Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 276



Only Krnovel

112. Faith (5)

We first became aware of the user called Defender in the famous authentication incident.

Defenders killed anyone who entered their territory and took photographs of them.

As expected in the early stages of destruction, the people who were killed were holding identification cards, and the Defender displayed the identification cards of the people he killed next to the corpses, as if they were brand labels.

The magnitude of the shock he gave us at that time was truly enormous.

Because even though we were living in a time of destruction, we were still stuck in the peaceful times before the war.

Even some of our doomsday advocates cautiously predicted that, although the war had inflicted great damage, Korea would be rebuilt in a similar way to its former state now that China was destroyed.

Everything decays.

The shock that Defender gave us is not much different.

We have seen and encounter worse things than that in our daily lives.

As he entered a life of destruction both physically and mentally, the named user Defender lost his former fame and became just another ordinary user.

But that’s our change.

The Defender that shocked us hasn’t changed.

He still killed and killed people in other places the same old way.

“······I didn’t volunteer. It just happened to turn out that way.”

The Legion Faction systematically massacred groups of fanatics, mostly North Koreans, in the Wonju and Chuncheon areas.

Without warning, they set fire to the quarantine area, poured biochemical weapons on it, and shot people running for their lives.

The Defenders participated in the massacre.

For him, who had already killed so many people, killing a few more fanatics or fewer would have been a good thing.

but.

“I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. So I took off my mask. I felt like I would suffocate if I didn’t do that.”

He said he felt disillusioned with the massacre.

He didn’t explain specifically why he felt skeptical, but I can imagine why.

Until now, his killings have been killings to protect his territory.

Just as carnivores are born with the karma of killing, having to take other lives in order to survive.

But the massacre of the Legion Faction is of a different nature.

It is largely political and collective.

It cannot be placed on the same level as murder, which is nothing more than another form of struggle for survival.

So maybe he felt nauseous and took off the gas mask that would have protected his anonymity?

This is purely my opinion.

I hope that at least the meetings he had were enough to make him face the sins he had committed.

Indeed, the price of sin is now upon us.

“Skeleton.”

The defender looked at me and spoke with a faint trembling voice.

I answered while meeting his gaze.

“Don’t worry.”

I promised to protect him.

At least he promised to pay off his debts together.

“Put your bag on.”

“Your bag?”

He looked at Da-jeong and asked.

“Can you walk?”

“of course!”

If you don’t need to run, it’s better to leave your luggage intact.

I have carefully selected and compiled the Defenders because I think they are important.

In times of destruction, materials are usually more valuable than people.

In the case of the Defender siblings, people are more important than materials, but even so, the importance of materials does not fade.

While Defender was packing his bags again, Ha Tae-hoon asked.

“What about fanatics?”

“You’re scuffling with soldiers. But you’re not fighting?”

“okay?”

“Ah, the soldiers are retreating. Ah, now I get it. He’s in league with the fanatics. He’s joined hands. There’s no other explanation.”

Ha Tae-hoon, who was watching us from the sky, told us the exact situation.

But his eyes didn’t last long.

Tata tata tata tang!!!

The Legion’s anti-aircraft vehicles opened fire.

The equipment was crude, but it seemed to be under the command of an excellent fire control device, and the bullets shot down Ha Tae-hoon’s drone that was floating in the air.

“Drone out.”

Ha Tae-hoon said in a somber tone.

“What should we do? Should we join?”

I told him.

“No, stay in your seat.”

I told Cheon Yeong-jae.

“Let’s go and look around south first.”

“alone?”

He nodded.

I’ve been relying a lot on Cheon Youngjae’s abilities these past few days, but that’s because Cheon Youngjae is by my side.

If Cheon Young-jae is in a situation where he needs to do something else, he should be willing to work alone.

Actually, that’s my life.

Up until now, I have wandered around dangerous places, fought battles, and escaped danger without any abilities.

He looked at Cheon Yeong-jae, who was worried, and said a word.

“Protect everyone through your eyes.”

Cheon Yeong-jae noticed my intention and looked sharply into the darkness with his dimly shining eyes.

I felt the gaze of Defender and my brother from behind, but I ignored them and walked into the darkness.

The way there is not difficult.

I’ve already been there once and I vaguely remember where people are hiding.

Thanks to this, my steps are faster than before and my actions are more confident.

What I want to check is the exact condition of the road I know.

If we compare it to a computer, it would be the latest update.

Just a few minutes ago, soldiers were forming a siege line.

In fact, the siege had reached the point where it completely surrounded us.

But with the shockwaves felt from afar, the soldiers began to lift the siege and withdraw from the area.

Booooooooo—

I can hear a vehicle moving across the street.

Kickkickkick–

The sound of the tank’s caterpillars is also mixed in with the sound of the vehicle’s engine.

It’s not that far away.

At most 500m.

It would be a street that is completely naked and visible, if it were an open space, but it is not visible because there are one-room apartment buildings lined up endlessly in between.

Fortunately, the noise from vehicles and trams is moving away from the area.

but.

“hey.”

A man’s shadow looms in the darkness on the third floor window of a one-room building.

The silhouette ominously told us that he was carrying a gun.

Even the way he was desperately contemplating whether or not to open the window and attack me.

“Who are you? What on earth are you doing there?”

He answered without aiming his gun.

“He’s not a soldier. He’s just a passerby.”

The man has no answer.

He only flinched slightly, perhaps surprised by my voice.

“Again, we’re just passing through. The soldiers are leaving because they saw a monster. We’re also planning to pass through here. So, I hope there won’t be any unnecessary conflicts.”

Here, other than the residents on the third floor, there is no one on the line of fire who can threaten us.

He spoke into the communicator.

“Keep your distance. This way.”

“Rager.”

While I was waiting for the defenders to arrive after securing the area, I heard a voice coming from the one-room apartment.

“Who are you? A soldier?”

He hid himself behind the window.

It was funny how he stood there awkwardly, unaware that the darkness could not hide his silhouette, but he answered seriously.

“Not a soldier. Just a common refugee.”

“Why refugees?”

“I came to save my friend.”

“Friend······.”

Knock knock-

The window opened.

At the same time, it is true that my gun was wiggling.

“Can you take me with you?”

He is a soldier in uniform.

Looking at the countless, baseless coats that cover even the pockets of their shirts, they look like true, honest soldiers who have served on the front lines since before the war.

He opened his mouth with a tearful expression on his darkened face.

“I don’t really want anything. I just need to get out of this city and find the whereabouts of General Kim Byeong-cheol’s unit.”

The soldier waved his gun.

“I’m not bragging, but I’ve killed a lot of people. I’m sure it’ll help.”

During a mission, many situations arise.

Meeting isolated survivors is one of them.

As the saying goes, “all kinds of things,” they also make unpredictable and ever-changing demands.

My experience is that you should never allow unverified third parties into your team.

Those with guns should especially not be accepted.

However, it is not wise to just reject it outright.

That would be worse than killing that guy right now.

Rejection breeds resentment, and resentment often leads to impulse.

Even in the cold hell, the art of conversation is necessary.

“We are being chased by fanatics now.”

“Fanatic?”

“Yeah. My friend was involved in a cult massacre. There was a cultist dressed in white going around saying he was going to kill my friend.”

I looked up at the man looking down at me with bloodshot eyes and asked calmly.

“Will you still join us?”

The man’s face hardened and became trembling.

He quickly shook his head and closed the window.

“What? Did you get caught?”

The man asked curtly through the closed window.

“You got caught.”

“You’re being chased by the Manryu Church?”

Are they calling pseudo-religions here cults?

“Don’t you know that if you get caught in the trap, you’ll never be able to escape?”

“okay?”

This time, I was curious, but from the man’s perspective, there was no need to talk to me anymore.

He slammed the window shut roughly.

“Fuck. What unlucky! Hurry up and get out of here! Don’t get caught in front of me! Get out of here!”

At that moment, Cheon Yeong-jae and his group appeared from beyond the darkness.

I approached Cheon Yeong-jae.

“It seems like there are people with cognitive abilities on the fanatic side.”

Cognition and detection.

This is one of the known low-level Awaken abilities.

Cognitive abilities are often linked to sensing abilities, which leads to many misunderstandings.

If you just look at the words, they aren’t all that different.

But if you know the inside story, the real personality is completely different.

While detection is a reconnaissance-focused ability that allows you to determine the location of an enemy within short combat range, perception is the ability to determine the location of an individual or object, regardless of how far away they are.

While the sensing ability is similar to a radar in combat, the cognitive ability is similar to a communicator that locates objects from a distance.

Scholars explain that monsters use their cognitive abilities to move towards their own kind – smaller, invasive species.

“How exactly is perception achieved?”

I have a general idea of ​​his abilities since I heard about him while I was working.

But I don’t know the actual methodology.

Even if I wanted to know, there would be no information that I could obtain, as someone who was pushed out of the mainstream and was pathologically hated by low-level Awakeners.

“I don’t know about that. I don’t have cognitive abilities either. But I know that it’s something that can only be done if you’re close. Literally, recognition, right? In order to recognize an object, you have to at least see its face, right?”

I saw the defender.

“Was there anyone with cognitive abilities around you? Or was there a situation where you could be cognitively affected?”

The defender shook his head.

“There was no Awaken, including Captain Kim Da-ram.”

His eyes sparkled.

“No, wait.”

The defender’s eyes turned into the distance.

“······There is one person who saved my life.”

“you?”

I was a little surprised.

That defender saved a person’s life.

“He was the guy who begged that his little sister should be saved, that he had to protect her.”

“······.”

The defender saw me.

“At that time, I might have been recognized by that guy.”

He nodded and ordered us to advance.

“let’s go.”

I don’t know the exact circumstances.

The fact that he is a person with cognitive abilities is also just an inference based on what the soldier left behind in that one-room apartment said.

But there must be a reason why these fanatics are so confident in finding the murderer.

There is nothing wrong with being careful.

Bang! Bang! Tata ta tata tang!

Gunshots still ring out through the streets.

Is this sporadic resistance, or are some soldiers still waging mopping up operations?

According to fragmentary information, we were able to move at a rapid pace as there was no one blocking our retreat.

however.

“this.”

Cheon Yeong-jae frowned.

“Does it seem real?”

“······what?”

Cheon Yeong-jae stopped walking and looked back.

“Cognitive ability.”

Cheon Yeong-jae nodded, squinting his dimly shining eyes and staring into space.

“Come straight. No matter where we go, come straight towards us. As if you know where we are.”

“What is the number?”

“At least ten people.”

“I see.”

The greatest enemy of cognitive ability is distance.

Once captured by the cognitive network, it is said that it can accurately recognize objects located tens of kilometers away.

This is in line with what is being said: if we were to return to our territory as is, we would be met with an uninvited guest in the form of a fanatic group led by cognitive beings.

“Skeleton.”

The Defender stood before me.

He had a determined look on his face.

“I’ll stay.”

Dajeong’s eyes shook slightly.

“Brother.”

“······Go with Skeleton.”

Da-jeong showed no change in emotion in front of her blood relatives who were willing to sacrifice themselves.

Just stand next to your own flesh and blood and breathe deeply without saying a word.

She took a deep breath and spoke in a low tone.

“If it’s a crime, shouldn’t we pay the price together?”

She chuckled out loud.

Forced laughter.

Dajeong stared at me.

“I killed a lot too.”

I know.

“And participated in the massacre.”

“······.”

That’s something I don’t know.

Da-jeong calmly told us about her sins with a somewhat pitiful smile on her face.

“Yeah. He may have clicked one button, but because of that one button, over 300 people were crushed alive under a building. He may be a fanatic, but aren’t fanatics people too?”

The moment I looked into their eyes, their hearts touched my chest.

The Defender siblings.

It’s not just guilt that keeps them here.

That’s a very minor detail.

What I see on their faces is gratitude.

Gratitude to me.

I am grateful to them for helping me so far and for bringing me this far.

That’s why they want to stay here.

So that you don’t bother me anymore.

“Skeleton. Are you seeing a nice girl?”

Dajeong said cheerfully with a forced smile.

“Ha, if we had known each other before the war, you would have introduced me to a nice girl. He’s a bit older, but what’s the big deal? He’s a nice guy, isn’t he? Our Skeleton.”

In the meantime, enemies approach.

Cheon Yeong-jae let out a shallow cough.

There is talk that a fanatic is coming.

Ha Tae-hoon also gathered his equipment and made a noise.

They ask me to make a decision.

But I have nothing to decide.

“excuse me.”

Why, it’s already been decided.

“Isn’t that it?”

He asked, looking at Da-jeong and Defender.

The siblings looked at me at the same time.

“I got the armband on the bulletin board.”

“what?!”

“really?”

He nodded with a faint smile.

“It’s a secret badge.”

“Secret armband······!!”

“And you may not have seen it, but I’ve already fucked up a fanatic once.”

“Oh, really?”

“I have a plan.”