Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 310



Only Krnovel

124. Play (4)

The armored vehicle advances.

The speed is slow.

There is something ahead of the armored vehicle.

These are soldiers with guns.

The number is five.

This is a typical search formation where soldiers line up horizontally at regular intervals and advance at the same pace.

Their drones flew into the sky again.

This is the part where we painfully realize that the man named Maxwell still doesn’t trust us even a little bit.

During the waiting time, I thought about the other person’s intentions.

Perhaps this Maxwell knows some general information about me and my group.

I told Rebecca.

Unlike in the past when people lived alone like lone wolves, they now form small groups.

I didn’t give an exact number, but Rebecca, who has been with me for almost three years, knows that I am not the type to accept many people.

My colleagues lined up with me are a force that Maxwell can regard as our entire group.

“What kind of person are you?”

Cheon Yeong-jae asked me.

“That woman named Rebecca. She’s an American soldier?”

“I hate Koreans.”

“What a strong personality?”

“But sometimes, when you see her, she’s a funny girl. She’s so innocent. Even though she’s a mother, she’s more reckless than her child.”

“A reckless mother?”

“It won’t hurt to come. Rebecca and her daughter are both good shooters.”

“I agree. Whatever, it’s better than a pepper patch.”

Well, that’s fine.

I think the pepper field is better.

Because just by eliminating the relationship between men and women, we can eliminate one of the troubles that come from human relationships.

The hierarchical order unique to same-sex groups will also provide an advantage in running the group.

Even in the beginning, Diesira led a group made up entirely of men.

There must be a good reason why Diesirae, who pursues extreme efficiency to the point of inhumanity, made such a choice.

I detest Diesirae, but I do not deny his entire rationality.

“Why are you suddenly not saying anything?”

Cheon Yeong-jae looks at me blankly and asks.

“what?”

“Are you fond of the pepper patch?”

“Is it not okay if I like it?”

When I speak my mind honestly, everyone looks at me with suspicion.

“?”

I looked at them with puzzled eyes.

But that time did not last long.

“Mr. Skeleton, you love pepper fields. The armored car is coming. It will be in sight soon.”

Dajeong reported the approach of the armored vehicle through the radio.

Before the armored vehicle came into view, an American soldier appeared first.

The gear, equipment, posture, and habits were not much different from those of the American soldiers in the deepfake images I created.

“Open. Hunter.”

A soldier waved his hand.

A white man wearing sunglasses.

He is smaller than me but has a stocky build.

If my guess is correct, that guy is Captain Maxwell.

Just as he waved his hand, an armored vehicle appeared.

It is a new armored vehicle by pre-war standards.

Instead of the anti-tank missiles I remember, they had a 12.7mm machine gun attached, which was probably designed to be operated internally.

I guarantee it.

If those machine guns were to sweep us away, there wouldn’t be many survivors.

In the line of fire of the heavy machine gun, we watched the slowly approaching American soldiers and armored vehicles.

Wheeeeeeing-

The sound of a micro drone being flown by the US military can be heard.

As expected, a thing smaller than a cell phone is circling around us, spinning rotors like a helicopter.

“really.”

The defender said a word.

“That’s pathological.”

I don’t think this guy has anything to say.

“It looks like you’ve been through a lot.”

Ha Tae-hoon opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

“Honestly, since the war started, there have been a lot of soldier hunts, right?”

It’s true.

In Korea, guns were not widely available to the public like in the United States.

At best, the only firearms that ordinary people can own are hunting guns, and even those are stored at police stations.

There is no need to explain how important firearms are in human-to-human combat.

No matter how ferocious a person is, if a bullet hits him, he will either die or cry like a child.

Just having a gun can subdue those who don’t.

As the Aztecs, who first encountered firearms, put it, firearms are the staff of omnipotence.

As the world increasingly heads toward destruction, guns have come to represent more than just weapons; they have become a means of survival.

People tried to get guns by any means necessary.

In South Korea, the groups that own guns are the military and the police, and it is the military that has more useful rifles.

Theft, robbery, and terrorism were rampant against military units, both forward and rear.

Independent units such as airstrips, air defense sites, and radar stations were good targets for gunmen.

It was not uncommon for independent units to be annihilated and have their guns stolen by intruders who invaded during the night.

Even soldiers moving in small groups were targets of gun-wielding looters.

The US military would not have been free from such attacks either.

Even the communications he received from Defender were those used by the US military. He also has several US military firearms.

I didn’t ask, but I’m sure a few people were sent to the underworld.

A man named Maxwell may have had a similar experience.

“Who is Rebecca’s friend? Can you raise your hand again?”

The radio rings.

I did as I was told.

The man, presumably Maxwell, stopped walking, lifted his tactical binoculars, and looked at me.

“I heard that you killed the monster by yourself. Is that true?”

“It’s true.”

“I’m not a hunter, but I know that an individual can’t kill a monster.”

“Anyone with the skills and gall bladder to approach an unprepared monster from a reasonable distance and properly insert a weapon like a Hunter’s weapon can do it.”

A cynicism came over the radio.

Maxwell started moving forward again.

An armored vehicle approaches.

The soldiers who looked the size of beans have now grown to the size of thumbs.

Maxwell raised his hand.

Then both the soldiers and the armored vehicles stopped advancing.

Distance about 400m.

The radio, which had been silent for a moment, rang again.

“There. Hunter.”

I just nodded and glared at him without saying anything.

“I have another question.”

“what?”

“The purpose of calling Corporal Rebecca.”

“Didn’t I already tell you?”

“No. I didn’t say anything.”

As soon as Maxwell finished speaking, the armored car’s machine gun started moving on its own.

That huge gun is aimed at none other than us.

“To be honest, I can turn you all into minced meat with just one wave of my hand.”

“What kind of answer do you want to hear?”

“The true intentions of you Koreans.”

This is the expected reaction.

It was a bit obvious.

Maxwell himself must have known that his number was obvious.

Still, the reason he pushed on was probably because he believed he had an overwhelming advantage.

He looked at him and said.

“The javelin is aimed at you.”

Maxwell snorts.

It’s time to tell the truth.

“Bang Jae-hyuk.”

“okay.”

Beep be …

The Javelin’s lock-on sound can be faintly heard over the communicator.

If you have US military level equipment, you would know.

Someone jumped out from beyond the armored vehicle.

It’s Rebecca.

She shouted something loudly at Maxwell.

Maxwell looked back for the first time, looking puzzled.

He screamed.

The shouting was difficult to interpret due to distance and language barriers, but even from a foreigner’s perspective, it felt like a harsh criticism of Rebecca.

Maybe he said something like this.

Why did you give that to that guy?

Maxwell returned to communications before his excitement had even subsided.

“······The Javelin failure rate is surprisingly high. At this point, four years after the war began.”

“Where did you learn Korean?”

“what?”

“Where did you learn it? You’re pretty good at it.”

Maxwell chuckled and pointed to the floor.

This is a story learned in this country.

“I have no intention of fighting. I just want to save my neighbors Rebecca and Sue.”

“Save me.”

“Would you mind letting me talk to Rebecca?”

Maxwell looked back and said something.

yet.

“······Skeleton.”

Rebecca’s voice is heard.

A low, uncharacteristic tone of voice for her.

There is an undeniable disappointment there.

Although she was not visible, he began to talk calmly as if she were right next to him, imagining her somewhere in the armored vehicle.

“I’m sorry I lied. I made it all up.”

“······why?”

“Soo. Are you next to me?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Suu’s voice rang out from next to me.

“Skeleton. I called. I asked!”

Although it is a short conversation, you can feel Suu’s consideration here.

It would be normal for mother and daughter to speak in English, but she spoke to me in Korean so that I could express my feelings.

Soon the mother and daughter came out of the armored vehicle.

The one doing the talking is Suuda.

“If you stay there, you’ll all die. You know the plane isn’t coming, right? Why are you pretending not to know when you already know?”

“Swoo······.”

Rebecca stares at Sue with her mouth shut.

The mother’s eyes wavered slightly as she looked at her child, but Rebecca soon bit her lips and continued speaking.

“But Swoo. Skeleton tricked us. There are no planes here. We were just wasting our time. And besides, Dad can’t come here.”

“Mom knows too, right?”

Suuga looks at me blankly.

“Skeleton did that for us.”

“Skeleton······?”

“Yeah. Skeleton was using multiple accounts to do weird stuff, and he was doing it all for us.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened.

“really······?”

As expected from Rebecca.

It’s so so.

“And Skeleton might be dead right now, but he’s just standing there waiting for us. Who is he doing it for?”

I gave a thumbs up to Suu, who was looking at me as if asking for an answer.

Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand.

She bowed her head towards me.

Is it now that my sincerity has come through?

No, she would have known.

I think so.

I just didn’t want to admit it.

“······.”

This is enough.

Now it’s my turn.

He put down his gun, raised both hands, and advanced toward the American soldiers.

“Park Gyu?!”

“senior?”

He answered without looking back at his worried colleague.

“After all, conversations should be told face to face.”

He spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“I would like to talk to you up close and personal. Would you allow me?”

Maxwell nodded from a distance.

His sunglasses, bathed in sunlight, sparkled whenever he moved his head.

About halfway through the walk, Maxwell moved.

He too, like me, handed over his gun to his comrade and walked toward me unarmed.

What is the intention?

I was curious, but I was sure he had something to see me for.

After a while, we met face to face.

He stared silently at the only hill in the area for a long time.

He heard something like static coming from the communicator he had plugged into his ear.

He answered as if he understood in English.

Next, he gazed at the American military base that lay beyond my territory, across the stream.

After mumbling something resembling an exclamation in English, Maxwell finally opened his mouth.

“Was it intentional? The location of the bunker.”

He nodded.

“Did you find anything inside the base?”

“Guns and ammunition.”

“It’s different from the report. They said they withdrew without leaving a single shell behind.”

Maxwell looked back.

“Rebecca and her daughter seem pretty close. Really.”

Then he looks at me blankly.

His eyes were not visible because the coating on his sunglasses was thick and reflected the light directly.

“But I don’t trust Koreans.”

Maxwell took off his sunglasses.

One of his eyes was blind and he wore a crude prosthesis.

Maxwell frowned as my gaze turned to the artificial eye.

“That’s what happened in this country.”

“······.”

“Just ask one thing.”

Maxwell pointed to the US military base.

“Do people live there?”

“no.”

“What is the condition of the facility?”

“Well, the bunker seems to be fine, but the equipment inside probably isn’t working. The scavenger has gone through it several times.”

“What forces exist around here? Are there any other armed groups? Especially the Chinese military.”

“There is no such thing as the Chinese army. No looters. No refugees. Just us.”

“I see.”

Maxwell chuckled.

“I know everything I wanted to know.”

For a moment, my mind raced over what this man’s true purpose was.

He didn’t come here to bring Rebecca.

He seemed to have just been checking out the base, which was just another US military territory.

If Fort Segnol is destroyed, we will check out potential new settlement sites.

That would be the only reasonable explanation for why that pathologically cautious man would travel so far to come here.

But there’s still one left.

Maxwell pulled out his dagger.

Maxwell spoke with a smile as I stared blankly into his sharp eyes, gleaming in the midday sunlight.

“I heard that professional hunters in the East use cold weapons. In particular, there is a hunter in Korea who is good at using axes. I don’t remember his name, but I know his story well because our hunters have told him about it many times.”

Maxwell’s one remaining eye was fixed on a pair of axes behind me.

“You happen to be holding an axe, too.”

He showed off his greatsword.

Quite a dazzling feat.

It’s a hand movement that can intimidate big guys in a bar or a noisy place.

Maxwell said, casting a challenging gaze.

“Would you like to show me your skills?”

“What if I get hurt?”

“It’s okay. I’ll tell you. It’s a fair duel.”

“okay?”

Srrrrung

I pulled out the axe.

Maxwell smiled brightly.

This match was decided from the beginning.

Chaengkang!

With a single clash, Maxwell’s greatsword soared into the sky, somersaulting like a fan.

The sharp edge of the axe in his left hand is pointed at Maxwell’s neck.

Maxwell whistled as he rolled his eyes and looked down at the axe aimed at his neck.

“Good job!”

It was an expected result.

This fight is not the soldier’s way.

You may be more capable of destroying your opponents with various weapons and equipment, and with organic cooperation between soldiers, but the old-fashioned duel is closer to our realm.

In fact, we treat cold weapons as a very important part of our missions.

As he put the axe away, he picked up the greatsword that had fallen on the floor and put it back in its sheath.

“I heard there was a legendary hunter in Korea.”

Maxwell looked up.

“They say he uses a pair of axes.”

A vivid color appeared in the one remaining eye.

He said something in English into his communicator, then looked at me and smirked.

“I will hand Rebecca and her daughter over to you.”

Rebecca looked puzzled, but Sue waved her hand vigorously in her direction.

“Skeleton!”

Su’s voice brightens the land as it approaches autumn.

I asked, looking at the side profile of the lonely-looking man with his emotions buried in a corner.

“Are you just going to let Rebecca go?”

Maxwell did not answer.

Instead, he slowly put on his sunglasses, covering his one remaining eye and his dull artificial eye, and after adjusting his clothes, he let out a shallow sigh and opened his mouth.

“······I heard that you created a new group.”

“okay.”

“It’s really fun.”

Maxwell smiled.

“We had those days too. We gathered soldiers and civilians left behind all over Korea. It was a time full of danger, thrill, adventure, and reward.”

The smile that appeared for a moment quickly disappeared.

“But not anymore.”

Maxwell turned around.

“······The more people there are together, the bigger the tragedy becomes.”

He stared at Rebecca and Sue as they approached us.

“Well then, Hunter. Stay alive until we meet next time.”

The captain trudged forward with his fists raised.

Rebecca and Suu ran into him, and while Rebecca was watching the captain, Suu passed him and ran towards me.

“Skeleton!”

Look at Suu.

The American officer called the sinking a tragedy.

I have no intention of denying that claim.

Human life is finite.

Anyone can die, and that death will usually be tragic.

But that is only cutting off one side of the long, drawn-out play called life.

I don’t think there’s only tragedy in our relationship.

Likewise, if we look only at the short section in the middle, it may be an unquestionable comedy.

Rebecca stood in front of me with Sue.

“Skeleton. Liar.”

He smiled brightly at the mother and daughter.

I don’t want a happy ending.

That’s too much to ask of a world that’s perishing.

I’ll just create more good days.

“Let’s go back.”

It’s my little greed.