I'm still alive

Play with me!

Chae-yeon sticks to my leg and looks up sadly. But contrary to what he said to play with, the child had very sad eyes. A simple young man who wanted me to stay by his side without going out, but I hugged Chae-yeon without saying anything because I fully understood her mind. I was always sorry. To be unable to be beside, to play, or to teach.

'Chae-yeon, you can't do that!

Today's mission was a dangerous one, so the atmosphere of the party heading to the main gate was very solemn. And because of that atmosphere, the atmosphere of the accommodation became serious as well. Kang Su-ryeon, who was packing up the party's lunchbox from afar, ran in amazement, and quickly pulled Chae-yeon out of my arms and took the child off my arms. I handed Chae-yeon over to her in a bitter and helpless reality.

Chae-yeon cries as if she doesn't want to fall. I couldn't even let go of that hand, so I smiled and quietly woven the child and his little finger together. And as always, he comforted and soothed the child and promised to buy delicious snacks on the way here. But Chae-yeon shook her head and told me.

'Just Dad......'

All I need is my dad. The horse tempered my heart hotly. Yes, Chae-yeon was a thoughtful child, unlike a child. I gave the child a true promise rather than a sweet lie. I'll come back home no matter what. I made up my firm determination by tying my child's pinky and promising.

Strangely, I felt light as if I were flying away. Maybe Chae-yeon gave me wings.

* * *

Eden has changed a lot in just a week. The mood at the front gate, which was somewhat sticky and uncomfortable whenever I saw it, had changed as friendly as our front door since the battle group was reorganized.

The guards standing on the Wall waved when they found us, and soon smiled brightly and prayed for the safe return of the rescue team. And as soon as we arrived at the main gate, the combat team quickly prepared a simple tent for a briefing before departure.

We are the only people who are going to Eden externally. That's why when it's time for the rescue team to leave Eden, all the districts become quiet, and only busily moving to help us get off to a start. I came into the tent where the old stove was turned with such excessive consideration.

A hot breeze brushed past my face. There was a huddle of people to start today, and only looking at me and focusing all my nerves on the briefing. I gently lick my lips and breathe in. I had to take responsibility for their lives from now on. I felt a lot of pressure and tension, and now I'm faced with an eye that I'm getting used to it.

The party had been notified in advance last night. We will begin at 9:00 a.m. today and lead the survivors for the Shelter merger before returning to Eden. Today's mission was to bring the survivors here, who are actually waiting for rescue. One place was already out of contact, and the head of the group was told to go to the most likely shelter first.

I put a map on the blackboard prepared by the combat team and began to explain the Shelter I should go to today. The name before the end was Sirim High School, and now there was no specific name. It is a collection of students, teachers, and survivors who joined the area, and it will take about an hour and a half on foot.

It is a shelter that has been able to avoid the eyes of them and vagrants so far because of its high slope and closed terrain. However, they are believed to have been attacked by mutants recently and are on the verge of annihilation, possibly due to poor combat capabilities. However, the head of the organization judged that people are still alive, given that they are still sending rescue signals. When all the explanations were completed, the old man raised his hand to ask questions.

'What are the variants going to do?'

As long as there was a detailed statement that they had been attacked by mutants, the battle against them was inevitable. I replied that I should use my gun without hesitation in the battle on the move or after arriving. Although they were beyond the standard, they showed weaker-than-expected variations in front of a gun with a silencer. The old man, who heard my answer, nodded quietly, as if satisfied.

'The primary goal is to return to power, and the secondary goal is structure. Keep that in mind and never overdo it. Depart after checking the equipment.’

Rescue work is important, but to me, more important than the operation was the security of my party. A voice of a female executive who shouted "death during the operation is inevitable sacrifice" brushed past her head. But I couldn't agree with the idea. It was life that was more important than operation. And if it's a life-threatening operation, then I have to risk my life first.

I will return safely without a single loser. As Chae-yeon waits for me, there are precious people waiting for their own party. Don't forget that....... Without mistakes, without falling behind, I will complete today's mission perfectly. I quietly clench and open my fist.

I wore a silencer that Teolbo carefully cared for and packed enough ammunition. The miniaturized crossbow is carried around the back and the gun is held tightly with both hands. Soon after, as Gan stepped out of the tent, more than 20 people began to walk behind me toward the main gate.

As we opened the tent and came out, the battle tank on the Wall began busily to open the door, and the radios each was holding rang out noisily. I pressed down the black hat that matched all the party and took out the radio I put in my pocket.

'Team Chae-yeon, here we go.’

Team Chae Yeon is leaving! The battle tank on the Wall was in full bloom, and the signal water on the guard tower begins to swing its arms like mad. Then the front door began to open with a heavy sound, and the party took the pre-prepared position. And me standing far away in front of him. The lead, and the lighthouse that leads the ship. There was no one in front of me, and everything was behind me.

I kicked my foot out.

* * *

The area where the mutants attacked the vagabonds was recorded as dense as a radioactive area. Though deliberately circumvented from that direction, it was not entirely free from the threat of strains. I began to move not only through narrow alleys but also through open fields and wide roads where I could fully see the surrounding areas, even if it was a little dangerous. So we ran on the road, skilfully over the obstacles, like a snake.

In the meantime, none of the party seemed tired as if physical training had begun to shine. Even Park Da-hye, carrying a big load, followed us without difficulty, and Park Dae-bak was a group of ironies, not to mention the pack.

Fully skilled veterans. The travel time to Sirim High School has gradually decreased, and the destination has already begun to be seen. I checked my wristwatch by inserting a bolt into his head that was blocking us, and soon I could see that I had cut my travel time by 20 minutes. Finally, with 300 meters to the destination, I sent a stop sign to the back.

Moving positions disintegrate in an instant, and everyone lowers their posture and is wary of all directions. And at that moment, an old man, who was supporting the party behind the line, rushed towards this side and slid into the back of the car. He said, swallowing a strained saliva with a harsh breath.

Shit, they're gonna go.….’

The number of mutants found on the way here is two. Unlike them, active movements were easier to spot than we thought, but they showed strange movements that we didn't know if they were after us or just looking at us. Not attacking rashly. Do you happen to remember that we have guns? I had a terrible thought, but I tried hard to shake my head.

As a result, only observations were made, but no direct attacks were made. Despite this suspicious move, the agitation of the group, which had a memory of fighting with the strains, was less than expected, and the atmosphere was so preheated that some even suggested hitting it first. Fortunately, we arrived near Sirim High School without any major skirmishes, taking a short breath and guarding the area.

I took the radio out of my pocket.

'Do you still get a distress call?'

I quietly paged my grandmother and Choi Sung-soo, who were holding the radio in the office. Soon after, a powerful young Choi Seong-su's voice came out with the noise.

The radio sender's been gibberish for some time ago. I think you're just a little scared, but I'm still writing down the exact location, so please wait a little bit.]

I got the exact location with the sound of OK, and I put the radio back in my pocket. From a distance, Sirim High School was covered with thick street trees, and after that, there was a forest with a gloomy atmosphere. It is certainly a place that takes the form of a perfect hiding place.

On the surface, however, there was no sign of popularity. All survivors are believed to have been evacuated inside, and the exact location is said to be the office on the fourth floor. But unless I knew the terrain over there, I thought I would have to go in there myself to know where they were.

I whispered quietly to the old man.

'Let's take a closer look.’

The old man nodded and sent a sign to the party on behalf of me. Then the group, who were on the lookout for words, jumped up from their seats and finally began to follow behind me slowly, checking the equipment. When the cold wind blew, street trees covering the school walls began to fly in all directions. The sky was cloudy, and something was not good.

My throat is parched with tension. If there are any signs of danger, we can retreat right away, but now we're in a state of neither life nor death. There was no direct danger, just warning that the feeling in your head might be dangerous. 200 meters, 100 meters. And we approached the wall where we could see the front gate of the school, and soon arrived in front of the tightly closed main gate.

But the main gate was tightly closed with chains and barricades, and when we crossed the wall, barbed wire and sharp nails that had already been installed blocked our way. Didn't he hear the instructions to leave it open in advance? There must have been very little they could do when they were locked up in the teachers' room.

The atmosphere was not good. Strangely, my skin was sensitive and I had a headache that seemed to happen. Feeling pressed for time, I looked around and was forced to cross the forest attached to the school and into the school.

The party, which had little choice, had no choice but to agree with me, and we turned around and began to enter the woody forest past the low-wall offices. So as we entered the forest, by the time we could see the building of Sirim High School far away, the sky became cloudy and the unpleasant sleet began to fall. I lifted the gun, shaking the snow off my hat.

Obviously the distance was close. Strangely, however, the pace slowed down, and the attention of the surroundings began to move busier. I narrowed the gap between the group in preparation for the attack by the variant, and the line that was moving in a row was also rounded so that each other could see each other. Fortunately, my judgment was right, and the atmosphere of the party began to settle down little by little.

A cold wind is blowing. The woodless forest had a path like a promenade, and around it was a pile of snow that no one had stepped on. We approached the school slowly, very slowly, stepping on the frozen snow. With the sound of the wind blowing, the trees in the forest began to dance frantically, creating a dreary atmosphere that seemed like a ghost dancing.

The stress of silence and quiet stimulated my head and swallowed my saliva. There was nothing but the crunch and harsh breathing of the party stepping on the snow. But at that moment a foreign sound grazed my ear. Rectangular, did any of our party run fast?

And with the sound, there's a dragon arm behind me! He snapped his buttocks with a sound.

All the parties hold guns and lower their positions. And while the dragon-arm lifted the gun toward the direction of the fall, there was only an empty space where the cold wind passed. The old man stood up and asked, frightened and felled dragon arm.

'What's wrong! Did you see anything?’

Yong-pal quickly regained his sanity by showing more calmness than expected, perhaps due to his experiences. Then, after standing for a long time with a long face, he nodded frantically and pointed in the direction of nothing. And when there's nothing there, he scratches the back of his head with a puzzled face.

Something just flew by.….’

However, Park Da-hye, who was looking in the same direction as Yong-pal, shook her head as if she was wondering what that meant.

'I haven't seen it. It's just the eyes.….’

You saw Yongpal, but you didn't see Park Da-hye? Normally you would think that because of tension and fear, Yong-pal saw something, but not now. Now that I can't just turn over a single trace, I slowly looked in the direction that Yongpal pointed at.

Snow, wood, snow, wood. The party deserved to see nothing. The surroundings only saw the same landscape and the same topography as repeated images, and the unfavorable conditions made my vision blurred. The sleet flutters and the cold sound of the wind blows through the trees and into my face.

A foreign sound that comes from the sound of the wind at the moment. Is the sound of rubbing something and cutting through the sound of the wind exquisitely buried in the auditory? It was blurry enough to sound like But the nerves and creepy skin that sound alarm bells tell us that we are in immediate danger.

Instinctively, the gaze turned to one side unknowingly.

There was something on the floor, with snow-white skin, that touched my view.