Crushing the Bugs (1)
We passed Northdong Station. A sharp wind whistled through—whoosh. I stood on the rooftop of a 15-story apartment at the northernmost edge of Southdong, gazing out. The sky was the same one I'd stared at from my place while gaming before everything went to hell. But when I looked down, the sprawling view of Southdong stretching out below was utterly different.
A ruined world. Zombies staggering around drunkenly, wrecked cars, shattered buildings. No real difference from the Northdong I'd come from. The apocalypse that hit on March 3rd had swept through the whole city. No people anywhere—just the dead shambling where the living should have been.
"......"
If I had to pick one difference, maybe it was the lack of those goddamn flesh lumps from the old downtown. No second remnant here. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Was it weird that part of me wished those bastards were around?
"Hoo..."
I exhaled and shifted my gaze closer. First, this spot: Shinsegae Apartments. Right below Northdong Station, not far off. The complex ran from Building 101 to 310, sitting at Southdong's northern tip. Strangely, aside from a park and playground, there were zero convenience stores or amenities around. Which meant hardly any people—or foot traffic, anyway. So fewer zombies, and plenty of room for survivors. Sure enough, zombies dotted the roads and walkways below sparsely, with signs of human activity here and there.
Of course, a month into the apocalypse, any survivors left would be few, and groups small. Apartments weren't great for forming big camps, so the odds of Liberation Army here were low. That's why my eyes were on somewhere else—off to the right in my view: Yuseong University. A college, after all this time, caught my eye far in the southeast, my target.
People there.
On the top floor of a faint red building, two tiny figures. Too far to be sure, but no military uniforms, just tools instead of guns—not Liberation Army.
Haa...
Not certain, of course. Back when Jeong Suhyun and I planned this, contacting whoever was at Yuseong was a given. But now? Not so much. After feeling the malice of humans and the threat of remnants firsthand, I didn't need to risk it.
Might even be dangerous.
Three weeks post-apocalypse, outsiders would be shunned. And humans form groups—I had mine too. Distrust between groups was natural. More people meant more conflict. My ties with Northdong Station, or Kim Jungshik's crew, were the exceptions.
In a world like this, strangers were just looters who might steal your stuff—or your life—any second. That's what made our base special.
It is weird.
A fluke of luck, chance, and decent people. That's my base. Thinking of it, I wondered: Could I build something like that with them? With Park Donghyuk—no, with Kim Jungshik?
No, obvious just thinking about it. Northdong Station taught me to rate human threats higher. Talk? Persuasion? Deals? Those needed trust now. Why? Because remnants could mess with minds.
Outsiders weren't trustworthy anymore. My recruitment had to be one-sided: crawlers we took in, or ones we broke with force. Like saving them from danger, stacking favors unilaterally.
...Unless they're family to my people.
Hoo. A problem for later, anyway. Humans were secondary—Liberation Army was priority.
Turning from Yuseong, countless buildings filled my view: Southdong Office and the downtown core. The path south from Northdong Station through the apartments. Southwest from me, facing Yuseong.
...And my destination. Korea's biggest Benefit Mart, surrounded by massive structures. Zombies roamed everywhere, corpses and bloodstains everywhere. Clearly, plenty had gone down here while I'd been rampaging in Northdong for three weeks.
Most of downtown was wrecked. But "most" meant some survived.
Haa...
First up: Southdong Office. Hard to say if anyone's there—half the four-story building had collapsed. First and second floors intact, maybe someone's holed up, but doubtful. Unlike Northdong Office, it was wide open on all sides, tough to defend. Surrounded by urban sprawl, not enough to hold off zombies.
But not impossible. Barricades nearby, more human signs than elsewhere.
Assume someone's there, for now.
I noted it and looked away. Next: Benefit Mart, another target like Yuseong—and Bae Sungkwan's Liberation Army base. It was in plain view, confirming he hadn't lied. Military vehicles and cars stacked like barricades around it. Two of three entrances blocked; two uniformed guys at the last.
They've claimed it.
Burned corpses on distant walls, like trophies—mostly rotted to mush.
"......"
Naked women's bodies sprawled on the street out front, limbs hacked off—the "meat toilets" he mentioned. Breasts and long hair visible despite being face-down. Butchered bad, gnawed by beasts or zombies.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue, shook my head. Liberation Army—stealth guy's crew—dug in there. Same as Our Love Church in Northdong: looting, murder, rape. Remnant powers or not, they killed and indulged.
Guards...
Surprisingly lax. Two at the entrance, two at the back maybe, one on the roof behind barricades. Minimal crew for a radar group with weapons and a base.
They haven't caught on.
No sign they'd noticed my ploy—otherwise more on the roof. Or maybe I was paranoid. The Night Raven who called Bae "Haoraegi" might've dismissed him as dead. Or my shadowboxing with dead walkie-talkies.
...Or.
They know he's gone and might use it.
All possible. Didn't matter. They weren't my problem anymore—just blast magic from this rooftop into Benefit Mart. Southdong Liberation Army had to go anyway.
I opened my mouth to wipe them out.
Ice Shield
But I paused before forming ice shields over the mart. Something nagged at me.
......
Those corpses. Captives there. Hostages. Victims. Innocents, for sure.
Like ignoring Northdong's fetuses, or torching Rocket Mart. But those were maybes; these were confirmed—Liberation Army prisoners, alive inside.
Liberation Army. Their victims. The innocent. Save them?
Shhh...
The 15th-floor spring wind was damn chilly. Feeling it, I thought. I had power—enough to wipe a group. Mana full after an hour: 108. Over 200 Ice Spears, 20+ Ice Shields.
Drop them on Benefit Mart? Won't collapse instantly, but massive damage. They'd react—rush out, use skills. But they'd die. I'd watch like a hawk.
But that kills everyone inside too. Captives. Useful skills? Driving or transport? Worth the risk? Fit our base?
Ironic, valuing humans like that. But same as saving Kim Yunjin and Choi Yuri from Our Love Church—no variables now.
They were dead anyway—caught by raiders. Done.
But reason said no. Feelings said yes. Why? I could save them.
I know myself. Act smart, but sloppy. Cold, but sentimental. Pretend bad, but soft deep down.
If I were truly smart, I wouldn't have talked Jeong Suhyun around, listened to Kim Yunjin and Choi Yuri's whining, or dealt with Park Donghyuk and Kim Jungshik at Northdong.
So I convinced myself—as base leader. What if I saved the victims, earned favors? Made Benefit Mart our new base?
Especially: those sex slaves' value. Northdong Station took all young women except Lee Euna.
Women held natural advantage in modern society—below alpha males, but alpha females ruled dating. Still did post-apocalypse, in skills or bodies.
Our base's gender balance is wrecked.
Originally balanced: me, Jeong Suhyun, Jeong Dojin, Kim Yunjin, Choi Yuri. But Kim Jungshik's seven tipped it—only two women. Choi Yuri with Jeong Dojin; Kim Yunjin... interested in me. Her prickly personality kept others away.
Men's frustrations building.
Save women?
Kim Jungshik's crew hadn't caused issues yet—under control. Probably not soon. But possible. Apocalypse, no internet—stress outlets scarce.
Coldly, looking ahead—solid choice.
Taking weak young women padded numbers. Jeong Suhyun vets skills; house on 3rd/4th floors minimizes betrayal risk. Easy gains: skills plus bodies. Per Bae Sungkwan, they're weak, pliable.
Problems? Jeong Suhyun handles.
But as me, personally? Gains from going in?
......
None. Absolutely.
Since when? Jeong Suhyun mentioned Northdong Liberation Army? Killing Kim Kwonyong at Our Love Church? They'd blocked me always. Black guys to Our Love Church, killing Northdong allies, now stealth threatening my life.
Don't care about their skills or who they are. One fact: they fucked my plans.
Now, I could kill them one-sided from outside. Risk for innocents inside? Lose bombing advantage by entering? No.
Parents maybe alive, plans delayed by these assholes—saving a few victims? Priorities backward.
Liberation Army crossed lines. Plenty chances to stop. Bae tailed me—knew my moves. Our Love Church, rich district, Northdong—they caused it. Killed, looted, raped for fun. Hurt me and mine.
Risk for maybe-innocents?
Absurd. Parents would disown that saint act. Duty to save? No. Need? No. Reason to kill Liberation Army? Yes.
Remnants forced it? Worse—means no choice but death.
No.
Humanely? Still no. Decision made.
Ice Shield
Ice Shields summoned above Benefit Mart—ten total. Fifty mana for ten 3x3m shields, lined up at my eye level, 15 stories up.
One.
I dropped the leftmost straight down. Hurtling at insane speed.
Thud!
!!!!!!
Huge crash atop Benefit Mart. Initial hit: a few rooftop guards pulped, some roof smashed. That's it. Mart built tough.
But only once.
Two.
!!!!!!
Kaboom!
Roof caved, top floor sank.
Three.
Bam!
Rebar buckled, core shook. Panicked uniformed guys burst out—but debris crushed some.
Kaboom! Kaboom!
Shields kept falling. Liberation Army—bugs—scanned around, but nothing. Just one-sided hell from the sky.
Bam!
Rumble rumble rumble...
Eighth shield: section of Benefit Mart collapsed.
Ice Spear
"!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!"
Hordes evacuated—bugs swarming out in uniforms, reservist gear, rags to flashy clothes. Didn't matter.
Ice Spear
Rumble. Bam!
Heads exploded under my skills. They hunted the source—never find it. My skills ignore distance in line of sight, no obstacles.
From this rooftop hundreds of meters away? Invisible.
"!!!!!"
Three uniformed guys fleeing far off.
Ice Spear
...!! !!!!!! Crack!
Two heads shattered; last kept running. Dead already—heading into hell's maw.
!!!!!!
Rumble rumble rumble...
Finally, left side of their base collapsed under shield impacts.
Kraka ka ka kanga!
Deafening roar. Concrete chunks flattened smaller buildings.
!!!!!
Liberation Army screaming, crushed under rubble. But not over—more bugs poured out.
I picked them off one by one.
!!!!!!!!
Dust choked the area. Nearby buildings obscured in the haze.
Rumble rumble rumble...
Movie-like. But real. Dust, blood, noise.
!!!!! !!!!!
They scattered. Mana at 54—not enough for all. But that wasn't the plan.
"!!!!!!!"
Building collapse and screams drew zombies.
Tatata tang!
Survivors' gunfire. Zombies swarmed from Southdong on the noise—brainless, hunger-driven.
Dududududu!
"!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!"
Downtown turned slaughterhouse: runners vs. chasers.
Mana: 54.
Half used, but enough. Descend, finish stragglers tangled with zombies.
Frost Blink
I blinked into the chaos unfolding in Southdong's streets.