My Strange Savior - Chapter 135

Chapter 135

[Facing the Truth]

– The current situation in the shelter is reaching its worst. People are going crazy, fearing the unpredictable moment when they might explode, and killing each other. The fragile system we had built has collapsed, and a chaotic world is unfolding. To prevent people from forcibly breaking into the shelter, I’ve adjusted its security to the highest level and am hiding here.

David, running his fingers through his hair, lifted his vacant eyes. 

The screen went dark and then lit up again. 

Each time the screen flickered, David presented a different demeanor. Sometimes he looked depressed, other times he appeared like a mad scientist, and occasionally he wept uncontrollably in front of the screen, unable to accept the fact of Helene’s death.

Yet, David seemed to be making an effort to regain composure. He counted the time left until he could no longer restrain himself, hitting his cheek.

David faithfully recorded his daily life on the screen, which seemed like a form of solace or, perhaps, had become a part of his life. 

– Helene pleaded with me never to commit suicide, so I’m doing my best to live the remaining days. If only I had stopped her from taking the enhanced human injection… If only I could turn back time… Every day, I feel like dying with that thought. All that remains is irrevocable regret.

Click.

The screen showed a tidier David.

– I shaved and cut my hair after a long time. It’s a bit messy since I did it alone, but I’m satisfied in my own way.

David, now neat, awkwardly ran his hand through his hair while looking at the screen.

– Um… What should I say now? Even though there’s nothing to say, I press the record button out of habit. I wonder who will watch it, but…

The hesitant David, with his short hair neatly arranged, cleared his throat.

– Now, I’m the only one left in the shelter. Oh, let me correct that. Inside the shelter, there’s also a cow we raised as livestock and a lizard that Helene used to keep as a pet. Now, they are practically my family.

He placed a lizard, roughly the size of his palm, on the screen. The red-scaled lizard, as if recognizing its owner, calmly stayed on his palm.

– Why did Helene like this lizard?

He lightly touched the red lizard with the fingers of his other hand. The lizard’s small mouth opened as if protesting.

– Since she liked it, I’m trying to like it too.

– Mmm.

A sound resembling a cow’s moan came from the screen.

– Is it responding to my story? Ah, the cow’s name is Gia, and the lizard’s name is Dr. Yu. The lizard’s name is derived from the surname of the renowned Dr. Yu Myung-seok, whom Helene admired most. The cow’s name… it is named after her, who is his first child and the first experiment. The cow named Gia has black fur like her hair.

At the mention of the name, Gia’s eyes widened.

– Yu Myung-seok, Yu Gia. When you think about it, they might be the most pitiful people. My spouse left this world in pain due to illness, and Dr. Yu Myung-seok dedicated his entire life to cure that disease. Unfortunately, the result was the zombie virus. Despite that, Dr. Yu Myung-seok might be a romanticist of the century. After losing Helene, I can now fully understand his heart. Moreover, his daughter, due to a misunderstanding that Dr. Yu Myung-seok spread the virus, became the first experiment against her will.

As he spoke in a dull voice, Gia’s shoulders hunched up as if for comfort.

– After becoming an experiment, she proved the safety of enhanced humans with her own body. If it were me, I would have sought revenge against those who made me like that. Instead, she ran around saving people in every possible way. On top of that, she pursued the criminal who spread the virus, Morrison, and went missing in the process.

“Um… Uh.”

Upon hearing someone else narrate their family’s story, Gia let out a dry moan.

Her eyes wandered in confusion. To think that someone, with no connection to them, was thinking this way about her and her father. 

Lost, Gia’s gaze fixated on Kalion.

At that moment, Kalion’s affectionate gaze collided with Gia’s, as if acknowledging her resilience. Kalion brushed aside a strand of protruding hair, wiping his reddened eyes.

“I told you, you’re nothing like Morrison.”

Feeling overwhelmed with embarrassment rather than crying, Gia repeatedly touched her forehead.

– What an unfortunate family story. Once again, I offer my condolences to the family of Dr. Yu Myung-seok for their tragedy.

Seeing someone completely unfamiliar mourning their own family, Gia’s mind became perplexed.

The screen flickered again, and the next part played.

While casually talking about daily life, David furrowed his brows and grasped his head.

Thud. Thud.

And then, consecutively, the sound of heavy footsteps was heard, and the screen shook.

– Those who rushed in to forcefully open the shelter are breaking the door. They probably realized that I was still inside the shelter.

The screen changed, revealing the situation outside.

“That is…”

Gia covered her mouth, eyes wide open in shock. Kalion was no different.

“Monsters… aren’t they?”

The appearance of those creatures closely resembled the monsters Gia had seen so far. Are those the berserk ones?

As if resolving Gia and Kalion’s doubts, David zoomed in on the screen.

– As time passes, their appearances are changing. Some have turned green, while others have teeth like animals. The variations are diverse. Some lose their basic intelligence, while others are surprisingly clever.

Squelch.

Even while speaking, the heavy footsteps continued. David, with his eyes tightly closed, flinched at the sound.

– Some of those who remembered how to open the old shelter doors tried to steal the registration keys of the deceased to open the doors. Not only that, animals bitten by the berserk ones have grotesquely transformed, even though animals were not originally infected by the zombie virus.

He sighed and showed data from other shelters on the screen.

– This video is data sent by Dr. William, the last survivor of the ELS Shelter. It is presumed that he sent this video just before his death.

The creatures roaming the ruined shelter now had an appearance similar to monsters existing in the current world.

Gia’s mouth widened in astonishment. So, the berserk ones and the animals bitten by them have turned into monsters.

When Gia believed in dimensional travel, she wasn’t surprised when she first encountered monsters that resembled deformed zombies. Kalion confirmed they were monsters when she met him, causing Gia to erase that thought from her mind. Gia’s trembling lips and fluctuating pupils revealed her confusion.

Really, the berserk ones were monsters?

‘So that’s it.’

Gia’s breathing quickened with the subsequent revelation. So, Morrison could control the monsters. Remembering Morrison’s abilities, Gia squinted her eyes.

Countless overlooked facts were now coming together to form one big picture. As she saw the completed picture, her breath caught in her throat.

Feeling dizzy, Gia touched her forehead with her hand.

– I don’t have much time left to change now. The most worrying part is that once I die, there will be no one to take care of Dr. Yu and Gia. However, if I open the door… Dr. Yu and Gia are likely to get infected or be eaten by the berserk ones.

A shadow fell over his contemplative face. The eyes that once regarded the cow and lizard as livestock now seemed to have developed some affection. He sighed and his eyes, previously indifferent, shook intensely.

He exhaled and, unconsciously, tied up his lengthening hair. The screen changed again, showing a red lizard and a completely blackened cow confined in a cage on his screen.

The large pupils of the cow stared at the screen. Whether the pitiable feeling was due to the cow’s red eyes, was hard to tell.

– I can’t delay the decision any longer. Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of my participation in the Enhanced Human Project.

With a distorted expression, he put on white surgical gloves.

The cow, touched by his hand, nudged its head. The cow, named Gia, with a gentle nature, leaned its head on David’s body as if to imprint its scent on him. David’s eyes, expressing affection with his entire body as he gently stroked the cow, sank into confusion.

– I plan to administer two of the remaining three antidotes to these two. The antidote I intend to administer is not the conventional one but an improved version that I’ve painstakingly developed for several days. Both kids have already received enhanced human injections. Although they haven’t berserk yet, the modified antidote should be effective enough. Of course… assuming it succeeds. The remaining antidotes are two Alpha and one Beta. I will administer Alpha to Gia and Beta to Dr. Yu.

David, confidently holding up the syringe, gently stroked the cow’s neck.

– Easy. Gia, it’s okay. Everything will be fine.

It seemed like he was speaking directly to her, and Gia’s body shivered. The black cow shed beads of tears as if it could read its owner’s heart. Did it somehow sense that this moment was the last with its owner?

– I pray that these two can survive.

The cow’s moan echoed, and the injection was administered. Without hesitation, the doctor proceeded to inject Beta into the lizard. Placing the empty bottle on the table, he led the two animals away.

– I hope the two companions who kept me company for several years will be safe. This is the end of my recording. Once I die, the door will be temporarily opened. I have made arrangements to ensure the kids can escape safely.

His sigh was prolonged. David picked up the gun lying beside him.

Click.

After confirming it was loaded, David aimed the gun at his temple without hesitation.

– The remaining Alpha antidote is stored in Sector A. If, by any chance, Gia survives, it means the enhanced virus has been perfectly cured. I hope she can save people with that antidote.

The screen turned black. His long and extensive recording had come to an end.

Only now did Gia realize who the skeletal figure sitting next to her was. On the opposite side, the hand still tightly gripped the gun.

Who would pity whom? 

While someone might find it not worth laughing at, Gia felt a mix of sorrow and pity. He faced the last moments after losing his loved ones. 

It felt as if she was glimpsing into her own future.