Rooting for a New Start -5
A few days earlier.
"Shiiit..."
Thick clouds of cigarette smoke billowed out. But even that couldn't hide the eyes of the woman with the rifle slung over her shoulder. Her bag was completely empty. It might be convenient for walking, but the moment they had to sit down somewhere for maintenance, they'd realize just how precarious their situation was.
In this world, zombies were certainly objects of terror. But that fear wasn't absolute. After clearing out a madhouse like Anseongu, you could hole up in a decent abandoned building, set up barricades, and survive just fine for the time being.
The real danger was hunger.
"What're we gonna do, boss?"
She had people to feed. Family she was responsible for. But business was steadily going downhill.
"Hell if I know. Damn, things were better before."
She flicked her cigarette butt into a pile of zombie corpses.
"We gotta do something. We've got plenty of ammo, right?"
"Even if we don't fight... if we just dodge zombies good, we could last a month maybe."
Fighting zombies was a nightmare. But for those who lived by fighting, being unable to fight them was an even greater horror.
"Then what's the point? No jobs out there."
"Yeah..."
They were mercenaries. Their skills were so-so, but as long as no high-level hunters got involved, a "group of armed people" packed a decent punch. They could settle disputes, fight zombies to secure safety, or track down people or goods. Even if someone died or got hurt in the process, it wouldn't be the "in-group" folks. A convenient, disposable force that was easy to wield.
Mercenaries had a status that let them scrape by, if not thrive.
But even that had its limits.
"...Why not just head to Katus? I hear they're hiring a ton of people lately. Pay's good for mercs too!"
The boss smacked her subordinate on the head.
"I might not be the smartest out there, but I'm smarter than you."
"Ow! Why..."
"Why do you think they need so many people? 'Cause they're dropping like flies, that's why."
Kim Soi, leader of the mercenary band, shook her head.
Fighting alongside Katus was a one-way ticket to becoming zombie chow. They used their own members ruthlessly and burned through mercs even more casually.
"True, I've heard there's a lot of fighting going on... But doesn't that mean empty houses? If there's a supply point with lax security, maybe we could sweep it clean—"
"Empty houses ain't all the same. You think Katus leaves a place vacant so we can loot it? Do it yourself, kid. I ain't dying."
But refusing Katus' gigs didn't magically produce alternatives.
"So what then? Ain't shit to do around here."
Soi scowled hard. Her head was filled with the urge to light another smoke.
"Hoo..."
Over the past year-plus of merc life, she'd made out pretty well. They'd gotten food and cash from disputes, looted organization supply points when inter-group wars loosened security. But now, peace had come to the area.
The two groups that had been grinding their teeth, amassing weapons and forces to kill each other, had naturally turned their guns on the zombies instead. They knew full well that dropping their guard too soon would get them stabbed in the back.
No immediate reason to fight each other, no need to stockpile excess firepower and make the other side paranoid. No need for mercs to kill each other or zombies.
Not just Soi's band—every merc group that had sprouted up like weeds around here was in crisis.
"Maybe we gotta go farther out..."
Kim Soi let out a deep sigh.
"What about Anseongu?"
"Hell no. That's where exiles go, right? Zombies crawling everywhere..."
"We gotta eat first! No organizations there, plenty of supply points."
"Hah..."
Kim Soi agonized over it. Anseongu had a notorious reputation. Abandoned kids and outcasts from every group flocked there as a last shot at survival.
"Ughhh!!!"
But they had no choice. Moving elsewhere just meant trespassing other territories. If there were jobs or empty supply points, they might survive—but that was a gamble in a different way from hitting Anseongu.
They had no money, no food. Even trying to dungeon-dive as a group now, they lacked stockpiled rations. Heroically earning cash in a dungeon wouldn't help without a lucky merchant to trade with—they'd starve anyway.
"Just... patrol the outskirts, scope things out. Got it?"
Kim Soi yelled at her subordinates. Hoping desperately they'd find new hope inside.
A brief meeting followed. And I reached a conclusion.
"I don't think we need to do anything right now."
I did consider this area my turf, but that didn't mean I wanted to control every single person who wandered in. I couldn't, anyway.
"It could be dangerous. Anseongu's been safe so far because it was crawling with monsters..."
Roa shook her head.
"Sure, Sunwoo-oppa's stronger than any monster, but other groups might not get that intuitively. If they're a vanguard, a fight could break out."
Seohee nodded vigorously with her eyes closed.
"Yeah, yeah. On the surface, you just look like a fit guy. Some bitch who doesn't know her place might try to act tough... Ack!"
Sua pinched Seohee's side hard.
"Watch your mouth..."
Seohee gave an awkward grin and looked at me.
"Sorry, Master. You know I love you, right? Wanna choke me and gut-punch me into a proper rape-fuck lesson?"
"Later."
I gently pushed away Seohee as she lunged. This was my chance.
"Even if they're dangerous, there's nothing we can do about it right now."
I couldn't just grab passersby and declare, "You're probably from another patrol, so you're under arrest!" With our intel, if they said "Nah, we're not," we had no way to verify.
Even if it was a patrol from some group eyeing Anseongu, suspicion alone wasn't enough to hold them.
"If we befriend an organization, we could get help."
I had plenty of money. Even if it wasn't in my pocket, a quick dungeon run let me withdraw cash like an ATM.
But to buy what I needed with that cash, I required trading partners. Katus was one, but relying on a single group wasn't ideal.
Beyond that, I needed experience. Knowing how other groups handled problems in this world couldn't hurt.
"I see..."
"It bugs me too. But we can't hide Anseongu's safety forever, and folks spotting that radio tower from afar will know something's changed."
We couldn't waste 24/7 monitoring visitors. Unless they were in peril or out to harm us, better to keep at our own work.
"Plus, if they're thinking of joining our group... or need my help, I'm happy to lend a hand."
Objectively, the odds they were a patrol weren't high. More likely drifters like Seohee's crew or the new survivors—pushed here after wandering with nowhere else to go.
No need for a preemptive strike. No point hunting them down and pressuring them unnecessarily.
Plenty of supply points around, so let survivors pass through, grab some food and water, and move on.
Even if they turned hostile, no big deal. Folks traveling between the base and my apartment were mostly with me anyway, and the orphanage had Yeowon's sniper rifle watching over it.
"Don't worry about it."
The meeting wrapped up. A lukewarm outcome, but better than rash action backfiring.
"Decision made... let's work. Work!"
We had logs stacked plenty. What we needed now was action.
"I'll handle the groundwork, you all make rope."
We weren't without ropes or cords scavenged from urban ruins. But no big marts or hardware stores in sight, so supplies were limited.
If we can get basic defenses up... even if shit hits the fan, it'll buy us time.
Zombies were scary not just for their brute force, but the unpredictability—where and when they'd strike. I was fine, but watching them lurk in buildings or alleys made me think, Anyone but me would get wrecked...
But walls would solve that, at least partially.
Smiling, I headed toward the woods in the park.