Chapter 76
Nina: "That place has people living there too." It's the standard line you hear to comfort someone heading to a tough spot. Any Korean guy who's about to enlist hears it at least once from his parents or friends. Same goes for prison. No matter how much of a shithole it is, it's still a place where humans live. And humans adapt, eventually. But that first night after lockup? Nothing compares to the horror. It's like being reborn through the asshole of a guy with hemorrhoids after regressing to fetal form. Stifling, trash everywhere you look, pitch black ahead. No sign of hope anywhere.
By that logic, the women who moved into the Shelter had gone through the ultimate trial. The monstrous horrors after the infection outbreak, piles of corpses, refugee columns, the whole country burning. They witnessed it all firsthand on their way to the Offshore Prison. Some thought an island surrounded by sea would be safe—big mistake. It's like fleeing to the second floor when the first is on fire. The shock of hellish sights hadn't even faded before they had to battle cold, hunger, isolation, and the law of the jungle's chaos. Then finally, they arrived at the Shelter, guaranteed peace, food, clothing, and shelter.
It must've been the greatest silver lining compared to anything in their lives, but surprisingly, they all stayed quiet for a while. One of prison life's cardinal rules: when transferred to a new facility, play dead for a bit. Learn the rules, avoid drawing attention from the guards. Especially the veterans—if they mark you, life gets exhausting. Hear something like, "You're on my shitlist now, you little bitch!"? It won't end like getting picked as demo in boot camp. From that moment, you're prey for every inmate. Can't shower in peace, can't take a shit without worry, can't even buy from the black market dealers.
You also need to scope out the influential "big shots" among the inmates. In the Shelter, everyone was a newbie, so that didn't apply. Thanks to these rules, over 2,000 inmates had behaved for a while. But now, they all seem to think they've got the lay of the land.
Factions are forming simultaneously across the camp. Small and large disputes are already breaking out.
Factions clustering up, disputes between them. That means adaptation to the new nest is over. But an even clearer sign? The arrival of the "romantics."
Among the factions, there's one called the Sisters. The name gives it away, right? Yep, lesbians.
"Don't you need a friend?"
"See those bitches over there? They're eyeing you."
"Don't worry. We'll protect you. It's lonely being alone in a place like this."
They approach pretending to be sweet, offering friendship. Prison gays trying to stretch another guy's ass or lesbians rubbing up on each other—they all use the same pickup lines. Birds of a feather, huh?
On the flip side, there were requests for education. Governments often teach inmates "resocialization" stuff, but inmates voluntarily asking for classes? Rare. The Shelter's uniqueness made it happen.
Let's live nicely.
"Chakage salpsida." Countless foreign women parroting it awkwardly. Not all foreigners like pimp Sasha, black market dealer Sofiya, or fighter Nina speak fluent Korean. Plenty stumbled in illegally and suck at the language.
No going back to outside society—they have to survive here. Last job aptitude test drove it home: Korean proficiency determines your status. At least for better job assignments.
So they begged, "Teach me Hankukmal~," and resident AI Kids got my approval to form classes. Teaching language is tough, but AI teachers are different. She assessed each woman's level in real-time, customizing plans. Homework got 1:1 tutoring separate from group lessons. AI can multitask, chatting with dozens or hundreds simultaneously.
Kids' private lessons via individual PDAs, each with tailored convos? Masterful.
"Doesn't it get confusing?"
I may not be on Artemis's level, but I am a supercomputer too. Something like this is nothing, haha!
It was the first time in my life I'd seen a positive manifestation of two-timing. No, should I call this multi-timing?
Naturally, there were women who viewed this with displeasure.
"You foreign bitches, fuck off back to your own countries!"
"Don't want to? Don't want to? Not going anywhere? Gonna squat here 'til we die?"
Someone needs to stay at the bottom of the barrel, and they didn't like these women studying to climb the ranks.
"You're just illegal immigrants, what the fuck are you acting so high and mighty for?"
"So what? We got permission from the owner to live here! You bitches didn't even contribute a dime to building this place, so stop acting so fucking entitled."
A sort of psychology to eliminate the competition kicked in, and this soon flared up into a confrontation between certain domestic factions versus foreign factions.
"We paid taxes, you know!"
"Did you pay taxes here?! You empty-headed bitches!"
Escalating to the level of childish bickering, the atmosphere continued to sour and eventually led to physical clashes. Whenever that happened, a certain woman would frequently appear.
Thud-thud-thud-thud. With her brown hair flying, delivering a beautiful flying kick—the Ukrainian woman, Nina.
Like Guan Yu charging and splitting Yuan Shao's army in two, her single flying kick tore through the crowd that was on the verge of exploding, ending the fight instantly.
"Wow."
Watching the conflict footage provided by Rose, I couldn't help but marvel. Because any fight was immediately shut down the moment Nina intervened.
Women exchanging unspeakable curses would shut their mouths in an instant. Even a Black woman rampaging and smacking away her own comrades trying to stop her couldn't shake off Nina's grip. It was the image of a lone lioness standing amongst a pack of jackals.
Out of curiosity, I read her profile; she was no ordinary woman. She had bounced around various orphanages, repeatedly being adopted and having those adoptions annulled. Even though amendments to the law had made the adoption and annulment processes more lenient, hers was an unusual case.
Reasons for annulment.
"First adoption: Multiple instances of molestation by the adoptive father. One count of attempted assault. Following a police investigation, the adoptive father was arrested, and she was sent back to the orphanage."
I turned the page.
"Second adoption: Involvement in numerous violent incidents at school. Expelled for excessive use of violence, coupled with the adoptive parents' divorce, she was left neglected at home until a social worker discovered and reported it."
It was recorded that Nina had been the victim of severe bullying, and when she was slapped by the group tormenting her, she flew into a mad rage and threw punches.
Even factoring in that she was the victim of group bullying and was struck first, her use of violence went far beyond self-defense, which became the issue.
Photos of the beaten girls were included as attachments, and the injuries were so severe it was hard to believe they resulted from a fight between young girls.
Ultimately, these issues were never resolved, and by the time she became an adult, she had secured a one-way ticket to prison.
But what was even more surprising was...
"...There were still people hoping to adopt her after all that."
The fact that there was an endless stream of parents wanting to adopt this troublemaking girl. Looking at photos of Nina from her childhood, it completely made sense.
Fine, doll-like features.
A beautifully proportioned physique despite her immature age.
Snow-white skin and blue eyes filled with strong will.
Her appearance was so alluring it was hard to see her merely as a child.
Even mixed in with the other kids at the orphanage, Nina shone all on her own. She effectively eliminated any other choices for prospective parents looking to adopt.
Adopting a child means spending a lifetime of effort and money to give and receive love. After seeing Nina, giving all that to any other child felt almost like a waste.
Prospective parents who harbored such ugly thoughts even for a moment would berate themselves, but they still couldn't help their eyes being drawn back to this girl.
Thanks to that, even with a record of violence and annulled adoptions, adoptive parents willing to take Nina in kept appearing.
But fate didn't leave Nina alone. Everywhere she went, she got swept up in trouble, filling her with spite, and by the time she reached high school, she was completely uncontrollable.
"Are there no records from before her first adoption? Of her original parents, I mean?"
Yes, the only information retrievable from the offshore prison archives is the records surrounding her first adoption.
Rose replied.
She had come over to Korea at a fairly young age and grew up bouncing between orphanages, but it seemed she was born and spent her early childhood abroad.
She is a highly aggressive woman, but her leadership is undeniable. Surprisingly, she is also quite good at adhering to discipline.
"She adheres to discipline?"
Nina was always a troublemaker, and even during her sentence, she was constantly in and out of solitary confinement.
The direction of discipline in our city is different from the prisons outside. It seems life here suits her well. She has an ascetic personality and never neglects her training.
Her intervening in the factional fights between domestic and foreign women wasn't exactly out of some sense of solidarity with her fellow foreigners, either. She said the reason was simply that it reminded her of similar experiences from her school days and pissed her off.
Rose recommended Nina for a position in the security force. A high-ranking one, at that.
She is the lone-wolf type, but she wields tremendous influence among the inmates. She is violent, but it is at a perfectly manageable level. Considering the unique nature of our city, you would be hard-pressed to find a better asset for the security force.
"You must really like her?"
At my words, Rose played a video clip. It was the final stage of the vocational aptitude test—the VR test.
"Kkieeeee—!"
Smack! The infected that lunged at her with a shriek was knocked away by a precise high kick. Before the creature could even stand up, its head was smashed in by the fire extinguisher in Nina's hands.
"Kkiek—!"
At the same time, another infected lunged from behind, sending them rolling on the ground in a tangled heap, but in a flash, Nina flipped over and took the mount position.
Thud! Thud! She threw a few punches right then and there, then grabbed the fire extinguisher rolling nearby and slammed it down repeatedly to finish it
Nina is one of the extremely few individuals who successfully completed the 4th VR test—Extermination of the Infected. She is the only one who managed to kill two of them.
Rose's words were filled with conviction.
I would like to work with Nina.
I had no reason to object. Before being an Administrator, as a former soldier, a strong woman I could trust with my back was always welcome.
"Do as you wish."
Thank you.
Rose bowed politely.