Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Ominous Premonition
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Apocalypse Survival Quiz.
Among the following, who is the most dangerous presence in an apocalypse?
1. Shit-tier weather.
2. Dog-tier mutants.
3. Cunt-tier other survivors.
Well, those who picked an answer?
Beep— All wrong!
The correct answer is all of the above!
If you thought there was only one right answer, sorry to say, you've been 'eliminated'!
See you in the next life!
'Fucking great.'
The point of this survival quiz isn't anything else.
In this fucking apocalypse world, the weather, mutants, and other survivors are all extremely dangerous.
Even if one of them already exists, adding another doesn't change the relative danger level.
The total absolute danger just skyrockets.
Kukukuku—
Special vehicles modified with endless tracks roared into the city with savage exhaust growls.
These machines, capable of massive advances even through deep snowdrifts, boasted enormous noise as the price of their power.
So, in this situation, something making that much racket?
It was a declaration of confidence in their own capabilities.
I hid my body and observed from beyond the window.
The vehicles that had entered the village entrance stopped right there, and soon after, a group disembarked.
Swarming.
Their numbers were around twenty.
Dressed in thick fur padding, gloves, and earmuff hats—a full pro survivalist getup from five years in this apocalypse.
But the real important part wasn't their fashion.
'Rifles.'
Guns.
Cold weapons as chilling as this era's frigid air.
They were carrying guns, remnants of the modern civilization that had crumbled to ruin.
'Doesn't look like blanks no matter how I squint.'
Nothing's more useless than a gun without bullets,
but my eyes could see it.
Magazine pouches bulging on both hips.
'Loaded with meaning.'
Truth be told, that was why I'd hidden the moment I spotted them.
In this end-of-the-world apocalypse where the weak can't survive,
to lead a group that huge and still make it, they needed matching firepower.
Even moving solo and quiet draws mutant aggro, but parading around like that means instant 1vs100 zombie mode.
Ah, not peninsula edition—full island edition.
Kururung—.
"Hey, hurry up and get off!"
As I watched quietly, the group started swarming out.
No hesitation whatsoever—not the work of rank amateurs.
Had they visited this city often before?
If so, that was good luck for me.
Before meeting the gallery folks, I'd known this city existed but never really dropped by.
No matter how short on food, only a madman would visit a city overrun by mutants.
So I'd never run into them before...
'Which means, on the flip side, they've got the balls to come and go like it's their own backyard, even knowing mutants have taken over.'
My blood ran cold.
I'd never planned to strut around showing off my martial arts anyway, but seeing that killed the thought dead.
Not in some otherworld,
but in the real world, GUN-fu beats swordplay every time.
[Live] Newbies of the Destroyed World #2: Encounter
Poster: Unyielding Magic Sword
(Modified vehicle convoy entering the city)
(A group disembarking from there)
(Group armed with firearms entering the city)
While scouting the apocalypse, I encountered a new survivor group.
Seems like they haven't spotted me yet,
but I'm hiding, so can't take questions.
Those must be the survivor group we talked about before. I hope they're friendly...
The newbie's world is post-apocalypse. Even with famine, masked bandits always show up, but in a world that ruined like that, it's hard to be optimistic.
Agreed. The world must be full of real scumbags.
Hmm... Humans can be harsher than anyone else.
Spot on. Superior dragonkin sacrifice to save the world when doom comes, but humans rush to ruin it faster than anyone. On par with tree huggers lol.
Why drag us into it!! We martyr ourselves for the world too!
Bullshit. Your worldtree's the world. When doom hits, you suicide squad other races and yourselves as fertilizer to save it—what kinda martyrdom is that ffs.
I posted it to the gallery first.
These gallery folks have way more experience than I thought, and they're knowledgeable across the board, so maybe I'd get some solid advice.
Of course, the usual gallery shitflinging broke out too, but there were definitely helpful tips for this situation.
Newbie,
Yeah?
What're you gonna do?
Thinking about it. The problem's those guns I mentioned last time—in our world, those pack a punch. Like, my full-power internal energy punch matches just them pulling the trigger.
The Armed Librarian chimed in first.
If that's the issue, just tail 'em.
??? I'll really die if I do that?? Turn into a beehive pork belly.
Head-on, sure. You planning that?
Well... no?
Your world's tech has decent versatility but low density. Detection, combat, cover tech—all there, but scattered across separate inventions. Martial arts are different. Might have specialties, but once you reach a realm, it's well-rounded.
....!!
Thinking about it, yeah.
I'd been worried about getting spotted, leading to combat and turning into beehive pork belly Unyielding Magic Sword...
But if I don't get spotted, problem solved?
You learned basic qi gong from Colorless Bird, right? Like suppressing presence.
Yeah, learned it. Haven't used it yet though.
Then treat this as live practice. Proficiency's low so you'll be nervous, but even that much fools any average joe below third-rate.
Trained by the Color Emperor and AlphaGo, I'm currently at the Flesh Tempering realm.
Just stepping into the entryway of their martial path,
but haven't you read wuxia?
Master one layer of concealment, and even peak experts flee like rats with their tails between their legs.
'This is doable.'
The thought hit, and I moved at once.
Normally, deploying martial arts means projecting internal energy outward.
But if you can direct it, the reverse is possible too.
Suwoooo—
I drew everything that should flow out back inside.
Footsteps, body heat, presence—all sucked inward, vanishing as if erased from the world. I turned transparent.
The basics of what they call Stealth Art.
'Feels like it worked.'
No need to check— I could feel the subtle dimming around me.
Steps forward made no sound leaking out.
I nodded and stepped off.
Our mystery survivor group boldly stomped ahead without fear.
Unlike me, tiptoeing across rooftops to suppress presence,
they moved with utter confidence, as if mutants didn't scare them.
And indeed, they didn't.
"Grraa..."
"Gr..."
Mutants frozen like statues in the street.
The moment they reacted to the approaching survivors—
Bang!!
A dull thud, and a mutant head flew.
"Tch. Shoulda stayed frozen."
Survivors spat after smashing the mutant's mug with a sledgehammer fit for a construction site.
Even worse news for me.
'Not using guns, huh.'
Power corrupts everyone.
Me too—after learning martial arts, I'd itched for a round with mutants and yaks.
But they had guns and didn't shoot.
Partly wary of noise causing issues,
but it meant guts unshakeable by that much, and the balls to blow heads off with blunt force.
Bonus: saving ammo.
'Aren't those cliché types supposed to be reckless thugs?'
Show some openings, get cocky or whatever.
Anyway.
Good call not charging in headfirst and tailing instead.
Following their backs like that,
'Huh?'
Wait a sec.
Their direction's kinda off?
Grgrgrgr...
As an outsider, no way I'd know this city's layout well.
But one thing I did know.
The city's landmark—
'Where the gaping flower is?'
Survivors heading to the city center, where that massive flesh flower bloomed.
Suddenly, an ominous premonition crept in.