Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 355



Only Krnovel

Episode 361 148. Painkiller (1)

SKELTON: (Skeleton) Mountain Range (1)

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) The last story of national actor Kang Hoon-young (1)

“······.”

They say enemies meet on a single-log bridge.

While I was writing the series of stories about conversion and refreshing it, waiting for the results, I discovered that Jeremy Irons had posted a new article.

I know this method is lethal, but the world of competition is ruthless.

You’ve come to a hot article that hasn’t even had 3 views yet.

Knock knock-

I skipped the text without reading a single word.

“······.”

Knock knock

Dr. Emily: …Sigh. You have to lie in moderation. Be honest. Are you kidding me?

This is not a display of petty trickery or childish jealousy.

As a senior internet user during the time of destruction, this is just a kind of preventive injection to let you know about the spicy taste unique to the post-war internet world.

As expected, Jeremy Irons, who had yet to experience the harshness of the post-war Internet world, lashed out.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) What? You? What are you basing your claims on? I’ll hear from someone who has experienced it firsthand. And cross-checking has been completed.

Judging from how much you talk, you really lack experience.

It smells like grass.

He left a comment with a smile of conversion on his face.

Dr. Emily: All the stories you spread are fiction······. How can I trust something that has no verification······.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) How can I upload a picture from the Necropolis? It’s not even PaleNet.

Dr.Emiless: Puhahaha

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) ?

Dr. Emily: ? You idiot. What’s the point of saying that?

Dr. Emily: Viva! Apocalypse! Are you imitating the named user Skeleton?

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) What the hell is Skelton doing?

“uh?”

He tilted his head slightly.

Dr. Emily: Don’t you even know the skeletons······? Even if it’s an influx of Necropolis······. You don’t know the fundamental users······.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) Huh? Wait a minute.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) I was wondering why he was suddenly bringing up some unheard-of story about Skelton, and then it turns out that Dr. Emiris was Skelton.

Dr.Emiless: ?

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) That’s right, you idiot. I see that Skeleton Sage has left a comment for every one of his boring stories. And what are those two recommendations for······?

Dr.Emiless: ?

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) You did it?

Dr.Emiless: ?

I was about to immediately run to another computer and delete the guy’s post.

A message appears on the screen like a warning.

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Don’t do it······.

“······.”

Vivabot.

She’s a woman with nothing much to do.

At first glance, she looks like she’s in her early to mid 20s, but shouldn’t a woman of that age dress up and come out and be active?

Why are you stopping me from doing what I want to do?

[ Do you want to delete this post? (Y/M) ]

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Please······.

“······.”

I decided to endure it just this once.

okay.

I endure it because I’m an adult.

however.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) This little Skelton is a legend.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) No one is watching my story, so I’m going to lie, do some dirty work, and even slander others······.

Dead13213: (Jeremy Irons) He has two Viva accounts, but he doesn’t know how to liquidate them, so he must be a rich and old guy······.

Suddenly, comments start pouring in.

Looking closely, the number of recommendations is over 15.

Looks like it’s on the popular posts list.

Because it’s a popular post, comments are coming in quickly.

Anonymous3132: Skeleton? What is that? What is this kid? Why are you picking on Jeremy Irons?

Anonymous113: Oh, I remembered. Isn’t that the guy who was always aggro-inducing, not even back in the ADSL days?

Anonymous37311: He’s getting upset because no one reads his posts.

Anonymous458: Skeleton······.

Anonymous7721: Mr. Jeremy Irons, please ignore that guy and keep posting stories.

mmmmmmmmm™ : What the smell?

gijayangban : ?

…

…

Let’s take refuge for a moment now.

The situation is not good.

“······.”

Well, I guess I’ll just get scolded for a bit.

Because you’re popular, you get criticized.

It’s not like I’ll be getting cursed at for a day or two, so this too will pass.

I turned off the monitor with trembling hands and left the office.

Even though it was hit by artillery fire once, the official residence is still in the same place.

To be exact, it wasn’t a direct hit.

A nearby explosion shook the villa and destroyed several of my precious belongings.

If it’s a good place, then it is a good place, as the manager said.

The current time is 2:20 AM.

Although it is late, the surrounding areas of new Seoul are as sleepless as in the past.

Generators running in government warehouses bring light and heat to the city, while beneath them, people dig through the ruins with shovels and picks, pushing debris into corners.

The road to Hanam is being paved.

Once the road is completed, the refugees under the Hope will move there.

According to the city operations manager, it will all be done within a month.

Of course, there is one thing that needs to be resolved before that.

The nearby district heating company needs to be cleaned.

One of the reasons why the Hanam area was selected as a new residential area is because of the relatively recently completed combined heat and power plant belonging to the heating company.

But for some reason, monsters have a high probability of making nests in such important facilities.

The nests created early in the war already surround the power plant in grayish white.

It may be bad luck for the city, but at this point, four years after the war began, it is a well-hidden pocket change.

At least those polar scavengers aren’t active in the monster’s territory.

Although scavengers have a more moderate image than looters, when approached from the perspective of national infrastructure, they are the main culprits who destroyed the entire foundation of the country, even though they did not actively kill people.

It’s to the extent that they even remove railroad ties and rails and sell them.

It is said that because of this, the plan to transport goods by rail while the southern industrial zone was still in operation suffered significant setbacks.

Anyway, the power plant that was untouched by the scavenger’s hands could give hope to the new Seoul residents this winter, if only it had enough oil.

However, the difficulty level of that nest is high.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s old or because it’s a good place for monsters, but three or more small species have nested together.

There are no zombies, so it’s assumed there are no necromancer types, but the fact that at least one is a spider type means that the mission will not be easy.

Even if we take Kim Da-ram with us, it won’t be easy.

If there was a regular Awaken, I don’t know.

As I was standing in front of the building, absentmindedly letting my breath escape, I felt someone walking towards me.

The moment I turned my head, I had a feeling that something unusual was waiting for me.

Eyes that glow softly in the darkness.

It’s away.

That’s what’s giving me the biggest headache right now.

“Captain.”

Seung-Hwan Ahn, the leader of the regular Awaken, bowed his head to me.

I don’t like it when someone bows their head.

Because I know from experience that behind such exaggerated behavior there is always something that is wanted.

*

“Wow. You use two laptops.”

Since there weren’t any cafes like before the war and the weather wasn’t warm enough to talk outside, I had no choice but to invite him to my residence, which was still being cleaned up.

“Oh, is this the obelisk?”

Seunghwan Ahn seemed very interested in my stuff.

“No, why are there two of these······?”

“······What brings you here?”

They brought out some warm tea.

Orange-flavored synthetic sweetener received from Woo Min-hee.

The taste is exactly as you’d imagine, but in these times when everything is rare, it’s quite a delicacy.

It is said that it is appropriate for treating guests well.

Since we didn’t have any fancy furniture like a sofa, we sat across from each other on IKEA-style folding chairs and started talking.

Seung-Hwan Ahn hit his head again.

“It’s a little late, but thank you and I’m sorry.”

“······This may sound harsh, but what is your business? I can’t sleep yet.”

Seunghwan Ahn sighed and made a hesitant expression, then his face changed to one of determination and he looked at me with determined eyes.

“Actually, I also think that I should be under your command, Captain.”

The expression “thinking” is not something I like very much.

It would be better to say that you won’t do it or that you can’t do it.

There’s no point in saying something that hasn’t been decided yet.

I waited silently for the next words to be spoken.

“I’ll be honest with you.”

Seunghwan Ahn let out a deep sigh.

“The regular Awakens here.”

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and more experienced.

I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say.

“······These are the kids who were pushed out of Jeju.”

also.

Bad feelings never go wrong.

“Unfit for combat?”

I asked him.

“They weren’t the ones who were disqualified through psychological testing. They were the ones who suffered trauma while performing a mission… or they were the ones who made serious mistakes repeatedly and were judged after the fact.”

“okay?”

“Originally, they were supposed to go to the lighthouse, but since we lost contact with the lighthouse······. Sigh. We had to stay on standby.”

Seunghwan Ahn bowed his head to me again.

Some people think that young people who don’t bow their heads are rude, but I think differently.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t bow your head at all.

The younger you are, the less likely you are to bow your head.

It has to be stiff.

Because once a neck is broken and flabby, it will never return to its original state.

“Please. They are all children who are either rehabilitated or afraid. They are already timid, and the appearance of the new Dae Awaken has made them even more timid. So, if you need us, please deploy us to the safest mission.”

Of course, it is a matter of time to decide whether Ahn Seung-hwan’s head is bowed habitually or because he is bowing it on his own.

I need to talk to Woo Min-hee.

*

Not everyone becomes an adult as they grow older.

Only through experience and the reflection gained from that experience can a person truly grow.

Of course, I have no intention of denying that the definition of adult varies from person to person, and that I also change my definition of adult from time to time.

Woo Min-hee lives in a different place from other people.

Her home is on the top floor of a slightly slanted business hotel, though not quite as large as The Hope.

In this gloomy space, where the steel and concrete are exposed because of lack of maintenance, and drafts pour in through the shattered glass windows, there is the only room with a proper door.

It was unrealistic in many ways that only her space retained its former glory and splendor while the other rooms, and the entire building, were in a state of ruinous decline and weathering.

“Kim Da-ram said so.”

She greeted me in a bathrobe, as if she had just finished bathing, and spoke to me in a lower tone of voice than usual while drying her hair in front of me.

“Senior, you haven’t aged at all.”

The clawed hand reflected in the mirror moved and scratched the marble top of the dressing table, making a terrible noise.

Squeak–

“Senior, you are still stuck in that era. We have become so dirty.”

Sigh, and.

“No, I’m an adult now.”

Laugh.

“······.”

She turned and stared at me, her iron fingers nicking the marble table deeply.

The face was completely expressionless, and it was impossible to read any emotions, but at least it showed no hostility.

“There’s nothing you can do. It’s the job of an adult. Sending children and young people to battlefields and labor, knowing that the end will not be good. People who do that kind of thing only see themselves and see scenery that people who only do their own work will never be able to see.”

I haven’t yet come up with my own definition of what an adult is, but I know that there is a difference between what she says about adults and what I think of as adults.

He looked at her and spoke calmly.

“That view. I’m not curious.”

“The first time is hard. The first time. If you keep doing it like other things, you become dull. You know? We don’t do it out of malice. It’s definitely romantic to always take on dangerous tasks like you, senior. But romance is just romance.”

“······I understand the situation. Let’s talk to Seunghwan Ahn again.”

Although I confirmed that there were some differences of opinion on the definition of an adult, I fully understood that even friends who were judged unfit for combat had no choice but to use it.

The only question left is who to take with you.

I hope this day will be good.

Judging by the way he followed me to the battlefield, he seemed to have some strength.

Although he panicked when he encountered the new monster, that level of flaw can be corrected at will.

“Anyway, thanks for the advice. I’ll pick the right people and secure the power plant.”

As I was about to turn around and leave, Woo Min-hee suddenly said.

“Ask them to send you the most annoying one.”

Her side profile was reflected in the mirrors placed here and there.

The face was smiling.

“You’re good at it, senior. You train the low-level kids and make them act like people.”

“······Was it like that?”

“Why? Didn’t you let senior Kang Han-min do one person’s share?”

I understood after seeing Woo Min-hee’s face.

My clever junior knew everything from the beginning.

You called me because you knew everything.

Well, I guess coming here was the right choice.

At least I got here before the shells hit my precious territory.

*

“······My nickname is Je-tong. Why Je-tong? It’s an abbreviation for Jeju Integrated Hospital.”

Seunghwan Ahn sighed and told me about the “volunteer.”

“He fakes illness whenever he gets the chance. He always fakes illness even when he’s not sick. Yes. No one likes him. Who likes someone? A selfish person who doesn’t deserve his age.”

The name of the regular Awaken, called Je-tong, is Kim Hanna.

At 28 years old, she is the oldest female regular Awaken player.

“Oh, hello?”

As the eldest of the regular Awakens, she had eyes that sparkled softly, but she awkwardly looked at me and greeted me, and I felt like I knew why she was looked down on by the other regular Awakens.

“I’m really sorry, but today is the day I’m supposed to be there. I’m not feeling well. So, can we go next time?”

He acts in a rude manner while keeping an eye on the situation.

Iharu, who had been watching from behind – with a bandage wrapped around his head and a cast on – winked at me and spoke loudly as if to tell Kim Han-na to listen.

“Sister. Didn’t we do it last week?”

I sighed inwardly as I watched Kim Han-na’s face turn red amidst the laughter of her younger colleagues.

This isn’t easy.