Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 43



Only Krnovel

31. The Man Who Became Light (3)

John Nae-non asked for rest, as emotional turmoil took its toll on his exhausted body.

A man in a protective suit and glasses stood beside him, holding a cane.

Judging by the high frequency of coughing up blood and grabbing the arm of the man in the hazmat suit with his convulsive hand, it doesn’t seem like John has much time left.

While he was catching his breath after taking the tranquilizer, the man with glasses approached him.

“I’m sorry for making you come such a long way and wasting your precious time.”

“What happened?”

The bespectacled man hesitated to speak.

After a while, he calmly told John Nae-non what had happened in a resigned tone.

“······Mr. Jonnaenon attempted to introduce a new type of nuclear power battery.”

“nuclear battery?”

“The Neo Alpha is the latest model. While existing nuclear batteries prioritize stability and lifespan, the Neo Alpha battery can produce power that is no exaggeration comparable to a small power plant. However.”

The bespectacled man’s face was distorted.

“It was extremely unstable. Eventually, the incident occurred while we were doing electrical work. Mr. John Nae-non was exposed to a large amount of radiation.”

As I listened to the story, one question kept popping up in my head.

It is true that electricity is an essential resource for a humane life.

But what about power plant level?

Would a person living in an age of destruction need that much electricity?

“Do you need that much electricity?”

I waited for the man to finish speaking and then blurted out.

The man looked at me blankly and answered with confidence.

“Yes, I need it.”

John Nae-non stood up from his seat and looked this way.

It seemed like everything was ready.

I approached John Nae-non.

The face, which had become hideously disfigured due to the backlighting of the medical equipment, had become one with the darkness and could not be seen properly, but the two eyes, shining in the darkness like those of a wild animal, were staring straight at me.

“I know you.”

John Nae-non said with difficulty.

It changed from polite to informal, but I didn’t care.

Now he is speaking not as Jonnaenon, but as the older Hunter Gu Sanghyo.

“I saw it in Cheorwon. Yes, it was around the time I graduated from the specialized training center and was first deployed to the front lines.”

It’s Cheorwon.

Was it around the time when I came back to Korea and started making a lot of money?

There was only one time I fought for my life there.

“I saw you from a distance. You were fighting. Two monsters appeared at the same time. One was a dancer, the other was a spider.”

“······.”

I think I saw that scene.

Ironically.

“I’ve seen it for the first time. Something like that. I’ve seen it in videos and in simulator battles, but the ones I’ve seen in real life are like that. They’re something that humans, humans, can’t handle. Why, they don’t seem to have souls? Even dogs and cats have them. But do they have souls as small as a lugworm stuck on a fishhook?”

I think there is.

Compared to humans, it would be so faint that it would be no different from an illusion.

“There were a few newly deployed Awakens there. But I couldn’t even touch them. They were scared. There······.”

John Nae-non reached out his hand.

As if trying to hold on to a past that will never return.

“The strongest person from the school. You were the only one. The rest were nothing.”

The eyes that were looking at the past shook violently.

I could sense deep emotional turmoil from the constantly shaking pupils and trembling hands.

Looking into the distance, Jonnaenone turned her head slightly to the side.

As the darkness brought about by the backlight cleared, an ugly face with red spots was faintly revealed.

“Awake.”

John Nae-non tried to chew his lower lip with his gums where his teeth had fallen out.

“I see them as monsters. The way they exert themselves is exactly like monsters.”

“······.”

“They call it an upward wave. They call it a downward wave. They talk nonsense like they theorize it, but to me, they’re just monsters. No, maybe they’re human mutations.”

He looked at me.

At the same time, the darkness brought about by the backlight obscured his face.

“I wanted to know who you were, so I begged and asked those young, blue-eyed Awakens to give me your call sign.”

“······Is that so?”

The reason I responded was because I wanted this conversation to end quickly.

I’m starting to get tired.

I’m physically tired, and I’ve been in this situation quite a few times.

“I ignored you at that meeting.”

“I’m not that great. I deserve to be ignored. By the way, I want to check the equipment······.”

“Even after seeing the idol.”

Jonnae-non nodded, cutting me off.

“Yes, you were my idol.”

The man’s eyes, which had been shining brightly in the darkness, became bloodshot.

The faint voice gradually became quiet.

“······.”

In this uncomfortable silence, I didn’t know what to say.

It was Jonnaenon who opened his mouth again.

“······There was a story that the crack in India almost closed.”

The tone of speech has changed.

Hunter Gu Sang-hyo has returned to the bulletin board user zone.

“Yes? In India? Wasn’t it destroyed there?”

“They say they gathered only the best elites on a small island isolated from the sea and attempted to attack the low-intensity rift. After much trial and error, they discovered the true nature of the rift and figured out a way to close it.”

It’s hard to believe, but the story of John Nae-non had some parts that were eerily similar to what was happening in Korea.

The island of Jeju and Lee Sang-hoon’s face naturally crossed my mind.

Also, he said to Kim Da-ram that he could hit me on the back of the head.

“Where did you hear that information?”

Anyone can speak.

Evidence is needed.

John Nae-non lowered his head and revealed his face.

There was a faint smile on his face.

“The ocean of information left in this world is not just Viva! Apocalypse! There are plenty of others.”

John Nae-non turned around.

“I have something to show you.”

A man wearing glasses supported him.

Behind John’s bedroom was another door, made of lead.

There was a Geiger counter next to the door, and it was showing quite dangerous numbers.

John opened the door without paying any attention.

thud-

What was beyond the door was a hot air that could blow away the prevailing chill, countless blinking lights, and as many wires and cables as there were lights.

I have little knowledge of IT, but it looked like some kind of computer system.

Things like data storage and servers.

John Nae-non bowed and entered the room, motioning for me to come in.

“Come, Mr. Skeleton.”

Was it 4 or 5 years ago?

I became a fan after reading your article.

The man who once fascinated me unknowingly dragged me into the swamp he had created.

“Come on.”

As if led by his call, I bowed and entered the room of countless lights.

It wasn’t just computer equipment there.

A bright light blinded me for a moment.

It was a bunch of monitors hanging on the wall.

I saw those monitors.

ㅇㅇ: Why is the server crashing and making a fuss in the morning? Master John. Where is this kid and what is he doing?

ㅇㅇ: This is Busan, what’s in the sea?.jpg

ㅇㅇ: Is it true that the rumor about the president being defeated is true?

“······What is this?”

That’s right.

It’s an internet site.

And the articles are being posted in real time.

I saw another screen.

Jonathan Ssangmundong: I succeeded in setting up the communication equipment. I can now connect. Nice to meet you.

Descendants of Byeon Gang-soe: Nice to meet you, Jonathan.

Hydralisk123: Kaaaaaaaak (meaning nice to see you, Jonathan)

That’s also an internet site.

I saw another screen.

Hi : Mom dug up some perilla leaves;;; They’re so delicious;;;

Chocoparpet: Don’t you think the servers crash too often these days?!

Yaungmyowungyulyo: Is it really true that Joong Hyun Joong and Ban Seol Ah broke up??????

This is also an internet site.

What on earth is going on?

What the hell is Viva! Apocalypse! and the Internet?

I looked around at the countless screens.

The flashing lights on each monitor and communication device now appeared and disappeared like stars on John Nae-non’s pale, tired face.

John Nae-non spread out his two arms.

“A community of failures.”

The face of the man who had confidently introduced himself to everyone at the restaurant suddenly appeared on the face of the dying man.

“Palenet!”

Jonnae-non looked back at me with a relieved expression.

“I made it!”

Yes, that’s right.

There was another bulletin board.

This is another internet bulletin board that exists in the era of destruction, where reporters mainly gather information.

Unlike Viva! Apocalypse!, which is a closed satellite-based internet, I heard that it is a place where anyone can post their thoughts and opinions like in the past, regardless of distance and location, as long as they have a means of access.

“······When I was kicked out of the bulletin board, I had several thoughts. I could either make a grand comeback by holding an event that would make people’s eyes pop, or I could just remain as a lurker and watch them go back. But neither of those options felt satisfying and I didn’t like them.”

John Nae-non stared with bloodshot eyes at the huge power facility with the radiation mark engraved on it, sitting in the corner of the room.

“So I thought, why don’t we make a site that’s on par with Viva! Apocalypse!? Like Melon Mask.”

The bespectacled man standing next to him nodded vigorously and added a word.

“Palenet is giving hope to countless people who are in despair even at this moment. In fact, countless people have saved their lives and gained hope thanks to Palenet. Now that the government and institutions have irresponsibly fled to Jeju Island, Palenet is the only Internet refuge left in South Korea.”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes.

“But in return, Brother Ssang-hyo was badly injured······. Honestly, I think Brother is better than Melon Mask. Do you think that conman would go into a room where radiation was pouring out and turn off the power to protect the equipment and the people who would be harmed by it?”

John Nae-non gestured to the man.

“Jeongmin-ah. Stop it and give it to me.”

There are now two people left in the room filled with light.

John Nae-non looked back at his room with eyes filled with emotion.

“······I wanted to show you this.”

He smiled and watched the connections between people forming on the countless monitors he had created.

Sometimes light, sometimes frivolous, sometimes trivial, but still, the evidence that people are alive was vividly evident through the scroll that moved quite quickly.

“That’s amazing.”

It is an honest review with nothing to add or subtract.

I couldn’t even imagine.

This man, this slightly frivolous and materialistic man, would create a world.

“And one more thing. Actually, this is the main purpose.”

John Nae-non tapped his machine lightly and let out a pleasant laugh.

“Viva! Apocalypse!”

“Revenge?”

“Yes. To those Korean bulletin board guys who don’t even know the kindness of those who kicked me out.”

“?!”

“I’m sure everyone is confused, but I want you, Skeleton, to know that I’m about to start my revenge on Jonnae.”

He didn’t tell me what that revenge was.

A follower of John’s thesis brought me equipment.

The equipment was perfect.

I saw him before I left.

John Nae-non was looking at the world he had created with his arms outstretched, lost in a strange aftertaste.

Maybe it was because the darkness was so thick or my eyes were blurry, but the light in the room was indistinguishable from the light surrounding him.

*Every time I stand before a monster, I feel the old hatred inside me burning like dry coal.

“······.”

The small monster standing in front of me now – the dancer type is a monster specialized in close combat.

You could say it’s a monster that catches hunters.

Despite being a huge creature measuring 6 meters in length, it moves with agility as if dancing and turns hunters who try to engage in close combat into a mess by swinging its two sharp arms.

This is an opponent that is nearly impossible to beat without equipment.

But if you have the gear and the reactions to follow its chaotic movements, it’s not hard to kill it.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

As I watch the gray-white enemy fill my field of vision, shaking the axis, all I have to do is prepare myself to die.

To be exact, it was the will to properly hit that bastard even after death.

Crash

The bastard’s awl rose into the sky.

I guess he’s just going to shoot me down from above.

Like my colleagues who couldn’t bear to send the bodies away and had them cremated locally.

But I won’t be like that.

I pulled the trigger, feeling the flames of hatred that would never go out.

pop!

The moment I pulled the trigger, a loud explosion was heard, enough to send my body flying backwards, and an absurdly large harpoon flew out and pierced the monster’s torso.

Correction.

Pupupupu!

The charge inside the harpoon set off a chain reaction of explosions, tearing the thing apart from the inside.

Eventually, the monster split in two and began to disappear, turning into ash covered in a rainbow of colors.

“······Phew.”

With this, my territory is secured.

Outside the forest, a mother and daughter snipers were waiting for me.

“Huh, how?! A skeleton hunter? A hunter?!”

“Well, it’s similar.”

“Skeleton!”

They seemed very impressed with me.

In particular, Suu is staring at me with her eyes wide open.

He patted my head lightly and left.

“······If anything like this happens again, contact me.”

“huh!”

“Oh, and Rebecca.”

“why?”

“Don’t post on the bulletin board today.”

“why?”

“If I tell you not to upload it, then don’t upload it. Before the internet disconnects.”

“······.”

I returned to the bulletin board with a body worn out by fatigue.

There’s a lot to talk about.

The story of John Nae-non, especially the story of his revenge.

First, I need to give a quick heads up to the Defenders.

Defender guy.

What kind of expression would he make if he knew the current situation of John Nae-non?

I logged onto the bulletin board with a bright smile on my face despite my exhaustion.

“uh?”

A scene that made me feel like I had come to the wrong house greeted me.

ㅇㅇ: Bikiyahoo~! Bikiyahoo~!

ㅇㅇ: I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet.

Who are you: hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hydralisk123: Kaaaaaaaak (meaning happy to see you little Viva babies)

Walnut Mom: So you guys have been living together doing fun things like this?!

ㅇㅇ: I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet. I came from PaleNet.

…

…

What the heck is this?

Why is the bulletin board like this?

Our bulletin board is being taken over by unidentified entities.

After a while, I found out why.

Foxgames: I thought the traffic was increasing strangely, and it was indeed a sign of an intrusion. These guys are right. It’s all coming from the PaleNet. But it’s not all bad.

Foxgames: If they invaded, that means we can invade too.

Foxgames: The world has expanded.

The moment I read that, I hit my forehead.

Who would have imagined such a wonderful revenge?

He said it with respect.

“I love you.”

He was my role model.

My role model said he idolized me.

I now consider him my idol.

He who created one world and connected it to another world is more than qualified to do so.

What kind of relationship is it when both people idolize each other?

Chain of Idols. There I was reminded of Ouroboros, the serpent biting its own tail.

The symbol of eternity means singular, but there are big and small things in it.

The big one is the head and the small one is the tail.

I would like to give the glory of being the head to Jonnaenon.

The man who became one with the light in the darkness.

John_nenon: (John Nenon) Today’s lunch haha

Look at his writing.