The Situation at the Shelter
The Situation at the Shelter
After confirming my skills and checking out Kwon Juhyeok's and the soldiers' skills, we spent the night not in the large building where we used to watch movies and play games, but in a villa that had been used as soldiers' quarters.
This house was the quarters assigned to me. But absurdly enough, the person I ended up living with when I was first assigned to this house wasn't Minseo or Kwon Juha, but Kwon Juhyeok.
Minseo and Kwon Juha had both been assigned together to a villa where civilian women resided, but of course, I brought them both over after I returned.
After spending a passionate night with the two of them, complaints rolled in, and I found myself forced to leave the assigned quarters after just a single day—especially since the quarters I had been assigned to were a place where only lonely singles lived with chilly flanks.
The problem, however, was that unlike us who had lived in an irrational world for less than a short month, to the eyes of people who had survived safely and normally from the beginning until now, our relationship of three could never possibly look normal.
Of course, I couldn't care less about those stares, but it seems these two aren't like that.
"Everyone seems to be staring only at us..."
"Naturally, eonni... We got kicked out because of all that noise..."
"Ah..."
At Kwon Juha's words, Minseo nodded faintly, then lowered her head deeply and began to walk.
That's why I told you to keep the screaming down a bit. Of course, the one who screamed even more than Minseo last night was Kwon Juha.
Anyway, with the two of them screaming loud enough to trigger complaints last night, everyone in this shelter probably already knows about our relationship of three.
After all, there probably isn't a nation in the world that loves gossiping about other people's business as much as Koreans.
"Chin up. Did you commit some kind of crime?"
"But... it's embarrassing..."
"Such a trivial thing to be embarrassed about."
Grab- knead-knead-
"O, Oppa..!!"
"This is the kind of thing that's actually embarrassing."
Whether people were staring or not, I stretched my right hand out to the side and groped Minseo's breasts. Seeing Kwon Juha's eyes go wide at the sight and turning her head away, I slyly switched spots with Minseo.
Kwon Juha's goal was to safely reach the shelter with Kwon Juhyeok.
That's why, honestly, when I took her to live with me, I thought she'd refuse, and I thought she'd refuse when I suggested doing it, but after poking her ribs a few times, she accepted it all while pretending to hate it.
Just like now.
Knead-knead-
"Wh-What are you doing..!!"
"Just touching your ass?"
"Everyone's watching..!"
"I'm touching it so they can see. We have nothing to be ashamed of and we're proud."
"You can say stuff like that with words..! So let go of this right now..!"
Even now, amidst the pouring gazes of numerous people, my hand wildly massaged her buttocks. Kwon Juha wanted to scream, but she couldn't bring herself to do so for fear of drawing even more attention.
Yet the really funny thing is that she was in a situation where she could easily avoid my touch whenever she wanted.
It's not like I was binding her body or gripping her so hard that her ass would get ripped off if she ran away.
And yet, right now, Kwon Juha was just wiggling her hips as if acting coy, only shaking them enough to make them twitch while telling me to stop.
Is this her thing?
"Are you turned on because people are watching? Does it feel good?"
"Wh-What are you talking about!!"
Slap!!
Only now did Kwon Juha swat and knock away my hand with her palm.
Seeing that she could have done this all along but didn't, she low-key seems to be into this sort of thing!
Well, since I'm her first man, she probably doesn't even know what her own preferences are.
Then next time I do it with her, we should try outdoor play...
"Ahem..! We have arrived. You can stay here from now on. You may go into Room 403 on the 4th floor."
"Hey."
"Hey..? Are you calling me?!"
"Yeah, you."
"Look here!"
"Don't get your panties in a twist and cover your crotch first. Are you gonna walk around like that?"
"......Huk!!"
The young soldier, with his dick pitched so hard it looked like it was going to tear through his military trousers, hurriedly covered his crotch with both hands, glanced sideways at Minseo and Kwon Juha standing on either side of me, and spat out a low curse.
"Fucking hell..."
"Yeah, it must be humiliating. But don't go getting hard arbitrarily at other men's women. Mess up and you might get that thing chopped off."
"......"
Gulp-
Making eye contact with me thrust right up to his nose, the young soldier swallowed hard.
If it were other soldiers, they might have gotten even angrier here, but this bastard was one of the soldiers who went to the spawning ground yesterday.
The fellow who had been awkwardly struggling while dealing with the zombie whose head I grabbed and slammed into the ground.
His name was...
"Staff Sergeant Kim Jihoon."
"Yes..? Ah! Unity!"
Right, his name was Kim Jihoon.
Now, at a glance, it looked like he was saluting me, but the salute this guy was throwing was directed at the guy behind me, not me.
Who the fuck is this guy again?
"Unity? Didn't you receive instructions to unify the salute chant?"
"I-I received them!"
"Then do it again."
"......Unity!!"
"Are you playing games with me right now?"
"No, sir!"
Staring blankly at the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared behind my back acting like a boomer, I casually turned back to Kim Jihoon and asked.
"What's that old man's deal?"
"He is Brigadier General Jung Inbeom, policy advisor at the Ministry of National Defense!"
"Brigadier General? One star?"
Displeased by my gaze staring right at him without even a greeting, Jung Inbeom frowned slightly, but perhaps not being a narrow-minded bastard, he extended his hand toward me and initiated the greeting first.
"I am Jung Inbeom, policy advisor at the Ministry of National Defense. Are you Hajin Kang?"
"Yeah, I'm Hajin Kang. You're Jung Inbeom?"
"......"
An instant silence swept over the surroundings.
Of course, I knew the reason. It must be because I spoke to him informally.
No one here would have ever imagined that I would use informal speech against Jung Inbeom.
Even Jung Inbeom himself.
"What kind of rudeness is this?!!"
"Can't you apologize right now?!"
"Why the fuck should I apologize?"
"What..? Is that even a proper thing to say right now?!"
Two men from the back popped out on either side of Jung Inbeom and glared fiercely at me.
Ah really..!
If it weren't for the bastards holding guns back there, I would've plucked their eyeballs right out!
Hoo... Let's hold it in for now.
Because after I get everything I can possibly extract from here, I can just flip things over and run away.
Why do I have to apologize? For speaking informally? Is there a law in our country that says you have to use honorifics to older people? And who initiated the informal talk first? If you want to be treated, act in a way that deserves treatment. Don't just expect to be treated unilaterally. What on earth have you learned all those years you've eaten?
Whew~ So refreshing.
Honestly, I'm a little scared they might flip out and tell the soldiers in the back to shoot me dead, but the moment those words drop, I can take Jung Inbeom hostage at any time.
At the moment when those three boomers standing in front of me, including Jung Inbeom, were glaring with beet-red faces, the sound of clapping echoed.
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
"Hahaha~ Indeed, that is so. To be treated, it stands to reason that one must act in a way deserving of treatment."
"Unity!!!"
"Ah~ Enough, enough."
With a single star on his shoulder indicating the rank of brigadier general—the same as Jung Inbeom's—another middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively, instructed Kim Jihoon, who had stepped up to salute, to put his hand down, approached my side, and extended his hand.
"I am Sangho Lee of the 1st Special Forces Brigade. Staff Sergeant Kim Jihoon over there and Captain Kim Hyunjun here are my boys."
"I am Hajin Kang. Those two women over there are my women."
"Hahaha~ I see. I'll make sure to keep my subordinates in check so they don't make mistakes."
"I'd appreciate it if you do. Well, I could handle it myself though."
At least this old man named Sangho has some sense hammered into him.
Wait, what is this place, some plaza for meeting up? Why are they all flocking over and acting like this, dammit?
From the opposite side of Sangho—who appeared bringing not only Kim Hyunjun but all the soldiers who accompanied him to the spawning ground yesterday—two groups of soldiers approached.
One side consisted of ordinary South Korean soldiers, and the other side was the US military accompanied by a soldier who looked Korean.
"Are you Hajin Kang? I am Brigadier General Jinwook Seo, serving the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
"Pfft..!"
At Jinwook Seo's greeting as he extended his hand toward me, a snicker burst from Jung Inbeom's mouth.
Because he could guess what kind of words were about to pop out of my mouth.
"I am Hajin Kang."
"What..? What did you just..."
"You started speaking informally first."
"......"
"Don't make a spectacle of yourself, Jinwook Seo. Responding to informal speech with informal speech is only natural."
"Sangho Lee..!"
Are brigadier generals with one star the hitmen around here?
They're all just brigadier generals gathering up.
Though the US military side was slightly different, with two stars on the shoulders of the soldier who looked like the commander.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Richard."
"It's nice to see you too. I'm Hajin Kang."
Wow, my conversation with a foreigner is quite natural, huh?
Of course, it's just a simple greeting, and I don't know when my shallow bottom will run out.
But fortunately, there was no chance for my shallow depth to be exposed.
Because a soldier who looked Korean, but spoke Korean with a greasy pronunciation, stepped up as an interpreter for the conversation that followed.
"Hello. I am James Lee from the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. Well, nowadays it's probably more accurate to just call it the US Military Command. Oh! And this is Major General James Wicom, the Deputy Chief of Staff."
"Yeah, nice to meet you. But why did the US military come looking for me since morning?"
"Since you asked, I'll put it bluntly. Join forces with us in the US military."
"Ahem~ Isn't this no place for the US military to butt in? Mr. Hajin Kang, please talk with us first."
"Wait! I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Join forces with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the symbol of the Republic of Korea's military."
"The symbol of the ROK military is our Ministry of National Defense, what the hell are you talking about?!"
It's a complete mess, a total circus.
What are grown adults doing, acting like neighborhood thugs?
"Sigh... Let's go inside."
"Yes, oppa."
"Yes.."
Voices calling out to grab me could be heard from behind, but taking Minseo and Kwon Juha, I turned right around and walked straight into the villa we were going to stay in.
What on earth am I that all those people are swarming over and acting crazy, saying they're gonna take me?
People with the collective power of groups that could produce at least over ten people a day like me if they just poured a little support into it.
"Let me explain the current situation to you."
"Why did you follow us? It's annoying as hell since the morning, seriously..!"
"The current situation here is—"
"I'm not curious."
"Your face says you're curious."
"......"
"Let's continue. The current situation here is that four non-cooperating military factions are stationed: our 1st Special Forces Brigade, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of National Defense, and even the US military. No, strictly speaking, three military factions. Because the Ministry of National Defense isn't a military force, just an administrative organization."
Kim Hyunjun's explanation continued as he followed us into the house.
As expected, this bastard is a chatterbox.
Well, thanks to him, I've got a clear grasp of the situation here, though.
Currently, four factions are stationed inside a fence surrounding a fairly large plot of land at this shelter.
Among them, the weakest is the Ministry of National Defense.
If it were a proper society, the Ministry of National Defense, headed by the Minister of National Defense, would hold the greatest power, but right now it's become a world of the survival of the fittest.
The mere empty title of the Ministry of National Defense holds no power at all.
Next, they say the other three factions possess similar power, but that's not particularly reliable information.
"Isn't your unit's main base somewhere else? Then won't you be outnumbered in head count?"
"That's right. What we lack most is personnel, but we are a unit composed of active-duty special forces operatives. Our combat power itself is on a different level compared to the JCS or the US military, which are merely command headquarters."
"Hmm.. I suppose so. But why did you guys split up? When you should be pooling your strengths. Well, I guess it's only natural for the higher-ups to fight over power. No wonder the state of the country is like this."
"It's not a simple power struggle."
"Then what is it? Spin it as much as you can."
"We prioritize protecting the safety and lives of the citizens—"
"Stop talking bullshit. Tell me the real deal, the real one."
"This is the real deal. Our 1st Special Forces Brigade places top priority on protecting the citizens. However, the Ministry of National Defense, the JCS, and the US military side are different. Their goal is to swallow this entire collective whole, form a strong faction, and rule over this place. That's why we cannot join forces with them."
"Sure, I'll take your word for it. You've got quite the grand sense of duty."
"......"
Whether those words are true or false doesn't matter.
Until yesterday, aside from initially wanting to leave, I intended to stay here, enjoy more safety, and live a little more lavishly, but not anymore.
My mind changed overnight.
Get everything I possibly can from this place and leave.
Sucking it dry of every drop of sweet and bitter water before leaving is my goal.
So there's no need to become a scapegoat in some pointless power struggle.
Of course, becoming a central figure in whichever faction has the highest probability of letting you suck the sweet or bitter water, but I can't just blindly pick a side without knowing anything.
Because I haven't even checked yet whether I can suck the sweet water while remaining in a neutral stance.
And perhaps right now, when everyone wants me, might be the situation where I can reap the biggest profits.
"Wait a minute! But why do you want me? Guys who pool coins together to buy a generator that costs at least 10,000 coins shouldn't find it a big deal to produce someone with strength like mine."
"Although our forces are split, we protect the shelter with our combined strength. Therefore, we have established several agreements. Collected coins must be used in front of the representatives of all four factions. And while getting stronger through hunting is fine, pouring coins into someone to create a monster-like soldier with monstrous strength is forbidden. If anyone shows signs or attempts of doing that, the remaining factions are bound to ally and eliminate that faction. No matter how monstrously strong a soldier is created, they are powerless in front of an army armed with guns."
"Ha... So basically, because of the higher-ups' power struggle, you're in a situation where you can't use methods to survive more safely?"
"You could see it that way, but even just the cost of defending the shelter right now leaves us with no room to invest elsewhere. This place is full of civilians who can't fight zombies. Food, clothes, daily necessities for them, the repair and reinforcement of the outer wall acting as a fence, and the replenishment of daily consumed ammunition. Honestly, ammunition is running low, and if things go on like this, the moment all ammunition is depleted, this shelter will collapse."
Kim Hyunjun wore a serious expression.
Looks like the situation here, which was thought to be safe, isn't entirely secure after all.
"We need your power. To reduce the ammunition being consumed, we need to clear out the Memorial Hall, which is a nearby zombie spawning ground, and for that, we need your help. However, the Ministry of National Defense, the JCS, and the US military have no interest in clearing out the Memorial Hall. Even blowing up the bridge was accomplished by the sheer strength of our combat brigade."
"Oh~ Are you guys soldiers who genuinely think of the citizens? Ah! Then why didn't you just blow up the Memorial Hall instead of the bridge? Why did you blow up the bridge?"
"To avoid bringing about a situation like the Blue House."
"A situation like the Blue House?"
What the hell is this supposed to mean?