Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 288



Only Krnovel

116. Goal (2)

VIVA_BOT014: Yesterday morning, one of our data centers in Arizona was taken over by an unidentified armed group. It is mainly responsible for backups, so there will be no immediate disruption to our community operations, but the current situation is very serious.

VIVA_BOT014: It’s a dark time. I hope everyone can overcome this cold and long winter with their own will and hope.

This is the notice posted by Vivabot.

But this alone won’t satisfy you.

Although I am still an ordinary user on the bulletin board, I am also a hidden captain who shares many secrets with Vivabot.

Knock knock

SKELTON: (Skeleton gasps) I just saw the notice, what’s going on?

You could call it the privilege of the armband.

Not long after, Vivabot replied to me.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Ah, Skeleton.

Europe, which claimed to be America’s ancestor, was swallowed up by a wide-open fissure and quickly disappeared, and China, which claimed to be America’s competitor, was also destroyed by fissures and war.

Japan, an ally of the United States, has such strict information control that it is impossible to know the exact internal situation, but according to rumors going around, they are just wasting time without any countermeasures, and are on the verge of complete collapse.

As for Korea, well, it’s as you know.

Although a very small number of governments, including the Jeju government, remain, each of the people who remain must seek to survive in their own areas.

In contrast, the United States maintained its national foundations for a long time even as its destruction progressed, and it also properly managed the cracks that appeared throughout its vast country.

The fact that they operated their vaunted nuclear aircraft carrier fleet until just last year is a clear indication of how powerful a country they are.

But even that giant reached its limits in the face of the collapse of the international trade network and the endless stream of monsters.

Tensions between the state governments that had been creaking for a long time, the various ethnic groups that never quite merged despite claims of being a melting pot of nations, the historical resentments between regions, the hatred and conflict that had been brewing since before the war.

Such things have now plunged America into a full-blown civil war.

Of course, the fundamental cause is monsters.

The monster invasion completely destroyed the barely surviving human system.

The flames have now reached the heart of our Viva! Apocalypse!

Viva! Apocalypse!’s central facilities are located in remote but temperate regions of Arizona and Florida, with Arizona being in a particularly dangerous state.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Since both regions have healthy state governments, the communities won’t be ruined right away, but I think there will be significant disruption to using them in the future. I don’t think I’ll be able to manage the bulletin board for a while due to the recovery work. So, since Skeleton has been managing malicious posts well and is also a symbolic figure of our bulletin board, I’m thinking of giving him more authority.

In short, he said he would give me a stronger armband.

“hmm······.”

But there is a time for everything.

The same goes for the hat.

If you’re the mayor of a city with a lot of money, a lot of people, and a lot of good companies, that would be a really good job.

Even if we do nothing, the city will grow quickly, young people will flock from all over, and taxes will help make the city more beautiful.

On the other hand, what would it be like for the head of a local government to have only elderly people, mountains and rice fields, and no companies?

It will definitely be a boring, difficult position, and one where you will get a lot of criticism compared to the amount of work you put in.

That’s exactly what our bulletin board looks like right now.

The number of “model users” like me is rapidly decreasing, the number of weirdos is increasing, and the few normal users that remain are leaving for other places, so we are on the path to becoming, in Dajeong’s words, a “fucked up community.”

“Ah~ This is boring. The regen is also at the bottom. Why is that old man showing his face like that? Just my opinion. I think it’s because our bulletin board uses a large, power-hungry piece of equipment called an Obelisk. There are some good kids among the new recruits, but most of them are people who stole equipment from others or bought it from people who stole it. So the quality is bound to be bad. The fact that the kids who are most likely to be murderers are using the same bulletin board as us!”

To be honest, Da-jeong has no right to say that.

If you think about it, Defender and Dajeong also have a history of killing their original owners and taking satellite equipment.

However, both Defender and Dajeong agree that the state of our bulletin board is dire.

“There is no position more vain than the captaincy of a dying community. It will disappear after being used as a scapegoat and a means of taking care of business. There is no substitute, but if the current situation continues, it might be better to disappear.”

Da-jeong negatively evaluates me wearing the strong armband.

It’s a reasonable judgment.

But even if I give up, it would be good to hear at least something specific about what I can do with the armband.

The ball was again passed to Vivabot.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: What difference does it make to have a strong armband?

SKELTON: (Serious Skeleton) If you’re a wise Vivabot, you’ll know that my average connection time has been dropping significantly.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: It’s reduced by an average of 1 hour.

SKELTON: (Skeleton panicked) No way. I reduced it a lot.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: This is the monthly average. It has definitely decreased recently.

SKELTON: That’s the situation.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: The fun of a community certainly comes from the users who make up the community. I am also aware that there are too many malicious users these days. So, I will gift Skeleton with a blocking function.

SEKTON: Are you talking about the blocking function?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Yes, of course, with my supervision and management.

SKELTON: Hmm······.

To be honest, I don’t know.

If it’s a crowded bulletin board, then it might be okay, but what’s the point of deleting and blocking posts on a bulletin board where there’s a delusion?

Wouldn’t it be over if we just block those three new villains who are messing up the bulletin board right now?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Don’t you like it?

SKELTON: It’s not that I don’t like it, but I’m not sure. I just wonder if these powers are meaningful now.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Do you have anything to say to us? About the Twelve Square incident, etc.

SKELTON: That’s also unfair. But the biggest problem I feel is…

Okay, let’s talk.

I guess it’s okay to talk about these concerns.

SKELTON: There aren’t many people.

It’s a short and powerful statement.

In fact, after seeing that message, Vivabot remained silent for more than a minute.

After a short but long time, like a minute, she said:

Message from VIVA_BOT014: It’s sad, but isn’t that our fate as we live in the present?

That’s right.

I won’t deny it.

but.

SKELTON: Is there any way to accept more people?

At least there are ways to extend the life of our bulletin boards.

My role model, John Nae-non, proved it.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: How is it?

SKELTON: We open up our bulletin boards to anyone with a regular satellite device.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Hmm.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: That’s a very radical claim.

SKELTON: That’s true.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Well, I agree that the lack of depth in the user pool is a problem, but I think Skeleton’s plan should take into account other users’ opinions. As Skeleton knows, people who applied for our service were criticized a lot before the war.

SKELTON: Yes.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: It’s a shame that the forums are losing energy due to the absence of people, but I wonder if Skeleton will be convinced that those who ignored us for that reason are enjoying our service.

“······.”

My words are right and Vivabot’s are right.

I feel like Vivabot’s words are more convincing.

It’s purely my opinion that the bulletin board is not fun.

The point is that other people, not just me, might find the bulletin board entertaining.

It is needless to say that the humiliations and ridicule our abolitionists endured before the war have been repeated so often.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: By the way, Skeleton.

Just as the story was about to end lukewarmly, Vivabot sent a message.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: I think Skeleton would be able to convince users.

SKELTON: Not skeleton, but twelve square?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: It’s unfortunate for Skeleton, but as you know, Twelvesquare is one of the hottest people our community has produced. To the point that CDs and DVDs featuring Skeleton’s activities are distributed all over North America through Necropolis.

SKELTON: Hmm… Is that all?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: I feel bad for forcing you to create content, but what if Skeleton uploads videos similar to the ones you uploaded before, or at least as Twelvesquare, to convince existing users? Wouldn’t existing users who hate non-destructionists be more inclined to listen to Skeleton’s arguments?

SKELTON: This is a video that I shot with my life on the line. I don’t want to experience that again.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: I’m not forcing you to do this. It’s just my opinion. As you can imagine, I’m not that high up in the company.

SKELTON: Is that so?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: I should be thankful to Skeleton, Dongtan Mom, Emgu, etc. There are so many capable people in Korea that I was able to keep my office without being fired.

SKELTON: Ah.

I didn’t know.

I wonder if Vivabot had that problem.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: My colleagues who were in the same office as me. More than half of them left. Leaving here means······a permanent goodbye.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: And also.

Vivabot sent me a picture.

The open blue plains.

At first glance, it appears to be a photo of an exotic foreign country, but when you zoom in, you can easily see the eerie message hidden in the photo.

The vast land beyond the blue mountains is covered in a grayish white color.

Erosion has already reached the heart of Viva! Apocalypse!

Message from VIVA_BOT014: This is the situation. Maybe it won’t be long before we can talk comfortably like this with Twelve Square, or rather, Skeleton.

“······.”

Destruction comes fairly.

Whether it was a powerful country that ruled the world or a weak country whose name was not even known.

The rift slowly eats away at our world, wiping out all life that lived upon it.

The study’s finding that not a single microbe has been found in the atmosphere of another world may be a future that will soon be upon us on Earth.

As I left the bunker, the low setting sun pierced my eyes like a hook.

I looked around the bunker with my eyes slightly squinted and my hands on my back.

There are people’s work happening here and there.

Muddy water gurgles from a pipe dug deep in the center, and in the open space between the bunkers, hunters gather on long platforms and are busy dismembering the corpses of cat mutations.

In the corner of the bunker, a solar power generator is soaking up the last rays of the setting sun, and next to it, a middle-aged woman is diligently working with a hoe in a small garden that has already been dug up, creating a nest for new life.

Two drones are flying towards us from the west, as if avoiding the setting sun.

And on the gentle slope leading to the highest point of the mountain, Bang Jae-hyuk, wearing a leg brace, is slowly going up the slope while holding a large gun.

Everyone does their own work and works in their own place.

It may be overly optimistic, but I don’t think our community will collapse that easily.

As soon as the community was created, we diligently recruited the best talent.

Even though we are a small group, I don’t think there will be many enemies who will try to suppress our group by force.

Of course we have enemies, but we also have solid allies, and at least my territory is not a place where people fight over vested interests.

Wouldn’t it definitely last at least a year?

But even that one year now seems so long to me.

How many people will be left in this world a year from now?

“Viva Apocalypse······.”

At least my second hometown might disappear completely.

It is a reality that gives off such an ominous feeling.

“······.”

I want to find something I can do.

“Huh? Who created the Necropolis?”

“I thought that if I contacted that person, I might be able to find some hints.”

I want to save our bulletin board.

I want to create a more exciting atmosphere like in the past with more users.

I don’t want a completely free and equal world where there is no distinction between anonymity and ㅇㅇ, but I still want to feel the atmosphere of the past where there were more good users than bad users.

“Who the creator of Necropolis is is a matter of great interest even within Necropolis. I even searched through the frozen archives. All I found out was that the creator’s nickname is listed as Death_Lord98.”

“Your sense of nickname is a bit strange.”

“······I don’t think that person will come out easily. He is a very secretive person, and on top of that, he is someone who has more influence than Melon Mask at the moment.”

Valentine added with a sigh.

“Unless you’re a big shot, I won’t even respond.”

“Twelve Square.”

My other, almost mythical self, completely separate from me.

That’s a personality that doesn’t belong to me.

At least on our bulletin board.

“yes?”

“Twelve Square, let’s say you look for him.”

But I am a skeleton and at the same time I am a twelvesquare.

I don’t know if this call will work.

But I’ll try everything I can.

I am a responsible user of Viva! Apocalypse!

I have a goal.