Chapter 108
Chapter 108
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Mistletoe - 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, the bridge to Ganghwa Island was out.
The government apparently hadn't anticipated the Metal Plague taking down the bridges.
Ganghwa Island across the water was shrouded in fog, and a fierce wind whipped across the Choji Bridge where we stood.
In the biting cold, Da-jeong shivered violently.
No wonder, with that miniskirt and those high heels.
"Time to ditch that ridiculous fashion."
Even after eating winter strawberries that boosted cold resistance, her outfit made it pointless.
Her cheeks flushed red as she finally nodded.
"Got it. But I don't have any clothes, so wait just a bit... The ghouls will farm some up."
"No need for that."
Thank goodness I'd farmed that outdoor outlet on the way back to Seoul with Seok-hyun.
We'd stocked up on plenty of women's outdoor gear.
Sure, all the metal zippers had crumbled to dust, but buttons would do the trick.
I'd sewn them up in the shelter cave and brought them out.
Da-jeong, clutching the pants, sneakers, and puffer jacket, hugged me in感動.
"You're the only one, Sung-ho."
I patted her back.
"You'll catch a cold. Hurry and change."
"You won't leave me behind even if I do, right?"
"Leave you? Just get dressed already."
Da-jeong grinned mischievously and stripped off her clothes right there, not even bothering to hide behind a ghoul.
Well... uh...
I decided to think of Da-jeong as a dude with boobs.
I dragged the rubber boat out of the shelter and inflated it.
Ganghwa wasn't far; we'd cross in no time.
Once Da-jeong was fully dressed, ponytail and all, she commanded her ghouls.
"You lot, follow the boat. Let's go!"
As the rubber boat hit the water, about thirty ghouls trailed behind.
Ganghwa Island, at last, was enveloped in fog and vines.
Da-jeong poked my side.
"Remember when I listened to that old grandpa and went to Bam Island? This is just like that."
"Bam Island was like this too?"
"Way worse. The vines seemed to be growing even as we watched."
"Corrosion shouldn't be starting yet."
By the settings, corrosion kicks in when zombies and ghouls go dormant.
Once the spores in their brains consume all nutrients and finish growing.
I ducked into the shelter cave for a moment to check the corrosion timer, then came back out.
"Corrosion is still a ways off. From the footage, it'll be around when the trolls show up."
"Owl Bears after that?"
"Probably. They need a stable ecosystem to get active."
"So those are spores flying around and growing? Totally insane."
"Won't last long, though..."
Life needs energy.
Zombies, other monsters, those vines—they all follow that rule.
Something that size would need massive energy just to maintain its bulk.
And Ganghwa's zombie population isn't that high.
I recalled the hundreds of Chinese who'd flooded Yeongjong Island.
"If it absorbs those Chinese folks, it might get even fiercer."
"Then it's Made in China?"
"It ate Korean zombies too, so multinational."
We bantered nonsense as we followed Route 84.
All sorts of plant monsters had taken root in the fields lining the road.
Plant types are diverse, but most stay rooted in place.
To conserve energy, maybe?
Da-jeong pointed at a massive plant monster.
"We used to play hide-and-seek inside those things back in the day."
Touch the leaves, and it snaps shut, trapping you.
Then slowly dissolves you—a pretty gruesome death, even in-game.
Better to die quick.
"Yeah. But not today."
"Wanna test it with a ghoul? See how fast the leaves close?"
"About 1.5 seconds."
"Ooh, monster攻略 master as expected."
While Geum-in focused on shelters, I zeroed in on monsters.
"The ones poorly rooted like that can't eat well, so the leaves are weak. Up to two seconds. Healthy ones snap in under a second."
"How do you tell strong from weak?"
"Check the veins on the back of the leaves. Bright green means healthy."
"Oh ho."
I eyed the thorny fruits on the plant's core.
Those were pretty tasty.
"Goblins love those fruits. They toss stuff into the leaves and snatch them during the gap."
"Let's do that."
Da-jeong licked her lips and glanced at me.
Surely she wasn't thinking of throwing me in?
Luckily, she picked her weakest ghoul.
She'd babied the old-school zombies like they were boyband idols, but not these ghouls.
When I asked why, she shrugged.
"They're ugly. Look at those brutal faces. You think I wanna pamper that?"
"...Fair point."
The boyband zombies had been pretty-boy types, intentionally selected or not.
But no need to throw ghouls anymore.
A pack of goblins emerged from the fog.
Da-jeong lit up like it was manna from heaven and had her ghouls grab them, tossing into the leaves.
Kieek!
Kiik!
The leaves clamped down on contact, not letting go.
Ghouls snatched the fruits in the opening.
Damn, these are good.
We fed goblins to the plant monsters and harvested fruits.
Then, on the road up to Jinkang Mountain, we spotted a military base.
Normally I'd pass it by, but now we needed something.
Gunpowder.
.
.
.
Military bases usually have ammo depots.
From 5.56mm rounds to grenades, cremors—packed with dangerous stuff.
Problem was, the Metal Plague had crumbled all the casings.
A little friction sparks a boom, and the depot's toast.
Luckily, this one's intact.
Da-jeong grumbled that it looked like a rural outhouse.
"You need gunpowder, right?"
"I'd grab it myself, but one slip and the whole area's gone."
I told her about Busan.
Her hand gripped my shoulder at the mushroom cloud mention.
"If you die, I'll turn you into a ghoul."
"Gone without a trace. Gunpowder's no joke."
I shelved the curiosity about ghoul conversion post-death.
Plastic shovel in the dimension gate might work, but no guarantees it'd hold.
So Da-jeong sent in a ghoul.
It scooped powder; others portioned it; we bagged it in plastic.
Da-jeong, beat, headed to the barracks. I showed the portioned powder to the beetles.
"This work?"
Hmm...
Leader Beetle pondered, then directed his crew.
They separated iron bits from the powder.
Cautiously nipping and moving metal, leaving pure powder.
Leader put some in a bowl, lit it with a flint.
Fwoosh.
Powder blazed; beetles recoiled in surprise.
Leader, pleased with the firepower, raised a foreclaw.
Now, just figure out primers for live rounds.
"How long for primers?"
Too pushy? They looked stumped.
I tapped their carapaces reassuringly.
"No rush. Take it slow. Your safety first."
Their eyes sparkled, touched.
Come to think of it, they'd grown a lot.
Plum-sized at first; now tangerine-big.
Stronger too, tackling jobs they'd never managed before.
Must be the emperor honey.
Save it for when they need it.
We rummaged the rotting kitchen crates for rations.
Rice, hardtack, a few MRE boxes—that's it.
Da-jeong eyed her drooling ghouls worriedly.
"They're hungry. Gotta feed 'em something."
"Rice?"
"They eat it, but it doesn't give full strength. That goblin toss earlier was off."
Monsters cluster where people do.
Ganghwa's sparse population meant few monsters.
We strolled past rice paddies and empty farmhouses—the only "scenery."
Looks like a normal countryside, but we're the only humans.
Da-jeong hooked her arm in mine.
"You never get lonely solo?"
"Dunno. Never really feel it. Too busy."
Months into the apocalypse, no loneliness.
Personality, plus companions for bonding.
Beetles, Dingo, Ding-soon-i...
Boat buddies.
Somehow, basic comms with beetles kept solitude at bay.
But Da-jeong clung tight, whispering.
"Didn't notice in the city, but here? Kinda emotional. Just us."
"Ganghwa's population was tiny..."
"Wow, you're so cold..."
Now you know?
Suddenly, her legs hurt; she begged a piggyback.
"You're fit—why? You have ghouls."
"I've helped you plenty. Piggyback, now."
Whiny, but fine.
I hoisted her onto my back, strolling the quiet paddy path.
Felt her squirming behind me.
That... yeah, definitely big.
"Never noticed before, but your back's so broad. Feels safe, cozy. Sleepy."
"Drool and you're dropped."
"Such a bad boy."
"Psychopath closer. I just need me."
"...Me and To-gong?"
"You two included. You won't betray and bolt."
"Good."
She nuzzled my back, drowsy.
"Back at the shelter, Grandpa got serious. Asked if we'd settle here."
"You turned him down, so here we are."
"Yeah... But it shook me. Felt his sincerity."
"What sincerity?"
"His goal: officiate weddings someday."
I almost laughed, but nah.
Officiating weddings means society's stabilized.
Beating back monsters, rebuilding civ for "frivolous" ceremonies? Near impossible.
President Jang Won-taek might be dreaming at his age.
Of a day that may never come.
Couldn't mock him.
Da-jeong yanked my neck closer.
"Slipping down. Hold my butt proper."
"Chatty much."
Too big to hold easy.
I bounced her back up.
When Metal Plague fades, motorcycle these country roads?
Sounds fun.
Told Da-jeong; she choked me.
"Squirrel much? Hoarding all that?"
"Trying to survive solo meant skimping prep."
"You gotta ride me later, motorcycle."
"Gas first."
She hopped off, snapped fingers.
Ghouls lifted us; we sped off.
Shoulda done this sooner.
Blasted to Ganghwa-eup in seconds.
But the vibe's off.
.
.
.
"Lots of people..."
"All Chinese, right?"
"Yeah."
"Invading our land to steal? Unbelievable."
"Gotta scramble to survive."
We peeked from the bank.
Across the road, folks approached the gas station, then fled.
Not a pre-apoc station—a fuel storage depot.
Vines ringed it; plant monsters everywhere.
Regular monsters too; total chaos.
"Everyone, run!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Even the Chinese who'd snuck in during the chaos got chased out.
Broad road crammed with monsters and people.
Thought it was just us; awkward.
Chinese after the depot's fuel stash, obviously.
Smell carries.
I Griffon's Eye'd inside.
"Blue barrels diesel, yellow gasoline, green kerosene."
"Yellow only, then?"
Such modest talk.
"Nah, all of it."
Stockpile; it'll come in handy someday.
Da-jeong gawked.
"Greedy much..."
"Now you see? I'll grab every drop, even if it means dumping rice. Expand shelter on the way down, hit the grain center."
Grain center nearby.
Chinese probably looted it; outer warehouse empty, inner intact.
Maybe monster attack mid-loot.
But how to snag fuel amid that mess?
Chinese, monsters, plants, writhing vines—pandemonium.
Da-jeong shook her head.
"We jump in, total mess. Even ghouls won't cut it."
What're you saying?
"Not impossible."
"How?"
"Use them."
I called Dingo and Ding-soon-i from the shelter.
Da-jeong startled at Ding-soon-i first.
"When'd Dingo grow this big?"
"Not Dingo—that's Ding-soon-i, the female."
"For real...?"
Neither paid her much mind.
Peeved, she tugged a tail; Ding-soon-i growled low.
"Feisty one. Took after her owner."
"Sorry, wild wolf. Sticks by me to eat Dingo."
"Eat Dingo?"
"Uh... reverse harem?"
"Ah, got it."
Why the lecherous stare?
I explained the plan; she doubted.
"Won't work... Better I yell 'Free Tibet' and snag during the distraction?"
Flashed to To-gong screaming Taiwan Number One.
Crazies connect, huh.
I calmed her.
"Surprisingly worked on Koreans. Same for them."
"Would shock my country too..."
Da-jeong eyed Dingo and Ding-soon-i; I petted them.
Your turn this time. Do me proud.
End of Mistletoe - 2