Antisocial Chapter 20

Chapter 20. Immunity

As the light-emitting bodies fell off, the main body seemed to weaken. Its strength and defense had also diminished. It would have been fine if it were still hidden in the cocoon.

Crack! Finally, the skull of the main body shattered. Startled, the mutant struggled and jerked its head away. However, it had lost both of its right legs and couldn’t maintain its balance, flailing helplessly.

Do-kyung moved swiftly, using the momentum to his advantage, focusing on breaking the skull.

When its breathing was nearly at its limit, the skull of the mutant, which had been twitching desperately, finally flew off completely.

“Krrrrrr! Krrr! Grk!”

The brain spilled out along with the soft flesh. When the main body was on the brink of death, the luminous entities rushed at Do-kyung in a frenzy. He was running out of breath.

However, he couldn’t afford to give himself time to recover. Do-kyung threw himself into the fight. Even as the luminous entities swarmed his body and tried to engulf him, the muzzle never stopped firing.

Sparks flew from the pitch-black muzzle. The massive luminous creature collapsed to the floor, and the entities clinging to Do-kyung lost their strength, falling away.

“…….”

The red fog swept around Do-kyung, flashing brilliantly.

Despite its defenses being weakened after expelling large amounts of luminous matter, the mutant had survived the bomb. It was so powerful that it could be considered the king of the Seoul zombies.

The flashing was strange, and then Do-kyung felt an unusual sensation.

The bite marks and wounds on his body rapidly healed.

He glanced down at his body for a moment, then stepped outside.

“Hoo….”

Only then did he catch his breath.

“…..?”

Hesitate. Hesitate.

The zombies, seeing the living human walk away as he filled his lungs with oxygen, fled in confusion.

It was the same reaction they had when encountering a powerful mutant.

***

Do-kyung returned to the house where Bo-yeon was waiting and dragged her out, even though the sun was still high in the sky.

“Greuk! Greuk!”

The zombies that saw Bo-yeon screamed and rushed toward her, only to hesitate at the last moment.

Was it fear? Do-kyung controlled it effortlessly, as naturally as breathing.

An invisible boundary formed around them, expanding as he released his life force and contracting when he concealed it.

“Why, why… is this happening…”

Surrounded by zombies, Bo-yeon, on the verge of fainting, instinctively flinched and clung to Do-kyung. At that moment, the zombies took a few more steps toward her, closing in and threatening her.

“…..!”

Hiik, Bo-yeon gasped, shrinking in fear. She was about to collapse. Do-kyung made the zombies retreat. Bo-yeon, still shaken, tried to recall where she had seen this before. It was when a powerful mutant had appeared.

“D-did you become a zombie because you were bitten by a mutant…?”

“……”

“That’s why I told you not to go… ugh… What should I do…?”

Bo-yeon whimpered and pounded her fist weakly against Do-kyung’s chest.

“Y-you’re going to bite me too? Are you starting to like the smell of blood now?”

“……”

“Are you listening to me? Are you still conscious?”

“……”

“Please let me go without hurting me…”

However, Do-kyung stared at Bo-yeon, who had given up on life and closed her eyes. As time passed and nothing happened, Bo-yeon’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Why aren’t you biting me…?”

“Do I bite?”

A husky, low voice came out dryly. He didn’t have the desire to bite Bo-yeon.

“How can a zombie talk…?”

“Ha…”

Bo-yeon’s eyes sparkled at the sigh that had become so familiar to her.

“A-are you okay? Are you alive…?”

Bo-yeon felt Do-kyung’s chest to check if his heart was beating. In response, Do-kyung grabbed her arm, which was twitching annoyingly, and walked ahead.

Startled by the zombies wandering around, Bo-yeon regained her senses after a moment and asked, “What happened…?”

“You can come out during the day too.”

“…….”

The way he spoke so nonchalantly, as if extending a pet’s walking hours, made him seem like the same old Do-kyung.

The reason he hadn’t explained properly was probably because he simply didn’t want to talk.

Bo-yeon followed Do-kyung, constantly checking to make sure the zombies didn’t come any closer than a certain distance.

She had to stay close to him because, if she got out of his influence, she could easily become food for the zombies. Her two hands, gripping Do-kyung’s arms tightly, never loosened.

Despite her anxiety, her grip was weak and insignificant. Do-kyung didn’t say anything and simply let her hold on, whether she clung to him or not.

“Here, it’s the house I see every day…”

Bo-yeon stared blankly at the ruined house. It was broken in places, looking more like a reconstruction site. It seemed to have been attacked by mutants.

Aside from this one, there were hardly any houses with intact windows. Everywhere she looked, there were old bloodstains. The sight was bitter.

As time passed, Bo-yeon seemed to grow accustomed to it, becoming much calmer.

“You said the red fog from the meteorite impact spread all over the world that day. After that, a strange phenomenon occurred where people turned into zombies. But when Oppa killed a mutant, it looked like a red fog-like substance hovered around and seeped in. Is that why…?”

“……”

“Don’t you know? Well, who would know anything about this situation… There are bound to be one or two unscientific phenomena that are hard to understand.”

Bo-yeon accepted the new, strange phenomenon more calmly than she had expected.

“Maybe it’s human arrogance to think that this is unscientific. Meteorites came from space.”

The expansion of the universe can happen faster than the speed of light. Even if thousands, tens of thousands, or even an eternity passes, humans will never fully understand the end of the universe.

“There’s a concept called the Kardashev scale, which divides the stages of space civilization based on energy consumption. According to that, modern human civilization is around 0.7¹. That means we’re an underdeveloped civilization, nowhere near reaching the starting point of 1².”

The Kardashev scale ranges from 1 to 7. A 0 on the scale means humans haven’t even reached the level of harnessing stellar energy that could reach the surface of the planet.

If there were a civilization somewhere in this vast universe that corresponded to a Kardashev scale of 4³, it would be beyond human comprehension.

“Humans haven’t even been able to unravel all the secrets of the land they can reach with their legs. The universe—no, the oceans—are so far away, and even the land is full of unknown species that humans don’t know about.”

Australia, a paradise for wild animals, was a prime example. It had been an independent continent for a long time, and humans mostly stayed on the coasts, leaving large, unexplored areas. No wonder it was called a paradise for biologists.

“It was only about ten years ago that humans discovered the genus Predatory Cordyceps, also known as the Zombie Ant Fungus. According to fossil data, this fungus has existed since the Cretaceous period. It’s just that humans didn’t know about its existence until recently.”

Do-kyung stared blankly at Bo-yeon, who was chattering away. He wore a serious expression, wondering what exactly she was trying to say, while her warm voice, like a lullaby, filled the air.

“Zombie Ant Fungus is said to infect the entire muscle system of the ants it uses as hosts and control their movements. The infected ants are said to bite the leaf veins about 25 cm above the ground, seeking an ideal environment for the fungus to grow.”

Not only did they choose exactly 25 cm of ground, but they also selected an environment where the temperature and humidity were ideal for the fungus’ growth.

Ants lose control of their bodies to the fungi, yet their brains remain alive. They watch helplessly as their bodies are taken over and ultimately become nutrients for the fungus, dying tragic, helpless deaths.”

Bo-yeon paused for a moment, considering the dark nature of what she just described.

“Actually, reproduction is an instinct of all living things.”

“Hm.”

Do-kyung, who had been indifferent the entire time, finally responded. His reply was ambiguous—whether it was a simple affirmation or a mere sound of acknowledgment was unclear. Nevertheless, Bo-yeon felt a spark of excitement from his reaction.

“Zombie Ant Fungus also demonstrates some really creepy, almost intelligent behavior patterns, but at the core of it, their purpose is reproduction. If you think of zombies as creatures using human bodies as hosts, the mutations may be just a means for further infection, or reproduction. Their goal might be to kill all humans and create a world full of zombies…”

Bo-yeon shuddered at the terrible thought.

“What I don’t understand is why this only happens to you. You’re not infected, but you’re showing the characteristics of a mutant. The other immune people don’t have these traits—what’s different about you?”

“Well…”

“It’s your own business, so shouldn’t you think about it more carefully? You never know what changes could occur in your body. There are people conducting biological experiments—what if you get caught?”

Despite Bo-yeon’s concern, Do-kyung remained unfazed. Bo-yeon, however, didn’t seem to mind and simply muttered, “I can only avoid zombies if I’m with you, right? But what if people start to think this is strange? If I lie and say I’m immune, will that work…?”

Bo-yeon was determined to keep Do-kyung’s secret, driven by a worry for him that, in hindsight, seemed almost absurd.

“That fog that comes out when you kill a mutant… Isn’t it an infectious agent? But it doesn’t seem strong enough to break through your immunity. Does it accumulate in your body and give you zombie-like abilities…? You have a beating heart, you’re rational, and you’re not contagious. But… while doing it, you bit my neck. I know that…”

The soft voice whispered quietly, ceaselessly, and secretively. Who would hear it? Do-kyung’s eyes grew a little drowsy.

“Huh? Hey… Do-kyung Oppa?”

Bo-yeon shook his arm lightly. A cold, uninterested face stared down at her.

“Oppa, Oppa, you call me that.”

“Then what should I call an older man? You’re not a senior, and you’re not old enough to be called ‘uncle’… It’s awkward to call you ‘Mr.’…”

“…….”

Do-kyung quickly turned his gaze away, despite being the one who started the argument. His face was indifferent, as though it wasn’t his concern.

Bo-yeon had come to understand Do-kyung’s personality to some extent. He gave her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. If he didn’t like something, he would have said so more clearly.

In the end, Bo-yeon’s speculation left her with more questions than answers.

Bang! The sharp sound of a gunshot, loud and unfiltered, pierced her eardrums. Bo-yeon flinched in surprise at the sound, so close by, and instinctively clung to Do-kyung as if it were second nature.

“……”

Was it just an illusion? Do-kyung seemed to be smiling faintly.

His eyes, which reminded her of a quiet night, now held an eerie, ominous quality.