Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 131
Only Krnovel
Episode 131
68. Lotto
Our doomsday survival strategy is white-hot.
It’s hard to say which one is right.
Because everyone’s situation and circumstances are different.
But when you look at people’s lives from afar, they all look similar.
Even among the many differences, there are many things to learn.
My neighbor Rebecca was surprisingly good at gathering and hunting.
He said that he watches over the building all day to see if there are any Koreans, but after the sun sets, he goes out with his daughter to go out and collect food.
Sometimes, they seem to catch a lot of fish by sending electricity through batteries in the valley.
Although they say that it is a skill they learned out of necessity while living in the Canadian forests as a child, it is undeniable that this skill contributed to the survival of the mother and daughter.
However, it is impossible to obtain all the food needed each day by hunting only depending on luck at the time.
Their move will begin soon.
Meanwhile, my other neighbor Defender has a reputation as a killer on the internet, but what I’d actually like to give more credit to is his abilities as a scavenger.
He’s really running around like crazy.
He said that he traveled around the entire metropolitan area, as well as the Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces.
“I even went across the front line to the border of Hwanghae Province.”
This is what Defender said over coffee when we met in real life one day.
“Hwanghae-do? North Korea? Isn’t that an erosion zone?”
“Some parts are eroded, but some are fine. The erosion around Paju is so severe that I think the north will be the same, but if you move away from the gate, it’s fine again. That doesn’t mean there are no monsters or mutations, though.”
I asked him.
Isn’t it dangerous to be outside so often?
“It’s dangerous.”
The defender answered.
“I’m in danger too.”
Defender’s younger brother, who was working on the computer, also looked this way.
“but.”
“but.”
The brother and sister spoke at the same time.
Defender looked at me with a look on his face as if telling his younger brother to speak first, and continued speaking.
“That might be safer in the long run. If there’s a resource problem or something dangerous happens, we can find another shelter. After all, we live here because we’ve been wandering around.”
Even at the time, Defender’s words seemed plausible.
Instead of taking small risks, I thought of laying out lines here and there in preparation for the big danger that might come, similar to the idea of keeping a connection with Seoul when I first set up the bunker.
What the Defender said has been lingering in my head lately.
“There are surprisingly many supplies on the outskirts. The government quickly issued an evacuation order, and everyone was driven to the big cities. The easily accessible places have already been swept away by scavengers, but there are also places that are not so easily accessible, right? If you can find those places, you can make a lot of money.”
The life of a scavenger.
It’s a way of life I never considered before the war.
However, at this point in time, when the collapse of the world is unexpectedly delayed and people I have to take responsibility for are appearing one by one, securing more resources is essential.
“I like winter.”
The defender said.
“Why? Do you like it? The fact that it’s cold here means that those who might come after us are also cold, and on top of that, when it gets cold, all the bad guys start a fire. If you don’t, you’ll freeze to death. You can tell where people are just by looking at the smoke. That’s why I prefer winter.”
It was decided to adopt the defender’s opinion.
I’m not saying I’ll become a full-fledged scavenger, but I wanted to at least check out the areas around me that I’m not familiar with.
The weather is also nice.
Minus two degrees.
With the warmth of winter activity clothes purchased directly from the US, along with a few hot packs, portable fuel, and John Nae-non, the temperature is just right for activities like on a spring day.
I put on a white poncho over my outer clothes and left the bunker, leaning on a bicycle.
The area I want to explore is the unknown land, the south.
When the Gold Horde was there, there was no need to explore their territory, but now that the Gold Horde has left, it is necessary to become familiar with the terrain.
He headed south along the white-clothed area, his breath emitting white from his mouth.
There wasn’t much to do in the southern region even before the war.
I guess there’s no particular need to go.
I heard there was a delicious Sundubu restaurant, so I took a truck there and stopped by a few times.
It was a place where there was no city, the road conditions were not good, and the scenery could hardly be called pretty.
It was a bustling land with typical farming villages and small factories mixed together.
As expected, soon a half-collapsed, leaning, rusting, red-hot feed factory came into view.
Crunch!
I took my gun and checked inside the factory.
There is nothing.
There are traces of people having searched through it once, and then of animals having searched through it, but now it is like a place with only the bones of a fish left, with nothing to salvage except scrap metal.
It is not even suitable for use as a hiding place.
It’s the only visible building within a radius of several kilometers, and it’s on flat ground with no living facilities.
Beyond the feed mill were snow-covered fields and the occasional house.
I searched through each and every home.
“······.”
There has never been a drummer like this one.
It wasn’t even immediately after the war, but almost three years later.
I feel like there’s something useful, but I can’t use it.
I found some canned food and ramen, but they were all gone.
The canned food was bulging like a dead cow and the ramen noodles were eaten by mold right through the bag.
There was no body.
Looks like they’ve already evacuated.
There was a large jar of pickled burdock, but it looked like someone had already taken the lid off and taken all the contents, including the burdock.
I sat on the veranda and drank the sweet coffee mix I had in a thermos to replenish my energy and strength.
Tiring- Tiring-
The wind chimes tied to the veranda made a pleasant sound.
“It’s a landscape.”
I was thinking of taking it for a bit, but what a sight it was in the bunker.
I decided to be content with just sitting there for a while and enjoying the sounds.
After taking a break, we headed towards town along the road.
The southern town was more backward and deserted than the eastern town where Gold lived.
Fortunately, there was a famous temple nearby, so there were a few large restaurants that did business targeting people who had visited the temple.
The Metdol Sundubu House that I went to several times was one of those stores.
The always crowded Sundubu House was collapsing with its roof half-collapsed.
I squeezed through the entrance, which was filled with unknown trash and weeds, turned on the lantern, and looked inside.
“······.”
Am I too deaf?
Contrary to what the Defender says, what’s missing?
It’s not like we’re exploring a real ruin or anything.
After searching through the tofu stew with my back bent, all I found was a single earthenware pot.
Bam-
I put it in the basket.
There is no way to get soft tofu or make it, but I feel like I should at least get this.
After I picked up the pot, I looked around other stores.
Freshwater spicy fish stew restaurant, chicken restaurant, dumpling restaurant, makguksu restaurant, dakgalbi restaurant, and hand-made jajangmyeon restaurant.
These are stores that I thought I should visit at least once, but never visited until the war broke out.
I visited those stores, albeit belatedly.
In a store without people, a chef, or even a waiter, there was naturally no smell of food.
There was nothing to pack.
As I was desperately debating whether or not to take the plastic Jjamppong bowl from the Chinese restaurant, I turned around and saw an interesting sign.
It would be a lie if I said I’ve never played the lottery.
This Park Gyu-do also played the lottery.
Of course, it was out of the question when I was a sharp professor, but when I was struggling with debt and couldn’t handle it, I regularly bought ten thousand won worth of items online in hopes of turning my life around.
I think I bought quite a lot, but I’ve never won more than 5,000 won.
Isn’t that what the lottery is?
Something that some people can do but I will never win.
When Rebecca’s family moved in soon, she went into the store to show Sue something called the lottery.
“oh.”
The moment I entered the store, I let out an exclamation.
Unlike other places that are messy and in disarray, this lotto shop is so well preserved that it feels like you’ve stepped back in time.
It’s clear that a scavenger has come to this neighborhood, but it seems like the lottery shop has been left completely untouched.
If you think about it for a moment, you’ll probably know why.
What good is the lottery in a world that is almost doomed?
Not only will there be no more raffles, there will be no place to exchange your first prize piece.
Even if you exchange it for money, I don’t know how useful it would be.
In the store, before the war, there was a desk attached to the wall where people could stand and mark their lottery numbers. In front of it, lottery tickets and markers were waiting to be used, covered in the dust of the past.
Just for fun, I dusted off the lottery ticket, took out the lottery ticket, opened the cap of the marker pen, and started marking.
It is marked.
I marked six numbers in an instant, feeling a strange excitement that I couldn’t understand about this trivial matter.
Of course, marking alone does not guarantee you a win.
You have to scan the marked numbers after making payment to purchase the lottery ticket itself.
Unfortunately, such a miracle is unlikely to happen at this point.
I just put the paper in the machine and made a beeping sound with my mouth to show my excitement.
“······.”
I put the marker back in its place and left the store.
After leaving the store, I looked back once more.
It would be impossible to live a week in vain dreaming about buying a lottery ticket like before, but at least I could feel like I won the lottery.
For people like us, it might be a win-win situation to have a store that still preserves the nostalgia of the past.
Anyway, the proceeds from my first scavenger activity today are as follows.
A clay pot, two shot glasses, a flowerpot with a slightly cracked bottom, and a lottery ticket on which I had marked six numbers myself.
*
On the way, I stopped by Rebecca’s house to ask about her recent activities.
As winter approaches, I wonder if Rebecca is thinking of moving.
Every time I ask, he says he’ll go, but only once or twice. If he keeps mumbling and giving vague answers, I can’t help but get suspicious.
If Naya Rebecca and her daughter can hold out here, I welcome it.
I built a cabin and a toilet, but I still feel uneasy about sharing my space with someone.
As we arrived at the building where the mother and daughter were hiding, Suu, who had been standing guard, came down from the building and greeted me.
“Skeleton! Juicy- one?”
“Not today.”
I gave her a shot glass of soju as a gift.
“I don’t need this.”
“······.”
“Skeleton, what is that?”
It was not a bowl or a fountain that Suu had shown interest in, but a faded lottery ticket.
“Oh? This. It’s called the lottery.”
“Ah. Lotto? Like a lottery? Where you have to match those seven numbers?”
“Korea has six.”
Suuga stared at the lottery ticket and blew on his hands as if they were numb.
“Did Skeleton take the picture?”
“huh.”
“why?”
“Why?”
“This won’t work anymore. You can’t exchange it for money.”
“I feel good.”
“mood?”
Suu made a face that said she couldn’t understand.
“Why are you making that face?”
“My mom always said that people who play the lottery or something must have a miserable life.”
“······What is your mother doing now?”
“game.”
Suu let out a deep sigh, smiling bitterly at her age.
“He’s crying because his gaming friend died.”
“Your friend died?”
“You became a cat?”
“ah.”
Monster Park, it looks like they’re still doing it.
By the way, I heard that this cold wave will come to the US and Europe a bit earlier.
Maybe he’s the victim.
A full-blown cold wave has not yet arrived in Korea.
But soon.
“Skeleton!”
Rebecca came down the stairs with bloodshot eyes.
“What should I do? My friend Bob is dead······.”
“······.”
“Skeleton?”
“When will you come?”
“Oh, that’s it.”
Rebecca avoids eye contact.
I definitely understand what she means.
She still intends to stay here.
It is a common occurrence for people’s thoughts to change.
“next time.”
“There may not be a next time.”
“why?”
“You can accept other people.”
“okay?”
“Is life worth living these days?”
“Uh, yeah.”
As Rebecca turned her gaze, Suu walked up to her and pinched her thigh.
“Swoosh! What are you doing?”
“Tell me the truth!”
Suu looked straight up at her mother and said with a straight face.
Rebecca sighed, slumped her shoulders, and looked at me.
“Actually, we got the supplies two weeks ago.”
“Supplies?”
Rebecca nodded and directed Sue to bring something.
Soon Suu appeared, holding a bundle of canned food.
“What is this?”
“There was a trailer that had fallen down on the outskirts of town. It had been there the whole time, but this time I used a wrench and a welder to open the trailer door. That’s it.”
“Are you saying you won the lottery?”
“Lotto? Huh!”
It’s hard to know how much of what she says is true.
You may get more supplies than I did, or you may only get enough to last a few weeks.
One thing is certain, the move won’t happen unless she wants it to.
The real reason soon became apparent.
“······I got to know a few of our American soldiers.”
Rebecca spoke in a low voice, avoiding eye contact.
“American soldiers?”
“Yeah. While working at Viva! Apocalypse!, I heard that there are other American soldiers in Korea besides me. They’re also setting up a camp. I got in touch with them a while ago! They said they’ll send people over here when the weather gets better.”
“Oh, really?”
Rebecca nodded cautiously at me, then looked worriedly at her daughter, who was sucking on something juicy.
“······I heard there are children there too.”
“Ira.”
“I want to make friends for Suu too.”
Rebecca is feeling sorry for me.
He looked at her face and asked in a low voice.
“Are you running low on fuel?”
Rebecca’s blue eyes fluttered slightly.
Finally, she lowered her head, weakly clutching the fabric of her trousers.
“······huh.”
“There’s still fuel left, so I’ll send it to you tomorrow. Don’t shoot.”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel resentful.
Although the feeling of annoyance was greater, I also had some anticipation about living with my old neighbor.
But, it’s her decision.
Objectively speaking, this may be a more ideal result.
If the mother and daughter snipers, who could be a burden, were to exit safely, that is, in a way that would not burden my heart, wouldn’t that in itself be a lottery in itself?
As I was thinking that and about to turn around,
“Skeleton.”
Rebecca suddenly rested her forehead on my shoulder.
The weight on her shoulders seemed lighter than it looked.
It wasn’t just her weight that was felt.
Her trembling, her life throbbing, many things that cannot be expressed in words, were felt in my body through her forehead.
“······It was our blessing to meet Skeleton. This favor. How can we repay it?”
I can feel her sobbing.
I’m a little confused.
I said it was only for a little while, but I never thought that she, who was so hostile to me, would convey her true feelings like this.
“······.”
For a brief moment, I felt something empty being filled.
But that was only for a moment.
“······mom?”
Suu is watching us!
That too, obviously!
“What, are you saying that you’re going to leave right now? Your daughter might misunderstand, so move your head away.”
He pushed Rebecca away and gave Suu a thumbs up.
Sudo smiled faintly and gave me a thumbs up.
Suu said to the departing me.
“Skeleton. I hope you win the lottery.”
“I wish that were true.”
The place where the lottery ticket is stuck is, of course, next to Suwa and my black sheet.
So, what I’m saying is that the country hasn’t scratched its lottery ticket yet.
End
ⓒ Road Warrior #dp8g
(One Two**) -Recommendation87-
Would he really be a normal person who would accept two pretty women without any problems just because they are from the same country?
(Ranmal**) -Recommendation 64-
I have a feeling it’ll be a mess if I go, but I hope they’re really nice people, as a reverse cliche… I should be happy…
(Migo**) -Recommendation 51-
Paying 100 won to read an article like this is like winning a small lottery.
By the way, our skeleton will probably be the last one standing alone until the end.
(Star Dream***) -Recommendation 29-
It’s Children’s Day, so bring me a gift
(Halzen**) -Recommendation 28-
TIP “When abroad, be most careful of your own people.”
(Antimatter**) -Recommendation 19-
In the apocalypse…American soldiers? They’re all going to die… In the apocalypse, the American soldiers are called neighborhood drums.
(Gubne**) -Recommendation 18-
Two women join the existing group in the apocalypse? This is science.
(Crown***) -Recommendation 11-
I’ll say it again, all characters except M9 have a death flag
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