Chapter 97: The Current State of the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: The Current State of the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization
The Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization was doing reasonably well for itself.
Although their faction had weakened significantly after the first Zombie Rush and those who wanted to leave had left, the tattooed thugs were still quite capable of killing zombies. Moreover, because they used the apartment complex as their base, many people who had been hiding nearby joined them after becoming disillusioned by the sheer danger of the Zombie Rush.
In the process, the "Executive Committee" changed their strategy.
Fearing that the remaining survivors wouldn't hold out if they were too overbearing now that their faction was weakened, they began to put on a facade, pretending to work hard.
The results weren't bad.
They might have looked like total punk-ass tattooed thugs, but they possessed decent combat skills and solid builds, and their stats naturally went up as they worked out.
Since they actively participated in the hunting squads under the pretext of protecting non-combatants, their reputation among the people improved, and they often heard from the existing residents that they seemed to have turned over a new leaf.
Not bad, right?
Some of these dumbasses even forgot their place and actually started believing they were good guys.
Well, even if they looked pathetic to some, as long as they were satisfied, that was all that mattered.
As they gradually expanded their territory by widening their once-narrow barricades, took in more people, and slowly procured food through the "Paradise Membership," a few strange things happened along the way.
Delivery riders would show up and throw a fit, or people from god-knows-where would come and cause a ruckus.
Every time, the tattooed thugs would get angry and ask what kind of bullshit they were talking about. But at some point, word began to spread that the hunting squads were having some strange experiences.
"When we said we were from Seongsu Apartment, they all got scared. They asked if we were with them and even gave us some stuff..."
"They even gave us Coins, begging us to take them and not come back."
The Executive Committee misunderstood.
"Fuck... our time to shine has finally come."
"Well, we did work hard."
"Has our reputation already spread that far?"
They thought their fearsome reputation had spread far and wide.
Normally, it would be logical to think, Wait, did we actually do anything scary? But given their innate nature, they had picked a few fights while out with the hunting squads.
They assumed that was where the rumors had started.
So, for a few weeks, they strutted around like they owned the place.
Believing they were strong.
They grew smug seeing the name "Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization" floating around on the Paradise Membership.
"Should we suggest a merger soon?"
The bastards on the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization's Executive Committee might have had noodles for brains, but they didn't have dementia.
They knew full well that the guy who created the Paradise Membership was the same bastard who had caused a ruckus at the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization and snatched Kim Ji-hee away.
With endless praise for Kim Ji-hee's looks and skills circulating everywhere, it would be stranger if they didn't know.
"Ah... we shouldn't have let her go."
"You crazy bastard. I told you to hit on her in moderation, didn't I?"
"A Level 4 healer... ugh, fuck. Trying to fuck her... it's all your fault."
"Shut up. You guys went along with it because you wanted to take turns with her too."
Even though they had that kind of past, they had already reached an amicable agreement among themselves that the past was the past.
It hadn't even been that long.
A little over a month at most.
Yet, they could think this way because time in a zombie apocalypse passed much faster.
When you spend your days fighting zombies multiple times a day in a frantic blur, you lose track of whether something happened a month or two months ago.
It felt as if several years had already passed.
He probably won't care too much.
Besides, we're living differently now.
They had built up some name value.
They had a past connection.
They figured if they cozied up to him, they might pull off a decent merger.
That was their line of thinking.
While they were busy dreaming up these grand plans and repeating their mundane daily routines, the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning.
Bang!
"What the fuck?"
He wondered if he had misheard.
The bang echoing from outside didn't sound like something colliding; no matter how he listened to it, it was unmistakably a gunshot.
The Executive Committee scrambled outside in a hurry.
And they were shocked.
"What the fuck?!"
A crowd of about twenty people had surrounded the barricades.
Each of them held pistols and rifles, pointing them in their direction with their motorcycle headlights glaring.
Guns.
What kind of fucked-up situation was this?
Out of nowhere, and not just one or two, but nearly twenty bastards had shown up, and every single one of them was armed with a gun.
"W-what is this?"
Curses welled up inside him, but the gun barrels pointed at them were far too terrifying to actually spit them out.
How did it come to this?
What did they do wrong?
The funny thing was, even in a moment like this, all their minor misdeeds kept flashing through their minds.
Picking fights with small groups they encountered while farming nearby, hitting on any woman who looked halfway decent.
They would wander around looking for trouble, and if a fight broke out, they would beat them down as if they'd been waiting for the chance, throwing a fit until the woman begged for forgiveness with her body.
There was no way such idiotic behavior would normally fly, but in a zombie apocalypse, it actually worked to some extent. They took solace in that whenever they went out with the hunting squads.
Because of that, they could think of plenty of places that might hold a grudge against them.
But did they really have a grudge deep enough to make twenty-odd people arm themselves with guns and ride over on motorcycles?
Nothing specific came to mind.
In the first place, the only group in Seongsu-dong that rode motorcycles was the Delivery Rider faction.
But were they always like this?
There was no time to ponder.
"Get your leader out here."
At the words of a man with a striking buzz cut and sharp features, the tattooed thugs began exchanging glances.
Normally, they would all go about thinking, Maybe I'm the leader, or I'm the real power behind the scenes, but today, of all days, they desperately wanted to yield the title of leader to someone else.
Besides, there was already an official head of the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization who held the actual title of leader.
"Su-wan."
"...Fuck. What..."
Kim Su-wan stepped forward.
Even if he denied it and tried to step down as leader right here, those pissed-off bastards holding guns weren't just going to back off quietly.
He raised both hands and stepped forward.
The bastards on the motorcycles flickered their headlights and asked each other.
"Is that him?"
"How should I know?"
"We need someone left alive to confirm it."
"Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization. This is the place, right?"
"Looks like the right place."
"Then can't we just kill them all?"
"You crazy bastard. I told you we need to find the drugs."
Drugs? What was that supposed to mean?
Kim Su-wan was bewildered by the completely incomprehensible talk.
"Where are the drugs?"
Before his confusion could even settle, the question made his mind go completely blank.
Of course, Kim Su-wan and the tattooed thugs here were experts in this kind of situation.
The classic tactic of someone in power demanding something completely unreasonable from an underdog—harassing them if they don't produce it, and harassing them even if they do.
But those motherfuckers were holding guns.
Whether their talk of killing was real or not, it wouldn't be surprising if at least one or two people died right here.
And there was a very high probability that the victim would be the leader, Kim Su-wan.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Don't you dare play dumb. We came here because we already know everything. You had the nerve to blow up our Konkuk University Station branch and leave your name behind? You motherfuckers. Don't expect a single one of you to make it out alive today. Bring out the drugs, and I'll spare exactly three of you."
Cold sweat dripped down his back.
He genuinely had no idea what drugs they were talking about, but those bastards were dead serious, demanding them as if their lives depended on it.
That look on their faces was real.
The first bang they heard had already killed the guards on watch, which meant anyone could die at any moment.
He racked his brain.
What should he do?
Drugs...
Suddenly, it clicked.
"Are you... by any chance, talking about the drugs sold in the Paradise Membership shop?"
"Paradise... Yeah, you motherfucker. Those drugs you stole and are selling. They're ours."
"..."
Ah, fuck. We're screwed.
Lately, it had been a hot topic on the Paradise Gallery that some ambiguous substance—no one knew if it was drugs or sugar—was being sold for 300 Coins.
Isn't that actually real drugs?
Someone buy it and find out.
Let us know if it's real.
Occasionally, posts claiming it was real would pop up, only to be deleted almost instantly, which only fueled the suspicion that it was indeed the real deal.
Of course, no one could really raise an issue about it.
So what if it was drugs?
Selling drugs wasn't illegal in a zombie apocalypse.
It wasn't like anyone could call them out on moral grounds, either.
In the first place, Paradise wasn't actually a paradise, despite its name.
He had simply recalled that rumor.
But to think that was actually what they were talking about.
Kim Su-wan's mind raced even faster.
Now that he had taken the first step, a way out seemed to be within reach.
"You've got the wrong place. This is the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization, not Paradise."
"Yeah, you motherfucker. This is the place. Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization. I don't know what the fuck Paradise is, just hand over the drugs."
"...If you insist, we will pool all the Coins we have and try to purchase the drugs for you."
"This motherfucker is still playing dumb?"
These bastards had zero patience.
The guy who had stepped forward raised his rifle and aimed.
Fortunately, since Kim Su-wan was the leader, they didn't aim at him but pointed the gun at someone else.
The thought of dodging or blocking didn't even cross his mind.
An armed group with guns versus a group of mostly non-combatants holding weapons they had scavenged from who-knows-where.
The difference in numbers only meant it would take a few more bullets.
Please, let me survive this night.
He closed his eyes and prayed.
And heaven answered Kim Su-wan's desperate prayer.
Bang!
"What the? Who was that?"
Since a shot had fired before he gave the signal, the guy who had stepped forward barked out.
Even if they wanted to see where the gunshot had come from, the blinding glare of the motorcycle headlights surrounding them made it impossible to see anything.
But gaps began to appear.
One by one.
The headlights that had been shining bright went out, leaving only the motorcycles standing silently in their place.
"Fuck! Watch your surroundings! Gurgle."
The guy who belatedly spun around with his rifle couldn't finish his command.
His neck was snapped instantly, and he collapsed to the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Multiple gunshots rang out, but the bizarre phenomenon of people vanishing one by one did not stop.
By the time the group of twenty had dwindled to a point where they could be counted on one hand.
"F-fuck... Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization... you bastards!!! Run!!!"
The motorcycles scattered in all directions and sped away.
"...What just happened?"
Kim Su-wan and the people of the Seongsu Apartment Autonomous Organization stood frozen for a long time, looking as if they had just seen a ghost.