Chapter 52: I Think That Helmet Is Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: I Think That Helmet Is Mine
I don't hold any particular grudge against the Helmets.
Honestly, it would be hypocritical of me to criticize them for shaking down random passersby for no good reason. Talk about the ultimate double standard.
I'm someone with a decent amount of self-awareness.
I know that, by societal standards, killing someone just because they mistook me for a zombie on the street and starting a fight with an innocent faction isn't exactly right.
But so what?
That's just how I play the zombie apocalypse. Just because it became reality doesn't mean I have any reason to abide by real-world laws and social norms.
This is how I've lived, and my way of doing things has always yielded a high survival rate in the zombie apocalypse.
Isn't that enough?
And if there's any blowback, I'm the one who has to deal with it.
So, by that logic, those guys shouldn't be pointed at either.
If they act that way because they want to and there's profit to be made, then so be it.
They just have to bear whatever risks come with those actions.
In that sense, I respect them, and I'm even grateful.
"Ah, fuck. That bitch earlier looked fucking delicious."
"Her face was just so-so, wasn't it?"
"You dumbass. These days, someone like her is top-tier. She wasn't even wearing makeup, so if she actually dolled herself up, she'd easily be above average."
"Really?"
"Her tits looked like at least a C-cup, too. Sigh, fuck. Maybe I should've just killed her and brought her along."
"Didn't you hear the Captain tell us not to cause trouble right now? He said not to give them an excuse."
"They're all gonna die anyway, so who would even know?"
Their sheer confidence, without a single shred of shame for their actions.
In fact, their regret over not taking her by force is actually better from my perspective.
Compared to hypocrites full of pretense and contradictions, guys like this are much easier to talk to and understand.
"From what I saw, she wasn't worth paying 100 coins to do it once."
"What do you know, you dumbass? You're a virgin who jerks off all day... Gasp! What the! Who are you?!"
As I chimed into the conversation of the Helmets, who were chatting while looting the corpses of three zombies they had quickly dispatched on the street, one of them jumped out of his skin.
Well, I did appear out of nowhere.
I had been watching them from afar, then used "Cat Step" to approach before speaking up.
I had been crouching right next to them for about thirty seconds, and the fact that they didn't even notice until I spoke proved that this Level 4 Stealth Skill was definitely the real deal.
"What do you mean, 'who'? Who the hell are you guys to be hunting zombies in my territory? Did you get permission?"
"What?"
I could see the Helmets instantly freeze in bewilderment.
Since they were wearing helmets, I couldn't see their expressions, but their sudden hesitation made it obvious they were wondering, 'Wait, is this not our territory?'
It probably wasn't.
In the first place, they didn't have a way to divide territories like I did with my Safe Base's boundaries.
They were just wandering around looking to pick fights with anyone they saw, and judging by the look of it, they had likely traveled quite a distance from their own base.
Since they possessed this level of combat power, they had probably already cleared out most of their surrounding area.
That was why they couldn't answer right away, even for a second.
"Cut the bullshit. This is our territory."
But backing down now would hurt their pride.
Besides, it didn't matter if this wasn't actually their territory.
No matter which faction they belonged to, they had come out to expand their influence. If they backed off just because someone claimed it was their territory, saying, "Oh, is that so? My apologies," they'd look like total pushovers.
Even if they had backed down, I wouldn't have let them go.
"Is that so?"
I grabbed the neck of the guy talking next to me and twisted it.
"Ack. Gurgle..."
Unless someone had base stats like Oh Yoon-seop's backed by a solid Mode, very few people could easily resist my surprise attacks.
Watching his companion slump over, his neck grotesquely snapped at a ninety-degree angle inside his helmet, the guy wearing the cool matte helmet I had taken a liking to froze.
I could tell his expression had frozen because I had pulled his helmet off to see it.
I had followed them because I wanted that helmet, and I couldn't have him throwing up inside it.
It looked brand new, and I didn't really like the one I was currently wearing anyway.
"Is this really your territory?"
"..."
His gaze drifted toward the other four guys who were busy gathering the zombie corpses.
I kindly helped him out.
"Hey, you guys, get over here. This is my territory, but this bastard here says it's his. You guys came with him, so you tell me. Is this your territory? Or did you come from somewhere else?"
"What the..."
"Who are you?"
"Who are you, my ass, you motherfucker! Cheong-su is dead!"
Well, at least one of them is polite.
The other guys lunged at me, smacking the head of the guy who had asked who I was.
I threw a punch straight at the head of the guy who was too enraged to think straight.
Crack!
My fist collided with the hard helmet.
Normally, my fist should have shattered.
But my Strength was currently at Level 8.
And it wasn't even the solid part of the helmet; there was no way the clear plastic visor in the front could stop my fist.
Even if he had ducked his head to block it with the hard shell, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
It just would have ended with his neck snapping downward instead.
With his nose broken and plastic shards spraying into his eyes and mouth, he flew backward and collapsed.
Did he die?
Even if he wasn't dead, he was probably in a state where he'd wish he were.
"Why is nobody answering? You, tell me again. Is this really your territory?"
"N-No... I'm sorry. I think we took a wrong turn."
"Right? Fuck, I knew this was my territory. You almost made me think I was the one who was mistaken."
Why do people always take you for a pushover when you try to talk things out?
They always have to learn the hard way.
Seeing him tremble, I patted him on the shoulder.
"Why are you so scared? It's not like I'm going to kill you."
"You just killed them, you crazy fucker!!"
"I only killed them because they attacked me."
The four remaining Helmets backed away from me, dragging the bodies with them.
"You son of a bitch..."
They must have lived as the apex predators since the apocalypse began, because even though they clearly understood the situation, they still couldn't control their anger. I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them.
He seemed to be trying to control his anger in his own way, but that was a pretty poor attempt at anger management.
It was the kind of control that was worse than not trying at all.
Still, I decided to show some mercy.
"Just pay me 300 coins and you can go."
"...?"
"If you hunted zombies in someone else's territory, you have to cough up the tax."
"What the fuck? You think 300 coins grow on trees?!"
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, one of them stepped forward.
He was too terrified to actually come close, but his loud voice made me struggle to hold back a laugh.
"Why? I saw you guys shaking people down the exact same way earlier."
"..."
"Double standards" is a term that fits perfectly just about anywhere.
To avoid falling victim to double standards, they should at least be able to answer honorably when the topic comes up.
But these guys couldn't do that, could they?
The four of them exchanged glances.
They were sizing me up.
Wondering if they could take me down if they stayed alert and attacked together.
Normally, they would have rushed me without a second thought, but because I had taken down two of them so quickly and effortlessly, they were hesitating.
"The way you guys are shifting your eyes around reminds me of those people from earlier. They were doing the exact same thing, debating whether to just pay the coins and get it over with. But they were smart. Why are you guys trying to end your lives with a foolish choice? Do you really think the four of you stand a chance?"
"..."
Fighting is all about momentum.
And quickly realizing whether you can win or not is one of the key requirements for a long life.
"...We'll give you the 300 coins."
The guy whose helmet I had taken—the only one with his bare face showing—stepped forward and handed me 300 coins.
"Um... about that helmet..."
"By the way, this helmet was originally at my house. Why the fuck were you wearing it?"
"..."
I could see his face instantly stiffen.
"I'm sorry."
"You stole it, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't."
"If you didn't, then why was my helmet on top of your head? It's not like this helmet grew legs and walked onto your head by itself. You're the one with legs, so you must have put my helmet on, right?"
"..."
"How much are you going to pay to settle this theft?"
"..."
"You don't want to settle?"
"I only have... 150 coins left..."
"Ha. You son of a bitch. Give me that too and get lost."
A helmet is an absolute must-have when riding something like a motorcycle.
If you ride without one just to look cool, and then wipe out or crash because of a zombie suddenly popping out, you could end up dead in a heartbeat. It's a fucking nightmare.
Right now, given the state of Korean roads, driving anything is out of the question, so I can't use it yet. But as time passes and the roads get cleared, there will come a time when I'll need a vehicle.
I tucked the helmet away and waved at the guy as he slunk off.
The other three, who had been staring intently at me to memorize my face, also turned around.
"Hey."
They froze at my call.
Did they expect this?
I stopped them as they reached for their weapons.
"No, I mean, why are you three leaving without paying?"
"We already gave you the money!"
"What are you talking about? I only got paid by him. You guys have to pay for yourselves."
"..."
"It's 300 coins per person. Did you seriously think 300 coins covered all of you?"
"Fuck. Are you a robber?!"
Well, if you can rake in coins this easily, being a robber isn't a bad gig in a world like this.
"We don't have 900 coins, you motherfucker! Just die!"
Finally losing his temper, one of them lunged at me, and the rest followed suit, throwing caution to the wind.
Their reaction—as if they could have tolerated it but I had crossed the line so hard they just couldn't take it anymore—only made me feel pity.
"Well, if you don't have the coins, I guess there's no helping it."
Why couldn't they remember what I had shown them literally less than five minutes ago?
I shattered the helmet of the rushing guy with my fist, crushing his face.
I didn't even need to do anything fancy.
I could see the trajectory of their attacks; I simply dodged and struck.
In a fight where our strength levels didn't even compare, a fistfight was honestly a complete balance breaker.
Only the guy whose helmet I had taken stood frozen, trembling in a daze.
"Can you carry all of them back?"
Nod, nod.
Patting the shoulder of the guy who was nodding without even knowing what he was nodding to, I asked:
"Oh, right. Is there a faction of about two hundred people around here? It seemed pretty big. I figured you might have heard of them if you live nearby. There's some Lieutenant Colonel ahjussi, and the leader is a fucking sly-looking bastard. Do you know them?"
His wildly shaking pupils served as his answer.
"Oh? Is that your faction?"
He avoided my gaze.
Talk about a massive catch.
I slung my arm around his shoulder.
"I knew there was a reason I wanted to follow you guys from the moment I first saw you. Let's go, buddy."