[TV News Broadcast]
"...late-arriving military personnel can be seen. They aren't entering the restricted area, but instead park their vehicles to the side..."
**
Inside the barricaded zone, people were running like rabid animals. Between them, others were being bitten.
What the hell is this...
Sergeant Yoo and I locked eyes for a moment. This wasn't like a movie. No, a movie would've been better.
Suddenly, I remembered the live rounds in the vehicle.
No matter how bad it looked, shooting civilians wasn't right.
All we really had were unloaded rifles and questionable body armor.
Still, we were ordered to scout the area, so we cautiously approached.
Luckily, the police barricades were still serving their purpose, even without any officers in sight.
In front of the barricades lay people with chunks of flesh missing, bleeding out.
The horror of the scene shook the eyes of every soldier in the squad.
Should we pull back now?
Just as I hesitated, I met Sergeant Yoo's eyes again. Maybe it was my imagination, but his look seemed to say, "I trust you, Captain."
I couldn't betray that trust.
"This is seriously messed up... I'll take point. Maintain formation."
I gave the order calmly, but I was afraid too. As a captain, I couldn't show it. I had to act composed.
The troops moved forward as ordered. Everyone seemed tense. Or maybe I was just that tense.
We passed the barricades and approached the crowd. That's when someone tackled one of our troops.
"Ahh! Captain!"
"Jiwon!"
Sergeant Yoo immediately ran over and pulled the man off.
The attacker had a torn piece of uniform in his mouth, desperately trying to escape Yoo's grip.
If Yoo hadn't grabbed him from behind, he might've been bitten.
"You son of a—! Fall back! Everyone, behind the barricade!"
At my command, Yoo threw the man aside and ran with us.
Maybe we hesitated too long. There was nothing we could do here.
We needed to retreat and report to higher command.
But then—
Honk! Honk!
"Please help!"
A cry came from a car parked deeper inside.
Without waiting for orders, Sergeant Yoo changed direction and sprinted toward the vehicle.
Damn it. That stubbornness of his... I had to admire it.
I shouted while running after him,
"Squad Leader, regroup the men at the barricade and report! I'm going with Sergeant Yoo!"
Could we make it to the car?
What if we got swarmed again?
A lot ran through my mind in those few seconds. Yoo seemed to have already made his call.
He struck a charging man with his rifle, shook him off, and followed up with a kick.
Civilian or not... was this okay?
Too late to worry about that now.
I tried to stay logical—but someone tackled me.
Why the hell are they trying to bite us!?
"You crazy f**ker!"
I jammed the sight of my rifle into his open mouth.
The man let out an inhuman sound. He didn't care about the metal in his mouth—he just kept biting.
His mouth was stained with blood, and his eyes were blank.
Was it still okay to hold back?
No. I had to fight.
"Say goodbye to your teeth, bastard!"
I twisted the rifle and shoved the attacker back. There was a sickening crunch as teeth shattered and the man flew backward.
I turned and ran toward the vehicle.
No one else came for me, but Yoo was already fighting another.
He spun in midair, and his right foot slammed into a man's face.
I didn't need to help.
Whoever that was... would need dental surgery.
"Jesus..."
Despite the chaos, we pressed on to the car.
Around it were five crazed people covered in blood, pounding on the vehicle.
They were smashing fists and foreheads against the windows like animals.
As we approached, they turned from the car and charged at us.
Yoo said he was setting his rifle down, and I replied,
"Please go easy."
But I gripped my rifle like a bat, preparing to swing.
Two trained soldiers vs. five enraged civilians.
Some people would love the adrenaline. Me? I was terrified.
Their appearance alone was horrifying. Bleeding, wild-eyed, relentless.
And despite being a soldier, I'd never actually been in a real fight.
But Yoo's courage gave me some.
Even though my hands were trembling.
Alright. Focus on the fight.
It was five on two. They might try to surround us.
...Yeah, no. They just charged head-on.
I dodged one, tripped him with my rifle stock. He fell face-first.
The next hit me shoulder-first. I pushed back, but he was strong—I stumbled two steps.
Still, I kept both in my field of vision and got into a defensive stance.
"Sergeant Yoo!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Try not to injure them too much!"
"..."
He didn't answer, but I knew he understood.
The two I faced got back up and rushed again.
I dodged slightly and hit one in the ribs with my rifle stock.
Then I saw Yoo.
He stepped past the man I had hit and tripped the one behind.
Just as the man started falling, Yoo raised his leg and brought it crashing down.
It was a perfect, fluid motion.
Wait. Weren't there five?
"What about the rest?"
"Handled."
Then he spin-kicked the last one.
"I told you not to injure them."
"I didn't. I'm fine. Are you okay, sir?"
"...?"
Clearly a miscommunication.
Still, we were both uninjured.
We turned to check on the person in the car.
His eyes were filled with terror. He was muttering to himself, face pale, clothes soaked in blood.
"Are you—"
VROOOOM!
...Seriously?
After all that, the car sped off without a word.
Yoo and I stared at each other.
"...Let's just go back."
"Understood."
Well, we did save a life. Probably.
The fact that eight civilians got hurt... well, we'd figure that out.
We sprinted back behind the barricade. My whole body was trembling.
I just wanted to get away from that hell.
Back behind the barricade, I ordered Sergeant Yoo to check on the squad.
Even as I gave the order, I was still shaking.
I took a deep breath and called the battalion commander.
How was I supposed to report this?
"Sir, this is Bravo Battery. We entered briefly and... I'll report exactly what I saw."
I gave a concise summary: people chasing and biting each other, a blood-soaked scene, and civilian injuries.
The commander sighed.
"Civilians were hurt during the mission?"
Of course that's the part he focused on.
"...Yes, sir. We're returning now."
"That damage happened under your control. Understood?"
"...Yes, sir."
Goddamn it.
I reported to brigade next. More yelling.
Then I called Yoo.
"Sergeant, is everyone okay?"
They weren't. That much was obvious.
Their faces were pale, shell-shocked. One soldier—Jiwon—was crying.
"Let's get out of here."
Just then, my phone rang again.
"Captain Kang Jihoo? This is the corps operations officer. Don't pull out. Hold position."
"...Yes, sir. May I ask why?"
"Direct order from the corps commander. How many personnel on site?"
"Eleven, sir. One officer, one NCO, nine enlisted."
"Got it. Stay put. We'll call again."
I ended the call with a deep sigh.
Watching Yoo load the troops into vehicles, I shouted,
"Everyone, hold position until further orders."
No one replied.
Normally I'd chew them out.
Not this time.
"Just hang in there until reinforcements arrive. Load up and wait."
"..."
Silence.
They were clearly in shock.
"Sergeant Yoo, get them loaded. Then come talk to me."
"Understood."
After getting everyone in, he approached.
"They're not okay. Especially Jiwon—he's practically non-functional."
"Which one is Jiwon?"
"The one who got attacked."
"And the others?"
"They just walked out of a bloodbath. How do you think they are?"
I sighed.
"There's live ammo in my vehicle."
"...Sir? Were there additional orders?"
Technically, our battalion's protocol was only to carry live rounds with specific authorization, given how close we were to civilian areas.
So his question was fair.
"I'll go get the vehicle. Watch over the squad."
"Yes, sir."
As I walked to the car, my mind was spinning.
What mission would they assign us?
How was I supposed to lead in this chaos?
And what the hell was this situation?
Then the corps called back with updated orders:
"Hold the barricade until police reinforcements arrive. Once they do, cooperate in a full sweep of the area, including inside the buildings."
We're going back in?
A full sweep?
Suddenly, I couldn't breathe.