Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 119.5: Tool (5)

What should we think of someone who has changed into a completely different person, someone we knew better than anyone—someone we believed would never change?

"Ughhh... Right. Right. Hwang Jang-wook. The 30 million won he borrowed from me. He still hasn’t paid it back. I’m done with lawsuits. Just seeing the courthouse makes me sick."

"The research on the rifts is still being updated regularly even after the war. For now, our predictions were correct. Stains, diseases, and a little bit of air. I could really go for some ox bone soup. Pour in some kimchi juice into a hot stone pot."

"Has our daughter still not taken the college entrance exam? Why hasn’t she even shown up? She’s my daughter. She always sides with her mother. Everything she wears is bought with money I earned from the top of her head to the tips of her toes."

It didn’t take long to realize Jang Ki-young had lost his mind.

He was no longer the Jang Ki-young I knew.

As much as his outward appearance had turned into that of a zombie, his inner self had rotted and decayed.

He ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) was already insane, and there was no saving him.

"Let’s go."

As the leader of the team, one of my greatest virtues was making quick decisions.

"What? Already?"

Defender, who had been standing guard by the door, reacted in surprise.

I glanced at Jang Ki-young, then answered.

"He's already finished."

"I get that, but..."

"Why? Do you have a different opinion?"

I waited for Defender’s response, standing guard outside the warehouse.

Defender paused, as if organizing his thoughts, before speaking.

"I just think it’s too hasty."

"Maybe. But do you think... you think there's a chance for that guy to recover?"

"I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. But still, he was your mentor, right?"

As we continued the conversation, a bitter smile crept onto my face.

It felt like the roles had reversed.

Defender, a self-proclaimed psychopath in the community, seemed more like a normal person, while I, an otherwise pragmatic and steady user, felt like a psychopath in comparison.

"How about giving him a little more time?" Defender suggested.

"I know something’s off with him, but at least he recognized your voice, right?"

"Is that really that important?"

"Yeah."

Defender nodded.

"My grandfather couldn’t even do that. He didn’t even recognize his children or grandchildren when they came."

I inadvertently learned a bit about Defender’s family history.

"At least he’s making something, right?"

Defender stared at Jang Ki-young with an indifferent look in his eyes.

I could read his emotions through the way he looked at Jang Ki-young.

Defender wasn’t worried about Jang Ki-young.

His fate didn’t matter to him much. To him, it was no different from how he felt about anyone who entered his territory.

What Defender was really worried about was me.

He was concerned about me trying to end a relationship that had lasted all this time with just a one-minute encounter, so he was suggesting we give him more time to avoid potential regrets later.

I felt a small sense of gratitude toward his care and looked at Jang Ki-young.

He was still tinkering with something.

I didn’t want to know what he was making.

It was probably some piece of junk like a rocket axe, embodying a faded fantasy.

As I silently stood there, Defender approached Jang Ki-young.

"Principal! How long is this going to take?"

True to his psychopathic nature, Defender could act like a charming young man whenever he wanted.

"Who? Is it Hong Jung-ho?" Jang Ki-young answered unexpectedly.

Defender, clearly stunned, turned to look at me.

He couldn’t believe Jang Ki-young remembered his name.

"Yeah! It’s Hong Jung-ho."

"Wait for an hour. I’ve made all the parts. I just need to assemble them now."

Defender whispered to me.

"I’ll take a quick look at what he’s making."

While I stood watch, Defender glanced at Jang Ki-young, who was turned away, then returned to me.

"I have no idea what it is."

"Isn’t it something like a powered suit? Like the ones the Americans used to wear?"

"No, it’s not that. What should I say? You might want to see it for yourself."

"Why would I understand something you can’t?"

"Maybe not."

"How long do you think it’ll take?"

We couldn’t afford to wait too long.

If Jang Ki-young said it would take an hour, then even that felt like too long.

"Just wait a bit longer. It’s almost done! Almost done!"

There was another problem.

Jang Ki-young was the type to dabble in everything, but know nothing properly.

He was the type of person who only had shallow knowledge spread over a wide range.

Given that most of his knowledge came from the internet, I didn’t think a zombie version of my mentor would produce anything worthwhile when tinkering with machines.

But...

"This is an amazing item. It will be a historical discovery. This will change the paradigm!"

My mentor’s frenzied fragments were echoing with excitement.

"Professor! Wait! It’s a custom-made weapon that can kill the general-type monster! Just you wait! Kang Han-min, that monster of a guy, always says he’s the best, but the real best was always Professor! My mentor, Professor!"

I thought for a moment.

"......"

Maybe I was weakening.

In the past, this would have been impossible to consider.

But now, I felt an obligation deep inside me to at least see the result.

"Isn’t it a paradigm shift?" I said, with a wry smile, looking at Defender.

"Okay."

"Has your mind changed?"

"Yeah. At this point, let’s wait until the principal’s work is complete."

And so, the waiting began.

Clang! Thud! Thud!

Jang Ki-young kept hammering away at the pile of scrap metal.

Defender occasionally went forward to check the progress, but each time he came back, he had a perplexed expression, unable to identify what was being made.

In the midst of my unease, the hour passed quickly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jang Ki-young’s hammering never stopped, nor did it show any sign of slowing.

Defender, with his usual pleasant demeanor, asked, "When will it be done, Principal?"

Jang Ki-young answered gruffly, as he hammered again.

"I told you an hour, didn’t I?"

It seemed like my hope had been in vain.

Only now did Defender seem to realize that.

His once warm expression froze, turning cold.

"This is getting weird."

The situation had changed.

Now it seemed like Defender wanted to leave.

That was the right choice.

We had spent enough time in this dangerous area.

While we hadn’t faced direct threats from zombies or fanatics, the zombies were everywhere, and the fanatics knew we were here.

Stalling would bring no benefit.

But...

"Principal."

I didn’t know anymore.

"Why? Park Gyu? Did you try the caracol tactics I sent you by email? It’s a strategy that could work well against the dancer-type monsters you’ve been struggling with."

"It was a great tactic."

I couldn’t understand why I was acting like this.

"Yeah? Of course. It’s the tactic I came up with, and you carried it out!"

He wasn’t in his right mind.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I had never seen, nor used, anything like the caracol tactics.

I felt my sense of self slowly fray as I asked.

"How much longer until the work is finished?"

Jang Ki-young checked his wristwatch.

"Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes! Just watch TV and wait."

When Jang Ki-young turned on the remote, a TV connected to a long antenna wire in the corner of the warehouse flickered to life.

Jang Ki-young spoke, looking at the TV.

"What’s this? Is Pickle still active? When I was young, she used to dance and sing. It feels like age doesn’t matter anymore."

I already knew everything was over, but that scene was like a final nail in the coffin.

From the old TV Jang Ki-young was watching, all we could see was the endless static of pale gray noise.

"......"

Let me correct myself.

Jang Ki-young wasn’t crazy.

Because that wasn’t even Jang Ki-young anymore.

The shriveled corpse in front of me, babbling incoherently, was just a remnant of the mentor I once knew.

It was no different from a broken gramophone endlessly playing the same record.

Defender muttered.

"You were right. We should have left from the start."

It was a delayed realization.

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out not far from us.

The only ones armed around here were us and the fanatics.

Piiieee----

A whistle.

And then.

"There! They’re hiding over there!"

The fanatics had found us.

They knew exactly where we were and were tracking us.

"What should we do?"

Defender wiped his dagger clean and asked.

"......"

Well...

There isn't a sharp solution.

The simplest approach that comes to mind is the most straightforward one: running away to create distance from the fanatics.

But that’s not as easy as it sounds.

In this wreckage, our enemies aren’t just the fanatics.

There are zombies, mutations, and monsters.

There are plenty of enemies that don’t like humans.

And then...

Piiieee--

A whistle echoed from the other side.

The whistle was a signal to call for reinforcements.

"How many fanatics were there back in the old Legion days?"

"At least a hundred, maybe more."

"I see."

It seems like we’re surrounded.

Defender’s curiosity led to this, and my reluctance to leave solidified the crisis.

Even though the situation was spiraling into desperation, my mentor was still enjoying himself.

"See this spray nozzle? Isn’t it shiny and cool? But this is just the handle, like the hilt of a sword. The real sharp blade is the essence of modern chemistry. Even monsters can't handle the deception!"

He continued hammering away with excitement.

From beyond the entrance, I could hear the voices of the fanatics.

They were right in front.

"Hey. Those rats. Are they in the zombie warehouse?"

"The zombie warehouse? Is that for real?"

"Yeah. Dong-cheol’s watching. The zombie’s in there too, with two others."

The fanatics seemed to call my mentor a "zombie."

Having lived in the erosion zone for so long, they must have some knowledge of zombies who maintain their reason to some extent.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

From the trajectory of their steps, I estimated there were at least ten of them.

"There’s a decent path behind the warehouse."

"Really?"

"I’ll check it again."

Defender came back.

"There’s no one there. It looks like they don’t know this path. It’s rough for people to pass through, but as long as we don’t get caught while climbing, it should be possible."

Following Defender, we headed toward the back of the warehouse.

As I passed my mentor, I glanced at what he was making.

"?"

What is that?

Defender must have had the same puzzled look on his face when he came back.

I honestly have no idea.

What kind of thing is that, and what’s it even for?

All I saw was two metal cylinders connected together.

"Just wait a bit."

Even now, my mentor wore a creepy smile.

"Professor."

"......"

Defender and I checked the back of the warehouse.

There was indeed a way.

It was a dangerous path that required climbing over the remains of a partially collapsed building, but the fact that the fanatics didn’t know it gave us some assurance.

"Shall we go?"

Defender asked.

It’s the right decision.

I was about to go, until I heard the fanatics’ next words.

"Let’s deal with them and the zombie together."

I stopped in my tracks.

I stood still, replaying their words in my mind.

"......"

They said they would deal with my mentor.

It may seem contradictory to say they would kill someone who was already dead in the first place, but the fanatics were talking about getting rid of my mentor right in front of me.

The fanatic’s conversation continued.

"According to the combat report, the zombie is someone who stands on the boundary between life and death, someone who has seen the truth. In a broader sense, they’re a comrade with the same faith as ours. Isn't that why we’ve kept the zombie around until now?"

"That zombie hasn’t cooperated with us, though. Despite seeing the truth, he’s been ignoring us, hasn’t he?"

"That zombie’s mind isn’t intact yet."

"He’s just pretending. He doesn’t want to cooperate with us, so he’s acting crazy. Didn’t Gyeong-wan see it? That zombie was perfectly fine, talking and even negotiating with others."

It seems there was some disagreement.

But that disagreement was soon resolved.

"I’ve had enough of him. Now that it’s come to this, there’s no need to show mercy."

The sound of the fanatics moving came through.

They had made their decision.

They were going to take care of us and my mentor together.

"Let’s go."

Defender began walking toward the back.

As mentioned earlier, the plan was to escape through the back of the warehouse.

However, I didn’t move.

Defender, who had gone ahead, turned around with a hint of confusion on his face.

"Skeleton?"

"......"

"What’s going on?"

"Go on ahead."

"What do you mean?"

With a sigh, I turned back.

There, still innocently absorbed in his work, was my mentor, now changed beyond recognition.

"......"

I couldn’t leave him.

At least,

"I will see what Jang Ki-young has created."

"Huh? Earlier you said you’d just ignore it and leave. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Defender asked, his tone a bit agitated, but he knew me well.

Soon, he read the determination on my face.

"......"

He chuckled softly.

"You always seem so calm, but sometimes, you have these unexpected moments."

Defender turned around.

As he glanced at me, he smiled a little.

"Can’t be helped, huh?"

It seemed like he was willing to stay with me.

He was trying to match my stubbornness.

"We don’t have to push ourselves. This is between me and Jang Ki-young."

"I’ve owed you my life countless times. Not just mine, but my younger sibling’s as well. Even if we die here, there are others who will survive, right? It’ll be easier for them to close their eyes than before."

Defender’s resolve was firm.

I didn’t need to reject his kindness.

"......Thank you."

After expressing my gratitude briefly, I immediately shared my plan.

"They don’t know who we are. Whether we’re hunters, soldiers, scavengers, or just civilians in this district."

"You mean, they’ve misjudged our combat ability?"

"Yes. Knowing our numbers will only make them complacent."

Defender knew this well, but the fanatics were mostly just untrained civilians lost in fanaticism.

So they were weak to shock and lacked tactical awareness.

Like most untrained groups, they would collapse easily if dealt significant damage in a short period.

We would pull them in as much as we could and inflict as much damage as possible.

The more lethal the damage, the more time we could buy.

If all went according to plan, it might even increase our chances of survival rather than just escaping.

After all, if we fled through the back, we’d still be tracked by the sensory perceivers.

Either way, once the fanatics had spotted us, we were already on the edge.

Thud—

The fanatics were coming.

I tilted my mirror slightly to see their figures.

Five of them.

They were approaching together.

"Don’t shoot."

One of them was an Over 5-Level Awakened.

Who exactly it was remained unclear.

Two of their eyes were faintly glowing.

I checked their weapons.

One man with radiant eyes was carrying a domestic submachine gun, and the others had cold weapons, none of which had blades.

A wooden club, an aluminum bat, chains, and even knuckles.

Were they planning to capture us alive?

I smiled grimly.

What a cocky choice.

I signaled to Defender.

He nodded and stood behind the warehouse.

With a smooth motion, he drew his axe with one hand.

"......"

A price had to be paid.