18. Crazy Bitch
18. Crazy Bitch
ㅡ!@$!@$
ㅡ!@$!@$
I hear a commotion up ahead.
I can't quite make out what they're saying, but I can hear some middle-aged woman shrieking.
Others are trying to stop her.
'A group is gathered around a woman in her 20s.'
The group was ganging up on the middle-aged woman.
Looks like the woman did something wrong.
ㅡ!@$!!!!
ㅡ!@$!!!!!!!
Voices are getting louder.
It's around 4 AM.
It's still the time when the Infected are supposed to be sleeping, but that level of noise is enough to draw them in.
Someone comes from the main gate barricade and starts shouting something.
The group of women in their 20s shouts back.
The middle-aged woman is still screaming, venting her rage.
However, the situation calmed down quickly. The woman who had been shrieking must have run out of energy, as she was panting heavily.
The group of women in their 20s said something to her and then left.
All that's left on the playground is the middle-aged woman, huffing and puffing.
With a venomous look on her face, the woman headed somewhere.
Well, it's been two days since they said rescue was coming, and no one has shown up.
If you cram 100 people into a space like a school, which isn't comfortable for living, conflict is inevitable.
Food is an issue.
Just living there is an issue.
People fought even before the infection, when humans gathered. How could it be any different now, when life is so tough?
'......'
Well, that place has nothing to do with me anymore.
It was just as I was about to turn back.
'What the hell is that?'
I see the woman from the playground earlier at the back gate.
The guard who was at the back gate is gone, probably because it's shift change time.
The woman opened the back gate.
"......?"
With a huffing face, the woman starts banging on the back gate's iron bars with a tool she has nearby.
What is she doing?
The Infected are gathering.
'......?'
After doing that, she slips right into the nearby management office.
'Wow, what the fuck.'
ㅡ!@$!@$!
ㅡ!@$!
ㅡKieeeeee!
The Infected rush in.
Walkers and Runners rush toward the people inside who are trying to change shifts.
ㅡ!@$!
ㅡ!@$!@$
One person got bitten.
People inside the back gate freak out, come out, and fight the Infected.
But there were quite a lot of Infected.
It's a situation where tools aren't enough.
ㅡAaaack!
ㅡFuck!
A commotion at dawn.
Cursing is always so easy to hear.
People fighting with crowbars, mops, baseball bats, etc.
They've been fighting the Infected for a month now, so they fight well.
Still, people died.
If you're holding a tool, you're bound to have openings.
People gather to argue about who's at fault. Soon, the woman is identified as the culprit.
ㅡ!@$!
ㅡ!@$!
The group of women in their 20s from earlier gathers and yells at the woman.
A man in his 20s comes out with a tool, looking furious.
'Are they going to kill her?'
Killing her is the right thing to do.
In a world like this, if you keep someone who undermines the foundation of the group alive, the group itself could collapse.
To begin with, how many people died because of that woman?
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, the woman's face turns serious.
However, the women in their 20s and the middle-aged men and women come out and stop the man in his 20s.
They end it by lecturing the woman.
'...They're keeping her alive?'
The world is completely fucked, but keeping her alive means the group's future is bleak.
It's not like this is a civilized society right now. What are the odds that the woman they spared will be grateful and behave well in the future?
Are they fucking crazy?
'They're doomed.'
I wasted an hour just watching.
It's an awkward time, 5 AM. But I couldn't just stay, so I quickly returned to Hope Villa.
#
I arrived just as the sun was awkwardly rising.
There were a few moments on the way back that would have been dangerous, but thanks to my ability, I got through them without issue.
'I need to make leveling up this ability my priority now.'
I've been out for 3 days, so I am a bit tired.
"...You're back?"
Seo-yoon greeted me as soon as I arrived.
But Seo-yoon's face looked a bit strange.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Uh, yes."
Something happened?
In this quiet neighborhood?
Then, Seo-yoon started explaining.
The second day.
February 14th.
Yesterday.
So, at the time I was busy watching Imedi Apartment to see if rescue was coming.
She said something like a large armored vehicle moved in the distance.
"An armored vehicle?"
"Yes... well, I'm not sure if I should call it an armored vehicle or a truck."
Did the real military survive?
Or a warlord faction?
"Did it come here?"
"No. It, uh, turned away near that GP Convenience Store. I just stayed quiet."
"The military, huh. What exactly did it look like?"
"Uh... it was a strange truck with black tuning."
...Black tuning?
Unless it's an old vehicle, the modern military wouldn't use black vehicles at all.
Even when I was in the army, those ROK military trucks had military camouflage.
Same for armored vehicles.
"Did you take a picture?"
"I... it passed by too quickly, so I couldn't take one... but I think I can draw it."
Seo-yoon brought a notebook and sketched it.
She's surprisingly good at drawing.
Anyway, what came out was a truck shape, not an armored vehicle. However, it wasn't a military truck.
"...So this went upwards."
Upwards is the center of Cheongju, including City Hall, Mirae Middle School, and hospitals.
If you go further up, you head toward Jeungpyeong County.
If it's the military... like the 32nd Division, it wouldn't be strange for them to head up.
If it's the military, why didn't they do any broadcasts or anything?
Furthermore, if it's the military, why didn't they rescue Cheongju Elementary School?
Why did they go up?
"Was it just one vehicle?"
"Yes."
"At night?"
"Yes."
Not several, just one.
This... I don't know.
Whether it's the military.
Or rescue.
Or if individuals are driving it around like that.
I'll know when I see it.
I'll find out as I wander around trying to survive in Cheongju.
ㅡSwoosh
I washed up and came out.
"By the way, why are the water and electricity still working fine?"
Seo-yoon asked me.
It was a bit out of the blue.
But it wasn't a conversation I couldn't answer.
"Who knows. Maybe the infrastructure is just robust."
"......"
Seo-yoon looked at me with an incredulous expression.
I sighed.
"I don't know either. Normally, in a situation like this, electricity and water should have been cut off within a week."
"...I think this might be an artificial event."
"Tell me."
"This event... it's not a war, it's something like a zombie outbreak."
"That's right."
"Then... the personnel who managed society must have all died. Places like nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal power plants, and substations."
"So?"
"Then naturally, the electricity should have been cut off within 1-2 weeks, and the pumps should have stopped too. But electricity is still coming in fine. Water too."
"That's true."
"This makes me think that someone is managing those places. Or there's a reason they're maintaining the facilities themselves."
I've been thinking it's strange too.
Infection event.
Superpowers.
IN Company. Nexus Core.
Anyone looking at this would think IN Company started it.
"Then the governments of each country teamed up with IN Company and started this?"
"...Wouldn't that be the case?"
"I just think it's being maintained by some superpower somewhere."
"What?"
"We can move metal, force contracts, so why couldn't we maintain civilization? Maybe some person's Nexus Core is just like that. Just, you know."
"......"
"Electricity and water naturally flow in. Something like that."
Seo-yoon frowned.
"...It's annoying that it's a possibility."
"Right?"
"Yeah..."
Well, one thing is important.
That electricity and water are still coming in fine.
And that right now, that's none of our business.
If it gets cut off, we just have to deal with it when it happens.
"Eat your food."
"Okay."
And that to survive, we have to keep moving.
I sighed and looked outside.
#
Afterward, we talked about going out.
"...So rescue didn't come after all."
"Right."
"...What should we do?"
"Who knows."
Even if we manage food well, it's only for so long.
It's clear that we have to leave Cheongju eventually.
But the question is what to do once we leave...
"Do you know how to farm?"
"...No. But you mentioned farming last time too."
"Yeah, I don't know either. That's why there's no answer."
If civilization isn't restored, we eventually have to go outside. No matter how much food is scattered around, the pre-made supplies will have a limit.
In the end, leveling up my superpower was the top priority.
If my superpower gets incredibly strong, I won't need to worry about the Infected or anything else.
'So, I'll go to the mart once.'
Today's goal is to find a Siren.
To catch a Siren and see if the core levels up.
If I go into the Green Fresh Market connected to the underground mall, I should see a Siren.
#
It became the night of February 15th.
I said goodbye to Seo-yoon and left.
Underground mall.
I followed the path all the way down.
ㅡCrunch
Since I could kill Mirrors easily enough with a hammer and kitchen knife, there was no problem moving.
'......'
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
The underground mall of a ruined city.
The once clean marble floor was now filled with dust and all sorts of filth.
Catching Mirrors crawling from somewhere, I arrived at a four-way intersection.
I saw those men here.
I went straight, heading toward the Green Fresh Market.
#
The end is in sight.
I can see arrows too.
On a sign or something next to it, I see it written that going up this way leads to the Green Fresh Market.
ㅡStatic
ㅡStatic
A hallway crackling with static.
ㅡCrunch
One kitchen knife broke.
Unlike Walkers and Runners, the kitchen knife wasn't very efficient against the tough Mirrors.
I walk further.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
The underground mall toward the Green Fresh Market, which has many vacant stores.
Up ahead, I see a Siren.
It has a human form, but unlike the faceless Runners and Walkers, or the Mirrors whose faces turn into mirrors with tentacles, this one has countless mouths on its face.
'That's fucking disgusting.'
The unique point is...
Mirrors stayed among themselves, but Sirens seem to mix in among Walkers and Runners.
A bastard hiding among a dozen or so.
But that's probably why it's dangerous.
Probably no answer with tools or anything like that.
Even with a gun, if you don't snipe it perfectly, it'll be a pain.
'Just looking at it, it seems like it'll scream like crazy.'
I silently threw my hammer, striking it hard from above.
Then.
ㅡCrunch
The bastard dies in vain, making a sound.
"Kieee."
"Kieee."
Amidst the Walkers and Runners who couldn't find my location, I extracted the Nexus Core.
===================================
Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv3[1/100]
===================================
It goes up.
By 1, at that.
I don't know what the criteria are, but I confirmed that catching a Siren increases it by 1.
'I've got a goal now.'
However...
Unlike Mirrors that traveled among themselves, Sirens seemed to have a high probability of being among groups.
Right now, inside the underground mall or outside.
I hadn't seen a Siren even in places with quite a few Walkers and Runners.
In the end, it meant I had to break through the mart.
'......'
I moved again.
That's how I arrived at the stairs leading up.
Amidst the dim lights.
I discovered something strange.
'......'
Corpses.
However, I saw corpses that looked like they had died recently.
This isn't strange up to this point.
The strange thing is that they were killed by firearms.
'What is this?'
Were they killed by the group at Eunha High School?
But the dates don't match for that.
Because I killed the people at Eunha High School 6 days ago.
In a world like this where Infected roam, it means these corpses couldn't have remained intact like this.
'......'
It's not Cheongju Elementary or Mirae Middle either.
I confirmed Mirae Middle from the women, and I saw Cheongju Elementary with my own two eyes.
Why does the military truck Seo-yoon mentioned come to mind?
It seems like there is something.
Something I don't know about.