Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 45



Only Krnovel

33. Moving (1)

The intruders from Palenet were flowing out like the tide.

Yeah yeah: There are really only fucking boring assholes here

Anonymous user reviews say it all

ㅇㅇ: Especially that Skeleton guy. How old is he? He’s still making jokes about being a kid….

I don’t know why I keep getting caught, but at this point, Defender’s words that I really can’t use the internet may be true.

It was about a week after the gunfire in the North had stopped that the Defender made his surprising offer.

Message from Defender: This just won’t do. I have to move.

SKELTON: The place there is a bit strange.

Message from Defender: I’m planning to go near your neighborhood.

SKELTON: What?!

A message from Defender: Is there a problem?

There is a problem.

To be honest, neither my brother nor my sister are normal people, right?

Those guys are coming to my bunker?

It’s scary to even think about.

A message from Defender: I’m not telling you to go to your bunker. We have a sense of humor, unlike anyone else.

SKELTON: What does that mean?

A message from Defender: Before the war, didn’t you hear from your friends that you were tactless?

SKELTON: ?

Message from Defender: Oh, you don’t have many friends.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Negation)

Message from Defender: Anyway, I have a place I checked out in advance. It’s about 3km away from your house.

SKELTON: 3km each?!

Message from Defender: Please help me out, I’ll respect your privacy as much as possible. We’re registered friends, right?

Message from Defender: (Beauty screams) If you don’t help us, we die!

It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to joke around.

The Defender’s territory has been turbulent from the start, and now there are military-turned-marauders loitering around.

But of all the times, why move here during this time of destruction?

Moving was a major family affair even before the war, and now that everything has fallen apart, it’s a life-threatening affair.

A message from Defender: I’ve come up with a plan.

The Defender sent a map detailing his migration plan and route.

What are his plans?

It was just like a defender.

Maybe it’s a good compromise between reason and madness.

The surrounding area was dominated by well-armed Legionnaires, so the Defenders chose a route that was as free of them as possible.

The path designed by the Defender passes through the zombie zone, the cult control zone, and the monster control zone.

SKELTON: What is the fanatic control area?

A message from Defender: I have one. I can’t quite remember the name though.

SKELTON: (Skeleton worries)

Message from Defender: (Defender’s eyes sparkling) Will you come?

“······.”

I have to go. What else can I do?

It’s a path I’ve been on before, and these are friends who wouldn’t allow me to die.

Even if the Defender siblings are lucky enough to move without me, it’s still a problem.

This means that he will probably cut me off and become an extreme anti-Skeleton.

In some ways, that would be a bigger emotional wound than the Defender dying.

Above all, aren’t we internet friends?

SKELTON: (197cm100Kg30cm Skeleton)

He answered cheerfully.

Reflecting the latest style of my idol, Jonnae Non.

Message from Defender: ?

Message from Defender: What the heck are you talking about?

“······.”

Was this too difficult for the Defender?

*The Defender is a friend who kills people well and speaks harshly, but he is also a friend with sense and common sense.

We decided to meet in the middle.

As always, we set off late in the evening and crossed the darkness.

bang!

The sound of gunshots heard from afar is no longer uncommon.

Far to the northeast, a previously unseen light appears.

Well, a pioneer, I guess.

Bang! Bang!

It is said that one of the reasons pioneers went into the dangerous wilderness was to bring guns.

Rather than starve to death in the city without a weapon, it would be better to have a gun outside the city so that there would be hope for something to be done.

Bang! Tata ta tang!

The gunshots continue breathlessly.

It looks like a combat situation.

I tried turning on the radio.

-Chijijik! This is the 423rd Pioneer Corps! Mutations! Mutations are circling our Pioneer Corps! Anyone who can support the Pioneer Corps or those around them, please apply immediately!

A moment later the radio rang again.

-This is the 423rd Pioneer Division! What I thought was a mutation was a goral. I apologize for the confusion.

It was a full moon.

This doesn’t usually happen on a full moon, but the clouds are so thick that it’s practically no different than a waning moon.

So that’s why they make such mistaken shots.

The full moon illuminated the land only when the passing clouds permitted it.

We arrived at the agreed upon location, following the signs of gunshots and dim lights.

I checked the GPS and sent a signal with the K-Walkie-Talkie.

Beep- beep beep beep beep—

Repeat twice briefly.

I looked around.

In the forest to the northeast a light flashed and went out three times.

We agreed in advance not to reply.

One side is for communication, the other side is for light.

It was an inconvenient measure, but since there were a lot of people and people were the biggest threat, it was an inevitable measure, but the Defender was waiting for me at a spot where I could catch the light well.

“Skeleton.”

Defender, whom I met after a long time, still looks shameless and handsome, except that he has lost a little weight.

I feel like my eyes have become sharper than before.

Did I level up by killing so many people?

“let’s go.”

He handed me the headset.

As I put on the headset, I heard the voice of my brother Defender along with a crackling sound.

“Skeleton! Really?”

“what?”

“So. That··· is 30cm······?!”

“······A kind of metaphor.”

“It’s not like it’s an oxymoron, is it?”

I was about to ask what an oxymoron was, but I gave up.

It’s not too late to get to the Defender’s house to tell the joke.

The air is worse than that.

What should I say, rather than a bad smell, it was more like my heart itself was stirring ominously.

The defender pointed south.

The realm of monsters, I’ve seen it before.

As expected, it got a bit bigger.

The monster’s territory, once visible from a distance on the riverbank, has now expanded to reach the riverbank.

If I hadn’t killed the monsters in my territory in time, the area around my territory would have been covered in a gloomy gray-white color, twisting and drying up everything living.

“It’s going to be a rough road from here.”

The Defender climbed the steep slope with agility.

I grabbed a branch and followed behind.

He followed the steep slope just below the ridge.

Perhaps he is reluctant to be observed from the other side.

Soon he beckoned to me from behind the rock.

“Look over there.”

Beyond the ridge, numerous lights were flashing.

It’s the military.

Armored vehicles, jeeps, and even tanks were packed into the abandoned factory site.

“?”

But even if there are a lot of numbers, they are still too many.

Dozens of tanks and even attack helicopters sit on trailers with their wings folded.

Why was this much power concentrated in this place at this time?

At least it doesn’t look like we’re dealing with monsters.

The defender looked down at the truth and smiled bitterly.

“Do you know why I have to move?”

“I guess I should go. But why are they all gathered like this?”

“We’ve been here for two months, and our numbers are growing. And we only exchange encrypted communications.”

“······What about that story?”

For a moment, goosebumps ran down my spine.

I felt like I knew what that army’s purpose was.

“Palenet and our bulletin board have been saying that the Legion faction has been split for the past few months. Well, maybe it’s all a set-up?”

Maybe so.

The defender took a step forward.

“But whether the Legion faction or the National Assembly faction takes power, it has nothing to do with us.”

I think so too.

Whoever takes power is a story from another world that has nothing to do with us.

If I had one wish, it would be that whoever takes power would last a long time.

The longer they hold out in the North, whether they are traitors or a legitimate government, the more time I will have.

Beyond the gathering place of the secret army, another gray-white area spread out.

“This place is really fucked up!” I thought to myself as I quietly opened my mouth.

“Was this place eroded too?”

It was a fine place the last time I went there.

There were no signs of erosion and no reports of monsters appearing.

Defender let out a shallow sigh and told me the truth I didn’t know.

“I heard that some crazy guys came with a bunch of capsules.”

“A capsule?”

“I haven’t seen it myself, but I heard it was like that on military frequencies.”

It’s a capsule.

I also moved the capsule by hand, but it was an inevitable choice.

At that time, I didn’t have as much free time as I do now, and above all, Kim Da-ram and the South Korean government were still in good health.

It was just one monster, and with just a little help from Kim Da-ram, it could have been dealt with without much difficulty.

But unlike me, there are people who really want to bring monsters into this world.

“Surely that fanatic······.”

Foolish people who mistake the result of peace and coexistence for the cause.

They are the ones who truly drove China to ruin.

“A religion that dissuades people from coming to visit?”

It’s been a long time since I’ve uttered that blasphemous name.

The defender nodded.

“Yeah. They were called by that name.”

The defender gritted his teeth.

“······I should have killed them all when I ran into them on the street that time.”

Beyond the gray-white forest, a thick puff of smoke rises.

Smoke from burning wood.

People live there.

Is this really a Manryu Gwijong religion?

No religion teaches you to live next to monsters, except that crazy one.

“······Did they come to Korea too?”

“There’s no way soulless kids who believe in pseudo-religions have borders or reasons, right?”

Defender might be right.

In this world, there are surprisingly many people who choose to destroy themselves, like in a pseudo-religion.

What I’m seeing is probably one of those types.

The kind of people who would burn themselves out even if there was no destruction.

“Didn’t you tell me in advance?”

“I thought you wouldn’t come if I told you.”

The defender spoke honestly.

This guy was definitely in China.

It is clear that fanatics are just as much of a threat as the military.

Of course, there are people who take fanatics lightly.

Because compared to the military, their equipment was poor and they were not properly trained.

But he is by no means an easy opponent.

It’s not just about the size of your faith, or numbers, or your disregard for death.

Among the fanatics, sometimes, in their language, the chosen ones of God appear.

I held my breath and asked the defender quietly.

“Is there an Awaken among them?”

The defender nodded after a moment of silence.

“······Well, I’m not sure. But I think there was something similar.”

People say that the first Awaken came from among the Hunters, but the truth is different.

The first Awaken emerged among cultists living in the eroded zone.

This is something that I and the Chinese soldiers fighting alongside me witnessed at the same time.

I still vividly remember what our primary school teacher, Lee Ja-ho, who served as a bridge between us and the Chinese army, said with his eyes wide open.

“That is······. A human mutation? No, is it a human that has become a monster?”

That information was already deleted and concealed at a time when I had access to confidential information.

Now, it is probably considered a legend that only a very few people remember.

It can’t be helped.

Dark times call for heroes, and heroes only appear in dramatic situations.

The Defender contacted his brother through the headset.

“We’ve come to an open area. Let’s do some reconnaissance.”

“Hey Captain!”

I waited for a moment.

Soon a black spot appeared over the darkness.

It is a Chinese-made combat drone equipped with night vision equipment.

“It’s clean. You can go.”

Before his brother could finish speaking, the Defender sprinted towards the open space at full speed.

The clouds had thinned and the ground was clearly visible under the moonlight, but there was not a hint of hesitation in his gallop.

Although I didn’t feel like it, I ran as fast as I could after him.

As our breath picked up, we entered the wooded forest again.

“From here on out, it’s my territory.”

On the way, thick clouds completely obscured the sky and the moon, so we had to rely on the guidance of a guide to proceed in pitch-black darkness.

After going through a few uphill and downhill sections, the Defender stopped.

“Let’s go back.”

He pointed to a dark corner with a laser pointer.

It’s an anti-personnel mine, Claymore.

They maliciously installed a wire under the shortcut between the rocks, and designed it so that the moment you touch it, hundreds of steel balls will turn you and your companions into rags.

“It wasn’t there before. It looks like it was installed recently.”

“Those guys from earlier?”

“Well, the important thing is that you can’t live in this neighborhood anymore, right?”

“admit.”

The detour was more of a rock climbing course than a road.

This is a feat that is possible because the darkness completely covers it.

Soon, beyond the dusk, the high gable roof revealed its faint tip.

This is the Defender’s home.

It took quite some time, but we arrived safely.

But then the Defender suddenly turned around.

“sorry.”

He passed me by.

“Let’s go another way.”

“why?”

“There’s something I don’t want to see. I’m really sorry.”

It was an apology filled with sincere regret, not a dry apology.

Why on earth would you want to go back and leave your home behind?

It was at that moment when I was about to turn around with doubts.

The world suddenly became brighter.

There was a very small gap between the thick clouds that obscured the moon and stars, and through that narrow gap, the tightly wrapped moonlight gracefully covered the world.

A moment of brilliance brought out the secrets hidden in the darkness.

A corpse was hanging from a tree.

It was a dried, mummified corpse.

The corpse that had hung itself was looking down at the theme park spread out below with its eyes wide open.

The withered, twisted corpse’s face had strangely similar lines to the Defender siblings.