Chapter 21.
Chapter 21.
By the time the arrows were almost collected, dozens of zombies started pouring out again.
I rapid-fired my bow again, taking down dozens of zombies without much difficulty.
Now, over a hundred corpses lay strewn in front of the mart.
After collecting the arrows again, Yerin and I approached the first floor of the mart once more.
Kang! Kang! Kwang! Kwang!
I made noise near the entrance, but even after waiting for a while, no zombies approached.
"Hmm... It seems the ones on the second floor aren't being lured. We'll have to go to the escalator leading to the second floor."
As we arrived in front of the long, inclined escalator, Yerin spoke up first.
"I'll do the luring this time."
"What? That's dangerous. I can handle it just fine."
"Sajang-nim, you need to wait here in front of the escalator and shoot your bow. It's more efficient if I go. I'm confident in my running."
Seeing how confident Yerin was, I eventually nodded.
"Don't go all the way to the second floor; just make some noise from a distance. Come back as soon as you hear the zombies running."
Yerin said she understood, took off the golf bag she was carrying, and carefully climbed the escalator to the second floor.
Fortunately, some light from outside reached the first and second floors, and since we both had high-performance flashlights attached to our chests, the darkness wasn't a big problem.
She picked up some mart items scattered on the floor and threw them hard against the second-floor wall.
Kang! Ka-kang!
The sound echoed through the silent mart. When there was no reaction, Yerin moved a bit further forward and threw again; this time, she got a response.
The sound of shrieks and a thundering rush of footsteps.
Yerin quickly turned around and ran toward me.
The inclined escalator, not the stepped kind, was very long.
As soon as the zombies appeared, I kept firing my bow, and their heads were pierced one after another.
The sight of them dying one by one from the arrows looked just like zombies being taken out in a defense game.
After killing dozens and going up to the second floor to make a loud noise again, zombies popped out from the restrooms and various places.
It wasn't difficult anymore.
I pierced the heads of every zombie I saw. As long as I had Hawk's Eye, my accuracy was near 100%, and I could fully recover my stamina during the short breaks while Yerin collected the arrows.
The number of zombies I caught before clearing the entire mart was, as expected, a little over 300.
Sweaty and tired, Yerin and I grinned at each other once it seemed all the zombies were dead.
We were a team with great synergy.
"The inside of the mart is completely cleared. Still, please be careful just in case there are other zombies left inside somewhere."
I told Park Jung-su over the radio, and a small cheer erupted from outside the mart.
As promised, we had priority on the mart's goods.
Yerin and I drove the camper right into the mart's parking lot.
And just like we always did in the old world, we grabbed carts and started shopping.
"Hehe... Doesn't this feel like we're really grocery shopping?"
Yerin smiled brightly.
It was dark because the electricity was out, but it wasn't a big problem since we had large flashlights.
First, we headed to the food section of the mart. My feeling was that more than half remained.
We swept up preserved foods, snacks, and seasonings indiscriminately, then headed to the meat section.
"Huh? But wouldn't most of it have spoiled since the electricity is out now?"
"Let's check it out anyway."
As Yerin said, the smell of rotting meat vibrated from the display case in front.
I approached the large freezer in the back and opened it.
The inside was still quite cold. It was full of frozen meat, and the freezing hadn't completely melted yet.
"Oh, it's still frozen. We can eat this."
"Let's put some in the camper's fridge... and put the rest in the icebox. That way, it won't spoil for about 2 to 3 days."
We were both excited and swept up beef and pork indiscriminately.
After food, it was time for camping gear.
We swept up everything we thought we'd need, including camping water filters, water purification tablets, batteries, burners, and gas canisters.
Fortunately, since people's top priority during the chaos was food, there was more camping gear left than I thought.
Besides camping gear, I also grabbed a few drones, which are essential for scouting, and brought plenty of batteries.
After the camper's trunk was packed full, and we filled the fridge and storage compartments, we stuffed the remaining empty spaces as well.
"Should we... throw some of this away?"
Yerin looked at me with pitiful eyes, as if it were a waste.
"If we put it all in, we can't unfold one of the beds, so we won't have enough sleeping space."
"Then we can just sleep together, can't we?"
Yerin was flustered after saying it herself and spoke again.
"Ah, no... I mean. The bed is wide, so... I think it would be fine if we just slept in the same bed, staying far apart from each other?"
"Th-that... are you really okay with that?"
"I'm fine with it. As long as you're okay with it, Sajang-nim. It's a waste, isn't it? These things... I feel like we'll use up a lot of it after eating and using it for a few days anyway..."
"If you're okay with it, Yerin-ssi... well, let's do that. Let's pack it all in."
We eventually decided to sleep in one bed and packed the inside of the camper to the brim.
Both of our faces lit up with the most excitement.
I started the car, and it was so full that the movement felt different.
After all our goods were secured, Park Jung-su approached and offered his thanks.
"I really... didn't expect it to end without a single casualty. Just this morning, everyone was prepared for death. Thank you once again."
Besides him, the people who had participated together approached, smiling and saying thank you, telling us we were the best.
Since the world ended, I think this is the first time I've received thanks with such smiles.
As I was getting back into the camper to leave, someone approached.
It was a man in his 30s who looked to be around my age, and a woman next to him. Were they a married couple? Or a couple?
"Um... thank you so much for today. And it was so shocking... the way you shot your bow."
"You're too kind... We'll be going now."
"Wait a moment..."
He hesitated, looked at the woman next to him once, and then spoke again.
"I heard you live in a camper."
"That's about right."
"I was wondering if we might be able to join you..."
I looked at the man and the woman next to him again.
He was a tall man who looked like he could use some strength. His face was a bit dark, making it seem like he worked in the field rather than an office.
The woman next to him was quite a beauty. She was in her mid-20s and had an appearance that would attract quite a bit of attention. Of course, not comparable to Yerin, who was a celebrity.
"I'm sorry, but even if the camper looks big, it's hard to take on more people. We have a lot of luggage, too."
"Actually, we also have a camper we originally owned. It's smaller than this one, but we don't necessarily have to use the same camper."
"Hmm..."
A different camper... I hadn't thought about having other companions yet.
"I worked as a mechanic for a long time. I didn't go to college and worked for a long time, so I'm confident in my skills. My girlfriend here worked as a nurse. We will definitely be of help."
A mechanic... Come to think of it, I know almost nothing about vehicles. Right now, the camper doesn't have any problems, but if an accident happens or parts go wrong, I can't go to a car center, and the vehicle could stop.
And while my own body probably doesn't need much medical attention, Yerin is different. If there's medical staff, it will definitely be helpful.
Yerin stood silently beside me. She seemed to be leaving the decision to me.
As I was lost in thought, the man spoke again with an anxious expression.
"Actually... life in the subway shelter wasn't easy. The threat of zombies is low, but hygiene, public order... my girlfriend has been in danger a few times and has even been molested..."
Thinking about the inside of the subway, I understood.
It was fine for avoiding zombies, but it must have been a painful life. Even so, it's dangerous for them to take a camper out on their own because of the zombies outside.
Because it's true that it's hard for an average man to handle more than one zombie alone.
"What do you think, Yerin?"
"I'll follow your opinion, Sajang-nim. But... even just considering the two people's abilities, I think they would definitely be helpful. There would be quite a few advantages just by having more people in our group."
I'm overwhelming in combat anyway, so I don't have high expectations.
But it seems enough to leave just the part about guarding the camper to the two of them. Right now, when I go out hunting or exploring, the base, which is the camper, is completely empty.
Even if they don't display outstanding combat power, if they can discover and notify me of the enemy's approach while I'm away, I think it will be enough for me to defend.
"Alright. But there is a condition. I can listen to everyone's opinions, but it won't be run democratically. I will make decisions as the leader, and you must follow them. If it doesn't fit, you are free to leave."
"Of course. In an emergency like this, I believe a strong leader is the right way."
"Welcome to the group. I'm Kang Min-woo."
He grabbed the hand I extended with a happy expression.
"I'm Lee Jung-hoon. And this is my girlfriend next to me..."
"I'm Lee Su-jin. Thank you so much."
I soon moved with them to their camper.
The camper was in the apartment parking lot next to the mart, and since I occasionally caught zombies on the way, moving wasn't difficult.
It was a vehicle where the interior of a Staria van was converted into a camper structure.
The interior wasn't huge, and there was no bathroom or shower room, but it was a cozy camper with a small refrigerator and a bedroom.
"For now, let's fill this place with goods and move."
"Ah... c-can we really do that? I wonder if the people at Gurae Station will dislike it..."
"I have priority over the mart's goods. Surely the people at the subway station won't stop me?"
I'm the person who caught 300 zombies alone.
We went back to the mart and started filling the inside of the Staria. Since there were plenty of goods in the mart anyway, it was still just a portion.
Park Jung-su looked a little flustered, but as soon as I greeted him as if it were nothing, he smiled and bowed his head.
Soon, the inside of the Staria was filled to the brim with food and supplies.
And so, the two campers departed together.