I'm a Young God, so Please Raise Me - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 23
Before leaving the 2nd Floor, Lee Ga-on approached the Director’s Office.
Je Hyeon-o was obscured behind cover and out of sight. Not that it would have mattered much even if I could see him.
The faint glow of emergency lighting cast shadows across Lee Ga-on’s face.
Lee Ga-on whispered in a small voice.
“I’ll be back.”
The zombie, having heard a human voice, let out a guttural growl.
Lee Ga-on didn’t hesitate any longer and turned away.
To rendezvous with Mo Hae-in and Gwak Han-muk, we made our way toward the 5th Floor of the Research Facility.
Rather than taking the stairs, we employed a method similar to before.
However, with Lee Ga-on present, we quietly opened the window instead of breaking the glass.
Je Hyeon-o retrieved the folded metal wings he had set aside.
Upon seeing the wings, Lee Ga-on’s expression went blank.
She had managed to rationalize the goggles and metal hand as supplementary weapons of sorts, but the wings far exceeded the boundaries of her common sense.
I would have preferred she simply accepted the wings along with everything else, but given the circumstances, I offered her a sincere explanation.
“This is a secret weapon recently developed by the military.”
Lee Ga-on still seemed unconvinced, but she managed an awkward nod.
“I… I see.”
In a world where zombies roam freely, what’s a little matter of wings on one’s back?
Lee Ga-on would adapt within a few hours anyway.
“Pardon me for a moment.”
I lifted Lee Ga-on into my arms. She awkwardly placed her hands around my shoulders.
Je Hyeon-o stared at me intently.
‘Surely he’s not planning to throw me again.’
Given my lack of confidence in Je Hyeon-o, I quickly sent word ahead.
I’m currently carrying the vaccine and treatment serum.
At that, Je Hyeon-o’s metal hand twitched.
It seemed like the gesture of someone disappointed they couldn’t throw me….
Fortunately, Je Hyeon-o behaved himself and lifted both Lee Ga-on and me, transporting us to the Rooftop.
Upon landing on the Rooftop, I set down the trembling Lee Ga-on and checked the air conditioning system once more.
The air conditioning system was a critical device that contained the viruses within the Research Facility.
If the air conditioning system shut down, all manner of viruses would spread outside, resulting in an immediate bad ending.
Since it had to be maintained at all costs, most of the emergency power was allocated to the air conditioning system.
Therefore, developing the vaccine required additional power supply.
Currently, the Research Facility’s emergency generator was malfunctioning, operating at roughly 20% capacity.
I needed to repair the emergency generator and restore its operational capacity.
I had gathered most of the delivery items.
A few items from the Yellow Zone, Red Zone, and Dead Zone were still missing, but I could simply have Je Hyeon-o farm them.
‘Flying there and back would be quick.’
Je Hyeon-o had no trouble dealing with zombies, so there was nothing to worry about.
The most urgent priority was repairing the emergency generator.
As I was considering how to approach it, Lee Ga-on let out a small sound.
When I turned to look at her, she smiled sheepishly and spoke.
“The sun is rising.”
The sky had brightened considerably. A full day had passed.
Lee Ga-on gazed at the sunrise—something she hadn’t witnessed in ages—lost in contemplation, while I felt my anxiety mounting.
Second day since entry.
With a day having elapsed since infection, Mo Hae-in’s aggression would only have intensified by now.
I led Lee Ga-on up to the 5th Floor.
I didn’t forget to hold the door open for Je Hyeon-o.
Currently, he had deactivated his Raven Gloves and could only destroy doors by brute force.
Upon reaching the 5th Floor, zombie corpses littered the space.
Their heads were crushed as if struck violently—unmistakably the handiwork of Gwak Han-muk.
Impressed by his raw strength, I approached the sealed Research Facility entrance alongside Lee Ga-on.
The classified sliding door required ID card recognition to open.
Lee Ga-on glanced at me and nodded.
With trembling hands, she retrieved her ID card and scanned it.
As the door slid open, the researchers inside jumped in surprise.
Upon seeing Lee Ga-on, they seemed about to laugh nervously out of habit, but then….
….
They fell silent upon noticing Je Hyeon-o and me.
I checked the names on the ID cards hanging around the researchers’ necks.
Tak Ju-chul, Paeng Sang-do.
Both were familiar names. In the game, they died early on, yet they’d somehow survived until now.
Regarding them with mild curiosity, Paeng Sang-do stammered as he opened his mouth.
“Are you… soldiers? Are you with those people from earlier, or rather, on the same team…?”
“Yes.”
There was no reason to engage in lengthy conversation with them. I stated my purpose directly.
“Help Lee Ga-on develop the vaccine.”
I deliberately avoided mentioning anything about a cure.
The moment I issued orders to the researchers, a system window materialized.
◆Main Quest!
: Develop both vaccine and cure.
You are challenging an impossible Achievement once again!
You believe that a vaccine alone cannot bring happiness to a zombie-infested world.
Thus, by developing a cure,
you seek to advance toward a new, fresh, brand new
world.
Reckless challenges are remarkable in their very attempt.
Yet sometimes, choosing the safer path is not without merit.
Perhaps that is true courage.
You believe this is not yet too late to change your choice.
They were openly hurling curses at me, telling me not to do it.
I closed the system window blocking my vision and looked at the researchers.
Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do were typical villain characters from zombie fiction.
The kind who prioritized their own survival above all else and had no qualms about sacrificing others to achieve it.
In the game, those two researchers died because they threw Lee Se-eon to the zombies and fled elsewhere, only to encounter the boss zombie.
‘This time they managed to survive.’
Since things had come to this, I wanted to put them to good use.
I intended to wring them dry and make them contribute to the world of DeZomDeal.
Perhaps my intentions showed in my eyes, because Paeng Sang-do’s expression, who had been glancing at me warily, grew increasingly unfavorable.
I pulled out the bait that would allow me to handle them effectively.
“I know the location of a survivor shelter.”
“…!”
Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do held their breath and focused intently on my words.
“It has abundant supplies and few zombie sightings. However, the distance from the Research Facility to that location is considerable.”
There was no way the weakened researchers could reach the Green Zone shelter on their own.
The Research Facility alone was teeming with zombies.
Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do knew this well.
“Once this research concludes successfully, I will escort you to the shelter.”
Threats alone would not extract genuine cooperation.
Since I had to leave Lee Ga-on behind with them, I needed to ensure they harbored no reckless thoughts.
They were men driven by a fierce hunger for survival. Dangle the shelter before them, and they would throw caution to the wind and pour themselves into vaccine production.
Just moments ago they had been uncooperative, but now their eyes had transformed.
Paeng Sang-do’s nostrils flared as he exchanged glances with Tak Ju-chul multiple times.
Then he cautiously opened his mouth.
“Well, of course we want to make the vaccine too. Who wouldn’t? But the critical material….”
“I have the meteorite.”
At my words, Lee Ga-on startled and clenched the pocket of her research coat.
‘So that’s where she put it.’
Having confirmed the meteorite’s location, I looked back at Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do.
Tak Ju-chul asked in a hoarse voice.
“Do you know about Pandora?”
The virus of DeZomDeal originated from a meteor shower that fell on Earth one day.
A novel virus was discovered in the fallen meteorite, and the researchers named it “Pandora.”
Pandora was a zoonotic virus that infected both humans and animals, but it was determined to be vulnerable to heat and unlikely to infect mammals with high body temperatures.
However, this conclusion was reached through hasty research.
The meteorite fell on the development site on Earth, subjecting the research to pressure from all sides.
Ultimately, the Research Facility failed to warn of the virus’s potential danger and provided the answer the corporation desired.
Development proceeded as planned, and in the meantime, Pandora evolved at an unbelievable pace, adapting to high temperatures.
And the disaster began when a construction worker developing the district was bitten by a stray dog infected with Pandora.
Lee Se-eon was a researcher who had continuously warned of Pandora’s dangers.
He had secretly smuggled away a portion of the meteorite scheduled for disposal and hidden it in his home.
Lee Ga-on had ventured into the Yellow Zone to retrieve that very meteorite in an attempt to save her brother—it was the core material for the vaccine.
“How did you know?”
Before answering Tak Ju-chul’s question, Lee Ga-on interjected.
She trembled far more violently than when Je Hyeon-o had frightened her, her voice shaking as she asked.
“That the meteorite is the source of the virus… that my brother and I have it…”
Before the trust I’d carefully built could crumble, I answered simply.
“I’m not actually a regular soldier—I belong to a covert government agency.”
“Ah…!”
Lee Ga-on let out an exclamation as though everything suddenly made sense.
“The National Intelligence Service… something like that, right? I understand.”
‘Close enough, really.’
There hadn’t been a single lie in what I’d just said—only pure truth. I nodded my head.
While Lee Ga-on accepted this on her own, Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do were busily whispering to each other.
Tak Ju-chul stood with his hands clasped behind his back, while Paeng Sang-do stepped forward to speak.
“We have conditions in exchange for our cooperation. If you could procure the materials we need for our research…”
It wasn’t worth listening to further. They were simply asking to live comfortably throughout the research.
I glanced back at my reliable superior, and Je Hyeon-o handled it appropriately.
“Waaaaagh!”
“Ughhhh!”
He grabbed both researchers by the scruff of their necks and lifted them off the ground with both hands.
The research coats pierced by his metal hands tore with a sharp ripping sound.
The researchers, drooling and convulsing, dropped to the floor one by one with heavy thuds, their backs cleanly torn open.
Just as they were receiving their oath of loyalty to become vaccine development slaves, the captains arrived.
“Man, you’re having all the fun without me, hyung.”
Gwak Han-muk approached quickly, his eyes gleaming. They were the eyes of someone wanting a piece of the action, but there was nothing to give him.
If I intimidated them any further, they’d be too terrified to conduct the research.
I calmed Gwak Han-muk and approached Lee Ga-on.
“Lee Ga-on. Do you think you can do this?”
As Lee Ga-on surveyed the research facility, she seemed to briefly recall Lee Se-eon and her expression wavered, but she shed no tears.
Instead, she answered with firm resolve.
“I have to.”
Lee Ga-on, her hands clenched over her pockets, looked up at me quietly.
“There are things we need for the research…”
“I’ll procure everything by today, and I’ll repair the emergency generator by tonight as well. You don’t need to worry about food supplies.”
Without even waiting to hear what she needed, I’d answered first, causing Lee Ga-on to pause before her expression shifted to understanding.
I could almost see the three letters spelling “National Intelligence Service” passing through her mind.
“Thank you so much! The emergency generator was really urgent. Thank you!”
Lee Ga-on, who had thanked me repeatedly, suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
Once we were outside the Research Facility and far from Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do, she whispered to me.
“It’s a vaccine. My brother has already completed the design specifications, so we just need the materials and power supply—we can have it ready in three days. Since it’s molecular synthesis rather than cultivation, once the power comes online, we can extract the raw materials from the meteorite and run the sequence immediately. Of course, we’ll have to skip clinical trials.”
Lee Ga-on studied my expression carefully.
I had lied about not knowing about the vaccine, but the fact that it was nearly complete seemed to weigh on her.
However, I already knew.
In the game, Lee Se-eon meets the player with the vaccine research nearly finished.
The siblings were identical in this regard.
Just as Lee Ga-on had, Lee Se-eon felt no motivation to develop the vaccine when his sister might be dead.
He continued to fail at completion until he had to save his sister Lee Ga-on, only then producing the vaccine.
“Since you said you’d procure the materials and repair the emergency generator today, I’ll finish the setup in the meantime. The problem is the cure….”
Lee Ga-on, who had been speaking calmly, let out a sigh.
“I’ve researched it before, but the screening results for viable candidate substances that could be the key material weren’t promising. Even using the meteorite as a control group showed no reaction whatsoever, and existing antiviral components are the same. It’s so frustrating….”
“Please focus on the vaccine for now. I’ll search for the candidate substance myself.”
Lee Ga-on looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it.
This time, I lied.
“I have information related to it. It’s not certain, but it seems worth investigating.”
I don’t know the candidate substance either.
However, there were a few clues I’d seen like Easter eggs within the game that I planned to trace.
After staring up at me for a long while, Lee Ga-on whispered.
“I’ll trust you.”
After sending her back to Tak Ju-chul and Paeng Sang-do in the Research Facility, I stepped into the Corridor with Je Hyeon-o and the captains.
“We’ll begin vaccine production from now on. Major, if you could farm the additional items we need, and Captains, it would be helpful if you assisted me in repairing the emergency generator.”
Mo Hae-in and Gwak Han-muk each spoke in response to my briefing.
“Trainee. I’ve never fixed a machine in my life.”
“I’ve repaired cars before, but something like a generator is beyond me.”
“I know the repair method.”
Based on the repair method from the game, it wouldn’t require anything extraordinary.
“The problem is the Basement Area boss zombie guarding the emergency generator.”
Two people would need to repair the generator while one person faced the boss.
In the game, the siblings Lee Se-eon and Lee Ga-on repaired the generator while I fought the boss.
But now Lee Se-eon has become a zombie, and Lee Ga-on must create both the vaccine and the cure.
Excluding Je Hyeon-o, who needs to gather research materials, it would be me, Gwak Han-muk, and Mo Hae-in who have to handle this, but….
Mo Hae-in’s aggression, which was progressing with zombification, was the problem. There was a very real possibility she could suddenly attack during the operation.
When I explained the situation, Mo Hae-in and Gwak Han-muk seemed to share the same concern.
Mo Hae-in’s eyes darkened. She was already expending considerable effort to suppress the aggression that was creeping up on her even now.
“I do have a plan, though.”
I deliberately paused before speaking, still vividly imagining the scene of Mo Hae-in calling me a madman again.
In fact, she was already looking at me as if I were one.
‘Captain Gwak, I trust you.’
I opened my mouth, hoping that Gwak Han-muk would support my plan.
“Captain Mo.”
“Speak.”
“Please bite me.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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