Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 106: Warning

I sat in a chair in the middle of a ruined room with broken windows. The place was a mess, filled with rainwater, insects, and garbage, as I stared blankly at the ceiling.

This was the room I often used to organize my thoughts, but no decent ideas were coming to mind.

"RiderZero..."

Several days had passed since we finished our business at the market street. Enough time had gone by for RiderZero to assess the situation, yet there was still no reaction.

It was impossible that there wouldn't be one.

Whether to recover the resources we'd raided after their sponsorship had gone to waste, or to check us as a dangerous element, they should have taken some action by now.

"Do they not know we did it? That can't be right. They could figure it out just by examining the bullet casings from the gunshot wounds."

I tapped my thigh with my finger.

The silence of a potential enemy made me uneasy. Aren't the truly frightening people those who hide knives behind their smiles?

RiderZero might be planning our annihilation in silence. They had plenty of fuel—they could set fire to the villa district, lead hordes of zombies with their motorcycles, or bring in resources from the alliance.

Then a thought suddenly struck me.

'Why should I wait passively?'

Waiting for an enemy to attack wasn't my style. I preferred to make the first move. Rather than being dragged along by someone else's scenario, I'd rather write my own, even if it ended in spectacular failure.

I stood up. I needed to go see RiderZero.

***

"We're going to the alliance. Anyone who's free, grab your weapons and come down."

How long had it been since I raised my voice in the street? Several companions slowly came down, armed with military gear and guns. A flicker of tension crossed their faces.

"Is this about... what happened last time?"

People who couldn't bring themselves to use exact words for the killing of children. Among them was the psycho mercenary who had made my blacklist. freewebnσvel.cøm

With his calm expression, he slowly raised his hand and spoke.

"If there's a conflict... wouldn't it be better not to go? If things go wrong, we might have to face the alliance. At their headquarters."

What was this? Why was he opposing my opinion? Was he trying to undermine my influence? Maybe it was because I was wearing bias-tinted glasses, marking him for elimination, but everything about him bothered me.

I countered lightly.

"We're going there to avoid confrontation. Nothing will change if we just sit around."

Honestly, we could beat the Delivery Vigilantes. But fighting them meant fighting the alliance, and even if we somehow managed to bring down the alliance, the military they were keeping in check would be waiting for us.

To kill them all, we couldn't fight now. We needed to walk a tightrope carefully, waiting for them to reveal their weaknesses.

'It seems I can manage this balancing act for a while.'

I grinned as I tapped the combat cart.

"Don't worry too much. They're seasoned survivors too. They won't do anything that increases their losses."

This was a combat cart with a machine gun as a weapon and bulletproof vests as exterior armor. If I was serious about fighting, I could easily kill dozens on my own. For the alliance that was keeping the military in check, this would be a terrible loss.

The companions gradually calmed down and slung their rifles over their shoulders.

"We'll follow you."

And so we arrived at the survival zone, walking with the combat cart and companions.

The survival zone had changed dramatically. Life Tower, which provided medical services to survivors for a price, was still operating, but the area around the general hospital had become like a bustling village.

Alliance members hurried about. Solar panels were installed on every rooftop. The windows were intact and the roads were clean.

Most noticeable were the hoses neatly arranged along the roadside.

'Are they drawing water from the stream all the way here? Did they get electric pumps?'

Looking around again, I noticed there was no smoke visible. With gas cut off, using fire should produce smoke, but it seemed they were using induction cooktops.

"This place is prosperous, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's like a different world..."

If anything was magic, this was it. Using sunlight as an energy source to pump water and generate heat.

I could feel the glances of alliance members looking at us. Just from our appearance, we stood out, and they seemed wary.

A police officer patrolling the street approached. Holding a shotgun, he hesitantly addressed us after looking at the combat cart.

"You look like the mercenaries who worked for us before. What brings you here?"

"We came to inquire about solar panel installation, and also to see RiderZero. Where should we go?"

The police officer pointed to two buildings.

"The electricity workers are in that building, and the Delivery Vigilantes are at the gas station if you walk that way."

"Thank you."

They don't live together? I nodded my head, and the police officer adjusted his shotgun while glancing at the combat cart.

"This is a warning I give to all visitors—don't cause trouble. You'll pay with your life."

"Haha. Why would I cause trouble when the alliance is so strong?"

To confront a powerful alliance, you wouldn't just show up and start shooting.

We pushed the combat cart toward the gas station. Several motorcycles were parked haphazardly at the station, and a few riders were outside, polishing their bikes with rags.

"What will you do when the fuel runs out? You won't be able to ride anymore."

"That's why everyone's looking into electric bicycles."

"Ugh. Those are just bicycles."

I approached them directly, aiming my machine gun. The riders turned their heads at the sound of the cart rolling.

"...What? Why are you here?"

Rejection and hostility flashed in their eyes. They clearly knew about what happened at the market street. I laughed casually. My voice came out as if nothing was wrong.

"I was expecting a delivery but it never came. Is RiderZero inside?"

The person who should have come to attack me hadn't, so I came instead.

***

On my way up to the second floor of the gas station to meet RiderZero, I observed the building. Fuel containers were stacked everywhere, even on the stairs and in the corridors, and from one room I could hear the cheeping of baby chicks.

'Fire safety measures...'

Fire extinguishers were placed between the fuel containers. There were also people keeping watch like sentries. Not easy.

"I'm coming in."

After knocking and entering a room on the second floor, I saw RiderZero scribbling something in a notebook. Sitting with the sun-drenched window as her backdrop, she momentarily froze when she saw me.

She adjusted her short hair and said:

"I'd prefer if you didn't come in. I never imagined you'd visit."

"They say thieves can't sleep with their legs stretched out, don't they?"

"You look like you've been sleeping just fine."

Of course I should sleep well. Lack of sleep damages the body. In the apocalypse, health is precious capital, so good sleep is essential.

I sat down across from RiderZero nonchalantly.

"It seems I disturbed people you were sponsoring."

"Not people, children. And not disturbed, murdered. Let's use the right words."

"That sounds a bit like what a criminal would say. I've heard criminals give detailed explanations to their victims. To make them suffer."

Despite my attempt at courtesy, RiderZero sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair. She pointed at me with her pen.

"From the moment you appeared before me. No, never mind. You came because you're worried we'll fight you, right? We have no intention of doing so for the time being, so please leave."

For the time being, she said. Meaning she was postponing it. It meant she was harboring resentment and murderous intent, sharpening it in her heart.

She was the most dangerous kind of enemy. The type who would patiently plan your certain destruction even with the person they wanted to kill right in front of them.

"When do you plan to attack, if not for the time being?"

"When you fall."

RiderZero, who had resumed writing in her notebook, looked directly into my eyes.

"Of course, I understand. I, we in the alliance, live like humans because we're prosperous. Others live miserably because they don't have food to eat right now. But you crossed a line."

"There's no one in this world who hasn't crossed a line."

Zombies are people too. As I'd heard from the police on the first day of the zombie outbreak, killing zombies is still murder.

Because that zombie might overcome the virus and recover someday.

RiderZero twirled her ballpoint pen.

"The line I'm talking about isn't that. A person's greatest strength is connection. Family, friends, organization, society. The strength to join forces and protect each other. But you're someone who cuts those lines."

A voice full of conviction. Had she been investigating my actions for days? Her pen sliced through the air like a dagger.

"If you're in danger, who will help you? When your bullets run out, will people approach you with good intentions?"

"Of course not."

I grinned. Survivors like wild dogs would probably come after the resources we've stockpiled. My karma would come for me.

What was it Sa Gi-hyeok said about seeing something in my eyes? Furthermore, my world would change according to how I saw it. Because that's how I've lived.

RiderZero lowered her head again.

"So I have no particular desire to fight you. If I wait quietly, you'll fall on your own. Like collecting dishes from a Chinese restaurant, it's enough to just collect your corpse after you fall."

"Well, if that's the case. Do whatever you want with my corpse. I'm just glad we're not fighting right now."

I couldn't care less what happened to my body after I died. What mattered was that nothing interfered with my enjoyable raiding lifestyle.

"Then I'll be going now."

I rose from my seat lightly and headed into the shadowy corridor. RiderZero left me with what could have been either a warning or advice as a farewell.

"I won't tell you to repent. But remember my words. If you continue living like this, all that awaits is your downfall."