The Shelter Leader of Osori
Hwang Gyunam, who had called me up to the rooftop, handed me a small box.
Inside were the sniper supplies I had requested some time ago.
“The condition of these is all A-grade.”
“That’s where the experience of a shelter leader shows. At the very least, I don’t get ripped off.”
“I take it the discrimination is severe?”
“Don’t even get me started. The Commander has enough name value to get by, but other shelters suffer quite a bit.”
“Isn’t it supposed to be a fair trade?”
“Gusan is filled with nothing but low-life thugs, starting from the bottom-tier executives.”
Hwang Gyunam lit a cigarette.
“If you need anything from now on, don’t go through me—just talk to them directly. You’re one of our members now, after all.”
“Understood. And I’ll pay you back for today’s goods as soon as I can.”
“Just forget about it. Let’s call it even for the vaccine.”
He laughed, looking pleased.
I gave a slight nod to show my gratitude, then looked out at the same horizon he was watching.
“Mr. Hwang, I have a question. What kind of person is the Shelter Leader?”
“Hm?”
Han Jiyoung had said it before.
That Oh Junghwan absolutely hated anyone visiting his quarters.
At first, I thought he was just sensitive about his personal privacy, but after observing Do-jin’s behavior, I began to have my doubts.
“What kind of person? Are you asking about his personality?”
“No, that’s not it.”
If I could, I wanted to ask if he was a man who could be trusted.
I kept my mouth shut because the answer was obvious anyway.
I had known for a while that the trust in Oh Junghwan was unshakable.
It wasn’t just Hwang Gyunam; everyone here felt the same way.
I changed the direction of my question.
“What does he usually do at night?”
“The Commander?”
“Well, the Commander, and you too, Mr. Hwang. I get a bit bored at night.”
“Weren’t you living with your family? Do you even have time to be bored?”
“Excuse me…?”
What was that?
As I flinched, Hwang Gyunam let out a hearty laugh.
“Is that the only reason you leave work on time? Who are you living with?”
“…….”
I was the one who started the questioning, but I felt like I was being backed into a corner.
When I avoided answering, he tactfully stopped asking.
“I live alone, you see? At night, well… I just kill time until I fall asleep, that’s all.”
“I see.”
“Come to think of it, I don’t know what the Commander does. I assume it’s the same as me.”
Hwang Gyunam dismissed it, but then, as if something had just occurred to him, he clapped his hands together.
“Ah! Don’t tell me he wanders around at night?”
“Excuse me?”
“The Commander always plans the operations, right? Think about it—how could he plan an operation without ever going outside?”
That was a fair point.
Where the zombies are swarming, where the farming points are—these are things you can’t know without going out for reconnaissance.
Above all, Oh Junghwan was not assigned to any search or guard teams.
“Didn’t he wander around during the day?”
“During the day, he’s mostly inside the shelter. There’s no end to the facility maintenance work.”
You can’t turn on the lights at night.
It would be difficult to fix anything in total darkness.
And because of the noise, even a single hammer strike would have to be done with extreme caution.
‘Does he really wander around at night? Is that even possible?’
Another question arose, but I knew I could confirm this by asking the people on the guard teams.
They stood watch regardless of day or night.
“Uh, I’m on the roof, why?”
“Come down to the auditorium. Everyone is gathered.”
“Alright.”
Just in time, Oh Junghwan’s voice came over the radio.
When I arrived at the auditorium, everyone in the shelter was there, except for the bare minimum required for guard duty.
“Good. Let’s begin the meeting.”
Oh Junghwan brought out a blackboard with a map attached to it.
With the scribbles marked all over the map, I could tell what kind of operation he was planning.
“We will occupy the university as planned. Once we clear this place, there will be no more locations left that could trigger a large-scale raid.”
In front of Oh Junghwan lay boxes of ammunition.
By a rough estimate, it was less than 5,000 rounds.
Considering the shooting skills of the members, it wasn’t exactly a generous amount.
“It’s exactly 4,800 rounds. This is all we have.”
For the university zombies, we had to account for at least 500, and up to 1,000.
The more they gathered in clumps, the more noise they made, attracting even more zombies.
That was the reason I always factored in a double-multiplier.
“I intend to use only 2,000 rounds to occupy the university. Is that feasible?”
Oh Junghwan asked, looking at me.
Naturally, my answer was:
“No. Even using all of that would be tight.”
“Still, there is no other way. We have intelligence that Gusan is controlling the 5.56mm ammunition supply.”
“You mean they aren’t trading rifle ammunition?”
“Correct. Gusan stockpiles the inventory and refuses to release it once it drops below a certain amount. It’s happened often.”
Osori Shelter brought in most of its ammunition through trade.
If trade was blocked, it meant ammunition would become scarce in the future.
Right after the zombie outbreak, there were many reserve-force zombies.
Golden goblins carrying a total of 150 rounds, 30 in each of their five magazines.
I, too, had a period where I would pounce on anything wearing a military uniform.
As time passed, ammunition would be consumed, and it was obvious it would become increasingly rare.
“We don’t know how long the control will last. We must conserve as much as possible.”
Oh Junghwan wore a grave expression.
The reason he wouldn’t even use half of the 4,800 rounds was likely because of the pioneer team.
Since the Osori Shelter’s primary goal was the vaccine.
“That’s why I’d like to propose a new method. I’ll leave the judgment to you, Lee Cheon-il.”
I listened to his words quietly.
In fact, one method immediately came to mind.
Even if it was a long detour, it was the best method we could use in our current situation.
Did the Shelter Leader think the same as I did?
“We’ll reduce the number of zombies through guerrilla warfare. It will take some time, but it’s a safer method.”
As expected.
He had come up with the same answer I had.
Even the follow-up was perfect.
“We have been trading most of our supplies for ammunition. If they control the ammunition, we can trade for food instead. Then we can reduce the search time and use the remaining time for guerrilla warfare.”
According to the market prices I saw in Hwang Gyunam’s notebook, buying food was cheaper than buying ammunition.
I was slightly impressed by Oh Junghwan’s foresight.
“That’s a good plan. Let’s proceed with that.”
“Everyone else, feel free to speak your mind. What about you, Jang?”
“If the teacher says it’s good, then I’m good with it.”
As Jang Youngmin agreed, the guard team members nodded in unison.
Han Jiyoung agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
“Well, the senior’s judgment is better than mine anyway. I’m in favor.”
“I know well enough that my partner is competent. I’m okay with it too.”
“I’m in favor as well.”
Finally, with Choi Hyunho, it was unanimous.
Suddenly, Han Jiyoung burst into laughter.
“Wait, the meeting is ending this quickly? Didn’t we usually take half a day for these?”
“Because the teacher says it’s good.”
“The two pillars of our shelter have agreed, so what else can we do?”
“Oh, as expected of the senior!”
Han Jiyoung gave me a thumbs-up.
Seeing as she wouldn’t even glance at Oh Junghwan, it seemed she was still sulking hard over yesterday’s incident.
“With that, the meeting is over. The operation begins tomorrow.”
With the Shelter Leader’s closing remarks, people poured out like an ebbing tide.
The only ones left until the end were Oh Junghwan and me.
An awkward air hung between him and me.
“Ah, right. I almost forgot this.”
It was Oh Junghwan who broke the silence.
He rummaged through a box and handed me a familiar paper box.
“?!”
50 rounds of revolver ammunition.
The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
“How did you get this?”
“Han Jiyoung requested it, saying it was for you.”
Han Jiyoung?
As expected, the only one who looks out for me is my junior.
“I heard this model doesn’t make much noise either.”
“It’s an improved model.”
“Is it true that the school developed it just for you?”
“Well, that’s half true.”
The initial development intent was to make it usable indoors in emergencies.
Though they reduced the noise, it also reduced the lethality, so it didn’t require any grand research.
However, the part the researchers missed was practical combat effectiveness.
In a situation where you shouldn’t make noise, it was better to handle it with close-quarters combat.
Above all, with a rifle, a pistol, and a melee weapon, plus extra ammunition—there was no weight to spare for a revolver.
‘Not that I could use it as a substitute for a pistol, anyway.’
Of course, that’s what others would say.
To me, the revolver has been, and will continue to be, the best weapon.
“Can you get more? What’s the market price?”
“I heard they sometimes use it for betting. There’s a shooting range in the basement.”
“Using something this precious for betting….”
Even among my peers, I was the only one who used a revolver.
It might be precious to me, but to others, it was probably nothing more than a white elephant.
“There’s no set market price. Because no one trades them.”
“I might be able to get them more easily than I thought.”
“It will depend on the inventory. If the trading volume increases, they’ll raise the price. That’s how those guys operate.”
Regardless, the fact that revolver ammunition still existed was great news for me.
Since the consumption rate was so low compared to the production volume, I had hoped it was somewhere, but to think it was in Gusan.
“Hmm. I didn’t know you’d be this happy.”
“Can I go to Gusan next time?”
“I’ll think about it. For now, get off work.”
After a light nod, I left the auditorium.
Near the main gate, Han Jiyoung was talking with some people.
I wondered if she was picking another fight, but what did it matter?
“Han Jiyoung. Thanks for this.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Revolver ammo. You’re the one who got it for me, right?”
“Me?”
Han Jiyoung had a question mark on her face.
This kid, is she shy because people are watching?
“It’s fine to buy a gift for your senior, don’t be like that.”
“I really didn’t! Where did you get that?”
“Didn’t you go to Gusan?”
“I did go, but I didn’t buy it. I’m saving up hard to get another sword.”
Looking at her expression, it didn’t seem like a lie, so what was this…?
I turned my head toward the auditorium.
Oh Junghwan was heading into his private quarters.
“Are you really sure you didn’t buy it?”
“I told you, I didn’t. Until I buy my sword, I’m just going to hoard money like a dog. But senior, if you have any luxury goods, could you lend me some?”
“…….”
I think I need to redefine things.
Han Jiyoung from ‘junior’ to just ‘troublemaker’.
Our Shelter Leader from ‘Shelter Leader’ to ‘tsundere’.
“Get lost.”
“See you tomorrow!”
Han Jiyoung bowed at a 90-degree angle.