Hiding a House in the Apocalypse

Chapter 14: Typhoon

Before the war began, the doomsday preppers were not a well-received group in society.

Even just looking at their characteristics, it's hard to find any virtues that the world would applaud.

People used to talk about those who claimed to analyse their minds, saying that underneath the doomsday prepper's thinking, there were delusions of grandeur, egoism, and resignation.

Well, except for delusions of grandeur, it's a fairly accurate statement.

I won't deny it.

With that thought in mind, I incurred debt, dug a bomb shelter, and appeased old Mr. Kim's preferences.

But not just anyone can be a doomsday prepper.

First, you have to become numb.

You need to be able to brush off the deaths of people who have nothing to do with you.

You don't have to be like an inhuman hunter who kills ruthlessly, but you shouldn't empathize with others' pain.

When the world collapses, millions of needy people will emerge, and helping each one will only lead you to the same fate.

In my idealized vision of a doomsday prepper, they are cold-hearted spectators.

No matter what happens around them, whether hundreds of people die or there are heart breaking stories, they ignore it all and live only for themselves.

Such a person deserves to be a legend.

Wouldn't the last of the humanity often referred to as legendary in stories?

Unfortunately, I fell short of becoming a legend.

I received information that it was coming the day after I confirmed the International Residence.

I stayed at a different accommodation for one night and then made my way to the National Assembly Building. Unexpectedly, I obtained valuable information there.

The information I obtained here is the biggest reason why I maintain a connection to the city.

[Typhoon-like massive monster moving south through the Kill Zone]

[Estimated to be of the Kraken type]

[Approximately 22 km/hour. Expected to turn southwest after bypassing Seoul]

[Estimated time to extinction: about 56 hours]

Inside the NCMC's lobby, information uploaded to the internal network was being updated in real-time on a computer set up there.

"A Kraken type..."

I've encountered one in China.

You could call it a living building.

It's a monster that can repel all known weapons with its enormous size, break through the Kill Zone, and demolish the defence line.

However, it's not invincible, and by my standards, it's not that dangerous either.

It has low intelligence, simple patterns, and as long as you're prepared, there's almost no chance of dying. If you leave it alone, it will eventually self-destruct, so there's no need to worry.

People often say that hunters, especially saviours, are the archenemies of monsters, but in reality, the most powerful enemy of monsters is the Earth itself.

Monsters from another world, once they cross the rift, inexplicably begin to lose their life force and start to collapse for unknown reasons.

The larger they are, the stronger they are, and the faster they collapse.

Of course, there are exceptions, but the one that appeared now is of the self-destructive type.

To put it metaphorically, it's like a typhoon.

It wreaks havoc in human territory during its lifetime, destroying everything in its path, but it loses momentum and self-destructs after some time, making it no different from a typhoon that changes course after passing through an area.

It's a chilling sight.

Without knowing the information, if I had been inside a bomb shelter, I wouldn't have known that disaster was coming, and I would have faced the fate of being deleted after saying, "Huh?" as if I were an extra in a monster movie.

What was I doing, getting myself killed?

No matter how you think about it, it's as if I'm going to die while writing a post on the community.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Surprise) ?!

Like this.

It seems like I've become a user that people avoid rather than like in the community lately...

Why haven't I been blocked much, I wonder?

Unfortunately, there was no contact from Kim Daram.

I understand.

She doesn't even know exactly where I live and she's extremely busy.

While staying in the NCMC lobby, I saw her walking briskly into the elevator with stern-faced soldiers, former hunters, bureaucrats, and politicians.

But I still hope she would give me a simple warning.

After a brief pause, I started thinking about the expected appearance point of the monster and the escape route accordingly. It didn't take long. I had simulated every possible situation in this area during the construction work.

Of course, I had considered the appearance of a super-sized species as well.

I waited, sipping on a cup of coffee, for the time to pass. There were still a couple of hours left. It would reveal itself soon.

But the walki-talkie situation seemed a bit strange. A catastrophe on the scale of a typhoon was descending upon us, yet there was not a single warning broadcast. What could have happened?

The current time is 8:30 PM. Based on the progress information obtained from the NCMC, the super-sized species should be approaching after passing through the outskirts of Seoul. But military frequencies were still silent.

Could it be that a broadcast station was affected?

"..."

It didn't really concern me. I was a doomsday prepper. My only concern was preserving my own life and safety, no matter what happened around me. Those who sought to save the world were on the front lines. I was content with simply observing the world flow according to my own beliefs.

However, as time passed, my beliefs began to waver. The first thing that filled my mind was the cheerful friends from our online community.

I connected to the community from the bomb shelter. My fellow community members seemed to be going about their daily lives, unaware of the approaching typhoonor perhaps, the one who saw the monster had already left this world.

I searched for information.

Keystone: It's down south of Paju, but why is the ground shaking like this? Did an earthquake happen?

I sent a message.

SKELTON: Are you alive?

No reply.

I posted on the bulletin board.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Question) Is Keystone alive? If you're alive, please respond.

Still no response.

Ten minutes passed, then twenty.

Is this person dead? Did they perish without a trace in the typhoon, unaware of anything inside the bomb shelter?

Another one of my comrades had died. They were nothing more than online acquaintances, with no names or faces, but their death had a tangible impact. There was now one less person to give me a single like, view, or reply.

"..."

I hesitated for a moment. Yes, I had resentment towards this world. I harboured grievances against the system, humanity itself, and even resented the gods. But did that mean I had to watch them die?

A stuffed wool felt doll occupying one corner of the room stared at me blankly. What would Anonymous337, the creator of this doll, think if they saw me now? A woman, whose name and face I didn't know, had exploded under the pretext of raising the monster.

What about the owner of this laptop?

Some people were still alive. The vivid memory of the girl's cry on that unusually cold Christmas night was still etched in my heart.

"..."

I wasn't a hero or a saviour. I didn't have the qualifications or the ability. The person I aspired to be was a cold-hearted spectator.

But maybe, just for today, it would be okay? It wasn't a special day, but it was the day the typhoon came.

The capriciousness of the moment spurred me into action.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming! Heading south following the attached map route!

If you're on the path, leave your bomb shelter for just one day and observe from a distance. It's useless even inside the bomb shelter since the creature's destructive rays ignore cover and disintegrate all life forms within its radius.

This is not a joke; it's a serious warning.

If this was helpful, please hit the like button!

I didn't want to lose these friends.

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming!

SKELTON: (Skeleton Warning) Monster's coming!

...

...

[Warning! You are restricted from using the service for 12 hours due to spamming.]

"Damn it! It's for a good reason!"

So, I spammed again.

I thought that would be enough, but my capriciousness was already demanding more.

"This is Skeleton. This is Skeleton. I hope anyone receiving this signal will respond, regardless of who you are. I repeat, this is Skeleton! Skeleton!"

It's the sniper's family. I wanted to save them too. Of course, I disliked that woman, but her daughter was different.

"In one hour, a super-sized monster is coming. It's a Kraken type. A giant building-like creature that emits a lethal ray, capable of killing all living beings within a 2km radius."

I want to hear his voice again next Christmas. I want to say, "Merry Christmas," not through the keyboard but with my own voice, even if it's filled with radio noise. It's my modest wish. Well, there are other intentions as well.

With no response, I drove straight into the sniper's area. Time was running out, so I passed through Gold's area. Mutated dogs began to chase me, drooling just like from the games.

I managed to fend them off with gunfire and speed, eventually arriving in the sniper's area. However, the greeting I received was sharp gunfire.

Bang!

A bullet pierced the ground beneath my feet, sending dirt flying. I spoke into the radio.

"Can't you hear me? Everyone's going to die!"

No response. I said it again.

"Are you going to let your daughter die too?"

That seemed to have an effect. The sniper and her daughter emerged from the darkness.

"Skeleton!"

The girl smiled brightly and waved at me.

"The car?"

The sniper nodded, and I said, "Gasoline. It's low."

"Get in."

I didn't think she would get in right away. I thought persuasion was necessary. But to my surprise, the sniper easily got in the car.

"See?"

She fastened her seatbelt and said in hesitant Korean, "What?"

"The monster."

There was a reason I listened well.

"Hold on tight."

We drove away from the area, and on a hilly ridge with a view below, we witnessed a giant monster appearing in our territory. Like a building with legs, it trampled the ground, firing a web-like malicious ray that swept away all living things without a trace.

The deadly ray that destroyed only living creatures barely grazed my underground shelter zone. If I had been down there, I probably wouldn't have died cleanly. I might have been split in half.

The sniper, who had been through countless battles, was reduced to a frightened lamb in front of this strange creature that defied the world.

Watching them for a moment, I finally said, "Wait right here."

"What?"

"Take a picture. Click."

"Why?"

"I have a printer at home, so I'll print it for you."

It's a dog-eat-dog world, but we should still have memories. Coincidentally, as I took the photo, the typhoon covering our territory disappeared. The monster that had been trampling and burning the land began to transform into particles, disintegrating.

Against the backdrop of a pitch-black landscape with no lanterns, the colour and shape of that light scattering in the wind were chillingly beautiful.

"Beautiful..."

The girl mumbled as if lost in thought while looking at it, and her mother held her hand, staring at the merging of this world and the world beyond.

Click.

One photo was saved in the folder.

***

SKELTON: (Skeleton Photo) Untitled 03

My photo created a small ripple in the community. I received many precious comments and a few likes. Especially, there were many comments about how cute the girl was in the photo.

Some asked what the photo was about, but I didn't answer, respecting the privacy of the sniper's family.

Unfortunately, my information didn't really help our community members because our friends weren't on the path.

Even Keystone, who I thought was dead, was alive.

Keystone: I thought I was going to die from nausea. Did this guy block me?! Well, whatever.

Oddly enough, the person I wanted to block didn't block me.

Defender: Skeleton, this guy is seriously cool, isn't he? He has a sense of aesthetics. Handling light may be rough, but he captures the composition well.

No, he seems to be actively interested in me instead. At that level, I'd rather have a stalker.

A human hunter sent me a message with an attached photo. In the photo, my back was clearly captured as I rode a quad bike with the sniper and her daughter.

Message from Defender: Skeleton. Is this you?

SKELTON: No.

Message from Defender: Thanks to you, my life was saved. Thank you. I'll definitely repay this favour.

"Ha..."

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