Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 14



Only Krnovel

13. Typhoon

Before the war, abolitionists were an unwelcome part of society.

Even if you look at the attributes alone, it is hard to find any virtues that the world would recommend.

So-called psychoanalysts say that the thoughts of doomsayers are based on delusions of grandeur, egoism, and resignation.

Well, that’s pretty much it, except for the delusions.

I have no intention of denying it.

With that in mind, I went into debt, dug a bunker, and tried to please Mr. Kim.

But not everyone becomes a doomsday activist.

First of all, you have to read it.

We must have the insensitivity to be able to indifferently overlook the death of someone who has nothing to do with us.

It’s not to the extent of being inhumane and killing people like a human hunter, but you should not empathize with the suffering of others.

If the world is ruined, there will be tens of millions of people in difficult situations, and if we help each and every one of them, we will all end up in the same situation.

My ideal type of doomsday person is the indifferent bystander.

It is a life lived only for oneself, ignoring what is happening around oneself, whether hundreds of people die or there are heartbreaking stories.

A person like this deserves to be a legend.

Why, aren’t the last humans said to be legendary?

Unfortunately, I was not quite up to the task of becoming a legend.

*

It was the day after I checked the international residence that I got the information that it was coming.

I found another place to stay and spent the night there, but I stopped by the National Assembly as if it were my routine, and unexpectedly I obtained valuable information.

The information I get here is the biggest reason I stay connected to the city.

[ A giant monster is moving south through the kill zone ]

[ Presumed to be Kraken type ]

[ About 22 km/h. Direction is south-southwest ]

[ Entry into Seoul blocked, but expected to turn to the outskirts ]

[ Estimated to take approximately 56 hours until extinction ]

On a computer placed in one corner of the lobby of the National Assembly, information uploaded to the internal network was being updated in real time.

“It’s a Kraken type······.”

I’ve dealt with it in China.

You could call it a living building.

A monster that can take all known firearms with its large armor, and breaks through kill zones and destroy defense lines.

However, the guy wasn’t invincible and wasn’t that dangerous even by my standards.

Because they have low intelligence and simple patterns, if you prepare for them, they will rarely die, and if you leave them alone, they will disappear on their own.

People say that hunters, especially saviors, are the natural enemies of monsters, but in reality, the monsters’ most powerful enemy is the Earth itself.

This is because monsters, who are residents of another world, lose their vitality and begin to collapse for unknown reasons as soon as they cross the crack.

Monsters that lose all their vitality will crumble into particles and disappear, and the larger and stronger the monster, the faster the decay.

Of course, there are some exceptions, but the one that has appeared now is the disappearing type.

If I had to make a comparison, I would say he’s like a typhoon.

It is not much different from a typhoon in that it destroys everything living while it is alive, but loses momentum and self-destructs over time. In that the information agency watches the monster’s movements and direction, predicts its path, and prepares for damage.

The typhoon is passing through my area.

It’s creepy.

If I had been in the bunker without knowing the information, I would have been like an extra in a monster movie, not knowing that a disaster was coming, and just playing around, saying “Huh?” and being deleted.

What did you do to die?

No matter how much I think about it, I feel like I’m going to die writing in the community.

SKELTON: (Skeleton surprised) ?!

Something like this.

I’m worried because I’ve recently become an unpopular user in the community…

Somehow I feel like I’m in a much weaker position than human hunters.

But you probably didn’t get blocked that much, right?

Unfortunately, there was no contact with Kim Da-ram.

I understand.

She doesn’t even know where I live exactly and she’s so busy she doesn’t even have time to open her eyes.

While I was in the lobby of the National Assembly, I saw her quickly stepping into the elevator with stern-faced soldiers, Hunter bureaucrats, and politicians.

But I also really wish they had given me at least a simple warning.

*

bang!

Gunshots can be heard in the distance.

It was the first time in my life that I was attacked.

I didn’t receive it directly.

The attack happened a long time ago.

But the procession stopped, creating a spectacle of traffic jams during this time of destruction.

Police and soldiers blocked the traffic and told people to wait for the situation to end.

After a three-hour delay, the situation was resolved, but valuable time was lost.

As I was passing by, I saw corpses lying on the roadside.

I don’t know if the corpses, staring into space with their eyes wide open, without even a blanket to cover them, are looters or victims.

*

We immediately returned to the bunker and prepared ourselves.

We moved some of the seedlings that Mr. Kim was raising at home in advance and packed camping equipment such as tents, food, and drinking water.

The observation equipment prepared is binoculars with night vision function and a cheap drone.

The most important item to prepare is a four-wheel drive buggy that was sleeping in the underground garage.

You need mobility to deal with that monster.

The best bet is to keep your distance, and at worst, you need to escape before the two death rays overlap and create a death zone.

I poured a whole can of hermetically sealed gasoline, which had been carefully preserved for long periods of time, into the air and launched my cheap drone.

There were no particular threats in the vicinity.

The gold herd to the south is a threat, but I have no intention of going there.

I parked my car on the low hill above my bunker and waited.

There’s still some time left before the monsters arrive.

At first, I didn’t think anything of it.

After a brief hiatus, I thought about where the monsters would likely appear and the corresponding evasion routes.

It didn’t take particularly long.

Because I simulated in my brain every situation that could occur in this area while doing construction work.

Of course, the appearance of a giant species is also within the expected range.

I sat there blankly drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for time to pass.

There are still a couple of hours left.

It will show up soon.

But the K-Walkie-Talkie situation is a bit strange.

A disaster comparable to a typhoon is coming, but there is not a single warning announcement.

What happened?

The current time is 8:30 PM.

Based on the progress obtained from the National Assembly, the giant bell will likely have passed the outskirts of Seoul.

And yet the military frequency remains silent.

Could it be that the broadcasting station was affected?

“······.”

It’s not really my concern.

I am a doomsdayer.

I am a person who only cares about my life and safety, no matter what happens around me.

Those who wish to save the world are on the battlefield.

I’m content with just watching the world go by in my own way.

I thought that was the path I had set for myself and the path I had to take.

My beliefs, however, became increasingly shaken as time went on.

The first thing that came to my mind was the cheerful friends in our community.

I ran down to the bunker and logged into the community.

My colleagues in the community were going about their daily lives as usual, not knowing whether a typhoon was coming or not.

It seemed like they weren’t aware of the monster’s appearance yet.

No, maybe the guy who saw the monster has already gone to the other world.

I searched it.

Keystotne: This is down in Paju, why is the ground rumbling like this? Is there an earthquake?

Sent a message.

SKELTON: Are you alive?

There is no reply.

I wrote a post on the bulletin board.

SKELTON: (Skeleton questions) Keystone, are you alive? If you are, please answer.

There is no answer.

Even if 10 minutes pass, even if 20 minutes pass.

Is he dead?

Did they just disappear without a trace in a bomb shelter, swept away by a typhoon without knowing anything?

Another comrade died.

Although this is just a connection on the internet where we don’t know each other’s names or faces, the death of this colleague is still real.

Because there’s no one left in my future who’ll give me one like, one view, or one reply.

“······.”

I thought about it for a moment.

It is true that I have a heavy heart in this world.

It is true that we blame God, and it is also true that we feel resentment toward this world, its systems, and humanity itself.

But does that mean we have to watch them die?

A wool felt doll that takes up an entire room is staring at me blankly.

What would the creator of that doll, Anonymous337, think when he sees a day like this?

What about the nameless woman who died in an explosion under the pretext of raising a murderous monster?

Who owns this laptop?

There are people alive.

That particularly cold Christmas night, the girl’s cries still remain vivid in my heart.

“······.”

I am neither a hero nor a savior.

I have neither the qualifications nor the ability to do so.

The person I wanted to be was an indifferent bystander.

It has to be that way.

But wouldn’t it be okay for just today?

It’s not a special day, but it’s the day a typhoon came.

That whim moved me.

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

– Heading south along the attached map route!

If you’re on the path, leave the bunker and watch, even if it’s just for today.

It’s no use staying in a bunker.

Because its destruction beam ignores cover and disintegrates all living things within its radius.

This is not a joke, this is serious advice.

*If this was helpful, please give it a like!*

I don’t want to lose these friends.

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton warning) Monsters are coming!

…

…

[Warning! Access is restricted for 12 hours due to painting.]

“Sval! It’s a well-intentioned painting!”

So I painted it.

I thought this would be enough, but my whims were already demanding the following.

“This is Skeleton. This is Skeleton. Anyone receiving this transmission, please respond immediately. I say it again. This is Skeleton! Skeleton!”

It’s a sniper family.

I want to save them too.

Of course I don’t like that woman, but that daughter is different.

“An hour later, a giant monster will arrive. Its type is Kraken. It is as big as a building and emits a death ray that can kill all living things within a 2km radius.”

I want to hear his voice again next Christmas.

I want to say Merry Christmas.

With my voice, not my keyboard.

Even if there is the typical radio noise,

It is my humble wish.

Well, there is another intention.

Since there was no answer, I drove straight into the sniper’s territory.

As time was running out, we passed the gold area.

As expected, the mutation dogs are chasing me with their mouths drooling.

“Those little shits like gaming laptops?”

I managed to outrun them with gunfire and speed, and reached the sniper’s territory, but what greeted me was the sound of sharp gunfire.

bang!

A bullet pierced through the ground beneath my feet, kicking up dust.

He spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“Can’t you hear? You’re saying everything is lost?”

There is no answer.

Said it again.

“Are you going to let your daughter die too?”

That statement worked.

The sniper and her daughter emerged from the darkness.

“Skeleton!”

The girl looked at me, smiled brightly, and waved.

“filled?”

The sniper shook his head.

“Gasoline. It’s spoiled.”

“Get on.”

I didn’t think I’d get on right away.

I thought some persuasion was needed.

But the sniper climbed into the car with surprising ease.

“Take a look.”

She spoke in broken Korean as she put on her belt.

“what?”

“Monster.”

There was a reason I listened to you.

“Hold on tight.”

I drove away from the area.

From a low hill overlooking the land below, we witnessed a gigantic monster appearing in our territory.

A colossus like a building with legs trampled the ground as if it were an outrage, and it shot out rays of malice like a net, sweeping away all living things without a trace.

The death ray, which destroys only living things, narrowly missed my bunker area.

If I had been there, I probably wouldn’t have died a nice death.

Maybe he died by being cut in half?

Although he was a sniper who had been through a lot, he was just a scared sheep in front of the monster that denied this world.

I just looked at them and said something.

“Stand there for a moment.”

“What?”

“Photo. Click.”

“why?”

“I have a printer at home, so I can print it for you.”

Even though times are tough, shouldn’t we have memories?

Coincidentally, the typhoon that had been hitting our area had dissipated as I was taking these photos.

The monster that was blaspheming the axis and burning everything began to crumble into particles, engulfed in a bright light.

The colors and shapes of the light, scattered like gold leaf blowing in the wind against the dark ground without a single light, were eerily beautiful.

“······Pretty.”

The girl muttered as she watched the sight as if she had lost her mind, and her mother held her hand and together they stared at the mingling of things that belonged to this world and things that did not belong to this world.

Click

A photo was saved in the folder.

*

SKELTON : (Skeleton Photo) Untitled 03

My photos created a bit of a stir in the community.

I received a lot of valuable comments and some likes.

There were many comments saying that the girl in particular was cute.

Someone asked me what the photo was, but I didn’t answer out of respect for the sniper’s family’s privacy.

Unfortunately, my information was of little help to our community members.

Because we didn’t have any friends along the way.

Keystone, who was thought to be dead, was also alive.

keystone: I thought I was going to die from stomachache.

Did this kid block me?!

I guess it’s okay though.

The guy who actually wanted me to block didn’t block me.

Defender: Skeleton, this guy is seriously cool. He’s got a great sense of aesthetics. He’s a bit crude with the lighting, but he’s good at framing.

No, rather, he is actively interested in me.

At that level, he’s rather a nobleman.

The human hunter sent me a message with a photo attached.

The photo clearly shows the back of my head riding in a four-wheeled buggy with the mother and daughter snipers.

Message from Defender: Skeleton. Is that you?

SKELTON: No

A message from Defender: Thanks to you, my life was saved. Thank you. I will definitely repay this favor.

“······under.”