Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 110.1: Debt (1)

It has already been a week since I returned to my territory.

At first, living in a group felt awkward, but I gradually got used to it, and things started falling into place.

The most urgent matter was fortification.

If you’re going to fortify, you have to do it properly.

Ha Tae-hoon managed to get his hands on some cement and built an outer wall around the narrow entrance, but it wasn’t enough to enclose the entire area.

The northern side and the northeastern slope were naturally protected by steep cliffs and dense forests, making them difficult to access. But that didn’t mean I could let my guard down.

The damage from an unexpected attack in such areas would be incalculable.

I could install motion detectors, but that would require the hassle of wiring and setting up an electrical system. So, for now, I went with the classic trap that worked well in Jeju—wires and cans.

To fully secure these difficult-to-reach areas, I needed to explore them myself.

Rough terrain naturally limits the number of possible infiltration routes to one or two.

The only issue was that I wasn’t particularly skilled at rock climbing.

Kim Daram, on the other hand, was excellent at it.

There was no news of her at the moment.

The Legion faction had left Seoul without a word.

I wasn’t there to witness it, but according to reports from the board, their retreat was anything but orderly—it was a reckless withdrawal.

It was as if each unit had moved separately.

Considering that the Legion wasn’t a unified force but rather a coalition of warlords centered around generals and high-ranking officers, this wasn’t surprising.

I didn’t see a bright future for them.

That said, key strongholds like Wonju, Chuncheon, and Sokcho were still intact, so they wouldn’t collapse overnight.

I informed Defender that I had returned to Jeju.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

However, he had been busy lately and only gave me brief replies. ƒreewebɳovel.com

I also sent a message to Dajeong, but she either wasn’t feeling well or didn’t have access to the internet—there was no response.

I was a little worried, but I wouldn’t dwell on it too much.

This was a world where only the strong survived.

Even children had to be strong.

The weak had already died off.

Anyway, if I was going to check the rough terrain, I would /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ have to wait until after autumn.

That way, even if I had to climb, it would at least be a little easier.

"We’ll install motion detectors at the spots marked with blue chalk. The device will trigger an alarm the moment a human-sized creature crosses the perimeter."

I was checking the upcoming construction work on the outer wall with Ha Tae-hoon and Cheon Young-jae.

They were both professionals, so there wasn’t much I needed to correct, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t voice my thoughts.

"Here. Don’t you think it’s a little too loose? If someone athletic enough used the ridge as a springboard, they could easily jump over the wall."

"You think? I don’t think it’s that easy."

After spending enough time with someone, you start to notice their hidden traits.

Ha Tae-hoon was stubborn.

He didn’t like having his ideas challenged or altered.

People like him were common in the arts, particularly among painters.

Since our school also valued craftsmanship, there were plenty of students with similar temperaments.

And I knew exactly how to persuade people like him.

"Then let me show you."

Right in front of Ha Tae-hoon, I sprinted up the small slope and effortlessly leaped onto the top of the wall.

"Hmm."

Seeing the demonstration firsthand, he quickly reconsidered.

"I’ll think about it."

A good team leader has to convince their teammates.

Differences in opinion need to be addressed in the moment.

Showing proof through direct demonstration might seem small, but it’s an effective persuasion technique.

While reinforcing the outer wall, I also considered how to make it more efficient and secure.

I rode my bike outside the perimeter and circled the surrounding area.

While Ha Tae-hoon was mixing cement, I headed into the nearby forest with Cheon Young-jae.

I handed him a Korean-style sickle.

"What, you want me to clear some graves?"

"Something similar. I need you to clear a path from here to the signal point I marked."

"I don’t mind, but can I at least hear the reason?"

"I want to see how visible the outer wall looks from the outside when there’s no vegetation blocking the view."

"If that’s the case, no complaints from me."

While he worked on clearing the undergrowth, I used a chainsaw to cut down shrubs.

Most of the trees were no more than three years old, so the work wasn’t particularly difficult.

I loaded the cut branches and grass into a cart and left them in front of the base where they could dry in the sun.

Whether they would be used as fuel for the winter or for construction, they’d come in handy somewhere.

After the clearing work, I took my bike out again.

This time, Cheon Young-jae came along.

"Whoa."

He let out an impressed sound.

"That hill is pretty damn good."

The hill where my bunker was located wasn’t just some random mound.

It had a steep, almost right-angled trapezoidal shape.

Plus, the numerous uneven ridges concealed more than they revealed.

When I first built the outer wall, I was worried it would completely expose my territory.

But after clearing the vegetation and looking at the hill again, it wasn’t nearly as noticeable as I had feared.

Even in winter, unless someone specifically looked for it, they would likely pass by without realizing there was anything there.

This level of concealment meant that at the very least, hostile raiders wouldn’t take an immediate interest in my territory.

Even in a group, I preferred to avoid combat whenever possible.

"If we just patch up that exposed section of the wall, it should be good."

"What are you going to use to patch it?"

"Natural stone. We have an excavator, after all."

While working on the outer wall, we also discussed defensive tactics.

The Legion faction had left Seoul, and their broadcasts had gone silent.

At any moment, rogue hunters who had been exiled or left behind by the Legion could come looking for trouble.

Some say that practice and planning are useless in actual combat, but I disagree.

Daily drills and thorough planning provide a roadmap close to the correct answer in real combat.

"For now, let’s assume a fight breaks out the moment the motion or sound detectors are triggered."

The midday heat was unbearable, so we went inside my bunker to cool off in the air conditioning while we went over the battle plan.

Valentine was present as well.

His main job was still trying to breach Jeju’s intranet, but since he was part of our group, he also played a role in the defense strategy.

"Mr. Park Man-su, you’ll take charge of this sector."

I assigned Valentine to the cliffside area.

It was the most defensible position, with a natural high ground advantage.

A single gunshot could stop an entire squad from advancing.

For direct combat, we divided our sectors accordingly.

Cheon Young-jae would stay outside as usual but would provide support when a fight broke out.

That left only Ha Tae-hoon and me to defend the base itself.

To be honest, that wasn’t enough.

Two or three more people would be ideal.

Ha Tae-hoon had built the outer wall generously, which meant we had a lot more ground to defend.

If we didn’t have enough people, we would have to rely on machines.

I asked Ha Tae-hoon,

"Hey, Ha. Can you build a mounted drone system like the ones the Chinese military used?"

"They exist, but I can’t program an IFF system to distinguish between friend and foe."

"In this era, an IFF system is a luxury."

"Then how do you want to do it?"

"Can we at least set kill zones?"

"That’s basic functionality."

"Then let’s designate restricted zones—areas we never go through. We’ll set up drones there, and anything that moves in those zones at night gets shot."

"Alright, let’s give it a shot."

The defense plan was starting to take shape.

Having three experienced fighters made the process smooth.

If we were just a bunch of ordinary people, we wouldn’t have reached a conclusion this quickly.

"Park Gyu."

Ha Tae-hoon called out to me.

"What?"

"Don’t you think we’re short on electricity?"

"Electricity, huh..."

We just need to run the generator.

To be blunt, there’s no one within a 20km radius who has a better generator than I do.

Even if we widen the scope to individual survivors, you could probably count them on one hand.

But generators require fuel.

While running errands for Woo Min-hee and Kim Daram, I managed to stockpile a decent reserve.

But that decent reserve was only decent when it was just me using it.

Now that there were more people, it was nowhere near enough.

“We’re going to need auxiliary power.”

Ha Tae-hoon, in particular, used a lot of electricity.

Most of the machines he worked with were powered by it.

Not to mention Valentine also consumed a fair amount of electricity.

The desktop PC he brought with him was an absolute power hog.

At this rate, we’d have to run the generator daily, and that would lead to fuel depletion.

But how else were we supposed to get electricity?

Not easy.

There was one method that came to mind.

“What about solar power? I don’t see a single panel around here.”

That was exactly what I had been thinking.

Up until now, I had avoided solar power for various reasons.

It was particularly vulnerable to drone reconnaissance, making it essentially a trap card.

But now that we had a group, it was an option worth reconsidering.

“Not a bad idea. But where do we find solar panels?”

“There used to be a few solar farms in the mountains, but they’ve all been stripped clean.”

“So then?”

Ha Tae-hoon folded his arms and fell into thought.

“We should try trading.”

“Trading, huh?”

“When I was in Seoul and Incheon, there were markets.”

“There probably aren’t any markets running anymore.”

“Even if there aren’t, if we can find a group to trade with, we might be able to get some solar panels.”

Ha Tae-hoon held up his K-Walkie-Talkie.

“If you say something over a public frequency, you’ll get a response pretty quickly.”

I smirked.

“Yeah, a response from raiders, maybe?”

He chuckled and replied,

“That’s possible. But in this world, isn’t it actually harder to find someone who isn’t a raider?”

“Fair point.”

For the first time, I seriously considered the concept of trade.

I had made trades before, even when I was on my own.

But now that law and order were gone, it was easier to trade when moving as a group.

Even when exchanging a single item, just having armed allies in the background completely changed the message we sent to the other party.

“You’re thinking about trading?”

Cheon Young-jae suddenly joined the conversation after coming back from the restroom.

I nodded and gave him a brief explanation.

“You want to trade, but finding the right people is the problem?”

“Exactly.”

“Then why not go to Sejong?”

“Sejong?”

“I heard a pretty big city has sprung up there.”

I had momentarily forgotten.

Our King.

The city he built.

Geographically, it was even closer than Seoul and Incheon, and it was less of a threat than the remnants of the Legion.

More importantly, people there were actually living, not just surviving.

The gangsters might call them slaves, but their desperation for a better tomorrow was incomparable to anything else.

If that city had grown to a certain size, then getting solar panels wouldn’t be out of the question.

And, most importantly—

I am King’s friend.

“Alright. I’ll think about it. Good work, everyone.”

As I wrapped up the day, I logged onto the internet.

It wasn’t a surprise, but there had been an increase in newcomers on the board.

It wasn’t that the total number had suddenly exploded.

It was just that the old “ㅇㅇ” crowd from Failnet had been completely wiped out, making the newer members more noticeable by comparison.

The rise in new users made sense.

Our satellite internet devices had been highly sought-after items even before Failnet collapsed.

But lately, the board’s trending topic wasn’t Dongtanmom.

His unstable return had only been a short-lived trend.

For a while now, the most talked-about topic on the board had been Fox Games.

The ambitious game Fox Games had launched in partnership with Melon Mask was starting to fall apart.

To begin with, it wasn’t really Fox Games’ work.

It was something created by a younger couple who worked under him.

So, as time passed, maintenance issues were inevitable.

It was turning into one of those games that only broke more with every new patch.

Seeing Fox Games’ reputation crumble gave me a sense of satisfaction.

But as always, the board wasn’t just filled with posts I wanted to see.

ONE_FAITH: The scene of the Wonju Massacre.jpg

A user I had never seen before posted a disturbing photo.

It was an image composed of endless gray tones and countless corpses.

The background was an unidentifiable concrete wall—at least 10 meters high.

And stacked against it were hundreds of naked, lifeless bodies, piled like cargo.

I didn’t feel anything particularly gruesome about it.

It wasn’t horror or disgust.

It was just... surreal.

Like something too unnatural to exist.

Below the eerie photo was a simple message from One Faith.

-This is the true face of the Legion.

None of the veteran users on our board commented on the post.

There was a long-standing, post-war tradition of simply ignoring the harsh realities we didn’t want to see.

But the newcomers were different.

Anonymous1588: What the hell? Is this recent?

Anonymous1882: What did the Legion even do?

Kronos: Damn.

Anonymous1429: That’s a World War II photo...

Anonymous1392: Since when did WWII photos come in QHD?

Yappi: Holy shit.

...

...

The comments kept rolling in.

It wasn’t a good sight.

It felt like our traditions, our unity, was being shattered by these outsiders.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, he arrived.

mmmmmmmmm:

------Newcomer Divider Line ---------

M9.

Anonymous1588: What the hell? Is this recent?

Anonymous1882: What did the Legion even do?

Kronos: Damn.

Anonymous1429: That’s a World War II photo...

Anonymous1392: Since when did WWII photos come in QHD?

Yappi: Holy shit.

mmmmmmmmm:

----------Newcomer Divider Line -----------

As a senior user, he had just declared all of them outsiders in one swift move.

Seeing that post, I clenched both fists.

"M9. Nice guy."

I immediately reached out to VivaBot.

SKELTON: Hey, VivaBot. I’ve been patient so far, but when are you giving me my hidden mod privileges?

No response.

It was still early morning in North America, so maybe the admin was asleep.

I decided to wait.

I was about to return to brainstorming how to message King in Sejong when—

ONE_FAITH: The faces of the murderers.jpg

One Faith had posted another photo.

It was the same massacre scene, but from a different angle.

In the foreground stood armed men in military uniforms, standing stiffly in formation.

Some wore balaclavas.

Others did not.

And among those exposed faces—

One was familiar.

“...Defender.”

There was no doubt.

Among the soldiers, with an empty gaze, smoking a cigarette—

That was Defender.

That was Hong Jung-ho.