Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: D - 16
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These days, the morning news makes me frown without fail.
It's a summary of last night's incidents, and they're all caused by these so-called Awakened.
Robbing cash from convenience stores is just child's play.
Some are ripping out entire ATMs.
There was even a guy who got drunk, caused a ruckus, and ended up wanted by the police.
How do I know he was an Awakened?
Not many can vanish right in front of the cops' eyes.
At the end of the broadcast, the announcer cautiously added,
"The behavior of those who recently revealed themselves to us, so-called Awakened, is growing increasingly rough. Don't we need to figure out what they want and what they're up to?"
"Too late..."
I flipped the channel, and there was yesterday's National Assembly interpellation against the government.
"Is the government even grasping the situation with these people? I'm really curious! Does the Minister know?"
"Uh... We're continuously working to accurately tally their numbers at present..."
"I could say that too. Have you heard this? People calling themselves Awakened are preparing for the zombie outbreak."
The Minister of the Interior and Safety was getting an earful from someone behind him.
Probably some advice.
The assemblyman, furious, raised his voice with the mic off.
"What the hell are you doing? What is the Ministry even doing? Thousands of people suddenly get weird powers, they're plotting some conspiracy online, and the Minister doesn't even know properly? Is this for real?"
"And what the hell is the Ministry of National Defense doing? What's the status on that deserter shooting incident a few days ago? Do your jobs right for once. The public is frustrated."
"Wait, hold on a second."
As more assemblymen raised their voices, the chamber grew chaotic.
Watching TV, I felt a bit relieved.
The black-suited agents weren't likely to come knocking.
It had been over two weeks since people Awakened and the silver spore meteor appeared.
Yet the government's grasp on the situation was still that slow...
"There must be some reason for it."
Not my concern, though.
I pulled up a site for space enthusiasts, curious about the meteor's progress.
"It's making good time."
Already near Jupiter, apparently.
But something happened en route, making arrival estimates tricky. Everyone was scratching their heads.
—According to NASA, Jupiter's gravity definitely split the meteor. Fragments confirmed.
That explains it.
The celestial body that triggers the Russian fishing boat event.
And five days after that, the zombie outbreak hits.
Sixteen days left.
While ordering groceries from the mall, a delivery text came in.
Generator series and CCTV set.
"Finally here."
I went down to the first floor, grabbed it, and hauled it up to the second in a hurry.
Unpacking carefully, I wondered if I could even operate this stuff properly.
"Just read the manual thoroughly. The manual..."
Everything but the diesel generator manual was in English.
"At least it's not Chinese..."
I pored over the manuals, translating every sentence.
This was a precious piece that would power my hideout.
If I couldn't use the generator, my entire plan crumbled.
Good thing the otherworldly forest meant no Metal Plague risk.
"Shouldn't be too hard."
Luckily, even a total novice like me could set it up cautiously.
Run the cable outside... install the panel...
I suffered through the process.
Finding an angle hidden from monsters but optimal for sunlight was tough.
"Damn. Fixing this in place is tricky."
I barely secured it with extra mortar.
Camouflaging? Cut some bushes and layered them in front.
From outside, it didn't look suspicious.
"This'll do."
Wang.
I took Dingo inside and fired up the generator with anticipation.
Hm... pretty quiet.
The faint hum was from the inverter, apparently.
Couldn't reduce it, so I'd get used to it.
"Charging's taking a while."
Bored, I fetched diesel fuel and tested the diesel generator.
The roar exploded the moment I fueled and started it.
Dingo flinched and bolted.
"Gah!"
I shut it off fast.
Every monster in the neighborhood would come running.
Diesel generator only after securing more safety.
The hand-crank generator did its job, though.
Cranking hard charged a tablet.
Stacking delivered groceries in the storeroom, numbers appeared on the solar panel.
"12.5 volts..."
I hooked up laptop, tablet, and phone.
Charging messages popped up.
"Amazing."
Using electronics in another dimension, not even Earth.
Cloudy cold days would cut efficiency, but batteries would cover it.
"Now, if only I could hook up the CCTV..."
Capacity was iffy.
But I wouldn't charge multiple devices at once, so it'd work.
Unpacked and roughly installed outside; the monitor lit up.
"Whoa... sharp quality."
Civilian CCTV these days was this clear?
Motion detection too.
Set zones, and it alerts laptop or phone on movement.
Test: Sent Dingo outside the cave to wait.
Bored, he scratched his head with a hind paw...!
Short range via Bluetooth, but...
"Good enough."
As long as no surprise attacks while sleeping in the cave.
The second-floor house was comfy now, but post-zombie outbreak? Not so much.
Better the cave than zombie groans from all sides.
"Screams echoing everywhere too."
That chaos was nearing.
The solar generator opened up possibilities.
Two LED lights lit the cave softly.
"Too bright might tip off monsters..."
I added blackout curtains to the door, maximizing stealth.
Until full power setup, staying undetected was best.
Time to expand the basement soon, though.
Stockpiles were eating up space.
"Expansion on hold for now..."
Couldn't leave stuff outside unguarded.
Best to dig downward.
Decision made, I bought a sturdy pickaxe and materials.
Digging now would echo outside.
Previously, with nothing to lose, fleeing was easy. Not anymore.
Full stockpile; couldn't abandon it.
"Gotta try my best."
I erected sandwich panels, slathered soundproofing.
Stuffed foam in gaps, finished with more absorber.
"Should be silent now."
Tested with Bluetooth speaker.
Outside, barely audible.
Forest wasn't dead silent anyway; low detection risk.
Unless a keen-eared monster like a kobold passed by.
"Daytime only."
Pickaxe in hand.
Watched tons of basement vids; technique ingrained.
Issue: Could I actually do it?
"Just do it."
Winter freezes ground; now or never.
I struck the earth.
Soon after.
"Huff... huff... this is no joke."
Bone-deep realization.
Casual digging till you hit something vs. building a basement? Worlds apart.
Needed ~5x5x3m for stockpile basement.
Soft soil at first; seemed easy.
But hauling dirt? Nightmare.
"Endless dirt..."
Deeper, disposal got tough; used ladder.
Couldn't pile in narrow cave; dumped outside.
"Damn. Moving it sucks."
Vids used trucks for warehouse basements.
No truck here; manual labor it was.
Dingo just watched from above. Useless.
"...Cute's enough."
Dug more vids; found pulley method.
"Need pulley... rope... bucket..."
And support beam.
Research install.
Brought laptop upstairs, surfed.
Internet invites distractions.
Soon browsing Awakened communities.
"These idiots got scammed."
Quite a few sent ten million won to ID Help Me.
Fall for that...
Hard to blame the scammer here.
World coming where that shit doesn't matter.
Act naive, lose more than money—your head.
"Scammers everywhere."
Where people gather, money flows.
Awakened sites overflowed with lawsuit threats.
Sixteen days left; what good's suing?
"Hm..."
Another post caught my eye.
"Been a while."
Familiar ID.
Active before the final four logged off.
Kind to newbies, clicked with us; partied sometimes.
~1,000 hours playtime?
Quit regretting missing big monsters; unexpected here.
Bunker in Busan too.
"Should I...?"
Opened DMs, hesitated long.
MyDream was a long-time player.
Concrete bunker showed prep.
Searched his posts: Tips dominating boards.
Hundreds comments; he replied each.
Genuine dedication.
"Seems decent..."
Unlike me, wanted to help folks.
But rationally? No reason to contact.
I had much to offer him; he had zilch for me.
Concrete bunker? 3-year stock?
Sorry, my forest and cave sturdier, richer.
Installed generator today; garden next—bunker irrelevant.
Forest: No Metal Plague.
Means metal stockpiling.
"Watch for now..."
No rush contacting.
If Bunny Duo, Duck Down Quack, or Survivor1 join, reconsider...
Bookmarked MyDream's post, closed laptop.
Delivery texts nonstop.
"Damn. Ordered too much."
But apocalypse luxuries.
Hit nearby hardware store for pulley gear.
Hard day ahead.