Chapter 2603 – 2603. Eternal Eden

Lee Yeon-hee came into my office with reports and data.

“It’s about Jecheon City in North Chungcheong Province.”

“Jecheon City? Ah. That city that was eaten by plant mutants, right? I remember seeing it on the news before.”

The D virus infects both plants and animals indiscriminately. Some remain unaffected, while others are infected. Humans turn into zombies when infected, but most other plants and animals mutate.

“Yes. Last September, plant mutants appeared in Jecheon City and covered the entire city. The mutated plant was a Korean pasqueflower, and the plant mutants in Jecheon City were named Jecheon pasqueflowers.”

“That’s a very straightforward name. I heard they eat humans, as befits a mutated plant.”

“To be precise, they spray sap to melt humans and then suck them up with their roots.”

“So? Is there a problem?”

“This is a photo taken yesterday over Jecheon City.”

I looked at the photo Lee Yeon-hee handed me. It was full spring, and the pasqueflowers covering Jecheon City were in full bloom. The purple petals were quite a sight. However, the size of the flowers was not uniform, varying greatly. Most were over 2 meters tall, larger than a person, and some were as big as buildings. There were so many flowers that it was hard to tell if it was even a city anymore.

“It looks kind of disgusting when you see it like this.”

“And this photo was taken last September.”

I widened my eyes as I looked at the photo. In the September photo, the flowers were small. And the shape of the city was still visible. Above all, the area of the Jecheon pasqueflowers was about half of what it is in the current photo.

“The area of the Jecheon pasqueflowers has increased.”

“Yes. The area of the Jecheon pasqueflowers is increasing in real-time. The speed is getting faster as time goes on. Researchers say they are sucking up nutrients from the ground as much as they can. Moreover, they are indiscriminately eating the plants and animals around Jecheon City. If we leave it like this, the ecosystem of Chungcheong Province could be ruined beyond repair.”

“…This winter was unusually shitty due to the abnormal weather, but these things survived just fine.”

“Pasqueflowers are perennial plants to begin with, and they are also strong because they mutated. Still, they were dormant in the winter. That’s why Jecheon City was pushed far down the priority list for city restoration.”

“So, now that the weather is getting warmer, the situation has become so serious that it’s fucked up. But they’re just plants, right? Can’t we just burn them?”

“Yes. It seems the government thought so too. They already dispatched military forces once.”

Lee Yeon-hee handed me a tablet.

A video was playing. It was a video of soldiers armed with flamethrowers spraying flames at a group of Jecheon pasqueflowers over 2 meters tall. But they didn’t burn as well as expected.

The Jecheon pasqueflowers endured the flames and sprayed sap. The soldiers melted along with their uniforms. Roots shot up from under the Jecheon pasqueflowers and sucked up the melted remains as if absorbing them. In the end, all that was left were the soldier’s flamethrower, combat helmet, and dog tag.

And the Jecheon pasqueflowers slowly moved, pushed the flamethrower and remains away with their stems, and planted seeds in the ground.

‘So, the sap can’t melt metal.’

I replayed the video once more. And I came to one conclusion.

“This is dangerous. They can move, albeit slowly, and they even use their stems. We need to deal with this before it spreads. How about we just wipe out Jecheon City itself with bombers?”

“It’s the easiest and most certain method, even if it costs a lot of money. But is that really okay?”

“Why?”

“As you can see, the Jecheon pasqueflowers are not interested in metal or building materials. There are tens of thousands of cars left in Jecheon City, as well as electronic appliances like computers inside the buildings.”

“…Resources. It’s true that it’s a waste to just blow them all away.”

In this messed-up world, resources are extremely important. Even used electronics? They’re a godsend.

“Seeing as you came to me directly, is this an issue that requires my direct involvement?”

“To be precise, I was hoping you would lend me Eugene’s personal guard. According to the researchers’ findings, the Jecheon pasqueflowers show some results with fire and herbicides. For now, the most efficient method is mowing. If you cut the lower part of the stem of the Jecheon pasqueflowers, you can neutralize them. As a bonus, you can obtain the sap of the Jecheon pasqueflowers, and the flowers themselves can be used as resources.”

The basic skill that both Technologists and Bionics have in common is the Disassembler. The Disassembler can break down the corpses of zombies or mutants into resources.

“There are too many Jecheon pasqueflowers. They cover more than just Jecheon City. It’s good that we can get resources, but it’s a problem if it takes too long. I have a mountain of things to do.”

The number of the Holy Guard was small. It would take at least three months to clear all the Jecheon pasqueflowers.

“According to the researchers, the Jecheon pasqueflowers are not a colony but a single entity. If you look at this data, the roots of the Jecheon pasqueflowers are divided into two types. One is the fine roots that absorb nutrients, and the other is the core root that is connected to other individuals.”

“……The roots are connected? So, there’s only one pasqueflower that acts as the heart. It’s kind of like a hive mind.”

“It’s more like fingers and toes than a hive mind.”

“Have you figured out the location of the root?”

“They all look the same on the outside… so we haven’t figured it out yet. The researchers say it’s likely to be in the safest place.”

“That’s obvious.”

Usually, those in power don’t fight directly and enjoy the benefits in a safe place. Isn’t that what power is for?

I pondered while looking at the data.

It would be easy to deal with it using bombers. The biggest drawback is that Jecheon City itself would be reduced to ashes by the bombing. Bombs aren’t free.

Dealing with it with manpower would take time and be dangerous. However, we could obtain the resources left in Jecheon City.

‘Well, the answer is obvious. I can’t give up the resources.’

As long as I’m here, I can supply manpower. Of course, I can also recover resources with restoration, but it’s not as efficient as people.

‘And it doesn’t make sense for me to work like a slave. I’d rather die.’

The conclusion was reached.

“I and the Holy Guard will move directly.”

“Directly… you mean?”

“Yes. Sometimes, you need some exercise. And I’m an expert in this kind of thing.”

As a hunter, I was confident in dealing with monsters.

* * *

I headed to Jecheon City with Choi Hye-jin, Irina, Lee Yeon-hee, and 30 members of the Holy Guard. It was quick by helicopter. When we arrived at our destination, the military had already set up tents and a base.

“First, we need to scout.”

“…Should I do it?”

Irina asked timidly. Her stealth ability was a skill specialized for scouting and searching. In fact, she had received search training.

I shook my head.

“No. Normal scouting won’t work against the Jecheon pasqueflowers, our enemy this time. The Jecheon pasqueflowers don’t have eyes or ears. Instead, they sense vibrations through their fine roots and attack enemies.”

Stealth only makes your presence faint, not disappear. In other words, it’s impossible to enter Jecheon City secretly. Once you enter Jecheon City, you have no choice but to fight the Jecheon pasqueflowers.

“Then how are you going to scout?”

Choi Hye-jin asked bluntly. She seemed on edge, probably because she was tired and wanted to rest but was forced to come. Of course, I didn’t care in the slightest.

Lee Yeon-hee snapped her fingers. A space opened, and a plastic box fell onto the table with a thud. Inside the box were drones made for scouting.

“Anyone know how to operate a drone?”

Lee Yeon-hee, Irina, and all the members of the Holy Guard raised their hands. Irina was unexpected, even if the others did.

“You know how to do it too?”

“W-Well, a little as a hobby.”

“Try it.”

I handed her the controller. Irina seemed burdened when she actually held the controller.

“Wouldn’t it be better if someone else did it? It’s important….”

“It’s okay if one drone gets destroyed. And the AI will assist with the operation. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

She operated the drone. Four camera screens mounted on the drone appeared on the tablet. The drone flew into Jecheon City.

The screen showed the inside of Jecheon City. It was full of pasqueflowers. The Jecheon pasqueflowers covered everything, including asphalt roads, streetlights, and concrete building walls. It was an even more overwhelming sight than when viewed from the sky.

‘The drone should have a microphone… It’s dead silent except for the sound of the drone’s wings.’

Not even a common pigeon or a small bug could be seen. In a way, it was a city landscape that suited the apocalypse.

“Wait. The manhole is open. They could be underground too. The drone has a light, right? Try going inside.”

“Yes.”

The drone went down the manhole. It moved steadily. Her drone control skills were excellent.

Thud!

A root appeared and hit the drone. The wing was attacked, and the drone plummeted underground. The camera was still alive, but… numerous roots appeared and crushed the drone.

“There are a lot of roots underground. It’s suffocating just looking at it on the screen. Could the source of the Jecheon pasqueflowers be underground?”

“It won’t be.”

I said.

“Huh?”

“Plant-type monsters don’t usually settle underground. It’s hard to photosynthesize. They’re usually in places with good sunlight. Well, it would be different if they tore down the underground ceiling.”

“The reason there are so many roots underground….”

“Roots usually grow underground. Looking at the ones growing in the city, the roots have no choice but to extend into the sewers. We need more information. Deploy more drones. Ignore the underground and just fly over the ground to gather information.”

Six scouting drones took off simultaneously. Every time the drones moved, the AI created a map on the computer. It was a map that allowed 360-degree viewing, like a street view.

‘It’s a combat AI. It’s good at this too. It’s definitely convenient.’

After about three hours, the map was completed. Even so, it was impossible to check the inside of the buildings.

‘I wasn’t planning on going inside the buildings anyway.’

I looked at the map and marked three places in the center of Jecheon City in red.

“The source is probably in one of these three places.”

“Three places? I don’t understand. Why those three places? They look the same as the other places.”

Choi Hye-jin glared at the map and asked.

“There were stronger-looking ones than the other Jecheon pasqueflowers stationed near those three places.”

“…They all look like the same plants to me?”

“Look closely. The thickness of the stems, the gloss of the leaves, and their size are different. And they’re densely arranged.”

“Now that I hear it, it does seem like that….”

“It’s not good to drag this out. Let’s move right away.”

I got up from my seat and put on my combat helmet.