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Flour with a shelf life of a year is a decent food resource. Just mix it with water and salt, knead it, boil it, and it becomes edible food for people.

Mixing it with overflowing kimchi to make kimchi kalguksu or kimchi pancakes turns it into a decent meal.

I stood by the road and watched our members hastily eating. They didn’t seem worried about the virus, taking off their masks and inhaling kimchi pancakes.

Sajihyeok quietly approached me.

“I’ve had some conversations.”

“Any good targets? Someone with firearms or abundant resources?”

When I asked, Sajihyeok shook his head.

“No. Those who had stockpiled resources have already been raided, and those with firearms have already used up all their ammunition.”

It’s a real famine. The fact that the city’s resources are running dry hit me anew.

The bandits and thieves of old didn’t raid government offices and the wealthy for no reason. In a world where survival is hard, raiding ordinary people yields nothing, so they target warehouses filled with goods.

‘Killing these survivors won’t get us ammunition. Should we really mess with the Alliance? Or…’

I fiddled with my mask and leaned against a lamppost.

It’s a season where bullets are more precious. I have two paths. One is to raid the Alliance. The other is to become their lackey.

Raiding the Alliance is more like the way of nomads or pirates. It has clear limits. Fighting powerful enemies. Even if we mimic bandits or thieves, we’d have to fight the Alliance or the military.

On the other hand, befriending the Alliance is more like the way of the mafia or cartels.

‘I can do the dirty work for them.’

If the famine continues like this, even the Alliance won’t be safe. All sorts of survivors will try to steal and raid the Alliance’s resources.

They’ll sneak into the Survivor Zone, steal resources from shops, and run away. Threats of arson and water pollution will follow, endlessly consuming resources and time.

This is clearly an unwelcome situation for the Alliance, and I could clean up the stray dogs outside the Survivor Zone for them.

‘The Alliance also cares about their reputation. I think I can negotiate for ammunition and firearms in return.’

I glanced at Sajihyeok.

“Mr. Sajihyeok. Can you think of a business idea?”

“What kind of business?”

“Cleaning? Management?”

Sajihyeok blinked and then calmly said, “Not real cleaning or management, right? Cleaning people? Will this be profitable? The loss of ammunition might be greater.”

“I’m thinking of subcontracting from the Alliance.”

When I explained my thoughts, Sajihyeok frowned ambiguously.

“There seems to be demand… but I’m not sure. I don’t know what the Alliance leadership will think.”

“Just think of the business idea for now. I’ll handle the persuasion.”

Rider Zero will oppose it, but the police or archers will definitely think positively. Others are also rational, so with the right words, they can be persuaded.

Around that time, the new members finished their meal. As if waiting for my words, I waved my hand at them.

“Collect the resources of the dead here on your own. And if there’s anyone trying to mess with us, report it immediately and come back here in a few days.”

***

The next day, I met the Police Officer Leader inside a building in the Survivor Zone.

The Police Officer Leader, spinning a sawed-off shotgun, didn’t even offer me water and sat directly at the desk, facing me.

“So, our friend. You seem busy with business lately. What brings you here?”

“I came to propose a business.”

I leaned back in the chair and looked straight at him. The Police Officer Leader, acting uninterested, fiddled with the shotgun.

“Hmm. I’m not interested in business. I’m too busy managing this place.”

Running the Survivor Zone alone must be a massive task. Hunting beasts, scavenging for necessary machine parts in ruins, maintaining and repairing various facilities and machines, creating administrative systems….

But because of that, their vision doesn’t extend outward.

I smirked and got straight to the point.

“I’ll kill people and manage risks for you. Just provide us with firearms and ammunition.”

The hand fiddling with the shotgun stopped. The Police Officer Leader slightly raised his head. His rough eyes showed interest.

“That’s a first in my police career. Are you planning to kill the Alliance’s thorn in the side?”

“Not at all. I’ve already had a falling out with Rider Zero, so I have no intention of building more grudges with the Alliance.”

Still, they’re part of the same Alliance. Why would they think of killing their own members? I hid my incredulous feelings.

The Police Officer Leader muttered in an ambiguous tone.

“Rider Zero? Ah, that woman. She’s annoying. She’s capable, but… her style doesn’t match mine.”

“I feel the same. Every day is crucial, but she seems to look too far ahead and worry too much.”

“Exactly. It’s already hard to maintain the Alliance, and she wants to do more.”

A brief silence followed, but it wasn’t bad. We both bonded over complaining about Rider Zero.

The Police Officer Leader smiled faintly and leaned forward. The shotgun in his hand was placed on the desk, but the muzzle was pointed at the window, not me.

“So, who are you planning to kill? Not the military, right?”

“Survivors.”

I looked out the window. Unlike the desperate city filled with survival instincts, the Survivor Zone was peaceful. They had electricity, so their spirits were healthy. They could enjoy culture and electric lighting.

They were different from the survivors in the dark, starving and filled with malice.

The Police Officer Leader slumped his shoulders in disappointment and leaned back.

“That’s it? They’re just scared rats. No need to kill them to manage.”

“No.”

I unbuttoned my coat to show the police’s bulletproof vest. The faint marks left by a knife from dealing with a group of betrayers.

“People even invaded the streets where I and the mercenaries live. We had machine guns set up, but hungry people came for food.”

“Those look like real knife marks.”

Even with machine guns, people attacked. It’s just that I experienced it first because I’m relatively weaker than the Alliance, but it’s a trend the Alliance can’t avoid.

A chilling light appeared in the Police Officer Leader’s eyes.

“So, people are that desperate. Thanks for the good news. But I don’t think I’ll do business with you.”

“…”

He’s not unaware of the situation. Why refuse?

As if sensing my questioning gaze, the Police Officer Leader pretended to shoot the ceiling with his shotgun.

“Real good business is something I should do alone.”

“…Really? It’d be more efficient to leave it to me.”

“No. It’s too peaceful here. Cops like me have almost nothing to do. Just patrolling. You might not know, but this makes the police’s voice smaller.”

In the Survivor Zone, where productive work is ongoing, the police’s share is small.

The Electric Nomads managing electricity, indispensable medical experts, scavengers handling odd jobs, delivery vigilantes doing various tasks—they’re all more important than the police.

“You need achievements.”

“Exactly. We need to work to prove our importance and secure more rights. To work, we need fights.”

In the end, it’s a kind of political fight. I slightly frowned and clasped my hands.

‘I didn’t expect it to come to this.’

They’re doing political fights because they have enough to survive. They’re not considering resource management or survival efficiency, following a different set of principles.

‘It’s good that their nerves are dulled, but it’s not beneficial to me right now.’

I felt like I just delivered unnecessary news.

As I sighed and tried to get up, the Police Officer Leader reached out to stop me.

“Instead, I have a request. I’ll even pay for the information.”

“I only want firearms and ammunition.”

“Will functional firearms and ammunition do? It’ll be more than enough for your organization.”

The reward is appealing, but I don’t know what he’s requesting. After a moment of thought, I gasped. A cop who needs fights—what else would he want?

He wants the kind of raid I experienced. I smirked and said, “Be careful. According to my information, hungry survivors will soon raid the Survivor Zone.”

“Haha. That’s scary. We’ll need to prepare thoroughly.”

A deal to mobilize street survivors to raid the Survivor Zone in exchange for firearms. The Police Officer Leader and I shared a satisfied smile. There was no reason not to laugh.

I’m driving people to their deaths to get ammunition, which is good for me, and the police are proving their necessity to the Alliance, which is good for them.

We exchanged words amiably.

“This raid will be dangerous enough for the Alliance to recognize the police’s importance anew.”

“Will the buildings be intact?”

“The gas station might burn. There’s a lot of oil, and many people dislike Rider Zero.”

“That’s… something to look forward to.”

I’m looking forward to it too. This raid won’t be simple. I’ll write a scenario to mobilize street survivors, making them think they’re really attacking the Alliance.

Since we’ve made a deal, it’s good to proceed with the transaction while also weakening the Alliance’s strength.

***

The deal was quickly finalized. I decided to receive part of the fee upfront. Firearms and ammunition.

My comrades who came with me diligently loaded ammunition onto the transport cart and slung reserve rifles over their shoulders. They seemed dazed, not knowing the exact situation.

As I watched them quietly, a woman’s voice came from behind.

“What are you doing here now?”

Turning around, I saw Rider Zero with her helmet tucked under her arm. Her eyes, alternating between the ammunition and me, seemed flustered. I smiled brightly and answered cheerfully.

“You said the greatest power of people is goodness and connection, right? So, I’ve connected with the Alliance.”

With a clench, her hand in the rider suit formed a fist. Her wavering eyes fixed on me. I met her gaze with a smile.

Her downfall will come before mine.

 

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