Chapter 710: Dialogue and Trade

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

That zombie that had suddenly come to us.

At the words spoken by that zombie in the shape of a goblin.

“.......”

Not only I and the other soldiers, but.

“You want dialogue?”

Even Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok seemed dumbfounded.

He let out a hollow laugh and said,

“Is that something the ones who brought hundreds of millions of zombies down here the moment that barrier opened should be saying?”

Then.

The creature quickly shook its head and answered.

“They, are. Not. Not sent by...... us.”

“What does that mean? You and those things are all the same zombies...... no, the same species of parasites, aren’t you?”

“Spe, species. Same. Not wrong. But. In, in reverse...... I ask.......”

Slide.

The creature pointed at us.

“Yo, you here...... and.......”

Its finger then turned toward the north.

“Yo, your kin...... in our land.......”

“.......”

“Spe, species. Same. But, a, are you...... the same ones?”

At those words from the creature.

I could not help being a little surprised.

'Does that mean there are divisions among zombies too?'

A zombie’s true identity was a parasite.

Since they were essentially insects.

I had naturally assumed they were something like one massive colony.

The feeling of bees obeying the orders of a queen bee.

“We, and. They. Are dif...... ferent.”

But.

That thing was clearly defining itself and the zombies gathered beyond that barrier as different beings.

“Even so, I can’t easily believe the words of something that belongs to the same kind as the ones who attacked us.”

“Th, they at, attacked you...... simply...... because...... this side...... had the mo, most...... food waiting.......”

“The most food?”

“A place where they can make mo, more hosts...... th, that is...... our instinct...... because.......”

At that moment.

I flinched at what the creature had said and asked,

“By this side, you mean.......”

Heading toward a place where they could make more hosts.

The fact that this was the zombies’ instinct itself was not especially surprising.

What mattered was.

“Are you saying North Korea’s zombies are gathered toward South Korea?”

“Fo, for now...... th, that is so.......”

The zombies we had expected to be packed throughout North Korea.

It meant those things were currently gathered near South Korea.

'......Well. There’s no way even that number, enough to make it impossible to see the ground, could fill the entire area of North Korea......!'

No matter how many monsters had appeared in North Korea, and no matter if there was a possibility that all of them had become zombies.

There was no way there could be enough of them to blacken that entire wide land.

If that many monsters had appeared, then not only North Korea, but we would have been unable to endure it either and would have been swept away long ago.

That seemingly endless black wave was not truly a scene created because there were that many zombies in North Korea.

It was a scene created because the zombies across all of North Korea had gathered at the border with us.

In other words.

'There aren’t this many zombies on the China side......!'

If you included the continent beyond China, then of course there would be more food to the north.

But their senses must not extend that far.

It meant that, within the range their senses could reach, the nearest place where food was gathered was our side.

It made sense.

'Because we concentrated the maximum amount of troops at the border with North Korea.'

The Legion’s most important base was Gangwon Province.

And Gangwon Province was land directly touching North Korea.

Because a war breaking out on the Gangwon mainland and destroying our base could not be allowed, we advanced as far north as possible and established a defensive line at the border with North Korea.

'The survivors on the China side have a different situation.'

They were probably operating around the base in the capital, Beijing, that the grand duke had created.

Naturally, they would have placed their maximum forces near that area, and their defenses would be centered there too.

To begin with, North Korea was not the only border they touched, so they probably did not have the leeway to station a large number of troops near the border with North Korea.

Near the border.......

How much food was within the range those zombies could perceive?

Because of that difference, most of the zombies had begun moving south.

'That’s a relief.'

For me, since I had been worried about the situation on China’s side, this was at least fortunate news.

If the same numbers we had seen were invading toward China as well, even Karhin would have found it difficult to endure.

“They made way for you, though. Are you still claiming they’re a different force after seeing that?”

Even after hearing the creature’s explanation.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok still seemed suspicious of their true intentions.

“Like an adult...... listening to a child’s words. If spoken to, they listen. Bu, but...... cannot control every child.......”

“An adult and a child?”

“Th, that is right. Adult and, child.......”

The goblin lowered its head as it spoke.

“Th, they...... are still yo, young.......”

“.......”

“Children...... who cannot think...... and only move...... according to in, instinct.......”

It was a statement dividing itself from them.

But for some reason.

'Sorrow?'

In that voice.......

There was a faint sadness.

***

The goblin drew a clear line, saying that it was an adult.

And that the other zombies were like children.

“If I speak to a, a child nearby...... it listens. Bu, but, a child where my voice does not reach. What it does...... I. Cannot know.”

Even though it was a statement that distinguished them from one another.

For some reason, the taste contained in that zombie’s gaze as it looked at those zombies was.......

“That much. My relationship, with them.”

Sorrow.

'......?'

That emotion was so out of nowhere that I did feel a little puzzled.

Even so, I felt like I understood what the creature was trying to say.

'Among the zombies we fought, there weren’t any zombies with that level of intelligence. So it means the zombies gathered there are individuals that haven’t evolved as much as it has.'

And.

If I dug into those words in reverse.

'......It said they weren’t sent by [us].'

Like that creature.

It meant there were still more zombies that had evolved enough to possess excellent intelligence.

Unlike the other zombies, they had probably not moved south according to instinct...... which meant there was a high chance they were still remaining within North Korean territory.

'......It’s like an adult listening to a child’s words. Even if they can’t control all of them, at the very least, those things obey the orders of higher individuals.'

At that fact.

I felt chills run through me.

'......The reason we were able to hold back that wave of zombies was because they only advanced forward without any consciousness.'

Even so, overcoming those numbers had been too much, which was why we had focused on defending through the barrier.

But.

If creatures with that level of intelligence could command the zombies.......

.......

That endless wave of zombies was certainly an object of fear.

But perhaps.

The other individuals staying in the rear might be even more frightening enemies.

“Th, therefore. No debt, between us. We, dialogue, trade. Can...... ex, exchange.”

“......Trade.”

“We...... have mo, many more...... humans....... Alive...... but...... can die....... And...... alive...... can go...... into your arms.......”

The hostages who were alive now.

They could kill them.

Or they could return them alive into our arms.

“Is that the condition you’re offering?”

“Yo, you saw. Promise...... kept.......”

“Yes. I understand your condition. Then.......”

Toward that goblin.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok asked with a slightly tense expression.

“What do you want in exchange for those hostages?”

“We...... re, release...... the hu, humans...... we have....... Those humans...... not needed by us....... Instead. We receive...... what ne, needed.......”

“What you need?”

“The price of hu, humans...... is hu, man.......”

That goblin was unbelievable.

Even in a zombie’s body, it seemed quite tense...... opening its mouth with its swaying body.

“Co, coo...... coo.......”

And.

I stared at its mouth, curious about what kind of demand would come out of it.

But.

“Cook.......”

When I heard the words that actually came from that mouth.......

I had no choice but to frown hard.

“Gi, give us...... a co, cook.......”

“......What?”

“In exchange, re, release....... Far, far more humans.......”

What the hell.

What did that bastard just say......?

***

“Gi, give us...... a co, cook.......”

At those words.

Not only I, but many others muttered in confusion.

“......A cook?”

“What did that bastard just say.......”

The fact that it was an intelligent zombie alone made it a bewildering existence to us.

Creatures with the power to control other zombies.

Those zombies were making a demand.

I had thought they might make some absurd demand we could not accept.

Or some bizarre demand we could never have imagined.

But still, even so.

“Those crazy bastards.......”

“How dare they......!”

A cook...... in other words.

'I never thought they’d tell us to hand me over.'

No Legion member.

Had expected them to demand the Legion Commander.

“Everyone, calm down!”

“But, Lieutenant General Kim......!”

The faces of the Legion members who had been listening turned red.

Faces filled with anger.

Clank.......

Many soldiers placed their hands on their weapons.

A sinister atmosphere spread throughout the Legion’s entire formation, as though further negotiation was meaningless.

“......No, not a difficult demand....... We, give....... More, ma, many humans.......”

Had that creature sensed the atmosphere as well?

The thing opened its mouth with difficulty and said,

“Yo, you...... give. Few humans. We, give. More humans...... go, good trade....... Wh, why angry.......”

And.

Only after hearing those words did I realize one thing.

'......That thing.'

The emotion I could feel through [Taste Bud Enhancement].

It was none other than.

'It’s confused?'

A serious level of bewilderment.

They were creatures with that level of intelligence.

There was no way they could have failed to anticipate the anger that would come when they demanded the Legion Commander from their enemy, so.......

“Did you say what you want is a cook?”

“Th, that. Is right.......”

“Then.”

At the thought that suddenly occurred to me.

I spoke to the creature.

“Is there a specific person you want?”

And.

At my words.

“No, no.”

That goblin shook its head and said,

Only after hearing those words could I be certain.

'When I think about it...... there’s no way those things beyond the barrier would know who I am.'

It was true they possessed an intelligence hard to believe in a zombie.

But even if they had listened to the radio broadcasts the Legion sent with that intelligence, it would be the same.

“A, anyone...... does not matter.”

To begin with.

Only the awakened directly under the Legion knew that my job, as the Legion Commander, was cook.

Even subordinate and allied forces knew Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok as the Legion Commander, and they did not know the Legion Commander was a cook.

In other words.

“Co, cook.”

Those things...... were not aiming for me.

“As many cooks as...... po, possible. Want.”

For a completely different reason.

They were looking for cooks.