After finishing two nights and three days of work, Junho set out on the return trip to Gahyeon-ri with the group.

The only looters they encountered were the bastards who had set up that ridiculous trap on the bridge.

As for zombies, all they did was kill about a hundred ordinary zombies not under an Alpha’s control, wandering along the national road.

“But even if this is the rural outskirts, aren’t there way too few Alphas and zombies?”

“That’s right. Seems like there are fewer zombies than last time too, boss.”

Park Deokcheol and Gu Jeongmok, who had learned a fair amount from Junho about the existence of Alphas and their traits, found it strange.

“That’s natural. Because of the kind of area this is, their prey would be running out, and they would’ve lost out in competition with other Alphas.”

“Ah....”

“On top of that, this place had more people who came here to play in the water during the holiday than actual locals to begin with. There’s a high chance the first Alpha that appeared here wasn’t someone from this area.”

“I see. But does that make something different?”

When Gu Jeongmok asked, Junho nodded and answered.

“Yes. Zombies instinctively remain in the area where they lived or places they were familiar with. Alphas are the same. But if a tourist who came here to play turned into an Alpha? That kind of individual is freer than a local Alpha. It leads its slaves and wanders around toward places with more prey. Then, once it finds a suitable place with a lot of survivors, it claims that place as its territory and digs in.”

“Whew. They really are similar to beasts.”

“You can think of them as almost the same. That’s why I see zombies, especially Alphas, as... a new species, I guess. And a species....”

Junho closed his mouth before adding anything more.

It was because going all the way to “evolution” was still uncertain, and he did not want to give them a greater worry for no reason.

Of course, even if it was evolution, it probably would not mean their outer appearance changing or them using bizarre abilities on the level of science fiction.

But there was more than enough possibility that their abilities would develop to the point of becoming even more cunning than they were now, or using simple tools.

“In any case, the Alpha in this area probably took its slaves and went to a village or city with a larger original population. Yangpyeong, Yeoju, or if it crossed the bridge, Hanam is the most likely.”

“I see. Then it’s bad news for the people who survived there, but fortunate for us.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Now it could be said that the period of true every-man-for-himself survival, and struggle, had begun.

Human against Alpha, human against human, and Alpha against Alpha would all mix together and push the chaos to its peak.

In particular, the northern and eastern parts of the Seoul metropolitan area, where the forces that had departed from Jeju Island and were known as the “mainland reclamation unit” had almost no influence, would be even fiercer.

But those regions were mostly mountainous and rugged, and compared to the rest of the metropolitan area, their population density was lower, so if someone had strength and ability, survival there was easier.

At the very least, it was not a place where one accidental loud noise would make thousands of zombies burst out from every road and alley at once.

“So from now on, we need to be more careful of people than zombies. Especially groups coming from the direction where there are a lot of military bases. Whether they’re soldiers or civilians, we have to be extremely careful.”

“Because of guns... I suppose.”

At Gu Jeongmok’s words, who had served in the military in Hwacheon, Junho nodded.

“That’s right. By now, quite a lot of them will have spread to civilians in that area too. They may even have grenades, and they could have Claymores, Panzerfausts, or even anti-tank missiles like Hyungung.”

“Insane....”

“Yes, insane. They can’t use them easily because of the noise, but in places like this, they can just fire them.”

In an area like this, where there were not many zombies within several hundred meters around the group, across the river, or in the nearby village, they did not need to worry about noise.

Of course, the story would be different if large-scale forces with armored vehicles clashed, but at the level of a few dozen infantrymen, they could shoot guns or whatever else as much as they wanted.

“So when we leave the shelter safe zone, or at minimum when we leave Gahyeon-ri, we have to conduct drone search and reconnaissance at the same time, just like now. If we find an armed group at platoon size or larger? Then first....”

“We hide or avoid them.”

“Yes. That’s best. And if that’s difficult, then we have to deal with them fast and decisively.”

“Whew. That’s a heavy responsibility. Either way, I’ll do my best.”

“Me too. On it, boss.”

Because they would have to fight not zombies, but humans for survival, the two of them renewed their resolve all over again.

In this kind of world, guilt over killing was something they would willingly carry for the sake of survival—for himself, and for “all of us.”

***

After returning to Gahyeon-ri, Junho paid Song Gijun and the workers as promised, handing over several boxes each of Spam, canned tuna, and ramen.

Also, because they had done extra work that had not been part of the plan, Junho added a box of canned tropical fruit and one kilogram each of frozen beef and pork.

Naturally, the faces of the men who had received this unexpected precious bonus lit up so brightly that their mouths nearly split from grinning.

“Thank you. If you have anything similar in the future, please call us again.”

At Song Gijun’s words, his smile never leaving his face, Junho chuckled and said,

“I will. By the way, has the Gahyeon-ri safe zone been organized now?”

“Yes. There are still some people who haven’t adapted to group life yet, but I sent those people to a few villa buildings and told them to live on their own. As long as they don’t skip work and do it diligently, we’ll distribute the standard ration of food to them.”

Naturally, Gahyeon-ri had blocked the national road that ran through its center, and with about two hundred meters of buffer space, they had also blocked roads in multiple places again with vehicles and various kinds of waste.

Because of that, at least the central neighborhood where the locals had mostly lived had become safe as a whole, and if people were living inside that zone, there was no need for them to live collectively in the houses near the elementary school.

Even in a world like this, not everyone was suited to group living, and if they forced it, other problems could arise instead.

So Song Gijun, being as sharp as he was, had immediately noticed that conflicts from that were beginning to form little by little.

Apparently, as soon as he did, he had allowed people to move residences, letting them live in their original homes or empty houses they liked, as long as those homes were within the safe zone.

“You did well. As you already know, if it looks like any kind of problem or conflict is starting, you have to resolve it immediately. You can’t miss the timing. If you do, there’s a high chance blood gets spilled.”

“Yes. Like Riverview. I’ll make sure something like that never happens again. Of course, not for you, Mr. Lee Junho. For us.”

“Of course.”

Junho smiled with genuine satisfaction.

Most people feared and revered him, but Junho actually liked that Song Gijun did not.

If he had not been this kind of person, Junho would not have picked him as the right man to lead the Gahyeon-ri survivor group in the first place.

“By the way, is there anything you’re short on? Anything we could get from somewhere else.”

“We’re short on everything, really. Still, if we live frugally, we’ll be fine. We’ve been clearing out empty houses too, gathering everything usable and sorting it by category before storing it. But still... daily necessities, I suppose.”

In the apocalypse, food and fuel were the most important things, but if those were in decent shape, then the daily necessities that used to roll around every house in peacetime, practically underfoot, became precious.

Once the problems of eating and sleeping were solved, it was human nature to want and pursue other things beyond that.

And Junho did not think of that as people getting spoiled.

People who lived without desire or wants eventually became lazy, and laziness was the greatest enemy of survival in the apocalypse.

“Daily necessities....”

Their shelter had every kind of daily necessity they could use for decades.

But those were for the shelter family, so he could not use them for the Gahyeon-ri residents. Nor did he have the slightest intention of doing so.

Then in the end, there was only one option left.

“How about this?”

“......?”

“I’m thinking of raiding the reserve forces base in Sang-myeon soon.”

“The Sang-myeon reserve forces... ah, there? I know where that is.”

Song Gijun, who had enlisted somewhat late, had done reserve forces training until a few years ago.

On top of that, since it had been more than five years since he had gotten an apartment in Gahyeon-ri, he had gone to the Sang-myeon reserve forces base before.

“Good. There’ll be live ammunition and all kinds of supplies there.”

The real prize ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) was the Jinjeon-eup reserve division that the Daeseong Society had tried to secure, the one he planned to go to with Lee Seokjin’s unit before summer, but Sang-myeon could not be ignored either.

The supplies held by a reserve forces unit, including ammunition, were all things of which not a single one was useless in the apocalypse.

“To move all of that, the Yeongho-ri soldiers won’t be enough. My group and I also have to stay combat-ready at all times in case something happens.”

“True. It’s inefficient for the people who need to fight to move cargo too. So you’re saying you’d like our side to help with that?”

“Yes. Around ten to fifteen people? If there are more, it gets messy and hard to control. Anyway, if you help us then....”

Junho turned his gaze toward the area where the apartment complex stood, the place where he had killed the last Alpha and zombies in the parking lot only a few months earlier, and continued.

“I’ll clear out Moku-ri D-Mart and Homeple for you.”

Large marts were the first targets apocalypse survivors went for.

But Junho knew that they all focused on food first and neglected daily necessities.

In other words, at this point, before even a full year had passed since the apocalypse broke out, it was certain that a considerable amount of the daily necessities Song Gijun and the Gahyeon-ri survivors needed would still be left.

“......!”

As expected, Song Gijun could not hide his surprise, his eyes widening.

And Junho knew why he was surprised.

“D-Mart? Mr. Junho, are you sure that’s okay? That’s Moku-ri, you know? And around there....”

“Yes, I know. It’s a densely populated residential area full of large apartment complexes.”

Moku-ri D-Mart was not that far from Jaeseong Building, where the employees of Welcome Karaoke Bar and its owner and landlord, Lee Wonoh, were staying.

But it was not the area where Junho had drawn massive aggro to wipe out the gangsters in Cheongsan Building.

More precisely, it was right beside Moku-ri Station.

“That’s the neighborhood with the most people in Moku-ri, isn’t it?”

It was the busiest place in Moku-ri, which, along with Hwado-eup, was considered part of Namyangju’s old downtown.

“I know. But there’s a way. And it’s better for us if we clean that side up to some extent.”

“Us?”

“Yes. Me and my group, and all of Gahyeon-ri.”

“...If someone else said the same thing, I’d consider it complete nonsense no matter what. But since it’s you saying it, Mr. Junho, I guess I have no choice but to believe it. Understood for now. I’ll have to hear what the village head and the residents say too, but they probably won’t oppose it. If we use your name, everything’s okay.”

“That’s more than I deserve. I guess this is why people should build up virtue in everyday life.”

Junho tossed out a light joke.

“Huh? V-virtue?”

But what came back was a dead-serious expression and an awkward silence.

“.......”

“.......”

“I’ll be going, then. I’ll make a detailed plan later and tell you again.”

“Yes, yes....”

Whether it was virtue or blood, slaughter, and fear, what did it matter?

Comforting himself with the fact that, whatever the reason, they were all living together without any major problems, Junho started the all-purpose electric vehicle.

Woof. Wo-woof.

As though consoling him, Purdy barked loyally.

***

Bang...!

One of the turrets protecting the shelter fired a bullet.

Thud!

Caw! Cawk! Caw!

A crow that had been loafing at the edge of the greenhouse roof fell to the ground, and the rest of them flew up into the sky in fright.

Kkamsoonie belatedly ran over and barked up at the sky.

“Ah, those crow bastards are going after the greenhouse again?”

“They’re seriously scary. The chickens can’t even rest comfortably in the fallow-field greenhouse because of them.”

When Baek Suho clicked his tongue, Jo Yuna looked at the crows with eyes full of worry and concern.

“Ah! Kkamsoonie, dirty! No, no!”

Ahn Yujeong, who mainly tended the crops in the greenhouse with Jo Yuna, freaked out when she saw Kkamsoonie trying to put the crow in her mouth.

“Yujeong, put that in the sack.”

“Ugh. Okay, Chaerin.”

Ahn Yujeong picked up the crow carcass with tongs and put it into the sack.

If they had been other survivors, they would have gone crazy over bird meat, but in their shelter, it went straight to the incinerator.

“But why are there so many crows here? Was it always like this?”

“No? There weren’t that many originally. But from the beginning of this year, they started creeping in, and once the weather warmed up, these damn birds came swarming in flocks.”

Baek Suho hated crows too.

No, he simply hated all birds.

Because before the farmhands came in, when he and Kim Hayoon had handled all the odd jobs, one of the most irritating tasks had been cleaning up the shit that every kind of bird left all over the shelter.

Of course, the shelter had several turrets installed, so they did deal with birds.

The problem was that the turrets were installed in positions meant to strike enemies approaching from the outside.

In other words, it was hard to intercept the ones that flew over the shelter and landed on the greenhouses or the solar panels.

“By the way, how do I look? Pretty decent?”

Baek Suho deliberately raised his chin and turned his face this way and that.

He had just received a proper “haircut” from Lee Chaerin.

Until now, he had looked like a chestnut covered in spikes, but now that his hair had been cleanly cut in a two-block style, he looked like a peeled chestnut.

“Y-you look neat, Suho.”

“Neat. Cute too.”

Jo Yuna and Ahn Yujeong smiled awkwardly and complimented him, and Baek Suho’s mouth soon spread wide.

But Baek Suho had no idea that when women told a man he was “neat and cute,” it was an extremely businesslike and ceremonial attitude.

“Really? Hehe. If you girls think it’s okay too, then Seulgi’ll probably like it, right?”

“She will.”

“Definitely, Suho.”

Unlike a moment ago, the two idols spoke with conviction.

Even though he looked like a smooth, shiny chestnut, in this world, having hair this clean meant any man’s looks brightened considerably.

“Then should I get going? First I’ll change my clothes....”

Splat!

Just then, something splashed down onto Baek Suho’s head and soon trickled down his face.

It was bird shit.

Caw...! Cawww...!

Hearing the crow cries that sounded almost mocking, Jo Yuna and Ahn Yujeong froze in place and stared at Baek Suho.

Slowly.

With an expressionless face, Baek Suho wiped the bird shit away with his sleeve and spoke in a low, sunken voice.

“Hey. Have you girls ever eaten crow meat?”

“N-no, Suho. Why would you eat that?”

“I think we might be eating it from now on. Because I’m going to tell Junho and wipe those bastards out to the last bird. This is now our shelter’s pest bird extermination season.”

Baek Suho had not even forgotten the grudge he had built up during his farmhand days, and now, right after getting a haircut he liked for the first time in ages, he had even suffered a bird-shit terror attack.

Flames burned in his eyes.