My Strange Savior - Chapter 132

Chapter 132

When Kalion cut through the vines with his sword, the large iron door of the shelter revealed itself.

The towering shelter door, surpassing the height of a person, was majestic. It differed from a simple door; it was constructed as an entrance to prevent zombie invasions.

Had there been a raid by looters? The door was charred in various places due to explosions, and the edges were deeply dented. However, there were no visible signs of penetration.

Gia, staring at the door of the thick shelter, slowly moved towards a small panel at the end of the door. Gia, who cleared away the accumulated dust and moss, swallowed hard.

What if the door doesn’t open after coming all this way? 

With worry in her eyes, Gia slowly raised her hand. As she brought her smartwatch to the middle of the panel, a black panel illuminated as if signaling readiness.

– N.L.S. 1st Division, Member Yu Gia. Nice to meet you.

“That’s it.” 

Gia sighed with relief as she operated the panel. Kalion, surprised by the sudden voice, widened his eyes.

“It’s a machine voice.”

Gia, nonchalantly, ran her finger over the small camera on the panel. Moss and dust clung to her finger.

– Iris response is in progress.

Gia familiarly directed her gaze at the camera.

– Permission granted for Ms. Yu Gia’s visit.

Clang, clang, clang.

The sound of machinery engaging echoed several times. Following the sound of escaping tire air, the door creaked open.

“Let’s go.”

Kalion, who had expected the door to be as hard to open as if dozens of soldiers were pushing against it, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“The world I lived in was almost automated.”

“It must have been a highly developed civilization.”

“I don’t know how it works. I just know how to use it.”

Gia awkwardly smiled and looked at the open passage. The dimly lit corridor sloped downward.

Swallowing saliva, Gia took a step forward. Will she find what she’s been searching for at the end of this path?

The smartwatch screen lit up, notifying the system of Gia’s entry. Whether tens of years or tens of thousands of years had passed, both the smartwatch and the shelter’s items functioned well.

Should she be grateful for the wisdom of her ancestors? Gia bit her lip with bitterness.

Is it right for the offspring of the one who led everyone to destruction to enjoy all this? 

Gia’s eyes sank into infinite contemplation.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Sequentially lit lights illuminated the corridor. Gia’s pupils contracted under the influence of the light. 

Each descending step felt impossibly heavy.

Regret, guilt. Amidst the overwhelming heavy emotions, a strand of hope persistently struggles to widen the gap and emerge.

To avoid causing concern to Kalion, Gia secretly administered the antidote. 

Gia had only three doses of the antidote left. Just three months. What would it feel like to be a condemned prisoner facing execution? She had thought she would live her life with a red tag attached, but now she contemplated the possibility of finding something to overturn that sentence.

As she considered the idea that there might be something to reverse the verdict, her lips became parched. When Gia tried to remove her prisoner’s uniform, the administered antidote this time felt different from usual. The pain coursing through her entire body persisted for an entire hour.

Late at night, with Rey asleep, Gia stuffed a towel into her mouth to suppress any sounds that might escape. She endured the pain with clenched teeth.

With just three doses gone, her pocket felt as empty as if it were completely devoid of anything. 

Gia tightly clenched her fist and turned to look at Kalion standing behind her. Kalion, who had not yet entered the door, was still bathed in the noonday sun.

Kalion was a person from the newly unfolded world, while Gia was a person from a world that had succumbed to a zombie virus. They were two people with entirely different starting points. Was it right to pull Kalion into this place?

Is it… is it the right thing to do?

Even as she resolved selfishly to think only of herself, Kalion’s sincerity wavered Gia’s heart again. How should she seek forgiveness from Kalion, who would be left alone if she couldn’t find the antidote? Gia closed and opened her eyes.

If she couldn’t find the antidote… What would happen then? Even thinking about it, Gia felt utterly helpless. Was she clinging to Kalion forcefully, not wanting to let go?

Gia’s determination to let Kalion go wavered dozens of times in her mind. 

“Let’s go inside, Gia.” 

Kalion said, extending his foot, and Gia stepped into the world she once inhabited.

Gia, standing beside Kalion, stared at him intently. 

“Shall we go hand in hand?” 

Kalion’s warm hand dug into Gia’s cold palm.

‘Why are you so affectionate…’

Heat gathered at the tip of Gia’s nose.

‘I’ve made my selfishness make it impossible for you to let me go…’

The Kalion reflected in Gia’s gaze was completely unsuspecting.

“Let’s go…”

Is this the right thing to do? Despite incessantly questioning, there was only one answer.

She can’t let go.

Gia’s hand firmly clasped Kalion’s palm. Gia turned her body to look at the endless depths of the corridor.

A vibration was felt from the wrist. When she raised the lit smartwatch, the internal structure had been updated.

[Internal map update complete.]

Unable to hold onto Kalion’s hand, Gia touched the small screen. As Gia examined the direction leading to the laboratory, her eyes widened.

‘Surely…’

With the thought in mind, Gia conjured the screen into the air. Still surprised, Kalion’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Without explaining anything, Gia quickly touched the 3D model.

‘As I thought… nothing.’

Within the facility, there were no survivors, and nothing existed. The absence of intrusion warnings suggested that it wasn’t attacked by hordes of zombies or looters. But why was the shelter so empty?

Swallowing the emerging questions, Gia cautiously moved forward.

“I’ll take the lead.”

“Alright.”

Without harboring any doubts about Gia’s words, Kalion followed. Gia subtly smiled at Kalion’s unwavering trust.

“What if I make a mistake and lead you to a place swarming with zombies?”

“I doubt that.”

After descending for a while, the corridor came to an end. Gia, reaching the place blocked by a large iron door, raised her hand to the panel beside it.

Unlocking it just like before, the heavy iron door began to rise. Gia’s expression, slowly watching, filled with anticipation.

Having entered the laboratory section, not the residential area, Gia looked around. The suddenly lit lights blinked several times. The experiment rooms and the marble-walled corridors were all eerily white.

Whatever had happened, the laboratory was a complete mess. As Gia scanned the place, filled with traces of sudden evacuations, she caught Kalion’s eye.

If it weren’t for her, Kalion wouldn’t have had to witness such a sight.

Gia looked at Kalion with an apologetic expression. It was a scene she had witnessed many times in the past, but not for Kalion. However, the Kalion reflected in her eyes still appeared unshaken. 

With an indifferent expression, Kalion surveyed the surroundings.

Shattered flasks, possibly containing unknown substances, littered the corridor. Blood-stained handprints, left on the walls, were enough to send shivers down the spine. The corridor was scattered with the bones of former researchers.

Looking at the white lab coats they used to wear, Gia’s eyes widened.

‘What on earth… happened here?’

The security of the shelter couldn’t be this compromised. Moreover, the laboratory and the weapons storage were the most secure areas.

With a torn-apart scene, Kalion stood beside Gia and gripped the hilt of his sword.

“There are no detected life forms… It should be okay.”

Despite Gia’s reassurance, Kalion did not loosen his grip on his sword. Instead, his gaze, now alert, shone fiercely.

Old bloodstains were vividly marked on the glass windows.

Snap.

The glass shattered again as Gia’s walker stepped on it.

Cold sweat trickled down Gia’s neck as she moved toward the central laboratory. Despite telling Kalion not to worry, Gia herself couldn’t ease the tension.

As they approached the laboratory indicated on the smartwatch, Gia’s body shivered. Perhaps it was because it was constructed underground. The unique chill made her goosebumps stand on end.

“Over there.”

Gia pointed to the closed door. Though she tried to open it using the same procedure as before, a red light appeared on the indicator.

– Only administrators of grade S or above are allowed access. Visitors, please inquire at the central center.

Beep.

The guidance voice caused Gia’s eyebrows to twitch. Security is quite strict in this strange place. Temporarily grateful for the ancient ancestors who built and left the facility, Gia looked at Kalion with embarrassment.

“Can’t we go in?”

“Yeah… if we force it open, the data and research inside might be incinerated as well. It’s designed to work that way.”

“That’s inconvenient.”

“Just a moment…”

Turning back from where they came, Gia hurriedly ran.

“Where… here it is.”

Recalling the ID card stained with blood, Gia crouched in a corner of the corridor.

“Is that all you need?”

“Yeah.”

Gia gently scraped the corridor floor to prevent the ID card from breaking.

“Alright.”

Gia raised the ID card. The once bright red blood had already solidified into a dark color. The part with a person’s photo was corroded to the point of being unrecognizable.

As long as it works, it should be fine. Holding the ID card, which was thankfully not stained with blood, Gia approached the door.

– Grade S administrator, Helene Auster. Identity confirmed.

With luck, Gia anxiously watched as the door opened.

Creak.

As the door opened, Gia leaped inside like a flash.

Understanding why Gia was so anxious, Kalion, who knew the reason, silently followed. Kalion also hoped fervently, more than anyone else, that Gia would find what she was looking for.

Inside, the scene wasn’t much different from outside. The chaotic interior reflected the hasty evacuation. The scraps of paper on the floor were so worn out that their contents couldn’t be discerned. Gia passed through the fragile papers with care.

Knowing well why Gia was so restless, Kalion followed without a word. 

Kalion also fervently wished that Gia would find what she was looking for.

The central control room was filled with buttons. In a chair, only the skull of someone who had fallen into a deep sleep remained. 

Gia reached for the ID card around her neck.