Chapter 94: The Small Drug Ring of Konkuk University Station
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: The Small Drug Ring of Konkuk University Station
Kim Chun-sik was a delivery rider belonging to the Delivery Rider Faction.
To be precise, it was the Seongsu Station Faction, but these days everyone called them the Delivery Rider Faction, so even the riders themselves just referred to themselves as delivery riders.
"Fuck. How long do we have to live like this?"
"Still, at least we don't have to worry about starving these days... If you work, you get fed."
"You call that getting fed? You have to kill ten zombies just to scrape by on a single meal."
"If you go to the cafeteria, the food is actually pretty good."
"Sigh... Fuck... I just miss the days when we only did deliveries."
The riders reminisced about the past, lamenting the state of the world.
There was a time when you could make money just by working hard and delivering, rain or shine.
These days, everyone had to hunt zombies just to survive.
They were lucky to even have a place nearby that exchanged the coins dropped by zombies for food. According to rumors from other neighborhoods, finding food at all was becoming nearly impossible.
Any place worth scavenging had already been picked clean. Large marts that might still have food were completely out of the question, and even medium-sized marts were so swarming with zombies that people couldn't even get close.
So, in comparison, Seongsu-dong was actually quite comfortable.
Hearing news from elsewhere made the contrast crystal clear.
On top of that, the guy who had completely overturned the Delivery Rider Faction was now setting up some kind of delivery business, even running a pilot test.
Since he was offering the participating riders a chance to earn coins through a small commission, they couldn't help but love the coins, even if they hated the man himself.
Base delivery fee: 20 coins.
After the commission cut, the delivery rider takes home 10 coins.
Some might ask if their ancestors were going to pay for the motorcycle fuel, but since Paradise had taken over a gas station and was providing fuel support, there was really no reason not to do it.
Was 10 coins a lot? Not really.
After all, killing ten Level 1 zombies wasn't that difficult anymore, especially since the zombies had grown weaker at some point.
But as they say, people should stick to what they know.
One delivery meant one meal.
Right now, the delivery service wasn't fully active, so there wasn't much work, but the riders knew.
They knew how massive the delivery market had grown after the pandemic hit.
They remembered a world where everyone and their mother jumped into the business, sighing about how it was a red ocean, yet people were still pulling in 5 to 6 million won a month.
Delivery was indispensable.
Especially in modern society.
People hated leaving their homes.
Even more so in a world where stepping outside your blanket was genuinely life-threatening.
Those with plenty of coins would naturally want to spend them to get things delivered comfortably.
That was why he joined.
Kim Chun-sik was one of the beta testers, a group of exactly thirty people.
His dream was to work hard, get recognized as an official rider, and become a Level 3 Membership member.
Having no education and knowing nothing but how to ride a motorcycle, he had been at a loss for how to survive. To him, this wonderful system—though other riders cursed it—was a true paradise, just like the membership's name.
A warm, hearty meal for just 10 coins.
He used to spend his entire day hunting zombies just to get a filling meal with meat, rice, and soup. Now, he could eat just by making deliveries.
Of course, not all delivery riders shared his mindset.
Just as riders themselves used the term "delivery boy" to look down on certain colleagues, not all riders were bad, but many of them still fit the stereotype.
To make easy coins.
Within the very first batch of beta riders, four guys emerged who fully deserved to be called thieves, stealing the packages they were supposed to deliver.
How did everyone find out about those four?
Because the very next day, their severed heads were put on display, impaled on spikes right in the center of the Seongsu Station Faction's base.
From then on, none of the remaining twenty-six riders ever wanted to know what was inside the packages, let alone try to open them.
Working honestly made the job easy.
Although many roads were so heavily damaged that it seemed impossible for a motorcycle to pass, the "Rider-exclusive Map App" added to the "Paradise Membership" provided clear navigation. Even though they couldn't manually manipulate the app, it kindly guided them on exactly where to go.
Following those routes allowed them to travel with almost zero zombie encounters, which was incredibly convenient.
A map that showed currently blocked roads and even the real-time locations of zombies? It was unbelievable.
Even when not on duty, having this meant they would never get surrounded by zombies and die.
He had tried to see if he could use it for personal trips, but no such luck.
It only activated during deliveries, and no matter how he tried to exploit it, there was no way around it.
He didn't push his luck.
What he had now was already more than enough.
Chun-sik worked hard today as well.
He was especially motivated today.
Although he didn't know what the package was, the delivery fee was set at 30 coins.
This meant the item was worth at least 300 coins.
The base delivery fee was fixed at 20 coins for items up to 299 coins.
From 300 coins onward, the fee was 10%. So a 30-coin delivery fee meant a 300-coin item.
And with a 50% commission cut, his take-home pay would be 15 coins.
"Should I add boiled pork slices today?"
Lately, the cafeteria had introduced options to add alcohol or drinks to the basic 10-coin Set Meal.
At first, there was only the 10-coin Set Meal, but the menu had gradually expanded. Now, they even offered standalone items like chicken and beer, beef steak, pork, and boiled pork slices.
Although everything cost extra, the food was so consistently delicious that it was worth every single coin.
Maybe he should finish this delivery quickly and tear into some chicken and beer tonight.
Humming as he planned his dinner, he arrived at the delivery destination.
"...Huh?"
Chun-sik realized he was utterly fucked.
It was the sharp intuition of a delivery veteran with ten years of experience.
Surrounding him were about ten people with slightly glazed-over eyes.
Every single one of them radiated a murderous intent, giving off a vibe similar to the Owner of Paradise whom he had seen from afar.
Time to run.
He just needed to leave the package at the designated spot for a contactless delivery anyway.
He tried to drop off the package and make a break for it, but unfortunately, his path was already blocked.
"W-what's wrong? I'm a beta rider for Paradise. You'll be in big trouble if you mess with me."
When he was selected as a beta rider, Kim Chun-sik had been told something.
Although the riders weren't officially employed by Paradise, they would be treated as official riders, and Paradise would protect them from any threats to their safety.
He had thought the welfare benefits were amazing, but he also felt it was only fair.
This was a zombie apocalypse, after all.
Zombies could pop out and injure them at any moment, and desperate thugs with nothing to lose might order deliveries and then attack the riders to avoid paying.
If the riders' safety wasn't guaranteed, who would willingly do such grueling work in this dangerous world?
So, he believed in it.
There's some kind of backup, right?
Someone's going to jump out and stop these guys surrounding me, right?
"Aaargh! Don't hit me!"
The ten or so unidentified men suddenly began beating Chun-sik.
No one appeared with a grand flourish to save him.
As he was internally cursing Paradise, the men questioned him.
"This. Where did you get it?"
"I don't know! I don't know! What even is that?"
Another round of beatings followed.
"Aaargh! It's a delivery! It's just a delivery item! I only brought it because it was ordered!"
"We're asking who. Who gave it to you?"
"Wait... didn't you guys order it from Paradise? You ordered it yourself, so why are you asking me..."
"Who gave this to you to deliver?!"
"Paradise!"
Chun-sik felt a flash of irritation at the frustrating conversation.
Of course, he was in no position to show irritation.
If anything, the men were even more annoyed, and the beating grew harsher.
"Take him for now."
"Please spare me. Please spare me."
The beating was merciless.
They were thrashing him with zero regard for whether he lived or died, making Chun-sik realize he was truly, utterly fucked.
His head spun as if the entire world were shaking.
He was dragged into a van, which then drove off.
Am I going to die like this?
Fuck. If I at least knew what was going on, I wouldn't feel so wronged.
I just came to deliver. What am I supposed to do when they ask who ordered it?
Didn't they order it themselves?
Though he rebelled fiercely in his mind, in reality, he curled up and pretended to be unconscious, praying they wouldn't hit him anymore.
The van didn't travel far.
Konkuk University Station.
He thought he saw those words through the window.
Suddenly, the man opening the van door to get out was crumpled backward into the vehicle with a loud thud.
"Eek!"
Chun-sik gasped in shock as the man rolled right next to him on the floor.
His face was literally caved in.
Can a human face even be crushed like that? Is he dead?
It was bad enough to make him wonder.
His teeth were shattered and spilling out, and blood was gushing everywhere.
What on earth is happening?
He looked toward the open van door.
An ordinary-looking man was looking inside, smiling and waving his hand.
"Hey, rider. You still alive? Ah, these motherfuckers. If they ordered a delivery, they should take the package. Why the hell did they take the delivery guy?"
"Gasp. Owner!"
"Who's your owner, you crazy ahjussi?"
"...Aren't you the Owner of Paradise?"
"I am the Owner of Paradise, but I'm not your owner."
Chun-sik had seen him before.
Even if only from a distance, he had witnessed this man single-handedly demolish the core of the Delivery Rider Faction.
Back then, he had thought:
If I ever get tangled up with that crazy bastard, I'm a dead man.
And yet, somehow, he had ended up participating as a beta rider in that very bastard's system.
But today, he realized how wrong he had been.
When that crazy bastard was on your side, there was no one more reassuring in the entire world.
"So this is your den? Thanks for the guide."
One by one, the bastards who had beaten Chun-sik tried to flee, only to be sent flying back inside, landing right next to him with their faces completely caved in.