The Bicycle Generator
The inside of the building was much larger and cleaner than I'd expected. Given that it was a dining area, I figured they'd put extra effort into keeping it spotless. There was no other way they could maintain this level of hygiene amid all the chaos. Most impressive of all, they actually had dedicated staff handling the cooking. I'd known about it from the original novel, but seeing it in person still felt surreal. Now that I was living through it myself, I understood just how grueling survival really was. Fighting zombies and cooking meals on top of that? With no gas or running water? You'd be better off resting instead of cooking. Those were the kinds of thoughts that had filled my head even while I was holed up safely in the PC Bang. At least the microwave still worked. Wait—microwave?
"Ah."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, Siwoo. There's a bicycle generator in that cart."
"A bicycle generator?"
"Yeah. One hour of pedaling gives you about 15mA, I think? Anyway, I brought fully charged batteries too."
"I see."
Kang Siwoo's hands trembled ever so slightly. He was trying to stay composed, but I could tell he wanted to jump for joy. Right—a bicycle generator. With fully charged batteries. In this situation, it was an offer no one could refuse. Still, the fact that he could maintain such a perfect poker face was terrifying. At that level, it bordered on sociopathy.
"Let's eat first, then head over later."
"Of course, Siwoo."
The food was surprisingly good. They'd topped biscuits with various ingredients and even boiled somyeon noodles using gas they'd scavenged from a nearby food alley. Fresh lettuce from their experimental garden rounded it out perfectly. Maybe I'd just been starved for proper meals, but it tasted incredible. This was what Koreans were supposed to eat. The instant rice was a shame, but it was still acceptable.
"Yeji, we have a generator here as well."
"Huh? Oh, right."
The sudden topic caught me off guard. I'd been quietly eating noodles when he dropped that. But the reason became clear soon enough. He was offering to trade electricity from the school's generator in exchange for the power stored in my bicycle generator and batteries. They'd calculate usage whenever I used the facilities. Since the people here were engineering students, they apparently handled these things meticulously. Honestly, there was no reason to refuse. For the time being, I wanted to experience the conveniences of modern civilization, however imperfectly. So I nodded immediately and handed over the generator and batteries.
Food supplies came up next. On that front, Kang Siwoo and I were perfectly aligned. In exchange for handing everything over, they agreed to provide me with several meals even if I didn't work. It was a somewhat disadvantageous deal for me, but it didn't matter. I couldn't afford to raise my favorability with Kang Siwoo specifically. I needed to build goodwill with the entire community. That way, joining up with Captain Han Daewi's group in Haeundae later would be easier. If we could turn Busan into a clean zone, everything would become relatively straightforward. We'd wipe out the bastards causing trouble in other regions, slaughter all the zombies, and assassinate the nobles. That would bring us closer to a happy ending. Kang Siwoo would save the world as he wanted, Noh Changhun and I would return to reality, and I'd start my second life. Living as a silver-haired, red-eyed beauty was basically cheating at life. So I was willing to accept whatever conditions Kang Siwoo proposed.
"In that case, Yeji, would you also participate in the scouting mission for Gudeok Campus and Bumin Campus?"
"Wait, what?"
"We were short one person and had been struggling to find someone suitable. Then you arrived at just the right time."
Wait, what the hell? Gudeok Campus and Bumin Campus? Those places weren't supposed to be visited for another few months. The outbreak happened, and only after about three months did anyone go there. Because they were campuses, there had been a lot of people. Plenty of zombies, and even more variants. Kang Siwoo's original plan had been a small elite team—himself, the regressor, leading four trusted powerhouses. But that plan had been scrapped due to several problems. First, there'd be no one left to bring back food while he was away. Second, taking all the strongest students would leave security dangerously thin. Third, there weren't many opportunities to prove his words. Most students had only stayed within the university grounds. This was a place where a small combat unit dragged the rest of the survivors along by the scruff of their necks. Everyone had roles, but... even the combat unit wouldn't blindly follow Kang Siwoo's claims about experiences they'd never had. So he had to wait until the small combat unit gained enough experience. That was why Gudeok Campus and Bumin Campus had been completely devastated in the original novel. I still remembered his monologue about how he could have saved them but couldn't. And now, all three of those problems had been solved by my arrival. No one to bring food? I'd brought tons of canned goods and ramen—they could ration and hold out. Security concerns? Just take the new arrival. They wouldn't believe what I said? Well, this friend saw it herself on the way from Jangyu. To Kang Siwoo, I must have seemed like a godsend. And naturally, he'd stick close to me, unconsciously trying to charm me with that ridiculously handsome face. An appearance so divine it could persuade even another man. The heroines had all fallen for that face and spread their legs, after all. The harem flags were already planted deep. I wanted to curse out Noh Changhun, who was probably in Haeundae by now, but I held back. Even though I'd been a pirate reader, seeing the protagonist in person as a reader wasn't unpleasant. So for now, accepting was the better move to solidify my position.
"Of course I'll participate! If we can save survivors, I'll do anything. I even helped a soldier, after all."
"A soldier? Who? Do you know their name?"
Kang Siwoo asked urgently. I answered after a moment of blank confusion. It was someone named Captain Han Daewi. He'd said he needed to get to Busan. Zombies had blocked the roads, so they'd needed bait to move safely. Originally, the father of a girl named Lee Yeji was supposed to take that role, but I'd done it instead. I explained in detail while we ate.
"That's a relief..."
Kang Siwoo let out a sigh of relief. On the surface, it seemed like he was glad the military was functioning properly, but knowing the original novel, that wasn't it. He was pleased because things were unfolding according to the future he knew. I could tell just from how his smile suddenly froze as he thought. He was probably wondering what had changed from before his regression. Setting that concern aside for now, the smiling Kang Siwoo soon asked for more details. So I told him. Noh Changhun—a friend from the neighborhood who was pretty strong. I'd met him there too. After he saved me, we'd joined up at the PC Bang and come straight here. He went to Haeundae, and I stayed. After finishing the explanation and the meal, I glanced at Kang Siwoo and saw him smiling. He really seemed to think this was a stroke of good fortune. Well, it made sense. Right now, his mind was probably racing with ways to contact Captain Han Daewi, using Noh Changhun and me as the connection to save Busan. I could roughly predict his thoughts. Once you've read the entire novel to completion, this much is easy.
"Then, Yeji, have you noticed any changes in your body while fighting zombies?"
"............Huh?"
"My dynamic vision has improved, and my physical abilities have enhanced. As you saw, I can move like that for short periods."
"Uh............"
"Ah, I'm sorry if that was a rude question."
Kang Siwoo bowed his head. No, that wasn't really the issue. Explaining the details wouldn't have been a problem. It was just embarrassing. Whenever I encountered strong variants, my body would heat up from endorphins. And when I felt like I was going to die, I'd start wagging my tail and calling myself a bitch or a slave. That was why I was dressed so revealingly even in autumn. I couldn't exactly explain it like that. I mean, I had some shame too, you know? How was I supposed to explain this? With Noh Changhun, we were close enough to curse each other out and joke around. But I didn't want to plant that kind of prejudice with Kang Siwoo. Still, I had to give at least a minimal explanation...
"My regeneration is extremely high, and my body temperature rises when I encounter variants."
"Ah."
"Endorphins seem to be released frequently too. My body temperature really shoots up like I'm being cooked alive."
"So the clothes... Is there anything else?"
"When I'm in mortal danger, my physical abilities increase several times over. Like endorphins turning into adrenaline."
That was a decent explanation, right? I didn't want any harem flags, so I had no choice but to be extremely careful right now. Seriously. A harem story. A sweet male lead. A TS beauty. Plus an environment where we had no choice but to rely on each other. Even as a reader, I would've shouted "this is going to get steamy." So I had to tread carefully, like walking on thin ice. Fortunately, Kang Siwoo didn't seem to read anything strange into it and smiled brightly. That was truly a relief.