The Cart People Project

‘The Cart People Project.’

That was the name Jang Hoseop had given to his plan for expanding Samira’s influence. He claimed it was inspired by the way we had dragged our carts all the way from Gangnam to my home.

Flip.

Jang Hoseop turned another large sheet of paper hanging on the board. It summarized the necessity and overview of the Cart People Project.

“We must prepare for war… those were your words a few days ago, Boss.”

Grow our size to protect Samira’s land from external enemies. That was the core objective.

“And there is another important purpose here: segmentation and specialization. As the population grows, division of labor becomes possible. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity across various operations.”

There are jobs anyone can do, and jobs that not just anyone can handle. Setting aside the importance or priority of the tasks, Samira’s current structure was blurry. We weren't in a position to distinguish between ‘my work’ and ‘your work’ yet.

“For example, let’s look at Kim Nara and Lee Nara, who work in the Internal Support Division…”

There were two interns with the same name. Kim Nara’s core skill was Invisible Hand, and Lee Nara’s was Floating. Invisible Hand was, simply put, telekinesis. Floating was a skill that lifted objects into the air.

“Their skills are distinctly different. Yet, the work they currently do is similar.”

The weight and size of objects Kim Nara could manipulate with Invisible Hand changed based on her level. The range and speed of her control were also affected by her level. Currently, her level was low, so she could only carry small objects without touching them.

“What if Kim Nara raises her level further? Imagine her handling a hundred sharp blades at once. Or using telekinesis on clothing to lift a person…”

Of course, no one knew what level she would need to reach for that to be possible.

“On the other hand, Lee Nara’s Floating can already lift quite heavy objects. The downside is that she can only lift them about 10cm off the ground…”

Lee Nara’s Floating had aspects similar to telekinesis. It had its own limitations, but in terms of weight capacity alone, it was superior to Kim Nara’s skill.

“We don’t know how their skills will evolve. What I’m saying is that the work they are currently doing can be replaced by manual labor.”

Their skills were being utilized in various fields, such as construction sites and the Big-Ma breeding grounds, simply for immediate efficiency. They could do the work of several ordinary people in a shorter amount of time.

“If our numbers increase, we can move both of them to external operations. They are Awakened, after all.”

Just like how we deployed the prisoners from Yongsan Station to tasks everyone else avoided. As our influence grew, we could have the Awakened—who were doing the work of several people—focus solely on external operations, offloading their current tasks to ordinary people one by one.

“We can go even further. We can assign tasks according to each person’s skills and aptitude…”

In short, Jang Hoseop was saying that the Cart People Project should also serve as a catalyst for restructuring Samira.

“That is why I hope we treat this project not as a short-term task for the lull ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠period we’ve just entered, but as a mid-to-long-term undertaking.”

Jang Hoseop looked at me, his eyes shining. He had grasped my intentions perfectly and explained them to everyone.

“I understand. I’ll think about it.”

However, who would be in charge of this, and how much authority to grant them, were matters for further consideration. Strategic planning, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠human resources, combat, logistics—right now, my associates and I were handling all the important aspects of Samira’s operations without clear divisions. It was fine for now, but as the population grew, the workload would inevitably increase.

‘I think I need more close aides.’

While I was lost in thought, Jang Hoseop flipped another page.

“Next is the execution plan. Bringing people into Samira…”

Jang Hoseop pushed up his non-prescription glasses. Why does he even wear those?

“Along with your idea, Boss, I don’t think we should discard the method of us finding people directly.”

This page featured a drawing of the Square bulletin board.

“The core is the same—posting recruitment ads in the Square. But I’d like to add a rescue operation component.”

“Rescue operation?”

“Yes. We tell people who need help to leave a secret comment. Something like, if they are close by, we can send a rescue team.”

He was suggesting a dual approach to gathering people. He said it was possible because I could move around during this lull period.

“And what about getting people to come to us?”

“We can set up outposts on the outskirts of our sphere of influence and designate contact points in those areas.”

“So, we avoid exposing our direct location as much as possible?”

“Yes. We can inform them of the contact points through secret comments, not the post itself.”

This was the idea Jang Hoseop had mentioned before.

“Of course, we shouldn't tell them immediately. We receive their information first, then select a point where we can unilaterally observe them…”

Even doing this wouldn't completely block out people with bad intentions. It was just about minimizing the risk.

“And for the ad content, it would be better to frame it as an act of charity rather than us gathering people because we need them.”

“Charity?”

“Yes. I felt it when Choi Min-sung joined us. It’s easier to handle people when they are desperate.”

“That is true.”

Jang Hoseop flipped the page again. He had organized Samira’s bragging points to be posted on the Square.

“Food production. That’s the biggest one… and aren't we consistently producing Mana Lamps? People who have survived until now must miss their old lives.”

Every time he flipped the pages with a shhh-shhh sound, concrete execution plans for the Cart People Project emerged, along with various scenarios based on the situation.

“The problem is maintaining the outposts. We’ll be short on manpower.”

“Yes. Why don’t we start by posting the ad and then prepare? It’s not like the applicants can move right away anyway.”

“Let’s do that. Call Na Sayeon and have the ad posted today. Can you do that?”

Jang Hoseop replied that he could. He had already conceived the content. Just as he had used Na Sayeon as a model to show off our gate-traversing equipment, this time he would show off Samira’s capabilities.

“I’m going to go check out the candidate sites for the northern outpost.”

“Yes? Right now?”

“Yeah. It’s faster if I move alone. If there are too many monsters, I’ll clear them out a bit, too.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I kicked off the Cart People Project.

Clearing a gate, immediately holding a meeting, and after the meeting, scouting the candidate sites for outposts selected by Jang Hoseop. I moved without rest, skipping dinner.

The outposts Jang Hoseop mentioned were a type of military base. The idea was to build locations like Yongsan Station to the north, east, and west of Samira’s territory. However, that was the final goal; we would start with simple guard posts.

‘Even just operating guard posts won't be easy.’

Securing posts to form a surveillance network, arranging routes, and organizing personnel—there were many difficulties in the current situation. The only saving grace was that many roads were cut off. Collapsed buildings acted as natural barriers, like mountains or cliffs. Even those could be crossed if one were determined enough, but if we selected the locations for the posts well, we could likely detect people’s movements.

‘I think I need to build at least twelve of them… if I assume two people per shift in a relay system…’

Looking at the map, I selected a few of the candidate sites Jang Hoseop had narrowed down and marked spots I thought were appropriate. If things went well, I thought we could manage it tightly. After all, we had quite a few new arrivals.

I decided to discuss this with my group again and returned home.

“Hyun! You’re back. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah. Did you eat, Nuna?”

“No~ I waited so we could eat together!”

When I arrived home, Bom Nuna ran out to hug me. It felt more like she was throwing herself into my arms than just hugging me.

“Did you wash up?”

“I’ll wash up quickly and come out.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be getting things ready.”

It was only after the sun had set and it was completely dark that I had arrived home. Go Mihye was nowhere to be seen, likely busy with other work, and Bom Nuna said she would prepare dinner.

“Oh, but how was it? Were there any monsters?”

“There were, but I just came back. I didn't think I could clear them all out today.”

“Yeah, good job. Go wash up~”

After a late dinner, I went out to the hallway. I sat in front of the Spirit Stone to check the Square before going to bed.

There was a post written by Jang Hoseop at the top. As promised, he had posted the ad before the day was over.

It was the same content we had discussed beforehand. He had conveyed the message without revealing Samira’s specific location. There were several photos, too. Food stored in various forms, daily necessities, clothing, books, a shower facility, various weapons, and protective gear. There was even a photo of the farmland where the Day-Night Wheat was growing.

There was also a photo of Na Sayeon, looking neat and tidy, holding a large piece of paper that explained how to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leave a comment.

‘He put some effort into this.’

I carefully checked all the photos. There was no background that could identify the building or the location. After confirming the content of the post once more, I read the comments.

There were already many comments. I was thinking about stopping and going to bed, figuring Jang Hoseop would handle it, when I noticed the situation taking a strange turn starting from a certain comment.

There were people doubting Samira’s intentions. Perhaps swept up in the atmosphere, there were many comments below questioning Jang Hoseop. Childish arguments continued. Perhaps because of that, there wasn't a single secret comment yet. The start of the Cart People Project was not smooth.