Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Zombie Apocalypse (14)
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After eavesdropping on the men's conversation from upstairs, I took a look around.
The city was dead silent, as if everyone had dropped dead.
I headed back into the room, and the sound of the door opening seemed to wake Na-eun.
"Yawn. Sian, you're up already?"
Na-eun greeted me in a sleepy voice as she came into the room, naturally picking up her smartphone.
Even now, over 32 hours since the zombie outbreak began, the electricity, water, and communications were still working fine.
I figured it was because zombies weren't out to destroy infrastructure—they were focused on infecting humans.
Accidents like the gas station explosion yesterday were influenced by zombies, sure, but they were ultimately man-made disasters.
I peered out the window to check on things outside.
No zombies in sight here either.
Did someone go around beating them all down overnight?
Or had they moved on because there weren't enough people nearby to infect?
This officetel only had about eight residents, so pickings were slim.
'Could be because I took out all the ones coming my way yesterday.'
The zombies drawn by the gas station blast had started coming back, but I'd bagged five more for the zombie-killing quest. That probably kept the infection from spreading, leaving the streets clean.
Prevention really is key.
After checking outside, I sat down next to Na-eun, whose expression had stiffened a bit.
"Anything happen overnight?"
"There was a bit of a scuffle at the mart last night. They decided to give extra supplies to those standing guard, so they said women should take shifts too. Some auntie refused, and it turned into a gender fight. Like, men and women aren't on different sides at a time like this?"
"A little argument like that should be fine. No one died, right? We had our own debate yesterday."
I added that, recalling the men's conversation from the morning, but Na-eun's face turned icy.
"That guy from yesterday probably did that thing, huh? Urgh..."
She must've pictured it, wrapping her arms around herself and shuddering as she stuck out her tongue in disgust.
"Don't imagine it. Anyway, thinking about it, your old place isn't much different from here, right?"
"Huh? Different how? It's not as filthy as that woman's room!"
She raised her voice a little, thinking I'd compared Room 101's trash heap to her place.
"Not that. Someone else could break in. We were gonna give ourselves until tonight anyway. Not sure what they're planning over there, so if there's stuff to grab, we should go now."
"You mean some pervert might pick the lock on a girl's place and steal clothes or underwear? Got it. Let's go right now!"
She'd been fixated on that since last night—purely lewd thoughts.
On one hand, it felt like her way of dodging heavier topics through light banter.
That mart fight she mentioned? Someone might've actually died.
She hadn't given details, and her friend might've held back too.
"Should we eat breakfast first? Real ramen sounds good."
"After we get back. I wanna check my place ASAP."
With that, Na-eun crawled across the bed, rummaging until she pulled out two nutrition bars.
I took one, and its lightness drew a sigh from me.
"Sigh. Thinking these would last a month? I was nuts."
"You said these would be gold in a pinch?"
She quoted me back, leaving me no comeback.
We stripped off our sleep clothes and changed into what we'd worn outside.
They were a bit dirty from wandering anyway—might as well lean into it.
Heading out, I slung on my bag, tucked the cardboard box under my arm, and grabbed the baseball bat.
"We should mod this thing a bit later. Got some supplies from yesterday."
Something like sports tape might add better protection.
Na-eun started for the door but doubled back to the bed, grabbing a nearby condom full of semen and some kitchen trash before heading out.
"Dumping this in 101?"
"Gotta cut down on trash somehow."
Agreeing with her solid point, we headed down the stairs, tossed the garbage into Room 101, and stepped outside.
Na-eun's old place was about the same distance from the gym as my officetel. Factoring in detours like a wonky triangle, it'd take 35 minutes—make it 40 with no shortcuts through buildings.
With fatigue fully gone thanks to combat rest, we walked warily, scanning surroundings. Na-eun pulled out her smartphone.
"Filming?"
"If I can. Might make time pass easier with little things like this. Gotta grab my laptop when we get home."
College students need computers, yeah.
Why didn't I have one? Flipping through Lee Sian's memories, it'd broken recently.
Semester projects were wrapping up, vacation starting soon—I'd planned to buy one for next term, but zombies hit first.
Na-eun knew, so she didn't comment on the missing laptop.
"The keyboard in that zombie guy's downstairs place looked decent, minus the smashed bits."
"Nah, pass on that."
She noped the stuff from the guy who'd been typing about his pain before dying.
Shows her tough yet fragile side.
I'd been to her place often, so I led the shortest route.
This path? I'd probably used it more than her.
Quiet street—no people, no zombies.
Chug-chug... vroom!
Then came a roar of life: a motorcycle with a massively modded exhaust.
Cars or bikes as ultimate weapons? Sure, but one blasting like that?
"Noise is insane... noise?"
Na-eun pocketed her phone—no filming if trouble brewed—and grabbed her bat from the bag, sticking close.
"Sian, hide?"
"It's heading away, still revving. Let's watch a sec."
Commercial buildings below had smashed entrances, so we aimed for the safest stairs.
No zombies swarming after it passed, so we pressed on to her place.
"Quiet transport would be nice."
I nodded silently.
Shaving travel time like that would boost survival odds big time.
"Hits me now—we both missed the dorms."
"Yeah. Dorm expansion needed. Fewer survivors might mean less competition."
University okay? Probably stocked with supplies.
Lab gear, meds—plenty to work with if you got creative.
*
We arrived at Na-eun's officetel in under 40 minutes, avoiding everything but that roaring bike.
Nearby zombie corpses suggested they were patrolling properly here.
Barbed wire up—who knows where from—and two guys with wooden planks at the entrance.
Our place needs defenses like this.
Spotting us approach, the men panicked. One stammered,
"H-Hold it! From the mart?"
Mart already a big group, huh.
"No. Girlfriend's old place—here for her stuff."
"Drop the weapons?"
"Who discards self-defense in this world?"
They mulled it over—fair point.
Na-eun stepped forward slightly.
"You guys don't live here, do you? Never seen your faces in six months."
The two huddled, whispering.
"Tch. Seems legit residents."
"Let 'em in? Or nah?"
Quiet area—every word carried.
Then a scruffy guy with a long metal pipe sauntered down from the building.
Bleached hair, yellowish tint, ears pierced to hell.
"Ah... seen that guy before."
Na-eun whispered.
"Yo? What's up? Customers?"
"Yeah, Geon-woo. Says they lived here."
Geon-woo scowled, eyeing us alternately.
"Yup. Girl lived here. Guy's her boyfriend—seen 'em smoking upstairs."
"Let 'em in?"
"Hey, fuck. We suckers? What was that girl doing when zombies hit? Clinging to her boyfriend, squeezing him dry. Meanwhile, we gathered folks, set defenses, kept other scum out, yeah? Saw the zombie bodies outside? We did that. So whose stuff owns this building now? Let's hash it. Big bag, weapons—you looted some, right? Am I wrong?"
Damn, world's got more right-but-annoying types outside Global Academy.
To Geon-woo, who grated with his truths,
"So, you picked Room 203? Or not?"
"Yeah, cleared up to the third floor."
"Took what helped, left the rest? Owner wants what's left—problem?"
"Fine. Take what stays from what's left."
Already looted bare, so strong-arming to block us.
Maybe resentment for entering his place freely—could gather zombies pretending crazy.
Threats to preempt hassle, show their way's right.
Na-eun irked at unauthorized entry but seemed okay grabbing leftovers.
How stripped was it? Off to 203.