Chapter 13: Typoon
Before the war started, doomsday preppers were a breed not welcomed in society.
Looking at their attributes alone, it's hard to find any virtues that society would recommend.
So-called psychoanalysts used to say that at the bottom of a doomsday prepper's thinking lay delusions of grandeur, egoism, and resignation.
Well, except for the delusions of grandeur, it's roughly correct.
I have no intention of denying it.
Because it was with those thoughts that I went into debt, dug a bunker, and catered to Old Man Kim's whims.
But not just anyone can be a doomsday prepper.
First of all, you have to be callous.
You need the insensitivity to nonchalantly brush past the deaths of people who have nothing to do with you.
It's not to the level of the inhumanity of shutting up and killing like the human hunter, but you must not empathize with the pain of others.
When the world ends, pitiful and struggling people will pour out by the tens of millions; if you try to help them one by one, you'll end up in the same wretched state.
The ideal image of a doomsday prepper that I envision is a cold bystander.
A life where you ignore whatever happens around you, whether hundreds die or there are heartbreaking stories, and live solely for yourself.
Such a person deserves to become a legend.
After all, don't they say the last of humanity is legendary?
Unfortunately, I was a person somewhat lacking to become a legend.
I obtained the information that "it" was coming the day after I checked the International Residence.
I found another lodging, stayed for a night, and dropped by the NCOC out of habit, where I unexpectedly obtained valuable information.
The information I get from here is the biggest reason I maintain a connection with the city.
[ Super-massive monster heading south, breaking through the kill zone ]
[ Presumed to be a Kraken type ]
[ Speed approx. 22km/h. Heading south-southwest ]
[ Blocked from entering Seoul, presumed to detour to the outskirts ]
[ Expected to dissipate in approx. 56 hours ]
On a computer set up in a corner of the NCOC lobby, information uploaded to the intranet was being updated in real-time.
"A Kraken type..."
I've faced one in China.
You could call it a living building.
It's a monster that absorbs all known firearms with the heavy armor derived from its size, breaks through kill zones, and collapses defensive lines.
However, it's not invincible, and even by my standards, it wasn't a particularly dangerous one.
Its intelligence is low and its patterns are simple, so as long as you prepare, there's almost no chance of dying, and if you just leave it alone, it dissipates on its own.
People say that Hunters, especially Saviors, are the natural enemies of monsters, but the most powerful enemy of monsters is actually Earth itself.
Because monsters, as residents of another dimension, begin to lose their life force and collapse for unknown reasons as soon as they cross the rift.
A monster that has lost all its life force crumbles into particles and dissipates, and the larger and stronger it is, the faster that collapse progresses.
Of course, there are some exceptions, but the one that appeared now is the dissipating type.
If I were to use a metaphor, it's like a typhoon.
In the sense that while it's alive, it tears through human territory and destroys everything living, but as time passes, it loses its momentum and dissipates on its own; and in the sense that intelligence agencies watch its movement and direction, predict its path, and prepare for damage, it's not much different from a typhoon.
That typhoon is passing through my territory area.
It's a chilling thought.
If I had been inside the bunker without knowing this information, I would have met the fate of being deleted after saying "Huh?" while playing around obliviously, just like an extra in a monster movie who doesn't know a disaster is coming.
What would I have been doing when I died?
No matter how I think about it, I'd probably die while writing a post in the community.
SKELTON: (Skelton Surprise) ?!
Like this.
Lately, far from being popular in the community, I feel like I've become an avoided user, which bothers me...
Somehow, it feels like my standing is much lower than the human hunter's.
Still, I probably haven't been blocked that much, right?
Unfortunately, there was no contact from Kim Da-ram.
I understand.
She doesn't even know exactly where I live and she's incredibly busy.
While staying in the NCOC lobby, I saw her stepping into an elevator with a quick pace, accompanied by stern-faced soldiers, former Hunter bureaucrats, and politicians.
But it is also my true feeling that I wish she had given me at least a simple warning.
Bang!
Gunshots can be heard in the distance.
I was attacked for the first time in my life.
Not directly.
The attack happened far ahead.
But the procession stopped, creating the rare sight of a traffic jam in this apocalyptic era.
Police and soldiers blocked the passage and just told us to wait for the situation to end.
After a 3-hour delay, the situation ended, but precious time was wasted.
On the way past, I saw corpses sprawled on the street.
Whether the corpses, staring into the air with wide-open eyes without respect or even a blanket covering them, were raiders or victims, I do not know.
I immediately returned to the bunker and prepared.
I moved some of Old Man Kim's seedlings growing inside the house in advance, and packed camping gear like tents, food, and drinking water.
The observation equipment I prepared was binoculars with a night-vision function and a cheap drone.
The most important preparation was the four-wheel-drive buggy sleeping in the underground garage.
Against that monster, mobility is necessary.
Putting distance between us is the best, and in the worst-case scenario, I must escape before two death rays overlap to create a zone of death.
I generously poured in a fully sealed jerry can of gasoline that had undergone precious long-term storage treatment, and launched the cheap drone.
There was no particular threat nearby.
The Gold pack in the south is threatening, but I have no intention of going that way.
I parked the car on a low hill above my bunker and waited.
There's a little time left before the monster arrives.
At first, I didn't have any thoughts.
After a brief blank period passed, I thought about the monster's expected appearance point and the subsequent evasion routes.
It didn't take particularly long.
Because while doing construction work, I had simulated every situation that could occur in this area in my brain.
Of course, the appearance of a super-massive species is also within the assumed range.
Again, staring blankly while drinking a cup of coffee, I waited for time to pass.
There are still a couple of hours left.
It will probably show itself soon.
But the situation on the K-Walkie Talkie is a bit strange.
A disaster comparable to a typhoon is descending, yet there isn't a single common warning broadcast.
What could have happened?
Current time is 8:30 PM.
Judging by the progress I obtained from the NCOC, it should be after the super-massive species has passed the outskirts of Seoul.
But for the military frequency to remain silent until now.
Could it be that the broadcasting station was hit?
"..."
It has nothing to do with me.
I am a doomsday prepper.
A person who only needs to preserve my own life and safety regardless of what happens around me.
Those who desire the salvation of the world are on the battlefield.
It's enough for me to just spectate how this world flows in my own way.
I thought that was the path I decided on and the path I should take.
However, as time passed, my conviction increasingly wavered.
The very first thing to cover my mind was the cheerful friends of our community.
I ran down to the bunker and logged into the community.
My comrades in the community were enjoying their usual daily lives, whether they knew a typhoon was coming or not.
It seemed they still weren't well aware of the monster's appearance.
Or perhaps, the guy who saw the monster has already gone to the next world.
I searched.
Keystotne: I'm down here in Paju, why is the ground thumping so much? Is it an earthquake?
I sent a message.
SKELTON: Are you alive?
No reply.
I wrote a post on the board.
SKELTON: (Skelton Question) Is Keystone alive? If you're alive, please reply.
No answer.
Even after 10 minutes passed, even after 20 minutes passed.
Is he dead?
Did he get swept away by the typhoon without knowing anything inside his bunker and dissipate without a trace?
Another comrade died.
It's nothing more than an internet connection whose name and face I don't even know, but nevertheless, the death of this comrade is tangible.
Because the person who would have given my future posts a 'like', a view, and a reply is gone.
"..."
I hesitated for a moment.
It's true that I have a grudge against this world.
It's true that I resent God, and it's also true that I am sick of this world, the system, and humanity itself.
But even so, do I have to watch them die?
The wool felt doll occupying a whole room is staring blankly at me.
What would Anonymous337, the creator of that doll, think if he saw me like this?
What about the nameless woman who exploded and died on the pretext of raising a killer monster?
What about the owner of this laptop?
There are also people who are alive.
The echo of the girl on that unusually cold Christmas night still remains in my heart as a vivid, moving memory.
"..."
I am neither a hero nor a savior.
I have neither the qualification nor the ability for that.
The image of myself I wanted is a cold bystander.
I must be.
But wouldn't it be okay if it's just for today?
It's not a special day, but it's a day a typhoon came.
That whim moved me.
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
It's heading south along the attached map route!
If you're on the route, leave your bunker and observe from a distance, even if just for today.
Being inside the bunker is useless.
Because its destruction ray ignores cover and disintegrates all living creatures within its radius.
This is not a joke, it's serious advice.
If this was helpful, please hit 'Like!'
I don't want to lose these friends.
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
SKELTON: (Skelton Warning) A monster is coming!
...
...
[ Warning! Due to spamming, your use will be restricted for 12 hours. ]
"Fuck! It was spamming out of goodwill!"
So I spammed.
I thought this was enough, but my whim was already demanding the next thing.
"This is Skelton. This is Skelton. I ask anyone receiving this transmission, regardless of who it is, to respond immediately. I repeat. This is Skelton! Skelton!"
It's the sniper family.
I want to save them too.
Of course I hate that woman, but the daughter is different.
"In 1 hour, a super-massive species monster is coming. Type is Kraken. A building-sized bastard that shoots a death ray capable of killing all living creatures within a 2km radius."
I want to hear her voice next Christmas too.
I want to say Merry Christmas to her.
Not with a keyboard, but with my voice.
Even if there's the distinct static of a walkie-talkie.
It's my modest wish.
Well, there's another intention too, though.
Receiving no answer, I drove the car straight into the sniper's territory.
Because time was pressing, I passed through Gold's territory.
Sure enough, the mutated dogs chased after me, drooling.
"You gaming laptop-like bastards?"
I shook them off with gunfire and speed and arrived at the sniper's territory, but what welcomed me was sharp gunfire.
Bang!
A bullet pierced the ground at my feet, kicking up dirt.
I spoke into the walkie-talkie.
"Can't you hear? I said you'll all die!"
No answer.
I spoke again.
"Are you going to let your daughter die too?"
Those words had an effect.
The sniper and her daughter revealed themselves in the darkness.
"Skelton!"
The girl saw me, smiled brightly, and waved her hand.
"Where's your car?"
The sniper shook her head.
"Gasoline. Went bad."
"Get in."
I didn't think she would get in right away.
I thought persuasion would be needed.
But the sniper got into the car surprisingly easily.
"I saw it."
She said in clumsy Korean while putting on her seatbelt.
"What?"
"Monster."
There was a reason she listened so well.
"Hold on tight."
We took the car and got far away from the territory.
On a low hill looking down, we witnessed the massive anomaly that had appeared in our territory.
A colossus resembling a building with legs trampled the ground as if desecrating it, shooting web-like rays of malice and sweeping away living things without a trace.
The death ray that destroys only living creatures brushed past my bunker zone by a hair's breadth.
If I had been there, I probably wouldn't have died a pretty death.
Wouldn't I have been sliced in half and died?
Even though she's a battle-hardened sniper, in the face of an anomaly that negates this world, she was nothing more than a terrified sheep.
I watched them quietly and said a word.
"Stand there for a second."
"What?"
"Photo. Click."
"Why?"
"I have a printer at home, so I'll print it for you."
It's a dog-like era, but shouldn't you have memories?
Coincidentally, as I took the photo, the typhoon that struck our territory dissipated.
The monster that desecrated the earth's axis and burned the living was engulfed in bright light and began to turn into particles and fade away.
Against the backdrop of the dark earth without a single lantern, the color and shape of that light scattering like gold leaf fluttering in the wind was chillingly beautiful.
"...Pretty."
The girl mumbled as she watched the sight as if mesmerized, and the girl's mother, holding that hand, watched together as this world and things not belonging to this world mixed.
Click.
A single photo was saved in the folder.
SKELTON: (Skelton Photo) Untitled03
My photo caused a minor reverberation in the community.
I collected many precious comments and received a few likes too.
In particular, there were many comments saying the little girl was cute.
There was a guy asking what the photo was about, but I didn't answer out of respect for the sniper family's privacy.
My information, unfortunately, wasn't of much help to our community family.
Because none of our friends were on its path.
Keystone, whom I thought was dead, was also alive.
Keystone: Thought I was going to die from a stomachache.
Did this bastard block me?!
Whatever.
But the guy I actually wanted to block me didn't.
Defender: This Skelton friend, he's seriously cool? He has a sense of aesthetics. He's a bit rough at handling light, but his composition is good.
No, rather, he's actively showing interest in me.
If it's just that much, it's actually fine.
The human hunter sent me a message with a photo attached.
In that photo, the back of my head, riding in a four-wheel buggy together with the sniper mother and daughter, was clearly captured.
Message from Defender: Skelton. This is you, right?
SKELTON: No
Message from Defender: Saved my life thanks to you. Thanks. I'll definitely repay this favor.
"...Hah."
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