Episode 12.

After retrieving all the arrows, I started ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠searching the corpses one by one.

First, I grabbed the weapons. I picked out two axes that looked usable and a sturdy hunting knife.

I left the steel pipes and baseball bats behind; they were just heavy and inefficient.

The axes could be used for chopping wood or as melee weapons in an emergency, and the knife would be useful in many ways.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stripped the motorcycle helmets off the guys wearing them. Since they had been shot through the neck, there was barely any blood on the helmets. I wiped the inside roughly, tried it on, and picked one that fit. It seemed decent for head protection.

It would be cumbersome in daily life, but I should keep it just in case.

I also stripped off and took their leather jackets. They were thick cowhide jackets, and they looked much sturdier than the piece of cloth I currently had wrapped around my left arm. I picked out two in good condition. I also found a few pairs of gloves; they were thick leather, so they would protect my hands when making arrows or in close combat.

Searching corpses wasn't exactly a pleasant task, but I didn't have the luxury of feeling emotions. This is survival. These items were no longer needed by the dead guys, and I needed them. That's all there is to it.

After loading the items into the camper, I checked the two remaining vehicles.

One SUV and one pickup truck. Both had keys in the ignition, and when I checked the fuel gauges, they were almost full. It looked like the raiders had filled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them up somewhere.

I was alone anyway, so I had no intention of using the vehicles themselves. Instead, I decided to siphon the fuel.

I found a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hose in the camper's toolbox. It seemed like Hyung-nim had kept it for emergencies. I opened the SUV's fuel filler and inserted the hose.

I sucked on it once to get the fuel flowing, then caught it in an empty fuel canister. The smell of gasoline stung my nose, but I endured it.

Once a canister was full, I poured it into the camper's fuel tank and repeated the process of inserting the hose and siphoning.

After draining all the fuel from the SUV, I did the same with the pickup truck. Filling the camper with all the fuel from both vehicles maxed out the fuel gauge, and I had two extra canisters left over. With this much, I wouldn't have to worry about fuel for a while.

After finishing the work, I wiped my hands and looked around. Nine corpses were sprawled out.

Were these guys also ordinary people until recently...?

I climbed into the camper and started the engine. It was time to move to the next location.

After finishing the battle, I launched the drone and quickly looked for the next parking spot.

I couldn't stay here for long. The guys who ran away might come back with reinforcements, or zombies might swarm in.

I scanned the surroundings while watching the drone screen.

There was a spot that looked decent about 3 kilometers west of the camper.

There was an empty lot next to a small warehouse building, and the surrounding trees were thick enough that it wouldn't be easily visible from a distance. I decided on that place.

I retrieved all the arrows and got into the camper. I started the engine and headed west.

While moving, I saw about ten zombies on the road.

They were scattered here and there, arms spread wide, doing photosynthesis. Now, dealing with this number of zombies is way too easy.

I parked the camper on the side of the road and got out. I held my bow and walked slowly, aiming at the closest one first.

Quietly approach from behind, headshot. Move to the next guy, headshot. If one reacted, I could just shoot it leisurely while it charged at me.

It didn't even take 5 minutes to take care of the ten of them. I retrieved the arrows, got back into the camper, and continued moving.

I arrived at the target point and parked the camper as if hiding it among the trees. I launched the drone to check the surroundings. There were no traces of people, just a few zombies visible in the distance.

After settling in, I decided to go around a 1-kilometer radius and hunt the zombies. To create a safe base, I had to eliminate the threats nearby.

I rode the electric scooter around the area.

It starts with a whirring motor sound.

After identifying the zombies' locations with the drone beforehand, I quietly took them out one by one. It was a completely routine task now.

I took out about twenty zombies within a 1km radius of the camper. This should make the area around the camper safe. I'll be able to live comfortably for a while.

Around the time the sun started to set, I returned to the camper.

I checked the arrows and set aside the damaged ones.

For dinner, I opened a can of beans and grilled some sausages.

I placed a frying pan on the induction stove inside the camper and rolled the sausages around; a savory smell spread along with the sizzling sound.

Foods that won't last long need to be eaten up early. Of course, there's a refrigerator in the camper, but there are limits to refrigeration and freezing. Above all, fresh food tastes best when eaten quickly.

I ate the golden-brown sausages with the canned beans. It wasn't much of a meal, but I was grateful just to be able to eat warm food. How many people in this collapsing world could eat dinner this comfortably?

If it weren't for Hyung-nim's camper, I might be starving somewhere right now.

After finishing the meal and doing a quick wash-up, I spread out the arrow materials on the table. I plan to keep making arrows until the night gets deep.

After roughly carving a piece of wood into a round shape with a carving knife, I clamped the arrow shaft into the electric drill chuck and applied sandpaper while spinning it at low speed.

As the arrow shaft rotated, the surface quickly became smooth. It was much more efficient than rubbing it by hand one by one.

Then, I cut a notch, drove in a large nail to make the tip, and attached plastic fletching to finish it.

I continued working past midnight and finished five new arrows.

I put away the tools and washed my hands. The smell of wood was soaked into my hands, and there were small cuts from the carving knife here and there on my palms.

Making arrows is harder than catching zombies. Hunting only takes a few minutes, but making a single arrow takes quite a while.

It's tedious labor. But to survive, there's no other choice.

After finishing the arrow work and washing my hands, I pulled out my phone out of habit.

I wanted to connect to the internet and check how the world was doing. Because survivor posts had been popping up on social media.

I turned on the screen and opened the browser. A "loading" indicator appeared. I waited for a long time, but the page didn't open. I tried refreshing. It still didn't work. I tried other sites, but the result was the same.

I checked the top of the screen. The antenna icon was gone. Communications had been cut off.

Just in case, I tried moving to a different location. I went outside the camper and even climbed to a high spot. But no signal was caught.

It seemed the base stations themselves had stopped. As the electricity was cut, the communication infrastructure had collapsed along with it.

Come to think of it, the lights that I occasionally saw in the distant city center are barely visible now.

I had expected it, but now that it was reality, I felt a strange sensation.

Now there was no way to know what was going on in the outside world. What happened to Seoul, whether the government was still functioning, how many other survivors were left. I couldn't know anything.

I turned on the radio. A familiar voice flowed out from between the static.

"...Repeating. Citizens, please refrain from going out and stay inside your homes. The government and the military are doing their best to control the current situation. The situation will be calmed soon. Repeating..."

It had been the same content for a few days. It seemed like they were just playing a recorded broadcast. I doubted if anyone was actually working at the broadcasting station. It might just be on auto-play.

I turned off the radio and looked out the window. Nothing could be seen in the darkness.

It really has become an apocalypse world without electricity.

That thought crossed my mind, but strangely, I wasn't afraid.

Inside the camper, there's a self-sustaining solar generator, so I can use electricity. Come to think of it, getting a small gasoline-powered generator might be a good idea.

Because solar power generation would drop significantly on cloudy days or in winter.

I put down the phone and lay on the bed. Even if I had internet, there was nothing I could do other than look at other people's miserable situations anyway. If it's gone, I'll just live without it.

As I lay on the bed and closed my eyes, fatigue rushed in all at once, and I quickly fell asleep.

I woke up in the morning and immediately started the arrow-making work.

The process of carving wood with an electric planer and sanding with a drill was now familiar, so I was able to finish 2 arrows during the morning.

After finishing the work, I brewed coffee. It was the coffee beans Sangman Hyung-nim used to brag about. I took out the hand-drip tools from the camper and slowly poured hot water. Water seeped over the coffee grounds, and the coffee aroma spread out.

"It's a bit of a shame to drink instant coffee when you're camping."

I remembered what Hyung-nim had said. I just laughed it off back then, but now it seemed like he was right. How many people in this world could brew and drink coffee this leisurely?

I had quite a bit of instant coffee and beans I brought from the villa, so I didn't have to worry about running out of coffee for a while.

I unfolded a folding chair in front of the camper and drank the coffee. As I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, my body felt like it was melting. The bitter taste spread in my mouth, and the coffee aroma tickled the tip of my nose.

Birds were chirping, the wind was shaking the leaves, and the sunlight was warm. It felt like a different world. It was a peaceful scene, so much so that it was hard to believe I had killed zombies and fought against raiders.

After enjoying the leisure for a while, I unfolded the map. I decided to go a bit further today.

On the map, there was a fairly large city center about 6-7 kilometers away from the camper's location.

It was an area with a Gimpo subway station and dense apartment complexes around it. There would be many shops and probably a mart too.

I was also curious about what had happened to the place where people lived densely.

Up until now, I had only wandered around quiet countryside and small towns. The city center would definitely be different.

The zombie density would be high, but there would be that many more supplies, and above all, I would be able to kill more zombies.

To meet the 100-zombie condition, I have to go to a dense city center.

I checked the electric scooter battery. It was fully charged from charging overnight.

I grabbed my bow and quiver, and tucked the axe and knife into my belt. They were the ones I got from the raiders yesterday.

I put the drone in my backpack and got on the electric scooter. When I pressed the accelerator, the scooter glided forward.

I rode the electric scooter toward the city center.

Leaving the quiet country roads, buildings started to appear more and more. Apartment complexes came into view, and commercial buildings were lined up. The subway station entrance was also visible in the distance.

I parked the electric scooter in a suitable spot and launched the drone. Reconnaissance of the city center was essential. If I went in blindly and ended up in the middle of a zombie horde, it would be the end.

The street scene unfolded on the drone screen.

Zombies were standing here and there. On the road, on the sidewalk, in front of buildings. It was the familiar pose of spreading both arms and doing photosynthesis toward the sun.

Some zombies were also seen wandering around a little. Are those guys looking for humans to kill and infect?

The density of zombies is definitely higher than in the countryside. Still, there seemed to be routes I could take to avoid them. It's not Seoul, but a small city center in Gimpo, so it looks doable.