Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 312



Only Krnovel

126. Ghost (1)

I felt the change of seasons in the short time it took for my new colleagues to join me.

The heat has let up and the sky looks unusually blue and high.

The wind that sweeps across the land now carries a chill, and the grain and grass turn brown or wither.

Winter is coming soon.

The promised winter of death.

Since there is still no way to use Necropolis, I first warned the bulletin board users I am friendly with about the coming cold wave.

A message from CrunchRoll: I know, we’re going to have to do this again this winter.

Message from CrunchRoll: They’ve already carved out a mountain and turned it into a bare mountain. Black smoke is covering the entire city. They’re making charcoal.

As you can see from King’s reaction, anyone who uses our bulletin board has probably browsed World! Apocalypse! at least once, and considering that the main topic discussed there is the cold weather countermeasures, this may be a meaningless warning.

However, humans are animals of inertia and routine.

People who tend to have no interest in things they are not familiar with or unfamiliar with, and who find day-to-day life burdensome, will not have enough time to access bulletin boards to obtain proper information.

In these situations, messages are a useful means of guidance.

SKELTON: (Skeleton greetings) How are you?

I asked my internet friend IamJesus how he was doing after a long time.

Worrying about a friend who is at least 10 levels away is as pointless as a commoner worrying about a celebrity before the war, but even an away person is human.

If it’s cold, you’ll freeze to death.

A reply came soon.

Message from IamJesus: Beep- beep- beep- beep—– beep——-

Looks like he’s alive and well.

There are a lot of fun friends there, so you won’t have time to get bored.

By the way, there’s one friend I’ve been worried about lately.

It’s none other than Emgu.

The friend who was wearing a new armband and making a fuss suddenly disappeared

It’s been three whole days since he disappeared.

By our bulletin board standards, that’s more than enough time to assume that one user has embarked on a journey from which there is no return.

Of course, it’s true that Emgu is a tough guy.

There is also a record of disappearing for a month and then returning.

In the past, they say they lived off of relief supplies given by legionaries or soldiers, but now I don’t even know what they eat.

One thing is certain, when I met Emgu in person at the request of the Legion Faction the other day, his health was very good.

At least the nutritional status was impeccable.

There were no changes in complexion or eyes due to deficiencies in vitamins or essential nutrients, and the signs of mental illness that would inevitably come with living in a slanted house did not seem to be noticeable, at least not at the time.

I sent a message to that emgu too.

SKELTON: Mm, are you alive? You know how to prepare for winter, right?

A special message from mmmmmmmmm™: (Upbeat march-style BGM) Captain M9 speaking!

SKELTON: ?

What the heck, this kid.

You’re alive.

But what just happened?

I think the message had a phrase that was brighter than the others and that I had never seen before.

“hmm?”

exception······?

A special message······?

A special message from mmmmmmmmm™: This little skeleton has a great sense of smell.

If you take a step back, it’s nothing.

It’s really nothing.

It’s just a regular message with the two letters “special” in it.

But what is it? This feeling of having our country’s fields taken away?

I felt a sense of defeat rising to the very nerve endings of my fingers, and with difficulty I tapped the keyboard twice.

SKELTON: ?

A special message from mmmmmmmmm™: We have a new family looking to move into our apartment.

SKELTON: Hoeeet~!!!

Special message from mmmmmmmmm™: Is that Skeleton kid taking any medication these days? What’s with the way he speaks? All of a sudden. This is disgusting, damn it.

“······.”

this.

I guess I didn’t properly separate myself from the Red Archive board and myself from our board.

The fact that this skeleton, who can even handle multiple personalities of four people, makes a mistake even in a simple gimmick shows how much of a shock the word “special” gave me.

This is a matter that should be seriously addressed to Vivabot.

But I think we’ll have to postpone that inquiry for a while.

A bigger problem has arisen.

Special message from mmmmmmmmm™: Look (M9’s spirited)

A special message from mmmmmmmmm™: (Photo)

Emgu sent me a picture.

The photo contained the image of the generation that Emgu had mentioned, who had hoped to move in after three years.

But those people who are hoping to move in.

He is someone I know.

“······.”

Ji Chang-soo and Ji Young-hee.

The ghost of a wealthy family that had haunted me several times suddenly appeared in my collapsing apartment.

*

mmmmmmmmm™ : Introducing the new residents of “The Hope,” Korea’s last luxury complex!

It’s as useless as worrying about celebrities.

This is exactly what worries Emgu.

This guy, who boasted survival skills greater than a cockroach, is returning with a scary buzz that makes his three-day absence seem insignificant, and is breathing life into the dying bulletin board.

Our bulletin board friends, who were forced to watch world news because there was no topic for the single-language bulletin board, naturally showed a heated response.

Anonymous458: What? Really?

Rkkara: Why did you go there? Didn’t the scavenger just shake his head and leave?

Anonymous1702: Wow.

Berkut_break: A person comes to my crumbling hopes. Is this a good omen or a bad omen?

tntn_Orthopedics : The girl is pretty.

SKELTON : Ow

Anonymous1844: She’s really pretty.

roxanneGIRL : This looks like a composite.

Dr.emiless: Hmm.

gijayangban : ?

…

…

The specter of a conglomerate that seemed to have nothing to do with us has invaded our territory.

As a pureblood annihilator, this is something that is difficult for me to accept.

It’s true that it’s a bit of a stomach ache, but the really important issue is the intentions of the new residents.

Ji Young-hee, who had recently come to my territory, tried to force me to take her with her, saying that she was going to find secret facilities and supplies that the government had hidden in Seoul.

If I had been alone, bloodshed would have been inevitable, even though I was in a group.

Why on earth did those humans go to Emgu?

Just as I was about to make a rational inference, another uproar broke out on the bulletin board.

MELON_MASK : Oh! Mgoo! We finally found a resident! Congratulations!

MELON_MASK: Melon Mask with love from Lagrange Point

Melon mask.

The creator of our world commented on Emgu’s post.

“······.”

I just found out.

This Park Gyu-do can have his vision blurred due to excitement.

“This is not it.”

It is indeed so.

This is not it.

This is not it.

I have exchanged messages with Melon Mask privately, but she has never once commented on my posts.

But even I, and this Twelve Square, couldn’t do something that someone like Emgu could do······?

“······.”

Knock knock

SKELTON: ?

A question mark was added as a sign of protest.

But no one paid attention to my question mark.

I had no choice but to mobilize another personality.

roxanneGIRL: ? Named user Skeleton has something to say?

Dr. Emiless: Skeleton…? Ah, that’s definitely not an easy user. I’ve heard the name before.

gijayangban : ?

Woo Min-hee, why are you suddenly sticking with me?

Is it because you live in a place where the surroundings are eroded?

Anyway, despite my stern warning, Emgu and Melon Mask continued their friendly behavior that made my blood boil.

mmmmmmmmm™ : Captain M9 speaking! Oh Melon! Thanks for the congratulations! I don’t know if this will translate well lol.

MELON_MASK: M9! What happened? Explain in detail! Everyone is curious, right?

SKELTON : (Skeleton)

mmmmmmmmm™ : Okay~ I think the content will be long, so I’ll write a new post!

Then, Emgu posted a post.

The content reminded us of the story structure of “Tarzan,” which has been presented to us in endless variations through novels, movies, and animations.

In the ruins of Seoul, which are teeming with monsters, zombies, and mutations, an exploration party including a beautiful woman is in danger of being attacked by monsters. Then, Emgu, the sole resident of The Hope, the most dangerous place in the ruins of Seoul, shows off his usual talent and rescues the woman and her group, bringing them to his hideout.

Even in the midst of the urgency, Emgu took photos here and there to prove that his story was not false.

The picture included not only the Meatball-Caterpillar type that I had hunted and named before, but also smaller types like the Necromancer and Spider, numerous zombies, and new types of monsters that I had never seen before.

The story of that Emgu was honestly exciting, with the urgency of the photo, the familiar fun of a typical story structure, anticipation for the future, and curiosity about new monsters, but there were many points that I, a picky reader, could tackle.

What bothers me the most is the first-person pronoun that Emgu uses.

It is not “I”, “me”, or even “the author”.

[ Photo 9 – Calculating the speed of a group of monsters with the Heidelberg equation in 1.3 seconds using a superconducting brain. The author evacuates the group in danger to a safe area using the optimal angle and path. ]

[ Photo 13 – The author replenishing energy lost while levitating during the break between intervals ]

[ Photo 22 – The author looking at the sunset while drinking coffee mix on the slanted rooftop of The Hope after finishing a dangerous adventure ]

This is an excerpt from an article written by Emgu.

“······.”

I don’t like it very much.

What I dislike more is the relationship between Emgu and Melon Mask.

MELON_MASK : M9! You are really······!

SKELTON : (Skeleton)

MELON_MASK: It’s a “miracle”.

mmmmmmmmm™ : Thank you!

As I tilted my head and looked at the monitor, a warning window appeared on the screen.

VIVA_BOT014 : Mr. Skeleton······.

SKELTON: Captain Skeleton speaking!

VIVA_BOT014 : Please don’t do that······.

I told you not to do it?

I have a lot to say, but I will hold back my words.

Well, I have plenty of other ways to tackle this problem.

“······.”

Knock knock

roxanneGIRL: If you look at picture 9, the monster appears to be at least 1,500m away from here.

Dr. Emiless: Hmm. It’s a safe distance. Monsters tend to not pay attention to humans even if they’re over 1km away.

gijayangban : ?

roxanneGIRL : Are you saying that’s a fuss?

Dr. Emiless: If you look at picture 12, the camera zoomed in as much as possible. It’s not a dangerous situation, but it’s exaggerated for dramatic fun. As a former hunter, I don’t see any dangerous situation in the picture.

Dr. Emiless: Oh, except for the last one on the roof of the slanted apartment building.

gijayangban : ?

I have two more sub-accounts.

Although Emgu’s story is fascinating, it seems that Emgu has never truly been in danger, as my other personality, Dr. Emiris, says.

Dr. Emiless: Now, shall we analyze each photo one by one?

gijayangban : ?

That was when I was about to use my expertise to tackle it in earnest.

[ Unable to enter message ]

“hmm?”

The comment I put so much effort into writing isn’t getting posted.

This familiar feeling… could it be······?

Is it blocked?

The ominous feeling soon turned out to be true.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Haa···. This is why······. I told you to hide your identity, Skeleton.

SKELTON: What’s going on?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Why are you so shameless?

SKELTON: Huh?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Seriously… what are you doing with multiple accounts? Aren’t you ashamed…?

VIVA_BOT014: Something that even elementary school students wouldn’t do…

SKELTON: (Skeleton notice)

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Take a day off today. That’s fine.

“······.”

Is it blocked for 24 hours?

That’s fortunate.

Thanks to that, I had time to cool my head.

For a moment, the blood rushed to my head and I forgot one important fact.

It is a serious matter that Emgu and Melon Mask are publicly friendly, but at the root of this problem is the specter of the conglomerate that I was initially wary of.

The area where Emgu lives was branded a danger zone even when Kim Byeong-cheol briefly reclaimed the National Assembly.

Although there has been no large-scale erosion like in Fort Segnol, there are monster liberation zones here and there by small species, and there are human-sized monsters called caterpillar types that chase and kill humans.

Ji Young-hee and Ji Chang-soo.

It seems unlikely that they would have appeared in Emgu’s territory for no reason.

I was able to get information about them from an unexpected place.

“I thought I’d seen that woman somewhere. It was her.”

The defender knew Ji Young-hee.

“The daughter of the president of Changsu Food. She was the woman that Heo Jong-cheol was in love with when he was working under Team Leader Kim Da-ram. The last time I came here, it was so far away that I wondered if it was long, but when I saw the picture taken up close, I remembered it clearly.”

“Changsu Food? What did you do to make a living?”

“It was a company that supplied mutation meat. Rumor has it that if ten people go in, seven or eight will run out, and two of them will come out crazy.”

That may be true.

I know from experience.

Anyway, thanks to Defender, I got to know about Ji Young-hee and Ji Chang-soo, people I had connections with many times, but who I had no interest in at all.

“People who are doing better after the war than before the war.”

This is the public’s opinion of Ji Chang-soo and Ji Young-hee.