A Fortress for a Lifetime
As if to emphasize that it had once been a closed school, three cars passed through the iron-grille gate—which still retained its school-gate shape—and came to a halt in the middle of the playground.
"It’s certainly spacious. If the school was this big, the neighborhood must have been quite lively back in the day," Baek Ha-il remarked, looking around. Jun-ho nodded.
"They say over fifty households lived in this vicinity until the 80s."
"Is that so? Well, let's see... back then, people usually had two or three kids. Goodness, there must have been at least a hundred students."
"Probably. Besides, there was a tunnel open back then, too."
"Ah, the tunnel they mentioned over there?" Baek Ha-il asked, pointing to the southwest, away from the school building. Jun-ho nodded again.
"They say people and cars passed through it until the 90s. Then it was closed because it failed safety standards. The residents here filed complaints, but since the population had dwindled and Namyangju was more of a rural area than a city back then, the issue just fizzled out."
"That must have been around the time those bridges and department stores collapsed. Safety standards became incredibly strict nationwide, and every bridge and tunnel in the country was in chaos."
Baek Ha-il lowered his voice, glancing at the architect, the construction crew, and the people from Dow Computing who were busy taking photos. "But won't people be coming and going through that tunnel later? Once the apocalypse hits, 'no entry' signs won't mean a thing."
"True. A few people might pass through the tunnel. But they won't come all the way up here. As you can see, this place is quite high up."
It was true. The abandoned school site, which now housed the Sky Forest Campsite—soon to be 'Our Shelter'—was located near the middle of a mountain. The mountain wasn't particularly tall, but to get here from the road below, one had to walk several hundred meters along a winding path. It was a distance that would take at least ten minutes even for an adult male walking briskly.
"And, brother, you can't really see this place from down below. The trees are quite dense even now, right? By the time things go south, it’ll be even more overgrown."
"I suppose so. The city office wouldn't pay attention to a place like this anyway. It’s all about budget and time, and public officials aren't exactly known for that."
Baek Ha-il finally looked relieved, smiling faintly as he tapped Jun-ho on the arm. "I thought there would be more people since it's the capital region, but you really found a hidden gem. Even in the outskirts of Busan, there are dozens of people living around, but this is the first time I've seen a neighborhood with absolutely no one."
"The village has been dead for over ten years. There are owners for the fields down below, but it seems only a few people come by during the farming season. But I’m planning to buy those up if the opportunity arises."
No one lived in the vicinity anymore. Most of the residents had moved away to other cities or villages over the mountain long ago, or had passed away due to old age. Yet, the land remained. Since it was a neighborhood with no market value, the house sites were left abandoned, and only a few small fields were occasionally tended to by elderly people who had moved to the next village as a way to pass the time.
"Is that so? But you have to do it quietly so word doesn't get out. In the countryside, if rumors spread that someone with money is buying up land, all sorts of pests start swarming."
"I’m sure. But you don't have to worry too much. We have Attorney Lee Dong-cheol, don't we?"
"Aha! If it’s that gentleman, he’s reliable. Wow... Ho-ya, you really have a plan for everything, don't you?"
Jun-ho didn't answer, just smiled and shrugged. No matter how he looked at it, hiring Lee Dong-cheol, despite the various risks, had been a great decision. Just as Baek Ha-il said, this was the first time Jun-ho had seen public officials be this kind and cooperative. Certainly, even though he had only served for two years, the title of 'Prosecutor' and his connections still held weight. Especially since it hadn't been five years since he worked at the Namyangju Branch, his influence was still effective. If Lee Dong-cheol could quietly persuade the landowners in the area through officials who were susceptible to his influence—or rather, the influence of his connections—
'All the land around here will become mine. Until the apocalypse hits, no one but us will come near this place.'
In its heyday, this village had been a 'proper' one with over 200 residents and even a branch elementary school. Even if everyone had left over the course of thirty years, it was entirely possible that elderly people looking for land to tinker with or people visiting out of attachment to 'their land' might show up. Jun-ho wanted to prevent even such occurrences, and for that, Lee Dong-cheol's ability was crucial.
'When construction begins in earnest, I'll push for the land purchase as well and give him a bonus.'
There was still plenty of capital. By April 2024, an additional 8 to 9 billion won was expected to come in, so spending a few tens of millions was no problem. Even a hunting dog wouldn't be loyal if fed only basic feed. You had to give them snacks and special treats to earn true loyalty. Thinking of that, Jun-ho suddenly remembered his real dog and turned his head, raising his voice.
"Purdy!"
Purdy, who had been happily roaming around the playground, inspecting the place he would soon call home, came running like the wind.
"My goodness, the more I look at this guy, the more handsome he is. Purdy, let's get along well with me, too."
Woof!
As Baek Ha-il laughed and stroked Purdy's head, Purdy, who had been sitting proudly in front of Jun-ho, barked once as if he understood.
"This dog is incredibly smart. Oh, right. Where should we build his kennel?"
"Right next to the entrance of the school building. I can put an electric mat for the winter, but we need to install an air conditioner for the summer."
"You really found a great owner. Where else in the world would you find an owner who installs air conditioning in a doghouse? Anyway, Ho-ya, let's take a walk around with me."
"Yes. Purdy, go play. Keep an eye on the surroundings."
Woof!
Purdy barked energetically and shot across the playground again.
Together with Baek Ha-il, Jun-ho toured the school's main building, warehouse, teacher's quarters, cafeteria, and other auxiliary buildings in sequence. Baek Ha-il’s explanations flowed incessantly for each building.
"For the main building, we'll keep only the frame and strip away the exterior walls and roof entirely. We'll have to redo all the internal plumbing and wiring. Like you said, to block bullets, we'll use high-strength reinforced concrete for the exterior walls and fireproof, bulletproof composite panels for the interior walls."
"The entrances and windows will basically be double bulletproof structures, and we'll install vertical sliding metal defensive doors. I'll handle that myself whenever I have time. We have to keep security in mind."
"The cafeteria building has a wide area and a decent structure. If we reinforce and renovate it a little, we can use it as a workshop and maintenance shop. We only need two lifts. Even if we have more maintenance bays, we won't have enough hands to service more than two vehicles at a time anyway."
"For the three teacher's quarters, we'll keep the basic frame and strip the interior completely. We'll turn them into warehouses, categorized by spare machinery, equipment parts, daily necessities, and electronics."
"Now, we'll dig into the mountain behind us to build a cryogenic freezer and a fuel storage facility. Since we're digging deep into the bedrock, it's the best way to maintain a base temperature. We'll use a VIP and PIR composite insulation structure for the walls, add phenolic foam for the ceiling, and use a multi-layer XPS and VIP structure for the floor. This way, we'll catch both insulation and moisture-proofing, and electricity consumption will drop by more than half."
"And I calculated the solar power generation. If we secure the work paths properly, we can install up to 160 kilowatt-hours worth on the entire roof of the building. In that case, it's better to increase the ESS battery to the 1-megawatt class."
"So, assuming all the buildings and equipment here are running at full load, we'll use a little over 500 kilowatts of electricity per day. Including the AI computer."
"But we'll rarely run it at full load. Usually, we'll only use about 350 to 400 kilowatts a day. Even if it rains or snows, we can just draw about 100 kilowatts from the ESS. We can last at least a week without running the emergency diesel generator."
"But realistically, there's almost never a case where it pours or snows heavily during the day for a whole week, right? In the end, you can consider the diesel generator as something that won't be run except for a test run once a month to keep it from rusting."
Although there were some technical terms, Baek Ha-il's explanation was tailored to Jun-ho's level, making it easy to understand. In short, the conclusion was this:
"If we build it exactly as you said, you mean we won't have to worry for about 30 years?"
"No? If you manage it well, it'll last a lifetime."
Only then could Jun-ho set his mind at ease. After touring the entire site, Jun-ho, who had come up to the roof of the main building to avoid the others who were busy taking photos and surveying, spoke cautiously to Baek Ha-il.
"Brother. I trust you, of course, but I don't have much faith in the architect and the construction company yet. You understand, right?"
"Ah, of course I understand. But why all of a sudden?"
Jun-ho turned his gaze toward the cafeteria building and said, "That cafeteria over there. We're going to use it as a workshop and maintenance shop, right?"
"Yeah."
"We need to create a separate space underground... at least as deep as the second basement level of the building."
"Eh? Why is that?"
"We need a shooting range."
"······!"
Baek Ha-il's eyes widened. But soon, he nodded with a serious expression.
"I suppose so. Since you said we need to replicate firearms in the workshop anyway, we'll need a shooting range to test them."
"Yes. The soundproofing must be thorough, and the ventilation must be perfect so the smell of gunpowder doesn't leak out. You're planning to build a parking lot in the basement of the cafeteria building anyway, right? I thought we could make a secret passage in the parking lot that leads to the shooting range. What do you think?"
"Hmm... structurally, it's entirely possible. Building it... well, we can just call it a warehouse for storing materials. There are many companies that build illegal warehouses underground without the officials knowing anyway. I'll mention it to the construction team quietly. But..."
Baek Ha-il continued with a faint smile, "You and I have to do the soundproofing work there ourselves. We'll need to call your younger brother, too. It'll probably be incredibly grueling."
"Even if it's grueling, we have to do it. And we have plenty of time, don't we? Surely we can finish that within two years?"
"I suppose so. Three or four strong men could finish it in a couple of months. Anyway, I understand."
"Yes. Please pay special attention to security regarding that matter."
"Don't worry. I won't even tell our Ho-ya, or rather, Su-ho."
Watching Baek Ha-il nod with a firm expression, Jun-ho asked as if something had just occurred to him.
"Oh! How is Su-ho doing these days? Everything alright?"
It had already been two weeks since Baek Su-ho had successfully finished his pancreatic cancer surgery and been discharged. Although he had been in frequent contact with Baek Ha-il and heard that everything was going smoothly, Jun-ho had asked just to be sure because he was suddenly curious. However, at Jun-ho's question, Baek Ha-il's expression twisted for a moment. Just as Jun-ho's heart sank, wondering if something had happened, Baek Ha-il let out a sigh.
"Haa! Don't even get me started. That brat, he meets his friends and plays every chance he gets. And then he went around telling everyone in the neighborhood that he doesn't have to go to the military. But when I checked, they said our Ho-ya's surgery went so well that there's absolutely no problem with his digestive function or blood sugar. In the end, he has to go to the military."
"Ah..."
"So I told him he has to go to the military, right? But that guy... do you know what that rascal said? He asked if he wouldn't have to go if he got cancer one more time. Is that something to say to his own father? I don't know where such a lunatic came from."
"I, I see..."
Unable to cry or laugh at the situation, Jun-ho could only nod awkwardly.