Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 95



Only Krnovel

51. Authentication (2)

When the Defender siblings helped me with construction work a while ago, I didn’t talk to them much, but sometimes when I had free time, I would talk about the past or my tastes.

I knew she was familiar with Internet culture, but when we actually talked, I realized that her skills were beyond my reach.

“I’ve been in the community since elementary school.”

“It was a bright yellow cotyledon with a promising future.”

At that time, it was the so-called Defender’s break period.

I met a formidable opponent named Justice Min and barely wrote anything, much less verified anything.

“It’s nice that we don’t have to verify anything these days.”

I’m serious.

Fewer certifications mean fewer people the Defender will encounter.

“It’s better not to authenticate.”

Dajeong sighed and smiled bitterly.

For a brief moment, he looked like a veteran, shaking his head as he stared into the distance with his head down.

“······Those who verify themselves on the bulletin board disappear before long.”

“Really? That certification wasn’t all that great?”

“That’s not it. On the site I used to use, there were some rich kids who looked like they were from a movie.”

“But why does it disappear?”

“Well, I don’t know. He just disappeared. Maybe he was in his sage’s time?”

“hmm.”

“If you think about it differently, it could be because I’m different from other people. You know about masquerade balls?”

“Of course I know.”

“Everyone is wearing masks and talking, so wouldn’t it be weird to be the only one with a bare face?”

Defender’s younger brother looked at me with a sly smile.

I didn’t completely understand what she was saying, but I felt like I had some idea why people who had been authenticated were disappearing.

But the counterexample was right in front of me.

“But you guys have been doing that many certifications for quite some time?”

At this, the defender brother laughed heartily.

“Certification is a type of certification. There are heavy certifications and light certifications. What we did was light.”

At the time, I didn’t understand what those words meant.

But now I think I know.

What is heavy authentication?

In the photo, a man was hanging upside down, and blood was dripping down, dyeing the seat of the chair he was sitting on red.

“······.”

Judging from the photo, the man was alive.

As expected, Defender added a sentence to the end of the photo.

Defender: Still alive.

The moment I saw it, I felt a familiar feeling of discomfort along with the feeling of my blood freezing for the first time in a long time.

That feeling of discomfort was probably not much different from what I felt when I actually saw the Defender siblings.

What the Defenders are trying to do now is a faded reenactment of a scene I’ve seen countless times in China.

When China could not deal with the rebels with its regular army alone, it sent in specialized guerrilla warfare units to suppress them.

They were closer to butchers than soldiers, and when suppressing rebels, they often captured one or two people and took them as hostages, using that to lure out the rebels and destroy them all at once.

Leaving hostages bleeding out was a favorite tactic of theirs.

You could say it’s a forced choice between the two.

If you don’t come to rescue them, the hostages will die, and if you come to rescue them, everyone else will die.

A similar method is used by an internet friend of mine in Korea, not China.

Defender: Video

In the video posted by Defender, the voice of a man tied up upside down was vividly captured, sobbing like a child and begging for his life.

The low quality of the video wasn’t an issue.

Rather, it added to the eerie atmosphere of the video, along with the shadows covering the interior.

“······.”

I don’t have much to say in this situation.

This is a defender’s fight.

He chose and chose.

But why is that?

It’s for this reason that I feel such a strong aversion to his methods.

Is this because it is the heavy certification that Da-jeong spoke of?

Or is there another reason?

The frustration that I couldn’t clearly explain in my head was clearly resolved by another user on our bulletin board.

Dies_Irea69: I don’t know what the circumstances are, but I think using our bulletin board as a tool for your murder is a bit too much.

In Diesirae.

The man who could be called the leader of group survivalism immediately clarified the unpleasantness that I had not been able to express well.

Yes, that’s right.

Defender is using our bulletin board.

He brought his war to the land of life, our resting place from hardship and the lubricant of fun in our lives.

The defender probably knows all about the enemy’s circumstances.

Not only the home of the Justice Mines, but also their patterns and habits.

He gathered all that information and set a trap to kill them at the first opportunity.

They chose our bulletin board as the bait to lead them into that trap.

I thought of the text from Justice Min that Defender had shown me a while ago.

Message from JUSTICE_MIN: Defender. You’re the crazy guy from Viva! Apocalypse!? You keep killing people and getting certified. F*ck. LOL.

A message from JUSTICE_MIN: Now I know you. This hero of justice knows you. Starting today, I’m going to hunt you. I’m going to hunt you and “certify” you. Wait. It won’t take. Long······!!!

He’s a friend who likes to show off just by looking at his writing.

What made me want to hunt Defenders so badly?

Defender’s younger brother expressed his own thoughts about Justice Min’s actions.

“Aeji who has a sense of belonging to the community.”

“A sense of belonging?”

“Yeah. He’s from Daepalenet and he’s a big shot there, but he couldn’t stand seeing a shelter for cowards like our bulletin board, as someone from Daepalenet.”

What I know about Justice Min is that he came from a marauding background and was part of a gang.

Probably, among the people he killed, there was at least one user from our bulletin board.

That is, given that they stole satellite equipment.

That doesn’t mean the Defender’s methods are forgivable, though.

Defender: Second Video

Despite Diesirae’s warning, he uploaded a second video.

The footage, taken at the same location, showed a man tied up upside down, flailing his body like a harpooned fish, begging for his life.

“Save me, please, huh huh huh, hyung! hyung! Please save me, please······.”

The video ends with a scene of a merciless club being struck across his face.

Diesirae saw it clearly.

The Defenders are trying to drag Justice Min out.

He is being forced into a situation where he has no choice but to move.

But if Justice Min doesn’t take action, he’ll upload more horrifying and brutal videos.

“······.”

Today, the communicator was only intended to be turned on when the Defender siblings were in danger.

Not anymore.

The need to communicate arose.

It needs to be dried.

Whether you’re beating Justice Min to death or grinding him into a meat grinder, it can be done offline.

The biggest taboo on our bulletin board.

I can say that for sure now.

Bringing “the reality we don’t want to see” to the “bulletin board.”

Anonymous848: This is a bit unpleasant.

Anonymous458: What the Defender does isn’t funny or touching. What? So what?

Anonymous1131: Was this the person? Defender?

Foxgames: I don’t think so.

Berkut_Break: Is this a named obsession?

dongtanmom: It’s like what Chinese kids do. Yum yum…

mmmmmmmmm: What are you talking about now? (asking because I really don’t know)

…

…

The atmosphere on the bulletin board is cold.

No one likes it, and some even show outright antipathy.

Well, I don’t think the Defender would bat an eye at that.

Defender: Video 3

The third video didn’t even play for me.

It must have been a plea for survival, with torture and threats.

This is a video you don’t need to see.

If you look at it, it will only increase antipathy towards the Defender.

As expected.

Eventually, one user took up arms.

Dies_Irea69 : I warn you, Defender. Stop posting your fucking videos, I don’t want to see them. I said it clearly. This is a warning.

It’s Diesiraeda.

What did he say?

It’s not named.

But at some point, he built a presence that no user knew about and no one could look down on.

In fact, even after Defender went into a long period of silence, he continued to constantly appeal that he was a mainstream figure leading one axis of our bulletin board.

Even now, I can vividly remember the scene where he spoke his honest strengths without being pushed back by his strong competitors in the battle for I Am Jesus.

Now, that Diesirae has warned.

I know this man is not one to talk nonsense.

Also, he has the heart of a murderer.

Defender: Don’t worry about it.

Defender, who rarely reacted to others’ words, reacted to Diesirae.

Defender must have felt it too.

That Diesirae is by no means an easy target.

Dies_Irae69: Are you trying to flirt with us now?

Diesirae answered immediately.

The Defender did not answer.

Diesirae continued to post articles.

Dies_Irea69: To be honest, I didn’t like you from the beginning. The world is the world and there are reasons for it, so I just left it alone, but this time, you’re going too far. Justice Min. I’m meeting you for the first time, but isn’t he a user of our bulletin board? You’re breaking your oath with your own mouth.

The moment I saw that article, I felt a strong sense of tension.

That must be because I know the nature of Diesirae.

I know because I saw it for myself.

They say they are yellow sprouts, but they kill all the children without any mercy and even use their deaths as an opportunity for their own propaganda. How can you say they are adults?

I’m talking about adults who are just old, adults who are role models for others, and adults who live in a cold, heartless society without any feelings or tears.

Dies_Irae69: This is your last warning. Your fight story. If you bring us here one more time, we will take action.

There’s no reason for him to pick a fight with the Defender for no reason.

Using the Defender as a “stepping stone”, he moves to achieve a greater goal of his own.

The moment I thought about it that way, the choice I made was simple.

“Defender.”

I immediately turned on the communicator.

“Answer me.”

Tata tata tang!

A gunshot was heard over the radio.

“Are you fond of typing on the keyboard?”

“?!”

A startled gasp came from beyond the communicator.

“Don’t talk back to Diesirae.”

This is probably the first time since we first met that I’ve spoken to her so strongly.

“Skeleton······.”

So her voice was timid.

“Can’t you tell just by looking at him? What kind of guy is that?”

“What kind of guy is he?”

Even though Da-jeong was intimidated, she asked with a subtle protest.

“You could die.”

“That kid is going to kill us?”

“Yeah. Die.”

“Skeleton.”

“So don’t do it. Don’t fight. Don’t do as he says.”

bang!

A gunshot rang out over the radio.

Soon the Defender’s voice began to fade away, accompanied by heavy breathing.

“It’s over. I killed them all.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“But Skelton. What did you just say? Even though you’re my friend, I don’t think you said anything that would be easy to ignore.”

“It is as you heard.”

“Skeleton.”

The Defender’s voice stands out.

“Are you serious?”

He is angry with me.

“Yeah. Don’t do that.”

But it’s not just the voice that’s sharp.

This is a warning.

“I told you not to do it.”

“······.”

A silence filled with discomfort is felt beyond.

I waited quietly.

My internet friend’s answer.

After a while, a sigh of resignation was heard from beyond.

“······okay.”

“I thought about it carefully.”

That’s really well thought out.

Defender must have just thought he had removed an obstacle to his destiny by killing his arch-nemesis, Justice Min.

The blade of fate does not come alone.

Sometimes they come in pairs, sometimes in tight, unavoidable trajectories.

At least by my standards, Diesirae seems like a much more dangerous blade than Justice Min.

“······Are you going to authenticate it?”

I asked cautiously, slightly relaxing my voice.

I hope they understand my feelings.

A moment later, the Defender’s younger brother’s sigh was heard from beyond the communicator.

“This certification.”

I could hear her faint, lonely laugh.

“Was it a heavy certification?”

She is an internet savvy.

She is the alter ego of herself and her brother.

I knew the fate of “Defender”.

*

ㅇㅇ: What? What happened to this Defender? Why haven’t I heard from him?

Anonymous1131: Defender, did you get teased by DSirae? Haha, you didn’t say anything.

unicorn18: Was the Defender really a water rocket?

Anonymous848: Defender, you’re not dead, are you?

Anonymous458: Defender. Were you really scared of the DSirae?

RokaGG: Defender is surprisingly smart. He knows the strong.

mmmmmmmmm: What’s going on? Is this the kid I blocked you for bait? (I’m asking because I really don’t know)

…

…

The downfall of someone is always a topic that gets people excited.

Especially the higher up the person is.

Named, once synonymous with fear and considered the most dangerous and powerful user on our bulletin board, was falling amidst everyone’s sarcasm and ridicule.

In some ways, it may have been expected.

He became a named person because of the shock of being certified, but now that the shock has become part of his daily life, he can no longer remain a shock.

“Those who rise through certification will perish through certification.”

This is what the Defender’s younger brother said.

“Looking back, maybe what Dies Irae said was right.”

They, the Defender siblings, are in our bunker.

I was the one who invited you.

Perhaps it is a thank you for their great patience.

I treated myself to some Korean beef that had been stored deep in the freezer.

“······It’s delicious.”

The defender was chewing meat with an expressionless face and looking into the distance.

Looks weak.

It can’t be helped.

I had the fight of my life, but all I got in return was ridicule from the message boards.

According to Defender’s younger brother, Defender will not be active for a while.

The bulletin board name “Defender” is disappearing into the back alleys of history.

“Is it really necessary to leave the bulletin board?”

Defender’s younger brother sighed and joined the group.

Countless stars were twinkling overhead.

Could it be said that destruction brought an unexpected gift?

Defender’s younger brother opened the tablet notepad he had and showed it to me.

[ The flow of departure is right. Since when did the number of antis increase, and we did things that would get us caught, and DS Irae, who was measuring the kill angle, sniped us accurately. We’ll only become a laughing stock. ]

Since this is the advice of an internet expert, it must be true.

Still, there is only one way out.

All you have to do is kill the person who started the fight, Dies Irae, and get certified.

But that won’t happen, at least for the time being.

“Why are you leaving the bulletin board?”

The defender’s younger brother asked curtly.

“I told you I wasn’t using a Defender account?”

“We have a sub-account.”

Message from seamonkeyPAPA: (Defender) Hi

“What is this?”

“Just change your nickname and use it. There are already a lot of new users these days, right?”

Truly an internet master.

What a unique idea.

Unlike his younger brother, who is still full of energy, his older brother is still in a state of dejection.

That makes sense.

Because my pride was hurt.

He looked at me and suddenly asked.

“······Is he really that dangerous? A guy named Dies Irae?”

It still seems unfair.

“It’s true that he’s dangerous. He’s ambitious. He’s smart. He’s cruel. But you know.”

I saw countless stars twinkling above my head.

Stars are often compared to the souls of dead people.

The fact that so many stars twinkle during the Destruction may be because so many lives have been lost.

“I don’t think he’ll live long.”

“why?”

The siblings asked at the same time.

“You’re not hiding your house?”

We will all become stars, but at least we will shine later than them.