Chapter 93: What Drugs Mean in a Zombie Apocalypse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: What Drugs Mean in a Zombie Apocalypse
If there's one thing that commonly appears in a zombie apocalypse, it's drugs.
Marijuana, which is commonly referred to as weed, is quite common in a zombie apocalypse. Since many of these stories are set in the US, they're surprisingly easy to get ahold of.
Of course, since it's a game, the effects of drugs aren't applied exactly as they would be in real life.
At most, it's just things like the side effects or temporary buffs from using them.
That sort of thing.
If drugs in the game felt like actual drugs, Zombie Apocalypse probably would have taken the number one spot in market share.
Drug addicts from all over the world would have flocked to it just for that.
Anyway, drugs are a thing in games, but I've heard they're quite a problem in reality these days too.
They're easy to get, and once you're hooked, it's hard to escape.
There's no reason Korea would be any exception.
Some come in from China, and once you're hooked, you'll be searching for them until the day you die.
But usually, they're traded in the shadows.
If they come out into the open, they'll obviously get cracked down on. In a world like this, they could operate in the light, but with supply chains disrupted, there's no reason to sell them to people who are averse to drugs anyway.
"What's this? Is he Santa?"
In other words, this is an incredibly baffling situation.
I'm just walking down the street, and a man—who was actually waiting as if he'd been expecting us—hands over some drugs like a gift and goes on his way.
As if he came specifically to give them to us.
And it's not even a small amount.
It's about the size of a thumbnail, but that's actually quite a lot.
I don't have any expertise in drugs to know exactly what kind it is, but it must be worth a pretty penny.
It's not like someone would hand out pre-packaged portions of sugar to a random stranger they met on the street.
"Hmm."
Following him might lead to something interesting.
I could follow him if I wanted to.
If I use [Cat Step], tailing this bastard without him ever realizing would be a piece of cake.
Or I could beat him to a pulp and ask where their hideout is.
But I'm not alone right now.
Kim Ji-hee is with me, so it's not enough for me to use [Cat Step] alone.
Above all, you have to be careful with drug dealers.
There's a very high chance they're armed with guns.
Since this is Korea, the chances of them not having one might be fifty-fifty, but if this were America, it'd be a near 100% guarantee.
So, I decided to let this baffling situation slide for a moment.
Of course, I couldn't just let him walk away like that.
"Wait here a second."
Leaving Kim Ji-hee behind for a moment, I activated [Cat Step] and quickly caught up to the guy.
He was wearing a small backpack, which was where he'd pulled out the powder assumed to be drugs.
Which meant there were more drugs inside.
I stealthily slipped behind him, sliced a hole in his backpack, and slipped the contents out.
Just as I thought.
Pre-packaged portions of white powder, identical to the one he'd handed me, came pouring out in droves.
I caught them all, stuffed them into my pockets, shook out the very last of the contents, and headed back.
Even with all that shit happening right behind him, the man was too busy walking, humming to himself with earphones plugged in.
This is the power of a Level 4 Stealth Skill with a 100% effect increase from Normal Mode.
It completely erases my presence, so unless he turns around and makes direct eye contact, there's no way he can notice me.
My pockets were overflowing, so I slung my Level 4 Backpack to the front and stuffed everything inside.
Then, I returned.
Kim Ji-hee, who had been keeping a vigilant lookout while holding her baseball bat with grim determination, quickly scurried over to my side.
"Who was that guy?"
"An angel."
"...Excuse me?"
"No, wait. Is he Santa? Why is Santa here in April?"
"...That was drugs earlier, right?"
"Probably? Want to try some?"
"Ugh, no way."
Drugs are useful in many ways.
Even if it's not just for getting high and feeling good.
They can be used to block out pain.
Though this doesn't seem to be an opioid-based painkiller.
Just selling them off will fetch a tidy sum of Coins.
"That was a much bigger haul than expected."
To think there are so many people worried about my Coins draining lately.
He must not be just a simple drug courier, but someone with a decent rank.
It's not easy to carry around this much product.
Well, whatever.
We moved on to our next farming spot as planned, continuing our haul in high spirits.
Naturally, we avoided the spot where we'd received the drugs.
It depends on how quickly that idiot notices, but once he realizes his stash is gone, he's bound to retrace his steps.
And considering he asked if we were early before handing over the drugs, there might have been people who were originally supposed to receive them.
I don't really care who they are.
Unless I'm going to go smash the drug cartel right this instant, there's no reason to get involved.
Even if the drugs are only circulating at the edge of my territory for now, once they start spreading, drug-related events will probably pop up in Seongsu-dong soon enough.
Points will pour in just by sitting back and keeping my mouth open, so there's no need to drop what I'm doing and rush over.
"Oppa, over here."
Along with farming furniture, we diligently roamed around here and there until sunset before taking the tram back.
---
Once I returned, I immediately listed the drugs on the Membership Shop.
The Membership Shop is a system I'm currently test-running, aiming to build a delivery system using delivery riders in conjunction with the Membership Quests I created.
It doesn't matter if business is slow. Ever since the tram was introduced, the rate of people visiting the shop has increased slightly, but there are still those who find it burdensome to step outside or feel anxious about leaving their spots for long distances, so they might want delivery.
Once they make a payment, a delivery rider is called to deliver the purchased items and food.
Of course, there are many roads where motorcycles can't go.
But who am I?
I'm a Cheat Mode owner.
I'm not anything special myself, but this badass Cheat Mode can do absolutely anything systematically.
Just in case, I asked if a map system like KakaoMap could be created specifically for the Safe Base, and it whipped one up in no time.
It's even more accurate than KakaoMap.
Although the map itself only shows areas belonging to the Safe Base, the land included in the Safe Base can be zoomed in to look clearer than satellite photos, and it even acts as a navigation system showing where motorcycles can pass through.
This is too dangerous of a system to release to regular Membership members.
So, I decided to grant temporary permissions. When a delivery rider accepts a quest and takes a call, a temporary route navigation will pop up for them to use.
They won't be able to zoom in like a satellite photo to see live footage of the scene, though.
And the map itself is restricted so that only I and a few authorized Residents can use it.
Sometimes, it's honestly terrifying.
If I keep building crazy systems like this, won't this place literally become a paradise?
Anyway, with delivery gradually picking up and creating a virtuous cycle of Coins...
...I went ahead and listed the drugs there.
Of course, I didn't write "drugs."
Honestly, I still don't even know if this is actually a drug.
I didn't want to check, either.
I didn't know what the hell this sketchy shit was, and I certainly had no desire to taste it.
It doesn't matter anyway.
– Sugar(?) Drugs(?) Cold Medicine(?) Don't know what it is. = 300 Coins.
The number of pre-packaged powder bags I swiped from his backpack is around 150.
Since they're small, either a ton of them fit in that tiny backpack, or I just managed to swipe a massive chunk. Either way, if they all sell, that's 45,000 Coins.
An amount almost equal to the total number of Coins I currently possess.
I wonder how much those guys were selling this for.
Once again, I'm reminded that the world is vast and there are plenty of bastards making Coins.
Here I am, busting my ass to build a system and earn Coins, only for them to leak away on construction...
...while some asshole is just raking in Coins by distributing drugs in bulk.
What's more, drugs aren't like the "Paradise Membership" where people can choose to renew every week or not on a whim.
Once you're addicted, you can't live without them.
Meaning, it's a lifetime membership subscription.
I'm jealous.
Since I'm jealous, I might as well get a taste of that sweet honey pot too.
Surprisingly, as soon as the drugs were listed in the shop, a few orders came in.
Over ten of them sold in the blink of an eye.
That alone is 3,000 Coins.
One of these is worth 30 Hetbahns, and there are this many bastards buying them?
As the delivery orders come in, I ping the delivery riders, pack the goods, and send them out.
The delivery riders, of course, have no idea what they're delivering.
Whether it's food or equipment.
I warned them that they'd better be prepared for the consequences the moment they laid a hand on the delivery items. In fact, when I first implemented the system, I decapitated a few guys who tried to embezzle the goods and hung them up at Seongsu Station—the home of the Delivery Rider Faction. Since then, everyone seems to diligently stick to their assigned tasks.
It's still in beta, after all.
I'll have to keep an eye on it a bit longer.
Then, while monitoring the screens of the delivery riders out on their routes, I saw one of them surrounded and beaten by about a dozen rough-looking thugs.
"There it is."
They took the bait much faster than I expected.
I could see the thoroughly thrashed delivery rider being dragged off somewhere.
They probably signed up for the Paradise Membership, saw the listing in the shop, and placed an order.
If so, this makes things easy.
"Now, let's see where you're going."
The Paradise Membership member at the delivery rider's current location is displayed on the Paradise Map.
After tracking his location, I immediately set out after them.
"I can't forgive any bastard who beats up our delivery riders."
Toward my precious Coin business and that delicious honey pot.