Chapter 23
Before leaving the second floor, Yi Ga-on approached the Laboratory Director’s Office.
Yi Se-on was hidden behind the barricade, out of sight. Not that it would have mattered much even if she could see him.
The emergency light cast a faint glow over Yi Ga-on’s face.
She whispered in a small voice.
"I’ll be back."
A zombie, hearing a human voice, let out a low gurgle.
Yi Ga-on didn’t hesitate any longer. She turned around.
To join up with Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk, we headed to the fifth floor of the Laboratory.
We didn’t take the stairs — we used the same method of transport as before.
But since Yi Ga-on was with us, instead of smashing the window, we quietly opened it.
Je Hyun-oh pulled out the metal wings he’d folded away.
Yi Ga-on stared at the wings, her face going blank.
The goggles and the metal hand she could somehow rationalize as auxiliary weapons, but the wings seemed to be far beyond her comprehension.
I wished she’d just accept the wings along with everything else, but since she couldn’t, I gave her an honest explanation.
"It’s a new weapon the military secretly developed."
Yi Ga-on still didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she nodded — stiffly, but she nodded.
"I... I see."
In a world where zombies roamed around, what was a pair of wings on someone’s back?
Yi Ga-on would get used to it in a few hours.
"Excuse me for a moment."
I picked Yi Ga-on up. She awkwardly placed her hands on my shoulders.
Je Hyun-oh stared at me.
He’s not going to throw me again, is he.
I had no trust in Je Hyun-oh, so I quickly sent a Message.
"I’m currently carrying the vaccine and cure."
Je Hyun-oh clicked his metal hand together.
It looked like a gesture of disappointment that he couldn’t throw us.
Fortunately, Je Hyun-oh behaved himself and lifted both me and Yi Ga-on, moving us to the rooftop.
Once on the roof, I set down the trembling Yi Ga-on and checked the HVAC system again.
The HVAC system was a crucial device that kept the viruses inside the Laboratory contained.
If the HVAC system shut down, all kinds of viruses would spread outside, leading straight to a bad ending.
Since it had to be maintained at all costs, most of the emergency power went to the HVAC system.
That meant additional power was needed for vaccine development.
Right now, the emergency generator inside the Laboratory was broken, so its operation rate was probably around 20%.
We had to repair the emergency generator and restore the operation rate.
We’d already collected most of the delivery items.
A few items from the Yellow Zone, Red Zone, and Dead Zone were still missing, but I figured I could have Je Hyun-oh go farm those.
If he flies there and back, it’ll be quick.
Je Hyun-oh could handle zombies easily, so there was nothing to worry about.
The most urgent task was repairing the emergency generator.
As I was thinking about how to do it, Yi Ga-on let out a small sound.
"Ah —"
I turned to look at her. She smiled, a little embarrassed.
"The sun is rising."
The sky was growing pale. A day had passed.
Yi Ga-on was lost in the sight of a sunrise she hadn’t seen in a long time. I grew a little more anxious.
Day two of entry.
A day had passed since infection. Mo Haein’s aggression would be much stronger now.
I took Yi Ga-on and moved to the fifth floor.
I didn’t forget to hold the door open for Je Hyun-oh.
Right now, with the Crow Gloves deactivated, he could only smash through doors.
When we reached the fifth floor, the hallway was full of zombie corpses.
Their heads were crushed, as if someone had beaten them in — definitely Kwak Hanmuk’s handiwork.
He really is strong. Thinking this, I approached the sealed laboratory door with Yi Ga-on.
The security sliding door was designed to open only with an ID card.
Yi Ga-on looked at me and nodded.
With trembling hands, she took out her ID card and scanned it.
At the sound of the door opening, the researchers inside the lab jumped out in surprise.
Then they saw Yi Ga-on and let out nervous, hollow laughs, as if they’d been worried for nothing — until —
"..."
They saw me and Je Hyun-oh, and quietly shut their mouths.
I checked the names on the ID cards hanging around the researchers’ necks.
Tak Jucheol. Paeng Sangdo.
Both were names I recognized. In the game, they died early on — but they’d survived this far.
As I looked at them with mild curiosity, Paeng Sangdo stammered.
"Are you... soldiers? Are you with those people from earlier? Same group, I mean... same team?"
"Yes."
I had no reason to exchange pleasantries with them. I got straight to the point.
"Help Yi Ga-on make the vaccine."
I deliberately didn’t mention the cure.
And the moment I gave the order to the researchers, a System window appeared.
◆Ma?in??! Q?es!t!: Develop the vaccine and cure.
You are once again challenging an impossible feat!
You believe that a vaccine alone cannot make the zombie world a happy place.
Therefore, you wish to develop a cure and move toward a new!new!new! world.
Your reckless challenge is admirable in its attempt alone.
But sometimes, choosing the safe path isn’t a bad idea.
Perhaps that is the true courage.
You believe this is a moment where it’s not too late to change your choice.
It was blatantly telling me not to do it.
I dismissed the System window blocking my view and looked at the researchers.
Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo were the kind of villain characters you see in zombie stories.
The kind who prioritize their own survival above all else and don’t hesitate to sacrifice others for it.
In the game, those two researchers died because they threw Yi Se-on to the zombies and tried to escape somewhere else — only to run into a boss zombie.
Looks like they survived this time.
Since things had turned out this way, I wanted to put them to good use.
I planned to squeeze them dry and make them contribute to the world of DeZonDeal.
Whether my intentions showed in my eyes or not, Paeng Sangdo, who kept glancing at me, was looking increasingly uncomfortable.
I pulled out the bait to handle them effectively.
"I know the location of a survivor shelter."
"...!"
Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo held their breath, focusing on my words.
"It’s a place with plenty of food and hardly any zombie activity. But it’s a long way from the Laboratory."
There was no way weak researchers could make it to a shelter in the Green Zone.
Even this Laboratory was swarming with zombies.
Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo knew that well.
"If this research is completed successfully, I’ll escort you to the shelter."
Threats alone wouldn’t extract wholehearted cooperation.
Since I had to leave them with Yi Ga-on, I needed to make sure they didn’t get any funny ideas.
They were driven by survival instinct. If I dangled the shelter in front of them, they’d go wild and throw themselves into vaccine production.
Sure enough — just moments ago they’d been full of reluctance, but now their eyes had changed.
Paeng Sangdo sniffled, then exchanged glances with Tak Jucheol several times.
Then he cautiously spoke up.
"W-well, of course we want to make the vaccine. Who wouldn’t? But the core material..."
"I have the meteorite."
At my words, Yi Ga-on flinched and clutched the pocket of her lab coat.
So that’s where she put it.
Having confirmed the meteorite’s location, I looked back at Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo.
Tak Jucheol asked in a cracked voice.
"Do you know about Pandora?"
The DeZonDeal virus started with a meteor shower that fell to Earth one day.
A new virus was discovered in the fallen meteorite, and researchers named it ’Pandora.’
Pandora was a zoonotic virus that infected both humans and animals, but it was judged to be vulnerable to heat — making infection unlikely in mammals with high body temperatures.
That conclusion, however, was the result of rushed research.
Because the meteorite had fallen on the development zone, pressure was applied from all sides.
In the end, the Laboratory failed to warn about the virus’s potential danger and gave the corporation the answer it wanted.
Development proceeded as planned. Meanwhile, Pandora evolved at an unbelievable speed and adapted to high temperatures.
Then a worker on the development zone construction site was bitten by a wild dog infected with Pandora — and the disaster began.
Yi Se-on was a researcher who had continuously warned about the dangers of Pandora.
He secretly smuggled out part of the meteorite that was slated for disposal and hid it at home.
The meteorite Yi Ga-on had risked going to the Yellow Zone to retrieve in order to save her brother — that was it. The core material for the vaccine.
"How did you know?"
Before I could answer Tak Jucheol’s question, Yi Ga-on cut in.
She was shaking even harder than when she’d been afraid of Je Hyun-oh.
"That the meteorite caused the virus... that my brother and I had it..."
Before the trust I’d built could crumble, I answered simply.
"I’m not actually a regular soldier. I work for a secret government agency."
"Ah...!"
Yi Ga-on let out an exclamation as if everything finally made sense.
"The National Intelligence Service... something like that, right? I understand."
Close enough.
There wasn’t a single lie in what I’d just said. I’d only told the truth. I nodded.
While Yi Ga-on was convincing herself, Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo were busily whispering to each other.
Tak Jucheol stood with his hands clasped behind his back in a dignified pose, while Paeng Sangdo stepped forward to speak.
"We have conditions for cooperating. If you procure the supplies we need for the research..."
It wasn’t worth hearing the rest. They wanted to live in luxury throughout the research.
I turned to look at my reliable superior.
Je Hyun-oh handled it appropriately.
"WAAAAAH!"
"EUUUUGH!"
He grabbed both researchers by the scruffs of their necks and lifted them into the air.
Their lab coats, pierced by his metal hands, tore with a long ripping sound.
The researchers, who had been drooling and flailing, dropped to the floor one by one — thud, thud — their backs exposed and shredded.
Just as I was about to extract a loyalty oath from them to become vaccine development slaves, the Captains arrived.
"Whoa, hyung-nim, having fun without me?"
Kwak Hanmuk hurried over, his eyes gleaming. He looked like he wanted a piece of the action, but there was nothing to give.
If I threatened them any more, they’d be too scared to do any research.
I calmed Kwak Hanmuk down and approached Yi Ga-on.
"Yi Ga-on. Can you do this?"
Yi Ga-on looked around the lab. For a moment, she seemed to think of Yi Se-on, her eyes welling up — but she didn’t cry.
Instead, she answered with determination.
"I have to."
Yi Ga-on gripped the pocket of her lab coat and looked up at me.
"There are some things I need for the research..."
"I’ll get everything you need by the end of today. I’ll also repair the emergency generator by today. You don’t need to worry about food either."
I answered before she could even say what she needed. Yi Ga-on faltered, then her expression shifted to understanding.
I could practically see the words ’National Intelligence Service’ passing through her mind.
"Thank you! The emergency generator was really urgent. Thank you so much."
Yi Ga-on thanked me repeatedly, then suddenly pulled me aside.
Once we were outside the lab, far from Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo, she whispered.
"The vaccine. My brother already finished the blueprint, so if we just have the materials and power, it’s possible in three days. It’s molecular synthesis, not cultivation — once the power’s on, we can extract the raw material from the meteorite and run the sequence right away. Of course, we’ll have to skip clinical verification."
Yi Ga-on watched my reaction.
She seemed worried that I’d notice she’d lied earlier about not knowing about the vaccine — when actually, it was nearly complete.
But I already knew.
In the game too, Yi Se-on met the player with the vaccine research almost finished.
The siblings were the same.
Just like Yi Ga-on, Yi Se-on couldn’t find a reason to develop the vaccine when his little sister might already be dead.
He kept failing to complete it. Only when his sister Yi Ga-on was rescued did he finally produce the vaccine.
"You said you’d get the materials and repair the emergency generator by today, so I’ll finish the setup in the meantime. The problem is the cure..."
Yi Ga-on’s calm voice trailed off into a sigh.
"I tried researching it before, but the screening results for effective candidate substances weren’t good. Even using the meteorite as a control, there was no reaction. Same with existing antiviral compounds. It felt so hopeless that..."
"Focus on the vaccine for now. I’ll look into the candidate substances."
Yi Ga-on looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it.
This time, I lied.
"I have some information on that. It’s not certain, but it seems worth checking."
I didn’t actually know the candidate substance.
But there were a few clues I’d seen like easter eggs in the game. I planned to track them down.
Yi Ga-on looked up at me for a long moment, then whispered.
"I’ll trust you."
I sent her back to Tak Jucheol and Paeng Sangdo in the lab, then stepped into the hallway with Je Hyun-oh and the Captains.
"We’ll start vaccine production now. Lieutenant Colonel, please farm the remaining items. Captains, you should help me repair the emergency generator."
At my briefing, Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk each spoke up.
"Trainee. I’ve never fixed a machine in my life."
"I’ve repaired a car before, but a generator? No clue."
"I know how to repair it."
Based on the repair method from the game, it didn’t require anything too extreme.
"The problem is the boss zombie guarding the emergency generator in the underground area."
Two people need to repair the generator. One needs to handle the boss.
In the game, the siblings Yi Se-on and Yi Ga-on repaired the generator while I fought the boss.
But now Yi Se-on was a zombie, and Yi Ga-on had to make both the vaccine and the cure.
Excluding Je Hyun-oh, who needed to go gather research materials, that left me, Kwak Hanmuk, and Mo Haein. The three of us had to handle this — but...
The problem was Mo Haein’s aggression as her zombification progressed. The chance of her suddenly attacking us during the operation was sky-high.
As I explained the plan, Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Mo Haein’s eyes darkened. She was already using a lot of energy just to suppress the aggression rising inside her.
"I do have an operation in mind, though."
I paused, not speaking right away. I could already picture Mo Haein calling me crazy again.
And indeed, she was already looking at me like I was insane.
Captain Kwak. I trust you.
Hoping Kwak Hanmuk would support my plan, I opened my mouth.
"Captain Mo."
"Say it."
"Please bite me."