Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: 51. Proof (1)
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It's been a long time since our board's named user, Defender, posted any proof.
I knew the backstory—he'd moved to a quiet place with few people, and on top of that, he was being sniped by a user who never posted on the board but was gunning for him. So I didn't find his reduced activity suspicious at all. But other users felt differently.
...
...
Users pointed out his lackluster record and even questioned if he still qualified as a named user.
To me, the very existence of this trend is undeniable proof that our hearts have grown sick.
In the midst of rampant death and tragedy, our emotions have dulled, and the world looks different.
Come to think of it, hardly anyone among us would flinch at the sight of a corpse anymore.
Maybe frown a little.
No one hesitates to pull the trigger on those trying to kill us.
Though I couldn't say no one would hesitate to point a gun at a pretty woman or a weakling with valuables.
Not even me—I've felt that impulse more than once or twice.
Like the word "looter" that vanished someday, we've become no different from those looters without realizing it.
Well, even I have to admit Defender's activity has dropped off lately.
To the point where I sometimes miss those cynical barbs from him or his sibling.
Defender finally posted on the board again right after I'd tended to my little vegetable garden and returned home.
The photo Defender posted showed a man in his early twenties.
His thumbs were bound together with cable ties, his eyes wrapped tight with blue tape, and he was forcibly seated on an old chair.
Unlike Defender's previous proofs, this one was still alive.
This was off-script.
Defender had always only posted photos of the people he'd killed—never a live one.
Something unusual had happened.
Justice_Min. Come out.
—Don't message me. Post on the public board where everyone can see.
Begging to be spared is fine. Negotiating is fine. Begging to be killed is even better. I'll give you 1 hour. If there's no response in 1 hour, you'll see your brother's corpse as proof.
"......"
People say Defender has changed.
Some even claim his early feats were just because people back then were weak.
But I don't agree.
The Defender I know was, well, a complete user from the start.
Unlike other users whose views and morals shift with the times, Defender has always lived by his own firm standards.
True to his name, he's a defender.
Of himself, his family, and his territory.
He eliminates anything that threatens them.
He merely "proves" his defense.
Now Defender has posted proof again.
The board was bound to erupt in turmoil—it was obvious.
But no one could predict who that storm would engulf.
The other protagonist of this incident, the user JUSTICE_MIN, is probably only known to Defender and me.
He's never posted on this board once.
Even account searches turn up nothing.
Joined before the war, but a virtual ghost.
So when Defender named him, our board users reacted with strong doubt and curiosity.
...
...
Unlike other users, I'm one of the few who actually communicates with Defender off-board.
"Defender."
I reached out first.
"Yeah. SKELTON."
His sibling replied.
"What's going on?"
"Hold on. Connecting you to bro."
Her voice was colder and more businesslike than usual.
I could guess why.
She was facing off against someone holding a hostage and ready to kill in real time.
Probably operating multiple drones to support her brother.
"Oh. SKELTON."
Defender soon came on.
"That time I got shot? Not just bad luck. I'd been gunning for that bastard for a while. Got hit while tracking a lead and letting my guard down."
Defender and Justice_Min's feud had been raging out of my sight.
I'd vaguely suspected, but not that Defender was hunting him down.
I figured he'd stay defensive, protecting himself and his sibling.
"Why didn't you say something?"
Thinking back, though—Defender's always been the restless type, prowling around.
His sibling prefers holing up indoors.
Guess that's why the siblings get along so well.
"Was gonna call if it got urgent. Not there yet. Anyway, gotta go."
Comms cut.
Even I, Defender's internet bestie Park Gyu, was just another spectator like the rest.
Like them, I was glancing between the timestamp of Defender's post and my monitor clock—or the one around the house—guessing how the unknown Justice_Min would respond, based on whatever Defender or he posted next.
As I steeled myself and headed downstairs for popcorn...
"SKELTON."
The comms buzzed again.
Not Defender.
Rebecca and her daughter's line.
I got this comms unit from Defender too, but tuned to a different frequency so it didn't connect to his.
Meaning I juggle two separate comms units—one for Defender, one for the sniper mom and daughter.
Waste of resources, but Defender didn't want to mix channels with them, so I was stuck switching.
Anyway, Rebecca knew Defender.
"Defender, your friend SKELTON? Lives next door?"
"Yeah."
"What was that post?"
"You check the Korean board too?"
"It's night here in the States. Low spawn rate. Bored."
"Anyway, the hostage thing?"
"Yeah."
"Dunno the details. But there's been a guy threatening to kill Defender for a while."
"Threat? What's that?"
Soo jumped in midway, explaining the situation to Rebecca in detail.
"That happened......"
"SKELTON."
Soo called me next.
"Yeah. Soo. Want something juicy?"
"No."
Soo's tone turned serious.
"A car racing by the house flipped."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Probably that Defender guy. Wasn't there a fight right in front of our place?"
"How far?"
"4km northeast?"
"Not exactly the front yard."
"Front lawn."
Soo might be young, but she's grown up in this enemy-filled world relying on a single gun with her mom.
More mature and insightful than her mother, even.
She has her instincts.
"Wait a sec."
I grabbed Baek Seung-hyeon's motorcycle and headed straight to Rebecca's turf.
Every time I ride this thing, I wonder if Baek regrets giving it to me.
It's dozens of times more useful than anything I've splurged real money on.
Just think: a durable two-wheeler's convenience is unmatched even in the apocalypse. Why didn't I buy one?
I could sell one heavy machine from my warehouse and outfit a soccer team.
Well, I have an excuse.
My master, Jang Gi-yeong, said motorcycles are widow-makers—never ride or buy one. And as his disciple, I blindly followed.
Vrooooom—
But master or not, he doesn't give much solid advice.
Like, 90% bullshit, 10% gold nuggets that make it stick somehow.
Motorcycles too.
So damn good and convenient.
Feeling the peppy engine roar and speed, I arrived at Rebecca's in a flash.
Soo waved from the rooftop.
"SKELTON!"
"Here."
I climbed the stairs decked in ultra-American flair and used the surveillance gear Soo handed me to scan the abandoned fields from the roof.
Sure enough, an overturned car.
"People dragged someone out from inside."
"People?"
"Yeah."
"One guy? One woman?"
"No. Three guys."
"Hm. Not Defender."
Soo had mistaken some other incident for this one.
Defender's a duo, not a trio.
And all guys, no less.
Checked the time.
20 minutes until Defender's deadline.
If Justice_Min doesn't post in 20, the hostage dies.
"Rebecca. You watching?"
"Yeah."
I went to her side and looked at her monitor.
Screen looked cramped, so she powered on a spare next to it.
It mirrored her laptop.
"Wh-what? This?"
"Dual monitors."
Rebecca pronounced it natively.
"You can do that?"
"SKELTON dumb?"
"......"
Taking her ribbing, I checked the sub-monitor.
"Ah, stop scrolling like crazy."
"When in Rome, eat as the Romans do."
"What Rome? This is Korea. And who do you think gave you that gear?"
"Finders keepers."
"What."
Mid-spat with Rebecca, gunfire echoed from afar.
Soo came down from the roof with her rifle and scopes.
"They killed the guy in the car."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Dragged the woman away."
She said it casually, but strictly speaking, it was someone's horrific tragedy.
Soo recounted it nonchalantly.
She's used to it.
Fair enough—she's an apocalypse survivor too.
Living high up, she probably sees more tragedies than me underground.
"SKELTON. Something up with Defender?"
"Nah. Not yet."
Soo sidled up and peered at the same monitor.
Tap tap tap.
While Rebecca frantically typed, dictionary-searching unknown Korean words to grasp the board drama, I pondered the unfolding events.
First thought: worry.
Defender said Justice_Min leads a mid-sized group.
Combat-savvy enough to scare him.
He said he'd call me for backup, so why fight without me now?
More regret than questions.
"......"
Thinking back, something similar happened.
When I was battling Kim Pil-seong's crew, I had a Defender summon but didn't use it.
To avoid putting him at risk.
Probably the same here—he's handling it solo to protect me?
That's when I stood.
"......Sorry. Gotta go."
Rebecca and Soo looked up.
"Already? Time's not up."
"Nah, just worried."
Defender says he doesn't need me, but that's his call.
I should be there anyway, even if he doesn't call.
Ready to help if they reach out late.
I don't want to lose them.
Any more than they want to lose me.
But before I could step toward the stairs...
"SKELTON!"
Rebecca yelled at the monitor.
"Hm?"
A new post on the sub-monitor.
Not Justice_Min—Defender again.
The word "additional" carried the same chill I'd felt first seeing him.
"Click it?"
In the heavy silence, Rebecca clicked.
A photo appeared.
"Soo. You okay?"
I didn't cover her eyes.
Not my place, and in this era, it'd be pointless fussing.
"Fine."
Soo stared at the screen unfazed.
Three corpses.
Past Defender covered faces with plastic or trash, but not now.
Twisted faces frozen in agony and terror dominated the center.
Beyond them, the bound man still sat in the chair.
Defender warned again.
No replies to his post.
No jeers, no hype.
Seeing the eerie silence on the board, I nodded unconsciously.
"That's Defender."
Looks like I was the one overreacting.
I'm better at killing monsters, but killing people? That's Defender's specialty.
Cursed Class of '18—entered Hunter Academy for monsters, but ended up slaughtering more humans.
In the ominous hush, the fateful hour arrived.
4:02 PM.
One minute to execution.
A post appeared on the deathly quiet board.
Justice_Min emerged.
With bitter words of atonement.
But right after his post, another appeared.