Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Early at dawn, I took a taxi from my house towards Pohang. My intention was to inform the Apocalypse Countermeasure Headquarters that had just been set up by the government about the exact time of the D-day.

“Though, I’m sure they will figure something out by themselves now that they have seen the living proof that the end is coming.”

However, it seems that the President still needs more concrete evidence than the appearance of the zombie to make the decision. Because until late at night, the President had yet to give any sort of information or command.

Moreover, it seems like the government had failed to secure any more awakeners to recruit as well as the developer team of Survival Life. Which means, the only one who could provide them with the information was me.

I went near the sea where no one would come at the current time and called the government hotline using Kwon’s phone that I stole. After a few beeps, a hoarse voice could be heard from the other end.

―Hello, Administrative Officer of the Apocalypse Countermeasures Headquarters, Lee Woo-beom, speaking.

“I know the exact time of the D-Day.”

The man on the other side sighed at my words.

―I think I have received about 300 of such calls over the past few days… Do you also know it from ID I Love Gimbap?

Why are there so many people that fake-called them?

“The D-day is July 20th at 1pm. I repeat. July 20th, 1pm. If you don’t believe me, then hear this. There must be two holes in the back of the head of the hobgoblin’s corpse that had been recovered from Mt Gaya a few days ago.”

The only people who know about that fact should be me as the one who hunted it down, the autopsy doctor, and some high-ranking people involved. If he asked one of them about that fact and confirmed that the fact is, indeed, true, then he should’ve realised that my words are true.

-Please wait a minute!

However, without hearing his words any longer, I hung up then threw the phone into the sea. I opened the portal then went inside it to change my clothes in order to cover my tracks. Actually, I did think that even if I didn’t do such a thorough work on covering my tracks, I would still be fine. I simply couldn’t imagine that the government, now that they knew about the exact date and time of the D-Day, would just use their force to track me down instead of preparing for the incoming end. However, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Always be wary in all kinds of situations, as you wouldn’t know what could happen in the next moment. It will definitely be a huge help in surviving in a ruined world.

Of course, it didn’t mean that it was a bad move to help other people, just like I did with Hyung-jun hyung, Mikyung and Sooyeon. We were on a friendly terms, after all. And maybe in the future, they would help me in return for helping them now. Karma exists, and it’s best if you just stay on its good side.

I returned home and started to rummage through my Survival Life notes.

“Where are the patch notes…” In a few days, the world will turn into a fantasy world. Most of the population will be turned into zombies while a handful of people who were able to survive the initial breakout would be living in despair and chaos. That was what I thought, at least until yesterday.

The zombies that I met at the fishing boat were awfully weak. It was far cry from the intimidating zombies I faced back in the early days of Survival Life. It was clear that the appearances of those zombies followed the latest patch of Survival Life.

As I found the notes I was looking for, I clicked on it.

―Tutorial Difficulty Patch (Reducing zombie’s durability, reducing zombie’s ability to track organic matters, providing a 10 point weapon to the users)

―Expanding the methods of points acquisition.

“Oh, right. There was something like this.” Back then, the patch didn’t really matter to me as it didn’t affect my gameplay, so I just took a screenshot of it and moved on.

“I already experienced the decrease in durability of the zombies.” It was indeed a very advantageous change for the side of humans. However, the other two changes were also eye-opening. The ‘Reducing zombie’s ability to track organic matters’ means that survivors would have a better chance of hiding from zombies, while the ‘Providing a 10 point weapon to the users’ most likely means that a free weapon that are worth 10 points in Shop would be gifted to all users. Considering there’s a small number of weapons that are worth 10 points in Shop, there’s a high chance that it’ll be an ebony stick. Combined with the decrease in durability of the zombies, the chance of people surviving the tutorial will dramatically increase.

Meanwhile, ‘Expanding the methods of points acquisition.’ means that there would be other ways to get points available other than hunting monsters and zombies. By the way, if this is the last patch, then this one should be the patch that got updated when the game is about to shut down. So, why did they even bother updating the game, when the whole game itself is about to be disabled?

If possible, I wanted to find the developer team and ask them various questions, such as how did the game become reality?

But before that, just where in the world were they hiding?

“Now that I’ve checked the patch notes, let’s work on something else.” I remembered that as I was digging the moat in the forest with the mini fork crane, the amount of goblins which paid me a visit kept getting larger and larger. And even though they scurried away as soon as I shot an arrow towards them, they stubbornly still kept coming back. Most of the time, they will appear again in a matter of a few hours after I chased them away.

“Goblins are stubborn creatures.” Their philosophy of life was along the line of do or die. It’s either they crush their opponent or get crushed themselves—which was the case most of the time. When I followed the goblins who ran away with drones, I found out that they belonged to the nest about 3 km to the north of my cave. I do want to just immediately raid their base and kill them all, but I decided to put that up for a later date.

“I need to clear the tutorial first and stabilize everything first…” The word stabilize here means that I need to make sure nothing big happens anymore.

“Now for the rest of the event…”

From what I know, after the Russian fishing boat event, there would be no more events in the game until the tutorial begins. But, there’s still an event from real life. The fireworks festival hosted by Busan City on the 21st. The festival should still commence as scheduled, as there are no announcements about the suspension of the festival. Which means, the fireworks should still be there.

“Let’s see… I wouldn’t be able to use the motor when the disease strikes…” Which means I would have to paddle the boat manually. It didn’t seem to be that difficult if it happened once the tutorial was over.

“Let’s just go shopping today.” I didn’t feel like constructing the moat today because somehow, I had a hunch that something big is about to explode today. I put Dingo in the passenger seat and went to the fishing supply store.

As I was choosing a bowl and a harpoon, a gray-haired grandfather suddenly shouted, “Ah!”

When I went to the counter to check whether he was okay or not, I saw him looking at the TV as it began to broadcast breaking news one after another.

-Bzzt Bzzt… All commanders of the military division or higher were being called to the Blue House.

-Bzzt Bzzt… All Professors from Seoul National University were being called to the Blue House.

-Bzzt Bzzt… All executives of the Korea Construction Association were being called to the Blue House.

-Bzzt Bzzt…

Then the broadcast suddenly stopped as if it had been censored.

“Wait, why did it stop?” The grandfather grumbled.

“Looks like it has been censored.”

“Censored? Do you know what era this is?”

“An era where monsters and zombies came out from fantasy.”

When I said that, the grandfather took a deep breath.

“Nowadays, I feel like my business is declining. I’m going to die, seriously. You are my first customer from yesterday. I don’t know what the hell those guys up there were thinking, can’t the army just shoot the zombies?”

“I know, right? By the way, how much are all these, boss?”

I put a bunch of fishing gear that I wanted to buy on the desk in front of him. A few days ago, when I was shopping at the camping supply store, that store was jam-packed with people. However, in this store, there are no customers other than me.

The grandfather put his glasses up and waved his hand.

“Why are you buying this much?”

“Because I think it will be my last time fishing. I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to fish again in the future…”

“Haaah… At such a young age….”

Though what I meant was that the reel and the other parts which were made of metal will crumble because of the corrosive disease, the grandfather seems to have misunderstood.

“I’ll give it to you at half the price, so take it.”

“Then can I choose more?”

When I asked happily, the grandfather put a sad expression on his face.

“Once you get into fishing, you can’t stop even if the world is going to end. And as I think the world will be destroyed soon… Take whatever you want.”

“Thank you very much.”

I bought quite a lot of fishing gear and other fishing related stuff, enough to fill the trunk of the SUV to the brim. Then, I said goodbye to the grandfather and went out. On the map that I prepared, I marked the location of the store.

“I will come here again later.” Only idiots would raid a fishing supply store in a world infested with zombies. Moreover, as the beach would be a very dangerous place since there are only a few places in the beach that can act as a proper hiding spot, naturally there wouldn’t be many people who raid a fishing supply store. However, I’m different. I have a ‘private’ virgin sea that is ready to be used all by myself across the portal. It would’ve been a perfect place to chill at if only there were no monsters roaming around.

“Where should I go next…” I decided to stop at a traditional market to buy a lot of manual sewing machines, bedding, and fabrics. Right after I bought them, I went to a deserted alley in the market and passed it through the portal. It was fortunate that I had made a warehouse in front of the cave. I could store so much more things now. But, as a trade-off, quite a lot of monsters were attracted to my shelter. Though, I could live with it if it was only that much inconvenience.

“I still have to buy shoes, basin…”

The list of things I needed to buy got shorter slowly but surely. Of course, it wouldn’t be the end of my stockpiling. The list I currently have only includes things that I’ll need for the time being. After all, zombies were not interested in anything other than food, and it would take some time for monsters like goblins to start appearing. In the meantime, it was my plan to turn the cave into a fortress where I can safely put all of my supplies.

“If by that time, I met some survivors, it would be fine to help them.” Though, it would only be limited to those who were helpful and kind to me.

I stopped by the mart to buy some food, some daily necessities, and clothes. And just like at the traditional market, I opened the portal in place with no people and moved it all there. The once spacious new storage has now become quite narrow because of the sheer amount of stockpiles.

From the store, I went to another market to buy a bunch of jars that I’m gonna use to make kimchi later on. It was a storage-friendly preserved food as I can just dig the ground and put the jar inside the ground. I spent the whole day shopping and organizing my storage.

And when I finally went back home in the evening,

“What in the world is happening?”

Why are there so many military trucks running around in Busan? Moreover, each of those trucks was full of troops. It seems that something big has happened.

Is it a war?

.

.

.

“What kind of bullshit is this?” I murmured. A few days before the zombie apocalypse, a war broke out? Did North Korea finally invade?

-Did a war break out?

-Countless tanks and armored vehicles are moving toward Pocheon. The atmosphere is no joke.

-Everyone, the military police have entered our broadcasting station.

-I’m someone who works at a company at Yeocheon Industrial Complex, many trucks just arrived here!

News came up from all kinds of communities. However, when I tried to find out more information about it, the internet suddenly got cut off. At almost the same time, my cellphone went out of service and there was only one channel that’s available on the TV. When I turned on the radio, no matter what frequency I tuned to, all I heard were static noises.

When I looked out of the window, people were coming out from their house while shouting loudly. Then, from the building next door, Mikyung poked her head out.

“Ahjussi, the TV is cut off, isn’t it?”

“Yes. The internet and the cellphone signal were also cut off. Just what is happening… Why did the government suddenly dispatched the military…”

“Maybe a war broke out?”

Seems like Mikyung had the same thought as everyone. But my thoughts were a little different. In order for North Korea to start a war, they must first blow the DMZ up. In other words, it could be said that the war only broke out when the northern part of Gyeonggi-do was bombarded. But there was no such news today. In addition, it was too far-fetched to think that a special operation team from North Korea had penetrated the rear and taken over the national communication network. Therefore, it was simply impossible to think that a special operation team from North Korea had invaded Yeocheon Industrial Complex, the centre of South Korea’s petrochemical industry while disguised as a South Korean military.

(Note: DMZ is short for De-Militarized Zone, the center of the border between North Korea and South Korea. Basically, it’s a grey area between the two nations, a place where any kinds of military-related actions from either side are prohibited.)

Perhaps the military was dispatched because the President has finally decided to enact the Martial Law in order to avoid mass confusion.

Looking at Mikyung who rolled her feet and looked around with an anxious face, I told her, “Mikyung, go to the gym. It’ll be safer there.”

“How about you, Ahjussi?”

I wanted to say that I would be safe here, but I also thought it wouldn’t be bad to have company in this chaotic time. And it’s not like the apocalypse will begin in a moment or something.

“Let’s go together then.” Along with Mikyung, I hurriedly went into the gym. As I went to the main road, I noticed a small military truck moving slowly as it was giving an announcement.

―Citizens of Busan, please cease all of your activity and promptly go home! Stock up enough groceries and water for three days’ time and spend your precious time with your family! The situation will be resolved soon! I repeat… Citizens of Busan…

I felt Mikyung tugging my arms as we listened to the announcement. And after the truck passed by, I heard conversations of the ladies around the street.

“I don’t know, my husband just suddenly went home. He doesn’t know what is happening.”

“By the way, Ahjussi, what is your job?”

“I’m just a civil servant.”

“How in the world…”

Shops around the street began to roll down their shutters. On the one hand, rows of huge field trucks passed by on the street.

When I went to the gym, the first thing I saw was the gym members looking out to the street nervously.

“Oh, Seongho, you came?”

“Yes, Hyung-nim. I’m not intruding, am I?”

“Of course not! Ah, say hello, this guy is Yoohyeon.”

“Oh, I must be younger than you. Hello Hyung-nim.”

A dazzling young man bowed his head and greeted me. He seems to be about the same age as Mikyung, and if someone told me that he’s an idol, I would 100% believe it. He’s just that handsome.

“Are you an awakened?”

“That’s so. But I don’t know much about the game… I just tried Survival Life in a VR café. It was just too scary, so I quit right away.”

Yoohyeon proceeded to tell me that he was an engineering student attending a nearby university. I was really curious about his major as soon as he said that. However, It would be a bit odd to ask about his major. If it’s an electric or electronic major, there might be times when I need his help in the future.

“By the way, Hyung-nim, did you hear the announcement?”

“No. I was on the phone with my wife… No, my ex-wife when the phone suddenly cut off.”

“I was buying something at the mart when suddenly, soldiers came in and told me to quickly buy everything I need and leave. They were absolutely oppressive.” Bora testified.

Kyunghoon and Yoohyeon also shared their experiences. Everyone was frustrated not knowing what was going on. Even though I knew what was happening, I kept my silence.

“No matter how much I think about it, I think I should go to Ji-eun. Seongho, can you stay here in my stead until I get back?” (Note: Ji-eun is Hyung-jun’s daughter)

“It’s okay Manager, leave it to me!” Kyunghoon smiled and waved his hand.

Looking at him, Hyung-jun Hyung nodded reluctantly before going downstairs. I thought it wouldn’t be okay for me to stay here without Hyung-jun Hyung, so I followed him.

As soon as we arrived downstairs, I saw two soldiers arguing with someone in front of the gym building.

“In this democratic society! Why should I do what you tell me to do? I’m running a business here! If I close it, will you reimburse my loss? Huh?”

“No, sir, that’s not it. We are only relaying the orders from our superior…”

The young soldier seems terrified at the elder who shouted at him. Hyung-jun Hyung realized that as well, so he had a strange expression on his face.

“If there was a war or something, wouldn’t they mobilize soldiers who had a firmer mental state to reassure the public? They wouldn’t send something like him.”

“I agree.”

“Which means it’s not war either. Just what in the world is happening? Well, Seongho, I’m going first.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim. Please be careful on your way. Say hello to sister-in-law and Ji-eun.”

“She is no longer your sister-in-law.”

“Oh yeah. By the way, Hyung-nim, are you coming back here again?”

“Of course.” He said firmly as he walked away.

After Hyung-jun Hyung left, two soldiers came to talk to me.

“Sir, you cannot be here. Please quickly get enough food and water for three days and go home.” One of the soldiers said. His forceful tone really didn’t match his gentle face behind the round glasses he wore, which made him look a bit funny. It seems like the soldier next to him also had the same thought as me as I can see his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

“I’m on my way to the supermarket now. Do any of you know the reason why I need to buy three days’ worth of food and water?”

“We don’t know that either, Sir. We just did what our superior told us.”

Seems like the soldiers were hurriedly mobilized, so they weren’t briefed about the situation in detail. Well, there’s no reason to argue with them.

“Yes. I will go home as soon as possible.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Sir.”

I stopped at the mart, joined the crowd to buy a bunch of candles and matches before going home. Then, I opened my laptop and checked the list of videos I had downloaded.

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“This should be enough.” The videos I downloaded were videos which were useful for my future daily life, such as how to prepare preserved food, gardening, and how to operate a manual sewing machine. I downloaded it without watching the content first. I just download whatever feels right based on its title and thumbnail. There were hundreds of them stored in the hard disks, so I had no choice but to check it all later.

“There was even something like this.” It was a video on how to cut and transport a large tree. There’s also a video on how to make a wood canoe by carving the inside of a log. This one is about how to make fertilizer from poop…will it be useful someday?

As the night fell, complete darkness shrouded the area. It was so quiet to the point that the noise of a car in the distance feels like thunder.

“Is this perhaps a rehearsal to prepare the people for the true apocalypse?” I grumbled and lit the candle.

Now, It felt like the apocalypse was really approaching.