Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 249



Only Krnovel

103. Struggle (5)

Regardless of the bulletin board’s popularity, the struggle for survival at 1,200 meters above sea level continues.

Two days after being attacked by the unknown Awaken, a vehicle I had never seen before approached the outpost up the slope.

It feels like an armored vehicle made to feel like a sports car.

That vehicle, which appears to be powered by electricity, is a type I have never seen before.

Maybe it’s a new model.

Two people got out of the vehicle.

They were both wearing white uniforms, but they were uniforms I didn’t recognize.

They were both around the same age, but judging from the fact that one of them volunteered to be a servant, I wonder if the other one wasn’t quite as tall?

“This is Park Seung-soo, a member of the National Assembly.”

As a member of the National Assembly.

As expected, he was a very high-ranking person.

Looking at his face, he gives off a strong feeling similar to Jeong Ho-gyeong, whom I saw in Gaeseong.

A feeling that is outwardly polite, but inwardly wary of me for reasons unknown to me and endlessly tries to put me down.

This friend is also a golden boy who was born at the right time.

While I was trying to interpret the person in front of me using my own physiognomy and database, Seungsu Park spoke to me.

“I read what the report said. It’s about a group of people coming at you on a foggy night, throwing javelins at you, and when you returned fire, they ran away?”

“yes.”

I presented the evidence I had prepared in advance.

It is a crude murder weapon made from a piece of iron, but properly processed to suit its original purpose of murder.

It’s lighter and, for some aerodynamic reason I can’t figure out, it makes less noise when thrown.

The tip of the spear, which was merely a sharpened piece of iron, was no match for the axe I was using, but it was at least more than enough to pierce a human body.

Although I have limited knowledge of poisons, I did notice an unidentified, harmful-looking mucus on the tip of the spear.

“This is······.”

Park Seung-su looked at the window, frowned, and looked at the window with a frowning expression for a while.

He looked away from the window and stared at me.

“Where are you from?”

I guided them toward the primitive alarm system I had installed.

There was still a thick fog at the foot of the mountain, but it did not encroach on our altitude, so visibility was good.

But we must not let our guard down at the foot of the ridge rocks over there.

Among the items taken by Manhunter were guns and ammunition.

“Hmm. These are footprints.”

Park Seung-su looked at the footprints that were slowly fading away with a serious expression.

Perhaps he hadn’t been trained to distinguish the number and status of others just by looking at their footprints like I had, because he quickly looked away from the footprints, unlike when he looked at the window.

“······The Manhunter was an unknown enemy that had been threatening control of this ridge for a long time. We searched the area thoroughly by sending people and machines and even using sensory abilities, but we could not find any trace of it. So we even joked that the Manhunter’s true identity was the fog itself that never seemed to clear away.”

Park Seung-su let out a bitter smile and stared wistfully at the black spear he still held.

“But a person······.”

“The number of people is as written in the report, but I think there may be others.”

My feelings toward Park Seung-su are neutral.

To be precise, it would be slightly more negative than neutral.

These guys are the ones trying to erase our old school hunters from the history of hunters.

To be honest, I’m single.

But even if I were to choose, the boss here is this guy who is a little younger than me.

Well, he’s a high-ranking official, so wouldn’t he listen to me better than a soldier on the phone?

I spoke softly to him, who was lost in thought.

“I applied for a shift, but the schedule keeps getting postponed. They told me to stay for another week. So I applied for reinforcements, but there’s no guarantee of reinforcements. I can’t live like this. It’s no different from telling me to die.”

When I voiced my complaint, Seungsu Park stared sharply at a man of his age who appeared to be his aide.

“Did you hear what this person said?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please take action as quickly as possible.”

Park Seung-su looked at me and then lifted the window.

“Excuse me, but can I take this window?”

“Yes, please do so.”

Something doesn’t feel right, but I have no other choice.

There’s no reason to hate him since he’s the one holding the knife.

At least this guy is pretending to help me with his mouth.

We’ll have to wait and see what the outcome is.

He suddenly looked around with eyes filled with memories.

“It’s still the same here.”

“Have you ever been here?”

“Yes. Just for a little while. I was here before the war. It was a very quiet time. There were deer on the slope over there.”

Park Seung-su turned towards me.

“Okay. Please take care of it. This outpost is the front line and the most important area on Jeju Island. It’s a key location where we have no choice but to deploy people even if there are continuous missing people.”

Park Seung-su bowed and left.

The aide glanced at him, nodded, and turned to face his superior.

I tilted my head as I watched the small armored vehicle departing.

By the way, this guy.

He never called my name even once.

*

Unlike real life where I walk on thin ice, my bulletin board life was gradually moving towards becoming a named person.

If other people saw me, they might say I eat it raw.

It’s not like I put in the effort to make it like a beatbox video, nor did I put in the effort to translate famous foreign texts like Jonnaenon did. All I did was click on the emoticon window and add an emoticon.

But this is never an easy task.

Let me give you an example.

Today, I click on one of the posts on the Red Archive bulletin board, which is full of life reminiscent of life before the war.

Gangdong-gu Mermaid: Master♡Master♡

This friend, Gangdong-gu Mermaid, is a friend who has a bit of a friendly group on the bulletin board.

Just like Kyledos of the past.

So, it’s not a named user, but rather a user with a name of some sort?

The content of the text he wrote was nothing more than a picture of a character with fox ears and a tail from the Red Archive blushing and looking embarrassed, and underneath it was a bunch of nonsense that must have been written without a second of thought.

-I like it♡

This is a frown-inducing piece of writing.

But overcoming these ill feelings is the role of the newly born Skeleton.

“······.”

Click

SKELTON: (Emoticon of a red-haired girl blushing and being startled)

Emoticons that match the bulletin board title, photo, and post content were added.

This is not an easy task.

I have to react to that text as if I were one of the many cute girls in the emoticons I use.

As men my age would usually say,

This means that you should never say things like, “You should study instead of going crazy looking at that idiot’s picture. Tsk tsk.”

With this suffering comes reward.

Gangdong-gu Mermaid: Oh. Kelton came to work?

This is a true stack of likes.

In this way, while increasing my fan base on the bulletin board, I also need to filter out unpopular users who have been labeled as public enemies on the bulletin board.

Just as our bulletin board once had four monsters, this bulletin board also has many malicious users of similar rank.

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

Quantum Bomb: Why doesn’t Kelton give me an emoticon?

The quantum bomber who is currently plastering the bulletin board is one of the villains of such bulletin boards.

But you shouldn’t react to him.

If you hang out with someone who is hated by everyone, you will be pointed at in return. This has always been the case, regardless of time or place.

“······.”

I gave an emoticon to a normal user who ignored the quantum bomb and wrote nonsense right above the quantum bomb.

This is my “message” to the quantum bomb.

As I was enjoying a lively and peaceful day, the unicorn approached me to talk to her.

Unicorn: Skeleton······.

SKELTON: (Skeleton) What’s going on?

Unicorn: No······. I’m doing well. I’m really doing well······.

SKELTON: ?

Unicorn: I don’t think this is right······.

SKELTON: What?

Unicorn: To be honest, we know each other’s identities but we don’t say anything. I think I know who you are. Even at your age······.

SKELTON: (Skeleton questions) Why are you saying this now?

Unicorn: No, I like pretending to be cute. But this is a bit. As someone who knows······ I would say it’s a bit hard to bear······

“hmm?”

What’s the problem?

What did I do wrong?

Wasn’t it the unicorn himself who led this?

It’s not a very nice thing to see this guy, regardless of whether he’s better or worse than me, trying to teach me his bulletin board style.

SKELTON: Then get me out of here quickly.

It is a statement that is half sincere and half antipathy.

Unicorn: Ah, that······.

SKELTON: Well, there’s only two weeks left anyway. There’s nothing to worry about.

I should tell you about the meeting we had earlier.

SKELTON: A friend named Seungsu Park came here.

Unicorn: Seungsoo Park?!

SKELTON: You’re wearing a nice white uniform. I heard you’re a member of the National Assembly.

Unicorn: This is the real deal.

SKELTON: Real power?

Unicorn: Yeah. The most famous person in Jeju is Kang Han-min, but the ones who actually run this place are the 1st and 2nd Awakens. Kang Han-min is not only not interested in administration, but he is always in the cracks, so he doesn’t have time to pay attention to the outside world.

SKELTON: I asked that guy to get me out of here.

Unicorn: I won’t listen. No, there’s a very high chance of that.

SKELTON: Really?

Unicorn: Just, my feeling.

The unicorn’s hunch proved to be correct.

Park Seung-su, who acted as if he would get me out of this ice rink at any moment, did nothing for me.

“Yes? Didn’t you receive any instructions from Commissioner Park Seung-soo regarding the shift? Hey, this is the first time I’ve heard of this. We’re currently looking for applicants. Please hold on a little longer.”

It was completely confirmed over the phone that Seungsu Park would not help me.

And then another layer of fog began to envelope my area.

There’s only one person I can ask for help right now.

SKELTON: Unicorn.

SKELTON: It’s foggy again.

Unicorn: Fog?

SKELTON: There might be another attack.

SKELTON: This might be a bit of a hassle. I get the feeling they’re going to come with guns, but it’s not that easy to engage in a gunfight with a sensor with guns, right?

Unicorn: ······.

SKELTON: If I don’t speak, tell your bulletin board friends.

SKELTON: The cute Kelton went to a good place.

It is true that life here is so dangerous and full of crises that it is embarrassing to compare it to when I was in my own domain.

Oddly enough, I don’t feel so bad right now.

A darkness thicker than the darkness of the bunker surrounds me, but I don’t feel it pressing down on my shoulders, and most importantly, I don’t have nightmares anymore.

What should I say, it’s the thoughts of people who have sensed their fate and given up.

Because I came here and accepted that the struggle that I must fight forever is the essence of my life.

Clank-

I moaned at the unicorn, but I have no intention of dying here.

Rather, I am even thinking of a bold plan.

I’m going to kill at least one of the guys who attack me today.

I will kill him and present his body as evidence.

Clang-

An aggressively repositioned alarm device alerts you to their intrusion.

“This is Outpost 328. Multiple unidentified individuals have been confirmed to have intruded. Please provide immediate assistance.”

I know reinforcements won’t come.

The intention is simply to impose a debt.

The idea is to leave a record so that I can later use it as an argument against the person who put me in a difficult position.

I went up to the rooftop.

There is no cover on the rooftop except for the antenna.

At least that’s how it was when I was stationed here.

Those friends are probably also thinking of the neat rooftop view.

bang!

A gunshot rang out.

The distance is about 60m.

It’s a distance that’s difficult to avoid if a good marksman takes aim.

Of course, I don’t have any god-given gifts like a defensive field.

but.

Phew-

At least I have enough power to change my surroundings.

I am now standing behind a pile of earthen sacks the height of an adult male.

This is my own stationery that I created for situations like this.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots continue to ring out.

Pok! Pok! Pok!

I know that guy’s shots are precise, but precise shots don’t mean they can penetrate impenetrable media.

I threw my gun down and pretended to fall as I heard the sound of the bullet that was aimed right at my torso hitting the gun.

“Got it!”

A voice is heard from beyond the fog.

A childish voice for an adult.

But I won’t let you live.

Srrrrung-

He pretended to limp while lying down and pulled out the axe.

It’s probably not just my imagination that my axe blade looks sharper than usual today.