The Truth Behind the Atlas and the Dark Elf Sword
"We only managed to secure a few police shields, so I think we'll have to make the rest ourselves. It would also be great if we had enough helmets to protect everyone's heads," Jihye said.
"There should be plenty of helmets if we go to a motorcycle shop. Helmets with visors would be best, right? You know, whenever I read post-apocalyptic novels, the characters never get infected even when zombie bodily fluids splatter into their eyes, nose, or mouth. But if the virus is transmitted through bodily fluids via a bite, shouldn't there be a chance of infection through those mucous membranes? Back during COVID, there were so many routes—airborne, droplets, contact, bodily fluids. Every time I read those novels, it never made sense to me."
"Well, I wouldn't know much about that. But either way, having a visor makes it much easier to run fast, so I'd prefer one too."
"The police substation was an emergency, but we really shouldn't go outside unless absolutely necessary until the first two weeks are up. We can get the helmets later. Once we're done with training, let's scavenge the officetel for materials to make shields."
Wrapping up our discussion on gear and equipment, we stepped out into the second-floor hallway.
First, we decided to form a battle line under Jihye's direction.
"First, Honey and I will play the role of the zombies, just like that man and woman from two Saturdays ago."
"Let's call the fast ones like that guy 'Fast Zombies,' and the slow, brainless ones with brute strength like that woman 'Normal Zombies.'"
"Sounds good. Honey, you'll be the Fast Zombie, and I'll be the Normal Zombie. Since we don't have enough shields for everyone right now, let's practice without them. We won't always be fully geared up when we face the enemy."
"Let's put the men in the very front. My two fathers-in-law and Ju-ho, step up."
No way in hell am I using my women as meat shields.
Ji-hoon and Ju-ho obediently walked forward to form the line, but Hyeong-uk stood his ground, refusing to budge.
"People who don't work and just waste our water and food have no right to exist. Jihye, Minji, you know what I mean, right?"
Perhaps recalling the bloodbath from last Friday, Jihye shuddered, her face flushing red. Minji, quick as a squirrel, darted over to her father's side and whispered something in his ear. Only then did Hyeong-uk finally move and take his place.
"See, Father-in-law? Wouldn't it have been so much easier if you just listened the first time? Good job, Minji. You really are my primary wife."
Pat, pat.
I patted her on the butt as a reward.
Minji seemed pleased, burying her face in my chest instead of looking at me.
"For now, you three stand in the front row. It doesn't matter who's on the left, right, or center."
They're all just meat shields anyway.
How should I position the rest? First of all, Minji has her stealth assassin skill, so it would be better to deploy her as a mobile skirmisher rather than locking her into a rigid formation. Jeong-ah is physically weak and faint-hearted, so she probably won't be much help in a direct clash. But even someone like her should be able to fire a crossbow, right?
I went into Minji's room and retrieved the crossbow.
"Mother-in-law Jeong-ah, you use this."
I had confiscated the crossbow and all its accessories from Jung Hyeong-uk's camper van, and now I handed them over to Jeong-ah.
"Ju-ho, how do you cock this thing?"
Knowing Hyeong-uk wouldn't say a word, I asked Ju-ho instead.
"You see this two-pronged fork-like thing? It's called a goat's foot lever. You hook it onto the stock of the crossbow and pull it back using leverage to draw the bowstring. Then you catch it on the trigger."
"Then what is this cord for?"
"That cord can also be used for cocking. See this belt-like strap with a hook at the end? And this stirrup-like ring at the front of the wooden stock? You wear the belt around your waist, hook the cord onto the bowstring, place your foot in the stirrup, and push down—or stand up from a squatting position. That way, you use your leg strength to draw the string and lock it onto the trigger."
"Mother-in-law, give it a try."
Jeong-ah hooked the fork-like lever onto the crossbow and tried to draw the string using leverage, like pulling a mechanical lever. However, she was so utterly lacking in upper body strength that she couldn't even manage that.
"Just use your legs. No matter how weak a woman is, her legs have to support her body weight, so there's bound to be some muscle there."
I stepped behind Jeong-ah, holding her waist to assist her in cocking the string with her legs. Reaching around her from behind, I buckled the belt around her waist, then guided her hands with mine to hook the cord onto the bowstring. Stepping back, I instructed her.
"Now, put your foot in the stirrup and push down with your full body weight."
Hup!
Jeong-ah took a deep breath as if she were preparing for some monumental task.
Regardless, she managed to catch the string on the trigger and loaded a bolt onto the track.
"I'll go grab a target."
I went into Minji's room and retrieved a heart-patterned cushion, which was already riddled with holes from being repeatedly pierced by the "Atlas."
"Why is that full of holes? It looks exactly like the cushion I gave Minji for her birthday," Ju-ho said.
"It got ruined while we were practicing with the Atlas."
"What's an Atlas?"
"How do you not know? Didn't you tell Minji about it? The weapon the American emperor used to win a battle of a hundred against a hundred thousand."
"Ah..."
Ju-ho wore a completely dumbfounded expression.
"What?"
"That's not an 'Atlas,' it's an 'Atlatl.' It's a spear-thrower."
I glared at Minji. Her face flushed bright red with embarrassment, and she quickly averted her eyes. That ignorant little bitch made a total fool out of me!
"Well, the Inca Empire ruled by Atahualpa had a population of about ten million, so calling him an emperor isn't technically wrong. And he could mobilize over a hundred thousand troops. But Atahualpa didn't win; he lost to Francisco Pizarro. And it wasn't a hundred against a hundred thousand, but more like a hundred and sixty against six thousand."
"Then that 'Dark Elf Sword' Minji mentioned... is that not a dark elf thing either?"
"Pfft, hahaha! It's not a 'Dark Elf' sword, it's an 'Obsidian' sword. It's called a macuahuitl. They sound cool, but both the atlatl and the macuahuitl were such garbage weapons that they lost even with a sixty-to-one advantage."
What? Atlatl and Axolotl? Okay, let's not blame Minji too much. The names are so retarded, it's no wonder she couldn't remember them. But not only were the names stupid, the weapons themselves were absolute trash. No wonder Ye-jeong threw them out at Minji's place.
"Oh, but it is true that you can hunt mammoths or elephants with a spear-thrower. Even now, you can find videos on Tube of people in Africa hunting elephants, hippos, rhinos, and lions with spears. Though they can't do it anymore because of wildlife protection laws."
"Mother-in-law, try shooting that heart now."
At my command, both Minji and Ju-ho winced. Ah, right. Ju-ho gave her that for her birthday. Forget about any gifts from other men from now on, Jeong Minji.
"Wait a minute!"
Minji suddenly stepped forward.
"Auntie, don't shoot! That's my birthday present!"
Minji snatched the heart cushion away. Left with no choice, I decided to take Jihye and Ji-hoon to scavenge the empty apartments on the second floor to make a proper target.
Since Choi Ji-hoon didn't know that Minji, Jihye, and I had slaughtered the residents of Rooms 201, 204, 205, and 207, we avoided those corpse-filled units. Rooms 202, 206, and 208 were completely vacant and empty of belongings, so we skipped those as well. The only remaining unit on the second floor was Room 203, whose owner had traveled far away and never returned after the nuclear blast.
"Minji, I'm going to make a target. Keep a close eye on everyone so they don't wander off."
Leaving Minji in charge, the three of us headed to Room 203. Since Jung Hyeong-uk was the least trustworthy of the bunch, someone had to keep watch.
We searched Room 203, found an empty duffel bag, and stuffed it with clothes to create a makeshift target.
We brought the target back, set it up in the middle of the hallway, and I gave the order.
"Mother-in-law, fire."
*Thwack!*
Perhaps because the distance was short, even Jeong-ah, who had zero military experience, managed to hit it. However, practicing with live ammunition like this was too dangerous, so we fashioned training bolts by wrapping the tips of wooden sticks with cloth.
We lined up the three men in front, wearing stab-proof vests and gloves, with empty revolvers tucked into their vest pouches and telescopic batons in hand. Behind them stood Ye-jeong with a fire axe and Jeong-ah with the crossbow.
As the opposing force, Jihye and I armed ourselves with her whip and my traditional military saber.
Minji stood in front of the three men, holding a small block of wood instead of her dagger.
The blade and pick of Ye-jeong's fire axe were wrapped in cloth and secured with duct tape, and my saber's scabbard was similarly padded and taped. Jihye held a three-meter nylon cord in her right hand, with a telescopic baton in her left as a sidearm.
Divided into two opposing forces, we stood in the hallway, glaring at each other. Team Doyoung lined up near Room 206, while Team Minji assembled near Room 204.
"Jihye, even if you channel mana into your whip, make sure you don't slice anyone open. Only use the electric shock, got it?"
"Don't state the obvious."
Hey, with Jihye, you can never be too sure.
*Whoosh—*
Suddenly, Minji vanished.
Fuck, even knowing she has that skill, I could easily get caught off guard if I'm not careful.
I swung my padded saber blindly in her general direction.
*Clang!*
Minji's block of wood collided with my scabbard.
Minji swiftly retreated. A dagger has a short reach; once a surprise attack fails, there's no advantage in facing a long blade head-on.
In that brief window, Jihye charged forward, lashing her whip.
"Aaaargh!"
Even with three meat shields in front, they couldn't block her for shit. One by one, they collapsed, twitching from the electric shocks. I should probably make her use a 1.5-meter whip next time. Controlling a three-meter whip with mana makes her completely untouchable.
*Thwip—*
*Thud!*
"Ah!"
Jeong-ah fired her crossbow. Jihye tried to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough and took the training bolt right to her left arm.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
*Crack!*
"Aaargh!"
Seizing the opening, Ye-jeong charged with her fire axe, but Jihye recovered instantly. With a crack of her whip, she sent a jolt of electricity through Ye-jeong, sending her crashing to the floor.
Yeah, just like I thought last time, her skill doesn't paralyze the muscles like a Taser. It inflicts pure, agonizing pain on the skin to incapacitate them.