The Military Chef of a Ruined World

Chapter 38

A dark space without any lights.

Within it,

“Uwup.”

A faint voice echoed.

“Shh. Suhyuk, quiet.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, sis.”

Another voice cautioned her.

The owner of the cautious voice Suyeon looked at her younger brother Suhyuk and thought,

“He really… even making a sound to respond is risky.”

But seeing her brother quiet down again, her thoughts changed.

From irritation to self-reproach.

“I’m getting annoyed with my brother. What am I doing?”

Even though she was stressed, she shouldn’t have lashed out on him.

She was filled with regret, but she couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

Making noise was dangerous.

Some may think that trivial conversation might not seem like a problem, but she had seen people dying while having such thoughts.

Monsters that appeared out of nowhere, started to kill people.

Among them, there were many who were sensitive towards sound.

Back to the silence flowing through the darkness.

Swoosh-

She sensed a gesture of something being presented in front of her.

“You should eat.”

A signal that her younger sibling had finished eating.

And handing her over the rest of the food.

She reached out her hand and took the can that her sibling passed to her.

Carefully reaching inside, she retrieved the contents.

And brought it to her mouth.

“Ugh.”

A momentary surge of revulsion.

It felt particularly impressive how well her brother endured.

Gulp.

She managed to swallow the saliva somehow and sent it down her throat.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“It’s tasteless…”

The food that they were eating wasn’t ordinary.

It was pet food.

Some were even more expensive than human food.

But it wasn’t something which was primarily prepared for humans.

During normal times, they wouldn’t have touched it.

Regardless of taste, the issue was their health.

Since it wasn’t food meant for humans, it could potentially cause various illnesses.

However,

“It’s fortunate that we still have some pet food with us.”

Continuing their meal somehow,

She remembered what happened in the past.

The group she and her brother were part of.

The memory of when the group raided the mart.

“The bags are full. It seems difficult to carry more.”

After dealing with the zombies in the mart with great difficulty,

She and her group decided to gather as many supplies as possible.

“These seem edible. What a waste.”

“Huh? Hey, old man. Are you talking about this pet food?”

“What’s wrong with pet food? I heard some are fit for humans nowadays.”

“Well, it’s not about that…”

The problem arose when it became too difficult to gather more.

One man became fixated on the pet food.

After a brief struggle,

“Enough! Staying here any longer is dangerous.”

The woman who led the group stepped in.

“Still, we might have to chew on tree bark. Leaving these behind feels too wasteful.”

“In that case, let’s do this. Since carrying them immediately is impossible anyway, let’s hide them nearby.”

“If that’s the case… I agree.”

“We can come back for these when we’re nearby again. Hmm, not a bad idea.”

So,

The pet food was hidden in the obscure corner of the warehouse.

That was why she and her brother could survive without starving.

But recalling the past,

She felt unnecessarily melancholic.

“Suni ajumma… Cheol oppa…” 

The people who protected her and her brother.

They were all good people.

But only she and her brother survived.

-Run, Suyeon.

-Oppa! But…

-Quit your chatter and hurry!

Sniff…

“Oh no.”

She was startled by the unintentional sob.

She had to hold her breath to not make any noise.

“It’s in the past. We can’t dwell on the past when the present is dangerous.”

Wiping away her tears discreetly,

Suyeon gathered her resolve.

Regardless of what happened to the deceased,

What mattered was that she and her brother survived.

She needed to focus on that.

However, if there was a problem,

This situation wouldn’t last long either.

“There’s not much food left. When this runs out…”

A brief imagination.

Her expression could only darken rapidly.

The siblings had barricaded themselves in that warehouse.

What she feared the most wasn’t the darkness with no hint of fire or the decaying corpses lurking in the corners.

It was

“The faint sounds that can be heard while holding their breath.”

The faint sounds from outside.

Most of them weren’t human.

Strange, dragging noises.

Heavy, guttural sounds that couldn’t come from a human’s vocal cords.

Even heavy footsteps that could be mistaken for an elephant passing by.

“Monsters.”

Every time she heard such sounds,

She imagined the day they would have to leave this hiding place.

And she trembled with fear.

“The people who protected us are gone now.”

After finishing the meal, she pondered while feeling the warmth of her sleeping sibling.

“Can Suhyuk and I survive together?”

It was different when we belonged to the survivor group.

Difficult decisions were made by the adults leading the group.

Hard tasks had to be done together with her and her sibling.

Still, having the adults around felt quite reassuring.

But now, seeing them all perish before my eyes…

All that remains is my younger brother.

And this cold feeling of this fire axe.

She couldn’t bring herself to believe she could survive in this world anymore.

Once all the remaining food runs out,

Whether she likes it or not, she and her sibling will have to venture outside.

There’s no other option but to suffer a painful death at the hands of monsters.

“…Rather than suffer so painfully, I’d prefer…”

She gently grasped the handle of the axe.

It was the fire axe that she had picked while escaping the apartment.

The axe still bore the blood of zombies that she had killed while reclaiming the supermarket.

She lightly pressed the edge of the axe blade against her wrist.

She could feel her rapid heartbeat.

If she just strikes down…

With no proper medical supplies available, she could surely end it all.

But…

“Stop.”

After a moment of hesitation, she gently placed the axe on the floor.

If she were alone, she might have chosen a less painful path.

But…

“Because Suhyuk is with me.”

Her brother was there with her.

Though she hadn’t completely ruled out the option of dying together,

She couldn’t bring herself to directly harm her brother.

“…Even in the worst scenarios.”

Instead, she made a resolve.

“To protect Suhyuk at all costs.”

Like the other adults who died protecting them.

With that determination in mind, as she was gathering her thoughts…

…Kiiing.

A sound could be heard from the outside.

“Something entered the supermarket…?”

Thump thump.

“….”

“….”

Many footsteps.

Faint sounds reached her ears.

“I think, I can hear voices…”

The sound was too faint to make out.

Ordinary humans wouldn’t converse in such hushed tones.

She tried to silence the sound as much as possible.

Her brother, who had just woken up, also seemed to sense the need for silence.

This wasn’t the first time that such a situation occurred to them.

But until now, everyone had left without any major issues.

“If we quietly endure this time too…”

At that moment.

Was it because his posture was slightly uncomfortable?

Her brother stirred ever so slightly.

Sreek

A sound quieter than the murmurs.

She thought it wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

But then…

Thunk.

“…Huh?”

The faint sounds from the supermarket.

Footsteps, and even fainter voices.

Right after her brother stirred slightly.

Suddenly, everything disappeared.

She had a premonition.

‘A monster sensitive to sound… … !’

Despite being so cautious.

Reacting to a mere brushing sound of fabric.

Thud.

Thud.

The sound that had momentarily stopped, started again.

Footsteps.

Unlike before when they roamed randomly.

This time, the footsteps had a pattern.

“They’re getting closer.”

It hadn’t been long since she mentally prepared for the worst.

“That worst-case scenario… came too soon.”

Regretfully, she sighed internally and rose to her feet.

And grasped the fire axe with both hands.

Even in the worst-case scenario, she’d protect her brother.

A recent determination.

Her will to protect remained strong.

The moment to act on that determination came swiftly.

She inspected the door.

The moment it opened, she planned to strike the monster with her axe.

But…

Kwaaang!

Instead of opening,

The door was shattered into pieces.

If she had to break the door like this, it meant the monster on the other side was too powerful for her to handle.

But she had no time to entertain such thoughts.

Reacting instinctively to the figure in front of her, she swung the axe.

And then…

Slice-

The axe was severed along with its handle.

In the moment of despair,

The figure in front of her began to come into focus.

A somewhat familiar sight.

“A soldier?”

But upon hearing what came out of his mouth, her thoughts changed.

“Primates… human race?”

A being resembling a soldier.

But ‘human race’?

A term like “human” would be unknown to them.

There was no suitable word to describe a fellow human.

“Initially… he came this way upon hearing Suhyuk’s faint sound. Can’t imagine there’d be a human with such keen hearing.”

Upon reflection, something seemed off.

For instance, the kitchen knife that he held.

If he were truly a soldier, he’d be holding a gun, not a kitchen knife.

Which means…

“A monster in the form of a human.”

Given its strength, that conclusion made sense.

She hastily pleaded.

“P-please don’t eat my brother.”

Knowing it was a humanoid monster didn’t change the fact that it was an unbeatable foe.

Since it was using language.

Pleading it was all she could do.

Was it effective?

The expression on the other’s face suddenly contorted.

* * *

“P-please don’t eat my brother.”

Normally, I would have thought it as some nonsense.

“But of course, there’s always something that gets under your skin.”

In my mind, the techniques for handling and cooking primates were vividly etched.

“Eat Primates” Is something that I’ve never actually tried, not even once.

Probably never will.

Still, when told not to eat it, I couldn’t help but feel taken aback.

Judging from the situation.

“Um. It seems like there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t eat you.”

As I calmly spoke, the girl seemed surprised and even startled.

I observed her demeanor calmly.

Given my skill in discerning ingredients, there’s no doubt she’s human.

Not a monster.

“Is she a middle schooler? Or maybe a high schooler?”

She doesn’t seem very old.

Clearly a youthful face, likely a student.

Though she wasn’t wearing a school uniform.

It was probably a weekend when the monster appeared, so that would make sense.

“But even so, the boy behind her looks like he’s only in elementary school.”

It was hard not to feel puzzled.

In a world overflowing with monsters and zombies.

They seem too vulnerable to be wandering around in such a world.

“Sergeant?”

“What is it?”

As I entertained these thoughts, other soldiers entered the room, weapons ready.

“Could they be survivors?”

“Well, it certainly seems like it.”

“The noises we heard… might not have been from a monster after all.”

The two children seemed taken aback at the sight of the other soldiers.

Realizing this, I cautiously spoke up.

I tried to speak as gently as possible, but…

“You don’t have to be so scared-”

She flinched.

“We’re just ordinary soldiers-”

She trembled in shock.

“….”

This.

I might end up hurting their feelings.

“Sergeant.”

At that moment.

Someone called me from behind.

It was Corporal Jeon Gwang-il.

“They still seem like kids.”

“Well, seems like that only.”

“Think about it from their perspective. Even if we say we’re ordinary soldiers, that’s not necessarily comforting to them.”

“Ah.”

I hadn’t considered that.

“Well, from the perspective of active-duty soldiers like us, soldiers aren’t exactly comforting figures.”

Adults might not feel that way, especially if they or someone they know has served in the military.

But those two still look young.

Menacing men in military uniforms with fierce weapons.

It’s not an easy combination to feel comfortable around.

In that case.

“Squad leader Lee Sang-ah.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

As the soldiers gathered outside the door, Squad leader Lee Sang-ah emerged from the crowd.

“At least for now, she’ll give off the softest impression. Let her handle it.”

“Yes. After all, my original job was also survivor management. Leave it to me.”

With no time to spare, the awakening of other survivors was postponed.

She was the only one here who had awakened as a survivor, with a relatively gentle demeanor.

Being in a similar position and having a softer demeanor.

She might find it easier to approach them than we would.

“Hey kids, come over here.”

“….”

“It’s okay. We won’t hurt you.”

As the other soldiers kept their distance from us.

She managed to coax the two children, who seemed like siblings, out of the room.

We’ll have to rely on her to calm them down.

“Phew…”

“I feel awkward dealing with kids.”

As Sang-ah moved with the children.

The remaining soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

I’m not particularly good at dealing with kids either.

“They didn’t seem like ordinary kids.”

“What do you mean?”

The soldiers were puzzled.

Come to think of it… I guess you guys didn’t see it.

That axe came flying towards me as soon as I went through the broken door.

‘It had enough weight and power to kill a person.’

It was not an axe that could be wielded by an ordinary child who had no experience of chopping firewood.

“I’m not sure… But it seemed familiar… the way that axe swung towards me with a killing intent. Even if they don’t know, they might have killed a few zombies.”

“I have a similar thought.”

Min-jae hyung interrupted my words.

“Earlier, Gwang-il mentioned that they might be afraid of soldiers, right? But my thoughts are slightly different. It’s not that they are afraid of soldiers. Maybe, they are just afraid of strangers.”

Minjae glanced in the direction of the children and then commented again.

“It seemed like they were on guard against an unknown enemy.”

“That might be right. Or maybe, all your speculations are right.”

Being cautious towards enemies.

Although it didn’t quite suit the kids who now looked like elementary or middle school students.

But the world has already turned into such a place where even the kids can’t always stay innocent.

That’s what I was thinking when it happened.

Thud.

Thunk…

As I absentmindedly took a step, something caught on my foot.

I glanced down at the floor.

“What’s this?”

Without thinking, I shifted my gaze to the ground.

It was the storage room where the children had settled.

There were tin cans rolling around on the floor.

Small cans with all the contents emptied out.

I reached out and tilted one of them slightly.

And there it was.

A logo printed on the can.

“….”

A logo with three puppies smiling brightly.

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Translator: One Force

TL Note:

This is the fourth additional chapter of the day (For NU 35 votes milestone completion)

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