Chapter 124
The next day, we got the car moving.
On the way to Bukseoul Dream Forest, we stopped by marts and pharmacies along the way and opened pages of the Apocalypse.
We absolutely had to avoid any spaces where Sa Jaeheon might be, so it would take a bit longer.
We were going in circles, slowly.
Just as we were about to pass through Bugak Tunnel…
“Hey.”
Lee Hoin gave a signal.
And soon, I saw it too.
The tunnel itself was blocked.
There were quite a few roads blocked due to accidents, but…
‘That’s not all this is.’
It felt like someone had forcibly dragged things over to block it.
I raised an eyebrow and was about to reverse.
“…Someone’s coming out.”
Just as I was about to back up, someone slowly walked out.
He was holding a K2 rifle.
Already shouldered and ready.
For now, I stopped.
It wasn’t like I had the talent to immediately deploy a barrier around the car.
“Keep your hands up where I can see them.”
I didn’t know what this was about, but for now…
If things went south, I was ready to reverse and get out of here, no matter what.
Behind the man holding the rifle, a few more people walked out.
“Stop, stop!!”
The man who came forward first shouted as he approached.
By the time they reached us and tapped on the window, I rolled it down and raised my head.
“…Hello.”
“Why did you come here?”
With both hands placed on the steering wheel, I looked at him and answered.
Why did I come here? The hell… did you rent out all of Seoul?
“I was on my way to Bukseoul Dream Forest in Beon-dong.”
The man lifted his helmet slightly.
“…Aren’t you a minor? Can you even drive?”
What does that matter? The world’s gone to hell.
Whether an 8-year-old drives or a 98-year-old drives, as long as you survive, that’s what matters.
As he adjusted his helmet, I could see his face clearly.
Thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, tanned skin, and a fairly large build.
‘Ah, this old-fashioned bastard.’
I remembered him.
‘He’s one of the vigilantes.’
In this damn small land, vigilante groups had been rampant.
Each had different factions, so in the early days, there were things like Vigilante 1, Vigilante 2, and Vigilante 3.
They all had different names too… probably. But remembering all that would be too much.
In the end, they merged into one.
More precisely, one group swallowed the others and grew, like a conquest war.
And this old-fashioned bastard in front of me was one of the core members of that completed vigilante group.
His name was…
‘Yugil.’
Something like that.
—
[‘Yugil’ has been added to the Character Encyclopedia.]
[Yugil (Definer of □□) of the ‘Ruined World’]
Importance: 2.5/5
???: 0/5
<Records>
A character whose actions are confirmed only in certain chapters.
Search for chapters below to track their actions.
—
That’s right. Yugil.
Mid-to-late 30s.
A young conservative type.
A soldier with a controlling personality.
The type who needs everything to be organized under his command to feel satisfied.
That’s why, even with the world destroyed, he’s still acting like this.
“Adult. I’m twenty. Got my license last year. Can we go?”
I answered and was about to leave.
Then Yugil’s gaze locked onto Lee Hoin.
After staring at him briefly, he spoke.
“Are you also an adult?”
“Yes.”
As Lee Hoin nodded, Yugil raised an eyebrow and asked:
“Would you be willing to enlist voluntarily?”
Is this guy insane?
—
[Chapter 19, Voluntary Enlistment?! ▼]
Of course, the narrator wasn’t offered voluntary enlistment, but still.
What will you do? Will you turn the car around and leave right now?
[〉 Depart.]
[〉 Get out.]
[Nothing is going the way you planned!]
[This might be your fault too!]
—
I pressed my forehead like I was sighing.
In a situation where every second mattered… we ended up getting out of the car.
‘Ignoring them and leaving…’
We were too weak for that.
Magic, overall ability, everything.
If we tried to run and the car got shot and damaged, walking would be the least of our problems… we’d be in far more danger.
‘It’s about time to abandon the car anyway.’
For now, we followed Yugil.
“You might consider staying for a while and thinking about voluntary enlistment.”
At least for now, Yugil wasn’t hostile.
‘I’ll just run away at the right time.’
Yugil talked a lot.
For someone with an importance of 2.5, there was quite a bit of known information about him.
He also had poor hearing at night, so if we left again at night, it should work.
Mutants would be dangerous, though.
After checking the car parked near the tunnel once more, we continued walking.
The soldiers stationed inside the tunnel, or those who merely looked like soldiers, wearing military uniforms as “voluntary enlistees,” saluted Yugil.
He returned each salute as he walked forward.
Eventually, we arrived at a university.
“This is Kookmin University. We’re using it as our barracks. It has a lot of facilities, so it’s better than setting up tents.”
Inside, there were many people.
Some clearly looked like civilians.
People were running around everywhere.
Some were cooking.
Some were preparing ingredients.
Some were carrying things.
Some were treating others.
Each person had their assigned role.
No one was resting or spacing out.
Everyone found their task and moved like parts in a machine.
As Lee Hoin and I looked around, Yugil adjusted his helmet slightly and spoke.
“Everyone here is assigned work. It’s not that we believe people should only eat as much as they work.”
At that, I slightly raised an eyebrow.
—
[Oh? He sounds like someone who would believe exactly that!]
—
Yugil continued explaining.
“But people always need work.”
He began preaching his philosophy.
“Especially when the world has become like this.”
Lee Hoin followed along with a blank expression, listening.
“Even things that aren’t your fault eventually become your fault and choke you. There are certainly people who find it more comfortable to become a cog in a large society instead.”
Yugil spoke as if he had preserved such a world.
With a proud expression.
“Even in the original society. Some become internal cogs under protection, making society function. Others become external cogs, protecting so society remains safe.”
He adjusted his helmet again.
“Everyone living here volunteered to become a cog. Doesn’t this place resemble the world before everything collapsed? There isn’t a single unnecessary person or anyone left behind. It’s a kind of paradise. A functioning version of the original world.”
The surroundings were still busy.
As Yugil passed, both civilians and those in military attire saluted him.
Even the civilians’ salutes were sharp and precise.
“Of course, there are quite a few rules. Before being a society, this is a military. Everyone lives the same life. So there’s no better environment to build camaraderie.”
Returning their salutes, Yugil continued:
“Everyone eats the same food, is assigned work as a member, and spends the same daily life within the same system. What a perfect sentence. A controlled daily life can be called perfect.”
Those who finished saluting quickly returned to their tasks.
Everyone was busy.
Just as he said, everyone had become part of the machine.
Everyone.
Truly everyone.
At a glance, all members appeared to be relatively young… none seemed older than their 40s or 50s.
Hardworking people, devoted to their roles.
“How many people are here in total?”
At my question, Yugil paused as if calculating, then answered:
“563. With you two arriving, that makes 565. There are about five squads out for scouting and supply, so that may change when they return. But for now, that’s the number in the system.”
As he spoke, we kept walking.
Yugil continued introducing things.
Dormitories lined with long rows of beds like military barracks, assigned duties, meal plans, what benefits you’d receive as a soldier, what roles you could take.
He went on at length.
Honestly, I wasn’t interested.
‘Guys who talk smoothly like that are rarely good people.’
Yugil wasn’t a good person.
You could tell just by looking at this place.
This was a place where you couldn’t see any weak people or patients at all.
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