Chapter 106 – Drawbridge

Unfortunately, Yeongdo Bridge’s drawbridge lifted on the mainland side rather than the island side.

The mechanism to lift the bridge was also on the opposite side of the island, so whoever raised the drawbridge could have easily lowered it again if they wanted to.

However, the drawbridge remained raised until now.

Though the reason it hadn’t been lowered again was unknown, this bought Yeongdo some time.

And it made it difficult for us to easily escape the island.

The truck and bus stopped on the opposite side of the raised drawbridge after crossing most of the bridge.

The lieutenant got out of the truck’s passenger seat and asked me sitting on the roof:

“We’re here, what do we do now?”

“What else? We need to cross and lower the bridge.”

At my answer, the lieutenant pointed at my armor.

“By swimming? But zombies are floating on the water. Plus, it’s hard to swim in armor.”

Knights who move their bodies with mana could swim sufficiently even in armor.

Moreover, though I could fight zombies in water too, there was no reason to bother wrestling with zombies on the water.

I got down from the truck roof and stretched while wearing armor, then frowned while checking the distance to the raised drawbridge one last time.

There were more zombies visible beside the drawbridge than expected.

Because of the raised drawbridge, many zombies had gathered in front of it.

If they couldn’t go further because the drawbridge was raised, why not just jump into the sea instead of hesitating like that.

Thanks to that the island was still safe, but it didn’t look easy to break through that undead horde by car.

Just then, the sergeant who had driven the truck got out carrying a military radio on his back.

Adjusting the slipping radio, he said to the lieutenant:

“Fortunately we can contact from here. They say preparations are complete.”

“See? I told you it would work.”

“That’s because they haven’t pushed this far. At Nakdong River we couldn’t contact and had to lay wire in the end.”

“Well, that was then, what matters is we can contact now.”

“Yes, yes.”

Ignoring the sergeant’s complaints, the lieutenant said to me:

“If you can lower the bridge, we can help clear the way. We didn’t just follow for nothing.”

“I’m the one communicating but the platoon leader takes the credit again.”

The sergeant grumbled again at the lieutenant’s words.

“Get promoted if you’re upset.”

“Who would promote me in this situation? Are you telling me to die?”

Well, since everyone who could promote him had gone to Jeju Island, his only path to promotion was posthumous promotion after death.

Anyway, seeing the platoon leader’s words and sergeant’s radio, I could guess how they planned to clear the way.

“So you two aren’t coming?”

“Yes. We’ll see you off from here and return.”

Though returning without a vehicle wouldn’t be easy, I said nothing. They must have known the dangers when they came.

Instead, I shouted to the others:

“Don’t get out of the vehicles. I’ll lower the bridge, and when it comes down start driving immediately. And I need one person to drive the truck. Among the U.S. soldiers…”

“I’ll do it.”

Before I could finish speaking, an unexpected person climbed out of the truck bed and into the driver’s seat.

It was Zahina who sat in the driver’s seat.

“I’ve been observing and studying all this time. I’ll do better than anyone here.”

I could only make a dubious expression at Zahina’s words.

Though Zahina would probably do well…

An elf who not only shoots guns but drives military vehicles too.

She had diverged to the opposite side of the continent from the elf I had imagined.

Even if not mentally disconnected, seeing her now, other elves would clearly disapprove.

While watching Zahina in the driver’s seat and hearing the sergeant get scolded by the lieutenant, I readied myself again.

Lowering my body, gathering mana in my legs, taking a deep breath.

The gap in the raised drawbridge was about 30 meters.

The long jump world record I heard in my previous life was around 9 meters, so jumping this gap would set a world record.

Of course, it was cheating using mana, but since I wouldn’t get official recognition anyway, it didn’t matter.

*thud*

I kicked off the ground moving mana.

My body shot forward.

The end of the bridge, where the drawbridge was raised, approached quickly.

Right before the break in the bridge, I kicked hard toward the opposite bridge.

*boom*

In that moment, my body launched toward the drawbridge.

Though wearing armor and carrying a sword, I was flying further than anyone.

Below me I saw the dark blue sea and black heads bobbing on the water.

The black heads quickly passed behind, while the underside of the raised drawbridge rapidly approached ahead.

At the same time, my body gradually descended.

As expected, the armor’s weight was significant.

Before falling down, I reached out with all my strength.

Fortunately, I caught one of the steel pillars supporting the drawbridge.

Though the steel pillar was too thick to easily grip, I had swordsmanship that could use mana and sword like my own body.

Though the pillar wasn’t a sword and couldn’t be swung, I could move my body instead of the pillar.

The moment my hand touched the steel pillar, I sent mana into the steel to unite it with my body.

My falling body stopped abruptly.

Then, moving mana, I positioned my body on top of the pillar.

“Should I go to the machine room… Don’t see anywhere to cut.”

In that world, cutting two thick chains would lower any gate or bridge, but this world’s bridges weren’t so simple.

There were no visible mechanisms, and recklessly cutting the supporting trusses might make the drawbridge fall into the sea instead of lowering.

Had no choice but to go through the drawbridge control room beside the bridge to reach the machine room.

I passed through the steel trusses under the bridge and arrived outside the control room window attached to the bridge.

Though the control room window was ordinary, the inside wasn’t.

Blood was splattered everywhere inside, and one zombie in work clothes stood there.

“So that’s why the bridge wasn’t lowered again…”

Whether they turned into a zombie after raising the bridge, or raised the bridge one last time after being bitten,

It seemed they couldn’t lower the bridge after becoming a zombie.

Indeed, lights were still on in the control panel.

It looked like the bridge could be lowered right away by operating a few switches.

I immediately broke the window and entered the control room.

“Sorry.”

As I entered, a zombie with half its arm missing charged at me.

I slightly dodged then grabbed the zombie’s neck, turning it around with mana-filled hands.

*crack*

After a strange sound from the zombie’s neck, its body went limp.

I put the zombie down and looked around the control room.

The control room door was locked from inside.

Though zombies were banging on the door at the sound of me breaking the window to enter, the thick door didn’t seem likely to break soon.

I examined the control panel again.

It was an old-style control panel made up of lit bulbs and dozens of turning switches.

“Since the lights are on, turning the switches in order should lower it…”

The problem was, turning them wrong could break the drawbridge.

“…No, doesn’t matter if it breaks.”

Until just now I had thought the control room would be unusable.

Since I was planning to go to the machine room anyway, it didn’t matter if these controls broke.

I carefully examined the control panel.

Names were written above the switches and lights, but I couldn’t tell the order at all.

I shrugged and randomly turned switches marked ‘down’ or with downward arrows.

*whirr* *whirr*

Each time I turned a switch, red lights replaced blue ones and the gauge needles above shot up to danger marks, but I didn’t stop.

*grrrr*

And the raised bridge began to move.

The drawbridge slowly descending. And smoke began rising from below the drawbridge beside the control room.

Seemed the bridge machine room was on fire.

At the same time, the descending bridge stopped.

People watching the bridge from the opposite side looked at this control room.

“Should I go to the machine room…”

I looked at the control panel full of red lights, then drew the sword at my waist.

And swung with all my strength.

*crash*

The control panel shattered, followed by loud warning sirens.

*weeeeee*

And the stopped bridge moved again.

*thud* *thud* *crack* *crackle*

The jerking descending drawbridge soon crashed down.

*BOOM*

Along with the sound of the bridge breaking, shockwaves spread in all directions.

The control room shook like it would collapse, but fortunately ended with just cracks.

The people on the bridge seemed okay too.

Though everyone in vehicles and outside rolled from the impact, no one seemed to have broken bones.

“As expected, broken machines get fixed by hitting them.”

Though I was the one who broke it and hadn’t actually fixed it, anyway the drawbridge came down as planned.

Though the drawbridge crashed down like falling, fortunately vehicles seemed able to cross.

The trucks and bus looked able to move, and now it was time for the vehicles to cross the lowered drawbridge.

No, first we had to clear the undead.

The undead who had rolled from the impact were regaining their senses and rushing toward the drawbridge.

I immediately tried to exit through the control room window to block the incoming zombies.

But I had to dodge first.

*whoosh*

Because shells started falling from the sky.

*boom* *boom* *boom*

Though not like the earth-flipping bombardment we saw at Nakdong River, the precision strikes right in front of the bridge were still terrifying.

Had to be terrified.

Because shells fell not just on the rushing undead, but where I was too.

‘Surely they’re not dropping shells on me too just because I roughly dropped the drawbridge?’

Thinking that, I launched myself toward the drawbridge.

At that time, the Korean military officer and sergeant watching the bombardment were having a conversation while watching me dodge shells, but unfortunately I couldn’t hear their conversation over the shell explosions.

“Oh, called in the wrong coordinates. Called a bit too far south. Almost shelled the drawbridge.”

“Making such mistakes. Unlike you. Well, thanks to that we can block them completely, so I won’t make an issue of it.”

“Thank you. Feels like all my aches are gone thanks to that.”

Fortunate I didn’t hear. At that time they were clutching their bruised bodies and talking nonsense.