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Nutrient deficiency is a terrifying danger. Just look at one of my role models, the pirate. They often suffer from scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C, leading to death.

In other words, with only rice and kimchi left, the threat of death is right at our doorstep!

This leaves us no choice but to resort to pillaging. Our essential supplies have run out.

As I prepared to head out with a large bag on my back and weapons hidden all over my body, the two members returned, fully armed.

“Let’s start by visiting the house of a former believer who lives nearby.”

Our target, selected after comparing several days’ worth of entry logs. A former believer who left midway.

“Yeah, that guy deserves it. How dare he lose faith in the pastor and turn his back on him.”

“That’s right. This is righteous revenge.”

Park Yang-gun and I shamelessly justified ourselves. It was a kind of mental armor. It kept our bodies from stiffening with tension and our hands from loosening with guilt.

“No…”

Jeondohyeong let out a hollow laugh and tried to say something but quickly shut his mouth.

I pointed the hammer at him.

“You take the lead.”

“Me? Are you doing this because I laughed?”

No. I’m not that petty. There was a reasonable reason.

“You’re always wandering around. Don’t you know the safe routes?”

While I stayed holed up in the villa like a hermit, Jeondohyeong and Park Yang-gun were different.

I often heard them leaving the house. Jeondohyeong probably went to meet Na Yae-ji, and Park Yang-gun couldn’t resist stealing.

Anyway, they managed to roam the zombie-infested streets unscathed. There’s no reason to ignore their expertise.

Jeondohyeong, looking aggrieved, pointed at Park Yang-gun.

“Deacon Park also—”

“I didn’t go far, you punk. I was practicing breaking gas pipes in nearby buildings.”

Ah. So he was practicing theft. Whether he only practiced or actually did it, I nodded.

“Then, Deacon Park, please watch the escape route from the rear. I’ll prepare to fight in the center.”

And so, we formed our formation and headed out into the streets. The streets filled with zombies.

There were quite a few zombies on the streets. Groups of two or three, armed with crude weapons, wandered around looking for food. Some zombies had dried blood around their mouths, as if they had eaten raw flesh.

Jeondohyeong skillfully avoided the zombies’ line of sight, weaving through alleys.

Sometimes he entered nearby buildings and waited for the zombies to pass, and other times he climbed through broken windows and exited through another.

He was never chased by zombies.

“Truly the Electric Thief.”

I muttered in admiration. It was the sharp instincts of a thief who had stolen electricity from the nation for so long without being caught.

Jeondohyeong blushed at the sincere compliment. The skin around his eyes turned red.

“What does that have to do with being the Electric Thief?”

His voice was filled with suppressed emotion. He couldn’t raise his voice too much outside, fearing it might attract zombies. In this apocalypse, even expressing joy at a compliment was difficult.

And so, we circled the streets and arrived at the public housing of our target, the former believer.

***

Knock knock knock-

“Brother, are you there? It’s Hope Church.”

I stepped forward as the representative and banged on the front door. It was okay to be a little noisy. We were on a high floor of the public housing, so there was no risk of attracting zombies.

I continued in a friendly voice.

“The church has come to distribute food to our brothers. It’s just a simple charity event, so no need to worry.”

There was movement behind the cold front door. Definitely a person. No zombie-like groans, just the rustling of human movement.

They approached the door hesitantly, as if wary.

Park Yang-gun chimed in from the side.

“It’s just a missionary activity. The church is empty these days. If you don’t want to talk, you can just take the supplies.”

“…”

After a brief silence, the door creaked open slightly. The safety latch was still on. Through the narrow gap, a young man with dark circles under his eyes peeked out.

A masked young man. His complexion was poor, likely from frequent hunger, and his cheeks were sunken, making his cheekbones prominent.

‘As expected. The betrayer of faith is quite wary.’

He scrutinized the three of us and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Show me the food.”

“Ah, of course.”

I quickly showed the bait. To catch a person, you naturally need bait.

The former believer gulped at the sight of the two containers filled with kimchi and rice. He stammered quickly.

“Leave it at the door and go.”

And with that, the door slammed shut. Click, the door lock engaged.

We exchanged glances for a moment. I scratched my head. Well, in this harsh world, opening the door just because of a name is too much to ask. Especially when the person is a notorious betrayer who turned his back on the pastor.

“Can’t be helped.”

We tried to be kind visitors. But since that failed, we had no choice but to become robbers.

There’s more than one way to catch a fish. You can use a spear.

“Step aside.”

Park Yang-gun strode forward. Jeondohyeong and I quickly made space. Park Yang-gun pulled out some rope, flour, and a flashlight.

“Four-digit password? This should be possible. People usually use birthdays, so it’s easy to guess.”

After checking the fingerprints, he excitedly pressed the numbers. Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, the door lock made continuous noises.

A terrified voice came from behind the door.

“What, what are you doing!”

“We’ve come to deliver hope. Please open your heart.”

“You don’t have to give me rice, just go back! Ah!”

Click-

The door lock opened. Park Yang-gun waved his hands excitedly. He threaded the rope through the gap in the door and hooked it onto the safety latch. Of course, from the other side, there was a scream-like shout.

“You, you guys! If you come in, I’ll kill you!”

At the same time, there was a clattering sound and someone desperately making noise. Like someone struggling with their mouth covered.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

…What? Did they tie up a zombie?

Anyway, it worked out. The former believer behind the door was delayed by whatever was struggling, and in that time, Park Yang-gun expertly opened the door.

The door swung open.

Sunlight flooded in, and the former believer, holding a kitchen knife, stepped back. The struggling noise came from behind him.

I grinned.

“Hello? We’re robbers. Put the knife down.”

“You, you.”

He hesitated, but his body crouched like a cat ready to pounce, and he tightened his grip on the knife.

We filled the narrow hallway, trampling the house with our shoes, and each of us drew our weapons. I, in particular, pulled out a handgun.

Click-

My courage and the other’s anger management therapy.

The other’s complexion changed several times in a short span, and then he raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m also a robber. We’re colleagues. Spare me.”

His stammering voice became calm.

And then, a woman rolled out from the door behind him. Her mouth taped shut, her wrists and ankles tied with rope. She wriggled like a worm.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

I blinked and quickly assessed the situation.

‘No wonder. It wasn’t a man’s name.’

That woman is the real former believer, and the man with the knife is the robber.

“I was so hungry, I thought I was going to starve to death, so I committed a crime. Can you just pretend you didn’t see me and let me go?”

The robber drooped his eyes like a pitiful person. A pleading voice came out. Of course, he still held the knife.

“Uncle Dosang, throw the rope to the robber.”

“Sure, Kim Da-ram.”

We naturally used fake names. Honestly, the commotion was quite loud. Neighbors might be listening. We had to hide our tracks as much as possible.

Thud, the robber looked down at the rope thrown to him.

“What’s this for…”

“Tie your wrists or thumbs. Or your ankles. We’ll untie you after we’re done.”

“I’m just a survival robber. If you let me go, I’ll leave quietly—”

Click, I aimed the gun and held a hammer in my other hand.

The robber, sensing the situation, put down the knife. It was a close distance. He probably thought he could cut the rope with the knife if he saw an opening.

But that wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t be able to cut the rope, and he wouldn’t even get tied up in the first place.

As the robber bent down to pick up the rope.

Thwack, I swung the hammer. With a twist of the wrist, the hammer struck the back of the robber’s head. He collapsed.

“Playing dead won’t work.”

I bent down and swung the hammer a few more times, enough to dent the back of his head.

You can’t let your guard down just because he’s down. After all, he’s a pillager who has adapted to the apocalypse. You can’t underestimate him. Every living human has the same survival experience as me.

After confirming the kill, I stood up and saw the members doing their tasks.

Park Yang-gun was checking the fridge, and Jeondohyeong reached out to remove the tape from the woman’s mouth.

I was horrified. Why would you untie the mouth of someone you’re about to kill?

“What are you doing! Stop!”

“Huh? I, uh.”

Jeondohyeong closed his eyes tightly, reluctantly withdrawing his hand. Did he want to hear the agonizing screams of a dying person? That’s not it.

I pointed at the former believer’s eyes. She seemed to recognize Deacon Park Yang-gun from attending services. Of course, her mouth had to be sealed. Forever.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

I slowly raised the hammer.

The eyes that once shone with hope at the sight of us dimmed. After a dull thud, she died in darkness. I wiped the blood off the hammer on the former believer’s clothes and stood up.

“Any food?”

“Not much. But there’s some retort food. And some ramen seasoning packets.”

Retort food that just needs to be heated. Curry or jjajang. Long shelf life and good taste. I nodded contentedly.

“Fruits or meat would be nice, but this is decent.”

“Fresh food is practically impossible to get. Even if there is, it’s probably spoiled.”

The aftermath of the supply chain breakdown. The city is a land that produces nothing.

We emptied the fridge of side dishes, retort food, tuna cans, coffee mix, and cheese with remaining shelf life into our bags and slowly returned to the villa.

***

Going out is dangerous. Once you’re out, you have to harvest as much as possible before returning.

We visited a few more houses and even raided a pharmacy. Well, it was more like scavenging. The pharmacy had already collapsed.

“Being on the first floor…”

Pharmacies are usually on the first floor. Naturally, they are the most vulnerable to zombie attacks. Of course, there’s no food left, so they’re no longer targeted, but a pharmacy with a dead pharmacist becomes a target for people.

We looked around the ransacked pharmacy.

“The masks and disinfectants are already gone.”

“Any self-test kits left?”

“Probably not.”

Self-test kits were in short supply, and to buy one, you had to record personal details and report it to the government.

If you looted them, you could use them without obligation, so they were a top target.

We reluctantly took the remaining vitamins and left. The bags were heavy, but our hearts were light.

The world felt bright with hope.

Zombies roaming the streets, groups of dozens of people going out together, zombies and humans cautiously avoiding each other—everything felt good.

But that good feeling quickly plummeted off a cliff.

“Hey, stop right there.”

Police hiding by the roadside. Two officers in bulletproof vests, already holding handguns. They approached us with strange glints in their eyes.

“Suspicious, huh? Suspicious, huh? What’s in the bag?”

“Just some food…”

Jeondohyeong glanced around. We were all subtly startled. We were criminals, after all.

The other officer looked around warily, while the one approaching us aimed his gun. A voice tinged with laughter.

“Food? Legally purchased goods, right? Probably not. How about we go to the station? Or…”

Thud, the gun poked the bag. A polite way of asking to share.

I immediately smiled warmly.

Cops robbing robbers.

The police have changed for various reasons. Citizens attacking police for their weapons, a work environment vulnerable to virus infections due to frontline zombie responses, a sharp decline in police manpower due to zombies turning, and a world where even regulations to curb corruption are fading.

They can become friends with criminals.

“Officer, seeing you suffer from nutrient deficiency while working day and night breaks my heart.”

Cops turning into gangs? Welcome.

 

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