Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 309



Only Krnovel

124. Play (3)

I was once asked whether hunters or soldiers are stronger.

It was probably when I was working in China.

Graduates of our school, who received rigorous education at school and received national support and assistance, generally said that it was natural for hunters to be stronger than soldiers.

If we go person to person, that might be true.

But what if group fights group?

What if you were fighting a group of soldiers with experienced soldiers and capable commanders?

I would say no.

We are a kind of adaptive unit that was originally designed to deal with monsters that appeared in modern times.

Soldiers, on the other hand, were born from the dark ages before history to kill and subdue their fellow humans.

There was an incident that decisively demonstrated the superiority of the military.

While operating north of Beijing, there was a communication error, or perhaps an intentional attack, by the Chinese military.

There were no casualties, but there was pressure from all sides using artillery and tanks, covering fire that made it impossible to raise one’s head, and an advance and encirclement that one knew about but had no choice but to endure.

I felt deep in my bones that soldiers were a group created solely to deal with humans, in a helpless situation.

During the final stage of the resistance, I could have taken a few people with me as my companions, but the situation ended abruptly because the commander stopped the attack, and the impression I had of the group of soldiers at that time remains vivid in my memory even now, nearly 10 years later.

Since then, I have repeatedly taught new recruits.

Don’t underestimate the soldiers.

If they change their minds and turn their guns on us, we will be the ones left lying as corpses.

They say that everything is collapsing, but we know that in the world just before that, the American military is the most powerful military in the world.

Now we have to deal with those American soldiers.

You might get really angry.

*

Well, to be honest, it’s not hard to kill any American soldiers coming into our territory right now.

We have a device called a Javelin.

By simply aiming and pressing a button, we can cleanly dispatch the armored vehicle and the personnel inside it.

But inside are Rebecca and Sue.

The story will begin with Rebecca and Sue disembarking as American soldiers and their disappointment in discovering the lies of this grand play.

I considered not showing up, but then I would have to watch them get back in their armored car, turn around, and head back to Daegu.

Ultimately, it means that you have to talk face to face.

I can understand English to some extent because I was educated in school, but I’m not used to speaking it.

The interpretation problem can be solved by using the app installed on the phone and mother and daughter Rebecca.

Luckily, Sudo is joining us on this journey.

Message from COOKIEMONSTER18: (Swoo) I’ll go too!

If there’s Suu who speaks Korean better than Rebecca, there won’t be much difficulty in communication.

Just as difficult as dealing with the US military is persuading my colleagues in my area.

“······I have friends who used to live next to my territory. I plan on bringing them here.”

It is clear that my position as a leader of the group and my past as a professor lend authority to my words, but I still intend to seek my colleagues’ understanding as much as possible.

I told him about how I came to know Rebecca and her daughter, how they came to be here through a series of plays, and the possibility of being at odds with the American soldiers who were with Rebecca.

Of course, I didn’t even open my mouth about my multiple clone technique.

Moreover, Defender is always the only one attending the meetings, and as a psychopath, he maintains a poker face, so the truth hidden behind the play is never revealed.

His colleagues’ reaction was indifferent.

He doesn’t seem particularly surprised or show any resentment.

“If Park Gyu’s old friend comes, we should welcome him.”

“They took in people like us, so if they’re neighbors who have been with us since right after the war, we have no reason to reject them.”

Rather, it was the question that troubled me.

“Senior Park. How on earth did you fool the US military? Was it that damn internet again?”

“I got in touch with an old acquaintance of mine. We talked about this and that.”

“In English?”

“No, in Korean. They speak Korean well.”

“okay?”

“Anyway, it won’t be easy, but please take care of it.”

We wrapped up the story appropriately and moved on to the next phase.

It might be creepy for Rebecca, but the next thing we discussed was how to greet the armored vehicle.

I stand on the street and wait for the armored vehicle.

Defender decided to stand next to me.

The rest do not show themselves.

With Bang Jae-hyuk leading the way with his javelin, the rest of the combatants were to wait in ambush, while Da-jeong was in charge of reconnaissance and combat support via drone.

If things go wrong, our plan is to kill all American soldiers within one minute.

Naturally, Sue and Rebecca are also included in the murder plan.

That can’t be helped.

The only way to win without taking damage against trained soldiers like the US military is to swing in all at once and deliver a devastating blow.

It is extremely arrogant to do something like hand-wringing when our lives are at stake, and that arrogance may even trample on the lives of my colleagues who are here with us.

Rebecca and Sue are precious neighbors, but giving up everything for them is such a sorry story for these people who believed in me and followed me.

Of course, I won’t let either of them die.

That’s what I do.

*

Chijijijik—

It was late in the morning when the public frequency began spewing out an unfamiliar language.

Clank- clank-

The comrades gathered in the open space in the center of the bunker, each holding their own weapon.

He looked at them silently and nodded.

This time, I’m the one in debt.

We should be grateful to them.

The contact point is the optimal ambush location previously selected.

A bunker hilltop with a Javelin lookout and perfect ambush positions on both sides of the road.

“Skeleton. Skeleton.”

She motioned to her comrades to get into battle formation while the K-Walkie-Talkie belched out Rebecca’s voice.

Ha Tae-hoon and Cheon Young-jae headed toward the thick bushes, while I and Defender stood side by side on the street.

I glanced at the Defender.

“I don’t think we should be together.”

“Two are better than one. The US military, unless they are stupid, would consider an ambush.”

That’s right.

If there was just one person blocking the street, anyone would suspect an ambush.

What difference would it make if one more person was added there? Human psychology is mysterious and simple.

Having two people is a huge difference from having one.

“If you die because of me, what will you say to Da-jeong?”

I said it jokingly.

“We’ve all given up anyway.”

“what?”

“It means that when we kill someone, we are prepared to die as well.”

The Defender chuckled and kicked a rock from the ground, sending it flying into the bushes on the other side of the road.

“Wouldn’t that be fair?”

“That sounds plausible.”

You can die at any time.

So far none of my comrades have been hurt or injured, but I know that won’t be the case forever.

Someday someone will die and someone will get hurt.

That might be better.

Rather than someone going crazy or changing in a way we can’t control.

If such a situation were to lead us to ruin, I would inevitably be reminded of the man I detested, Diesirae.

“Armored vehicle. Spotted. Coming slowly?”

Da-jeong’s voice was heard over the communicator.

I spoke to everyone through the communicator.

“Let’s do our best.”

It starts now.

I stood on the road, holding the walkie-talkie, and tried to communicate with Rebecca.

“This is Skeleton. I’ll be there to meet you at the contact point.”

“Uh. Yeah.”

Rebecca’s answer.

But a little later, Da-jeong tells a story that is quite different from Rebecca’s answer.

“The armored vehicle has stopped.”

Out of sight.

The road curves towards the ruined village, beyond which it is obscured by a gently sloping bend.

At least 5km in distance.

It’s a distance that neither bullets nor javelins can reach.

Why did the armored vehicle suddenly stop?

With an ominous feeling, Da-jeong told me the follow-up information.

“Drone launch. Hmm. It’s a reconnaissance type.”

He tilted his head slightly.

I’m not the type to show my emotions during operations, but this operation is for my personal reasons.

It is not an order from the country that needs to be denied, but a request.

I did something that was out of character for me, thinking that the people who had accepted my request might be put in danger.

When small drones rise above 1km in altitude, they are virtually undetectable to the human eye.

There are some that are shiny very occasionally, but if they are drones used by the US military, I would expect them to have at least some sort of reflective coating.

The problem is the purpose of the drone.

I know why the US military sent that drone.

Suspect me.

It’s not just me.

They are even suspicious of Rebecca, who they brought with them.

I don’t mean to blame them.

If you are a trained soldier and a commander, you will put the success of the mission and the safety of your subordinates as your top priorities, just like I did.

This is a part where he should be praised for being cautious, even though he is a potential enemy.

“Huh? Skeleton?”

A moment later, the radio picked up Rebecca’s voice, which sounded like a sentence, along with noise.

“There’s no plane? What’s going on?”

“It was there, but it left.”

“okay?”

Rebecca’s voice grew distant, and soon her dazzling English became faint, like a distant echo, before suddenly cutting off.

“······.”

The world is not a game.

Only in games do people unilaterally suffer and die for me.

In almost every situation we encounter challenges.

“Skeleton. That transport. What were you doing in there?”

There is someone who tells Rebecca what to do.

He will probably be very experienced and will doubt everything.

Differences in language and race can be triggers that are not easily ignored.

“Well, I also watched from afar, hiding. They even flew a drone. Thanks to that, I wasn’t able to take a single picture.”

“okay?”

Another moment of silence.

and.

“That photo. I think it was taken from the Skeleton side. There are several photos here, but that’s the only place where the angle of one photo is shown.”

A sharp point.

It’s different from the Internet.

With the internet.

“Really? At that time, I was just in the bunker.”

“I see. Huh? Captain?”

Rebecca’s voice changed.

A fast-paced, difficult-to-understand English conversation flowed from the walkie-talkie.

A bit of bickering and disagreement.

and.

“there.”

An unfamiliar voice.

“You. You said you were a hunter?”

It’s Korean.

A short speech, but one that clearly feels familiar.

“······That’s right.”

“I am Captain George Maxwell of the Army. I am stationed at Fort Segnole. I am from the Air Force base in Daegu, formerly known as K2.”

This is a friendly song.

The one who stopped the armored vehicle, launched the drone, and had Rebecca verify the authenticity.

I can tell just by hearing your voice.

He is a very picky and demanding friend.

“Did you also see the military transport plane that Private Rebecca saw on the Internet?”

I can feel the Defender’s gaze.

People think similarly.

He must have felt that this situation was not normal.

It is indeed so.

It is not a matter of life or death or the safety of my colleagues.

The work that was done so hard to save Rebecca and her daughter could go down the drain right before our eyes.

A man named Captain Maxwell gave me two choices.

False or true.

It is the light and shadow that always tests humans.

“Skeleton······.”

Dajeong’s voice is heard.

She’s not the only one.

Everyone is listening to the conversation through their walkie-talkies.

Everyone knows how things will turn out depending on my answer.

“······.”

I thought about it for a moment.

And answered.

“no.”

“Then what was the photo that Rebecca saw?”

“It’s all lies.”

The canvas of the play, which is filled with lies, is covered with the paint of truth.

Whether it is a good style or not depends on the mind of the person receiving it.

“okay?”

The foreign officer said.

monorail.

There is silence over the radio.

“The drone is turning. Get the drone back!”

Da-jeong’s voice hints at the promised doom that is about to come.

“Skeleton. The armored car turned······.”

Failure without loss.

The worst was avoided, but in another sense, it was close to the worst ending.

In the midst of the growing gloom, K-Walkie-Talkie let out a cold voice.

“There. Hunter.”

“······why?”

“Shall I show you my friends who are in ambush?”

He smiled and waved to his colleagues.

Ha Tae-hoon and Cheon Young-jae, who had been lying in wait on both sides of the road, came out walking slowly.

“You’re honest.”

“How did you know?”

“It’s such an obvious method. They want to seduce people with low intelligence and make a profit.”

“I don’t think it’s right to say someone has low intelligence when they’re right next to you.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“First of all, I would like to apologize to Rebecca.”

“I’ll give you a chance to talk later. I want you to answer the questions first.”

Silent.

It is the silence of affirmation.

After the colder wind silently swept through our hair a couple of times, a cold, faintly foreign voice came over the radio.

“Why did you do this?”

“Because I want to save Rebecca and Sue.”

On the canvas that was ruined by the paint of truth, another paint of truth is sprinkled.

I hope that my sincerity is conveyed through this.

“······okay?”

The radio didn’t ring anymore.

Beyond the invisible square, the powerful engine sound of an armored vehicle resonated.

“uh?”

The bitter silence was broken by Da-jeong’s voice.

“The armored vehicle turns again! It’s coming this way!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the radio started working.

“Korean Hunter. I’ll go that way.”

It’s Maxwell.

“I want you to wait for us there. All four of you.”

My colleagues stare at me.

Each one contains their own emotions.

I looked at them quietly with a bitter smile on my face.

The defender nodded.

Following this, Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon also nodded almost simultaneously.

I looked at them, feeling the forgotten emotions building up in my empty heart that seemed like it would never be filled.

He chuckled.

It’s not a bluff.

“Why is everyone dead? I’m here.”

We have one more.

The current strongest card is Bang Jae-hyuk.