Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 462



Only Noblemtl

185. Railway (2)

The train that would take us to the princess – the Panokseon – made its way through the ruined city center at a leisurely speed of averaging 25 km/h.

The train consisted of 14 cars, more than half of which were empty, and according to the description on the ticket, were meant for civilians to be rescued from the southern region.

The vehicle is said to be basically powered by hydrogen fuel cells, but in certain sections it is said to be powered by electric power directly from electric towers around the railway.

Even after the war, the railway line continued to undergo continuous maintenance, and although it may be hard to believe, it is said that the nuclear power plants in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula are still silently supplying electricity.

It is a mystery how such a thing is possible in a place where people have left and the land has eroded, but it is what a South Korean engineer did.

Maybe it’s still supplying electricity even when we’re all dead and gone.

As it was a large-scale project, more than 500 people were involved.

There are reportedly 50 train operators, about 150 soldiers, three hunter teams with reserves, and medical, cooking, and even recreation specialists brought in to boost morale.

The largest number of workers and engineers will be tasked with repairing broken tracks and infrastructure, as well as all other work related to the future revitalization of the railway.

The level of equipment loaded was jaw-dropping. The open vehicle was loaded with armored vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, and even construction vehicles such as excavators and bulldozers.

“My plan is to make my way along the way.”

Pyo Won-sang, the chief of staff for this operation, seemed to display excessive enthusiasm whenever I saw him.

At least in that regard, you can’t blame him, even though he’s from the Jeju Committee.

“Once the tracks are rebuilt, a bridge will be built between the metropolitan area and the provinces. The Panokseon will serve as the vanguard in rebuilding the world after the destruction. It’s embarrassing to say this myself, but the Panokseon was built to respond to any situation that could arise in this plan. I’ll explain it step by step. Please look at the screen.”

With a face full of excitement, Pyo Won-sang talked for a long time about the beauty of the Panokseon.

There was an unfortunate incident where Woo Min-hee, who was listening to the story, left in the middle, but that was not enough to dampen Pyo Won-sang’s enthusiasm.

“Everyone is pointing fingers. They say you’ll be the next lighthouse. But what could be more miserable than someone who has never tried to challenge themselves and criticizing someone who hasn’t?”

In many ways he reminded me of the unfortunate man who built the lighthouse and died.

Of course, I hope this train doesn’t get wrecked while I’m there.

Although I was given the limited mission of securing the princess, I was also one of the crew members of the Panokseon, so I listened carefully to Pyo Won-sang’s briefing and took it to heart.

Regardless of his background, it seems clear that he put a lot of effort and preparation into this mission.

In terms of armament, in addition to defensive armament to protect the train, there were also offensive armaments, such as field guns, that could sufficiently threaten the surrounding area in necessary situations.

It is worth considering that half of the soldiers on board the train are from elite artillery units.

“Really. You’re so thick-skinned. Really.”

At least in our team, I was the only one who listened to the briefing by the chairman, which lasted a full two hours.

“Ha, senior. Seriously. I thought you were somewhat thick-skinned, but I didn’t think you were that thick-skinned.”

Cheon Yeong-jae repeatedly expresses his disappointment in Ha Tae-hoon.

The disappointment must have been even greater because we had been together since our Incheon days and had lived and died together.

I don’t intend to blame him.

In a time of ruin where everything is in decline, Ha Tae-hoon simply made the choice that was right for him.

If we were to ask Ha Tae-hoon right now whether we could provide him with a comfortable life and wealth, he would say no.

Ha Tae-hoon is a newlywed and soon to be father.

Choosing friendship and loyalty may be important, but family is not considered less important than friendship and loyalty.

There is a more important issue.

Squeak-

The train stopped again.

Contrary to the boasts of the sign, the condition of the tracks is not very good.

It feels like it stops once every 30 minutes.

Once you stop, it’s normal to stop for hours.

It’s true that the scavengers didn’t touch it, but for some reason a section of the track would get twisted or missing, and whenever that happened, the train would have to stop and wait for workers to re-straighten the tracks.

There may not be any difficulties right now.

We have enough personnel and equipment.

But the further south you go, the more people become hostile to the government.

It is said that the warlords who ruled the South have disappeared, but that is only a claim by Pyo Won-sang.

It is unlikely that he brought along an excessive number of artillery pieces and artillerymen solely for negotiation purposes.

In this situation, there is only one question I can raise.

Will we ever be able to get to where the princess is?

Every departing train has its fate determined.

In the sense that the starting point and the end point are set.

For such a train to not reach its destination is like denying destiny itself.

“When are you arriving? Seriously. We’re still in Gyeonggi-do.”

“They say it takes three days to make rice cakes, but at this rate, it’ll take more than a month, let alone a week.”

“I secretly looked into the food compartment and there was so much food.”

“No, that’s for the refugees who need to be rescued.”

“I don’t know. I’m so anxious. It’s already been a day since I took the Savior ingredient.”

There are also trains here that don’t reach their final destination.

These are the regular Awakens that Yoo Yang-seo sent me.

On the outside it looks fine.

Jeju’s elite not only have a sense of privilege but also exclusivity.

They always kept to themselves and only relayed their needs through their leader, Moon Yang-gyeong, when necessary.

But their future is uncertain.

I showed Kang Han-min’s message to Woo Min-hee.

“As expected. It’s just as rumored.”

Woo Min-hee clenched his hooked fingers aggressively, his expression cold and sneerful.

“It was a myth. It was said that if you were next to Kang Han-min, you wouldn’t be called out.”

Kang Han-min has never built up his own power voluntarily.

Although he has the title of Savior, from what I know he lacks human charm and charisma.

However, there were always Awakens gathered around him who wanted to be with him, and as a result, they created their own organization that was like a strong personal guard for the people.

The myth is that if you stand next to Kang Han-min, you won’t be dragged into the cracks.

“It was said that a special wavelength flowed through the strong savior, Min Kang, and that just by being next to him, you wouldn’t hear the voice of the cracks.”

This is the testimony of Kim Hanna, who was in Jeju.

These rumors caused the anxious Awaken to rally around Kang Min, and as a result, they succeeded in creating a force that even the Committee could look up to without doing anything.

But the truth lies beyond that.

“He’s managing it. I don’t know how he did it, but Kang Han-min must have seen it. Friends who would be called out, and friends who wouldn’t. He dropped the friends who would be called out from the cracks, and rotated the friends who wouldn’t. It seems like he sent the friends who couldn’t find an answer to something else somewhere else, or put them in the most dangerous places.”

Woo Min-hee, who once stood in opposition to Kang Han-min, conducted her own investigation.

“It’s to maintain the myth that you won’t be summoned if you’re next to Kang Han-min. Well, there’s no proof though.”

Although he has a keen and sharp insight, he seems to lack the stamina to accumulate enough data to draw a conclusion.

As the number of stops increased and the delays increased, the arrogant confidence of Jeju’s elites was quickly replaced by anxiety.

“No, why aren’t you going?”

Finally, on the third day, the accident happened.

One of the Jeju Awaken protested directly to the Pyo Won-sang.

A skinny woman named Go Hee-seol who never spoke a word to anyone outside her own group exploded in rage like a fire without any warning.

“It looks like it’s almost finished, but can’t I just go? Yes?”

“No, it looks finished, but it’s not finished.”

“No, the rails are laid so you can pass!”

“That’s not it, man.”

“Fuck! How long are you going to waste your time on something so trivial? Huh?!”

In the process, Go Hee-seol even sent shock waves.

thud!

The sudden shock wave caused all the workers to stop working and look inside the train with shocked eyes.

The person concerned, Pyo Won-sang, just stared at the young Awaken, who was not even his younger brother, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

It didn’t take long for his blank face to turn into one of shame and anger.

Anyone who isn’t an idiot would know this.

It was clear that Go Hee-seol’s shockwave in front of him was intended to humiliate Pyo Won-sang, who was just a low-level Awaken.

“When can you leave?”

I was lucky to be there.

As soon as signs of unease became apparent, he stood between the two.

Even though it is the Jeju Committee, it is more of an adult than Jeju Awaken, who has just turned 20.

Pyo Won-sang noticed my intentions and let out a deep sigh as if trying to calm his anger, then spoke listlessly.

“······This trip is not a one-time round trip. The primary goal of this trip is to establish a future transportation route with the southern region and to reestablish permanent exchanges. Even if it takes time, we must firmly establish the track in preparation for the next time. Even for the time we return.”

I tried to look at Go Hee-seol.

It’s still very poisonous, but its sharpness has been toned down.

He knows it too.

No matter how angry you are, you should at least realize that it was wrong to send shockwaves.

He said a word, keeping his eyes fixed on her.

“That’s what they say. It doesn’t seem like the problem will be solved by getting angry here.”

No matter how much of an elite you are in Jeju, you can’t speak loudly in front of me.

It’s not because I have a higher rank or more power than Pyo Won-sang.

Kang Han-min acknowledged me.

That fact means thousands of times more to those arrogant Jeju elites than the name of the Jeju Committee.

Of course, just because Kang Han-min acknowledged it doesn’t mean they acknowledged me.

“I’m sorry. I think I lost my mind for a moment.”

Despite causing a commotion that shocked hundreds of workers and soldiers and brought important work to a halt, she simply apologized briefly as if to a friend and left.

After stopping the signatories from muttering and pointing with their eyes, he added in a low voice.

“······Let’s not deal with it.”

Still, he is a person who can communicate.

Although his face was flushed red, Pyo Won-sang suppressed his anger and returned to work.

However, it seems he couldn’t stand even a little sarcasm.

“You half-monster bastards.”

Fortunately, the voice did not reach Go Hee-seol, but problems like this would continue to occur.

The guy who seemed the most well-behaved got into trouble.

The anxiety felt by Jeju’s elite may be greater than we think.

“······.”

I need to talk about it.

*

“I’m sorry. But as the team leader, I will make sure to monitor things closely to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future.”

The interview offer was flatly declined.

Moon Yang-kyung, the leader of Jeju Awaken, bowed his head himself.

Of course, I’m not bowing my head because I’m sorry.

It’s just a natural, trained behavior.

But at least I can have a conversation with this guy.

She may not want to, but she needs to say something for the rest of her journey.

What should I say?

Well, it doesn’t suit my temperament to catch a friend who is ten years younger than me and scold him.

I don’t even know what to say.

I and they are not the same.

I don’t hear the voice of the crack and therefore I don’t run the risk of turning into a monster.

I think that it is violence in itself for someone who is not in the same situation to talk down to someone who is in a different situation.

But at least our bulletin board taught me a few things.

It’s a consensus.

“Do you know John Nanon?”

“I don’t know.”

“······Why don’t you know?”

“What do you do?”

“······.”

Not everyone can have the same eye level.

Some people have lower standards than we imagine.

At times like that, we ourselves must lower our posture.

“You know very well that Kang Han-min and I are classmates, right?”

When the name Kang Han-min comes out, faces that were hiding behind the seats peek out or suddenly appear.

He continues speaking, pretending not to notice their reactions.

“It may be hard to believe, but his grades in school were below average. He almost got kicked out several times.”

“lie.”

Someone said.

He’s the friend who had a fight with Pyo Won-sang earlier.

“······But he persevered through the difficult times and became the hero you all know.”

That’s what a story is.

Sometimes it has a magical effect on the listener, but other times it presents a magical vision to the speaker.

It’s a story without any particular order.

But the story naturally intertwines with another story and brings to fruition what I intended but could not think of.

“I know you guys are going through difficult times.”

Awaken looks at me with a different gaze.

Moon Yang-gyeong, who was like an ice rink, was no exception.

“Let’s get through this together. If you have anything to discuss, feel free to come see me anytime during work hours. If it’s a question about John’s work, it doesn’t matter if it’s after work.”

A sad ending.

I didn’t really try to convince or impress anyone.

I guess this is about the best I can do.

At least in terms of the trajectory going forward, it’s been touched upon.

But sometimes the railroad leads to areas I didn’t know about.

Late at night.

One of the Jeju Awaken came to me.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Lee Ho-su.

Awaken is a man whose name I only know.

According to his profile, he is only nineteen years old.

He, who seemed to be the most lively among the Jeju Awaken, looked at me with an empty face that I didn’t recognize and spoke calmly.

“Can you get me off in the middle without anyone knowing?”

My eyes realized his meaning.

The boy is preparing for the end of his journey.