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We got two more motorcycles, making it three in total. The resources from the rider who came out for the investigation weren’t too bad either. A bit of food loaded on the motorcycles, handgun ammo, a rider suit, and a knife.

Above all, the value of fuel was high.

Fuel can be used to make Molotov cocktails or as fuel for cars and motorcycles. It significantly enhances the quality of our firepower.

“Weapons. We need to turn it into weapons.”

I wandered around the townhouse and watched Park Yang-gun at work.

He was replacing the expired fuel in the relatively good car with the intact fuel from the motorcycle.

Cars have poor fuel efficiency but are powerful. If riders swarm in, we can push them away with the car. Then, we can loot fuel from the motorcycles of the riders we kill, which is quite efficient.

Park Yang-gun, who was getting oil stains on his gloves, glanced at me.

“Kim Da-in. Taking a stroll? Making me work?”

“I’m working. Just checking if the organization is running smoothly. And thinking about this and that.”

I looked around.

Sajihyeok had categorized people well and assigned tasks accordingly. Jeondohyeong gathered the remaining materials in the townhouse to create a manual.

The person in charge of farming was diligently harvesting and watering a small garden. The person in charge of firewood supply brought branches with a clumsily made carrying frame.

Combat personnel took turns standing guard, ready to jump out at any moment.

Park Yang-gun filled a clean water container with fuel and tightly closed the lid.

“The situation is good. We have groundwater, electricity in that house, and plenty of resources from the mountain. The problem is the outsiders.”

The conflict with the Delivery Vigilante Group.

If the fight gets too dangerous, Park Yang-gun would probably abandon everything and run. It’s natural. There’s little emotional attachment or loyalty to the organization.

“If it weren’t for the Electric Nomads, there’d be no problem. Our location is just too good.”

I calmly replied.

I’m genuinely confident. The mountain is a massive source of firewood, the only entrance is guarded by a machine gun, and now we have a car. We can fight the alliance head-on and inflict terrible damage on them.

Unknowingly, the organization I lead has grown this powerful.

From mere survivors to a group of criminals, and now a significant pillager organization. It just happened as we ran forward without thinking.

Lost in a strange sense of emotion, Park Yang-gun clicked his tongue.

“The Electric Nomads are the problem. They have drones. If they attach bombs to them and send them flying, we can’t win.”

I kept my mouth shut for a moment. The Electric Nomads are an asymmetrical force. Drones, improvised explosives. Even the military fears these weapons.

“They are a headache.”

“Delivery riders aside, I don’t want a full-scale war with the alliance. We only stand to lose.”

Well. Since the zombie outbreak, life has been nothing but losses. Whether it’s us, the alliance, or the military, we’re all in the same dire situation. No matter how well we live compared to other survivors, it’s nothing compared to when the world was intact.

Maybe losing everything now is just experiencing the future a bit earlier.

I looked up at the sky and answered nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry. If they fight us, the alliance will also have a lot to lose. It won’t come to a full-scale war.”

Who knows? I heard they’re outsourcing farming because water is becoming scarce.

Park Yang-gun stood up energetically and started the car. We had already searched the corpses and houses for car keys, so it wasn’t difficult.

“It starts. It’s not suitable for moving, but we can use it to crush anyone who enters the townhouse.”

“That’s a relief.”

Then, I turned around and continued to wander around the townhouse.

***

Time flew by. As we started to properly develop the townhouse, there was a lot of work, and with so much work, the days passed quickly.

The comrades and their families seemed similar. They worked hard when the sun was up and played in the solar-powered house before returning home to sleep when the sun set.

Especially the combat personnel, who took turns standing guard, seemed unaware of how the days passed.

Late at night, I woke up from the cold and stumbled to the window.

‘It’s cold…’

The cold wind blew through the wide-open window. Maybe because it’s a mountain, the chilly air wrapped around my body.

Maybe it’s because I was half-asleep. Suddenly, doubt crept in.

‘Did I leave the window open? No, was the window broken in the first place? Oh, no.’

I sometimes get confused because I’m not used to the house.

Just as I was about to pull the window shut, my blurry vision suddenly cleared, and I saw light leaking from a house.

A house with a generator. At this early hour, someone was using electricity, and the light flickered beyond the window.

“…”

I stood still and quietly watched the solar-powered house. We agreed not to use electricity at dawn, but someone was using it without permission.

I stay at home at night too, but using electricity without permission? Is this a sign of rebellion?

I equipped my rifle and protective gear and approached the house. Since it’s a shared house, all the locks were disabled, so I could enter the solar-powered house silently.

The TV and computer screens lit up the dark room. There were two people inside.

“Building a house is tough. Is this the right way?”

“I don’t know. Please be quiet, I’m watching a movie.”

The Real Estate Uncle was sitting at the computer playing a game, and the comrade nicknamed Gloomy was watching a movie on a TV connected to a DVD player.

A rifle and bulletproof vest were casually placed nearby.

I cleared my throat.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh.”

The two comrades jumped up and scratched their heads awkwardly.

“Ah, well. I just finished guard duty and couldn’t sleep, so I was playing a game for a bit.”

“I have insomnia, and boring movies help me sleep… Sorry.”

I watched them quietly and then laughed. It didn’t seem like a sign of rebellion. They were just sneaking some playtime after guard duty.

“That’s understandable. Guard duty leaves little time for this. I won’t scold you for something like this.”

“Ah, Leader, what brings you here?”

At the Real Estate Uncle’s question, I sighed.

“I woke up and was just wandering around.”

“Being the leader of the organization must be stressful. But you should still get some sleep.”

I would have slept well if I just closed the window. As I talked with the Real Estate Uncle, Gloomy scolded him in a gloomy voice.

“If you could sleep just because you want to, why would insomnia exist?”

No, I sleep well. It’s not insomnia.

But Gloomy continued to mutter in a gloomy voice.

“This world is a mess. In a world where getting blood on your hands is normal, people who sleep comfortably must be lacking in thought. Or their minds are broken.”

What’s this? Why do I feel like I’m being insulted? It feels like Sajihyeok with a bit of social awkwardness. The Real Estate Uncle and I looked at Gloomy uneasily, and I turned away.

“Still, please be mindful of electricity usage. The refrigerator needs to keep running.”

“Ah, yes. But, Leader, any news from the Delivery Vigilante Group?”

At the Real Estate Uncle’s question, I stopped walking.

There had been no news from the Delivery Vigilante Group for days. It meant the enemy was moving somewhere we didn’t know.

“Yes. Without an information network, we can’t know what’s happening outside the townhouse.”

“That’s a bit unsettling.”

We moved here. Right after moving, we got into a gunfight.

The survivors around here seem to avoid us, not showing a single hair. The moment they sense people, they seem to flee into the concrete fortresses scattered around.

We couldn’t proceed with Sajihyeok’s multi-level business, so we couldn’t build an information network.

I spoke lightly.

“I want to operate a scout team. But it seems too much.”

“Impossible. It would ruin our health.”

Gloomy slowly shook his head.

I knew it. Just the guard duty rotation already uses most of our combat personnel. Adding a scout team would be too much.

Maintaining and defending a proper base is not easy. Human resources…

‘Can’t we catch a zombie and train it?’

Just as a random thought crossed my mind, I spoke simply.

“But they’ll probably start figuring things out and come to contact us soon.”

Enough time has passed for the surrounding survivors to get information. They can guess our identity and deduce the situation. It’s time for a response.

I turned back.

***

Sure enough, someone came the next day. The guard sounded the alarm for an uninvited guest, and I walked over leisurely.

‘No gunfire. They didn’t attack immediately but sent an envoy first?’

No, it could be a diversion. If it were me, I’d send someone to negotiate while sending people to set the mountain on fire from behind. And then set up a fire zone at the escape route.

But the Delivery Vigilante Group’s riders probably wouldn’t use such tactics.

So I arrived at the entrance a bit late and saw an unexpected person.

A rider and a Police Officer Leader.

“Our friend really moved to the mountain?”

The Police Officer Leader, with a shotgun slung over his shoulder, looked around like a hiker and muttered meaningfully.

“If a fire starts here, it’ll spread to the alliance.”

 

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