Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: D - 13
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"It was a real pain hunting down legs without joints."
"Ah, so the joints have metal parts too?"
"Yeah. The guy at the eyeglasses shop was like, 'Why do you need these old relics?' But that's exactly what I needed."
Her face, smiling as she said that, radiated a strong 80s vibe.
"It suits you well."
"Really? Glad to hear it."
She continued.
"I did some digging when there were no orders, and this whole thing is way more serious than I thought. With all these superpowered folks debuting lately... is it really happening? That's what kept crossing my mind. Especially that Silver Spore meteor."
"It fragmented near Jupiter two days ago, right? Don't know its exact position now, but it's barreling toward Earth full speed."
Her expression slowly hardened.
"Whew..."
Soo-yeon fanned herself with her hand, like she was hot.
Mi-kyung's head had quietly ducked back inside at some point.
"Anyway, I stayed up all night researching because of that. Those Awakener people... they're preparing for the end times way more systematically than I imagined."
"If you think the apocalypse is coming, how can you just sit still? Same for me."
"I looked into it too, and it seems almost certain it'll happen. If it was just one or two people, I'd brush it off, but thousands... So I was torn. Should I prepare or not?"
"Most people conclude they should."
She let her shoulders slump weakly.
"Sigh... Yeah. I just stormed out of the hospital. Turned off my phone too."
"The ER... it'll be fine, right?"
Soo-yeon grinned and straightened her shoulders.
"The ER will run without me. Anyway, I'm gearing up for the end times too, in my own way. Along the way, saying hi to others who are preparing."
That's why she came to me.
Exchanging names in front of the hardware store could turn into a precious connection in the apocalypse.
She extended her hand to me.
"I'm a doctor, so if we survive, I'll be super useful. High value. If you help me, Sung-ho, I'll help you."
"A deal, huh."
"Not a bad one, right? Finding emergency care in the apocalypse won't be easy."
She had a point.
Getting close to Soo-yeon wouldn't hurt me either.
Better a dry transaction than someone clinging desperately.
I shook her hand.
Soo-yeon eyed the motorcycle.
"With the Metal Plague, won't operating a bike be impossible?"
"I haven't ridden much, so I figured I'd give it a shot now."
Actually, it's for maneuvering in the forest.
And for quick movement on the day the zombie outbreak hits.
Five hours before the Metal Plague hits, so I can sweep up supplies with high mobility.
She must've read my expression differently, because her eyes turned wistful.
"Well, cruising the coastal road does sound romantic. Impossible once the apocalypse hits... See you next time, Sung-ho."
"Yeah. If we survive."
She smiled at my addendum and drove off.
Alright then... time for me to get to work.
I decided to ditch the Tamah, which had been my trusty ride for so long, and shop with the SUV.
"Why do I need so much stuff..."
Mostly ingredients for canning.
Canned goods are long-term storage food that won't raise suspicions in the current situation.
Smoked meat and dried fish can last long too, of course.
But pulling them out during the apocalypse would make people think weirdly.
Where'd he get that from?
Since I wasn't planning to go full hermit and avoid everyone, I needed normal rations.
Canning was one option.
I had to roam actively in the zombie world.
To farm points, clear quests and events.
Of course, no guarantee all game elements would become real.
But better to prepare ahead and avoid suspicion.
"This goes in storage on the second floor."
Kimchi, Korea's essential staple, I'd make while expanding the shelter.
For now, grab jars first and bury them...
As I pondered all this, Mi-kyung's head poked out from the salon again.
"Uncle, you know the ER doc?"
Guess that was bugging her.
I kept scribbling on my notepad busily as I answered.
"Met her recently. In front of the hardware store, chatting about good weapons against zombies."
"What'd you conclude?"
"Baseball bats suck, so we decided to order from overseas sites."
"Hehe, I got one too."
Mi-kyung and her American Smasher... or rather, her jet-black bat emerged in sync.
These things are popular.
"Called the importer, and they said they'd stocked a ton. So I grabbed some for you guys."
Indian War Clubs probably had low orders, so they'd need to import fresh.
Mi-kyung took interest in my notepad.
She poked around it curiously, looking just like a squirrel. Adorable.
"Canning... We're doing that too."
"Yeah? Makes sense."
Everyone was making their own survival rations, it seemed.
Possible thanks to the detailed wiki survivalists had built up.
I was benefiting from it too.
Truth was, with the Metal Plague, we couldn't stock cans, so canning was one of the few options.
Mi-kyung glanced around, then stared piercingly at my forearm.
"Whoa... veins popping out here."
"Lost some weight."
I brushed it off and kept listing items.
But something felt off.
I turned, and there she was, poking my vein with her fingertip.
"..."
A brief, wordless silence hung between us.
She noticed my gaze and scurried back into the salon.
It's not like touching bothers me.
I folded the notepad and tucked it in the trunk.
Glass jars essential for canning could be ordered online, but too bulky.
"Might break too... Better buy in person."
Grab a vacuum sealer while I'm at it.
Winter's coming soon, so pack meat with deoxidizers for pretty long storage.
"At least till early spring."
By then, the real world would be midwinter, perfect timing to transfer.
Couldn't store forever, but enough till I learned smoking and drying skills.
Barking from Dingo echoed from the second floor.
Guess he was bored waiting.
I fed Dingo and headed to the food mart.
.
.
.
Canning isn't really long-term storage, actually.
Shelf life is only 1-2 years.
Still, I was doing it because of the forest climate.
"Winter's almost here... gotta try a garden..."
Lots of crops grow in winter, of course.
Potatoes, lettuce, spinach, onions, etc.
But unsure about the forest winter, so holding off.
If I make a garden and it snows like crazy, total bust.
Could build a greenhouse, sure.
"What if winter drags on forever?"
No guarantee the reverse seasons from Korea would persist.
If winter lasted a year...
"I'd need a ton of firewood."
Made the shelter even more justified.
Anyway, needed veggies to supply nutrients till spring.
Supplements existed, but couldn't match fresh veggies' satisfaction.
Added supplements to the list and ordered.
Man, canning's trickier than I thought.
Thought it'd be easy, but temperature, pressure... lots to mind.
"Damn, harder than eating it."
I roughly chopped cucumbers.
The narrow living room overflowed with mart-bought ingredients.
Dingo showed massive interest in the peaches.
"Hey, that's not for now."
Woof! Woof!
With his killer nose, he must've caught that insane sweetness.
Tried ignoring, but he was flipping out, so I relented to one.
"Just one, okay?"
Sliced a peach, and his tail turned propeller.
"Someone's flying high."
Chomp chomp chomp!
He devoured it in seconds and shot me intense puppy eyes.
"No. That's for later."
I showed my palm, and Dingo dropped his head, settling to watch obediently.
He knew now.
When I show my palm, playtime's over.
Maybe he saw me as pack leader.
I mindlessly chopped fruit and veggies, canning away.
First tries were trial and error, but soon it was simple repetition.
Corked the lids, sealed with rings.
Pop when opening means good seal.
I worked while listening to the TV.
Plan was to bolt at first news of mystery monsters.
"Hope the cops don't respond first..."
News daily bashed police for botched early responses.
Honestly wished they'd slack off completely this time.
As long as no one got hurt.
"No one knows the info, right..."
Mid-fruit chop, I searched Awakener communities on my laptop.
Hmm... nothing major.
Free board was the usual shitshow of fights.
Topic: Would apartments collapse or not?
"Must've shoved rags in their mouths."
As the end neared, folks were jittery, snapping at nothing.
Anyway, everyone's curiosity boiled down to one thing.
Post-zombie outbreak, could they loot apartments?
Marts and shops would swarm with zombies, so target homes instead.
Apartments' density meant stable looting.
Depending on timing, some floors might have few zombies.
"That's if they don't collapse."
Truth was, apartments would crumble.
Post-tutorial, dozens of videos showed no tall buildings.
"Around 7-8 stories max, seems like."
Any non-local building collapsed.
So, being near tall ones on outbreak day was risky.
Luckily, no real high-rises around here.
"Oh, someone I know showed up."
An architecture major explained why tall buildings fall.
Awakeners half-accepted but clung to apartment hopes.
Made sense—no better farming spot.
Some boasted about raiding private shooting ranges.
"Private ranges do sound tempting."
But how to store the guns?
Spore attachment on air exposure.
One Awakener had an idea.
"Roughly 6 months to a year."
Videos would confirm eventually.
Even with perfect storage, minimum 6 months no guns.
Dead by then? Tough luck.
Still, decent method.
No big use to me, but Awakeners might try.
Issue: Where to get guns...
"Raiding a private range, or basically impossible?"
A few powered folks could dodge security or cops, maybe.
Refreshed for replies—post deleted.
"They serious?"
Looked like erasing evidence to actually do it.
"I could use a gun too."
Raiding foreign marts? Too many risks.
Get caught, remaining time vanishes.
Better exploit day-one chaos.
Familiar territory for me.
Two chances anyway.
Russian fishing boat event in a few days.
And outbreak-day looting amid confusion.
With dimension gate's invis/transparency, not too hard.
Could snag all station weapons and ammo.
Military base... tempting, but too risky.
"There's an infantry regiment nearby."
Outbreak hits, they'd face massive chaos.
Half their training buddies turn zombie.
Even if they rally and deploy, firing on zombies is tough.
Early zombies don't look like zombies.
"Honestly, they're just spore-brainwashed lunatics, not zombies."
Would brass order fire?
Could soldiers shoot charging civilians?
"Plenty'll desert."
Loot guns in the chaos... not easy.
But wait patiently, opportunity comes.
Like in Survival Life.
[D - 13] End