Suwon (1)
Grrr rumble—!
"Ugh..."
I was checking the panels in the cockpit when the sound made me furrow my brow. Thanks to the soundproofing, it wasn't that loud, but it was too vivid. The sound of the grinder outside.
Back in the days of the old spike rams, it was just a dull thud of impact. But the new grinder was different. Every time those massive cogwheels shredded the monsters, it sent chills down my spine. The noise was bad enough, but the view through the cockpit windshield—well, I had no choice but to ban the kids from the cockpit. For their psychological well-being, I put my foot down. It had basically turned into a horror movie theater.
I'd set up bunk beds in one corner of car 2 for them and even built a soundproof partition, just in case it got noisy.
"Whoa! Can we sleep with Flower Crab too?"
"The drones are here too!"
The kids preferred car 2 over car 1. The siblings seemed to treat the golem and drones like pets. I'd moved Donggle's tank next to the kids' beds in car 2. It was a shame, but Donggle seemed to enjoy all the enthusiastic attention from the golem and kids more anyway.
"Good thing the kids are handling it okay."
"Yeah... It's just hard for me to deal with kids..."
Haseon gave an awkward smile, then quietly added that it was actually hard for her to deal with people in general.
If that's the case, it's not the kids—it's just people in general, right? But she chatted fine with me. I let it slide for now.
The road to the Suwon safe zone was pretty long. In the meantime, I eyed the drab interior of the train.
A bit too stark?
The exterior had changed a lot, so maybe the inside needed some sprucing up too. Might as well focus on convenience and interior design while I was at it. To soften the austerity in car 2, I used customization to install a plant grower in one corner. It was like an indoor garden to breathe some life into the train.
"Let's see, the seeds..."
The stars of this garden were lettuce, perilla leaves, and cherry tomatoes. I'd picked them up from some seed packets at a farm supply store during a food run. I planted the seeds and nodded as the grower automatically adjusted the lights and water.
I also added curtains and carpets to car 2.
"Can you handle some boxes for me?"
While I was at it, I asked Jiwoo to open three skill random boxes and one monster materials box.
◈ Temporarily illuminates the surroundings.
◈ Improves the taste of cooked food.
With a faint shimmer of light leaking out, two skillbooks appeared inside the first and second boxes. Light and Cooking skills. Light briefly lit up the surroundings, and Cooking boosted the flavor of meals.
Not bad. They weren't amazing, but better than useless junk. As I nodded, Jiwoo flung open the lid of the third skill box.
Whoosh—!
"So bright!"
Jiwoo clutched his eyes and staggered back the moment he opened it. Unlike the previous boxes, a brilliant golden light filled car 2. When it faded, a single white skillbook lay there.
◈ Once per day, recovers the target.
"Oh..." Nice. I didn't know how much it healed, but it was definitely useful. Level 3 Luck made a difference.
I took the Light and Healing skillbooks and learned them myself. I was the only one who went out to fight, after all. But the Cooking one...
"Um, could I learn the Cooking skill?"
Haseon timidly raised her hand. I looked at her in surprise.
"You, Haseon? But you're scared of knives."
Everyone feared blades to some extent, but Haseon had a real phobia. Sharp or pointy things terrified her.
"Ah... well..."
Haseon's pale cheeks flushed as she fidgeted.
"I thought learning Cooking might help me get over my knife phobia little by little..."
She rolled her eyes, then added in a small voice,
"Sowon goes out, comes back, and even cooks... I figured it might be better if I handled the cooking. I love eating anyway... and I think I could get good at it."
She looked more adult than me physically, but her words felt endearing. I happily handed her the Cooking skillbook.
As I watched her clutch it to her chest and beam, I muttered to myself without thinking.
Loves eating, huh... but her body's so skinny.
My eyes traced her slender wrists and delicate shoulders. Then...
Oh? Wait.
My gaze dipped a bit lower, and I involuntarily sucked in a breath. Amid her otherwise lean frame, one spot that was definitely not skinny had caught my eye.
...The nutrition went all selfishly there...
"S-Sowon? Why are you staring...?"
"Huh? Just zoned out."
I looked away.
***
The train finally pulled up near Suwon Station, at the entrance to the massive-walled Suwon safe zone.
"This place is no joke either."
From the cockpit, the area around Suwon Station looked like a proper safe zone, on par with Yeouido. But the vibe was different. Yeouido felt like it was trying to rebuild the pre-apocalypse city. Suwon, with its barricades and defenses integrated into the buildings, seemed fully adapted to this new world.
I spotted survivors patrolling the walls and guarding the entrance. No military uniforms—just civilians in regular clothes—but their postures and sharp gazes screamed readiness. They looked more disciplined than Yeouido's actual soldiers.
Screech—!
Thud!
As the train halted with a heavy metallic groan, the eyes of the gathered Suwon survivors snapped toward us.
"...Is that it?"
"...Looks like it..."
Gulp.
Their tough gazes wavered, dry swallows echoing here and there. Similar reactions all around. Probably the train.
I stepped out cautiously from car 1, spear in hand, tension high. A burly man standing rigidly at the entrance swallowed hard and approached with stiff steps.
"Uh, are you the one who contacted us from Yeouido? The one bringing food and supplies...?"
I nodded at his cautious question.
"Yeah. We'll unload."
I jerked my chin, and the cargo doors slid open. Sturdy drones buzzed out.
Whirr—!
Clank, thud!
The drones soared, effortlessly hauling massive food crates, while the golem stacked three at a time on its back and got to work.
"Drones...?"
"G-Guns."
"The guns aren't the issue—what's that behind? A monster?"
The man's rigid expression crumbled as he watched the unloading and the golem. Utter bewilderment.
"S-Stack them over here! W-We had no idea you'd arrive in such a... ferocious—no, massive train, or bring mountains of food like this."
The man stroked the crates in a daze, then snapped to attention.
"Thank you so much. This will help our safe zone immensely. Please wait a moment. I'll fetch the teachers right away."
"Teachers?"
"Yes? Oh..."
I narrowed my eyes, and he glanced around before lowering his voice.
"The two we're sending to Yeouido. And their awakener escorts, right?"
"Oh, right."
But he looked troubled.
"Mind some advice?"
"Advice?"
"They're both ex-military... Their speech might be blunt and stiff. Please don't take it personally."
I nodded, gripping my spear tighter, inwardly bracing. Ex-military politician and company president.
Soon, two figures emerged from behind the wall, trailed by people. Men on the cusp of old age, with neatly combed graying hair.
The surrounding survivors tensed—those had to be the teachers. But their confident strides halted abruptly, eyes locking on the train's front and turret.
"Whoa... what the..."
"Who brings a train like this to the station?"
"You expect someone to stop it?"
"Still, come on..."
They bickered softly, then turned to me. Surprise colored their faces. A young woman with a spear standing in front of the train—who wouldn't be startled?
"A-Ah, the student from Yeouido's awakener alliance...?"
The politician cleared his throat, about to speak in a stiff voice—
"Unni...?"
Sua, peeking curiously from the half-open door of car 1, poked her head out. That was the moment.
Their stern gazes shifted to Sua. Stung, she hid behind me. Then their expressions softened.
"Well now... kids... on board."
A groan-like sigh escaped the company president.
"Aw, poor thing. A little sister?"
They seemed to forget the train and my spear entirely. Their eyes glued to Sua peeking out, unblinking.
"You've had a rough journey breaking through to get here. The resources will be a huge boon to our Suwon safe zone."
The politician bowed politely with thanks, but his eyes stayed on Sua. His tone had lost all its edge, turning soft and warm.
"There aren't many kids that young left in Suwon... Most from the early apocalypse..."
"My grandkids in Seoul are just her age. Man..."
"Why are the elders acting like this?"
The locals exchanged bewildered glances at the uncharacteristic softness.
Thanks to Sua, things looked like they'd go even smoother.