here, right?"
Yeon-Ji was correct. In Zombie School, the bathroom was a reasonably good space. Although it seemed unsanitary, it allowed for clean waste management and had water.
"Without water, a person can't survive more than three days. At least, we can survive for three days now."
Could the students, who had been worried about their college entrance exams next year, appreciate that they would survive for the next three days?
Someone countered Yeon-Ji's point, "Water and waste are fine, but where will we sleep? We can't sleep on this damp bathroom floor."
"Why can't we? Is this the time to be picky?"
"It's not about willpower!"
The students began to argue. The ongoing stress made them sensitive.
'He has a point.'
Almond thought that sleeping in the bathroom was impractical. It was humid and the floor tiles felt cold and hard.
The arguing student pointed out that sleeping here was not simply about willpower. Sleeping in such conditions could lead to hypothermia and fatigue due to poor rest. While they couldn't expect a plush bed, they needed to sleep off the ground at least.
They could connect desks in a classroom to sleep on them.
"We can go without sleep for a day, right? Let's hold out here and wait for help. We already called for help," Yeon-Ji tried to persuade the children.
"What? Help? You think it's safe outside?"
"Aren't there only zombies in our school? Outside should still be fine! There are soldiers and the police..."
"Don't make me laugh! Do you think they care about us? They'll probably quarantine the school to prevent zombies from escaping!"
A rather fierce-looking boy, Park Eui-Jun, grew agitated.
"We should go out and secure food and everything else! Didn't you see what Class 1 did? Do they look like they're waiting for help?"
"So what are you suggesting? There are zombies outside!"
"Yes, there are! And there will be! Are we just not going to go out?! You saw what Almond did. We can fight somehow with a mop handle!"
At this point, Almond interjected, "It's risky to fight the zombies right now."
"... What? Why?" Eui-Jun asked, perplexed.
"I'm tired."
He was more than just tired.
[Scratch - Right Arm]
[Scratch - Left Leg]
[Ligament Injury - Right Foot]
After fighting forty people, Almond's body couldn't possibly be unscathed.
'My foot feels a bit uncomfortable because of the ligament injury.'
Even if he ignored the scratches, the ligament injury on his right foot was significant. This kind of injury required immediate medical attention such as a splint.
Ultimately, Almond needed to head to the infirmary.
Unaware of this situation, the boy countered back, "What? You can't fight because you're tired? What is that... If we all fight together, you can stay in the back."
"Do you want us all to die?"
— Really, LOL.
— Right, LOL, how could they even fight?
Park Eui-Jun could not refute Almond's words.
"So... what's your plan then?"
— A plan? If you're hit by that, it all disappears anyway, haha.
— A newcomer? He doesn't have a plan, LOL.
— None, LOL.
'Let's start making one now...'
Almond was about to make up a plan on the spot.
Zzzzzzz!
Everyone's phone vibrated strongly.
[Emergency Disaster Text]
[All regular communication networks and computer systems have been paralyzed. The Government of South Korea has established an emergency committee and is doing its best for rescue. Citizens are advised to secure as much food as possible and stay in a safe place.]
The students looked horrified.
"Uh... Seriously, the phone's not working?"
"Wow. What. No KakaoTalk."
"Crazy."
— Dreadful, it's just beginning.
— Can't meet for takoyaki???
— What timing
Class 3 was in a bind. They had split into three groups and depended on communication. Now, that was impossible.
Another message appeared.
Zzzzzzz!
[Regional Emergency Disaster Text]
[A rescue operation plan has now been established. A map indicating the time and place for rescue is shared for citizens' cooperation. Please come to the designated place at the designated time to await rescue.]
The government shared a map for rescuing citizens. This map included the date and time the rescue teams would arrive.
The students indiscriminately opened the map to look around the school.
"There, there it is. Our school's rooftop!"
[Shin-gok High School Main Building Rooftop - Helicopter Rescue]
[May 8th, 12:30 PM]
[More Details] [+More]
"May 8th, 12:30 PM. That's in three days!"
In three days, a rescue helicopter would arrive at the school rooftop.
"But... what's this? The maximum boarding... is twenty-five people?"
[More Details]
[The expected maximum boarding is 25 people.
Additional plans will be established to rescue others later.
Please pre-select 25 people to avoid confusion at the site.]
— Wow…
— That's harsh.
— So this is them aiming to save as many as possible.
— Dreadful.
— It's realistic though...
Almond recalled that Class 3 had thirty students.
'This...'
It seemed not everyone could survive.
***
[Beginner's Tip: Sometimes, to save many, a decision must be made to sacrifice a few.]