By Zephyria 
It was as if the timing was perfect, as if Kwon Mi-eon knew Mo Yeon-hu was just about to go to sleep. He stared blankly at the message.
❮Kwon Mi-eon⠇
Text Message-SMS
Sleep well, Hyung.
‘…Is there a voice support feature?’
Even though it was just a message, for some reason, it felt like he could hear Kwon Mi-eon’s voice. Feeling a strange sensation, he fiddled with his hair and let out a big yawn.
Seeing the “sleep well” greeting made him feel like he should hurry up and go to bed. He thought to himself as he walked lightly toward the bathroom.
‘Once I wake up, I’ll contact Kwon Mi-eon to set a date and play the game. This is fun.’
He planned to log in as soon as his fatigue was gone. He was thoroughly enjoying Zombie Village, which had entered a new phase.
‘I think I’ve gotten a bit closer to Miu, too.’
I wonder what will happen when I go back in later.
With his heart fluttering like that, Mo Yeon-hu had no way of predicting the situation that would unfold in Zombie Village when he logged back in a few hours later.
* * *
Mo Yeon-hu woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a while. Despite playing the game so late, his complexion as he looked at the ceiling was bright, unlike the dark look he’d had for the past few days.
He expected his head to ache from a hangover, but fortunately, he was fine. It was probably because he fell asleep after the alcohol had worn off.
‘……Ah! I have to log in!’
Blinking his eyes while staring blankly at the ceiling, Mo Yeon-hu suddenly sprang up. He grabbed his phone, which was running low on battery, and headed straight into Zombie Village.
After waiting with an anxious face throughout the loading screen, Mo Yeon-hu paused as soon as he accessed the messenger.
(CH03) Miu: Feel free to come in whenever you have time now.
The memory of yesterday flashed back, and his tension vanished instantly.
‘Right. They said I don’t have to log in so intensely anymore.’
Indeed, Miu had mentioned yesterday that it would take some time to find information, so he could take it easy while Miu looked into things.
‘What a relief.’
Mo Yeon-hu let out a breath and scrolled up. It seemed Miu had spent the night collecting data, as they had sent various things.
Overall, it wasn’t great news.
(CH03) Miu: I don’t think we can track VITA for a while.
(CH03) Miu: They moved servers…
‘They moved servers?’
For an entire Alliance to move servers overnight. That couldn’t be an easy task.
(CH03) Miu: I contacted people who might know VITA and even put out a bounty, but there’s less information than I expected.
(CH03) Miu: It’s like they silenced everyone… there’s no talk on the game communities either.
(CH03) Miu: Plus, there are no records of them going on battles or raids yet, so I don’t even know which server they went to. They changed all their nicknames, so they don’t show up even when searching user information… I didn’t expect them to be this determined to disappear.
(CH03) Miu: At this rate, I’ll have to find them directly through people on other servers, so it might take some time.
When you move servers, battle records are reset. By utilizing the fact that user information cannot be viewed with a previous nickname after a name change, it seemed they had thoroughly cut off their trail.
(CH03) Miu: And even though VITA went to another server, they’re still targeting me, so for a while, I plan to only go out to the field with Momo-nim or Alliance Members.
Additionally, since the Core Blueprint of 47 in Miu’s possession was being targeted, Miu seemed to want to avoid being on the front lines as much as possible.
(CH03) Miu: So for a while, I’m going to rest and just look after the Alliance Members in the Alliance Territory.
(CH03) Miu: I think we should view this as a long-term war.
(CH03) Miu: From now on, Momo-nim, please play the game as you like and take care of your health.
(CH03) Miu: Sleep well hehe.
‘So the plan is to step back for now.’
Looking at the situation, it seemed they concluded that since there was nothing Mo Yeon-hu and Miu could do immediately, it was best to conserve their strength.
Indeed, he had exhausted himself working in two shifts to find the spy, and his sleep pattern had become a mess because he kept the game on regardless of day or night.
Since Miu also had to be careful, it would be best to take a break and have time to reorganize.
‘It feels more like a real war than a game.’
Cores, hidden items, Alliances ruined by raids… as he chewed over these things, he felt that this situation was somehow no ordinary matter.
Once 47 became fully entangled with VITA, Siege Warfare would inevitably break out. Moreover, they had to catch the internal spy.
‘Is this like a vacation!’
Though it was a resting phase to prepare for what comes next.
‘Ah, right. The messages.’
Once his thoughts were organized, he belatedly remembered that he should contact Kim Seong-jae and Park Taek-yoon to tell them he got home safely—something he hadn’t thought of due to the pressure to log into Zombie Village immediately.
‘I’ll head in now. Get some good rest.’
‘Kwon Mi-eon?’
‘See you next time, next time.’
‘Hey??’
Of course, he also had to contact Kwon Mi-eon, who had rushed off as if something urgent had suddenly come up.
“It died….”
However, the phone screen turned black, as if the battery had finally run out after launching the game.
‘I should charge it, wash up, and eat.’
Since he had free time for the first time in a while, he wondered if he should do something more productive, like going for a workout, but…
《Zombie Village (Zombie Village: Flesh for Survival)》
“Workout my foot, habits are scary.”
As soon as he washed up and ate, Mo Yeon-hu’s body was already faithfully positioned in front of the monitor.
He let out a hollow laugh at his own behavior, but soon gave up and slumped into the chair. He let out several yawns, as if his fatigue hadn’t been fully relieved.
“An update?”
Anyway, has it been that long already? No wonder the loading time felt longer than usual. Boredom instantly filled Mo Yeon-hu’s face as he looked at the screen.
He rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed his phone, which was charging.
‘I need to send those messages quickly.’
He turned on the slightly charged phone. Ignoring the missed call notifications from Park Taek-yoon and Kim Seong-jae, he clicked elsewhere.
‘I’ll contact Kim Seong-jae and Park Taek-yoon too. But since this guy even drove me home, he comes first. He was acting weird yesterday, too…’
Thinking as if making an excuse even though no one was watching, the place he entered was.
❮Kwon Mi-eon⠇
The chat window with Kwon Mi-eon.
❮Kwon Mi-eon⠇
Text Message-SMS
Sleep well, Hyung.
On the screen, only the message he had seen in the morning remained lonely.
‘What? Did I not turn on my data?’
Staring at it, Mo Yeon-hu toggled his data off and on, fiddled with the screen, and tilted his head.
This was the entirety of the contact from Kwon Mi-eon. But that couldn’t be right. Was he the type to back off so easily?
‘He really didn’t send anything else? Ah, right. DMs!’
Mo Yeon-hu belatedly remembered stargram and hurriedly opened the app. Then, seeing the updated name at the top of the DM window, he chuckled. It was K.
K >
rnjsaldjs47
Month XX Day XX 10:12 PM
What are you doing, Hyung?
Where are you?
Hyung?
‘See, he did contact me!’
Kwon Mi-eon was peculiar. They weren’t that close, and Mo Yeon-hu didn’t always reply diligently, yet he sent messages asking what he was doing or where he was at all hours.
Looking at Kwon Mi-eon’s DM window, which now felt familiar rather than just accustomed, Mo Yeon-hu paused as he was about to send a reply.
‘……It was yesterday?’
Looking again, it wasn’t sent just now. It was 10 PM, not 10 AM.
‘Then does that mean no contact came through other than the “sleep well” message?’
Mo Yeon-hu stared at the screen as if it were strange. It wasn’t that he didn’t know Kwon Mi-eon’s personality; by now, several messages should have already piled up.
Mo Yeon-hu slowly scrolled up.
K >
rnjsaldjs47
Month XX Day XX 1:22 PM
What are you doing, Hyung?
Are you busy today too?
Hyung??
Yeon-hu Hyung?
Month XX Day XX 6:00 PM
It says you just logged into starsta.
Why aren’t you replying…
(Shared a post from 833jssa)
Doesn’t the atmosphere here look great? lol
Month XX Day XX 11:12 AM
I just came to eat and thought of you, Hyung lol
Isn’t this cute?
(Photo)
But did you eat something?
You must be busy. Contact me when you see this.
Month XX Day XX 1:22 PM
Nothing’s wrong, right?
Why is it so hard to reach you.
You haven’t been reading messages much lately either.
Can you take a call?
Month XX Day XX 7:10 PM
Hyung??
Yeon-hu Hyung.
Can’t you just pick up the phone?
Are you busy?
You’re not sick, are you?
As he scrolled up, the DMs Kwon Mi-eon had sent in the meantime appeared.
It seemed he had consistently sent messages and DMs even while Mo Yeon-hu was living like a slave.
‘But why didn’t he send any today?’
He used to leave DMs even if there was no answer…, as Mo Yeon-hu thought, he suddenly flinched.
‘…Am I waiting for a DM from Kwon Mi-eon right now?’