Chapter 34

# Journal, Page 55, Camp Roberts

「The government has announced that they have brought the situation under control.」

The news began with a positive piece, just as always.

「We once thought that we would have to give up on those who were in cities west to the barricade when the defense line of Los Angeles and San Diego collapsed. But it turns out it was too early to lose hope. The brave citizens of the United States armed themselves with guns and grenades and fortified themselves inside of buildings. And because of their continuous efforts, it has been reported that more than a hundred and seventy thousand citizens have successfully evacuated to safe shelter.」

One of the advantages of living in the officer’s quarters is that there is a TV in every room. Although everything that airs is either news or disaster broadcasts, it’s a fact that it lets me get news from places other than this cramped camp.

「And the good news does not stop here. Signs of survivors were found in San Francisco, San Jose, and even Sacramento, where the nuclear strike took place. So, how is this possible, professor?」

The screen then showed a panoramic view of Sacramento as the experts conversed.

The place where the bomb struck is slightly east of the urban district, on the roads leading toward the barricade line. The survivors’ shelter is located about 15 kilometers west of the bombed area’s epicenter. It seems like the buildings in the area helped protect them from the radiation, just as the experts had theorized. But of course, the buildings won’t be able to protect them from the radioactive fallout.

It was merely a delayed sentence.

「Oh, look. The Star-Spangled Banners waving on the roofs from place to place. Do you see the people waving their hands? They are waiting for rescue. They have yet to give up, so we also cannot give up on them. Because this is the America that we live in!」

It was common for any country to try to inspire patriotism amid a crisis. The newscaster continued with an enthusiastic voice.

「On one hand, the government is currently focusing their aerial power on providing relief supplies, but on the other hand, it has begun the process of requisitioning the airliners and converting them into transport planes. The Defense Department’s spokesman says that they are planning to deliver five thousand tons of supplies every day until the Christmas holidays. An amount that can cover for up to two million people.」

A screen full of airdrop containers hanging from parachutes was shown on TV.

「Even during these times when the world is at danger, our country, the United States of America, is still standing tall.」

The world showed on TV always looked ever so bright.

# Clown (1), Camp Roberts

That was the end of the journal, but Gyeoul could continue watching the news in the dining facility. Ever since he signed up as a soldier, Gyeoul had never seen the TV in the dining facility being turned off.

Breakfast time. Lieutenant Robert Capstone and some other officers from Charlie Company came and sat together with Gyeoul. It wasn’t a surprise since they waited for him at every single meal. They couldn’t let the shavetail feel left out, or that was what they said.

Gyeoul asked them about what he saw in the journal entry.

“You can’t just take in everything they say. Those damned chauvinistic broadcasts…”

Lieutenant Capstone was a discreet person. He believed the government statements, as well as the information from reputable media organizations, had to be taken with a grain of salt. During national crises, the press tends to avoid reporting things that could cast a negative light on the country’s image.

Sergeant Pierce just shrugged.

“They’ve been doing that since World War II. Except back then they fought some real bad guys.”

Lieutenant McCoy, one of the platoon commanders, chipped in.

“I think helis would be more useful for this kind of thing. Maybe save some people with it. The problem is that there are not enough.”

Jeffrey responded in agreement.

“Yeah. But they can’t keep dropping from jets either. How many airdrops will actually be retrieved when they are dropping them from hundreds of feet above the ground and with chutes on? If one falls inside a dangerous area, it’s as good as gone… Well, that’s probably why they’re planning on dropping five thousand tons every day. Solving everything with money is a thing in this country.”

Then he went on with complaints.

“And I’m beginning to wonder if that’s why we’re not getting enough supplies here. I mean, the PX is only opening, for what, twice a week now? Hell, they used to be the other way round! The worst part is that it has become almost impossible to drink. I’ve never seen booze in stock these days.”

Lieutenant Capstone frowned.

“You gotta be thankful you’re getting a sortie. We aren’t a high priority compared to the people out there. So beware not to complain in front of the soldiers.”

“*Sigh* Okay.” The young platoon commander grumbled away his discontent.

Lieutenant Capstone paused for a while, then asked the boy a question.

“Now that you’re a Commissioned Officer… how are you getting paid?”

Among the things he had received were a military ID card, a paybook, and a card. Gyeoul replied that he received a pay card.

“On O-1 pay grade?”

“I’m not really sure. My promotion was a special case. I was just told that I’d be getting a little less than three thousand dollars a month.”

The lieutenant shook his head.

“That’s just the basic minimum salary. There are extra pays like proficiency pay, uniform allowance, and special service allowance which you can claim separately. I guess they were too busy to explain these kinds of things. I’ll help you look into it.”

“Thank you always for your consideration.”

“No need to thank me. It’s a small matter compared to what I owe you.”

‘Such a straight arrow,’ thought Gyeoul.

“If you ever need cash, there’s a machine by the quarters. There’s none in the PX store,” Sergeant Pierce advised.

“Why would I need cash?”

Pierce had an expression of worry when the boy asked.

“I see, you don’t know this yet… So, some soldiers are taking financial advantage of the refugees. They buy things from the PX and resell it to the refugees at a higher price. Those despicable pieces of shit, trying to rip off the refugees…”

He then asked Capstone a question.

“Is headquarters unaware of this situation? I feel like they’re letting it happen on purpose.”

“I’m not sure, but… I think they are. It seems that they’re considering setting a transaction limit for officers promoted from refugees, and having them purchase with a differential discount rate.”

Gyeoul nodded.

“So that they can empower refugee officers like me. To motivate us.”

“Right.”

The lieutenant seemed unhappy about the situation. But to Gyeoul, it was good news. He didn’t know who the person in charge was, but he thought it was pretty smart of them.

[Boom! Bratatat!]

Sounds of explosion and gunfire came from the TV.

“San Diego?” Jeffrey muttered.

The TV was now showing footage of a fierce battle. A beautifully white sandy beach with a small resort showing in the background. But what came slamming into the beach was neither a wave nor wind, but a terrible flood of mutants.

The horde of mutants, mixed with several Grumbles, was so large, it seemed almost indestructible. However, with their passage constricted to one narrow road, none of the mutants succeeded in passing through the converging fire.

And when the road reverberated with another explosion, the newscaster’s voice explained.

「What we have here is footage of the North Island Defense Battle of the Marine Expeditionary Force. By successfully completing this two-hour-long battle, our troops were able to protect the Naval Supply Center and Naval Air Station in San Diego.」

“How long do you think they’ll last?”

McCoy came with a question. The lieutenant gave a rather optimistic opinion.

“They’ll last. There is only one road and one bridge connected to the island, so it’s easy to protect. And I bet even those up there will probably support them desperately. There’s no other place to ship the reinforcements or evacuate the surviving citizens if they collapse.”

Sergeant Pierce sighed.

“How are there so many of those half-dead corpses still walking around? It’s almost endless.”

“People from all over the states have been infected by it. If we keep on killing them, we’ll eventually reach the bottom.”

Despite McCoy’s answer, the sergeant still looked unsatisfied.

“That’s not my point. They’re still living things, right? I just can’t understand how they can still run around without eating anything.”

McCoy chuckled.

“Have you never seen a horror film before? Zombies don’t usually starve to death.”

By the time they finished breakfast, Gyeoul was summoned through an in-house broadcast.

「Second Lieutenant Han Gio… Wool… come to the Operations Division. I repeat, Second Lieutenant Han Gio…」

“Oh, come on. Can’t anyone pronounce my name properly?”

The rest of the soldiers burst into laughter.

Gyeoul got up from his seat with his plate.

“Sorry. I’m gonna have to head out first.”

“Hope it’s not a big problem.”

Even till the very end, Lieutenant Capstone still showed concern for Gyeoul.