Magic on the Dead Chapter 121

“The government has abandoned its people!!”

“Abandoned them—!!!”

The voices of the angry crowd pounded the organs inside the body like the beat of a drum.

Eden surveyed the expressions of his companions, who were gathered in a circle around him, and reassured them.

He tenderly held the shoulders of Byeol, who was completely terrified by the desperate and vivid screams, and handed the remaining bottled water to Jeffrey, who was moistening his parched lips with his tongue. Then, he finally cast his gaze toward Hajin, who was holding Pie in his arms.

Faint sorrow pooled in the gray eyes that met his. Eden’s face hardened for a moment as he patted Hajin’s shoulder.

“We won’t know until we get inside.”

He was saying that it was not yet certain whether there would be any spare transport aircraft left. With a startled expression, Hajin’s eyes darted around before he nodded his head. As if displeased by his passive attitude, which seemed to already be considering a farewell, Eden let out an abrupt, angry sigh. Whoosh—

Eden silently stared at the soldiers guarding the entrance of the maintenance depot far in the distance and the jeering crowd, then got to his feet.

His companions looked up at him with helpless gazes as he abruptly stood. Jeffrey, who had crumpled the empty water bottle in his hand with a crunching sound, asked.

【What are you going to do?】

【We have to get in.】

【I mean, how are you going to get in? Can’t you see all those people gathered over there? We could get trampled to death if we’re not careful.】

【We’ll go to the back gate. Get ready.】

The back gate Eden mentioned was a rear path mainly used by authorized personnel and was located near the dormitory building. It was about a 12-minute walk from the main gate, and since it was an unofficial entrance that only those in the know were aware of, the situation there would surely be a little better than this.

Eden led his companions, quickly passing the main gate where curses and wails were running rampant. As they moved their feet diligently along the fence that widely enclosed the maintenance depot grounds, they could see people hastily boarding a passenger plane on the runway.

The immutable law that inevitably applies in a disaster situation was right there.

‘The weak die, and the strong survive.’

The measure of strength could be a tangible means like currency, or an invisible, officially recognized power like authority. In any case, those who could escape a danger zone more easily and quickly than anyone else in a disaster situation were mostly the ones who had a firm grip on both.

If there was one thing that was accurately reflected in reality, even in disaster movies with terrible historical accuracy, it would be this very point. Therefore, there was no need to be particularly surprised by the tragedy unfolding before his eyes.

Click— It was only when a heavily armed soldier pointed the muzzle of his gun close to his chest that Eden lifted his face, which had been lost in thought. It seemed they had finally reached the back gate after their silent walk. Unlike the main gate, which was rampant with people’s jeers and shouts, this place was quite tranquil.

After placing his weapon on the ground, Eden stepped forward, and the two soldiers guarding the back gate simultaneously blocked his shoulders.

“Turn back. This is a civilian control area.”

The man, who commanded in a blunt voice, gestured with the muzzle of his gun. He looked ready to fire a bullet at any moment if they made a wrong move. Eden calmly stared at the rank insignia on the soldier’s left chest, which was shaped like a tree branch.

It is not just an enlisted soldier, but a Sergeant Major, a non-commissioned officer, personally guarding the back gate, huh…

“Who is your superior?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m talking about the superior who ordered you to guard the maintenance depot. Is it General Lee Soonyoung?”

The soldier’s eyebrows twitched faintly at the sudden mention of the Air Force Chief of Staff’s name. Eden muttered toward the man, who remained silent as he chose his response.

“Well, it’s unlikely that someone of such high rank would personally look after the grounds… Then it must be Major General Yoo Junsang.”

Major General Yoo Junsang was a general with a two-star rank insignia on his chest, and he had been the one who communicated directly with Eden for a while on behalf of the Air Force. A former pilot, he had also shown a special interest and affection for the maintenance depot built in collaboration with Blueworx this time.

The soldier, who had been silent for a while, narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Excuse me, but where are you from?”

“I’m Eden Jung from Blueworx.”

As he revealed his identity, another man standing next to him quickly scanned Eden’s appearance with his eyes. The soldiers slowly lowered their muzzles and exchanged a silent glance for a moment.

“I apologize, but may I ask for your name again, sir?”

“Eden Jung. My Korean name is Jung Taegeon.”

“Please wait here for a moment.”

After confirming Eden’s identity, the soldier instructed his colleague to guard the place, then disappeared inside the back gate with a radio in hand.

Jeffrey, who had been watching the series of events with an anxious face, glanced to the side at a gaze he felt from somewhere. A few people who had been clinging sporadically to the nearby fence were staring at the group with a mixture of curiosity and wariness in their eyes.

【Eden, get your weapon first.】

With a worried face, Jeffrey picked up Eden’s weapon from the ground and handed it to him. Taking the weapon, Eden turned his gaze to the unfamiliar stares pouring in their direction. The black pupils of the people, who looked ready to charge at any moment, were completely devoid of light. They did not look much different from the greedy gray eyes of the zombies who craved human flesh and blood.

“……”

“……”

The silent standoff ended anticlimactically when the soldier with a rifle slung over his shoulder reappeared outside the gate. Behind him, as he communicated with someone over the radio, a blond man was walking with his shoulders hunched up and his head bowed low.

Eden was only barely able to recognize the man after he got closer. It was understandable, as his once chubby cheeks and the belly that had swelled warmly like a honey pot had become astonishingly gaunt.

The blond man was the chief manager representing the engineers at Blueworx, and the most skilled engineer among them.

‘He’s alive.’

As if he felt the gaze, Mason cautiously raised his head. His tired face, with dark circles drawn heavily under his eyes, was revealed.

As soon as their eyes met, his pupils, which had been as dead as a frozen pollock, widened. Mason stared at his superior, who had appeared before him as if he were seeing a ghost, and stopped in his tracks.

【…Executive Director-nim?】

Eventually, his light brown eyes moved past Eden’s shoulder to Jeffrey.

【Huh… Jeffrey?】

A soldier whispered something to him as he stood there with his mouth agape. Mason nodded his head urgently, repeatedly muttering, ”Yes, yes…”

While the soldier reconfirmed Eden’s identity with Mason, Jeffrey, who had been standing there with a dazed expression, shot his hand up.

【Mason, you son of a bitch!! You were alive?!】

Mason shouted back at Jeffrey, his face looking as if he was about to cry at any moment.

【Yeah, I was alive!】

Mason’s chin quivered as he miraculously encountered his superior and his friend. They were people he had not even expected to have survived, as there had been no news of them for over a month.

While Jeffrey and Mason exchanged words with the soldier between them, Hajin held the bewildered Byeol in his arms and quietly watched the situation unfold.

Just then, the soldier stepped back and said.

“Welcome, CTO-nim. We have been waiting for you.”

As if he had received prior orders from a superior, the man opened the iron gate right away without any further questions. At the same time, Mason rushed over and tightly embraced Eden and Jeffrey. Clinging to the two grown men, he gasped for breath, overcome with emotion.

【Damn… I’m so happy to see you I could go crazy!】

Their sticky bodies touched under the hot sun. Apart from the feeling of gladness, Eden’s discomfort level rose, and he quickly pulled away from Mason’s embrace.

Before they could even catch up, the soldier clutching his gun hurried the group along.

“Let’s get inside quickly, it’s dangerous.”

It was the moment they were about to take a step, following his lead. The people who had been clinging to the surrounding fence began to shout one by one and rush toward the back gate.

“The gate! The gate is open!!”

“Those people are going in!”

“Hey! Let me in too! Me too!!”

To escape the people swarming like a hive of bees, the group hurriedly entered the maintenance depot grounds.

Thump…! As the locked iron gate closed, people clung precariously to the center of the fence. They looked ready to climb over at any moment, but they could not get past the barbed wire on top and just shrieked abuses.

“I’ll pay too! I’ll pay! Please!!”

“Fuck, I was here first! I was here before those people!”

“What’s so special about them! What’s the standard!!”

Hajin deliberately averted his gaze from them and covered Byeol’s ears. His heart was beating fast. It was a moment where human life and death were futilely divided by a single tall wire fence.

Just then, a firm hand wrapped tightly around Hajin’s shoulder, as if to reassure him.

“We’re inside now, so nothing will happen.”

Hajin slowly looked up at Eden. …Is it right to feel a sense of relief in this situation? He wasn’t sure. The mournful cries were still beating fiercely against his ears.

He could see a vast, rectangular gray building and a passenger plane on the runway. The figures of the people boarding the plane had shrunk to the size of a fingernail.

Even so, the back of someone wearing a blue sleeveless dress came into his sight with clarity. Hajin was suddenly reminded of the zombie that had been chasing him this morning and the woman who had been holding her dead baby. Although their clothes were dirty and very worn, they too had been wearing clothes of a dazzlingly bright blue.

A wave of faint dizziness washed over him at the stark contrast between the three people.

Some become zombies, and some survive. While some hide their bodies inside a safe wire fence, some are pushed out into the cold world outside.

“……”

Which side will I end up on? In a world without Jung Taegeon, is it even plausible to save my younger brother and preserve my own life?

Hajin hung his head low. The ground beneath his feet swayed violently, as if hit by a wave.