Red Dot - 106

Junseong, with binoculars to his eyes, looked at the narrow gap between the tall flowerbeds surrounding the external parking lot of Inhan Hospital, where Ji-an had confirmed the location, and the entrance of the expected route.

Three survivors were crouched low beside the wet, tall flowerbed.

In the front was a muscular, balding middle-aged man observing the hospital’s movements, followed closely by a young man and woman on high alert.

As soon as Junseong saw them, he bit his lower lip tightly.

He was shocked that only three had survived, contrary to his expectations, but more importantly, it was the condition of the bald man that troubled him.

Half of the man’s left arm was gone.

Only about 5 cm remained from the folding point, and the bandage wrapped tightly around the midpoint of his forearm to the severed part was soaked with red blood.

‘Why?’

Only three people remained.

The man who had always appeared unharmed in his dreams had lost his left arm.

Confusion washed over him as he faced their situation, which was completely different from his dreams.

What emerged from that confusion was the face of the “other variable” who was not here.

If it weren’t for him, this situation wouldn’t make sense.

‘That bastard…’

His teeth ground together.

What on earth did Nam Ki-hyuk want to do in reality?

It felt like he was causing problems at every turn.

He was messing with every plan that had been set.

For a moment, Junseong flinched.

‘My plan?’

He began to question Nam Ki-hyuk’s movements.

‘No, it’s not just about the plan; it feels like he’s somehow disrupting the “basic premise.”’

The safety of his younger sister, Kang Chaeyi.

The initial survivors who should have boarded the rescue helicopter at Inhan Hospital, which had been their main hideout.

The zombie virus that originated in Inhan City had been quickly contained to prevent further spread.

He knew it was just a hole in the information now, but there had been a solution in his dreams that he had believed without doubt.

And finally, the strong ally, the bald middle-aged man, Kwak Du-jae, who would rescue survivors from each shelter until the seventh day.

Junseong, who had always thought of such things and planned every time a new dream began, was now being told that “reality” was different from the basic premise.

It was Nam Ki-hyuk, the variable, who was obviously trying to break that basic premise.

‘What on earth is he trying to do?’

It made him so angry that he didn’t want to think about it but had no choice but to.

‘No, let’s calm down.’

The thought that Nam Ki-hyuk was deliberately smashing his basic premises felt too far-fetched.

It could be that he was coincidentally overlapping rather than trying to interfere with his route.

Although there had been too many problems arising in a short time for that to be true.

Instead of sinking deeper into thought, Junseong decided to focus on what he needed to do right now.

‘Right now, saving the uncle is the priority.’

Regardless of how the situation had changed, what was urgent was to get Kwak Du-jae and his group safely into Inhan Hospital.

To do that, he first needed Kyungo’s help.

Taking his eyes off the binoculars, Junseong asked Kyungo, who was waiting nearby.

“Is the drone ready?”

“Yeah, just say the word.”

Nodding, Kyungo approached, holding a drone in one hand and a remote control for it in the other.

A note that Junseong had written beforehand and a walkie-talkie were wrapped in bandages on the bottom of the drone.

With a tense expression, Kyungo squinted and launched the drone outside the hospital, following Junseong’s instructions.

He flew the drone at a height to avoid being detected by the zombies, but it was impossible to gauge the height with the naked eye, so Ji-an helped guide the flight by carefully observing the surroundings through the binoculars.

Before they could even arrive, Du-jae recognized the drone immediately with his excellent eyesight.

Junseong and his group, gathered by one of the wide-open windows of the hospital, also noticed it.

Ji-an, carefully instructing how to stop the drone right in front of Du-jae, could see through the binoculars that they were confirming the note and grabbing the walkie-talkie.

“They just checked the note.”

“Kyungo, raise the altitude by about 2 meters, and Ji-an, let me know when you connect the in-ear to the walkie-talkie from over there.”

After giving instructions to Kyungo and Ji-an, Junseong then spoke to Hanseo and Changmin, who were waiting behind.

“Stay at your assigned spots and check the devices once.”

Hanseo and Changmin nodded and stood in front of the two outside windows closest to the emergency stairs.

The windows were completely removed, intentionally taken out for preparing the devices.

Two steel pipes were firmly attached to the left and right edges of the window frame with several layers of tape.

In the center of the only steel pipe without any tape, two yellow rubber bands called “tourniquets,” commonly used in hospitals for bleeding control, were tightly tied together with barely any space between them.

While Hanseo and Changmin confirmed the adhesion of the pipe and knot in front of the window, where there were no windows and the two tourniquets sliced through the air, Ji-an, who had checked the status on Du-jae’s side, informed Junseong.

“I confirmed the connection.”

“Thanks.”

Junseong patted Ji-an’s head affectionately a couple of times while simultaneously taking out the walkie-talkie.

A few seconds later, an alert sound from the walkie-talkie accompanied Du-jae’s voice.

Are you listening?
The tension contained in the thick voice was certainly more intense than here; it was never less.

Hearing a voice much heavier and duller than the one he had heard in his dreams, Junseong secretly swallowed his bitterness.

Perhaps this voice and tension were inevitable, acquired during the loss of 21 survivors and one of his arms.

“I can hear you well, uncle.”

How did you know there was a walkie-talkie and in-ear here?
Could it be that you are also part of the killer gang?

Killer gang.

Before listening to the detailed story from Du-jae, Junseong could half-confirm that they must have met Nam Ki-hyuk.

No matter how he thought about it, that man was the only one that came to mind.

Of course, he wasn’t part of Nam Ki-hyuk’s group, but Junseong knew that Kwak Du-jae, whom he was meeting for the first time in reality, would already have a walkie-talkie and in-ear for it.

Kwak Du-jae, a former Marine, was a veteran bodyguard who had been in the security business for over ten years.

On the day of the incident, he was on a security mission, and because of that, he still had the walkie-talkie and in-ear that he was using for work.

It seemed that all the colleagues he had been communicating with using that walkie-talkie and in-ear had died on their way here.

If Du-jae didn’t have an in-ear for the walkie-talkie, it would have been quite troublesome.

To give directions while moving, they had no choice but to continue communication, but with zombies all around, the walkie-talkie itself could have put them in danger.

If there was an in-ear, the alert sounds or voices from the walkie-talkie would not leak out, making it an essential item in this situation.

“I’ll tell you in advance, but we are good survivors, unlike those guys.”

Frowning at the thought of Nam Ki-hyuk, Junseong declared their innocence, and he heard Du-jae’s stiff voice.

How can I believe that?
He hadn’t been this stiff in his dreams, but it seemed inevitable to be cautious since he had been through something.

Junseong sighed as he checked the time on his wristwatch.

“If the group you met was the same as ours, why would they bother trying to save you and contact you by giving you a walkie-talkie?”

But…
“There’s no time. It’s going to rain again soon, and you need to get into the hospital before that.”

…
As if hesitating, Du-jae’s voice paused for a moment.

Then he spoke with increased tension.

Can’t you see it from there? There are too many zombies.
“I know. So I’ll guide you through the safest route, so please move well following the drone.”

Huh…, understood.
They had no sharp methods available to them at the moment.

If there were more people, or at least if his left arm were intact, they might have thought about how to respond and break through, but with only three people, including the injured, it was clearly impossible.

I will trust you.
With a firm voice that seemed determined, Du-jae’s group began to move.

They slowly advanced, following the moving drone while avoiding the zombies’ line of sight, skirting the edges of the flowerbed.

Whenever it seemed like they would be spotted by a zombie through the gaps in the flowerbed, Ji-an, who was watching with binoculars, signaled, and Kyungo adjusted the drone, stopping or changing its direction accordingly.

Thanks to that, during the approximately five minutes of moving, they were able to avoid detection by any zombies.

Observing the situation, Junseong instructed Hanseo and Changmin.

“I’ll get ready soon.”

As soon as his words fell, Hanseo and Changmin picked up several coffee cans lined up beneath the window.

The openings of the cans filled with something other than the beverage were carefully sealed with tape, with a paper wick extending outwards from the center.

It was finally time to use the “item” that had been diligently prepared in the container office.