Chapter 709: Evolution

“Sergeant Shin!”

“Legion Commander, you’re here!”

The anomaly that appeared among the horde of zombies.

As soon as I discovered that anomaly, I hurriedly ended the meeting and ran toward the barrier.

“You guys......!”

Apparently, I was not the only one who had noticed the anomaly.

A considerable number of soldiers had already gathered nearby.

“When did they start doing that?”

“We only just confirmed the change ourselves. We weren’t the first ones to discover it.”

Then.

The ones who cut into our conversation were the green-skinned warriors.

“We were, godfather.”

“You.......”

“We first discovered it about thirty minutes ago. At first, we thought it was simply a mistake or a coincidence, but.”

They frowned as they looked at the black wave.

“It hasn’t been long since we realized it wasn’t a mistake either.”

Originally.

The zombies we knew were closer to monsters without reason.

They were corpses parasitized by those parasites in the first place.

Unless the worm itself possessed remarkable intelligence.

The zombies, too, had no choice but to remain within the limits of that worm’s intelligence.

Because of that.

Zombies only imitated the host’s fighting style from when it was alive.

Or swarmed in and fought when prey appeared.

That was all.

But.

Rustle.......

Not now.

The enormous horde of zombies.

The center of it was splitting left and right, forming a path between them.

Of course.

I had never seen them eat one another.

So I knew there was at least some concept of ally and enemy among them.

But this was not on that level.

Rustle, rustle.......

Until now, the zombies had known nothing except stupidly charging forward.

And those zombies were sidestepping in coordination with one another.

Seeing that made chills run through me.

‘Zombies.’

I did not know why they were doing that.

But those things I had thought only moved according to instinct.

‘Are acting as a group......!’

It meant they could perform actions unrelated to instinct.

If only it were certain that those things were merely mindless monsters.

‘The fact that those things can act as a group means.’

No.

That was not the most frightening part.

‘It means they could do this all along, but didn’t.’

Those things I thought had only moved according to instinct.

Were showing group behavior for the first time.

Of course, there was no way they would do something like that without a reason.

‘What are they trying to do?’

What would happen after that group behavior?

That was the most frightening part.

And soon.

Rustle.......

“......A path.”

“It opened.”

The zombies had been moving little by little to the sides.

Once that movement ended.

A long path formed beyond the barrier.

The soldiers and I stared blankly at that path.

Beyond the barrier made of lightning.

There was a figure approaching through the center of that path.

“Suhyeok.”

“Yes. Corporal Seo Suhyeok.”

And.

When I saw that figure, I could only open my mouth blankly and mutter.

“I’m seeing that wrong, right?”

“I’d like to tell you that you are...... but no.”

At my words.

Corporal Seo Suhyeok answered with a dark expression.

Because.

What was approaching through the middle of the path the zombies had opened was none other than.

“They look...... like bound humans.”

Dragged along while tied to a massive iron plate.

[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]

[Human Species]

They were living humans.

And.

“Kih, kihih.......”

The horde of zombies that had dragged the bound humans here.

At the very front of them, a corpse with a small build opened its mouth.

Its rotten, dangling jaw moved, and soon.

“Li, lis,”

From that reeking, rotten mouth.

A clumsy voice came out.

Perhaps air was leaking through the holes in its jaw, because the voice was horribly strange.

“......A zombie.”

However.

Everyone who heard that voice felt chills run down their entire body.

It was not only because the voice was strange.

Zombies imitated the host’s actions from when it was alive.

That was why we had seen well-fighting zombies many times.

We had seen zombies that used the host’s memories to fire guns.

We had seen zombies handling advanced techniques to the point it was hard to believe they were truly corpses.

There were even cases where they muttered meaningless words, perhaps because of lingering traces of actions left in the brain.

But.

“Listen...... up.”

A zombie like that.

A zombie that communicated its own will through words.......

“It’s.......”

“Talking......?”

We had never seen one.

‘Using language means it has consciousness.’

The zombies we had seen until now were nothing more than parasites without anything that could properly be called consciousness.

They were worms themselves, acting only according to instincts engraved into their genes.

But.

I recalled the ominous phrase I had seen in the past.

‘......It said those parasites evolve.’

Only now.

I felt like I understood, at least a little, what that evolution meant.

“If, if you value these lives.”

Perhaps that was.

“Let me...... pa-pa-pass.”

Something far more.......

Terrifying than I had imagined.

***

“Li, li-li, listen...... up.”

Beyond the lightning barrier.

A zombie spoke to us from the other side of the blue light.

“If, if you value these lives. Let me...... pa-pa-pass.”

“......Let you pass?”

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok responded to that zombie with his arms crossed.

“You aren’t trying to make the absurd demand that we let all of you pass, are you?”

“N, no, not all...... me. One individual...... let pass.”

The one speaking with Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok was a small zombie.

Looking closely, it was a monster shaped like a race once called goblins.

‘Definitely one of the few races capable of using human language.’

Its oral structure was similar to that of a human.

And it learned language quickly.

Because of that, among monsters, they were rare creatures capable of speaking human language.

“These, these ones. Your kin, humans. If you let me pass, I’ll re-re...... release them.”

“......Are you saying that seriously?”

Of course.

They were merely capable of using language, while their intelligence was extremely low.

Aside from their language-learning ability, their intelligence was at best that of an infant.

“You don’t have to be-believe me. But.”

However.......

That thing was not like that.

“If you don’t, they...... die.”

“.......”

“Your kin...... die.”

Amazingly.......

That thing was threatening us while holding survivors hostage.

“Ugh.......”

The humans were tied to a huge cross made of iron.

Painful groans flowed from their mouths.

Wondering just in case, I looked at them.

[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]

[Awakened: Ma Wenchun]

[Lv.11 Low-Rank Warrior]

And after seeing the name that appeared before my eyes, I felt relieved.

‘Not a demon contractor.’

And at the same time.

I could not help sighing inwardly.

‘......Actually, if he had been a demon contractor, I could have ignored him.’

But then.

Ding.

With that sound.

A small window appeared before my eyes.

[Sniper Squad Leader: If Sergeant Shin wishes it...... we can snipe all of them before those things even notice.]

Along with those words.

I felt a gaze from very far away.

“......Hmm.”

From a distance so far that even I could not identify the exact location.

Corporal Seo Suhyeok was aiming here.

‘If it’s Suhyeok and the other shooters, eliminating the zombies surrounding those survivors in an instant wouldn’t be difficult.’

The barrier was certainly enormous, but it was not infinite.

From high ground, attacks beyond the barrier were fully possible.

However.

I shook my head and thought.

‘I don’t think it can be handled that easily.’

I could not see it right now.

But these were creatures intelligent enough to attempt negotiation through hostages.

There was a very high chance they had also prepared for us to come out aggressively.

If they had prepared for sniping, there was no telling what might happen to the hostages.

“......Sergeant Shin.”

The Legion members’ gazes turned toward me.

Many of them were probably thinking this.

‘Even if they’re survivors, they’re survivors from North Korea.’

‘They have nothing to do with us...... and they’re even humans who lived in an enemy nation.’

‘Is there really any need to take an unknown risk for people like that?’

Well.

It was certainly a thought they could have.

I also saw it as a fairly rational thought.

But at the same time.

Far more of them were probably thinking the same thing.

[Chef: Let them in.]

That if it was their Legion Commander.

There was no way he would simply abandon those survivors.......

***

I said to let them in...... but.

This barrier was not something we could simply turn on and off as we pleased.

Because of that.

[Five Loaves and Two Fish]

I looked at them and lightly waved my hand.

Then.

The survivors on the other side and the zombies that had brought them here.

Bright light rose from their bodies.

[The cooking effect is applied.]

[Highest-Grade Lightning Resistance]

Those who had received powerful resistance through the effect of my cooking.

That zombie, too, seemed to understand that the light meant permission.

CRRRRZZZZT.......

“Go, good. Choice.......”

It broke through the lightning barrier and crossed over.

Seeing that, I could not help being a little surprised.

‘Even if my cooking was applied, still.’

The other humans behind it made sense.

All of them were awakened.

Which meant they should have the effect of [Absolute Taste] that I had planted in them not long ago.

The lightning-resistance effect would have applied to them more strongly.

The problem was.

‘That one.’

The goblin at the very front.

Simply by receiving resistance, it passed through that barrier without any pain.

‘......Ordinary zombies should have their strength determined by the host’s abilities.’

From what we had seen, even the strongest individuals among goblins had only been about equal to Green Mane warriors.

And yet, even while possessing a goblin’s body.

‘It’s strong.’

The aura rising from that thing’s body.

Was incredibly vicious.

“We let you pass as promised. So.......”

“I, I keep it.”

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok tried to say something to that goblin.

But the goblin moved its hand before he could finish.

“Pro, promise. I keep.......”

Then.

Slide.......

The other monsters behind it.

Laid down the iron crosses to which the awakened people were bound.

THUD.......

As the long iron crosses were laid down and came closer to our allied camp.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok shouted.

“Private Sa Euijun!”

“Yes!”

The Legion’s medics ran over and freed those tied to the iron crosses.

“Ugh.......”

“Are you all right?”

“Wa, water.......”

Had they been tied up for quite a long time?

The humans’ complexions did not look good.

“Their condition is better than expected.”

“Take them away.”

“Yes!”

The medics urgently carried them toward the fortress.

And.

General Kim looked at the goblin and spoke with a frown.

“......You released them more easily than I expected.”

It had made a promise.

But even taking that into account, it had handed over the prisoners far too readily.

Enough that we were actually bewildered.

And.

Shing.......

A few of them placed their hands on their weapons.

Without hostages.

No matter how strong the monster was, it could not defeat these Legion members.

However.

“Don’t. Stop.”

“What? Why?”

“Because it isn’t as stupid a bug as you think.”

They were creatures with enough intelligence to take hostages and make threats.

If they could think that far.

“Th, there are more besides them. Far, far mo-more.”

“......!”

“If, if you value their lives...... open...... the way.......”

Naturally.

They would not have brought all the hostages here.

‘Even the humans we can see there number around thirty.’

Humans bound to enormous pillars.

It meant they had captured far more humans than that.

The creature also.

Looked at those Legion members and opened its mouth.

“Even if I release them...... you, you...... kill, kill me...... no, no good.......”

“.......”

“Ho, hostages die....... Innocent kin...... die because...... of you.......”

I was dumbfounded as I listened to that.

Being threatened by that thing was absurd enough.

But what was even more absurd was.

‘That thing even understands the concept of guilt?’

Beyond simple threats.

It was saying that if it died, we would be the ones who caused innocent humans to die.

The creature understood the concept of guilt and was trying to use it.

‘And...... it deliberately showed us that it keeps promises to the letter.’

It was so much smarter than its goblin host that it was absurd.

“Then what do you want? Surely you’re not planning to demand that we open the barrier in exchange for those hostages. No matter how important the hostages are, we obviously can’t accept a demand like that.”

At General Kim’s words.

The goblin looked at him and opened its mouth solemnly.

“Dia, dialogue.”

“......?”

“Dia, dialogue and...... trade.”

Only.

Those solemn words sounded utterly absurd to us.

“We, we...... want dialogue...... and tra, trade.......”