Magic on the Dead Chapter 73

“Lackey? Loyalty? You son of a bitch, just because you have a mouth…!”

“Let… go! Keuk!”

“There were no rioters! It was all your scheme! You’re the one who forced the kids who said they couldn’t kill zombies or people to shoot them, you bastard!!”

“Ugh! H-help…!”

“And after all that, what? We’re baggage? Useless?! Just die, you fucking bastard!”

The rifle fell next to Sergeant Shin, who had lost his senses. Eden leisurely picked up the gun and slung it over his shoulder. Then, he nonchalantly spun the dagger in one hand, observing the farce unfolding before him.

Soon, Sergeant Shin’s sharp fingernails dug into the lieutenant colonel’s neck.

“Keo-heup…!”

“You damn traitor…!”

Sergeant Shin strangled the man’s neck with trembling arms. Although Lieutenant Colonel So could be annoying at times, he had never dreamed that he would betray them.

“Who did we kill people for! It was all because of you!”

“Kkeuuueuk…!”

He forced civilians out, saying food was a waste, took every opportunity to exterminate them after they turned into zombies, and not only did he divide people based on their usefulness, but he even used them for zombie experiments. All of it was the idea of Lieutenant Colonel So, who had blabbered that it was all for the sake of protecting his subordinates.

Eden, who had been watching in silence, lightly gripped Sergeant Shin’s shoulder.

“Don’t kill him. I haven’t heard the culprit’s name yet.”

“Fuck, he’s not at fault! He was just following this pig’s orders to kill anyone who tried to sneak into the ranch without a word!”

“I think it’s my place to judge whether he’s at fault or not.”

Eden, who had muttered coolly, came closer and sat down, gripping the dagger’s handle tightly. The sergeant, who was strangling the lieutenant colonel’s neck, suddenly sensed an unusual aura and looked up at him.

“So you’re saying you know who the culprit is.”

In that instant, a blue flame sparked in Eden’s eyes.

“What are you do—…”

With a movement devoid of any hesitation, Eden plunged the knife down toward the lieutenant colonel. The dagger sank, thud, right into the middle of the brow of the lieutenant colonel, who was lying helplessly pinned under Sergeant Shin.

“…!”

The lieutenant colonel, whose eyes were bloodshot from being choked, couldn’t even let out a scream and stopped breathing right then and there. Eden pushed the knife embedded in his brow deeper and moved his hand in a zigzag motion.

“When I think of my dead colleague, I want to rip off his scalp, but I don’t have much time.”

The thick skin was torn to shreds. Through the gap, hot blood and brain matter trickled out, drenching his temple.

“Hiek…!”

The body of Sergeant Shin, who had been on top of the lieutenant colonel, flopped backward.

Eden nonchalantly pulled out the dagger lodged in the brow and flicked the blood off the blade. Then he calmly asked the trembling Sergeant Shin.

“So who’s the culprit?”

“P-please spare me…!”

Eden lightly patted the cheek of the sergeant, who couldn’t seem to get a grip.

“Where is that bastard now?”

🃏

Hajin swallowed dryly down a throat that tasted of blood, panting for breath. He had run with all his might, and it felt like his heart was about to burst.

“Heok, heok…!”

In the distance, he could see the guard standing watch at the campsite entrance.

‘What should I say to get in? Should I say I forgot my cold medicine?’

He was racking his brain for an excuse to get inside even in his dazed state. Just then, the guard, who had been standing sloppily with his weight on one leg, suddenly collapsed to the ground.

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden situation, Hajin, who had been bent over, straightened up. Then, someone appeared from behind the fallen soldier. It was a physique that was recognizable at a glance even from a distance.

“Jung Taegeon…?”

Hajin immediately shot up and ran. At the sound, Eden, who was about to plunge his dagger into the neck of the unconscious man, paused. A look of puzzlement appeared on his face as he spotted Hajin running toward him, pale as a sheet.

“Heok… heok! Mr. Jung Taegeon, are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”

Hajin grabbed Eden’s arm and struggled to catch his breath.

“Mr. Do Hajin.”

“Wh-why did this person suddenly collapse? Did you do that, Mr. Jung Taegeon? No, that’s not the problem. This is not the time for this.”

Eden gripped his shoulder as if to calm him down.

“Catch your breath.”

“We have to get out of here right now. Let’s go get our stuff.”

“I was just about to go looking for you, as a matter of fact.”

“You remember the Jeongsan Chestnut Rest Area, right? The cult leader there…! Haah, that cult leader came all the way here with his son…!”

Hajin couldn’t seem to calm his agitation. The only thought dominating his mind was that he had to get Eden and escape this bizarre ranch as soon as possible. Having witnessed an innocent civilian being cruelly used in a zombie experiment, he could no longer stay here.

“Anyway, this is no time for us to be doing this, fuu… I’m telling you, okay?”

“I get it, so please calm down and take this.”

Eden, who had stolen the guard’s rifle and radio in the meantime, handed them over.

Hajin, even while gasping for breath, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

“Haah, is it okay to just take this?”

“I’ve found the location of the vehicles and the armory. I got the car keys too, so we just need to grab our bags from the lodging and leave.”

“So suddenly? Weren’t you having a private meeting with the lieutenant colonel at the official residence? There’s no way he would hand them over so willingly, how on earth…”

Hajin’s voice trailed off as he belatedly turned his eyes to the suspicious clues. The splatters of blood on Eden’s face and neck, the rifle slung over his shoulder, the unfamiliar dagger strapped to his waist…

Eden met his confused, furtive gaze and opened his mouth.

“I’ll explain the details later. Oh, and the culprit who shot Mr. Park Chunbeom is already dead.”

“…Excuse me?”

Even in his dazed state, Hajin tried hard to understand the situation somehow.

“Saying he’s already dead means he was deliberately killed here. There was no need to go that far… Why on earth?”

“The lieutenant colonel knew I was from Blue Works, and he was planning to use that to escape this place. He should have been trying to make a good impression, but since there was a troublesome obstacle, he probably eliminated the problem beforehand.”

“Was that the reason for today’s private meeting too?”

Watching him nod instead of answering, Hajin let out a hollow breath. If that was the case, then how on earth could Chunbeom’s unfortunate death be compensated for?

As if sensing his empty feelings, Eden nonchalantly added.

“But the accomplices and bystanders are still alive and well. Everyone here is no different from a murderer who killed Mr. Park Chunbeom.”

“…Besides, Mr. Chunbeom wasn’t the only one who died an innocent death.”

Hajin recounted everything he had witnessed at the experience center, not even realizing that he had been tightly holding Eden’s hand for some time. About the cult leader and his son, and about the horrific zombie experiments taking place at the feeding experience center… His lips trembled from time to time as he continued to speak.

Eden calmly met Hajin’s rambling gaze and nodded. The throat of the man who had just managed to finish his explanation was flushed red with tension and excitement.

“From what I saw, the story about the rioters was a lie too.”

“I already know that.”

“You know? From whom?”

The lodging was now just ahead.

“First, just grab your bag and come straight out. I’ll be outside checking on the situation.”

Only after Eden let go of his hand did Hajin realize he had been desperately clutching it the whole time.

Beep— Just then, a man’s urgent voice came through the guard’s radio that Eden had given him.

—Red One, Red One. This is Sergeant Lim Siwon. Emergency situation has occurred. All personnel, gather at the campsite.

The eyes of the two men, who had caught the word “campsite,” tangled in mid-air.

—I repeat. Red One, Red One. Emergency situation has occurred. All personnel, gather at the campsite, over.

Eden touched his forehead and clicked his tongue briefly.

“I guess we’ll have to give up on the luggage.”

Without a word, the two hands that had separated joined again. Eden intertwined his and Hajin’s fingers like a spiderweb and bolted out of the campsite.

The location of the armory and the vehicles was hidden behind the commissary and the cafeteria, inside a cluster of azaleas encircled by large, old trees like a protective barrier. It was a space he had never seen on the map.

Inside an abandoned wooden hut, military weapons were packed tightly. While Hajin, with trembling hands, picked up a box filled with grenades, Eden moved a vehicle next to the armory.

The roof of the military Retona, covered with a black cloth, was completely wrecked. With no other choice, he removed the roof, revealing a space to load weapons.

Hajin let out a grumble toward Eden, who was servicing the car.

“I can see why the lieutenant colonel borrowed a police car instead of using a military vehicle.”

A convertible, of all things. Though it was an off-road vehicle advantageous for mountainous terrain, so moving wouldn’t be a problem, it was the perfect setup to get pounced on by zombies or shot to death.

Beep— In the midst of it all, radio calls announcing the urgent situation kept coming in.

—Red One, Red One. Confirmed death of Lieutenant Colonel So Jongtae and Sergeant Shin Gayoung behind Building B residence. Witnesses, move to the front of Building B residence, over.

Hajin, who was loading heavy rifles and pistols while sweating profusely, whispered to Eden.

“I can understand Lieutenant Colonel So, but did you really kill Sergeant Shin too?”

“I told you. The murderer who killed Mr. Park Chunbeom isn’t just one person. Everyone here is an accomplice.”

Hajin no longer had the capacity to judge what was right and wrong. His weak and exhausted mind kept tempting him to follow Eden’s lead.