Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Vermin
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There wasn't a single person here who hadn't witnessed my extreme methods of punishment.
With me standing prominently on the platform, there was no way some idiot would dare oppose the consensus.
"Why don't the people who came up from underground have any management positions? Our numbers are four times greater!"
'There is one.'
......Correction.
It wasn't just an idiot. There was a fucking moron.
I fixed my icy gaze on Do-yoon, who had risen from his seat amid the suddenly chilled crowd and was shouting defiantly.
The people around him were staring at Do-yoon in shock as well.
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"This situation can't continue like this."
"Do-yoon's right. Didn't you all see it? That brutal handiwork. How can someone kill so easily...!"
"My wife nearly died at that bastard's hands for making a mistake...! And meat toilets? This tramples human rights!"
A crowd gathered around Do-yoon.
They were all thinner and weaker than the other men, unable to rack up achievements in zombie hunts.
Unable to meet quotas, they couldn't use the meat toilets or receive full rations.
So Do-yoon, who approached these starving wretches clutching their empty bellies, became their noble sage and savior who validated their grievances.
Moreover, Do-yoon held a representative-like position among those from underground.
He had broad appeal, was smart, and knew how to handle people.
Those still clinging to blind loyalty toward democratic leaders found solace and agreement in his words.
They echoed his sentiments, raising their voices together.
And today, after one month and thirteen days, they had finally surfaced.
A safe space free of the zombies that had suppressed their spirits.
The surface, where they could bask in sunlight through windows, not buried underground.
This released the shackles that had silenced their voices.
Of course, they feared Yuseong too much to shout loudly.
But courage welled up as they gathered one by one to voice their complaints.
"What bullshit! Get lost! Don't drag me into this, you vermin scum!"
"V-vermin...?!!"
But those who heard their complaints wrinkled their noses in disgust, kicking them away and telling them to scram.
Everyone added that they didn't want to die.
This reaction was only natural.
More than half the people they approached had personally witnessed how Yuseong executed those who rebelled.
But these types, who had only grumbled in the corners, had no idea and dismissed the rejectors as cowards.
When they reported this to Do-yoon, their perceived savior, he empathized and raged alongside them.
"They've all been domesticated. They've sold their future for short-term gains."
"Exactly. Women are starting to sell their bodies for survival, and men are drowning in lust and desire."
"It's all because of that madman Yuseong...!"
Everyone called them 'rice vermin' or just 'vermin'.
But the more they were insulted, the more they rebelled like defiant brats, nurturing their inner resentment.
In the midst of this, the presence of a trustworthy focal point naturally drew people together.
Having formed a shared grievance and common enemy, they ultimately hailed Do-yoon as their true representative and vowed to follow him.
And Do-yoon didn't stop them.
'Good. This is perfect. I can lead everyone now...!'
He genuinely agreed with them, after all.
Recently, his lover Seol-ah had been especially cold and indifferent, piling stress on Do-yoon from all sides.
He blamed it on Yuseong's cruelty and policies stripping women of rights.
A woman close to Seol-ah had been assigned as a sex slave to the man who killed the most zombies, weighing on her.
Do-yoon truly believed this, harboring hidden hatred for Yuseong.
In reality, Seol-ah was utterly smitten with Yuseong and had no eyes for Do-yoon, but she maintained the facade of being his lover on Yuseong's orders.
Do-yoon interpreted it as her being worn down by excessive stress.
'Just wait a little longer, Seol-ah...! I'll restore this group to normal and make you happy!'
Various supporters, misconceptions, stupidity, and arrogance intertwined, leading Do-yoon to glare at Yuseong, who stood impassively on the platform, and shout loudly.
This was completely out of character for his usual self.
But repeated mental cracks from psychological pressures and horrific events in this new world, compounded by ongoing stress and instability, had driven him to the edge.
"Why don't the people who came up from underground have any management positions? Our numbers are four times greater!"
This bold move shocked even his supporters.
'Wh-what the hell is he doing?!'
'Is Do-yoon crazy?! Even so, confronting that monster head-on—what's the plan?!'
They had plenty of complaints but lacked the real courage to act on them.
They vented to Do-yoon, hoping he'd use his position to plead with the monster on their behalf.
That seemed the safest for their own skins.
Especially since, if things went wrong, the monster's wrath would target only Do-yoon.
But now, it was different.
Rebels would be uprooted entirely.
Yuseong's uttered words echoed in their minds.
'We're fucked...'
At that moment, all of Do-yoon's supporters shared the same thought.
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Has the stone turned?
I glared at Do-yoon with cold eyes.
The audience had already fallen silent.
Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, trying to identify the madman who had suddenly shouted defiance at me.
"Hmph..."
The moment I let out a breath that sounded like suppressed anger, those who seemed to support Do-yoon suddenly moved.
Grab him!!
Whose shout was that?
One thing was clear: those who had subtly followed Do-yoon no longer did so.
Do-yoon, subdued by the skinny ones.
In an instant, without time to react, his head slammed into the scorched floor.
Fearing backlash, those nearby quickly distanced themselves.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Shut up, you rebel scum!"
Do-yoon's shocked voice and the desperate shout from the man pinning him from above rang out.
They exaggerated their actions to loudly proclaim no connection to him.
As the once-silent first floor erupted in chaos, I signaled with my eyes, and Junsang stepped forward toward the center of the commotion.
"Damn it...! Let go! Don't you have any human rights awareness?!"
"Shut up and come along. Don't make this bigger than it is."
Junsang took Do-yoon from the skinny ones, subdued him, and dragged him before me.
Beyond, I saw the skinny supporters sighing in relief as Junsang's men slowly approached them.
'They'll handle it themselves.'
Not worth much attention since they were just rice-wasters, I dismissed them.
I could decide their fate later.
Turning back, I eyed Do-yoon, now dragged onto the platform.
Junsang nodded at my glance and released his grip, though surveillance continued to prevent escape.
I faced Do-yoon, his clothes disheveled from the rough handling.
Despite being overpowered so easily, his willpower—or perhaps bravado—burned strong; he glared at me fiercely.
'Hah... look at this guy.'
I didn't suppress my scoffing laugh as I slowly approached him.
"Kuh...!"
"What's this? So bold earlier, now you're scared? Keep going. It's amusing."
With each step I took, Do-yoon retreated one.
Like a terror-stricken rat pup.
Yet his expression still screamed self-righteousness and defiance.
I snorted at his clenched fists, rationalizing it as mere fear from power disparity.
"Wh-what's so funny...!"
"Heh heh... it's just hilarious. Like a rat rebelling, then fleeing like a coward when faced directly."
As I grinned and closed in, Do-yoon backed to the platform's edge.
No further retreat possible, our distance shrank.
And thud.
Reaching him, I met his eyes with a chilling stare, turning his face pale.
Only natural.
I'd been emanating mana invisibly since earlier.
Already terrified of me, the added physical pressure crushed him instantly.
"Eup...!"
Chin—
I slowly placed my hand on his shoulder.
Gripping his flinching shoulder—expecting a strike—with a calm voice, I said,
"Still, whether bravado or stupidity, your defiance was impressive. So let's hear it. Why?"
Seizing what he thought was his last chance, Do-yoon's lips trembled before he slowly opened his mouth.