"A city wall?"
I asked again, surprised.
"It might be hard to believe… but enormous walls were sprouting up around Euljiro and Namsan. I know it sounds absurd, but really, like a child's first teeth, stone walls were rising from underground."
Just like he said, it was absurd.
In modern warfare, walls were utterly useless, relegated to nothing more than tourist attractions in today's world.
But now, these walls were growing from the ground?
"I barely managed to escape. I almost got completely trapped by the walls. If that had happened… I would have been separated from my mother forever."
"Were there any other dangerous events… or anything else?"
I asked, my voice tinged with concern.
"Although the walls were rising, the inside wasn't much different from the outside. Oh, there was one difference, though. It surprised me a bit when I came down here… the types of monsters were different."
Orcs, Wyverns, Zerglings, and even mutated wolves.
The variety of monsters we had encountered so far wasn't particularly extensive.
Song Hyun-gu added another variation to that list.
"The ones we saw most frequently were… Skeletons."
From the growing city walls to the skeletons.
The apocalypse seemed to have a chameleon-like ability to present all sorts of themes.
The problem was that inside this undead theme park was my little sister, the second of the Kim Sisters.
Clearly, our next destination would have to be Euljiro, but…
Song Hyun-gu brought up one more concern.
"Because of the walls, getting into Euljiro won't be easy. I'm sure… they were still growing the last time I saw them. I don't know how much they've expanded by now, but at the rate they were going, they've probably reached the height of some buildings by now."
Building height.
In other words, there was no chance of crossing by car.
In this modern world, a city wall that 'actually' functioned was a truly bizarre thing.
I nodded slowly, still feeling somewhat incredulous, and thanked him.
"Thanks for the detailed explanation. It was really helpful."
"…No, I should be thanking you for all the help I've received."
After the brainwashing had been lifted, Song Hyun-gu had unknowingly earned the support of the other awakened ones.
He would naturally become the leader of this place when I left the hospital, and as their leader, I had provided him with a reasonable amount of supplies, such as water, preserved food, and a generator.
Song Hyun-gu bowed his head.
"Thank you… I will absolutely, without fail, repay this debt."
"Then you'll need to survive first."
"Of course. I'll form a new scouting team, gather Mana Stones, and do my best to survive."
This was the extent of the help I could offer.
From here on, they would have to face the apocalypse on their own.
However, we still needed to exchange information.
A city wall had risen in Euljiro, and skeletons were wandering around.
In such rapidly changing circumstances, information could be both power and a matter of survival.
So, as a final gesture, I provided them with a P999K military communicator.
I wasn't sure of its exact operating instructions, but since it was a duplicated device, the frequencies should already be roughly aligned.
That was the last thing.
The gray Korando revved its wheels, and the people from the hospital came out to the barricades, sending us off with applause.
And that's how we left Gangnam.
***
According to the information Song Hyun-gu provided, the Dongho Bridge, which connects Oksu-dong and Geumho-dong, had long been severed from the northern side.
Thus, our plan was to cross the Han River via the Hannam Bridge, which was just to the left.
However, just a few minutes after the wheels began turning,
my eldest sister contacted me from inside the Subspace.
"That man… he's regained consciousness. Charlie… was it?"
.
.
.
.
As the car sped toward Hannam Bridge,
I briefly entered the subspace to check on Charlie's condition.
"Thank you so much."
The man was in his early forties with a broad jawline.
He bowed his head to me.
He had bandages wrapped around his head, but thankfully, he hadn't suffered from amnesia.
He clearly remembered my help and, fortunately, had a proper name to replace 'Charlie'.
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Han Kyung-ho, in charge of the 50th Information and Communication Battalion of the DCC."
DCC is the abbreviation for the Republic of Korea Defense Communication Headquarters.
In other words, he was an officer from the unit I had absorbed into the Subspace.
I asked.
"Why was an officer from DCC at the government complex? And even to the point of facing a life-threatening situation?"
"Well, actually…"
From his words, one thing was clear.
The government wasn't completely idle in the face of the apocalypse.
"We were gathering awakened soldiers in Gwacheon and Anyang, including reservists. Our battalion was in charge of communication support, and as you know… without the military communication network, there's virtually no means of communication right now."
He continued, speaking calmly.
"The military and the government are currently preparing a new unit composed of awakened individuals. They're trying to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible."
It sounded plausible, but the operation had ended in failure.
I could still vividly recall his voice, pleading for mercy, "Please, save me, you Foxtrot bastards."
Now, it was time to address my curiosity.
"How did the military get wiped out? Guns do work on monsters, don't they?"
"That's true for most of them. But there are some that aren't affected."
Monsters immune to bullets.
I knew one of them myself.
"The forces in Gwacheon and Anyang were wiped out by a single dragon. Its body was black, with a lower half that shimmered in rainbow hues. Bullets, shells, nothing worked on it."
And it wasn't just that.
"A Cyclops appeared in Anyang, and a giant mole showed up in Cheonggyesan. These creatures are popping up in other regions too."
Now I understood.
Why the military had no choice but to be helpless.
But Han Kyung-ho still seemed to have a dissatisfied expression.
"Even so… we were supposed to get support. At the very least, they should have delayed the monsters long enough for us to evacuate. But the support units, the Command Control Center, none of them responded. If I hadn't gone up to the rooftop to check the comms equipment, I would've been buried there like the rest of my comrades."
I told him that the DCC had been taken over by gangsters, but he continued shaking his head.
"If the headquarters had fallen into such a state, they would have certainly notified us. In my opinion, rather than that… it felt like communication was unilaterally cut off. As if we were abandoned."
He added,
"Now that I think about it… where are we? I need to return to my unit. Maybe I can find something if I search the Command Control Center."
"Well… we're still in Gangnam. But you can see your unit."
"…What?"
"Your unit is right here. The Defense Communication Command."
I pointed out the window of the Fulfillment Center, where the guard post of the Republic of Korea Defense Communication Headquarters was visible.
.
.
.
I stopped him as he was about to run straight to the Command Control Center.
Then I asked Pax.
"Have you finished the system integration you mentioned earlier?"
[All system tasks are currently completed. You can retrieve any item in Sector 2 just like any other products.]
"Perfect. Follow me. It'll be faster than searching manually."
I led Han Kyung-ho to the picking station.
I searched for 'classified documents' on the computer.
Level 3, Level 2, and even Level 1 security clearance documents.
The titles of all the classified documents in DCC were listed in a neat row.
"Bring them all."
[Understood.]
Not long after, an AGV robot delivered a thick stack of documents.
When I opened them, the papers were meticulously organized by the date of their creation.
As the sleek AGV robots carried military classified documents, Han Kyung-ho looked utterly baffled.
"What in the world is this…?"
.
.
.
Flip, flip.
Silently, Han Kyung-ho flipped through the documents.
To confirm whether the information he had discovered was true.
Or rather, desperately hoping that it wasn't true.
But faced with undeniable evidence, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
He reached a conclusion.
"The 1st Corps… has initiated a coup."
That was the whole story.
***
I exited the Portal along with Han Kyung-ho.
Lee Yong-su was still driving the car.
After seating Han Kyung-ho in the back, I returned to the passenger seat.
Han Kyung-ho spoke.
"It's clearly being carried out secretly. We need to report this fact as soon as possible."
He wanted to head to Yongsan, where the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters was located.
Since our destinations differed, I decided to drop him off as soon as we crossed the Han River.
There were fewer monsters on the road.
As we sped down the empty roads, I asked a question that had been nagging at me.
"Why would the 1st Corps in Paju interfere with Anyang?"
"The 1st Corps likely formed an awakened unit of its own. However, the awakened forces gathered in Anyang and Gwacheon were all set to be assigned to capital defense forces. Simply put…"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"…they are obstructing the government's efforts to gather forces. It seems the commander of DCC also sided with them. Even with the world in this state… the idea of staging a coup to seize power is just beyond belief."
Even in the face of apocalypse, humans were once again dividing themselves into enemies.
Perhaps for some, the apocalypse was an ally.
Like plowing the fields, it uprooted the old foundations and allowed for a fresh start.
As we continued talking, Lee Yong-su suddenly spoke up.
"…The bridge is down."
Our plan to head to Euljiro via Hangangjin and Namsan Tunnel 1 had failed.
We quickly revised our plan to cross through Banpo Bridge and head toward Noksapyeong, but…
When we arrived, we found that both Banpo Bridge and Jamsu Bridge had collapsed.
After driving for a bit longer, Lee Yong-su perked up.
"Ah, we can cross here."
The only bridge still intact was Dongjak Bridge.
The meaning of that was clear.
"It seems we'll have to go through Yongsan."
If we went around Yongsan Park in front of Dongjak Bridge, we would naturally reach near the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters.
Upon hearing this, Han Kyung-ho's expression brightened.
He was, without a doubt, an incredibly lucky man.
.
.
.
We crossed the Han River with our hearts in our throats.
Strange creatures we had never seen before were watching us from the water.
Bang!
Bang!
I shot down a few Wyverns that flew at us along the way, but…
The most serious problem revealed itself when we crossed the bridge and arrived at Samgakji Station.
"Could that be…"
Lee Yong-su pointed to the sky.
A truly massive structure.
A pale gray wall was etched into the sky, forming geometric shapes.
Its height was absolutely overwhelming.
It was the very 'wall' Song Hyun-gu had spoken of.
'…There's no way we're getting over that in a car.'
As we gradually neared the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters, Han Kyung-ho seized the moment to make me an offer.
"Kim Jeong-gyeom, would you consider coming with me? The government is providing Mana Stones to awakened individuals, helping them grow during the initial stages. If you become affiliated with the government… you could receive considerable support."
He had seen my abilities firsthand since our time at the hospital.
A walking treasure chest of magical items with combat skills to boot.
There was no reason for him not to covet my abilities.
But I firmly declined his offer.
"I need to check on my little sister in Euljiro first. As for Mana Stones, I can easily obtain them on my own."
I had no time to waste getting entangled in government orders.
Right now, my sole priority was rescuing my Kim family.
However, things didn't seem like they would go smoothly.
I paused for a moment, staring absentmindedly out the car window at the sky.
The towering wall.
An impenetrable fortress standing right in the middle of Seoul's urban landscape.
Just then, I remembered one necessary item, so I asked Han Kyung-ho.
"The Joint Chiefs headquarters… they must have a few helicopters, right?"
"He… helicopters? Yes, that's right."
That's how he answered.
*****
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