Chapter 37 – To Han River (1)

None of the people who followed me up to the first floor with the community leader survived.

I had gone with the community leader and returned alone, and this time too, I survived alone.

If I wasn’t careful, I might be misunderstood by others.

Fortunately, thanks to Lee Jun-ho who secretly followed, I could avoid such misunderstandings.

“The community leader transformed into a strange monster, not a zombie, and attacked people. Additionally, skeletons rushed in with the monster and killed everyone.”

Lee Jun-ho, who came down to the underground shopping mall with me, eagerly explained to the hiding people what happened above.

“He tried to save others, but the monster that the community leader turned into was too strong to save anyone.”

He explained the situation in my favor as much as possible.

“Everyone would have been fine if they had listened to the knight. Yang Gi-hyeok was wrong. He got himself and others killed by following the knight unnecessarily. Well, those who died were also at fault for not following orders.”

No, he wasn’t speaking in my favor, but rather disparaging the dead community leader and his subordinates as much as possible.

As if all the blame lay with the community leader and his subordinates.

People were skeptical even after hearing his words, but shortly after, when they came up to the first floor with their belongings, they began to believe him.

The ghoul was left with only its body – head and limbs severed and heart pierced – but it still wore the community leader’s clothes.

Though it had become a strange monster, since it had become undead anyway, suspicions about me killing him could be lessened.

Of course, I could have set a trap using the undead as I had done before, but there was no end to such suspicions.

Moreover, those who might have been suspicious were already flailing about as zombies.

The community leader’s brothers. His subordinates had died at the hands of skeletons.

I had confirmed their deaths, but their deaths were by the hands of the undead.

Those killed by the undead could not find peace even in death.

The community leader’s brothers, who had turned into zombies after we went underground, were reaching out toward us while pinned under piles of carts.

In that other world, I would have performed a confirmation kill by cutting off the corpses’ heads.

But since I wouldn’t go that far here yet, I instead piled carts on top of the bodies.

“For all their show of force, they all ended up dead.”

“Is this for the best… I suppose it is.”

“Will we be alright with all the fighters dead?”

“Well, we did manage to get food in time…”

People showed complex expressions as they looked at those who had become zombies.

Each person’s expression alternated between relief and worry, some sighing in relief while others looked at the zombies with distorted faces.

At the same time, they all stole glances at me.

I could guess what they wanted, but I pretended not to notice their furtive looks.

While everyone was being cautious, Lee Jun-ho approached me.

“I don’t think we should leave those zombies as they are. Would it be alright if we take care of them?”

“Do as you see fit… Yes, go ahead.”

It wasn’t something he needed to ask me about, but I nodded in agreement.

There was no need to draw lines prematurely.

At my words, people put down their bags and raised their weapons.

Spears made by tying knives to metal rods, metal pipes, and baseball bats.

Though the weapons were makeshift, the expressions of the men approaching the zombies were very serious.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

“When I think about what we’ve endured from you…”

Though they hadn’t shown it outwardly, it seemed they had built up quite a lot of resentment.

Well, they were thugs who had killed people until the end, so they couldn’t have become nice after coming to this apartment.

They must have treated people worse than what I had seen.

The people swung their weapons at the zombies trapped under the carts as if venting their frustrations.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dried blood sprayed and bones and flesh were crushed.

Before long, the zombies were smashed beyond recognition.

Though they seemed quite sturdy as zombies transformed from strong men, even civilian attacks could do this much damage when concentrated.

The zombies returned to being dismembered corpses, and we immediately left the shopping mall.

The return journey wasn’t difficult this time either.

Perhaps because all the troublesome skeletons had been dealt with, the zombies we had driven to the opposite side of the street were still gathered there.

Thanks to this, it was a leisurely return journey, but the people carrying supplies walked with complicated expressions.

They must be worried about what would happen now that the community leader’s group was dead.

However, one person’s expression was different.

Lee Jun-ho, the person I had saved.

He approached me with a face that seemed to have made some decision.

I looked at him wondering if he had something to say, but instead of looking at me, he stared ahead.

And then, as if talking to himself, he began to speak.

“Yang Gi-hyeok and his gang weren’t originally from our building. They said they lived in the next building, but truthfully, no one believed that. They were originally gangsters, and there were rumors that they had killed people when they were in the next building, but everyone kept quiet. Not just because they were all strong men used to fighting, but actually because of Yang Gi-hyeok, who had become a power user.”

Though these were things I already knew, since he was speaking as if talking to himself, it was awkward to stop him.

I let him continue speaking, treating it like background noise.

“After he became the new community leader, our apartment fell into chaos. Single women became their playthings, and even married women had to serve them. It was the same for men. They had to obey their orders even for dangerous tasks, and if they died, their wives would become playthings and their children would be sent to other homes. After they came, we weren’t members of a survivor community anymore, but their tenants, no different from slaves.”

I smiled bitterly at his angry voice.

‘The community leader’s group managed their organization better than I thought.’

Though he seemed to be describing a hellish life, to me it looked like a very ordinary community.

It might seem absurd by the standards of the previous life where humanism flourished, but by the standards of that other world I had lived in, it was a common sight in pioneer villages.

Though they didn’t show it outwardly, the nobles and knights of that world were no different from the gangsters of the previous life.

There were countless nobles who forcibly took widowed commoners, and knights and soldiers who harassed married women were as numerous as grains of sand on a beach.

Moreover, nobles or knights who treated commoners like people were rather rare.

In fact, I had heard that even Earth from the previous life was no different from that world just a few hundred years ago, so perhaps modern Earth was the unusual one.

Though I should think like Lee Jun-ho since I remembered my previous life, I didn’t feel that way at all.

It was because my personality was based not on a modern person from my previous life, but on a knight from a medieval fantasy world.

Perhaps because of this, Lee Jun-ho’s continued words didn’t even circle my ears before disappearing.

‘I was originally this building’s leader, but after Yang Gi-hyeok came, I was constantly oppressed by him.’

‘He would needlessly send people out for reconnaissance, and kept giving dangerous tasks.’

‘Even then, if it weren’t for the knight and his companions, I would have died.’

‘Yang Gi-hyeok kept bragging about being a power user but couldn’t even properly gather supplies, but the knight was different.’

Still, thanks to his chatter during our return to the apartment, I could understand everything that had been puzzling me.

Why Yang Gi-hyeok seemed to pressure Lee Jun-ho, yet kept him alive,

And why Lee Jun-ho kept trying to approach me, the reason he was talking like this now – I understood it all.

The former community leader and the new community leader. Though I don’t know much about politics, they were clearly using each other.

In exchange for sparing Lee Jun-ho’s life, he played the role of making people follow them well.

Yet Yang Gi-hyeok probably wanted to kill Lee Jun-ho if he could, and Lee Jun-ho wanted to drive out Yang Gi-hyeok and his gang.

In the midst of this, when power users stronger than the community leader appeared, it wasn’t strange that Lee Jun-ho tried to connect with me.

While letting Lee Jun-ho’s words drift past, a good idea occurred to me.

‘I can leave the apartment to this person.’

It was time to finish the work and leave.

Though there would be no problem leaving without saying anything, it felt a bit awkward, but someone suitable to handle the aftermath had appeared on their own.

Since he was more political than expected, he would be perfect to use.

“It’s as Mr. Lee Jun-ho says. I would appreciate it if you could explain well when we get to the apartment.”

At my words, Lee Jun-ho nodded with a bright face.

There were no problems until we returned to the apartment.

All the remaining people returned safely, but those who saw us arrive couldn’t help but be surprised.

That was because half of those who had gone were nowhere to be seen.

Moreover, since it was only the community leader and his gang who were missing, it was understandable that people were surprised.

“Where’s boss? Where are the others?”

A man from the community leader’s side who had stayed alone at the apartment asked those who had returned first.

“They’re all dead.”

Lee Jun-ho stepped forward to answer his question.

“What?”

The man looked at Lee Jun-ho with an expression of disbelief.

The other people who had been waiting showed similar expressions.

“I will explain everything that happened.”

Looking at their expressions, Lee Jun-ho explained what had happened today.

He laid out an explanation that was favorable to me, and unfavorable to the community leader and his brothers.

Even after his words, people seemed reluctant to believe easily, but they all came to believe it after hearing from others who had returned together.

Except for one person.

Clang!

As soon as Lee Jun-ho finished speaking, that person drew the machete from his waist.

“What nonsense is this! Boss has been protecting and feeding you all this time! Do you all want to die?!”

The second-in-command of the community leader’s gang who remained alone here, the former gangster, pointed his blade with a reddened face.

“Tell the truth! You all came back secretly, didn’t you? When boss returns, he won’t let this slide!”

He shouted with an expression that was unclear whether it was anger or fear, but no one was intimidated by his words.

That was because Hoffman was standing behind him as he brandished his blade.

Thud!

The machete, though its blade was sharp and blue, fell to the floor without being used. Along with its owner.

Thump.

Hoffman scratched his head as he lowered his hand chop.

“Wouldn’t it be better to kill him right here?”

I shook my head at Hoffman’s words.

“That’s not our decision to make.”

The decision belonged to those who had been wronged, the apartment residents.

Besides, I had been trying hard to appear kind until now, so there was no need to frighten them here.

“First, let’s distribute the items we brought and discuss future plans. Tell the people inside to come out. And…”

I signaled to my companions while watching Lee Jun-ho talk enthusiastically.

It was time to leave.