Deus Ex Machina (2)

"Uh...?"

One by one, the kids hidden in Cha Do-hee's shelter began to emerge in front of her, her eyes wide with bewilderment as she struggled to process the situation.

"S-sis..."

"Do-hee unnie? You okay?"

"Sniff... Thought you weren't coming..."

The children looked remarkably unscathed, without a single scratch—impossibly pristine. Instead of relief for themselves, they fussed over Do-hee, who was battered and broken.

"H-how...?"

It was as unbelievable as completing an impossible challenge. The zombie wave that had swept through the Orange Zone—including the relief center and fortress—was no ordinary horde. Beyond the usual walkers and runners, there were Red Zone mutants that dissolved obstacles with acid and punched through walls with armored hides.

This can't be real...

No matter how well-hidden the shelter, surviving in the epicenter after a wave like that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠defied logic. Cha Do-hee, who had crossed into the Red Zone countless times, knew this better than anyone. That's why she'd charged in ready to die. That's why the sight before her ignited rage and despair. She knew better than anyone that she was too late.

"You idiot! That's why I told you to just stay put!!!"

"You said we could take one monster ourselves, remember? You said fight!!"

"Unnie collapsed from worrying about us too much..."

But there they were, bickering right in front of her with bright, smiling faces, as if putting on a show just for her.

Am I dreaming...?

As that thought flickered through Do-hee's mind, she shook her dizzy head vigorously.

"Wh-what happened...? The wave definitely came this way..."

The entrance to the Slum Village had been a pool of blood. The wave had surely overrun the entire place.

"Yeah! Those monsters unnie mentioned came charging from way over there!!"

"All the adults nearby were running and freaking out!!!"

"B-but how...?"

The kids launched into their story, faces alight with excitement.

"A wizard helped us!"

"Yeah! A wizard!"

"...A wizard?"

Some mysterious savior had really come here? But Do-hee knew there weren't many awakeners in the Orange Zone who could handle a wave that size.

If it's a wizard... someone guild-leader level...

But the kids' answer was beyond anything she'd imagined.

"The sky suddenly split open! And meat started raining down!!"

"M-meat...?"

"Wizard uncle made huge chunks of meat pour from the sky like rain!"

"Real meat!!! Not the fake stuff unnie showed us—real meat!!"

"So the monsters all gobbled it up and scattered outside!"

Do-hee's eyes went wide as saucers.

Meat raining from the sky?

What kind of movie is this...?

But the story only got wilder.

"Tons of meat fell, but a few dumb monsters ignored it and came our way."

"What? And then!!"

"Remember that fairy tale unnie read us...? The one where the witch uses cookie crumbs to lure people!"

"Fairy tale...?"

"Yeah! When they came in, the wizard dropped meat like breadcrumbs from the sky—plink, plink! The monsters chased them and went back outside?"

A fairy-tale absurdity that made no sense.

But... kinda thrilling...

And entertaining, in its own way.

"But... one idiot couldn't catch any and came right here..."

"So we tried to fight it off!"

"Like unnie! Super cool!!"

Do-hee wanted to flick their foreheads for even thinking of something so reckless, but she held back. Piecing their story together, the answer was clear. Only one entity could pull this off.

The Shop... really sent meat...?

But that was impossible to believe. The Shop didn't sell meat. Even if it was some unregistered item, how could kids without an invite or a single magic stone buy it?

"No way... The Shop wouldn't send something like that. And what magic stones did you kids even have...?"

"Nooo!! It's trueee!!!"

When Do-hee didn't buy it, one boy wailed in protest.

So the Shop helped directly...?

The kid's face held nothing but sincere truth.

Come to think of it... how did I even clear that challenge...?

Doubt began to creep into Do-hee's mind. Right before collapsing, she'd seen the challenge success alert. If it wasn't a system glitch, it meant all three spots were perfectly defended—including the Slum Village, where she'd arrived too late. Someone had saved it.

Finally snapping to, Do-hee pulled up the gallery.

The post was shocking.

"The relief center was in danger too...?"

Even the 1st Relief Center, which she'd thought she'd defended perfectly before heading here, had faced a third wave. On the brink of disaster, meat from the sky had bought them precious seconds. Most people seemed as skeptical as Do-hee.

Users claiming they'd witnessed the same scene started popping up.

"So... the Shop really helped all three spots...?"

The kids yelled in frustration at Do-hee's murmur.

"We told you it's true!! And the wizard told us directly!"

"Don't panic, hide and the monsters will all run away!"

"And... he gave us real snacks too!"

Snacks? The kid pointed with tiny fingers.

"Heyyy! Stop eating and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come out! Unnie's hereee!"

Do-hee's gaze shifted to the secret door in the farthest corner. Two more kids crouched there, not yet out.

"Uh...! U-unnie!"

"W-we were gonna finish this and come out...!"

The pair were stuffing their cheeks with snacks from some fancy, unknown wrapper.

"...Huh?"

Do-hee's pupils trembled like an earthquake as she stared.

"Gimme that."

"U-unnie! Stranger gave it to us!! ...Kinda don't know who though...!"

"Hand it over."

"Waaah... It's so good..."

Do-hee snatched the snack from the boy and examined it closely. That's when she spotted the post-it note stuck to the bottom.

"N-no way..."

Do-hee muttered in disbelief. Scrawled hastily on the note was a simple message.

Meanwhile, the gallery was flooding with hopeful posts.

Reports of successfully defending the Orange Zone's key strongholds amid the crisis.

And in the Starflex basement level 1 disaster control room, staring at the flood of posts at the same time...

"GRAAAAAH!!! RAAAAH!!!"

A mysterious scream echoed.

"My meat!! My meeeeat!!!"

It was the anguished cry of a man who'd fed zombies meat he'd never even tasted himself—stuff not even in the Shop.

"My five-layer pork belly! Pork belly! Skirt steak! Gaburi! Neck! Jowl! Tenderloin! Galmegi! Tomahawk! Sirloin! Shrimp cut! Flank! Tongue tip! Brisket! Tomahawk! T-bone! Elbow! Porterhouse! Short ribs! LA ribs! Lamb ribs French rack shoulder rack! Gopchang! Daechang! Makchang! Frozen pork belly! Sliced pork!! Raw chicken!! Native chicken!! Smoked duck!!! Even the shank heads and femur bones for soup stock!!!"

Fuck. All tossed.

To them.

Was it that regrettable?

"Of course. Fuckin' low-tier zombies got my precious stash."

Really regrettable. Stuff I never got to eat properly. Not even for sale, fed to zombies.

But meaningless?

"Hell no."

Not just the display case amounts. The freezer behind the butcher section was way bigger than expected. More than one guy could eat in three days anyway.

"And it saved people. Worth every bit."

No one around here but me anyway—no one's watching, so I screamed to vent stress.

"But... did it really save them?"

Honestly, half-doubting when I sent it. Knew mutants crave humans, but learned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they obsess over raw meat too during that drinking binge with low-tiers.

Did it work? I check the top-upvoted post.

Relief center held, luckily.

"Phew... good..."

Recalls posts screaming Orange Zone total peril.

"Hoo..."

Had to split for three spots, calculated quantities meticulously—brain-melting.

"Thought I'd die of exhaustion..."

That massive freezer—bones, meats, half-carcasses—divvied precisely into thirds. Reminded me my spine exists.

But non-expert me couldn't measure perfectly. Last batch to relief center was light—worried it'd fall short.

"Whew..."

Still, bought time till help arrived. Good.

"This is karma for doing good."

Doc's free treatments paid off. Yep yep.

Second drop: Pangyo fortress?

Fortress too—good. Juddak headed there, smart.

"Admin's got eyes..."

If that fell, Orange Zone free pass to doom—priority.

"So... what about there."

Anxiously awaiting the last post.

"Slum Village... Slum Village... No proof pic yet..."

Fingers frantically refreshing. First drop there—piled on extra meat from worry. Even sent post-it. But no users, no confirmation. No word if kids safe, if Speedrun made it.

Gallery sentiment shifting oddly.

"Insane... solo...?"

Unreal. Speedrun no cap. Sealed all three solo.

That strong...? Possible??

"Sp-SpeepdRun... Power on Juddak's level or higher...!!"

No fuck wrong.

"Wh-what happened!!! Did you save the kids or not!!!!"

Please be alive kids...

Trembling finger refreshes once more. Then, at the top—the nickname I'd waited for pops up.

"!!"