Chapter 96 – Report

Not many survived among the nearly thousand people in the safe zone.

Only slightly over a hundred people gathered here and some who hid in the upper floors of university buildings survived.

At other times, more people would have survived, but unfortunately not this time.

Not just because too many undead gathered, but because of the dense death energy spread by the octopus monster.

The dense death energy covering the ground was difficult for weak ordinary people to endure.

Young people endured but the rest couldn’t withstand the death energy, died and became undead.

Those transformed undead killed surrounding people, and thus most people hiding in the safe zone until the end died.

After rescuing some survivors, the expedition set up camp in the science college and church/auditorium buildings at the northern end of the university where the gate opened.

Setting up camp in existing buildings, unlike the camp made in the forest months ago, it looked proper.

As the camp was quickly organized, Seo Eun came to find me standing in front of the science college.

Though hours had passed since the gate opened, there hadn’t been time to talk separately with her due to many tasks.

Fortunately there were no urgent matters now.

Though I hadn’t reported about everything yet, that was because the person to receive reports hadn’t come to this world.

I heard they would come soon, but until then we could talk.

“It doesn’t seem you came to see Yerim or for personal business.”

“I wish that were the case… But you know the situation here.”

Though no one appointed her, Seo Eun became the representative of the survivors.

Well, there was no one else who could do it.

She was the only one who could even talk with people from another world who came through the gate, having dealt with our party members.

Moreover, one of only two remaining awakened ones was her husband, and she had been the most capable person in the safe zone before,

So naturally she had to become the representative.

As she said, the situation had changed from yesterday, no, this morning.

Roughly speaking, the positions of superior and subordinate had reversed.

Though there were actually different owners, anyway she and the people in the safe zone had been owners, and I and party members were guests and outsiders.

But now oppositely they were outsiders, and we, no, the expedition army were owners.

The expedition army had powerful military force instead of a safe zone.

Moreover, being people from another world who popped out of strange holes, Seo Eun and this world’s people couldn’t help but be scared.

She didn’t beat around the bush this time either.

“What should we do now? Please tell us how we can survive.”

Seeing her bow deeply and plead with me, I recalled my previous life.

When I was dying in the hospital too, she pleaded with doctors like this.

Though the doctor couldn’t save me despite her pleas, I felt I could give useful advice.

“As I said before, my party and the expedition army that came to this world now didn’t come to save people. Though some may think differently, principally they are people who came to catch the Demon King. The expedition army won’t save this world’s people.”

Seo Eun sighed at my words.

“I know from hearing. But without you all we have no way to survive.”

At her words I raised my hand pointing to the parking lot.

“First, meet the US military who came by helicopter there.”

A military helicopter with US military markings had landed in the empty parking lot.

It was a helicopter that flew from the south after the gate opened.

The helicopter carried several soldiers who looked like US special forces and one man who looked like an intelligence agent.

As soon as they landed, they were disarmed surrounded by knights and mages.

They easily allowed themselves to be disarmed. The US military seemed to have no intention to fight from the start.

Instead they wanted to talk with us, but the expedition army made them wait.

Like how I was waiting now, because the person in charge hadn’t arrived yet.

Seo Eun frowned looking where I pointed.

“Go to the US military? The US is the country that immediately withdrew their military when North Korea became like that. Plus there was no news until now, and they have no interest in us now.”

Though the lack of news seemed due to communications being disrupted by death energy,

I had nothing to say about them quickly pulling out their military as soon as North Korea was occupied by undead.

As she said, their interest now was focused on me and the expedition army.

But I didn’t lower my hand.

“No. Meet the US military and exchange information. Find out why they came and what they need, what they want from us.”

If it were her from my previous life, she would understand what I meant.

And as expected, she realized what I meant.

Her face brightened.

“You mean I should act as an intermediary. It’s certainly something I can do. But the others…”

Her brightened face reddened slightly and her voice gradually quieted.

Though she spoke putting on a brave face as representative of the people, seems it wasn’t easy to ask for more help after receiving help.

“Regardless of what the US military thinks, as long as the Demon King is in the north the expedition army cannot leave this land. If they make this place a base, they need people.”

Though they might dispatch some people to other countries, to kill the Demon King the expedition army’s main force had no choice but to be here, in this country.

If the main force was here, they would need local people.

They needed to get information about this world, this country, and needed people to work.

“You mean local contractors?”

I nodded.

Unlike locals in the Middle East, Vietnam, or Afghanistan, this country’s locals didn’t need to worry about betrayal.

Because the enemy wasn’t human.

“First tell people to step forward and help with work. They won’t refuse.”

Even now, with even knights carrying luggage, far from refusing they would surely be grateful.

Instead, I gave her a warning.

“Tell everyone this – that all the soldiers, knights, and mages who came here are no different from villains and thugs by this world’s standards.”

That world was neither a free world nor an equal world.

It was a world where discrimination and class were natural, this world had become similar now, but if this world’s people used the standards of their world before collapse as criteria, conflict would inevitably occur.

And there was only one outcome of conflict.

Seo Eun who was nodding at my words looked at me with strange eyes.

“I thought so before too, but you seem to know us better than I do. Every time I hear you speak it reminds me of someone… I’m sorry. And thank you.”

Trailing off, she bowed to me then walked to the helicopter.

Though there were still knights watching the helicopter, those knights saw approaching Seo Eun and me standing behind and let her pass.

Passing the knights, she began talking with the man who looked like an intelligence agent.

Since she was good at English in her previous life too, talking with the man shouldn’t be difficult.

While watching her talk with the US military, a soldier approached from behind.

“The Baron has arrived.”

Seems several people came out from the gate earlier, finally the person to receive reports, the person in charge had come.

Hoffman and I, and Zahina too, the three people who came to this world first headed to the physics professor’s private office on the second floor of the science college.

One soldier stood at the door, and seeing us he opened the office door.

Inside the opened door, in a room surrounded by bookshelves full of physics-related books stood one nobleman.

He was taking out dust-covered books but seeing us enter through the door, sat in a chair.

He rubbed his eyebrows as if troubled looking at us.

Though I hadn’t talked directly with him before, he was a man I had seen from afar.

He was a nobleman who had been with Count Rihart, probably one of the staff officers.

“I am Baron Schuster. Part of the staff.”

After introducing himself he looked at us in turn.

“Sorbian free knight. Heard you’re called Eger. Heard you’re skilled for a free knight, but seems not just skilled.”

“And mountain soldier background. Hoffman right? Good work.”

“Lastly Mother Tree’s first daughter, Zahina… Well I should ask this first. Is it true you alone survived?”

“Yes. That day. Large-scale bombardment. The hero’s party was annihilated by concentrated attack from this world’s weapons. I too lost most of my body and took much time to recover.”

Zahina answered in a stiff tone like other elves to the Baron’s question.

The Baron looked at her shoulder at Zahina’s words. A sniper rifle was slung on her shoulder.

“This world’s weapons… You mean the weapon on your shoulder?”

“No. What annihilated the hero’s party was area weapons, large-scale destruction weapons, and this is an anti-personnel weapon. This gun is a long-range weapon with longer firing range than bows.”

The Baron sighed at Zahina’s answer.

“Seems there’s much to hear. Sir Eger, please report.”

I began reporting at the Baron’s words.

The report wasn’t difficult.

Losing existing party members, meeting Zahina together with Hoffman.

It was just reporting various things experienced while coming south together with those two afterward.

Of course, personal matters had to be left out, but having already matched stories with party members there would be no problems.

Of course, that didn’t make the report shorter.

Being events from another world, the Baron didn’t understand situations so kept asking questions in between, and finally the report could only end after over an hour.

“So you’re saying the Demon King already came to this world years ago and devoured one country, had undead learn to use this side’s weapons, then lured and killed the hero?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Though there were many more events, seems the hero’s death and how they died was most important to the Baron.

After confirming again not just with me but with Zahina and Hoffman too, he sighed deeply.

“The Demon King’s country, and a trap… This is worse than the worst scenario we thought of.”

He sighed several times then said to us.

“Well, nothing can be done about how things turned out… Anyway you did very well surviving. Though I heard the situation was urgent at the end, seems you went through more hardship than expected.

I’d like to let you rest, but seems that won’t be possible. There’s much to hear about this world, and need to talk with this world’s soldiers outside too.”

It was expected.

Instead I hoped we could return to our world after all those things finished.

Not just retiring like this wasn’t bad but more because weapons and armor were all ruined.

I tried to say that but suddenly lost the initiative to an old man opening the door and entering.

“I’ll borrow this knight for a moment.”

The old man pulled my arm and came outside.

I had no choice but to be helplessly pulled out. As expected, it was the Sword Master.