WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 331: Return (14)

──────

After the meeting ended, Gyeoul found himself thinking of 「Plague Immunity」 as a skill. Its prerequisites were so demanding that he had never acquired it, which meant he knew almost nothing about it. How did it actually work? The only thing his intelligence correction told him was that it was the key to developing a vaccine. But that much was obvious even without correction. Anyone who wasn’t an idiot could tell from the name alone.

‘Maybe Pastor Park Tae-sun’s partial immunity is an early stage of 「Plague Immunity」.’

If Gyeoul’s guess was right, 「Plague Immunity」 likely granted resistance to the Great Plague in stages according to grade. In other words, each pathogen making up the Morgellons complex would be the target of immunity at a different grade.

Put another way, even if he obtained 「Plague Immunity」 through 「Disease Resistance」 and 「Toxic Resistance」, it would be useless unless he raised its level quite high. At least for him, it would only mean the difference between turning into a monster at once when bitten, or having his flesh rot away slowly. It would probably affect his lifespan after infection too. He might survive for decades or longer, even in a body that was no longer normal.

From a national perspective, however, the situation was different. The development of biochemical agents Major Campbell had mentioned was an option unfamiliar even to Gyeoul. 「Plague Immunity」 itself had been unknown territory to him, so he had never imagined immunity might have value as a weapon too.

In fact, he had rarely thought deeply about the subject at all. As this world setting had shown, immunity had always been far away, and he had often hit his limits just trying to solve the immediate problems in front of him.

As Gyeoul turned it over, he soon understood.

‘True, even if a vaccine is made, that doesn’t mean the quarantine war ends. Infection only plays a decisive role in increasing mutant numbers during the early spread of the plague. I thought it would be valuable enough just to prevent sudden outbreaks inside safe zones...’

In a situation like this, where the government was functioning properly, cutting off the threat of rear-area infection at the source would send the odds of apocalypse plummeting without end. Of course, there was still room to question whether those odds would truly approach zero. But as a realistic ending, it would be more than enough.

At that point, he realized something new. What if the level of immunity determined the effectiveness of the weapons made from it? A completed 「Plague Immunity」 would literally be hope capable of ending the apocalypse.

In other words, Gyeoul expected any agent made from Pastor Park Tae-sun’s partial immunity to have limited power. The mutants might not adapt easily, but they probably would not be greatly weakened either.

It was only a hypothesis, but somewhere in this world, there might be someone with another form of partial immunity. They could find such people and improve the vaccine and weapon, secure the original form of Morgellons from mainland China, or, failing both, he could acquire 「Plague Immunity」 by enhancing his skills.

Just as he thought there were surprisingly many ways to end the apocalypse in one stroke, Gyeoul could only give a bitter laugh.

Not a single one was realistic.

This was his twenty-seventh apocalypse, and he had only now learned that partially immune individuals existed. It wasn’t as if the governments of past worlds would have failed to search for immune people. Searches and research might have gone on where Gyeoul never saw them, but the fact that nothing had been made public meant they were that rare. If he also considered the odds of overlapping partial immunities, the option became even harder.

No matter which path was chosen, it would only work under the premise that a nation still stood. Even if not a nation, at least a community with enough research technology and production capacity had to remain. The conditions could hardly be more difficult.

Obtaining 「Plague Immunity」 himself would not be easy either. Just learning superhuman 「Disease Resistance」, one of its prerequisites, required effort on par with 「Insight」, the core skill of the social category. And that was only the baseline. Its difficulty was high while its priority was relatively low, so the accumulated Talent Benefit differed that much as well.

Even if he worked at it until his life ended in this world setting, could he obtain meaningful immunity?

‘If that’s impossible, how many apocalypses would I have to repeat to complete it?’

He could almost feel malice in the construction of the world setting.

The current Gyeoul found it hard to imagine a twenty-eighth 「Days after Apocalypse」. To be honest, he was tired. With an Afterlife Insurance secured loan hanging over him, he had come this far with the mindset that death would be the end. President MacMillan’s administration had also created a miraculous environment. It was an expectation he could hardly place on the next apocalypse.

Anne was also a bond of this world. When Gyeoul confessed that he hoped he could come to love her, it had not been a lie.

Aside from the Star Child, he wanted someone he could lean on emotionally. The rose was still his reason to continue the afterlife, but winter could not lean on a flower that bloomed only in autumn.

At the end of that long chain of thought came a short, drained laugh.

He had only learned one thing he hadn’t known. There was no need to feel newly bleak about it now. The apocalypse had not suddenly drawn closer, so he would be troubled for a while and let it pass.

Early that evening, Gyeoul was informed of Branch Chief West’s decision.

“That was much faster than I expected.”

After hearing his impression, Branch Chief West answered as if it were no big deal.

“With matters like this, the longer you delay, the more inefficient it becomes. I also don’t want to invite pointless suspicion. And the unrest we were concerned about could happen today.”

Branch Chief West, whom he met at the Saints Church residence district checkpoint, was wearing a biochemical protective suit. As it turned out, the checkpoint had a secret passage connected to the building next door, and once they passed through it, they were directly in a sanitation room.

‘Still, someone at the level of a bureau branch manager came all the way here in person...’

Gyeoul calmed the medical officer who had come with him.

“Captain. You don’t need to be that nervous.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I, um, this is my first time doing something like this...”

Captain Jo Yun-chang was a first-rate doctor, but he was somewhat lacking in the boldness required of a battlefield medical officer. After signing a pledge stamped with the Department of Homeland Security’s seal late that afternoon, he had looked like a person whose joints had gone stiff. By now, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Did you review the materials?”

At Gyeoul’s question, the Captain neither confirmed nor denied it.

“I did look through them for now, but... this isn’t a stage where I can tell you anything yet. Even after seeing the patients, I think I’ll need at least another day or two before I can finish verifying it.”

After saying that, he hesitated, then cautiously offered his view.

“Still, judging only by the documents, there are no inconsistencies. Some parts of the experimental results are hard to believe, but if they aren’t false, then the samples corresponding to them must actually exist.”

“I see... It’s fine if it takes longer, so don’t feel pressured.”

“Understood. Please leave it to me.”

The Captain could not relax, but he showed unexpected drive. He had his own ambition for advancement, even if he was not as ambitious as Jin-seok. It seemed he had taken being told a major secret as proof that he had been chosen. On top of that, catching a glimpse of the end of Morgellons was enough to excite him.

Branch Chief West asked, “Shall we go in now? I’d like to finish before it gets completely dark.”

“Yes. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

After hearing Gyeoul’s answer, Branch Chief West gestured to the soldier guarding the secret entrance. When the soldier put a hand into an inner pocket, perhaps because there was a signal device there, the door opened automatically. The door was disguised as a bookshelf, but anyone with a sharp eye would have felt something off from the presence of the closed-circuit cameras. Not that anyone would be reading books at a checkpoint.

The long passage was dyed entirely blue by the ultraviolet lights used for sterilization. In addition to sprinklers, pipes that looked meant to discharge incinerating agents could be seen on the ceiling. Before entering, Gyeoul and Captain Jo Yun-chang also had to put on protective suits. Branch Chief West explained that it was a precaution.

“Since bloodborne infection, which we thought unlikely, has been confirmed, airborne infection isn’t necessarily impossible either. They say at least some of the pathogens that make up the Morgellons complex may be able to spread through the air. Though the probability is apparently very low.”

After that, they passed through the sanitation room, and a brightly lit laboratory appeared right away.

“Doctor. Let’s stop here on the way back.”

Branch Chief West’s words were again meant for Captain Jo Yun-chang. He meant they would see the cult leader and believers first. The Captain nodded.

“I don’t mind where we go first.”

If they had the Captain move separately, it would reduce the time spent. Verification would be possible just by looking at the samples. But there was a concern that some other persuasion might take place in the meantime. Branch Chief West seemed determined to pull the roots of suspicion out completely.

After moving a little farther, they met Major Campbell again. Seeing him again after half a day, the Major greeted Gyeoul with a salute and a mischievous smile. His cheerfulness did not suit the place.

“Oh, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting. This must be Captain Jo you mentioned.”

“Yes. Please take good care of him.”

“Of course.”

After nodding at Gyeoul’s words, he shook hands with Captain Jo Yun-chang. His lack of any visible welcome made it awkward. Gyeoul asked Campbell, “Where is Pastor Park Tae-sun? It doesn’t seem like he’s here.”

“I did inform him that you were coming, Lieutenant Colonel, but the prayer meeting hasn’t wrapped up yet.”

“A prayer meeting at this hour?”

“Yes. They have no sense of time or occasion. The officer in charge of monitoring them was complaining. Said it’s a pain every single time. Hmm, would you like to see that first? The sight of them crying, bawling, and screaming makes decent entertainment.”

Entertainment... That word stood out. Gyeoul had noticed it in the morning too, but to Major Campbell, what had happened in this residential district seemed closer to comedy than tragedy. A comedy he watched while sneering with contempt.

Gyeoul shook his head. He had no interest in enjoying scenes of fanaticism. He was also in no position to criticize the researcher’s character. If Campbell committed a crime, that would be a different story. Whatever calculation was involved, Branch Chief West was doing Gyeoul a great favor.

“If there are believers whose condition is especially bad and who are being housed separately, I’d like to meet them first.”

“That is entirely possible. I’ll show you the way.”

Major Campbell took the lead as their guide. Their destination seemed to be another building, because they stepped outdoors. The silence that met him the moment he left was far heavier than he had guessed from outside. The bleak street gave off a chill just from looking at it. It was the synesthesia of death.

The only people visible were Heavy Infantry in armored suits. The Centurion armored suit had been designed from the concept stage to double as a biochemical protective suit. Their power cables were connected to telephone poles, and they had their own special weapons. Flamethrowers, weapons that had never appeared on the front line. Their other armaments were well prepared too, and armored vehicles were tucked into alley entrances that were hard to see from outside. There were even signs of unmanned turrets placed at each passage. The closed-circuit cameras were so numerous that counting them one by one would be hard. How many more unseen means of surveillance had been prepared?

West broke the silence.

“Every time I enter this residential district, I feel as if I’ve stepped into a nuclear test site.”

“A nuclear test site?”

Branch Chief West nodded at Gyeoul’s question. The voice coming through the amplifier was mixed with static.

“You must have heard of them at least once. They’ve appeared in films too. Ghost towns built to resemble actual residential areas as closely as possible, to test the killing power of nuclear bombs.”

“...It is similar.”

It was too meaningful to be a sudden impression. Though he did not show it, even Branch Chief West, whose expression rarely changed, found this place and the things that had happened here unpleasant.

West gave them their precautions.

“When speaking with the believers, say you know nothing about their symptoms. As far as they know, it is an unexplained phenomenon and may be a religious miracle. That is why they believe we are observing them. Especially you, Captain Jo. You were not here this morning, so I’ll tell you separately. All they have left is false hope. It’s the only way to keep more than three hundred patients healthy, at least mentally.”

Captain Jo Yun-chang let out a troubled sigh.

“So you want me to encourage the fanaticism instead...”

“That’s right. There is that aspect to it. When we first came, suspicion toward Cult Leader Park was growing, so it was an unavoidable measure to prevent an outcome where everyone died. If you aren’t confident, wait here.”

“No. I’ll be sure to follow what you told me.”

As Gyeoul thought about the phrase, “to prevent an outcome where everyone died,” it probably did not refer only to the believers killing one another in internal strife. The believers were also highly valuable as clinical trial subjects they could not secure more of, but from the government’s position, their top priority had to be protecting Pastor Park Tae-sun, a partially immune individual.

So if the believers tried to harm the pastor, the military would intervene.

‘Pastor Park Tae-sun is anxious because he can’t trust the military and government...’

Thap! Campbell clapped his gloved hands together.

“We’re here. This is where the most severe exper-... patients are.”

After swiping a card through the security device, he entered a password. The outside looked like an ordinary hall, but the windows were curtained, and the inside was a bleak detention facility that had been thoroughly sealed off. The two Heavy Infantry standing guard gave heavy salutes.

With Branch Chief West present, Gyeoul spoke with one believer who was still conscious. When healthy, they had apparently served as a kwonsa.

“Your flesh is like this. Does it not hurt?”

“Ahh, do you mean this stigma?”

The believer who answered a question with a question had a face so ruined that it was impossible to guess their age. Their eyes, though, were utterly peaceful. The red facial muscles exposed to the air twitched. It was a smile.

“Of course... it hurts. But since it is... a trial given by God... the more it hurts, the more joyful I am. I am... so very... proud of my body.”

Then the believer reached out toward Gyeoul. Captain Jo Yun-chang, standing nearby, flinched and stepped back. He unconsciously brought his hand to the waist where his pistol hung, then stopped. The sick believer did not notice.

“Ahh, how... unfortunate. For someone as... wonderful as Lieutenant Colonel Han Gyeoul... to not be saved... It isn’t too late even now... Beg grace from the pastor... who was born as the Son of Man. Huu...”

Their panting words were full of pity for Gyeoul.

“Do not... fear pain. The ascetics of old... would whip... their own bodies... to cleanse themselves of sin. The illness of us believers... is the same as that whipping. We people... born bearing original sin... and living while committing even more sins... are unworthy of entering... the gates of heaven... unless we atone like this... The weight of a fattened body is the weight of sin... and that weight... will make you fall into hell... Lieutenant Colonel...”

“...”

Gyeoul took the hand the believer had reached out. The sick believer showed him an even more terrible smile.

He spoke with several more people after that, but he did not get the impression that unjust experiments had been performed on them. Still, Gyeoul wanted to confirm one last person.

“Is there no believer named Hwangbo Esther here?”

Campbell, who received the question, frowned and said, “Esther?” Then he began searching for the name in the roster saved on his tablet. After a moment, he wavered, and soon his expression turned troubled.

“Ah, patient G-01. If she was a child you knew, Lieutenant Colonel, then I’m sorry. She died a few days ago.”

“She died? Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

He affirmed it in a firm tone.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried