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Today is my day to do the dishes. I also have to prepare the meals. I went into the house we use as a resource warehouse and checked out the piles of food we’ve stored.

I rummaged through the food, which was sorted by type and expiration date, and grabbed a few packs of ramen.

It hasn’t even been six months since the zombie outbreak. The expiration date of the ramen, let alone the consumption date, is still safe.

Still, compared to rice or canned food, ramen spoils much faster, so we should eat it first.

With the ramen tucked under my arm, I stared blankly at the canned food with its generous expiration dates.

“That’s a shame…”

Spam with nearly three years left and tuna cans boasting expiration dates of five to ten years. I only eat them when I need protein…

No, what’s the point of saving it? What matters now is that my mouth is happy.

Carrying an armful of food, I left the house we use as a warehouse and went upstairs, kicking the doors of my companions’ rooms.

“I’m preparing lunch. Come up in a bit.”

Ignoring the half-hearted responses, I started cooking.

I closed the windows to keep the food smell from escaping outside and turned on the faucet to fill a large pot with water. The water trickled out. I frowned.

“Why does it smell like bleach?”

The faint smell of bleach lingered. If it smells this strong, it’s unusable, right?

But throwing it away would be a waste of water. I took out another pot and used some of the bottled water we’d saved.

I dissolved some gochujang, added kimchi, chopped up some spam with a spoon, poured in the tuna with its oil, sprinkled some ramen seasoning, and topped it off with a few wilted lettuce leaves for health.

By the time the makeshift army stew-like concoction was boiling, my companions came in.

“Smells good, what are you cooking?”

“Just threw in whatever I had.”

Park Yang-gun, passing through the hallway and kitchen, saw the red broth and gulped.

“This would go well with soju.”

“Did you cook this with bottled water? I accidentally put too much bleach in the water tank yesterday.”

That was Sajihyeok. I turned my head sharply. So, he’s the culprit! Sajihyeok, who was looking at the pot, flinched when he felt my gaze.

“Why did you put so much bleach in? Trying to poison us?”

“Huh? No, why are you being so scary? It was raining last night, so I was collecting water and disinfecting it, but my hand slipped.”

I smacked my forehead. This guy is capable of such mistakes. Still, I wasn’t happy.

“How much did you spill… Can we dilute this?”

Water is so precious. There’s no river near Villa Street, so rainwater is our only water source. Each water tank is worth more than gold.

Jeondohyeong tapped me and walked past.

“Let’s eat first. Hurry up and serve.”

“You do it.”

“It’s your turn today.”

I sighed deeply and ladled the soup into bowls. Then I placed them in front of my companions, who were sitting far apart in the large room.

“Let’s eat.”

“Wow, what a feast. Got any soju?”

“I don’t drink, so no. You’ll have to get it from the warehouse.”

“Then let’s just eat. No point opening the door and attracting zombies.”

The sound of warm broth and chewy noodles being eaten filled the room. We ate in silence, our expressions grim.

The heat was the problem. Eating hot stew with all the windows closed in this summer weather felt like torture. Sweat poured down, and it felt like our bodies were cooking from the inside.

Even the taste wasn’t great.

One by one, people who had been eating with their mouths tightly shut put down their spoons. It seemed like everyone shared the same feeling.

I was the first to speak.

“I’m sick of this.”

“We’ve been eating factory food, rice, kimchi stew, stir-fried kimchi, kimchi fried rice, kimchi ramen, and stuff like that for months.”

It was true. I was sick of it. Eating the same kind of food for months. Instant meals, canned food, rice, kimchi. I was so tired of it that it was hard to even put it in my mouth.

Jeondohyeong sighed regretfully.

“If only we had some minced garlic.”

“Or some green onions.”

I missed the fresh taste of vegetables. Essentials like garlic, green onions, onions, and peppers. Or real meat.

I forced the food into my mouth.

“We can’t leave it. It’ll spoil quickly in this heat.”

“How about we have doenjang stew next time?”

“What kind of doenjang stew? It’s just water with doenjang. We don’t even have onions or zucchini, so it’s impossible.”

We slowly emptied our bowls, eating half-heartedly. The time spent chatting was longer than the time spent eating.

Why is the weather like this, when will autumn come, we’re out of alcohol, why don’t we steal some, I’m going crazy without electricity, I want to talk to people….

Our complaints eventually turned to the topic of the Survivor Zone.

“I heard the Survivor Zone project is moving forward. People who are desperate for electricity are actively supporting it. If we create a secure zone, we can move the solar generators scattered around.”

I stared at Jeondohyeong and casually asked,

“Do you know who first proposed the Survivor Zone?”

“I heard it was suggested by the Delivery Vigilante Group. …What are you planning?”

Jeondohyeong, who had answered without thinking, jumped up in alarm. The soup bowl tipped, spilling some red broth.

Park Yang-gun and Sajihyeok also stopped eating and stared at me.

I swirled the soup with my spoon and sighed.

“What can I do? It’s not like I can do anything about it. If it were just one organization, maybe, but something this big is out of my hands.”

“No, the bigger the scale, the more you can do. You can embezzle funds, use the Survivor Zone as a solid scam opportunity, if you plan it well…. Oh, did I say too much?”

Sajihyeok awkwardly looked around at his companions. Jeondohyeong looked like he was about to die of frustration and glared at Sajihyeok.

I chuckled and comforted Sajihyeok.

“No, you said it well. I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, the experts are different.”

“Right? Haha. The more people gather, the easier it is for scammers to thrive.”

Ignoring Sajihyeok’s sly laughter, I put down my spoon with a clink. It hit the bowl.

I looked at my companions.

“So, what are you all going to do? If the Survivor Zone really happens, will you join?”

Honestly, in this situation, I can’t control all my companions.

The Survivor Zone offered greater benefits than the ample resources I provided. Staying with me was a loss. Plus, they’ve often taken risks with me.

On the other hand, I haven’t executed any of them, so I haven’t caused them any losses.

One by one, they put down their utensils and seemed lost in thought. Park Yang-gun was the first to let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his wrist.

“I’m not going. If I go there, I’ll just get caught stealing again and lose my wrist.”

For Park Yang-gun, whose life revolves around theft, a disciplined society is a loss. That’s why he stayed.

Next, Sajihyeok leaned against the wall and muttered.

“If you all go, I’ll go too. But if I go alone, I don’t know. I’m only good at scamming. If I go, I’ll just be bullied.”

Sajihyeok, who’s really bad at physical labor, looked down at his hands. He seemed to be reminiscing about the memories we shared on Villa Street.

The cheers he received after scamming an apartment resident to death, our recognition of his scamming skills.

“It’s a harsh world. If you can’t pull your weight, bad things will happen.”

“Right. You have to live doing what you’re good at. …What about you?”

When I looked at Jeondohyeong, he also scanned me as if probing.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well. It’s too late to live a normal life now. I’ll just live happily outside the Survivor Zone.”

I answered with a hint of sincerity. Maybe I’ve become addicted to pillaging. A normal life without pillaging feels too dull now.

Jeondohyeong nodded as if he expected that. Then he sat back down and wiped the spilled stew broth with his sleeve.

“I’ll stay too.”

“Why?”

I asked briefly. Maybe he’s trying to act as the brake, the only conscience in this group of pillagers, but it’s better to hear it directly.

Jeondohyeong muttered in a low voice.

“I can’t really join the Hope Community. I think about going back and joining them several times a day. But then I remember the pastor.”

Is it some kind of guilt? Because he supported killing the pastor? Is that why he’s been passively saving people?

Anyway, it’s good. The pillager group won’t disband. Of course, it’s also a bit absurd.

Park Yang-gun is afraid of getting caught stealing and losing his wrist, Sajihyeok can’t live without scamming, and Jeondohyeong can’t seize good opportunities because of the memory of supporting a murder.

I clapped my hands.

“Then let’s get moving properly.”

“Are we going to steal something?”

“No. We need to increase our numbers.”

“Suddenly?”

As my companions stared at me blankly, I showed them my fist.

“The Survivor Zone. They won’t gather all the survivors in the city. It’ll be a strong group at the core, with only the necessary manpower added as supplements. What does that mean?”

Sajihyeok, who had been looking at my fist, raised his gaze to the air. He grinned.

“It means we’re divided. Those who can join the Survivor Zone and those who can’t. Haha. There’ll be a lot of dissatisfied people.”

A glint flashed in Sajihyeok’s eyes. It seemed like all sorts of schemes were running through his mind.

“We could gather people and stir up trouble, or frame them. People who only care about themselves and leave others to die.”

I was a bit taken aback and shook my hand.

I hadn’t thought of disrupting the alliance? I was just talking about living outside the small Survivor Zone. About gathering pillagers who couldn’t join the Survivor Zone.

But this seems good too. Anyway, the more ideas, the better. The enemy should be scattered, and allies should unite.

Maybe this alliance is an opportunity. A chance to grow the pillager group.

“Alright. Let’s think about gathering people under the pretext of opposing the alliance that only cares about themselves.”

We put our heads together and continued the conversation.

“First, let’s buy some handguns. The police said they’d sell us some. Sell that rotten lettuce as potted plants, and sell the electronics to the Electric Nomad to buy explosives.”

“Jeondohyeong, let me know as soon as the Survivor Zone is decided. Information is life.”

 

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