Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 37



Only Krnovel

28. Scholar (2)

There was a topic that had always been sharply debated even before the war.

Will we survive the coming destruction as a group or as individuals?

The age-old debate was slowly tilting toward collectivism.

The main argument of individualists like me is that a group system that cannot help but be visible will inevitably face strong challenges and eventually collapse.

There are actually places that have collapsed.

Looking at the fact that the fortress of conglomerate Park Cheol-ju, who could be called the ultimate leader of group survivalism, has been completely destroyed.

But individualism also had serious problems.

It’s more about our human nature than an external threat.

Not everyone has the traits of a hermit.

I thought so too, but the reality that unfolded was that I too was an ordinary person who needed people.

It’s not easy to spend years locked in a room alone, in fear of death.

The peaceful days may continue.

But it is true that even the smallest changes in daily life can lead to uncontrollable fear and anxiety.

It is also my belief that small daily pains and inconveniences can lead to mental illness.

In my case, I tend to eliminate the cause of the danger, but most people have to live with the small pain and discomfort.

It can’t be fixed.

Most of the pain and discomfort experienced while living in a bunker is decided when the bunker is first designed.

As a result, many people gave up halfway or changed strangely.

Even I, who had never been involved in a community before the war, am now so dependent on it that I suspect I am addicted to it.

The form of death will also be different.

Even if you die one day, there are bound to be differences in the outcome between dying alone and having someone by your side to fight and die with you, or someone to bury your body and mourn you.

There is another problem.

It is the trend of the times.

I thought Seoul would become like Beijing, China.

They thought that when cities collapsed and systems collapsed, tens of millions of refugees would scatter in all directions, creating a chain reaction of destruction.

But South Korea was different.

I don’t know if the lies of the rulers are better or if their trust in the rulers is stronger than that of the Chinese, but the citizens of Seoul chose to sit there and die rather than choose to emigrate en masse in the face of the catastrophe that was right before their eyes.

They were so hopeful.

No, maybe it was because the environment made it difficult to imagine eating anything other than hope that they made that choice.

Unlike China, which is overflowing with resources and land, the Korean Peninsula is narrow and various disasters are concentrated in that narrow land.

If this movement continues, group survivalism may gain the upper hand.

It’s not my fault.

Not everyone can see the future.

It is an overly consequentialist interpretation to say that what happened in China is wrong because it did not happen in Korea.

“Hello, this is Skeleton.”

This was also an opportunity. I tried to talk to people whenever I had the chance.

“Mr. Skeleton? Oh, you’re younger than I thought.”

“Are you Mr. Skeleton? Somehow, your image is so different from what I imagined.”

“No, why would a seemingly normal person do something like that on a bulletin board?”

But why is the reaction strange?

I know I’m unpopular and I’ve fallen so low that I’m getting involved with guys like Unicorn18, but I keep saying the same thing to everyone I meet.

“······.”

I wonder if I’m not good at using the internet.

“hmm······.”

Among them, there was a user who seemed particularly friendly to me.

This is anonymous848.

Even though it was the middle of the night, he was wearing sunglasses and a mask, which was suspicious, so I couldn’t see his face very well, but judging from the parts that the sunglasses couldn’t cover, he looked like he was at least in his mid-40s.

“Do you know me?”

I saw him staring at me and asked him slyly.

I was wondering if anyone knew me.

You probably don’t know.

Hunter information in South Korea is a secret not only for me but for almost all hunters.

The cause was provided by our superiors.

At a time when China was growing stronger and was dealing with the disasters coming from India and internal divisions at home, China still made a big fuss but inwardly it also reached out to our country.

To be precise, it was not the country that was affected, but the talent.

8th, 9th, 10th generations.

Based on past experiences, hunters that the country had raised at great expense as specialized units for fighting large monsters went to China in pursuit of money.

When the government suddenly lost its elite soldiers, it was subject to a barrage of public opinion, including the media, and eventually, all personal information of the guards from the Hunter Training Institute was classified as secret without exception.

Of course, things like faces will never be known.

However, members who did not graduate from the same school as me or who were deemed unsuitable by the school were managed a bit more leniently.

As a result, there were people who made money by telling stories and making a living, saying, “I’m a Hunter.”

I think it’s called John Nae-non.

“No. I just find it interesting. Kyledos sometimes talks about Skelton.”

“What did you say?”

“Contrary to the image on the Skeleton bulletin board, he might be a good person.”

“Didn’t you say you met?”

“I didn’t hear anything like that. Did you happen to meet him?”

“In the past.”

I had a brief conversation with him.

It was my intention that the topic that started with Kyledos would move in a different direction.

“Military? I also came from the west, but that area is controlled by neutral forces rather than the legion.”

“okay.”

“I heard that there was a problem with the Legion faction. I heard that the leader of the Legion faction was Lieutenant General Kwon Seong-tae, and the helicopter he was riding crashed while carrying another commander following him. The army that lost its commander. Well, it’s obvious.”

“······.”

That’s information I don’t know.

At the point when contact with Kim Da-ram was cut off, the only way to know the situation in Seoul was through the community.

While some people find reward in exchanging information like a journalist, community users tend not to reveal information unless they are certain of it, knowing that rumors can lead to bigger problems.

So it looks like the information was late.

“Defender······.”

“Huh? Why Defender?”

“No. It just suddenly occurred to me.”

I hope it’s okay.

No matter how much I think about it, the soldier that guy saw doesn’t seem like a simple soldier looter.

Could it be that I was hit?

That guy too?

No, there is a high chance that it will happen.

If there was an Awaken among those siblings, then I wouldn’t know, but even I have a hard time stopping attacks by trained soldiers.

Anyway, while we were talking about this and that, we arrived at the area where the scholar’s bunker was.

Unlike other outlying areas, there weren’t many people around, but the city was close enough that I could see the gloomy lights on the hillside below.

Across the way, gloomy, grayish-white lights are visible.

“······That kind of thing.”

Is this an erosion zone that was created next to a preserved city, not an abandoned city?

Judging from the shape, it seems to be a small-scale erosion caused by Jeongju-hyeong, but the Gwangju area has been designated as a strategic area, so it is expected to be managed more thoroughly than other areas, but an erosion zone has occurred even in such an area?

This is evidence of lack of management.

This is evidence that monsters that can be killed are being left unkilled.

“stop.”

Diesirae, who had been leading us from the front, gave the signal to stop.

“There it is. It should be over there. Just as the sturdy orthopedic surgeon told me, there’s a large ventilation shaft there.”

Indeed, the ventilation shaft is visible.

It appears to be intended for use in subways or sewer pipes rather than bunkers.

The stench of the sewer was quite strong.

“Okay, let’s go. We’ll do some reconnaissance first. The rest of you, if there’s an enemy on the side, please fire warning shots.”

Diesirae was certainly a seasoned soldier.

“Wait a minute. Is that a booby trap? Let me check first.”

Not only do they have a wealth of experience in war, but they have also taken the initiative and achieved victory many times.

Where did you work?

Could it be North Korea?

When North Korea was destroyed, South Korean forces briefly recaptured Pyongyang.

Judging by his age and experience, he seems very likely to be a soldier from that era.

“A bunker was found. Judging by the footprints, there are five inside. Judging by the shoe sizes, two women and three men?”

Everyone’s faces hardened.

There will be a battle soon.

It’s a story about losing the bunker you worked so hard to prepare and the life beyond it, and ending up as a cold corpse rolling on the floor.

The tension made everyone’s breath freeze, but it soon disappeared.

I heard laughter.

This is the sound heard inside the bunker.

“Hahahahaha!!”

“Kihhahaha!”

“Wow. What the heck! This is awesome!”

Should I call it a burst of laughter?

It’s a form of laughter we’ve lost.

It is the sound of many men and women looking at one thing at the same time, laughing and talking.

“Are you going to kill them all?”

A man asked with greed in his eyes.

It’s probably a user named Chocho.

He’s not very active on the bulletin board, so it was my first time seeing him, but it wasn’t hard to read his thoughts.

“You wouldn’t kill a woman, would you? I think the woman just wrote that because the boys threatened her.”

It may seem like he is defending the woman, but in reality he wants the woman herself.

She’s probably the cute girl who uploaded the first authentication photo.

The girl who revealed her face next had a face that couldn’t be described as cute, even in vain.

What would Diesirae think?

“We have to kill them all.”

He answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Isn’t it a waste?”

Chocho asks with a serious expression.

At this, Diesirae showed a subtle annoyance.

“Then, rape me once.”

It seems that he also figured out the intention at once.

Well, it’s obvious.

Because males in heat tend to walk down the path to destruction.

“no.”

Chocho made a look of resentment, but it didn’t matter.

“I’ll take care of it for you. But please finish quickly.”

“I just said I would spare your life.”

“After the rape, you have to kill her. The aftermath is not as simple as you think, sir.”

“No, who would rape someone? Is it so shameful to just let someone live?”

“Then, teacher, you can catch the woman yourself, take her away, and do whatever you want with her, like raping her or slaughtering her.”

I know that Diesirae killed all the dogs he raised.

Among them, there were still young specimens with mild mutation symptoms, giving us a glimmer of hope.

Certainly he is no ordinary man.

“Let’s get started.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he and his colleagues from the same group took control of the entrance and, while maintaining stealth, moved their troops using only hand signals to find the ventilation shaft.

He held up three fingers.

It means it starts after 3 seconds.

“Hahahahahaha! Look at this kid! This crazy kid. He’s going crazy because I said the cartoon wasn’t funny.”

“I think I know who that fucking kid is. Isn’t he the guy who couldn’t even get into the weekly webtoon and drew boring, red-hot stuff on some weird bulletin board?”

“Hey! Mr. Dragon! You fucking bitch! Your comics aren’t funny!”

The boy’s and girl’s mixed screams rumbled through the heavy door of the bunker and out through the ventilation shaft.

Diesirae bent all her fingers.

His colleague, wearing a tactical mask, threw a tear gas canister into the ventilation shaft.

Soon the laughter inside the bunker stopped and violent coughing broke out.

“Cough! Cough!”

“What the hell?! What the hell!”

“Really, you really came?”

“Those little bastards?!”

“Don’t open the door!”

“No! I’m going to die! I’m going to die!!!”

The door opened amidst a miserable scream.

Diesirae gave the signal.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Diesirae’s gun and that of his comrades opened fire.

Single shot aimed fire, not even a three-round burst.

Human figures collapsed one by one in the acrid smoke.

“Save me!”

A girl crawled out with her face covered in tears and snot, and held on to Diesirae’s feet.

Diesirae looked back for a moment.

The direction his gaze was directed to was none other than Chocho.

After examining Chocho’s face for a moment, he aimed his gun at the back of the girl’s head.

“Oh, no! Don’t kill the girl!”

Although Chocho tried to dissuade him, Diesirae’s finger pulled the trigger without hesitation.

bang!

The gun fired and the girl’s head snapped up.

“Why are you killing me!!!! What the fuck!!!!!”

A scream burst out of Chocho’s mouth.

Some might call it murder.

But in my view, wasn’t it mercy?

Look at the anxious, flickering gaze that does not take its eyes off the dead girl’s body while expressing regret.

“······.”

There are people like this in the community too.

It’s a truth I knew but didn’t want to know.

Diesirae and his colleagues entered the bunker, where the acrid smoke of tear gas lingered.

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots were heard.

“Clear.”

The battle is over.

The foreign substance that was mocking us has been removed.

“······Let’s just pack what we need to pack. We’ll talk about it later.”

Diesirae and his colleagues, who could be called the hosts of this festival, did not bring anything.

He seemed content to simply watch his guests enjoy themselves like a generous host.

Perhaps he is more concerned with the people who gather around him.

Judging from the fact that he sat down separately and spoke with people who were presumed to be doctors, farmers, and engineers.

Perhaps the real purpose of this meeting was to identify talents needed for his group?

After a man came out carrying a box of condoms and a bunch of food, I went inside the bunker.

There’s something caught underfoot.

It’s so super.

He was crouching next to the entrance, feeling the girl’s cooling body.

There were corpses lying around inside, but I didn’t bother to look at their faces.

I don’t feel particularly guilty.

I’m just tired of it.

Because these guys have clearly demonstrated the concrete reality of destruction.

They too will have merely become one of those realities.

My attention was drawn to the laptop lying there.

“You said your name was Skeleton?”

Diesirae, who had never shown much interest in me, showed interest in me for the first time.

“What are they?”

While everyone else was packing essential supplies like food, medicine, clothes, toilet paper, and condoms, I packed a few slightly unnecessary items like a laptop and satellite equipment.

“You have one, right?”

“That’s true.”

“By any chance, would you like to give me a like on your writing?”

Diesirae smiled for the first time.

“······I’m not that kind of person.”

He answered immediately with a serious expression.

*

A week has passed since the new gentleman died.

Defender has no contact.

I sent a message, but I didn’t get a reply.

“······.”

An afternoon when the air in the bunker feels particularly cold.

Another miracle happened on the bulletin board.

tntn_Orthopedics : Wasn’t the fake scholar dead?

Guest3321: Hey, does that sound like that gentleman?

The scholar who died twice has returned!

But this time the resurrection location is different.

The third gentleman appeared on an English bulletin board, not a Korean bulletin board, and committed the sin of spamming.

SUNBI : KOREAN SUCKS

SUNBI : I HATE KOREANS

SUNBI : KOREAN, PEOPLE OF THE ABYSS

SUNBI : HELL ON EARTH : KOREA

SUNBI: I hate Korea

SUNBI : today’s lunch

…

…

“······.”

I immediately turned on the radio.

“Skeleton? What’s going on?”

He said to Suu who asked innocently.

“Mom, change it.”

“Skeleton? What’s going on? I’m busy.”

I sighed and said one word.

“I begged and pleaded for you to get me the equipment, so what are you doing on the bulletin board······?”

“······.”

A new post has been posted on the English bulletin board.

SUNBI: Except SKELTON

“······content?”

“Delete that post immediately and change your nickname.”

He ended the call and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

[ Defender Summon Ticket ]

Looking at the picture of me that my brother drew hanging across the room, I put my hands together and prayed for the first time in almost a year.

May they live like the sniper mother and daughter.

May this dry destruction not take them.