Magic on the Dead Chapter 7

Inside the small warehouse, barely 5 pyeong in size, a group of four including Eden, along with Hajin, Miso, and a young couple who had been in the audience, were gathered. It had grown quiet outside, but no one dared to rashly open the door.

Though they had run away blindly without knowing anything at first, it was something they could not do a second time. It was because they had keenly felt that there was nothing more reckless than confronting the monsters bare-bodied. That said, they could not just stay locked up in the pitch-black warehouse, wasting time.

The people, who had been staring blankly while holding their breath for a while, slowly began to grasp the situation.

Hajin accepted his cell phone, which Miso handed to him. Just as Assistant Jinwoo had said, there were several missed calls from his younger brother, Junseok.

Even when he pressed the call button, the dial tone did not go through. Something must have happened where Junseok was as well.

‘Please, please, please….’

This time, he moved his hands to access an internet app. The home screen opened, but the problem was what came next. Even when he tapped the search bar, the screen did not change. A blackout. The network had overloaded due to the unprecedented disaster.

As if the cell phone not working was not just Hajin’s problem, murmuring sounds erupted from here and there.

“Does anyone have internet working?”

When Park Chunbeom asked in a trembling voice, a woman raised her hand.

“Me, I do.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the young couple. The people dragged their exhausted bodies and slowly approached the woman. Eden, who had been operating his phone with Jung Byeol sitting on his knee, also got up from his seat. He had tried calling Hugo, but the call would not connect.

As if by agreement, everyone sat in a circle around the woman.

“It wasn’t working before, but now it suddenly has a signal.”

The woman placed her cell phone on the floor with a trembling hand. The people gathered their heads and looked at the phone screen.

“There aren’t as many articles as you’d think. I looked it up, and it just says a warning alert was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area, and there’s nothing else of note. Besides, this is Chungnam, isn’t it? What on earth are those monsters… what is going on, it just seems to be a commotion on social media.”

The woman did her best to compose her tearful voice and calmly relayed the situation.

“119 and 112, the signal itself doesn’t go through. It’s useless to call.”

Eden closed his eyes with a weary face and then opened them. Seeing as no disaster alert messages were coming through, it seemed the national system was not functioning properly.

“Those things, they’re zombies, right?”

When Miso asked as if certain, the people murmured quietly.

“No way. Maybe they’re just… cra, crazy people? Or they did drugs as a group.”

“Didn’t you see earlier? Even a perfectly fine person, once they were bitten, their eyes rolled back and they immediately attacked.”

“Th, their side was ripped open and their intestines were spilling out, but they still charged. They were clearly no different from a corpse, but they were alive and moving.”

“What on earth is this… haa, are they really those zombies? The ones you see in movies? Does that even make sense?”

“The grandfather sitting next to me was also bitten, and then suddenly….”

“Since it’s quiet now, I think we’ll be fine as long as we don’t enter the monsters’ line of sight.”

“I, I think they react to sound too.”

While the people were whispering and talking about the unidentified monsters, Eden, who had turned on a real-time flight tracker app, got up from his seat. It was the easiest way to grasp the scale of the disaster, even if superficially, without going through the situation room.

He waved his long arm here and there, searching for a signal. After moving to the right corner, he stopped for a moment. As the data connected, the screen moved. The airplanes that should have been covering the entire sky in a bright yellow were leaving the Korean peninsula one by one.

【Eden, what the hell is going on?】

Jeffrey, who had gotten up, grabbed Eden’s shoulder.

【Hold on, let me get a grasp of the situation.】

He could see the flying objects that had been heading toward Korea turning back. He adjusted the screen again. It was not just Korea; the surrounding countries were in an uproar as well. This was surely an abnormal phenomenon happening worldwide.

Eden closed the app and immediately called Hugo. Jeffrey, standing close beside Eden, also put his ear near the cell phone. Before long, Hugo’s voice came from over the receiver. The connection was poor.

【—Eden. …re you okay?】

【Hugo, the location and time for the transport plane. There are four people in total.】

【—Is the building you… in now the Sangwon Atri… Theater? That’s what it says here.】

【That’s right, the small theater.】

【—Haa, if there are no problems, a USFK special unit will be dispatched. The relief code is 4321. They plan to go to the rooftop across from the small theater, and the time is 5 a.m. tomorrow. It seems they’re short on helicopters over there too, so they’re borrowing a Surion to c… want to send it faster b… it’s a sta… so it won’t work. …You have to get out quickly before they declare martial law.】

Eden looked down at his blood-scented clothes and bit his lip.

【What about Texas and Arkansas?】

【—Our side is… safe for now. It seems to be spreading from New York, but they’ve issued a lockdown, so whatever happens… we’ll get results q…ly. All the fighter jets are now…】

It seemed the factory site and research institute where ‘Blueworks’ was located were still safe. Since it was a situation no different from war, they would be securing as many military supplies as possible and then focusing all their efforts on initial suppression.

【Looking at how things are going now, the symptoms seem similar to the Sudan Virus, is that right?】

【—Seems so. I heard it was concluded with complete suppression… guess it wasn’t.】

Due to the nature of war-torn regions where civil wars frequently occur, the life or death of the populace could not become a scoop.

In the same vein, disasters like infectious diseases, natural disasters, and terrorism originating in Africa did not easily draw the world’s attention unless they were truly exceptional. The cannibal virus, first reported in Sudan, had also broken out just six months ago and had already become a buried issue without receiving much attention.

Eden had recognized the severity of the Sudan Virus when the export volume of the 155mm artillery shells he supplied to the U.S. military increased by nearly a million units. But the Sudan epidemic, which had been called the cannibal virus, had definitely been successfully suppressed in its early stages. It was an epidemic that had quietly disappeared without receiving any attention.

Fuck, what the hell. Eden swallowed another curse and opened his mouth.

【Hugo, the communication will probably get cut off soon too. Even if I can’t get on the transport plane, keep an eye on the channel coming from Korea. I’ll contact you, even if I have to send a radio signal.】

【—How? Is that possible?】

【You forget? The ‘Jin-Hwa Tech’ new radio technology we were supposed to receive.】

【—…….】

【It’s at the Yong-Un Research Institute. In the worst-case scenario, I plan to go there, so tell them to wait, whether it takes a few days or a few months.】

【—Eden.】

Hugo’s voice, calling for Eden, seemed to sink deeply for some reason.

【—First, survive.】

【…….】

【—You must hide in a safe place. I’m telling you not to overdo it and get hurt. We’ll figure out a Plan B from our side somehow,】

Tuduk—. The call was cut off abruptly. The eyes of Eden and Jeffrey, who were staring at the screen of the disconnected phone, met. Eden roughly swept back the bangs that had fallen onto his forehead.

“Uncle….”

Just then, a soft touch brushed against his pinky finger. His nephew Byeol gently took his finger and shook it, as if to soothe Eden. Eden, composing his expression, turned around. All the people sitting in a circle were focused on Eden.

He, along with Jeffrey, naturally squeezed into a spot and sat down.

“You seem to be American… is it this chaotic over there too right now?”

When someone asked, Eden shook his head.

“I don’t know the details.”

“I think I heard the word virus earlier….”

“No. I don’t know.”

Eden answered firmly. In a situation where nothing was certain, there was nothing more dangerous than pouring out information. Furthermore, it was better to be sparing with words when gathered with people who were exposed to a dangerous situation.

Confusion would only lead to greater confusion, and in any case, these people were not ones who would brave life and death with him until the end.

An awkward silence fell after his cold response. Jeffrey nudged Eden’s side, kook, and whispered.

【You could at least give a rough explanation of the situation. Do you have to be so stiff?】

【Shut up.】

Jeffrey, as if fed up with the chillingly cold reply, clenched his teeth and shook his head. Then he whispered into Eden’s ear.

【So Blueworks is sending a transport plane, right?】

【Yeah.】

【If you really can’t get on it, are you planning to go to the research institute?】

【I have to leave it as a last resort. If there’s no other way.】

Eden answered curtly, his brows furrowed as if annoyed by the constantly whispering Jeffrey. Unlike the cautious Jeffrey, Eden did not lower the decibel of his voice. It was as if he did not care in the slightest whether someone heard him or not.

【Anyway, what is the real identity of those things? Fuck, the only thing I can think of right now is the Sudan Virus.】

【Stop blowing into my earlobe, it’s gross.】

【Alright, alright. You cold-hearted bastard.】

Jeffrey snorted lightly, heung, at Eden, who was staring at him wordlessly.

Everyone, including Hajin, was observing Eden and Jeffrey, who were bickering even in an unidentified disaster situation, as if it were somewhat fascinating.