◈ Episode 163

We left the school grounds and entered the mountains.

During the escape process, not a single person was left behind. All the roles, from disruption to combat and command, were performed by Kim Lee-hyun alone, so the students only had to follow him.

As he climbed the mountain path, Leone looked up at the school building through the trees. It was a place that felt like hell. It had been less than an hour since he had prepared himself for death there, and now he was walking outside.

'I'm really alive.'

As I was hit by the night breeze, reality belatedly came crashing down on me. My classmates seemed to be no different, and I heard them sobbing. It must have been because all the sadness that had built up over time burst out.

However, it was not a wise action.

"Keep your voice down."

As expected, Kim Lee-Hyeon immediately pointed it out.

"I can't be sure that there aren't any parasites flowing into the mountains. The terrain is difficult to detect when they're approaching, so even a few enemies can be fatal. Don't let your guard down until safety is secured."

Leone agreed without the slightest bit of resistance. It was a convincing explanation and not particularly threatening.

But it seemed like some people took it differently.

"Isn't that too strict?"

Peterson. Now that the egoist has become a honey-eating dumbass, the glasses-wearing guy is the problem.

"You can act rationally, I'm sure. You're used to this kind of thing. But we're students. Our teachers and friends all died... I'm so scared I could go crazy!"

"I guess you've become more relaxed now that you've gotten a little better."

Some students held their breath, expecting a similar situation to Claire's. Peterson himself, who had complained, trembled, but it didn't go as smoothly as before.

"Just remember this. After this operation, you and I will never meet again. It's not a matter of rank, but our living conditions are very different."

"...."

"I don't need to court your favor, do I?"

The weight of the content could not be ignored. If interpreted extremely, it meant that Kim I-hyeon could abandon a rebellious student in the mountains and leave.

Naturally, the students became as quiet as mice.

Rustle, rustle.

Only the sound of fallen leaves and twigs being stepped on continued. There was no sign of the parasite, but Leone knew that Kim I-Hyun was keeping a close watch on all sides.

The words I just heard suddenly rang in my ears.

'A relationship that will never meet again… .'

Leone imagined his future.

The school won't be restored. I'll have to transfer or maybe just graduate. I have no brains and no money, so college is out of the question.

I'm not interested. How can I go back to my normal life now? The few weeks I've been stuck at school have completely changed my values.

Things I can do well, things I want to do well.

About the future of a man named Leone Ryan.

I had to come up with an answer before it was too late.

"Let's take a break here."

There was a makeshift rest area set up on the top of the mountain. The students who had been watching the situation spread out one by one. One male student even lay down on the ground and gasped for breath.

Kim Yi-hyeon acquiesced without saying anything. It was an open space with a clear view. He had never encountered a parasite before. Even if one or two attacked, he could easily deal with them.

and.

Leone looked down at the city spread out below the mountain and gasped.

"This is crazy…."

Smoke billowing from everywhere. Broken fences and roads where pileups occurred one after another. Reddish flames dotted the city.

'That's why the rescue team couldn't come.'

Now I'm finally realizing the reality.

It was incredibly stupid of me to just sit there and wait for the rescue.

"What happened to the shelter?"

"The citizens who had initially gathered at the shelter were evacuated safely. It was a blessing in disguise. Some were stopped at the quarantine station, but most were transported to a hospital in a nearby city with their limbs intact."

"What about the latecomers?"

"It would be better not to listen."

Leone's eyelids fluttered. She took the advice and did not ask any more questions. Being immersed in pessimistic thoughts only made her steps heavier.

In the end, it's the business of strangers you don't know.

Even if it is spicy, we cannot help but make a distinction.

"We're going that way."

Soon, Kim Ihyeon pointed to a quiet, steep path.

There was a bus just sitting there.

"Why is there a bus in a place like that?"

"Because I moved it in advance."

"Just ride to school."

"If that were the case, the engine would have gone out around the school gate. The car might have stopped while surrounded by parasites. Didn't I tell you to use your head before talking?"

Leone kept his mouth shut.

After a short rest, we resumed our movement. There were no attacks until we descended. As we descended into India, parasites began to appear again, but there were fewer of them.

It was originally a road with few people. Although noise inevitably occurred as many people moved around, no dangerous situation occurred.

Rather, Kim Yi-Hyeon deliberately made noises. He lured nearby enemies and dealt with them cleanly. Unlike when he would just shoot the minigun, he was cool and planned.

We soon reached our destination.

'I couldn't even pull out the sword.'

Leone fiddled with the scabbard of the blade he had been given. He didn't necessarily want to fight, but he didn't expect it to be this easy. His resolve was so lackluster that he was almost disillusioned.

It wasn't something to be called luck. Leone knew that everything went according to Kim I-Hyeon's plan, from finding a safe route in advance to preparing a means of transportation.

"Get on board."

The students boarded the bus as instructed. And they all looked at the driver's seat and flinched. They thought there would be no one there, but there was a man sitting there.

After taking care of every last one, Kim Ihyeon came in and closed the door. A man wearing a tactical vest let out a loud noise from the driver's seat.

"I thought my neck was going to fall off from waiting, Team Leader."

"You said you'd be here soon, but why did it take so long?"

"In my opinion?"

"I should have just played for an hour."

Leone said, looking back and forth between the two of them giving and receiving affectionately.

"There were more. I thought you came alone."

"I said there was no need for additional support, there were two of them from the beginning. And there has to be a driver."

"Can't you let someone else do it? It's been a while since I became a regular agent."

"Don't worry. I'll let you do it even if you're an elite."

"Oh my goodness. How did I end up with a person like this?"

Turkam scratched his head.

"It's starting to get dark soon. Would you like to wait until morning?"

"I'd like to do that, but the kids aren't in good shape."

"It doesn't look like there's anyone working today or tomorrow."

"I'm talking about mental, mental."

"Aha," he said, looking over his students.

There were a few guys who avoided eye contact, probably because they were concentrating on the conversation. Some even glared at me as if they were going to cause a scene if I decided to camp like this.

It was a truly shocking thing for Turkam.

"Oh my. I guess they don't feel the effort to save themselves."

"I guess that means the security in this neighborhood was good."

"As expected, Harrenhal is a great country."

He shrugs slightly.

"But you should rest today and go. If you make noise, I'll just kick you out."

He twitched the corners of his mouth as he spoke, as if telling everyone to listen, but to Kim Yi-hyeon, his intentions were obvious. Turkam had been mean in many ways, but he was not the type to abandon a young student and leave.

The night passed quietly, as if the threat had worked.

There were no physiological problems because a considerable amount of food and medicine was moved inside the vehicle. Some students had seizures while sleeping, but it was just a common occurrence.

As the morning dawned, the bus, hot-wired, set off.

"Let's go."

The real escape started from now.

In order to reach the defense line on the outskirts of the city, you had to pass through an area densely populated with parasites. It would be an extremely dangerous and ordeal. If the car stopped or overturned at a critical moment, there was a risk of total annihilation.

The lives of thirty people were in the hands of the driver. If Turkam had been a reserve agent, he would have been daunted by the burden.

Not now.

Booooooo!

As we went down the steep road, a flat road appeared.

The road was littered with obstacles. An overturned taxi, a sedan crashing into a streetlight, civilian corpses and parasites scattered here and there.

"It's gotten longer. Can you go?"

"It feels like we're going to bump into each other. Should I just push them away?"

"I'll clean up the ones nearby."

"Oh, that would be convenient."

Kim Yi-hyeon opened the window and leaned his upper body out. The assault rifle he had made fired. Bullets fired in short bursts flew through the air.

In a moving car, in an unstable position. Despite the harsh conditions, the accuracy was close to 80%. Half of those shots landed on the parasite's head.

Turkam let out a loud gasp. The scene he witnessed through the windshield was truly amazing. It was so comfortable to see those who seemed to be bothering him fall down one by one.

"Are you really shooting as hard as Chelsea?"

"That's nonsense. How can you hit him with a gun?"

"Is that so? I don't know. They're both just so monstrous."

"Just drive."

"Yes. I think this suits me."

By the time I emptied one magazine, all the parasites that had been tangled up were already spread out. I could ignore the sides and the rear. No matter how hard I ran, I couldn't catch up with the car.

The car body shook every once in a while. Every time that happened, the students couldn't help but imagine a horrific image, like a tomato being crushed by a tire and exploding.

"Turn right here..."

- Kyaaaaah!

As soon as I turned the corner, dozens of parasites rushed at me. Boom! The parasites rushed at me fiercely and slammed their heads into the car. The students who had been looking out onto the street screamed and moved away from the windows.

Even in a crisis, the two remained extremely calm.

"Oh, surprise. I'll push this."

The bus sped up and forced its way through the barrier of people. A shirt-clad parasite grabbed the wiper and fell, cracking the windshield and splattering blood.

Boom, boom!

As the parasites on both sides reached out and knocked on the windows, the front was breached. The bus, which had been at a standstill, began to move forward again. The guys chasing after it fell over like dominoes.

"Is it still bearable?"

"I don't think it'll roll until we get there."

"Okay then."

There was a time when a calm conversation was taking place, as if this kind of situation was familiar.

"...uh."

Leone's gaze landed on the other side of the street. A convenience store with its interior obscured by a pile of junk against the door. He spotted something between the tall boxes.

There was a survivor. Someone was hiding in the convenience store and was peeking outside.

"Hey, Leone, what's wrong?"

Leone flinched at the sound of the voice and turned around. He saw the anxious expression of the female student sitting next to him. She was a friend he had become close with while surviving together.

"No, nothing."

Leone smiled faintly and took his friend's hand. His eyes never turned to the street again. He just stared at the back of the front seat and the black hair that had risen up.

So she kept silent and learned to survive.

* * *

March 29, 2047. AM 11:05.

The rescue operation at Mayfield School was completed by Dustborne Corporation CEO Kim Lee-hyun and one full-time agent from Cellbrox Labs.

A total of 36 survivors were protected.

However, not everyone could pass quarantine.

"You will need to enter the quarantine facility."

Fifteen of the 36 students tested positive.