Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 203



Only Krnovel

91. Breakdown (1)

Accidents happen without warning.

The generator broke down.

It was when I was finishing my normal routine and was about to start the generator to charge the batteries that I realized the truth.

The generator didn’t turn on.

“······.”

When I discovered that the starter button that had always failed me no longer worked, my feelings were not one of fear or dismay, but rather a sense of anticipation.

I thought it would break someday.

But I thought it would last at least 5 years.

There may be several reasons for faster than expected breakdowns, but perhaps it is due to the synthetic oil being used recently?

They say that they synthesized it in a way that is most similar to gasoline, but no matter how excellent South Korea’s chemical engineering is, it is impossible to create a 100% perfect counterfeit.

A tough guy like my motorcycle wouldn’t complain if his drinking habits changed a little, but the heart of my bunker might not.

After a brief moment of silence, I quickly came to my senses and looked through the manual in the metal basket next to the generator.

According to it, there are several reasons why the generator engine does not start, such as a malfunction in the control circuit, a malfunction in the starter motor, a short circuit in the preheating resistor, or a lack of fuel injection.

In case of a breakdown, I unfolded the checklist items and performed each self-repair item required by the manual.

“No capacitor problem, good starter motor, no coil burnout, no nozzle pipe problem······.”

The repairs started after the sun set and lasted until late at night.

I want to sleep, but the generator is a major problem.

If the generator stops, I can’t charge the batteries, and if I can’t charge the batteries, the Internet and almost all of my cultural activities stop.

There are small generators used by poor doomsday activists, but they are only a stopgap measure.

I can’t even dream of things like air conditioning, and the power I provide is woefully inadequate to operate the security devices, including the motion detectors I’ve installed in my area.

Above all, in order for me to survive in this realm for a long time, the heart of my realm must remain alive.

Dalgrak Dalgrak

Bang! Bang!

I took two caffeine capsules and worked through the night.

Although it was night, the cause was discovered after working so hard that sweat poured down my entire body.

There was a problem with a component called the stop solenoid.

According to the manual, this is a component that stops the generator by blocking the fuel flowing into the generator according to an electric signal, but this guy doesn’t receive the signal.

It took quite a while to determine if the problem was with the control circuit or with the stop solenoid itself.

You can look at it yourself, read the manual, and even watch the attached repair video.

It was around dawn that it was realized that there was a problem with the component itself.

“Phew.”

Not only did I not get any sleep, I also did not have a proper meal.

I climbed down the ladder to the food storage area at the bottom of the bunker area.

The freezer hasn’t been running since last year, but the mini-fridge is still running on power from the battery.

I gulped down the cool, homemade corn silk tea, took out a pemmican from the fridge, and climbed up the ladder to the main bunker.

Meals are eaten at the dining table, or more precisely, in front of the computer.

I didn’t originally have that habit, but it’s a habit that has naturally developed over time as I’ve adopted a lifestyle of overcoming loneliness on the Internet.

I dissolved the pemmican in lukewarm water and swallowed it with the water.

Honestly, I can’t say it tastes good.

Just eat it.

Today I decided to eat protein and fat.

After dinner, I ate a spoonful of the jam I made last year.

After a short break, I headed to the garage to find some parts.

Every consumable part in my generator has at least 3 spare parts.

In the case of stationary solanade, three were also equipped.

however.

“uh?”

The specifications do not match.

How did this happen?

I looked at the manual.

different.

I remembered the attitude of the salesperson when I bought the generator.

When I told him I wanted to buy parts for stockpiling, he insisted on talking about his company’s excellent after-sales service capabilities like a recorder and said it wasn’t necessary.

As I kept nagging him, he sighed and said okay. He made me wait for 30 minutes and then took out the replacement parts. Thinking back now, I think he probably gave me the wrong ones.

“······under.”

My head feels so hot, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

It wouldn’t be wise to get all worked up over a human who might have died in the war.

The only consolation I can have is that my generator is made by the most widely used company in South Korea.

When choosing a generator, the first thing I consider is the performance I want, followed by popularity.

The fact that many people use it means that it is easy to obtain parts for it.

However, we will not be dealing with people.

Even I had no knowledge or interest in this system before I installed the generator.

If we ask how many people in Korea know about the maintenance of diesel generators, which are mainly used in small and medium-sized factories with about 100 employees, the conclusion is self-evident.

Not only are there few people who can read machinery, but how many people would be willing to stock parts for a factory-built generator, let alone a small one?

The method I chose was scavenging, which Defenders like and are good at.

My generator is a model that is often used in industrial complexes, and I know that it is mainly used by small and medium-sized businesses with about 100 employees.

When the war began, scavengers spent the first year or two rummaging around, taking anything of value, but it is undeniable that they were after personal items that could be transported by hand and used immediately.

Even the most extreme scavengers cannot easily touch the heavy machinery used in so-called factory units.

Taking it away is one thing, but finding someone to buy it will be an even bigger problem.

Although the place I live is a bit remote, as expected from a metropolitan area that is home to half of the population of South Korea, there are several industrial complexes within a day’s drive.

I plan to choose one or two of these complexes to visit.

Phagejik-

While I was selecting a factory in front of my computer, the light bulb went off.

Looks like the battery is finally dead.

I took a makeshift generator out of the garage and turned it on to supply electricity to the batteries I needed for the time being.

Brr …

Small generators are a pain to start.

A skilled person can often start it, but at least in this area I am a beginner.

After pulling the starter several times, I finally managed to get the generator to fire up.

Boooo …

It may seem like a simple and trivial thing, but in reality, it is not that simple.

Without electricity, there’s nothing to dispel the darkness in my bunker.

Things have recently been resolved amicably with Kim Da-ram, and the entrance to the main bunker that had been covered with dirt has been dug up again. If I leave the door open, some light will leak in, but it will only be limited to a small part of the entrance. Without electricity, my bunker will be nothing more than a tomb.

The survey area was selected while the small generator was running.

Two locations were selected.

One is a small industrial complex close to my area that has been infested with scavengers for a long time, but is still easily accessible.

The other one is located further southwest of my territory, in the lands that Gold once ruled.

It is said that it is a pristine area that scavengers do not dare to touch.

We packed our guns, equipment, and food.

The food I packed today is the US military combat rations that Rebecca gave me a while ago.

Suwa and Rebecca, are you doing well?

After thinking about the mother and daughter for a moment, I got on my motorcycle and headed to the first survey site.

Beep- beep- beep-

I always take a Geiger counter with me when I go on field trips around my area.

The radiation would have all gone away by now, but I’m just trying to be safe.

By the way, the condition of the industrial complex is not very good.

It looked fine from a distance, but the aftershock of the nuclear bombing had fried the inside of the factory.

The Geiger counter shows that it is safe to go inside, but the inside of the factory seen with my own eyes, it feels like it clearly reveals that there is nothing to eat from the start.

I found a few blackened generators, identified the parts I wanted, and examined them with an electroscope.

“······Written.”

Dead.

They all died, this one and that one.

Well, it’s not that far from the epicenter, so there’s no way the electrical system machines would be alive.

I got over a nuclear bombing so easily that I made fun of the nukes.

A nuclear attack in an unprepared location would be a truly catastrophic disaster.

It is said that the damage was particularly severe in China, which has a large population compared to its vast territory.

Rather, it suffered more damage than Taiwan, which was hit with nuclear bombs.

Both Taiwan and China are now countries where people have disappeared, but it is clear that there is nothing to be gained from this industrial complex.

I quickly gave up and headed to the next location.

The next candidate, Gold’s territory, has been designated as a forbidden place since immediately after the war.

Strictly speaking, that forbidden area is a small miracle that occurred due to several coincidences.

It is certainly a strong mutation group that the Gold Pack cannot do anything about, but the area around it is a battlefield abandoned during the war, so it has no strategic value, and it is not located on the axis connecting Seoul and the provincial major cities, and it is somewhat far from Seoul.

This means that it wasn’t worth the effort to suppress them.

So the surrounding area became a paradise for beasts without people, and the reproductive power of life was truly amazing.

There are beasts everywhere.

In addition to familiar animals like deer and wild boar, we also saw wild dogs, cats, and even a herd of wild horses.

The horses leisurely grazing in a group were probably used for racing, judging by their long legs and well-balanced, sturdy builds.

I don’t know how we survived that cold winter when people were dying, but I guess that’s the vitality of nature.

The giant dog that roamed this plain has disappeared.

Gold died and his son followed the herd and left the land.

With the advent of unmanageable and brutal hunters, there was no longer any place for mutation dogs.

The industrial complex I’m going to is located close to the Chinese military’s remaining base.

It’s too far to be called a controlled area, but it’s close enough that you can reach it if you patrol far away.

Nearby is the abandoned bunker of that Dragon Clan.

[3203 Advanced Materials Industry Complex]

A broken and corroded sign told me I was in the right place.

In the distance, factory buildings of various shapes are visible.

This is today’s main objective.

Knowing that there was a Chinese military base nearby, I parked my motorcycle far away and hid it there before approaching on foot.

There is no trace of the factory being in operation.

There is no trace of people or monsters.

But it can’t hurt to be careful.

Unlike the old city center, the industrial complex area is built in a checkerboard pattern by paving roads and developing land, and then selling or leasing each lot to a company.

A straight road may be convenient for driving, but for a shooter, it means a wide open field that stretches out as far as the eye can see.

It is extremely dangerous to take steps without thinking in a place like this.

Instead of searching each building like a regular scavenger, you should search with the feeling of expanding your territory.

Arrived at the first building.

Although it is located beyond the Gold Zone, the factory appears to have been ransacked by scavengers at least twice.

You can tell by the trash strewn about, the broken windows, and the factory machinery smashed by human hands.

However, the areas where scavengers mainly turn are the dormitories, cafeteria, and offices.

The side with the factory equipment is in good condition.

The parts for the model I wanted were not available.

It is a German-made generator that is expensive but not practical, and even that has traces of fire or short circuit after the war.

It was right after the war when sprinklers were running, so it didn’t spread into a large fire.

Even though it was a waste of time, at least we secured a safe zone within this industrial complex.

I stood by the entrance and looked around.

The main things I checked were points where I could be sniped from a distance and cover that could be useful when moving to the next location.

It may seem ridiculous for our non-military Hunters to be running around looking for cover, but when you’re constantly being shot by hostile civilians, you can’t help but imitate the military even if you don’t want to.

If it’s an area I know, then it might be okay, but in an area I don’t know and that is hostile, I need to be careful, even if it means pushing myself a little.

bang-

I was searching the fourth factory and moving on to the next location when I heard gunshots.

A bullet narrowly missed my head and ricocheted off the wall.

He instantly estimated the shooting position and pressed against the concrete wall that he had already used as semi-cover.

“······.”

This is an extremely excellent marksmanship.

If I had strayed just a little bit, I would have fallen to the ground as a corpse.

My life was saved by luck, but it was also probably due to my habit of always moving to find cover and keeping in mind a sniping point.

The sniper, feeling impatient, took advantage of the momentary opening I had exposed and fired a shot, missing the target.

The unwanted battle had begun.

The first thing to do is to understand the enemy’s strength.

It may not be easy to determine the enemy’s strength when you’re being shot at unilaterally, but it’s not completely impossible.

It can be assumed that follow-up attacks and movements are being confirmed.

My feeling is that it is not a large-scale ambush.

At best, it is an attack by squads or small groups.

After assessing the location, we ran at full speed to the safe zone – the factory where the search was completed.

There were no additional shots fired, but that didn’t mean the fighting was over.

There are two options.

Do I go back and search the next complex, or do I subdue the sniper who attacked me?

I’d like the latter.

The generator is a matter of life and death in my realm.

As far as we have seen, the machinery of this complex is still in perfect condition.

There’s too much to lose if we give up like this.

I tried to gauge the sniper’s position through the broken glass and mirror at the window.

There are two places, but either one is good.

Clank-

I looked at the screen reflected in the mirror and waited for the enemy’s shadow to appear.

Wheeeeeeeeing—

The sound of the drone’s wings could be heard on the wind.

It’s a small drone.

It approached the outside of the building I was hiding in and started circling around.

What should I do?

Should I destroy the drone?

That’s easy.

But what if we use that drone?

Wheeeeeeeeing–

A drone has infiltrated the building.

It was actively trying to determine my location, stirring up every nook and cranny of the factory.

But he will never come looking for me.

“······.”

I’m on the metal stairs leading to the rooftop.

A drone’s camera is usually pointed straight ahead, slightly below the front, or completely downwards, and is rarely mounted on top.

This is because the drone itself is an aircraft and is designed to monitor objects below.

Wheeeeeeeeing–

The pilot won’t be able to see me unless he catches me from afar with a wide-angle lens.

As expected, the drone soon left the factory without finding me, and soon a figure appeared on the street.

Chinese military.

She’s a woman.