Chapter 116 – Pacific Fleet (3)

As the U.S. President’s unsettling final words ended, the watching fleet commander spoke:

“There’s one more reason we called you here besides the video call with the President. We need advice from those who’ve continuously fought the Demon King’s army.”

At the commander’s signal, officers entered as the conference room door opened.

Then an officer replaced David and turned on the projector, showing a different scene on the wall.

Scenes of zombie and skeleton legions fighting human armies.

Scenes I’d experienced firsthand.

Only difference was these humans held guns instead of swords and spears.

As we watched the screen, one officer who entered stood beside it explaining:

“This footage shows Chinese military fighting zombie forces – no, Demon King’s army, captured by our Marine reconnaissance.”

The scene switched to aerial footage, then to satellite images.

“Footage captured simultaneously by satellites and drones. Unfortunately few drone videos were recovered as they kept getting shot down. Same with reconnaissance team footage.”

Certainly drone and direct footage conveyed the situation better than satellite views.

But was it necessary to lose drones and lives capturing such scenes repeatedly?

Fortunately they seemed to share my thoughts.

“Unfortunately now we only use satellites due to heavy personnel and drone losses.”

The screen returned to ground footage.

Soldiers digging trenches and shooting at approaching zombies and skeletons.

Machine guns tore apart zombie bodies while mines and claymores blew off undead limbs.

Dozens, hundreds of zombies were dismembered before reaching the trenches.

But the numbers rushing the trenches didn’t decrease.

Moreover, the occasional skeletons mixed among zombies kept moving through machine gun fire, mine and artillery barrages.

Even with leg bones shattered, skulls crushed, they kept crawling with single remaining arms.

The trenches inevitably fell when true human wave tactics met beings that couldn’t be stopped by firepower.

The video ended showing artillery raining on the overrun trenches.

“This footage shows the 16th Army Group fighting near Shenyang, Manchuria a month ago. Two days after this battle, the 16th Army Group collapsed. All defeated forces became zombies marching again as enemies.”

Though weapons differed, it looked little different from when we were pushed back by the Demon King’s army.

After the battle footage, David stepped up to continue:

“Though the zombie situation has wrecked the world, there are regional differences.”

Matching his words, a colored world map appeared on screen.

North America and Western Europe were blue, South America, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Japan pink.

Russia, China, Mongolia red, and finally Korean Peninsula black.

“Except our mainland and some Western European nations far from the origin North Korea, zombie outbreaks aren’t severe and states maintain order. Though as difficult as wartime compared to before zombies appeared, they still maintain past lifestyles.”

According to David, blue colored nations still maintained state systems well.

“But Asia, Middle East, Australia near the origin struggle to maintain order.”

Naturally pink meant chaotic nations.

“Moreover, Russia and China bordering North Korea face more than people turning zombie. In those countries, corpses keep marching as armies.”

The red colored Russia and China map changed again.

China’s entire northeast and Russia’s whole Siberia up to Kazakhstan turned bright red.

All territories occupied by the Demon King’s army.

“Russia lost Vladivostok and most of eastern Siberia to these Demon King forces. China lost half its country including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan.”

Conquering such vast areas in a month.

Something even Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hitler couldn’t do.

Though I knew zombies made it hard to defend, had to ask:

“Didn’t they use nukes?”

David and the fleet commander looked at me slightly surprised.

“You know about nuclear weapons?”

“Yes. Learned here.”

Though I knew from my previous life, couldn’t say that.

The briefing officer frowned at my words.

“Correct. Those two countries must have used nukes. Over 10 have dropped so far.”

I almost clicked my tongue unconsciously.

But 10 seemed an odd number.

“China used 6, Russia 4.”

He paused waiting for the screen to change.

Shortly after, satellite footage of nuclear explosions played.

A missile fell on undead hordes filling plains.

Red flames spread across the ground followed by rising mushroom clouds.

“But nukes were useless. They only neutralized hundreds of directly hit zombies.”

The footage fast forwarded as mushroom clouds quickly dispersed.

As clouds cleared, the ground reappeared.

A huge crater formed with no zombies inside.

Walking zombies lay scattered with limbs blown off by the blast.

But soon zombies rose and started walking again.

“At least zombies stopped for fire and storms, but skeletons kept moving while burning. Both countries seem to have concluded nukes are useless.”

The map reappeared.

Ten circles appeared then vanished over Manchuria and Siberia.

“Strangely nuclear radiation didn’t spread much. Unusual but reduced worries.”

Must be from death energy or mana.

Like holy power, mana and death energy repel other energies, likely blocking radiation spread.

The screen turned off and the fleet commander addressed me:

“The problem is our weapons can’t stop them. We have no way to stop enemies nuclear weapons can’t halt.”

Surely in my previous life U.S. military seemed invincible…

No country dared fight them, thought they could even handle aliens.

But clearly they had limitations too.

“Fortunately you all appeared then. Though we’ll plan operations with your unit in Daejeon later, we need your help now knowing they’re walking under the sea.”

They had seen the wrecked submarine earlier.

“Our immediate concerns are U.S. bases in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii. Zombies from Korea reaching Japan is problematic, but zombies from China are a bigger issue.”

The China map reappeared.

Population numbers showed for the red northeastern region.

Over 500 million.

“We thought satellite confirmed dead and zombie numbers were off, but all those zombies entered the sea… The missing numbers approached hundreds of millions.”

Hundreds of millions…

Numbers beyond comprehension even for me who fought the Demon King’s armies.

Million-strong armies in Romance of Three Kingdoms were hard to grasp, let alone hundred million.

U.S. military faced immediate crisis.

Unfortunately I had no special methods to share.

If such existed, we wouldn’t have kept retreating before the hero appeared, or entire allied army conducting diversions trusting only the hero at the end.

At most I could advise on holy water use.

I spoke apologetically:

“My party’s priest was originally from this world.”

I pointed at Ye-rim sitting with wide rolling eyes.

“She awakened mana becoming this world’s superhuman. Her ability is holy power, purifying death energy.”

The fleet commander nodded at my words.

“We heard. Amazing ability.”

Wonder how far our information spread.

Though impressed by U.S. military intelligence, felt uncomfortable like privacy invasion.

Still continued speaking:

“Among holy power using priests, some can create holy water containing holy power.”

Of course not all priests could.

But being no priest myself, couldn’t tell who could.

Even Ye-rim couldn’t make holy water.

“Coating arrows with that holy water temporarily purifies undead until the water dries. Though weaker than direct priest purification and can’t completely defeat undead, nothing better for normal people fighting undead.”

Hoffman who was quiet carefully spoke at my words:

“But that’s emergency holy water use? Almost unused now since holy power quickly dissipates when sprinkled…”

My words warranted Hoffman’s objection.

Holy water was expensive.

Soldiers could barely afford one bottle.

Holy water carried to avoid death energy corruption.

Even wealthy nobles struggled to sprinkle it on weapons.

So as Hoffman said, sprinkling holy water on weapons was now unseen.

“That’s certainly true. But methods exist to use it here.”

Even my rigid mind thought of several approaches.

Like inserting holy water inside bullets or shells.

The generals and officers’ expressions suggested similar thoughts.

“Superhumans must have appeared in America too. And will keep increasing. Among them, devout religious believers will gain holy power abilities.”

Looking at the man who made Daejeon’s safe zone and Ye-rim, personal faith played big role in becoming priests.

“Some among them should be able to make holy water. Can also get advice from priests in Daejeon.”

Though priests would be very busy, they’d welcome saving people.

And this absolutely wasn’t said because they taught Ye-rim unnecessary things.

Though my advice differed from their expectations, fortunately the U.S. military liked it.

They frantically contacted home while we could return to Daejeon.

With submarine unusable, we would take another ship back to Korea.