Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Chapter 108: Mistletoe (3)

Chapter 108: Mistletoe (3)

When more than 5 people gather in a small area, a zombie raid will occur. However, no zombie raid occurred in the center of Ganghwa Island, even though there were at least 100 people gathered.

The reason behind it was due to the significant decrease in the number of zombies. The population of Ganghwa Island was around 20,000, so it could be said that the number of zombies in Ganghwa Island was around that too. However, that is no longer the case, as most of the zombies were eaten by the plant-type monsters.

Thanks to that, the Chinese managed to survive in the unfamiliar environment. They swept everything across the island; looting food and daily necessities, and scoured through the warehouse where the oil was stored. However, the place was infested with plant-type monsters, making it hard for people to approach it. Every single Chinese present on the island gathered around the warehouse, trying to breach through. After all, even if they managed to secure food, they would still need fuel to keep themselves warm in this freezing winter.

“But why did these guys choose to stay here, rather than going to the mainland? It’s just an island…” Da-jeong asked, clearly confused.

“They don’t even have motors for the boat, so I guess they just can’t reach our mainland. It’s already amazing that they can reach this Island by rowing alone.”

“Ah… Now that I think about it, it seems like you are right.” Da-jeong said as she put her arm on my shoulder. She’s on the tall side compared to other girls. However, since my height was even taller than her, she had no choice but to be on her tiptoes to reach me.

“Those poor people worked hard to come all the way here just to look for oil to keep warm in the winter… Should we really take it all away from them?”

“There is no next time in the apocalypse.” I snorted. “You have to make out the most of today to be able to survive tomorrow. Never hesitate to do that. We don’t even know tomorrow’s weather. What if suddenly, heavy snows rain from the sky tomorrow, rendering our movement, and we’re stuck in the cold with nothing to warm us up?”

Da-jeong nodded her head.

“As expected, in terms of garbageness, you are number one. I like it.”

“And, contrary to your thoughts, If I took all of the oil, those people wouldn’t die. Rather, they should be grateful that I took it.”

“Yes? What kind of rationalization is that?”

“It’s not rationalization, but a fact. Listen well….” I explained to her the consequences of lighting a fire with kerosene in the apocalypse. There’s no way monsters, which could sense even the weakest light, cannot detect it. So, it would be dangerous for them, as they would have to be ready for a battle at all times, if they were to light a fire to warm themselves.

“The risk doesn’t apply to us, though. So, we can use kerosene all the time.” It was because Da-jeong’s ghouls will clean the surrounding area.

“So in other words… If we take it, those people won’t be able to start a fire, so they’re safe, right?”

“That’s one of the reasons. However, with the oil gone here in Ganghwa, they would have no choice but to go to the mainland. However, since they didn’t have oil, I hoped they wouldn’t come and just go back to where they come from.”

Da-jeong looked at me with her absurd eyes.

“You’re just rationalizing your own actions…”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Even if it wasn’t for such a clumsy reason, I had no intention of giving the oil to them. After all, In the apocalypse, power precedes everything. I was ready to do anything necessary to secure the limited supplies.

Da-jeong snapped her fingers and asked me. “Do you have a long coat in the shelter? Preferably a coat which comes down to my calf.”

“There is. But why?”

“Dingo and Ding-soon seem to be a bit lacking in taking the aggro. I will help them.”

“You aren’t trying to do something strange, are you?”

“Why are you so fussy when I was just trying to help you? Give it to me quickly. High heels too.”

When I brought the coat and high heels to her, she wore it and opened her eyes wide.

She looks like a barbarian… Or should I say a barbar-woman since she’s a woman?

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The Chinese didn’t even know where they were right now. No one in their midst could read Hangul. Even if there’s someone who could read Hangul, with all milestones and road directions crumbling, they wouldn’t be able to read it.

However, that fact did not mean that they are giving up. It only makes their will to survive burn even more fiercely. With all the things they had found, such as a warehouse where the rice was kept and a place to loot from, albeit there’s only a little food left, they were still happy as this place was way better than their hometown, which was contaminated by radiation.

-We must unite! We never know when the Koreans will attack us!

Someone claimed such. However, it only fell on deaf ears, since there were no Koreans here to begin with. There was no reason to cooperate with other groups unless there’s a common enemy. On top of that, the recently discovered oil depot has ignited the greed of the Chinese.

-If we secure those oils, we can have a warm winter…

The Chinese who landed on Ganghwa Island thought so. But getting the oil out of the depot was very difficult. It was because of the huge plants they had never seen all their life, which grew around the depot, covering it from all sides.

A few survivors who were brave enough tried to approach the depot, but they were eaten by the plants. They were caught by its vines, trapped on its bark, and then let out a ghastly scream for hours.

After they died, no one dared to approach the tree anymore. But still, they hadn’t given up on the oil. They hid in the nearby building, looking for an opportunity when the other survivors moved.

Then, on one particular night, around the time the goblins roaming the streets disappeared. The howl of a wolf was heard for a long time.

Aww-

Ooh-

Not only one, but many.

When the Chinese heard the sound, they were terrified and trembled. There should be no wolf on the island, so they knew that those cries must have been the cry of a werewolf, a monster boasting an insane agility despite its huge size. But that’s not all. On top of their insane agility, they also have insane regeneration.

The cry was heard close to the survivors. So a lot of them fled far away, terrified. After all, even though kobolds and bone creepers were scary, werewolves were on another level when compared to them.

However, some survivors stayed. Not because they weren’t afraid, but because they believed that an opportunity to get the oil would come if they just persevered.

-Without a competitor, we can get all the oil…

-Let’s be patient a little longer until we see an opportunity…

They stayed up all night and waited for dawn. Most of the monsters disappeared including the kobolds. Plant-type monsters have limited movement, so they cannot attack those who were on the corners of the oil warehouse.

But suddenly, something appeared in the dark night. A woman with a voluptuous body, which could make anyone drool, came out from the darkness, wearing a long coat and high heels.

The men, who make up the majority of her survivors, looked at her with bloodshot eyes. The way she walked was enough to convince them that she was a beauty.

Is she crazy?

Why did she appear when the monster disappeared?

These questions might have sprung on their minds, but for the survivors, it was not an important issue since their desire for a woman clouds their judgement.

-If we move quickly, we will be alright…

Some survivors thought so and moved on. A much hasty footstep followed, and Da-jeong opened her coat, showing her bare body as she entered a dark alley. The men could not stand it any longer and entered the alley one after another while pushing each other and swearing at each other.

However, it was not the woman in the long coat who was waiting for them, but ghouls with bizarre faces.

“Ackkkkk!” The careless men were brutally beaten by the ghouls. In the middle of the fight, Da-jeong intervened and stepped on the fallen men.

“You have such a chance! Even though I gave it to you! Why! You!”

The men didn’t understand what the crazy bitch in front of them was talking about. They only cried and pleaded for mercy.

“If you just pretend you don’t know, I’ll let you go!”

In the meantime, Da-jeong’s high heels were trampling the men’s groin.

“UGHHHHH!”

“S-spare me!”

“Shut up! Just let Tibet and Hong Kong become independent!”

Meanwhile, Seongho, who was looking for an opportunity to enter the warehouse next to the oil warehouse, was startled by the scream.

“Do you really need to step on their balls like that?”

Just beating them a little will surely make them silent, so why?

Well, Da-jeong was a pervert, so she might have done it to unwind her sadistic personality, which she couldn’t do in the government shelter. Let’s not think about it anymore and just focus on oil storage.

As I ate the shadow grape, I saw several kobolds and plant-type monsters wandering in front of the warehouse. They were the protagonists who prevented the Chinese from getting the oil.

“The kobolds are not a problem, but the number of plant-types is no joke.”

Since they ate well, their size was quite large, so they looked pretty intimidating. Each time their vines moved, one kobold disappeared, while the rest howled and ran away.

However, it seems like because the fruits were too attractive to them, they didn’t completely escape from the vicinity.

“Those fruits are indeed delicious…”

Seongho checked his equipment for one last time. Due to Da-jeong, Dingo, and Ding-soon, all the Chinese around the oil storage had disappeared. But he knew that it was only temporary. They will be back soon, so it’s best to grab the oil quickly and run away.

“I’m glad there’s no keeper around.” Seongho took out the pipe the scarabs had made and some needles. He coated the needles with the scarce paralyzing poison before blowing the needles at the kobolds.

With every attack, a kobold falls. Seongho quickly picked up the kobolds and threw them at the plant-type monster. When the kobolds hit its bark, the vines wriggled and devoured the kobolds. Seongho took that opportunity and ran towards the warehouse with a long knife.

“Open the portal.” He wants to set the plants on fire, but if he does so, the oil inside will explode. He took out one rice shack from the shelter, threw away the rice inside, and put the oil tanks inside. Kobolds wandering in front of the oil depot found the rice he had thrown away and ran towards them.

Woof-!!

Woof-!!

If it was a goblin, it would have been frightened and ran away. But kobolds were more stupid and reckless than goblins. If they see something to eat right in front of them, they will just concentrate on eating, even if their lives are at stake.

Suddenly, a bone creeper appeared and rushed to the kobolds.

Whoa!

Meanwhile, Seongho leisurely carried the oil barrels into the portal.

“It’s going better than I thought.” He didn’t intend for this to happen, but it doesn’t matter. He put the gasoline tanks first before putting the kerosene and diesel tanks. Some plant-type monsters belatedly detected him and stretched out their vines towards him. Unfortunately for them, Seongho had already activated all kinds of skills.

Dozens of vines were cut off by his long knife and fell to the floor. After some time passed, some of the Chinese, who felt something was amiss, returned to the oil storage. What they saw as soon as they returned was the figure of Seongho, who was looting the oil containers.

“What is that bastard?”

“A thief! A thief is stealing the oil!”

It was late at night, so everyone did not know who Seongho was and what he was doing. But they were all certain of one thing; he was their enemy. After all, anyone who entered the warehouse before them will immediately become an enemy.

Arrows started pouring into the warehouse, and Seongho responded by shooting a few arrows at them. But soon after, he chose to just sneak away outside. There’s still some oil tanks left in the warehouse, but the amount was tiny compared to what he had looted, so Seongho didn’t pay much attention to it.

Fwiiiiiiit-!!

When the sharp sound of a whistle echoed through the area, the ghouls ran out with Da-jeong. At about the same time, Dingo and Ding-soon also ran towards the sound. The party regrouped and ran away from the area while ignoring all the monsters.

Someone who ventured close to the oil depot screamed in anger.

“It’s all gone! Those bastards took them all!”

The Chinese were filled with anger.

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“He robbed it all?”

“Yes. The only thing which was left inside was a few blue containers. The gasoline and kerosene were all gone.”

“Hohoho… Those guys… How did they do it? That place is surrounded by the Chinese…”

“He probably threatened to kill them all.”

“In one night?”

“That…” Lee Beom-seok stuttered. The information they just talked about was delivered to them by their informant who is based in Incheon. She was someone with the puppet control unique skill, a skill which enabled her to fly paper airplanes like a drone, the same one that Yoohyeon got. Thanks to that, she was able to grasp the situation of Ganghwa Island in detail, while sitting in her hideout. Of course, the information was not delivered live, but a day late, but that was still fine.

They received a shocking report that the gas station in Ganghwa Island was robbed clean in one night. What made them even more surprised was due to the fact that there are around 100 Chinese people surrounding the place, as well as a lot of plant monsters surrounding the gas station. With that kind of hurdle, even with the help of a lot of people, it would still be hard to break through the oil station and take all the barrels stored inside.

However, I Love Gimbap and Duck Buttock were able to do it. They took out all the oils like a squirrel and went away. At that moment, Beom-seok drew a circle around the warehouse on the map.

“Considering that they took a lot of oil, it can be concluded that the size of his subspace is big. We estimate it to be a similar place to the farming dungeon.”

“Is that so… Was it at the end of June when the awakeners first appeared? That means that person has been preparing since then, going in and out of the subspace. Alone…”

“Once the corrosive disease subsides, He will probably start using guns in earnest.”

“Perhaps… he can even fire a gun from the inside.”

Beom-seok’s expression–which was always an impeccable poker face– crumbled..

“Shooting secretly from the subspace?”

“He can shoot those thick bolts, so it wouldn’t make any sense if he couldn’t shoot a bullet from inside it. All I’m curious about was how he would make the ammunition. Simply having the recipe doesn’t mean you will be able to make it, after all.”

Although there’s some ammo which was manufactured by non-professionals in Africa, even that requires considerable equipment and know-how. It’s definitely not something someone could do alone.

“I also think it’s impossible to make live ammunition yourself.”

“Looking at the recipe he asked for, I’m not sure he’s alone in that subspace of his. Next time, let’s focus more on his subspace.”

“I understand.”

Then, the moment they finished their talk, the door of the conference room burst open. The one who kicked the door was none other than Seokhyun. He walked to the center of the room and slammed his fists on the table. With a heavy thud, the table sank down and the floor beneath it cracked.

Jang Won-taek put a faint smile on his lips. “It seems that there is something our Seokhyun doesn’t like.”

Without uttering any answer, Seokhyun pulled out his long knife. Beom-seok hurriedly moved in front of the president, positioning himself between him and Seokhyun.

“Hey, why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“Get out of the way.”

Jang Won-taek met Seokhyun’s gaze. When Seokhyun opened his mouth, his reason for being angry was actually different from what Jang Won-taek thought of.

“Don’t go after my friend.”

“Are you referring to I Love Gimbap? It’s just a simple check…”

“I hate people who act as if they know everything.”

“Haha, there seems to be some big misunderstanding…”

Jang Won-taek made a wink and sent people inside the room away. He even invited Seokhyun to sit down, but he refused and only stood still. He was made aware once more that the man in front of him was childish. He’s innocent beyond belief and was a man who can’t see ahead.

Jang Won-taek closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. But when he opened his eyes. He could feel a cold metal touching his neck.

‘Fa-fast…’ Beom-seok was startled at how quick Seokhyun’s movement was. Now that Seokhun was already one step away from killing the president, Beom-seok couldn’t make a move, as he knew that one wrong move here would make the president’s head fly away.

“Should I just kill you all here?”

“All of us? You will become a murderer, though…”

At Jang Won-taek’s words, Seokhyun laughed maniacally.

“You don’t have to worry about me. Once I commit suicide, my murderer status will resets once I resurrect. How long do you think it will take me to kill everyone in this shelter?”

Jang Won-taek and Lee Beom-seok were instantly lost for words. They realized that the madman in front of them actually had the ability to do precisely what he just said.

“For what reason are you doing this?” Jang Won-taek mustered all his guts to ask.

“I want you to just do one thing!” Seokhyun grabbed Jang Won-taek by the neck and grasped his face with his hand.

“Do not look, do not seek, and do not touch that man.”

“Didn’t you only meet him at the game?”

“That’s enough reason for me. I want to hear an answer.”

“…”

Jang Won-taek and Lee Beom-seok met each other’s eyes and nodded their heads. Negotiation was not an option as long as the madman in front of them was their opponent. All they could do was listen.

“Good. I take your words on it.”

“Okay…”

Seokhyun was satisfied with their words and went back with a wide smile plastered on his face. On the other hand, the two looked at him with puzzled eyes. They thought that, with him joining the shelter, they would be able to fill the power gap which Duck Buttock left behind as she left the government shelter. But, as it turns out, a maniac was what they got.

“This is a headache…”

Jang Won-taek sighed.