Chapter 123: Outsourcing Base Reinforcement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Outsourcing Base Reinforcement
[Obtained 2 Points]
[Obtained Normal Mode Level (★) Selection Ticket x3]
[Obtained 5,000 Coins]
[Obtained Safe Base-Exclusive Ceiling (★)]
[Obtained 4 Points]
[Obtained 5,000 Coins]
[Obtained Normal Mode Level (★) Selection Ticket x5]
I might have instigated them, but that didn't mean I should become their ruler.
That position is an incredibly heavy burden.
The Former Student Council had ruled Konkuk University through violence and oppression, but the regime had essentially changed due to a rebellion by students who couldn't stand it anymore.
To stand above the students and represent their voices, one would have to lead Konkuk University with an ideology completely opposite to that of the Student Council.
But is that easy?
I don't think so.
If that kind of thing were easy in the first place, humanity would never have created social classes.
They could have just resolved everything amicably through dialogue and agreed on what was necessary.
When society collapses and order vanishes, the reason the law of the jungle rules the world is simple.
Because it's convenient and rational.
When there are too many conflicting opinions, the ship is bound to end up on a mountain.
If one powerful individual leads the rest, they can at least go somewhere, even if it's in the wrong direction.
That was also why I ran away at the end.
If I overthrew the Student Council and became the leader of Konkuk University, whether through a vote or some other means...
I would eventually have to make them dependent on Paradise anyway.
Whether that meant signing them up for Level 1 Membership or Level 3 Membership.
But I had no intention of taking responsibility for them.
Even for Level 1 Membership, it only holds true value if people join of their own free will.
In the case of the Delivery Faction, the only ways to control them were to kill them all or force them to join, so I threatened them at knifepoint. Besides, most of them had the ability to earn Coins on their own, so it didn't matter. But here, the vast majority are non-combatants.
Almost all of their combat personnel are either dead or have been executed.
Without them, their combat power will plummet. But since the justification for the rebellion lies with the students, leaving them be is the right choice—otherwise, there's no guarantee the past won't repeat itself.
So now, they were in a catch-22.
The students had found their freedom, but they had to find the strength to protect that freedom themselves.
Deciding to shelve the question of how they would solve this problem for now and revisit it later, I returned home.
"Oppa!"
Kim Ji-hee threw her arms around me, pouring out her thoughts.
"That was so much fun! I seriously felt like I was watching a movie."
"Ah."
I remembered that I had turned on the broadcast halfway through to receive the megaphone, setting it so only Kim Ji-hee could watch, and I hadn't turned it off since.
From Kim Ji-hee's perspective, she must have had a front-row seat to a highly entertaining show from the comfort of home.
"Oppa, can't you turn on the broadcast whenever you do something fun like this? I'll just watch quietly. I won't even type in the chat."
"We'll see."
Streaming my own gameplay, huh?
It had been so long since I'd even thought about it.
I had set up Lee Yu-ri to stream, yet it had never crossed my mind to show off my own entertaining plays.
Of course, I had no intention of showing it to other people.
Nor did I have any desire to record my flashy, awesome life in Cheat Mode.
I used to, though.
Back in the early days of Zombie Apocalypse.
Back when the game was praised as a masterpiece, and I had reached the rank of number one overall.
Being human, I used to upload my gameplay to the gallery to show off to people.
The problem was the reactions.
With so many different people and opinions, some found it entertaining, but the vast majority of them nitpicked my plays or left malicious comments calling it boring.
Well, back then it was the early days, and since I lacked experience, it was inevitable that some parts were awkward and lacking. But after that, I never really uploaded videos to the gallery again.
It was just something I realized as I accumulated experience in Zombie Apocalypse.
About human nature.
But if it's Kim Ji-hee, wouldn't it be fine?
Since she was dependent on me and liked me, and she genuinely found it fun to immerse herself in these events...
Building a deeper emotional bond with her wasn't a bad thing.
It's not like she has anything to do at home anyway.
And I could show her a bit more of my life.
Though it would only be when I felt like it, or during events like today.
Plus, even if I didn't make them public to others, I could save the videos separately to keep them.
"Not a bad idea."
"Oh yeah!"
"I'm going to Konkuk University later to see how things turned out. I'll show you then."
"I can't tag along, right?"
"Nope."
"Hmph... Okay."
For now, I had put out the immediate fire.
I cleared Faction Quest 2, and in the process, I even received Faction Quest 5, earning a whopping 6 points.
I had also gathered my Normal Mode Points back up to 12.
All that was left was the Yongsan US Military Base.
I had already finalized my plan for this place. Once the Zombie Rush began, I intended to slip through the gaps alongside the horde and stir things up.
It was a safer and easier way to conquer it.
I might get attacked by the zombies while blending in with them, but that didn't really matter.
And I decided to gather a bit more Coins.
Even if I didn't directly inform the other Paradise Membership members about the Zombie Rush, most of them had already guessed to some extent.
A precise date and an obvious intention.
While some dismissed it as a marketing gimmick, others chose to invest in an uncertain future.
Before the apocalypse, they could have just let it slide, but in an apocalyptic world, no one could afford to ignore even a single piece of information.
What if they ignored it and something actually happened?
A food shortage could cause everything they had built up to collapse.
Seeing the members catch on and prepare in their own ways, I felt like I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
I wanted to give them a bit of help.
Not that I was giving it away for free, so there was no need to act like a saint.
Off the top of my head, there were a few factions closely connected to me.
The Seongsu Station Delivery Faction.
The Seongsu Apartment Self-governing Body.
The Multiplex.
Dong Seoul Terminal.
The Orphanage.
To be honest, I didn't really care if any of these places collapsed except for the Delivery Faction. But since the Delivery Faction was raking in a tidy sum of Coins through deliveries lately, they were essentially a subsidiary faction of Paradise that I had to protect.
Besides, they were a faction I already controlled anyway.
So, I paid a visit to the Delivery Faction.
"What brings you here..."
The Left-hand Man, who was acting as the leader of the Delivery Faction, came out to greet me.
His expression was incredibly sour, though.
I didn't feel like wasting my breath, so I got straight to the point.
"I'm going to reinforce your barricades. You've heard that the Zombie Rush, like the one from before, is coming soon, right?"
"Huh? It's the first I've heard of it."
"This bastard doesn't deserve to live. Haven't you seen the rumors floating around the gallery?"
"I saw them, but... is that actually true?"
"Do you want to go to the afterlife and ask the guys who went before you?"
"...What do you need me to do?"
The Seongsu Station Delivery Faction's base was quite large, with a massive barricade set up around the cafe street area, opening only when they went out for deliveries.
Compared to Seoul Forest, it was a rather pathetic dome-shaped, handmade barricade that barely deserved to be called 'large,' but I planned to install a Safe Base-Exclusive Outer Wall and an automatic door along it.
Upgrading it to just Level 1, giving it the durability of a Bunker.
It wasn't very high, and though it was somewhat long, it was well within my ability to enclose.
If I made the gate for the motorcycles automatic, they wouldn't have to open it manually every time; it could open automatically through Membership registration.
This way, even though most of the Delivery Faction had already joined the Membership, I could induce every single person inside to sign up.
"There's nothing for you to do. Just reinforce the areas I tell you to."
"Yes, sir..."
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Sigh. Fuck. I came to help, but your reaction is so half-assed it makes me lose all motivation. I'm leaving."
"No, please!!!! Thank you!!!!!! I will never forget your grace, sir!!!!!!!!!"
Only then did the Left-hand Man desperately shower me with gratitude.
Accepting his reluctant thanks, I took a thorough look to estimate the cost.
The area itself was quite wide, but since it wasn't as high as my own living space, the cost would probably be around 1,000 Coins.
"Hmm. Just pay me 10,000 Coins."
"Yes? Wait, what?"
The Left-hand Man stammered at the bill.
"Ten thousand Coins? I misheard you, right?"
"Why? Did you think reinforcing your base was free?"
"...Can't we just live like this?"
"Should I just kill you right now? You're going to die in a few days anyway, so why bother living? Just clutch your Coins tightly and use them as passage money to the afterlife."
"N-No! Wait a minute."
When I drew my Dagger, the Left-hand Man freaked out, likely remembering what happened in the past.
"I-I'll gather it. Ten thousand Coins... If we scrape together everything we have, we might be able to make it... But if we're short, could we pay the rest in installments?"
"No installments. Just bring it. Go borrow from other factions if you have to, kid. You'll definitely thank me later."
"..."
"Fuck? Did you just curse at me?"
"Wait, you heard th— No, of course not! How could I ever!"
He grumbled, but squeezing him did yield the Coins.
And so, I reinforced the outer walls of the Delivery Faction a bit.