This Is My First Time Making a Delivery Like This
The sun dipped below the horizon, and the world was completely swallowed by darkness. The shelter’s annex was plunged into total shadow, and the main building’s retractable bulletproof shutters had been lowered ten minutes before sunset, sealing off all the windows. Once dinner was finished, the shelter residents retreated to their respective rooms. With the exception of Yun Yeong-su, none of them had known anything about the apocalypse, and they were all pushed to the absolute limits of physical and mental exhaustion. They needed time alone to rest.
That was why Jun-ho called only Jun-hyeok and Baek Ha-il to the control room, where Yun Yeong-su practically lived and slept.
“...And that’s how it happened.”
“Those crazy bastards. They’re not even human, they’re just dogs...”
Jun-hyeok gritted his teeth as he listened to the rough summary of Han Chang-sik, Han Chang-oh, and their gang—the same people Jun-ho had witnessed and suffered under in his previous life. The story he had just heard was enough to stir up both shock and fury.
“Hyung, shouldn’t we do something right now? Because of those bastards, other people who barely survived... wait, didn’t you say earlier that one of them is an Elimination Target? If so, shouldn’t we take them out as soon as possible...”
“Not right now.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s true that they’re bastards. But those bastards have, for the time being, saved quite a lot of people.”
“...!?!”
Under the surprised gazes of everyone, Jun-ho spoke about the cruel irony of the apocalyptic era.
“Whether they intended to exploit them or whatever else, it’s a fact that those guys brought dozens of people in and kept them fed. At least half of those people might have died before even six months had passed. Whether by starving to death or getting caught by zombies while out looking for food.”
“...”
“More importantly, there wasn’t just one group like that. Let’s say we wipe them all out. Then what happens to the people they’re holding? Do we have to take all of them in?”
“Ah...”
It was the uncomfortable truth of the apocalypse. Jun-ho had his own basic conscience and morality. But no matter what anyone said, for about the first year after the apocalypse broke out, it was an undeniable fact that ‘villains’—like the Han brothers’ gang or the cult the Baek Ha-il family had relied on in the previous timeline—had kept quite a few other people alive.
“And the most important thing is... among the people they’re going to take in this year, there is a Consideration Target.”
“A Consideration Target...?”
“You’re talking about that thing you mentioned during the day, right?”
Jun-ho nodded at the words of Yun Yeong-su, who had personally created the external survivor database and registered Han Chang-oh and his gang as Elimination Targets and Caution Targets.
“Right. A Consideration Target is someone we could bring into our shelter, put in the container residence, or even leave in Gahyeon-ri and support from afar. Think of them as potential allies. Anyway.”
“...”
“Until that Consideration Target joins the Han gang’s side, we have to leave Han Chang-sik and Han Chang-oh alone. Of course, I don’t intend to watch them for long.”
“So, what you’re saying, Hoya, is that if we kill those two bastards now, we might miss the chance to make that person our ally later?”
“Exactly. And beyond just meeting them or not, that person might die if we don’t.”
The person who would eventually get captured by the Hanchang Development gang—the real estate firm where the brothers Han Chang-sik and Han Chang-oh served as CEO and manager—would suffer, but they wouldn’t die. Of course, considering ‘that person’s’ ability and personality, it was unlikely they would die easily, but you never knew what could happen in this world.
“So, for the time being, we’ll just monitor them. And...”
Jun-ho relayed the subsequent plan to the three of them in detail. Occasionally, someone would ask a question or suggest a different approach to incorporate, but the overall flow didn’t deviate much from the original plan Jun-ho had established.
“...Then, I know you’re tired, but Hyung-nim, let’s go collect the zombie corpses first.”
The shelter’s special vehicles, including the bulletproof car, were basically equipped with thermal imaging cameras, allowing them to move at night without turning on their headlights.
“What about the relay station’s power?”
“It’s not great to do that work at night. Let’s run it on the diesel generator for a few days, and then install solar panels once we assess the situation. We have plenty of fuel.”
The diesel they had purchased from the Volk Group amounted to 20,000 liters. It was stored in a fuel warehouse where temperature and humidity were strictly maintained, divided into 120 200-liter stainless steel metal drums with all sorts of stabilizers, disinfectants, and inhibitors added.
Even if the diesel generator installed at the relay station produced all the power needed for a full month, it would only use about 60 to 70 liters of fuel, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Yeong-su, you launch the drones...”
“I’ll launch four. Two will follow the boss, and I’ll send the other two to scout the nursing home and the detached housing village.”
“Whoa... can you control all of that by yourself?”
“Huh? By myself? No, I’m doing it with someone else.”
“Eh?”
To Baek Ha-il, who was squinting, Yun Yeong-su said with a proud expression, looking around the control room.
“I’m doing it with our Akina. Target auto-recognition is a given. I’ve programmed it to use Vision AI to catch everything, from distinguishing between zombies and humans to predicting behavioral patterns.”
“What did you say...?”
“So, if our shelter AI sees something, it judges it on its own and lets the boss and me know. Not just with a warning sound like before, but with words. Like this.”
As Yun Yeong-su tapped the keyboard a few times, a voice—a bit cold but pleasant and neat—flowed from the speakers.
Jun-ho, who had suddenly thought of something while listening, said to Yun Yeong-su.
“Team Leader Yun, this... is it the right one?”
“Hehe, yep. It’s the Eternal Galaxy Akina voice. Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s not bad.”
In the game, it was the voice of an English-speaking voice actor, but it didn’t sound too awkward speaking in Korean.
“Anyway, from now on, if something is discovered by the drones or CCTV cameras, a report will be sent this way. I’m currently working on more advanced algorithms, and later, I’ll be able to provide even more detailed information by analyzing data with ultra-low latency. For example... telling you the firing coordinates in real-time?”
“That’s insane... Yeong-su, you’re a real genius.”
“Not really. If I were a real genius, I would’ve already gone to the States. Anyway, shall I launch the drones right now?”
“Yeah. Jun-hyeok, Hyung-nim. Let’s go.”
“Got it, Hyung.”
“Let’s do it.”
Because they currently played the most important roles in the shelter, Jun-ho and the three men didn’t have much time to rest. But knowing that this was the path to making the shelter even safer than it was now, they didn’t complain; instead, they took on their respective tasks even more actively.
While Jun-ho, Jun-hyeok, and Baek Ha-il collected and incinerated the zombie corpses they had killed on the way to the relay station during the day, Yun Yeong-su, assisted by the AI Akina, thoroughly scouted the Hanalreum Nursing Home and the detached housing village where the Han gang was likely staying. However, there were only zombies swarming everywhere. Whether they had covered all the windows with curtains or simply hadn’t turned on the lights, the nursing home and the housing village were devoid of even a glimmer of light, showing nothing of note.
So, they decided to continue scouting the two locations every four hours, and today’s routine came to an end.
“Ah...”
Before heading to his room, Jun-ho, who had suddenly thought of something, said to Yun Yeong-su, who was preoccupied with exploring the various sites and communities that were still active.
“Yeong-su. Let’s do a broadcast starting tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, shall we? But, Boss. Since we aren’t running a business anymore, it feels weird to keep calling it a ‘pension.’ Could we change the name?”
“...Do as you like.”
“Yep, understood. Then get some rest.”
Returning to his room, Jun-ho took a shower with lukewarm water and then stared at the monitors installed on one wall of his room. On the four 43-inch monitors, images from high-performance cameras monitoring the entire area, including the outposts on the mountain behind them and the road leading to the shelter’s main entrance, were displayed. And images of the entire shelter grounds, the container housing, and each room were also visible.
“...”
The shelter members, as well as Choi Jung-woo’s group... with the exception of the young children, no one was able to sleep. Choi Jung-woo kept wiping away tears as he looked at his sleeping daughter. Choi Ha-neul, who had been smiling so brightly during dinner, was sitting blankly on her bed, lost in thought. Baek Su-ah was watching the few remaining domestic news broadcasts before burying her head on her desk, her shoulders shaking. Baek Su-ho was sighing repeatedly while fiddling with a cell phone that wouldn’t work because Yun Yeong-su had blocked all external signals. Baek Ha-il was also sitting with a depressed expression, his notebook and business card holder—which he always carried—laid out on his desk.
That’s right. Although they tried not to show it in front of Jun-ho, they, too, had families, friends, and people they cherished, just as they had in the lives they had lived before.
“...”
Jun-ho could fully understand their feelings. In fact, the very fact that they hadn’t shown it in front of him proved that they understood their situation well and were still rational. Because of that, Jun-ho felt a bitter sensation, thinking on one hand that he had been a good judge of character, but on the other hand, feeling a sense of melancholy.
But now, they had to get used to it. They had to realize that from now on, the only things they could trust were ‘Our Shelter’ and the people here.
“Still...”
Jun-ho, too, thought of a few people, let out a deep sigh, and turned off the screen.
August 15, 2024, 15:50, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
“What is this? What on earth is it?”
Choi Hyun-woo couldn’t keep his bear-like frame still and paced back and forth in the living room repeatedly. As he did, he grinned, checking his phone screen over and over again.
“Hehe...”
Choi Hyun-woo wiped the tip of his nose and broke into a wide, goofy grin. It was a message from Lee Jun-ho, who had never contacted him separately even once, except when Hyun-woo reached out first on holidays or special occasions. Seeing that it had come three times, he wondered if there was some kind of transmission error, but anyway. That Jun-ho Hyung had sent him a ‘gift’ of all things!
Buzz!
“Whoa?”
He could understand if it was to his house, but to come out to the front of the apartment? But because it was a gift personally sent by Lee Jun-ho, whom he respected from the bottom of his heart, Choi Hyun-woo quickly shuffled his slippers and went down to the first floor of the apartment.
Soon, an ordinary delivery vehicle approached and stopped in front of Building 102 of the 30-year-old Sinae Village Hansung Apartment. The delivery driver, surprised by Choi Hyun-woo’s massive size, immediately held out a tablet.
“You’re Choi Hyun-woo, right? Did you get a call from Lee Jun-ho?”
“Yep.”
“Please sign here. You’ll need to help me carry these.”
“...What?”
Carry them? Carry what? As if noticing Choi Hyun-woo’s confusion, the delivery driver continued as he walked toward the cargo hold.
“This is my first time making a delivery like this. I’ve made all sorts of deliveries, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone send so much stuff to one person. No, do you know where I live?”
Clank!
The delivery truck’s cargo hold opened completely.
“It’s Yeoju, Yeoju. I started in Yeoju and loaded all of this at the Yangpyeong warehouse! Now, help me carry it. I wouldn’t have done this delivery if I hadn’t been paid an extra 500,000 won.”
“...!?!”
Looking at the sheer variety of goods filling more than half of the wide-open cargo hold, Choi Hyun-woo’s jaw simply dropped open.