Chapter 352
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 352
Chapter Title: 144. Decision
Woo Min-hee's proposal was tempting.
It wasn't about being an ordinary hunter like in the old days, but taking a position of responsibility—managing and commanding other hunters.
Just as she said, it was a role befitting the title of Professor.
But I'm a long-retired pessimist with firm convictions.
To be honest, I don't believe Seoul's reconstruction will go well.
There might be a brief period of prosperity, but there are far too many mountains to climb.
The massive mouths to feed, the proximity to the Paju Rift, warlords from the Legion faction, fanatics, and the coming winter.
That's plenty challenging on its own, but hordes of people abandoned on Jeju will come flooding in.
People from different environments are bound to clash.
Idealists with their heads full of flowery meadows spout nice words like "dialogue" and "understanding," but everything I've seen—and I've witnessed plenty—shows that for two groups to merge, one side has to bow its head.
I doubt the survivors left behind will look kindly on those from Jeju.
Those from Jeju won't see the survivors in a good light either.
Well, that might just be my unfounded worry.
Like how they shipped people off to China instead of letting them come to Jeju before, they could do the same with those heading to Seoul.
Crossing a line once is hard, but once it's crossed, it's just a meaningless pattern.
What solidified my resolve, though, was regret.
I've poured relentless effort into surviving this far.
Enduring all sorts of ridicule, disdain, and humiliation to build the bunker—and now I feel I've made my preparations to become one of the last humans.
Going to Seoul now would be denying the life I've built.
Not having unrestricted internet access like now isn't a huge factor, but it did play a part in firming my heart.
After weighing all this carefully, my answer was:
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass."
A refusal.
"Really?"
As if she'd anticipated my response, Woo Min-hee immediately offered an alternative.
"Then how about helping out with some reorganization, even if just for a little while?"
"Me? Isn't Kim Daram there?"
"Kim Daram? Sigh..."
"What?"
"She's unpopular. No, not just unpopular— she has way too many haters. People would rather listen to an AI than her. Plus, as you know, she's got zero tact. Not the sharpest either... Sigh~. She used to have that innocent charm, but now her face is just full of spite... Ah, never mind."
Woo Min-hee, as sharp-tongued as ever.
I don't have a hobby for gossip, but since her points rang true, I didn't object much.
"Anyway, how about coming for a bit to set up a proper system? As a senior, you wouldn't need much time and could do it perfectly. Even those prideful Chinese guys ended up completely restructuring their units just because you said so."
"How short is 'a bit'?"
"As long as you think?"
"At least three months."
It might even take longer.
Since retiring, new monster breeds have emerged, so I'd have to start from scratch learning them.
As I stubbornly refused, the playfulness faded from Woo Min-hee's voice.
"Sticking around there won't end well anyway."
I cautiously asked why.
"Legion faction remnants."
She snorted in response.
"Some warlord teamed up with fanatics and took over Sokcho. The routed remnants are heading west."
"Oh?"
"Starving wild dogs. They tear into anything they see on the way. There have already been a few reports. Oh, there's probably a post by Dies_irae69 on the board too. Jeju news is trending right now, so it didn't hit the popular posts, but it's fresh—give it a thorough read and share your thoughts."
She added,
"I've said it before, but I still believe you could shine on the battlefield, senior. And that belief is even stronger now. So, I need you."
After ending the call, I sat on the central toilet, lost in thought for a moment.
I chose the central one because it's in the bunker's middle and raised a step higher.
A good spot for thinking, I suppose.
Woo Min-hee had always held me in high regard.
She'd talked like there were things only I could do.
And as monsters rolled out new breeds countering the Awakened, her words gained real weight.
The environment was shaping up for an old-school hunter like me to shine again.
"..."
I could feel my resolve wavering bit by bit.
Even though I'd decided no, my hidden desires kept trying to break the mental barriers I'd set.
Inevitable, really.
Ever since the day I lost my family to monsters, my life's purpose has only been found in killing them.
I have other joys and goals now, but I won't deny the eternal flame of hatred still burning in my chest.
In Seoul, I'd probably get to kill a ton of monsters.
And die alongside the city.
To sort my thoughts, I sat at the laptop and typed Dies_irae69's nickname into the search bar.
Sure enough, as Woo Min-hee said, there was a recent post.
It hadn't made the popular list, but it had a hefty chunk of photos and evident care put into it.
A shame it's buried.
I adjusted my posture and read Dies_irae69's post.
Dies_irae69 had revealed his camp.
The vast open pastureland, once used as a ranch, was pockmarked with shell craters here and there. Mangled livestock corpses, wrecked vehicles, and dust-covered debris lay scattered about.
Even though I'm not the victim, just reading this gives me chills.
Blackmail via artillery.
Fine for nomads, but for settled groups like us with fixed territory, they're the worst nightmare.
We all know how chaebol fortresses crumbled under shellfire early in the war.
Given the severity, I gathered the team to read the post.
"No good answer for that."
"Dunno about the rest, but those artillery operators are monstrously skilled."
"Korean artillery prowess is legendary. Anyway, operating like that makes them hard to pin even with counter-battery radar."
Their opinions aligned with mine.
If those guys target you, two options: hunt them down or keep paying tribute.
Neither easy—they know you'll come for them.
But Dies_irae69 handled it his way.
Wheels.
That's Dies_irae69's group's defining trait.
All their dwellings and cargo are mounted on wheels.
Constantly threatened by Legion deserters since the war's start, he concluded relocation was the most efficient solution and restructured his group like mobile nomads.
This time too, he ended the post by leading his mechanized crew elsewhere.
"Cool."
Ha Tae-hoon said admiringly.
"Dies_irae69? Smart guy. Military background, probably. No ordinary joe."
"Thought only Park Penguin was competent, but there's hidden talent in the wilds."
Cheon Young-jae agreed.
To outsiders, sure.
Badmouthing Dies_irae69 here would just make me petty, so I held my tongue.
Anyway, one key point now:
"If those guys show up, what then?"
Bang Jae-hyuk asked.
No one answered readily, but I knew someone who could solve it.
Or maybe the cause of it all.
*
"Never imagined. Senior heading to Seoul."
"Woo Min-hee called him, right? Makes sense for a Professor."
"Three months. Isn't that too long?"
Conclusion.
I'm going to Seoul.
After long deliberation between becoming the last human and killing monsters.
Our turf has no counter to Dies_irae69's artillery blackmailers.
At minimum, brace to lose the winter house we built from late summer into fall.
No vain hope of evading detection.
Winter's heating makes us conspicuous; they have high-end recon drones with night thermal imaging.
Right now, they're probably drone-hunting for easy extortion marks.
Woo Min-hee specifically pointed to Dies_irae69's post because she knows we lack counters to their tactics.
Of course, she has means.
"With you here, it's easy. We've got counter-battery radar and combat helos."
She added with a grin,
"I'll protect your bunker, senior."
That's her condition.
More than anything, I know Woo Min-hee's personality.
She needs me now—absolutely, not optionally.
She's repeated the offer multiple times.
Refuse in this situation, and knowing her, she might shell us.
Who could tell whose shells come from 10km away?
Blame it on the Sokcho warlord, done.
So, this whole chain might be her blackmail.
"Sorry for the sudden decision, but it's not permanent—just a temporary dispatch. I'll come back when done. And if anyone wants to go to Seoul, I can scout the vibe."
No opposition, given the stakes.
Even Ha Tae-hoon, subtly dissatisfied with our turf, showed excitement for intel I'd bring.
"This place is fine, but people need big leagues. Safe travels, Park Gyu. Keep in touch. Viva! Apocalypse! Your doc was Doctor Emeris?"
"No, Rocksanne Girl."
"Girl? Why girl?"
"Rocksanne is a girl."
"What?"
Ignoring Ha Tae-hoon's question to move on, Su spoke up.
"Skeleton's nickname is Skeleton, right?"
Rebecca gave me a puzzled look too.
"Not Skeleton?"
Ignoring that, I pulled Rebecca and Su aside.
"Sorry. Have to leave suddenly."
Going to Seoul is one thing, but the mother-daughter duo worried me.
Fortunately, Rebecca had her head on straight and didn't waver much.
"It's fine. Go. Skeleton."
"You sure?"
Rebecca smiled and patted my shoulder.
"Not a kid."
She hugged Su's shoulders with a gentle smile.
"Go, Skeleton. We'll wait."
That image will stick with me for a long time.
Feeling my heart fill, I nodded.
Time passed to the day.
Woo Min-hee sent a helicopter, no less.
Under the rotor wash mercilessly blowing shallow snow, we loaded essentials.
"Why two satellite rigs?"
Cheon Young-jae grumbled while helping, but it was a no-explanation-needed question.
I waved goodbye to everyone and left my turf.
The helo took me to East Seoul, where the tilted Hope stood.
The wastes around The Hope had become a proper settlement, and...
"Senior."
My junior Woo Min-hee was there too.
Screeech—
She gleefully flexed her hook hand and guided me to my place.
"This is where you'll work from now on."
"..."
Dozens of hunters stood in formation, waiting for me.
"The people you'll command."
Behind them, piles of gear and weapons guaranteed our firepower.
"...This stuff was still around?"
I could feel it.
The flames of hatred raging fiercely.
"Of course. This warehouse was built from the start for Seoul's reconstruction."
The blaze peaked in the next area.
People with faint glows in their eyes awaited us.
Awakened.
Regular Awakened—over level 5—stood eagerly for inspection.
"These guys will be under your command too."
Woo Min-hee smiled at me, her eyes holding the fiercest glow.
"...Times have changed. Again."
To my frozen self, she turned with a smile.
"Welcome to New Seoul, senior."
Even after she left, I stood there lost in thought for a while.
"..."
I'll have to steel myself daily to return.
Stay too long in this nostalgia-filled place, and I might forget my bunker, shrouded in friendly darkness.