Apocalypse N-Student - Chapter 58



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Episode 58 Serihan (1)

Early in the morning, I packed my gear with Jongseok and left the hideout.

He wore a body armor, a tactical vest, a throwing knife, a tactical axe, and a holstered revolver.

He covered his body with a loose, thin windbreaker and wore a baseball cap pulled down low over his head.

I hesitated for a moment between the shotgun and the K2 rifle.

It would be nice not to have to use a gun, but unlike before where you just had to move and farm, this time you’ll have to engage with groups of survivors.

I don’t know what kind of people the Serihan Apartment survivors are, but if they’re anything like the average person in the apocalypse, you should never show them a gun.

But if you leave your gun behind, you might end up regretting it.

Attaching a soft case to your backpack can attract annoying attention.

When I put the shotgun in my backpack, the barrel popped out.

The K2 rifle with the buttstock folded fit into the backpack quite comfortably.

I left the shotgun and only took the rifle.

Ammunition is 40 rounds in two magazines.

He had a crossbow attached to his backpack and carried a spear.

He told Lee Sun-ae and Yeon-hee that he was going to scout out the area.

I was a little worried about leaving the two of them behind, but Yeonhee’s fighting power was reassuring.

I heard that Lee Sun-ae also practices singing whenever she has time and also spar with Yeon-hee.

The road I took the other day had people using zombies as security guards, so this time I took a detour past Jangjeon Station and took the road to the east.

“Did the magnetic group take control of the Gori nuclear power plant?”

Jong-seok asked as they walked along the road that stretched parallel to the subway overpass.

“It is quite possible.”

The last time I checked before departure, the golden carriage was still in front of the nuclear power plant.

It didn’t seem like they were going to empty the pockets of survivors around the nuclear power plant, but that was probably their final destination.

Why did the golden carriage go to Gori Nuclear Power Plant?

The nuclear power plant was built on the coast.

Right next door is a port where fishing boats are moored.

Although small in scale, it was possible to exchange cargo with ships floating at sea using small ships.

The Gijang area may have also seen its residents wiped out by the zombie outbreak.

Even the few people who barely survived will actively cooperate and provide labor if food is provided.

Like vagabonds who were given orders by men in golden chariots wearing armbands after being promised a reward.

Because the area is surrounded by mountains, if the main roads are blocked, the area around the nuclear power plant will be completely sealed off.

If the nuclear power plant is operating normally, electricity can be secured stably, so various equipment and even factories can be operated.

Even though the Jasung Group was a conglomerate, it needed government approval and cooperation to occupy a nuclear power plant, which is a national infrastructure facility.

It seems fitting that government officials and military personnel have been spreading rumors of a radiation leak, but for now, it’s all just speculation and assumptions.

“You’ll understand when you meet Lee Gwan-myeong.”

I think he stole a Geiger counter while working at a nuclear power plant. Why would he do that?

If the nuclear power plant is operating properly, the employees should be getting enough food to live on.

What the hell is going on at the Gori Nuclear Power Plant?

We need to know what’s going on, if only to properly deal with the radiation agitators who will show up with their soldiers in early August.

Only a few months after the world ended, weeds were growing everywhere on the twisted and cracked asphalt roads.

Roofs and signs fell off like fallen leaves, and rust-colored liquid flowed from the iron railings like blood.

Below, vines were slowly creeping up, turning the ornate exterior walls of the building into an eerie, haunted house.

On the riverside road under the bridge pier, a dry, foul smell assailed my nose.

Looking down the railing, I saw a swarm of rats swarming about in a heap of miscellaneous garbage, tangled with bones, making eerie noises.

Jongseok also stopped walking and covered his nose with his sleeve.

“Ugh, this is terrible. With so many rats, isn’t there an epidemic going on?”

“That’s why drinking water is important.”

Thanks to the spring rain, the water in the river flowing under the bridge pier was so abundant that it overflowed.

Those who drank from that river because they had no way to get water will most likely not see next spring.

*

The Serihan apartment complex looked still in good condition, perhaps because it had only been built a few years ago.

The twelve buildings, which rise like towers above the plain, are surrounded by high walls made of transparent plastic soundproofing panels sandwiched between H-beams.

The main gate, which we reached after walking around the wall for a while, was blocked by mini buses and trucks.

As we approached, a man wearing a mountaineering hat sitting on a sofa on the roof of the bus got up from his seat.

“stop.”

As I stopped as I was told, the man raised his spear threateningly.

“This place is off-limits. Begging and trading are both prohibited, so if you don’t want to get into trouble, go somewhere else.”

“I came to find someone.”

“person?”

“There’s a resident here named Park Hong-sik. He used to be the manager of a boxing gym······”

“There is no such person. Go back.”

As the man spoke, a balding old man who had been dozing off next to him yawned and chimed in.

“I think you’re talking about temporary security?”

“Who is it?”

“There’s a champion who came in through President Jeong’s connections. He came back from Vietnam.”

“Ah. That old man.”

Only then did the man remember and frowned as he looked down at me.

“Do you have any cigarettes?”

“There isn’t any.”

“What about alcohol?”

“If there was any, I would have drunk it all.”

“Fuck, we won’t even be able to cover labor costs.”

The man stepped off the bus, spitting in annoyance.

The old man, left alone, leaned back on the sofa and stared at us both with interest, like a small king meeting a messenger.

“Where did you all come from?”

“I came from Guseo-dong.”

“Wow, you came from far away. Is it a place worth living in?”

“It’s okay.”

“Hehehe, looking at how well-toned both of you are, I guess the shelter manager there is talented?”

“I eat and live.”

“That’s fine. In this day and age, even just eating one meal a day is a blessing.”

While I was gathering information about the Serihan Shelter while talking to the old man, the man who had gone inside appeared with a familiar face.

“Oh my, who is this?”

Park Hong-sik, who recognized me, came running with a bright face.

“I stopped by to see your face as I was passing by.”

When I bowed my head to greet him, he grabbed my hand.

“Welcome, welcome. You two are both very intelligent in this dirty world. Let’s go in there and talk.”

As soon as he entered the empty security office and sat down on the chair, Park Hong-sik let out a sigh with an anxious look on his face.

“I was already thinking of Kang-Jun and was wondering how I could contact him, but human connections are really strange······”

“Is something wrong?”

“The people who left yesterday haven’t come back yet. We were supposed to do some work with a group of survivors from Dongrae, but I don’t know if they’re having trouble or if things are going well, but I haven’t heard from them.”

In an apocalypse where no one can be trusted, it was rare for a group of survivors to band together, and most of the time it didn’t end well.

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“Is there anything big?”

“Have you seen the golden carriage?”

“Yes. He hit me so hard that my eyes popped out.”

“They say that the biggest customer there is a shift worker there. They bought a whole busload of supplies for a lot of money. The chairman brought out some guys who were good at making friends, but there’s been no news.”

“Is that so?”

Park Hong-sik was quite serious, but I was indifferent.

The shift was far from the hideout and we didn’t need to get any more supplies.

After chatting for a while, we got to the main topic.

“Is there anyone among the survivors here named Lee Gwan-myeong?”

“Lee Gwan-myeong? Are you a resident of Serihan?”

“Yes. The person who joined us this time asked me to say hello.”

“Really? Just stay still. It’s Lee Gwan-myeong, Lee Gwan-myeong······”

After a brief explanation, Park Hong-sik took out his notebook and started leafing through it.

Looking from the side, I saw that there was a name written next to what seemed to be a list of survivors.

Only after turning a few pages did his rough and rugged fingers, which had been clenched into fists his entire life, stop in one place.

“There you are. Lee Gwan-myeong. Room 201, Building 112. You’re alive.”

I nodded my head slightly, feeling relieved inside.

“Are you inside?”

“Well······ I don’t remember all the names and faces. Just wait a minute.”

Park Hong-sik, who went inside to find out, came back 10 minutes later and shook his head.

“No. I went to work yesterday. It was a long walk, but it’s too bad.”

Should I come back later?

It’s not that far away, and since Park Hong-sik is there, I’ll probably be able to see Lee Gwan-myeong next time I come.

It was clearly the best option, but I felt uneasy for some reason.

In an apocalypse where tomorrow cannot be guaranteed, how far will Lee Gwan-myeong’s lifeline go?

If you’re so poor that you have to sell off the stuff you stole from the nuclear power plant, there may not be another chance.

It was also questionable how long this shelter would last.

Park Hong-sik opened his mouth secretly, carefully observing my troubled expression.

“Is this someone I absolutely have to meet?”

“It would be nice to meet you.”

“Then, would you like to go to the shift with me? I was planning on sending someone to check out the situation anyway. I’ve been drafted too. It would be really reassuring if Kang-Jun and his friend went with me.”

“How many people are going?”

“Three people including me.”

It was a reasonable number of people.

Sometimes he fights against zombies or small-time marauders, and sometimes he separates them and runs away with Jong-seok.

After glancing around to check Jongseok’s intentions, I accepted the offer.

“Let’s do that.”

“Good idea. Then let’s go right in.”

I followed Park Hong-sik, who was delighted, out.

Jong-seok whispered as he watched Park Hong-sik go back to the back of the bus to ask for permission to enter.

“Will it be okay?”

“Let’s go and meet with Lee Gwan-myeong first. If you feel that something is strange, get out immediately.”

He is wearing a body armor and also carries a crossbow, a revolver, and a K2 rifle.

There was no reason to fight, so it wasn’t difficult to get out.

“Okay. Let’s go. This way.”

I followed Park Hong-sik through the narrow passage between the buses and went inside.

I thought I was going to go inside the Serihan apartment complex, but I ended up going to the shopping mall next door.

The interior was completely blocked off by barricades made by laying vehicles on their sides with metal sculptures as the boundary.

“Are the zombies still not cleared out here?”

“Oh my, don’t be ridiculous.”

Park Hong-sik looked around the complex beyond the barricade and shuddered.

“We’ve caught all the ones wandering around inside, but we can’t do anything inside the building. The common entrance on the first floor is securely locked, but there are zombies falling from above, so we can’t just go in.”

The store was two stories high and appeared to be quite large from the outside.

The second floor was a Taekwondo academy and the first floor was a supermarket and a real estate office.

As I entered the real estate office, a man and a woman who were talking while looking at a map on the wall turned around.

“Who are you?”

A man with drooping eyes and a gloomy voice stared at me and Jong-seok with eyes full of caution.

Park Hong-sik stepped forward, straightening his shoulders.

“He’s my hometown junior. I happened to meet him while wandering around Dokgodai, and I asked him for help. He’s a trustworthy friend. His skills are also solid.”

“Didn’t you say outsiders aren’t allowed?”

The man glared sharply, but Park Hong-sik did not back down.

“Hey, I’m telling you, he’s a junior I know well. I can vouch for his identity. Seriously.”

When Park Hong-sik made his boast, the man snorted cynically.

“Huh, I hope I don’t have to take responsibility for that.”

The man packed his gear and went outside without giving his name.

The woman followed us behind without saying a word, glancing at us. The crossbow on her back caught our eye.

It is small and spherical, so its range and power are a bit lacking, but it is enough to kill people or zombies.

I left the entrance guarded by a man and an old man and headed towards Myeongnyun-dong.

The man and woman took the lead, and Park Hong-sik and we followed behind.

Park Hong-sik, excited to be on the same team as him, kept telling jokes that weren’t even funny, as if he was going on a picnic.

The woman glanced behind me, perhaps irritated by that, and her eyes widened when she saw the crossbow I was holding.

“Where did you get the crossbow?”

“I just shot it as a hobby.”

“Does it fit well?”

“Well, so-so.”

It was the first time I had been to Myeongnyun-dong since the world was destroyed, outside the drone’s flight range.

Although it was an unfamiliar street, the scenery was similar to other places.

Abandoned buildings and streets, forked roads and litter, stench, rats and cats, and······

“Two zombies ahead.”

As I pointed to the alley next to the motel, the man ahead of me flinched and turned his window.

A man approached the alley with a woman and killed the zombies without hesitation.

The skill of finishing it all off neatly in one go seemed quite useful.

The man who returned looked at me with strangely softened eyes.

When I nodded to indicate that I had done well, the man responded in kind.

As I reached the Lotte Department Store after killing five more zombies, I suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps running from across the road.

I quickly hid behind the alley wall, but someone collapsed on the sidewalk.

“Ugh, ugh, fuck······”

The curses he spat out while gasping for breath sounded strangely familiar.

I looked to the side, wondering if Jongseok had the same expression as me.

I walked quietly and looked out the alley, and it was as expected.

The man lying on the sidewalk next to the overpass, gasping for breath, was the thug with the flame tattoo on his face who had chased us when we robbed the pharmacy.

The gangster was bleeding from the side he was clutching, not knowing where he was hurt.

A moment later, the people who had done that to him came running out from the alley across the street.

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