Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 112



Only Krnovel

60. The Traitor (2)

The soldier’s condition was better than expected.

It was crawling everywhere, and there was grass, dirt, and vines all over it, but it had no major injuries or illnesses.

The common ills of alcoholism were not seen either.

They waited for him to recover and then began interrogating him.

As I did not want my territory to be known, the interrogation took place next to the stream where he was captured.

“Official rank and name.”

I have never been trained in interrogation.

Because we are dealing with monsters, not soldiers.

What if the day comes when I have to interrogate a monster?

But I have seen Chinese soldiers and mercenaries arresting and interrogating civilians nearby.

I tried to interrogate him using that tune.

The Chinese man’s name had a tone I couldn’t pronounce, so I decided to simply call him Ma.

Mr. Ma’s rank is Sogyo, which is equivalent to Major in our country.

He didn’t look older than his late twenties at most, but I didn’t pay much attention to him because class in a ruined country is as worthless as the currency of a ruined country.

As expected, he was a member of the Chinese landing force stationed in Dangjin.

He mentioned some trivial command system, such as the liberation of the Joseonseong area army, but since it wasn’t very important, I listened to it with one ear and let it go out the other.

What I’m curious about is what he told me.

Seoul and the nuclear explosion.

“Seoul is gone. A few people might still live there, but no one lives there anymore.”

So Mr. Ma corrected his goal.

“Next to Seoul. A seaside city with a large population.”

“Incheon?”

Mr. Ma strongly agreed.

“I’m going to destroy the city where the largest number of Koreans are gathered. I’m going to kill them all.”

“There’s no way to stop it?”

If a nuclear missile were launched right now, would there be any ability to stop it?

It is true that the cutting-edge ballistic missile interception system provided by the United States during the war worked well, but China responded by launching an equally terrifying number of ballistic missiles, which eventually left Seoul and its surrounding areas in ruins.

Besides, three years have passed since the outbreak of the war.

Even if the defense system remains, will it actually be operational?

If the government was intact, I don’t know, but in this situation where there is a civil war with the legionary faction.

“We only have one now. We planned to use it carefully because if it gets blocked, that’s the end.”

Although Ma’s Korean was awkward at first, as he continued to speak, his tongue seemed to loosen up and he was able to use a breathing style and vocabulary that was not much different from that of a Korean.

“There’s not much time left. The contact person in Incheon is already preparing to receive the nuclear bomb.”

“A contact point in Incheon?”

Are you saying there is a traitor?

This is the moment when Mr. Ma’s story, which was initially half-believed, comes to life.

“I heard that the contact person has a position where he can transport large cargo to the center of Incheon without being suspected. We plan to provide him with a nuclear warhead separated from a nuclear missile that was loaded onto a submarine and detonate it in the center of Incheon.”

I looked straight into his eyes and asked calmly.

“Why are you, a member of the Chinese military, talking like this? You must have a purpose.”

Spreading misinformation is a common tactic.

Even in PaleNet right now, people who appear to be government agents are manipulating the end of Dongtan Mom into a drama.

“What is the reason?”

Only then did Ma notice the coldness in my gaze, and he lowered his eyes and sighed.

“······It’s not something a soldier from a country that started a war should say, but I didn’t want people to die. It was already over, right? The war was over, and so was my country. Now that it was over, I didn’t like the idea of ​​killing all the people in this country.”

It’s something anyone can say.

I can tell similar stories in front of Chinese people.

I decided to change the subject.

“Are you, by any chance, Korean-Chinese?”

If you speak Korean that well, wouldn’t it be 99%?

It seems like that wasn’t the case.

Mr. Ma shook his head.

“I am Han Chinese.”

“You speak Korean well.”

“I graduated from school in this country.”

“Which school?”

“It’s what Koreans call a local university. It was in Gyeongsangbuk-do. But it was good. In the spring, cherry blossoms bloom, and the people are kind. I made a lot of friends.”

“How many years have you been here?”

“Five years? No, it seems like it’s been six years. I remember the words six years coming out of our mouths when my father was angry and telling me to come back.”

6 years.

If what this person says is true, it seems he studied hard.

I think I’ve been in China for that long, but I can’t speak a single word of proper Chinese.

“More than that, there’s no time! There really isn’t. Once the advance party meets the contact point, it’s over.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Please connect me with the military leaders or high-ranking decision makers on the Korean side.”

I can give you an introduction.

But will those people believe what this person says just because you introduce him?

Even I am half in doubt.

He had no evidence to begin with.

His overly fluent Korean and plausible story might be convincing enough to make some people nod in agreement, but to me, it felt like a well-written phrase from a spy.

“By the way, where did you come from?”

Mr. Ma pointed to the south, which was tilted towards the west.

“Did you encounter anything when you came here?”

If he was a Chinese soldier in the southwest, there’s no way he wouldn’t know.

The ruler of that field, Gold.

“no.”

“okay.”

It was when I was nodding and trying to turn around.

Mr. Ma looked at me, standing there awkwardly, and suddenly said.

“I have been avoiding those dogs’ territory.”

“A detour?”

I looked back at him again.

“Yes. I took a detour. That’s why I was completely worn out. I went somewhere that didn’t even feel like a road. That’s why I was exhausted.”

“······.”

“The guys who deserted with me foolishly headed into the dogs’ territory. It was so noisy. I don’t think any of them survived.”

Mr. Ma sighed with a lonely expression.

“In reality, even if those friends who can’t even speak Korean properly meet Korean soldiers, they won’t be able to convey the situation well.”

“Are you thinking of transporting nuclear warheads by land?”

Mr. Ma nodded to my question.

“That’s how it should be. The submarine can’t go there. If you get close, it knows how and throws depth charges.”

“There must be a mutation on the land route that you know about.”

Nuclear warheads are extremely heavy and bulky objects.

If you transport it by land, a 1-ton truck will be too heavy, so you will need to secure at least a 2.5-ton truck.

However, to get from the Chinese military base to Incheon, you have to pass through Gold’s territory.

It’s not easy.

Gold Pack has a high probability of attacking humans who enter its territory.

Well, sometimes I’m so full I can’t move.

But according to Mr. Ma, this operation is a matter of life or death, so is it really possible to leave such an important matter to the whims of a mutation dog?

“······Mutations won’t be a problem.”

“why?”

The slight resentment is probably indirect evidence that I consider Gold a friend.

Ma-ssi continued speaking in a timid voice, receiving my hot gaze.

“A hunter who was active on the mainland is expected to come from a submarine. I heard he’s incredibly skilled.”

“The mainland?”

“It would be Hainan, to be exact. It’s an island at the southernmost tip of China. I heard that erosion hasn’t occurred there yet.”

Is it a place like Jeju Island?

Well, in that big country, there would probably be one or two islands like Jeju Island.

“When will that submarine arrive?”

“It must have arrived yesterday, or the day before yesterday.”

I thought about it for a moment.

This guy.

I’m not sure.

But it doesn’t seem like he’s lying.

His motives are certainly suspect, but it is true that the mutation dogs roared yesterday.

“······Please wait a moment.”

If I were the team leader, I would never have reported to my superiors with only these clues and possibilities.

There is some circumstantial evidence, but it is only testimony, and there is no information worth believing.

But as Woo Min-hee got older and became more mature, I also started to worry more.

Maybe it’s because I witnessed a similar attempt in front of my house.

I tried to contact Woo Min-hee.

But she didn’t answer my calls.

After calling twice more, a woman who appeared to be a subordinate finally picked up the radio and said,

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Woo So-jang went to Jeju Island. I can’t contact him. I’ll contact you when I get back.”

“No, that’s the important thing.”

“Don’t tell me.”

“The Chinese military attempted a nuclear attack on Incheon······.”

“I’ll hang up.”

Communication was lost.

I tried to communicate again, but the power was completely turned off.

“······.”

What should I do?

Should I just leave him to die?

To be honest, I thought I did enough.

But even if communication had been established, Woo Min-hee would not have believed what I said.

Even I think it’s an absurd matter.

Rather, it might have been annoying.

By the way, it seems that this Park Gyu’s impression wasn’t very good.

While trying to communicate with Woo Min-hee, the Chinese person in question disappeared without a trace.

I could have seen the traces and traced them, but I left them alone.

*

Last night I woke up to the sudden sound of gunfire.

Southwest, the realm of gold.

I think I even heard a dog barking.

But after I opened my eyes, I couldn’t hear any sound.

Of course, the gunfire and the roar of the mutant dogs.

“hmm.”

Did I hear something wrong?

I don’t have nightmares very often, but one nightmare I do have is when someone I don’t know opens the door to my bunker, comes in, and starts shooting at me.

The sound of the gunshots was so realistic that I woke up screaming without realizing it.

Is this a similar nightmare?

I’ve never seen anything like a nightmare.

As I was about to go back to sleep, the Defender’s radio rang.

“Did you just hear that sound?”

It’s a defender.

“I thought I heard a loud noise.”

“I heard it coming from the area of ​​the mutation dog that you are close to, and if my feeling is not wrong, it sounds like the sound of a hunter weapon used by the Chinese.”

“Chinese Hunter Weapon?”

As I felt my drowsy mind start to drift away, the ominous image of the back of the Chinese soldier I had sent off alone yesterday came to mind.

“Chukonu.”

“?”

“It’s a weapon called a ‘Yeonno’ (連弩). It’s a three-shot explosive bolt launcher that you wear on your wrist and aim at. It’s a weapon that literally shoots three explosive bolts wherever the wearer’s eyes are. Each bolt is a drone-like weapon, so it’s also homing.”

“It’s a weapon I don’t know about.”

“Because it was a weapon that was just put into service before Korea and the other countries split. But I still remember the distinctive firing sound. It was a sound that ripped the air itself. Chukonuya. That’s it.”

Chinese military.

It was a threat that ranked high among the many threats assumed before the war.

The scenario where the Chinese army accidentally discovers me and wipes me out while my entire territory is under Chinese control was one of Park Gyu’s bad endings.

The old threat rears its head again.

“I found the Chinese army yesterday.”

Even if Defender doesn’t like me these days, and even if he does some crazy stuff on the internet, he’s still my neighbor.

I told the truth about what happened yesterday.

“That. Is that true? Especially, that there is a contact point in Incheon.”

“huh.”

“······Fuck.”

I was momentarily taken aback.

Defender is not the type of person to curse even if he kills people well.

But this time, truly heartfelt curses escaped his lips.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh. Did you ask the Chinese guy the name of his contact?”

“no.”

“Would you please look for it? I’ll go explore the area with my brother.”

“i get it.”

I just washed up and left the area.

I finally took my bike out.

Now, it is being pushed out by motorcycles and is relegated to the back room as an old man, but in a situation like now, a bicycle can do more than a motorcycle.

Fortunately, there were countless stars in the sky, and a large moon gradually rising toward fullness illuminated the dark land.

After about 30 minutes of heading north using the stars as landmarks, we found Mr. Ma.

He was groaning as if he had been beaten badly by someone.

I picked him up, his face so swollen I couldn’t even recognize him, and checked his consciousness.

“What about you?”

Luckily, he recognized me.

I didn’t ask who did it.

Rather, it is a situation where we should be thankful that they didn’t kill us.

“Do you know the name of the contact?”

“A contact? I know the location. Ah. That.”

Mr. Ma barely opened his swollen eyes.

“Mr. Heo. It was Mr. Heo.”

“Mr. Heo?”

The defender’s curse passed by before my eyes without my knowing.

Also, a person who is related to the Defender and whom I have personally seen.

“Heo Jong-cheol?”

Said the name.

Mr. Ma nodded.

“That’s right. It was him!”

Heo Jong-cheol.

A former hunter and minor Awaken.

He hated this country, he hated his own people.

That’s why they could talk without hesitation about blowing up all the citizens of Incheon with a nuclear bomb.

The man joined hands with the Chinese military.

That too with the Chinese military, which has nuclear weapons.

The Defender’s radio rang faintly.

“Confirmed the bodies of three mutant dogs.”

For a split second, my pupils must have shaken.

However, the excitement did not last long.

“Is there one of Gold’s among those corpses?”

“I don’t know. It was at night and at high altitude.”

Anyway, with this, everything is certain.

What Mr. Ma said is true.

The Chinese joined hands with the Koreans in Incheon and brought in Hunters to destroy the Gold Rush in order to open a land route to transport the nuclear bomb.

“······.”

I thought about it for a moment.

Let’s look back.

I am not a savior, nor am I qualified to stand on the battlefield.

An old-time hunter who chose to live a life of seclusion.

But at least he is not so irresponsible as to ignore the disaster right before his eyes.

It’s not one or two people.

Not a thousand, not ten thousand.

Three million people.

Maybe less or more than that.

Those countless lives are in my hands.

“Can you help me?”

A deep sigh was heard over the radio.

“······If I follow him, I feel like I’ll end up taking his side.”

I wasn’t particularly disappointed or shocked by those words.

Instead, I added one question.

“Were you a team?”

“huh.”

He nodded.

If we were one team, there’s nothing we can do.

Even I would have hesitated.

No matter how much you dislike a teammate, you learned in school that if that teammate is attacked by someone else, your body reacts before your head.

That’s us, the old school hunters.

“Okay. Then I alone······.”

It was when I was feeling a little bitter and about to decide to give up.

“Skeleton!”

Another voice echoed from beyond the communicator.

“what are you doing?”

It’s Da-jeong’s voice.

A bright atmosphere that doesn’t fit the current situation at all.

As I was wondering and trying to find the words to say, she suddenly started to press me.

“I’m not using the summons!”

“Summoning right?”

“You know what my stupid brother, who has never been in a proper relationship in his life, gave me?”

right.

That was it.

It’s a crude Defender summoning ticket drawn by the Defender himself.

I had completely forgotten about it.

But there was a real color to that summons.

It’s a color that we can’t see now because we’ve put on colored glasses.

I felt a smile creeping onto my lips without me knowing as I spoke into the communicator.

“Summoning call.”

A somewhat resigned laugh erupted from beyond the radio.

Soon the person behind that laughter appeared in front of me pulling a truck.

“Defender, appear.”

Looking at that sight, I was a little taken aback, so I looked at it for a while and then blurted out.

“······Are you an elementary school student?”

“I think it’s better than beatboxing?”

The defender stuck out his fist.

Although I didn’t really want to, when my two fists lightly collided in the air, that reluctant feeling was shattered into pieces inside me.

“let’s go.”