Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 400



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Hiding a House in the Apocalypse Chapter 400

162. Bridge (2)

I once read an article in a magazine that said that the biggest difference between men and women is their perspective on results and process.

According to him, when there is an issue, men tend to only look at the results and act accordingly, while women tend to place more importance on the process leading to the results.

This claim may be just another form of hasty generalization, like the now-discarded blood type personality theory and its successor, the MBTI, but at least it seems certain that the world does not revolve around the male-only logic that the magazine claims.

Even though the decision to collapse the bridge was already made, we had to go and meet the K Bridge officials in person.

The journey itself was enjoyable.

Today’s transportation was not a shaky, stuffy armored vehicle or a noisy, dangerous helicopter, but a boat cutting through the river’s rapids.

It was larger and better armed than the one I rode to Ganghwa Island on before.

Going down the Han River, where one side was gray and the other was ruined, in an area that was becoming increasingly salty, we could see the shabby bridge connecting both banks of the Han River and, beneath it, a small island covered in haphazardly woven prefabricated buildings.

It is the home of K Bridge and its residents.

Next to the island, a variety of unpowered boats were constantly casting and hauling out nets on the still-unfrozen Han River, carrying fishermen with nets.

I climbed up onto the bridge using a maintenance ladder that extended down to the piers.

“Hey. What are you talking about? I won’t do it. I can’t do it. No, why are you doing it?”

The leader of the Bridge People showed strong antipathy towards us from the very first time we met.

When he didn’t even reveal his name or show basic courtesy, we felt confident that no matter what we said, we would not be able to convince this person.

“Monsters will come soon.”

Since dealing with such people was tiring for me, the person who mainly handled the negotiations was a government administrative official named Na Min-gyu.

He was in his early thirties and had a reputation for being a man of clear opinions and for doing things neatly, despite his unpleasant-looking appearance.

He was also in charge of mediation when a strike occurred at a shell factory recently.

“You may not know, but monsters tend to avoid water. Where is Paju? Isn’t it just north of here? There are a lot of monsters gathered near the crack right now. They’ll come down here soon. I’m not saying they’ll come down specifically to this bridge. I don’t know about that. But if even one or two show up, do you think you can handle them there?”

Na Min-gyu seemed to have sensed that the negotiations had already gone wrong, so he spoke directly.

Of course, the leader of the Bridge People did not listen even with his nose turned down.

“They won’t come down. Even if people live here, how many people live there? Isn’t that the Hanam and Misa area? We’re not stupid. We know that monsters can’t operate outside the rift for long. If you build a bridge here and monsters pass by and circle around and attack your side, you’re only saying that because it seems like that area will be more dangerous.”

The man seemed to want to make it even more clear that he had no intention of continuing the conversation, so he just left the room.

“No matter what you say, we won’t listen. We’ve already met and talked to people who are incomparably better than you before we met you.”

“Who is that wonderful person?”

When Cheon Yeong-jae, who was present, asked with a sly smile, the man glared at him with his side of his face slightly revealed, and spoke in a low voice.

“Kang Han-min.”

We looked at the settlement built by the Bridge People on the bridge.

There is a large stone wall built like a castle wall at the entrance to the bridge.

A wall was built out of concrete debris, scrap cars, dirt and other miscellaneous items, and beyond that, a large, demolition hammer-like thing was hanging from a crane-like machine.

“It’s a zombie hammer.”

One of the bridge people next to me noticed my gaze and said proudly.

He pointed to the part of the chain connecting the crane to the ground.

There was a circular power plant that was turned by several people.

It looks like when several people turn it, the iron ball rotates and the zombies crush their heads and bodies.

“Is it used to catch zombies?”

He asked, looking at the unusual tool.

The man smiled proudly.

“There are a lot of zombies flocking here.”

“How much?”

“Once, there was a siege battle with over ten thousand zombies coming.”

The men next to me said something one by one.

“Because this place is so conspicuous, all sorts of people came, but not a single one destroyed our bridge.”

“There was a time when the remnants of the Legion faction came in with mortars, but that didn’t work on us.”

“We are the ones who have to protect our own interests. We don’t need your help.”

Cheon Yeong-jae was about to say something, but he stopped him with a gesture.

Anyway, no matter what you say to these people, they won’t listen.

One of the friendly men looked around and spoke to us in a subtle way.

“It seems like you came here to cut off my leg. I will never do so.”

“Why?”

Cheon Yeong-jae asked.

The man looked north.

“Well, there is a reason for that. There have been various things going on here too.”

Na Min-gyu appropriately handed the man a pack of cigarettes.

The man gave Na Min-gyu a somewhat surprised expression, put the cigarette in his pocket, and continued speaking.

“We’ve looted all the resources in the south. We’ve looted every single building, every single room. But there are still a lot of places in the north that haven’t been looted. Since the bridge was cut off, no one has lived there.”

The man added with a shallow sigh, a cigarette in his mouth.

“In the end, it’s all about money. Should we call it material goods rather than money now? Anyway, it’s all about profit.”

The man looked east.

“I heard that scavengers that started out there have been seen frequently in the Gangbuk area recently.”

It seems to be talking about a gangster.

Well, their activities are quite extreme.

After letting him enjoy his cigarette for a moment, I took the time to ask him a question.

“They say that Kang Han-min’s side installed the bridge.”

The man looked around once more and Na Min-gyu handed him two more packs of cigarettes.

However, since the man raised three fingers, Na Min-gyu asked for help from Cheon Young-jae, and he had to include Cheon Young-jae’s part as well.

“······I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I think you’re also interested in Paju. I’ve seen you drive there a few times.”

Although he paid a huge price for three packs of factory-made cigarettes before the war, the last bit of information was of little nutritional value.

Leaving our empty laughter behind, we climbed back down the ladder and descended under the bridge pier.

“You must be so confident.”

Na Min-gyu looked around with a cigarette in his mouth.

“It’s a pretty well-made settlement.”

I agree with what he said.

Although others look down on them and call them bridge people, they have established a uniquely stable position among the remaining settlers along the Han River.

I would have lived a very lonely life.

After all, he must have risked everything to make this settlement a proud place to live.

That must be why we were able to stand tall in front of such a huge force that brought up the government of the Republic of Korea.

But their fate lies in someone else’s hands.

*

“I am very sorry, but the strong savior, Min Kang, is currently meditating.”

This is the 7th time I have asked Kang Min to communicate directly with me.

According to them, Kang Han-min seems to meditate 24 hours a day.

Even the Internet can’t last that long.

“As expected, Kang Han-min has no intention of talking to us.”

Kim Byeong-cheol, who was standing next to me, grumbled.

“Fuck. What kind of savior is that!”

A group of monsters set out from Paju.

A medium-sized swarm designated ZA-33.

Drone reconnaissance photos taken from as far away as possible to avoid interference from the monsters showed that the group consisted of eight medium-sized and four small-sized monsters.

The problem with this group is their path.

Unlike the other groups that always moved southeast after departing from the crack, the ZA-33 group moved straight south, toward K Bridge.

Although there was an incomprehensible long waiting time characteristic of monsters in the middle, it seemed clear that the monster horde was heading towards K Bridge.

We informed K Bridge of this fact, but they did not listen to us at all after the previous negotiations.

“So, what should we do?”

The topic of the meeting was how to blow up the bridge.

There is no option to not break the bridge.

The radical corps officers said that helicopters should be sent immediately to destroy the repair facility installed by Kang Hwan-min’s side.

I saw Woo Min-hee’s expression.

Expressionless.

It’s uncomfortable to plant.

Certainly she was concerned about what would happen after this battle.

Although he said it jokingly, he is seriously considering coming to my territory.

I waited for the next comment, feeling a chill down my spine.

“If you attack blindly, you might get into trouble later, so wouldn’t it be better to wait until a group of monsters appears in front of the bridge and destroy them when they realize they are in danger?”

Administrative officials, including Na Min-gyu, proposed a more moderate plan.

I saw Woo Min-hee’s face.

He seems less uncomfortable than before, but he still has a blank expression.

It seems like he doesn’t like this opinion either.

No matter what, it looks like we, who claim to be the government of the Republic of Korea, are attacking fellow Koreans.

In a situation where a general type could come down and kill us all at any moment, thinking about what happens after that might be foolish in terms of process and results, but if you think about it differently, isn’t thinking about the future an expression of hope in some way?

Thinking about tomorrow means worrying about what will happen tomorrow.

It may seem meaningless, but I think it is a meaningful concern.

The commotion stops and eyes turn to me.

Woo Min-hee’s gaze is also directed at me.

At the same time, I can feel the terrifyingly cold gaze of Kim Da-ram watching from the side, but here I have to take Woo Min-hee’s side.

“I agree with Director Na Min-gyu’s opinion, but how about going a little further?”

He continued, looking at the question marks in people’s eyes.

“Let them blow up the bridge.”

I glanced at Woo Min-hee’s expression.

Contrary to the previous two opinions, a faint smile lingered on her lips.

*

To be honest, I wholeheartedly agree with the criticism that it is a very time-consuming, troublesome, and uncertain plan.

In the mindset of men who only focus on “results,” it is true that the actions I am about to take are cumbersome, meaningless, and contain the risk that they will not turn out well.

But I think we should try everything we can.

I don’t know what Kang Han-min is thinking, but it’s clear that they don’t like us.

Moreover, even though Woo Min-hee stopped interfering for a while, it is an undeniable fact that the Jeju government, which succeeded the National Assembly in the hierarchy of the Republic of Korea government, is a higher organization than the new Seoul government centered around its lower departments, unless the National Organization Act is changed.

The current situation in which Woo Min-hee refuses to follow the Jeju government’s orders is itself considered defiance of orders.

A hot-blooded friend like Cheon Yeong-jae is talking about completely cutting ties with Jeju, but is that really that easy?

Besides, they have a powerful air force and, above all, they have Kang Min himself.

The story is that you can’t win with force.

But that won’t work either.

Therefore, I think we should refrain from doing anything that might give Jeju an excuse as much as possible.

“I came here to talk to you again. I have confirmed that a group of monsters is approaching.”

We took a military boat back to K Bridge.

Unlike before, the Bridge People showed their wariness of us with their whole body, with men with guns at the forefront.

“······You can believe it or not, but it is true that a medium-sized group is heading towards you right now. It will probably take about 8 hours. You can check whether what I am saying is true or not when you get there.”

I observed the movements of the bridge people as I felt the unique sensation of my voice, amplified by the amplifier, booming through the large speakers and making my body shiver.

It looks like he’s still not responding to the conversation.

But there is one person who stands out.

This is the young man who gave us four packs of cigarettes.

He continued speaking while looking at the man.

“Here, I’ll leave you with an explosive. It’s something that can blow up the temporary structure leading to the north in one fell swoop. Keep it and use it when you see monsters in the north in eight hours.”

The soldiers loaded explosives onto a rubber boat and pushed it towards them with all their might.

The boat slowly moved along the waterway of the Han River toward the pier.

The people on the pier looked at the boat approaching them with wary expressions.

It seemed like no one even thought of touching it.

Perhaps there were instructions from above.

“Let’s just blow it.”

Kim Byeong-cheol, who was watching this scene through the camera, suddenly said.

Without responding, I looked at them and the small but solid and sound settlement they had created.

The outer wall built on the bridge, various buildings erected on the bridge, a well-maintained island, and several fishing boats.

I said a word after seeing such a foundation for life.

“······Isn’t this the land you worked so hard to cultivate?”

I don’t know if those words touched their hearts.

Some of the bridge people who had been silently watching the boat drift by suddenly got on a boat and retrieved the boat.

The time of destiny came quickly.

Of course, insurance is provided.

In the sky, drones armed with Hellfire missiles soar overhead, and combat boats armed with multiple rocket launchers stand by on the riverbank.

The rest is up to their choice.

In the darkness, a grayish-white object appeared beyond the ruins.

It’s a monster.

A solid shell and flat silhouette.

Combat-type – Appears to be a medium-sized cataphract type.

Even without deploying its reflective field, it is a tricky creature with thick armor that is difficult to penetrate even with an old, dumb tank unless you hit its head directly.

It would be better to use a domestically produced tank modified version rather than the commonly used Patton tank modified version.

Well, that guy is on par with a 155mm artillery barrage, but that small settlement is no match for them.

I watched the Bridge People’s choices while feeling the cold wind coming down the river.

Boom! Boom!

Actually, I had guessed the ending.

From the moment they accepted the bomb we threw at them.

Kwakwakwang!

Amidst the thunder and lightning, I saw the structure connecting the bridge collapse.

Chijijik-

The radio rang.

“This is Shelter 188, also known as Bridge People.”

Someone was waving from the bridge.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The bridge was broken.

But the broken relationship was reconnected.

“senior.”

Woo Min-hee also received a personal message.

“Good job.”