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“The price doesn’t match…”

I muttered as I looked at the loot piled in the transport cart. There wasn’t much food. Honestly, the stuff we brought for emergencies was more plentiful.

The mercenaries’ mood wasn’t great either. They were used to hitting it big and getting a decent amount of food, so this small haul didn’t seem to satisfy them.

Just then, the survivor we forcibly recruited as a member and who had been providing intel quietly stepped back.

“No need for incentives. You’ve worked hard. Goodbye.”

The survivor turned to leave.

I quickly reached out and grabbed their wrist, pulling them back to the cart.

“No, no. You provided intel, so you should take your incentive.”

“No, really, I don’t need it. Seriously. Just let me go unharmed…”

The survivor’s words dragged on. I tightened my grip and shoved their hand into the transport cart. I used so much force, as if arresting a criminal, that their upper body slammed into the cart.

“Ugh!”

“Member. Take it.”

I whispered into the back of their head.

Sharing rewards means sharing responsibility. We need to share the burden of contract killings. You can’t stay clean alone. Besides, this way, they’ll keep providing intel in the future.

“Then just a little…”

When I released their arm, the survivor stuffed one or two cans into their pocket.

I patted their shoulder and spoke kindly.

“Our business isn’t a scam. We always distribute fairly. So, keep up the good work and keep providing intel. Remember, if you report someone with a lot of food, your share will be bigger.”

The season of famine is approaching. That means the resources we can get from one person are dwindling.

The solution to this problem was simple. If one person isn’t enough, loot ten. If ten aren’t enough, loot a hundred. If the profit per job decreases, just take on more jobs.

The survivor calmly nodded.

“Yes, yes. I’ll definitely do that. So, about my shoulder…”

I gripped their shoulder tightly and pulled. The survivor didn’t resist and was dragged closer. Their face came near. I stared straight into their eyes without blinking.

“So, by the way. Do you have anyone else to report?”

I glanced down at the survivor’s pocket. Just one or two cans.

“Can you survive the day with that? Since you’re here, you should take enough.”

“…”

The survivor remained silent, then slowly exhaled. They were quick-witted. They seemed to think getting involved with us wasn’t good, but they also knew they had no choice.

Perhaps that’s why. The survivor quickly changed their attitude. They became proactive.

“There are always people I want dead. The guy living near me, the zombies wandering around, the guy I argued with, the guy with a nasty personality, the guy I just don’t like. Can you kill all of them?”

“Do those people have a lot of resources?”

If they have enough resources, and if they’re not too dangerous, there’s no reason not to kill them.

The survivor shook their head, saying they didn’t know.

“There’s no way to know that. Who would reveal how much resources they have? If people find out you have more than others, you become a target.”

I fell into thought for a moment, then looked at my companions and mercenaries. They seemed pleased at the prospect of more work.

“Boss, isn’t it okay to get more food?”

“In case another typhoon comes, I want to stock up while I can.”

But there were dissenters too. Sajihyeok. He quickly waved his hand.

“Everyone’s short on resources for the next few days anyway. It’s better to fatten them up and then harvest later.”

It was the season when resources stockpiled for the typhoon were running low. It was better to let everyone stock up on food first, then loot later.

That also made sense. When everyone’s a beggar, even the pillagers become beggars. So, it’s not bad to target them when they’re a bit wealthier.

I tapped the transport cart, pondering, then spoke.

“No. It’s autumn. Not the season of harvest, but the season of famine. The city’s resources will hit rock bottom, and there will be nothing to harvest.”

If it were spring or summer, I might have followed Sajihyeok’s advice. It would have been more profitable. But it’s autumn.

“It’s not the season to fatten up. It’s the season to wither. Today might be the wealthiest day we have left.”

At that, Sajihyeok seemed to ponder, slightly bowing his head. A murmur escaped his lips.

“That might be true. Then this business model isn’t great. It’s better to do something like voice phishing, robbery, or theft—quick and profitable…”

At that murmur, the survivor’s body stiffened slightly. Subtly tense muscles and a posture ready to bolt. Their eyes darted around, looking for an escape route.

I grinned.

“The business must continue. We can’t touch our precious member, can we?”

Resources going to the member? Doesn’t matter. The member is the sheep in the pen, the piggy bank. When our resources run dry, we’ll break the piggy bank.

“Now, tell us about those people and guide us.”

***

The simple survivor is no longer our enemy. We can even save bullets. Just point a gun, and they surrender.

Pretend not to kill them, act like we’re only after supplies, disarm them, tie them up, then smash their heads with a hammer. That’s it.

Even if we need to use a gun, a handgun is enough.

The survivor who went through this process with us quickly grabbed a few items. They gave up the increased incentives that came with a higher membership level.

“I’ll just take a little incentive. I’m already grateful you dealt with these guys.”

“Won’t it be too little?”

“No. It’s enough.”

The survivor fervently waved their hand and bowed their head. Sajihyeok approached the survivor with a friendly smile.

“Haha. Member. This makes us feel bad. It’s not exactly a substitute, but if there’s anyone you want dead, just let us know. We’ll prioritize them for you.”

“Yes, yes. Goodbye.”

The survivor, who had stuffed resources from the looted house’s bag, left with quick steps.

Only then did the mercenaries start talking. Their voices were a mix of relief and joy.

“Still, we filled the transport cart and have resources in the bag. We can last a few days.”

“If we work hard, we’ll earn more. Are we working tomorrow too?”

I leisurely spun the hammer. Blood was thickly stuck to it. I bent down and wiped the hammer on the corpse’s clothes.

“If you want to survive, you have to work hard. You all have families, don’t you? You can’t starve.”

Honestly, I’m worried.

Can we survive autumn like this? Even if we kill and loot all the survivors in the river area, can we get enough food to last three months? If we harvest the river area and move to another, will we get enough resources?

But these thoughts slowly sank to the bottom of my mind. It was too far in the future.

“We will survive. Until when? Until there’s no one left to loot.”

I said it lightly, but with sincerity. As long as bullets don’t run out and people remain in the world, the looting won’t stop.

The mercenaries slowly nodded. They were convinced by my belief, the profits I offered, and the future I presented.

Originally, these people were too busy surviving day by day to have any long-term perspective.

“Then, are we heading back today?”

“Let’s go now. It’s hard to walk the roads after sunset.”

So, we prepared to leave. A few mercenaries with firearms went out first, followed by those carrying the transport cart and bags, and I went last.

Before leaving the house, I looked back.

The house we passed, now in ruins, had autumn leaves. Blood flowed from the corpses we had confirmed dead with my hammer and the mercenaries’ knives.

The season when people fall like leaves. The season when the world turns red. It was autumn.

***

Where our locust-like group passed, only corpses and ruins remained, but not everyone in the world is like us. Even in this world, there are people creating something with their hands.

The Alliance. They somehow got seeds and are running an indoor farm. Rider Zero even found fertilized eggs among the mountain eggs and is raising chicks.

Moreover, they’ve reportedly established wireless communication with other regions.

The military was similar. Once turned into pillagers, they swept through the outskirts of the city, but after the typhoon ruined their farms, they managed to salvage some and expect a small harvest.

“They’re living well.”

I muttered, looking at the map.

Human life is tenacious. When gathered, they become stronger. Not just in combat power, but in the synergy of knowledge and the efficiency of production.

But how far can they really go?

“Production is still insufficient compared to their numbers.”

We can’t let our guard down. The Alliance and the military are just pillagers. If resources run short, they’ll attack. Police, soldiers, archers, Electric Nomads—they’re all lunatics.

Tap, tap, tap. I tapped the map with my finger.

“No matter how short on resources they are, they won’t mess with us for a while. We have guns.”

They’ll probably target the survivors around them first. So, let’s think the other way around. Scorched earth tactics. If I clean out the survivors around them first, wouldn’t that increase their burden?

As I pondered this, someone entered the house. It was Jeondohyeong.

“Hey. We’re running low on water.”

“What? We just filled the water tank not long ago.”

I blinked. Had we already run out?

Jeondohyeong looked at me with disbelief.

“That was ages ago. It hasn’t rained in a while. And how many people are here? No matter how much we conserve, we’ve already used it all.”

“Really?”

I frowned and looked up at the ceiling.

Thinking too far ahead is hard. Problems arise every day. Jeondohyeong continued.

“We’ll have to go to the river to fetch water from now on. We also need to gather firewood. We’ve already burned all the unused furniture and nearby trees.”

“This is getting annoying.”

The season when we bear the full brunt of destroyed infrastructure. We have to prepare everything ourselves. Water, fire, food.

I spoke slowly.

“But it’s just annoying work. It can be solved with labor.”

“That’s true. Should we divide the mercenaries and families to fetch water and gather firewood?”

“Yeah. Let’s do that. Everyone has to earn their keep.”

This much is no problem. Compared to a pastor showing up, the military advancing, or the Alliance causing trouble, this is light.

As Jeondohyeong turned to leave, he hesitated and spoke.

“Do you consider the mercenaries and their families as comrades now?”

“Well. I’m an introvert. We haven’t spent enough time together to get that close.”

I answered jokingly.

“But if we keep living like this, maybe we’ll really consider them comrades.”

Honestly, I don’t know. Distrust and suspicion are the basics of a pillager, and no one knows what the future holds.

Just then, Sajihyeok, who had gone out for business, came in with a bright voice.

“Got a good tip! A teacher is gathering kids to live together, and it’s not a small group.”

“…Lots of resources?”

I grabbed my hammer and stood up.

 

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