Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 15



Only Krnovel

14. Reverse Scale

It is possible to guess where the human hunter took the photo.

Before the war, it was a place where crops turned golden with open farmland.

It is not an easy task to dig up the land and do construction work on a place that is clearly marked as a field, not a mountain or forest like my land.

In fact, I have never seen any signs of construction, even though I frequently travel to that area.

The human hunter must have just happened to pass by that place.

He also appealed that he was located around Gwanggyo, and the scenery reflected in the murder certification photos he uploaded in succession suggested that he lived in a mountainous area covered with dense forests.

Maybe this guy, the human hunter, is the type that roams around like a swindler?

However, it does not appear that they use cars or other means of transportation.

All I found around the tracks left by my four-wheeler were the tracks left by men’s-sized sneakers.

The footsteps were heading east, and even then they were lost in the tangled reeds.

But why are you going east?

I don’t want to know and I have no way of knowing.

The problem is this guy’s recent actions.

[ Defender sent you a friend request . ]

This is the first time I found out that Viva! Apocalypse! has a friends function.

Why?

Because I’ve never received a friend request.

But why this guy of all people?

Honestly, I hate this guy.

I agree that it is a world where killing people is unavoidable, but his actions of killing and authenticating a large number of people as soon as the war started as if he had been waiting for it were somewhat twisted.

Even after unblocking him, that feeling hasn’t changed much.

[Approve] [Reject]

There are two clear choices here.

For some reason I haven’t pressed the reject button yet.

*

It’s been one year and ten months since the war started.

The outside temperature today is 32 degrees. It’s midsummer.

During this time of year, posts criticizing the viciousness of the four seasons in Korea and cursing Dangun’s vision are regularly posted on the community.

I’m not afraid of summer.

Indoor temperature 24 degrees.

This is the current temperature in my bunker.

Yes, that’s right.

The air conditioning is running in my bunker.

On the table are the assassin’s pasta that was just made and shaved ice with condensed milk and canned red beans on top.

If you put a big spoonful of shaved ice in your mouth that has been properly warmed by the pasta,

“Ugh~.”

Pain that makes your head spin and ringing comes along with happiness.

You could call it the joy of summer.

I am also a person with a keen sense of perception.

I didn’t post any pictures of shaved ice on the community.

If I, who am already hated for no reason, commit such a petty deception, the only people left who will read my writing will be weird people like human hunters!

Although I am an unpopular user on the bulletin board, it is no exaggeration to say that my quality of life is top-tier.

No, you’d have to look into the conglomerates that built the castle to find someone who eats and lives as well as I do.

The key to my luxurious life is, above all, abundant electricity.

The power generation facilities are different.

While most community users use small generators such as gasoline or gas, I run a large diesel generator suitable for factory use.

This generator, named Skeleton Heart, boasts an enormous size larger than a typical bunker, and can be called the heart of my hideout, just as its name suggests.

The performance is certain.

With just oil, it can generate tremendous power, enough to charge dozens of batteries in an instant and still have some leftover energy.

The downsides are the installation costs, noise, and huge gas emissions.

The installation cost was covered by buying cheap land, and noise was not a problem since it was built in an uninhabited area, but the exhaust gas was a headache that bothered me as much as the groundwater throughout the construction of the bunker.

After drilling as many as seven vents and dozens of trials and errors, we were able to build the duct system.

However, when the generator is turned on, black smoke billows out through the vents.

I tried to reduce the smoke by installing a dust suppression facility, but from a distance, it might not be noticeable, but from a place where I could observe my bunker with the naked eye, seven columns of smoke could be seen without fail.

So the generator is usually run only at night, but on rainy or windy days, it is intentionally run even when electricity is not needed, to charge the batteries.

But this abundance also has its conditions.

The surrounding area should be empty of people.

Even though the darkness of the night blocks out smoke, people should not live within an area where they can hear the noise and the shaking of the ground when the generator is running.

Bang! Bang!

That afternoon, in the south, a mother and daughter snipers fired their guns with gusto.

Feeling more than usual.

Is there going to be a battle?

Soon the K-walkie-talkie rang, spitting out awkward Korean along with noise.

-Chijijik! Skeleton. Lots of people are heading there.

Since the day the typhoon came, the snipers have maintained a loose alliance with their neighbors.

Although we didn’t say anything about holding hands, our relationship with Sinabro improved.

Providing information is one of them.

He asked into the walkie-talkie with a bitter smile.

“You guys kicked them out?”

There was no answer on the radio, but my daughter’s laughter could be faintly heard just before the radio was disconnected.

The sniper was chasing down a refugee.

Refugees, once a hot topic in the community, are now rare and rare guests.

In the year immediately following the war, many refugees left the harsh city of Seoul for the countryside, but most of them failed, and rumors of their failure spread.

In addition, as the war stabilized and the government began to send hopeful messages and actions, the number of refugees decreased rapidly and has been non-existent for the past few months.

But in these times, they are refugees.

They headed straight for my territory.

“Oh, shit.”

I was getting more and more annoyed.

Why do you come to my area out of all the places you have?

Are you a looter?

The armed status is not very good.

Most of them carry homemade crossbows called Judge Killers, and only a few carry firearms.

They got as far as my outer bunker.

He turned off the air conditioner, took out his gun, loaded it with bullets, and secured the two axes to his belt.

I am neither a sniper mother nor a headhunter.

My strategy is to avoid combat and not reveal my location if possible.

We activated all wiretapping and surveillance equipment to monitor their movements.

“There’s nothing here, so why did you come here?”

“That’s right. Wasn’t this area hit by a nuclear bomb?”

“I think that was a US military base. You said you changed your destination to the US military base?”

A rumbling voice came from the speaker.

The one who answered was a man in his mid-40s wearing a priest’s uniform.

“Because in this area, the ground is high and there is a low hill that can command the surrounding area.”

The man in uniform looked around and added.

“Since the recovery of the city has failed, our current objective has changed to the recovery of the US military base. The US military base is right there. However, there is also the issue of residual radiation, and there may be looters hiding there like before, so let’s settle down here and slowly recover the area while observing the surroundings. As you know, this area is dangerous.”

I found out the man’s name later; his name was Lieutenant Choi.

Both the attire and the people around him looked more like reservists than active duty.

All of those who were with him were men, most of whom were around the same age as Lieutenant Choi.

They were not trained soldiers.

Most of them were slow in their actions and often showed signs of anxiety.

I wanted to ignore it if possible.

But the moment I saw them pitching tents within my territory, I clicked my tongue and realized that things were seriously off the rails.

To make matters worse, a man discovered a dummy bunker disguised as a snow cover.

“What is this? Is this a bunker?”

It’s empty inside.

All I have inside are explosives that I can detonate inside the main bunker.

It is built in a semi-bunker style with a long, straight hole that serves as both a gun muzzle and an observation window, ensuring defensive capabilities, but it is not intended for residential use.

Best of all, there’s a secret passage hidden inside that bunker that leads to my main bunker.

I left the bunker with a gun in my hand.

The reason they showed up was because it was determined that they were at least not looters.

When I appeared, Lieutenant Choi and others expressed considerable surprise.

“This is private property.”

I spoke to them from a suitable distance, with industrial waste nearby for cover at any time.

“Please get out.”

People were muttering.

Although there were some who showed hostility, they were a minority and most felt surprise and fear towards a figure in the country carrying a gun.

The one who dealt with me was Lieutenant Choi.

He looked me up and down, gestured for the people around him to stay still, and then took a step forward.

He had a pistol strapped to his belt.

“hello?”

He shouted cheerfully.

He only nodded briefly and did not answer.

“I am Lieutenant Colonel Choi Hyuk-chan. I have come to develop this area with permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.”

“Pioneering?”

He came up to me and tried to show me some documents.

When I pointed my gun at him and signaled him not to come near, he smiled bitterly and put the documents in his pocket.

“You’re still young, but you’re still very cautious. Did you get beaten up when you were in school? Anyway, have you always lived here alone?”

“I don’t intend to talk at length with you, so keep it short.”

“Haha. Okay. I’ll keep it short.”

Lieutenant Choi, who had been smiling pleasantly, suddenly became serious and spoke loudly.

“You said this was your land? That’s all old news now.”

“What does that mean?”

“The ownership has been reset. The real estate register has been completely erased. The provinces outside of major cities are now no-man’s land. The first one to settle and occupy is the owner.”

The man took out the papers again and waved them around.

“This is the permit.”

Only then did I understand.

Why did the refugees who had not been seen for a while reappear?

A thought occurred to me.

The situation in Seoul may be more serious than I saw.

“You look so nice, I think you’re a destructionist or something, but we won’t touch your land. That’s where our target is.”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi pointed to the US military base.

“I’m going to borrow this area for a while until the other side is cleaned up. You’ll be lenient on that, right? Mr. Former Owner~?”

Lieutenant Choi fiddled with his pistol.

I thought about it for a moment.

Should we kill them all or should we endure it and live?

A thought came to mind of the human hunter and his murder certificate, but I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind.

“Two days is fine.”

Permission was granted conditionally.

I don’t want to cause any trouble and they aren’t looters.

“Two days? Two days is a bit short, but I guess I get it.”

And so began an uneasy cohabitation.

Everything was unsatisfactory, but my biggest complaint was that I couldn’t get the heart of my realm to work.

The battery power was rapidly decreasing.

The temperature inside the bunker soared uncomfortably and candles replaced electric lights.

What’s most devastating is that the temperature in the freezer is rising faster than expected.

A few hours at most.

The freezer, which has always been kept below zero inside, will be soaked with the midsummer heat.

That means my precious food could disappear completely.

Not being able to access the community was another pain.

“······.”

I thought of the human hunter again.

I kept thinking in the dark that he had sent me a friend request and that I had not rejected it.

Lieutenant Choi and his party did not approach my territory for the first day, but after a day, they began to explore my territory like curious children.

In particular, they showed great interest in the dummy bunker where I appeared.

Every time, I stood in front with a gun, but fear is easily diluted.

People who were surprised to see me at first now talk to me calmly.

“Sir, what do you eat and live here? Is there anything to eat?”

Lieutenant Choi came to see me when the thermometer in the freezer was reading minus one degree Celsius.

“Our circumstances are not good, can you give us some of your leftover food?”

“Food?”

“Wouldn’t they be there? They’re destructionists, right? They’d probably be piling them up in bunkers.”

“Even if I have it, why should I give it to you?”

“Because I’m Korean. Koreans should help each other.”

Lieutenant Choi looked back at their group and chuckled.

“Even though you’re young, it seems like you’re alone. Can you handle all of us?”

The promised day passed, but Lieutenant Choi did not keep his promise.

Two days later, he and his group were still roaming my territory without a care in the world.

That afternoon, things happened.

Someone was knocking on the emergency door of my main bunker.

This is the entrance to the passageway leading to a dozen dummy bunkers that I built myself.

“Hey. Is there a door here?”

That’s what they found.

The main bunker is like my life.

“Push! Push!”

“Hurry! Rush! Urgent! Rush!”

After the nightmarish screams passed, there was a brief silence, and then Lieutenant Colonel Choi’s voice rang out from right in front of them, through the iron gate.

“Are you there~? Yeah~? Are you over there~? Your face is so red! Ah~!”

Listening to Lieutenant Choi’s mocking provocation, I made up my mind.

“I have something to tell you.”

For the first time, he appeared before them unarmed.

What I was holding in my hand was a cigarette.

“The sun is strong right now, so it must be hot, but please wait inside the bunker. I’ll bring out some alcohol and food. First, have some cigarettes.”

Lieutenant Choi smiled and spoke informally.

“It should have come out like that a long time ago.”

He looked at me with his downcast eyes and secretly pushed me away.

“Isn’t that the bunker you live in beyond that iron gate? I know. I know.”

He was intoxicated with a sense of victory.

He placed a casual hand on my shoulder and took a deep drag on his cigarette.

“We won’t take your house. You must have worked hard to prepare it, right? It’s obvious just by looking at it. We’re not looters either. We’ll be neighbors once we settle down in the US military base. Isn’t that right? It seems like you live alone, but if you call my family later, I’ll introduce you to a good woman. All of this friend’s daughters are pretty. They’re idol-level idols!”

His friend request ended in an explosion.

I was hunting people who had guns and avoided explosions.

Among them was Lieutenant Choi.

“Oh, how could this be······. How······!”

His death left me with no emotion.

There are more important things to do.

We quickly turned on the generator and supplied power.

Coolness returned to the freezer that had been turned off, and comfort returned to the bunker that had been sweltering in the heat.

I smiled with satisfaction for the first time in a long time, feeling the fresh, cool breeze right in front of the air conditioner.

Maybe that’s why.

[ You have accepted Defender’s friend request . ]

I accepted the friend request that I had been putting off.

The human hunter looked very pleased.

Defender: (Defender is impressed) This guy Skeleton, he was so annoying but he finally accepted my friend request! Thank you!

“······.”

I forgot about it for a moment.

That I and the human hunter are just ordinary people living in the age of destruction.

We are not very different.

They both have reversible scales, and when you touch them, they wiggle.

It’s just that the human hunter’s scale is a little bit bigger than mine.

That’s all.