Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: 115. Happiness (1)
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Static crackled—
Radio waves carried the voice of a distant comrade.
"Yeah. I'm alive. It won't kill me that easily. Ah, of course Mother's doing well too."
Bang Jae-hyeok from the 15th Civil Defense Corps announced his well-being in his slightly rapid speech.
"Here? Incheon. Can't take Mother too far away. What? How's it here? Just surviving. Not like there's anywhere else to go. What? Professor's bunker? Nah, they're building a settlement around there? How many people? Equipment? Any warlord camps or raider sites nearby?"
In that brief exchange, it was clear that despite his quick tongue, Bang Jae-hyeok was a remarkably cautious man.
I couldn't tell if he was fully satisfied with the conditions I outlined, but he expressed his intent to join my territory.
"Of course with Mother. Plus, we've got some luggage. Could ditch it, but it'd be a shame to throw away good stuff. Your place seems big enough to make use of it, right?"
Bang Jae-hyeok requested a vehicle.
At that point, I asked Cheon Young-jae about Bang Jae-hyeok again.
"Bang Jae-hyeok's mother? She's a fine lady. Proper and all."
"She's a great cook."
Ha Tae-hoon chimed in from the side.
"Makes delicious stuff out of whatever scraps we have."
Cooking, huh.
That's a solid skill.
Cooking isn't just about taste— it expands what ingredients you can use.
Right now, around my territory, there's weeds everywhere, but I can't tell which ones are edible and which aren't.
There used to be a forum series on edible weeds, but I tried it once, got a stomachache, and never touched weeds again.
"Good. Tell him to bring his mother along."
Honestly, my gut was pointing the other way.
No matter how you spin it, an elderly non-combatant is just baggage.
But Bang Jae-hyeok's a solid marksman, and he's tight with the Incheon hunters.
Better to bring in someone who won't clash with the existing crew.
I was hoping for enough fighters to start rotations for night watch anyway.
Plus, Defender wants to show me something.
"We gotta go out together. This."
Defender made a name on the forums with murder, but from what I've seen up close, he's just as talented at scavenging ruins.
According to Da-jeong, he can find a hundred-dollar bill in a dumpster.
If Defender and I head out often for scavenging, we'll need defenders to cover the territory in our absence.
And right when I need someone like that, contact with Bang Jae-hyeok comes through.
No reason to hesitate.
Just pick up Bang Jae-hyeok and his mother.
That's what I was thinking as I prepared for the trip.
"Young-jae."
Bang Jae-hyeok said.
"Yeah? What's up, Bang hyung? Knees acting up again?"
"I saw Mun-hee."
Mun-hee?
A woman's name, I guess.
I was listening casually when I caught the change on Cheon Young-jae's face.
"Mun-hee?"
For a split second, that cheerful mask cracked on the hard-to-read guy's face, revealing a vivid shift.
Pure surprise, joy, and regret.
The three emotions flashed across Cheon Young-jae's features in rapid succession.
"She was around Gyeyang. Went there with Mother once for their flea market and spotted her passing by. No mistake. Same ankle tattoo."
Cheon Young-jae didn't respond much to that.
After comms ended, I asked him.
"You gonna go after her?"
He hesitated briefly, then looked me straight in the eye and nodded.
*
Mutations tend to be downplayed compared to monsters in terms of threat level.
In truth, their harm is a joke next to what monsters do.
But that's only on a large scale.
One-on-one, a single mutation poses a more direct threat to human survival than a monster.
Monsters aren't part of this world—they're on the boundary between living and non-living. They just occupy space, never hunting or seeking food.
Mutations and humans, though, both need to eat.
Most mutations see humans as prey and actively hunt us.
Humans with guns and groups can turn the tables and hunt mutations, but without that setup, we're easy pickings.
Mutations' scariest trait isn't just their big, strong bodies.
It's their intelligence in chasing humans right to our throats.
Intelligence comes with experience.
A mutation with countless kills under its belt is as deadly as a veteran soldier.
"Why's that thing following you around, hyung?"
The "Black" that showed up in my territory was one such beast.
Like the "Gold" I once bonded with, it had near-human smarts.
That's why it has to go—fast.
Problem is, it's a tricky one.
"That fucker's Three Divine Beasts tier."
Back in the Seoul zone, there were named mutations.
Like Red, the one we first met, or the killer owl couple.
Most froze to death in the brutal cold, but they were such headaches the Incheon government put bounties on them.
"Seven Abominations, Five Wonders, Three Divine Beasts, and the One Sovereign."
"What's the One Sovereign?"
"No clue. Last radio was some outpost spotting an unfamiliar beast, then whole bases vanished. Not pushovers—full squads of armed troops wiped in seconds."
Ha Tae-hoon was driving.
This trip was just the Incheon hunters.
They knew the area best, and in a way, it was their problem.
"Hold up."
Ha Tae-hoon slammed the brakes, then reversed at full speed.
Ambush.
Fresh corpses littered the road, their fluids leaking, and beyond them, a spike-studded steel plate glinted faintly.
Tire-shredders.
As we peeled back, flashes erupted from the woods, followed by gunfire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I ducked before the shots rang out.
The truck—diesel style—had reinforced plating over the engine bay.
Most rifles wouldn't penetrate.
Windshield was just outward armor plating, though—no real cover.
Bad luck, and a stray bullet takes you out.
Could've armored the front too, but prioritized visibility over protection.
Open view means spotting threats early.
"Fucking bastards!"
Cheon Young-jae, stuck to the truck bed like a leech during the screeching stops and starts, fired back wildly.
Bang! Rat-tat-tat!
Ting!
A round pinged off the undercarriage, but we ignored it.
Electric vehicles have their perks.
Once in the safe zone, I pulled out my phone, checked the cached map, and scouted a new route.
While searching, I picked up the earlier convo.
"Rumors said that One Sovereign might've been an Awakener."
"A mutation Awakener?"
"Absurd, but how else do you explain one beast wiping armed outposts one after another?"
"Hm. Never seen it myself. Anyway, Three Divine Beasts?"
"Included a cat—no, leopard. Looked like someone kept it as a pet illegally—collar scars—but it was like a human skinned in leopard hide."
Nothing major, but this casual chat reminded me how battle-hardened Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon were.
Brushing off a near-death scrape like it was nothing.
"This new black one's similar. Probably stayed low-pop areas, so less buzz. Cunning-wise, seems two levels above that leopard."
Like Ha Tae-hoon said, the black one invading my turf was no ordinary foe.
Cat-family senses pinpointed our positions, and it positioned itself accordingly.
When no obstacles between us, it only showed at least 1km out.
Closer, and it'd dart between cover at blinding speed, timing slips just off-beat—proof of insane human-killing experience.
It avoids guns but doesn't fear gunmen.
Knows guns aren't invincible.
Slaughtering that ronin guy shows it's no live-and-let-live type.
Has to die.
We've left it alone to ensure a clean kill.
Rush a shot, and it's the worst move.
Such sly beasts don't give second chances—they stalk revenge relentlessly.
Animals don't know forgiveness or reconciliation; only death settles grudges.
My plan for Black: long-range snipe.
One bullet to a vitals from 1km—its "safe" distance.
Key is how much Bang Jae-hyeok delivers, but rep doesn't lie.
"...She's alive."
Ha Tae-hoon muttered low in the silence.
Thud!
The truck jolted hard.
We'd veered onto unpaved path to bypass the severed road.
Once steady, I eyed Ha Tae-hoon.
Baseball cap on, he stared ahead lazily but kept murmuring softly.
"Young-jae's ex."
"They split?"
"Yeah."
"Who dumped who? Her, right?"
"You know it."
"Why'd she dump him?"
"Young-jae's sharp, knows how to look out for himself, but around girls, he's like a whiny kid. Vents outside stress on her."
"Huh."
Didn't know.
Even as an ally, the guy's still enigmatic, but he has that side too.
Then again, if people only had one face, life'd be dull—more like an endless chore.
"What kinda girl?"
Ha Tae-hoon answered instantly, no pause.
"Total opposite of Da-jeong's brother."
Da-jeong's cute but unpopular.
Sweet to me, but keeps distance from others, wrapped in that chill vibe—Valentine called it "cold aura"—visible to those who've lived.
Rumors even said she might've killed that ronin who hit my turf yesterday, not Black.
Drone chasing him had a brick tied on; it returned without.
"Bright girl."
Cheon Young-jae's ex must've been genuinely sunny.
Even stoic Ha Tae-hoon smiled faintly just thinking of her.
"Always lit up the room."
Ahead, past the green jungle, ochre patches of a settlement appeared.
Today's goal: Camp 73 Shelter.
"Whoa! Detoured and we're already here!"
Cheon Young-jae seemed unusually chipper.