Chapter 174 – The Death Knight (1)

The news that the ministers’ brainwashing had been lifted spread quickly.

Even without the internet or broadcasting, there were plenty of ways to spread the news.

There were two factions eager to spread the word, and the government ministers, who saw themselves as victims, did not stop the news from spreading.

After two days, most people living on Jeju Island had heard about what had happened at the government building.

Even the soldiers stationed at the northern beach, overlooking Hyeopjae Beach, had heard the story.

“Is this for real? Are you saying that some kid has been controlling all of Jeju Island until now?”

Inside the bunker, a soldier waved a flyer that had been distributed across Jeju Island under the name of an “extra edition,” grumbling.

The flyers had been distributed by an unknown source, but given that hundreds of thousands had been distributed in a single day, it was clear that it wasn’t the work of a small group.

On Jeju Island, only two factions could have done this. Normally, it might have been seen as black propaganda against the government, but this time it was hard to think that way.

The government had not issued any counter-statements after the flyers were distributed.

After all, this was the same government that had ruled Korea since before the zombie outbreak.

The government controlled Jeju Island’s communication networks and could have issued counter-statements through the speakers installed in villages and cities.

But the government had not responded at all, even two days after the incident.

This suggested that something had happened to the government, or that the flyers were telling the truth.

In any case, the soldiers in the bunker didn’t care which side was right.

They were soldiers who had retreated from the Nakdong River frontlines.

They were part of the self-proclaimed “Jeju Island Defense Command.” No matter which side was telling the truth, their faction would gain strength.

“So what happens now? If the government is really in trouble, does that mean the general will take over?”

Another soldier asked the squad leader, who was lying in the back.

“Do you think it’s that easy? There’s also the faction from Busan.”

The squad leader, who was supposed to know more than the others, explained the reality.

“Ah, those people are just civilians. Most of the soldiers are on our side. How can they compete with us?”

Another soldier retorted, and the squad leader chuckled, pointing towards the sea.

“Most of those soldiers are tied up on the beach.”

At the squad leader’s words, all the soldiers frowned.

“Damn, what kind of mess is this? We thought we escaped the Nakdong River, but now we’re just staring at the sea here.”

“I wish we could at least go on leave, or even just get a day off.”

The squad leader threw away the cigarette butt he was holding and tried to comfort his squad in his own way.

“Still, this place is much better than the Nakdong River. At least it’s quiet here most of the time.”

Most of the squad members nodded in agreement, but a few soldiers continued to grumble.

“If this place were like the Nakdong River, we’d be done for. There’s no way out here.”

Since the grumbling wasn’t wrong, the squad leader changed the subject.

“By the way, I heard it was the Saintess who broke the brainwashing. So there really is a Saintess, huh?”

“Probably just a new superhuman.”

“There were knights and wizards too, right?”

“If zombies and skeletons can move, then knights and wizards can exist too.”

Thanks to the squad leader’s change of topic, the squad members started chatting among themselves.

But the small talk didn’t last long.

“Damn, talk about bad timing. They’re here.”

Zombies started walking out of the sea.

“Shit, everyone, grab your guns! Zombies!”

At the squad leader’s command, the soldiers sighed and picked up their guns.

One soldier waved his hand to alert the bunker on the other side of the beach, and they could see the soldiers there frantically preparing as well.

“There are quite a few of them.”

At the soldier’s words, the squad leader narrowed his eyes and observed the zombies walking out of the water.

As the soldier said, there were quite a few zombies emerging from the water.

Of course, compared to the numbers at the Nakdong River, this was nothing.

“Still, they’re just zombies. Everyone, get ready to fire. You know the drill? Anyone who fires continuously gets a bullet to the head.”

When the government fled to Jeju Island, and when they retreated from the Nakdong River, they brought as much ammunition and artillery as they could, but even so, there were limits to the quantity.

If they wasted bullets on the zombies, they would soon have to resort to bayonet combat.

The soldiers aimed their sights at the heads of the zombies emerging from the water.

The soldiers here were all first-class marksmen, honed by countless battles.

They could accurately hit a head within 200 meters.

“Take them out before they get out of the water!”

Before they emerged from the water, the zombies were like stationary targets.

At the squad leader’s command, the shooting began.

Bang, bang, bang.

Single shots and bursts of fire came from the bunkers at both ends of the beach, and as the squad leader had said, the zombies fell one by one before they could emerge from the water.

As the zombies’ heads continued to explode, and the bodies floating in the sea increased, at some point…

Thunk!

A bullet that hit a zombie’s head bounced off without penetrating.

“What the hell? Is it wearing a helmet?”

The soldier who fired the shot looked at the bullet that bounced off and switched the firing mode.

From single shot to burst fire.

Bang, bang, bang.

Three consecutive bullets hit their target.

Chest, neck, head.

It was an impressive display of marksmanship, considering the recoil, but the bullets still bounced off.

“What the hell? What kind of zombie is wearing armor?”

As the soldier cursed, the squad leader, who had been watching from behind, asked him.

“Did they all bounce off? Is it a skeleton?”

“It’s wearing some kind of metal plate on its body. I can’t tell if it’s a skeleton or a zombie.”

The squad leader used binoculars to observe the undead the soldier had mentioned.

The creature, already halfway out of the water, looked different from the other zombies.

As the soldier had said, it was covered in metal plates on its upper body and head, making it hard to tell if it was a zombie or a skeleton.

There had been rumors of skeletons wearing armor, but there were also people who had covered themselves in metal plates to avoid being bitten by zombies.

In the end, they too had become zombies like this one.

In any case, bullets weren’t working on this one.

“Just call for artillery support.”

“Ugh, they’re going to complain about the lack of shells again.”

At the squad leader’s order, the radio operator sighed.

“Save the complaints for later and hurry up. It’s moving fast, even in the water.”

“Got it.”

As the radio operator expected, the artillery unit in the rear, connected by wire, made excuses and tried to avoid using shells.

As the conversation dragged on, the squad leader grabbed the handset.

“Damn it! The bullets aren’t working! Machine guns aren’t working either! If this line breaks, do you think you’ll be safe?”

Ratatatat!

As he said, the machine gun in the bunker fired at the armored undead emerging from the water, but the creature kept coming.

Even the machine gun couldn’t stop it. This was no ordinary zombie.

Ratatatat!

The machine gun from the opposite bunker also fired.

There was another armored undead coming from that direction.

Whether it was because of the squad leader’s cursing or the sound of the machine guns, the artillery support was finally approved.

“Artillery incoming! Everyone, take cover!”

At the squad leader’s command, the soldiers opened their mouths, covered their ears, and crouched inside the bunker.

Whoosh!

The shells were close, so they arrived almost immediately.

Boom! Boom!

The beach was turned upside down.

Sand flew into the air, and water exploded.

Zombies that had climbed onto the sand were blown apart, and zombies still emerging from the sea were shattered along with the seawater.

The beach, swept by the artillery, was now a wasteland.

Large craters and scattered body parts.

And two undead, standing unharmed amidst the destruction.

The soldiers froze as they saw the two undead standing unscathed.

They all remembered the Nakdong River frontlines.

The Nakdong River frontlines had been pushed back due to the sheer number of zombies, but what the soldiers feared most back then were these special undead that could withstand artillery fire.

Every time they appeared, entire regiments were wiped out, and it took tank divisions to stop them.

And now, such beings had appeared on Jeju Island.

The squad leader screamed like he was in a nightmare.

“Damn it, everyone, retreat! Special entities!”

At the squad leader’s command, the soldiers ran without looking back, and the squad leader made his final report on the handset.

“Special entities have appeared! They’re not skeletons! Two armored corpses! Damn, they’re charging… thud…”

Before he could finish, the radio was destroyed.

The undead’s sword had sliced the radio in half.

The squad leader didn’t realize the radio was destroyed.

The undead’s sword had also sliced the squad leader in half.

When the armored undead landed on Jeju Island, we were at Unjin Port on the southern side of Jeju Island.

Unjin Port was famous for being a harbor where private yachts were moored, and even now, abandoned yachts and boats were scattered around the harbor.

We were standing in front of one of the abandoned boats, looking at it.

Unlike the other boats, this one still looked intact.

It was a luxurious boat that had been handed over to us by its owner, who lived on Jeju Island.

Through Mr. Yang’s introduction, the owner had handed over the boat’s keys to us as soon as he saw Yerim.

“The boat is safe, all thanks to the Saintess.”

He was also a believer in the Saintess, whose influence had spread across Jeju Island.

Thanks to him, we could easily return to the mainland.

Of course, we needed someone who could operate the boat, but that person was easy to find.

“Haha, I never thought I’d get to drive such a high-end boat.”

The man laughing next to us was the one who would operate the boat.

“Can you handle it?”

Yerim asked cautiously, but he confidently patted his chest and replied.

“Don’t worry. I’ve driven container ships before. This is nothing.”

The man who would operate our boat was a sailor who had driven container ships when escaping Busan.

He had won a bet with the captain to come here, and he didn’t seem worried about heading to the dangerous mainland.

“It’s a shame. I wish you could have stayed on the island.”

Mr. Yang was with us as we prepared to leave Jeju Island.

We had met and said goodbye to the others yesterday.

We hadn’t seen the government officials since the brainwashing was lifted, and the general’s side seemed too busy to show up.

So, after saying goodbye to Mr. Yang’s people, we had come here.

Of course, over the past two days, there had been many offers and proposals.

People asking us to protect them, people clinging to Yerim, and people who just wanted to see our faces.

It had been a hectic time, but we managed to say our goodbyes and leave on good terms.

Now, it was time to leave Jeju Island.

But Jeju Island wasn’t going to let us go so easily.

Screech!

A military vehicle came speeding towards us and screeched to a halt.

Out of the vehicle stepped the self-proclaimed “Jeju Island Defense Commander.”

He stepped out of the car with a pale face, rushed over to me, and bowed his head, pleading.

“Please, save Jeju Island, save us!”

“Huh?”

At the sudden request, I tilted my head in confusion, and he explained the situation.

“Special entities have landed on the northern beach.”

“Special entities?”

“Armored corpses. No, corpse knights have appeared. They’re undead that can withstand bullets and artillery. They’ve killed the soldiers guarding the beach and are heading into the city.”

“Knights, you say?”

I looked towards the northern sky and focused my mana detection to the maximum.

My mana detection stretched past Hallasan and towards Jeju City.

It was too far to sense clearly, but I could still tell.

This was the aura of death knights, Death Knights.