Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 57.3: Judgment (3)

Even in the apocalypse, Sundays feel different.

When I was in China, no matter how bad the situation got, I always made a point to rest on Sundays.

Still, I never let go of my daily routines.

At dawn, I tend to the vegetable garden.

By midday, the sunlight becomes too harsh, so I take the opportunity to care for the crops as a form of light exercise and distraction. I harvest what’s ripe or needed, ensuring nothing goes to waste.

Currently, I’m growing five types of crops: lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, napa cabbage, and melons.

I don’t grow green onions because I’m not much of a cook.

Cooking involves fire, and fire not only consumes fuel but also spreads a lot of smell. That’s something I’d rather avoid.

I placed a few ripe melons into a basket, trimmed some rotting stems with scissors, inspected the leaves for signs of disease, and took a break.

My resting spot is the stream that flows beneath the house.

The water in the valley has become remarkably clear lately. Sitting by the stream, washing lightly, and soaking my feet feels so refreshing that I start to believe I could get through the day without an air conditioner.

Of course, by nightfall, I always end up turning it on.

As I stared absentmindedly at the flowing water, something caught my eye.

“Hm?”

Something big moved under the water.

It wasn’t a fish—it looked more like a shrimp.

But it was far too large to be a normal shrimp.

A sense of unease crept over me. I grabbed the rifle I had placed nearby and cautiously waded into the stream, stepping slowly with each splash of water.

Before I could investigate further, my K-walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life behind me.

“Hunter from the last trade! Hunter from the last trade! Are you there? If you recognize my voice, please respond! This is really urgent! I’ll make it worth your while!”

Hearing that voice, I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to myself.

“I knew it.”

The voice belonged to none other than Manseok.

*

Given the urgency of the matter, I headed to Manseok’s shop alone, without Defender this time.

“Ah, Hunter!”

Manseok stood outside the shop, waiting for me from a distance.

Together, we walked into the container fortress.

“Looks like you had a real battle here.”

The scene inside resembled a war zone. Smoke curled up from various places, stalls were smashed to pieces, and bloodstains marked the ground where bodies lay haphazardly covered with cloth.

“Twelve of us were defending, but six got taken out. We used hundreds of rounds of ammunition and even hunter equipment, but we couldn’t even scratch the thing.”

Manseok, who had been an over-the-top salesman just a day ago, now seemed entirely different. He spoke calmly and methodically about the damage.

This must’ve been the version of him that existed when he worked in a corporate office. As he recounted the events of the previous night’s battle, I imagined the scene unfolding.

There was no need to state the obvious: it had been a devastating loss for Manseok.

Despite being a powerful gang boss in the city, he had no experience surviving beyond its walls. Sure, he must’ve seen monsters from afar and occasionally encountered mutations. He had probably even dealt with hunters at some point.

But he must’ve underestimated the threat, believing hunters to be no different from regular soldiers. Overconfidence had set in.

He likely thought, “If it’s just a mutation and not a monster, we can handle it.”

The result? A crushing defeat.

This wasn’t an ordinary mutation.

Mutations vary in type and capability. Some freshly mutated creatures are just larger and stronger versions of their previous selves—easy enough to shoot down like game on an African safari. But those that survive repeated battles, gain experience, and learn to hunt humans? They become the hunters, turning humans into their trophies.

Even the South Korean government, back when it still functioned, failed to eradicate the Gold Pack for this very reason.

“What should we do?” Manseok asked, his face stiff.

“Now that you’ve been targeted, it’s best to relocate. This area has become its hunting ground.”

“That’s not an option,” Manseok replied, shaking his head.

Before I could ask why, he explained.

“...As people left, the refugee camp we managed disbanded. The other camps nearby are already under the control of guys like me. Fighting them won’t gain us anything. Their camps are barely holding together as it is. And the safe camps? They’re locked down by people with connections.”

It seemed his venture into the wilderness wasn’t about finding new opportunities but rather a lack of alternatives.

Like many others who had been forced out here, Manseok had no choice.

Still, it seemed he had some kind of vision for this place.

“I need to secure this shop no matter what. I plan to make it a central hub for all the people settling around here.”

“A hub?”

“Let’s say more people start establishing themselves in the area. They’re not going to keep pointing guns at each other forever, right? We’re all Koreans, not foreigners who can’t even communicate. Eventually, people will need a place to gather—for trade, entertainment, and everything else.”

Manseok’s deep eyes glimmered with an intensity not typical of a gangster.

“I’m going to turn this place into the Las Vegas of Korea.”

Whatever his dreams, it was clear he wasn’t giving up on this location.

“...Please, help us.”

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Seeing someone like Manseok bowing to me at a 90-degree angle was surprising, to say the least.

Not that I had come here out of pure goodwill myself.

“These are all the people you have left?”

That mutation, Hoot, had to be eliminated.

Unlike the Gold Pack, which sustains itself by hunting wildlife, Hoot solely hunts humans. It has likely learned through experience that humans are the easiest prey. Perhaps it even enjoys the act of hunting them.

The fact that Manseok’s shop, only 15 kilometers from my territory, had been attacked meant that my territory now lay within its range.

As Manseok’s subordinate had described, this silent, multi-hundred-kilogram monster could strike from above without warning. Even I, Park Gyu, wouldn’t stand a chance. I’d die like a mouse or a rabbit.

“I’ve called for reinforcements,” Manseok said.

“How many?”

“Two.”

“Do they have combat experience?”

“They’ve fought people, sure, but...”

“Do they have experience in firefights against mutations, at the very least?”

Manseok averted his gaze.

“No, I don’t think so.”

So, no competent allies. At best, they’d make decent meat shields.

It was a cold calculation, but I intended to use them to kill Hoot. For the sake of my safety and the people I wanted to protect, it had to be done.

If the ones I used as meat shields happened to be scumbags, well, it’d weigh a little less on my conscience.

“Why are you smiling all of a sudden?”

It seemed my thoughts had leaked onto my face.

“Just thinking about the old days.”

If Kim Daram were to hear this, she’d probably scoff, asking when I ever bothered to be selective about who I used as meat shields.

She wouldn’t be wrong. Back then, it was simply the only way to keep my team alive while taking down monsters.

“Well, let’s discuss the terms of our contract.”

Demanding compensation was only fair for my labor, and it also served to mask my cold intentions.

After all, I was about to use these rough-looking, yet frightened men as chess pieces.

“You mentioned needing batteries, right?”

The items Manseok had prepared weren’t much—just enough to fit on a motorcycle. Not surprising, given that his supplies had been nearly wiped out.

Feigning generosity, I nodded and pointed at a product still intact on one of the shelves.

“That one.”

“Oh, the hunter weapon?”

“Yes. Could I take that as well?”

For a moment, hesitation flickered across Manseok’s face, but he soon nodded.

“Sure. To be honest, I tried using the hunter weapon myself yesterday, but it’s useless to me.”

Of course, it would be.

These weapons were designed solely to deliver critical hits in close combat—within a monster’s reflective shield range. Without experience, a hunter weapon was little more than a dangerous firecracker.

The weapon options included one Blader and two Harpoonizers. I chose one Harpoonizer, the very weapon I’d been eyeing earlier.

“I’ll just take one.”

“Really?”

“In return, I expect a good deal on our next trade.”

“Ah, you’re such a great guy, the more I see you.”

With one of Manseok’s men guiding me, I surveyed the area to piece together Hoot’s attack pattern. Judging by the destruction, it had a mean streak.

It had not only killed six people but also left their heads prominently displayed atop the container boxes.

Another reason to take it down.

And then I saw them.

Women.

Terrified women, trembling inside the containers, peeking out at us with wide eyes.

The gangster guiding me spoke.

“No need to feel sorry for them. They’re here because of their own stupidity.”

“Oh?”

“Manseok doesn’t do kidnappings or human trafficking. He’s all about contracts—clean and professional, like the corporate guy he used to be. Those women are just dumb and unlucky.”

I climbed a ladder to the top of a container.

There, tied to a pole, was someone I recognized: the naked judge.

Our eyes met.

Despite the horrific situation he was in, his gaze was surprisingly lucid. He even gave me a faint smile.

Was he sane? Or was this some form of madness?

Pushing the thought aside, I turned my attention to the containers.

“You should lay down some planks or boards up here to make it easier to move between the containers.”

“Understood, Hunter.”

“And we’ll need some manpower for the next part.”

“What kind of work?”

“Gather trees—thick ones, about the size of an arm. Do you have tools, like chainsaws or saws?”

“We’ll find some, Hunter.”

Vrrrmmm.

A good tool is worth its weight in gold. One machine could easily do the work of dozens of people.

Using the gathered wood and tools, we crafted sharp, spiked barricades to defend against Hoot.

“We’ll position these at each defense point. When the bastard lunges at us, it’ll impale itself on these spikes.”

The gangsters looked at me with expressions of awe as I explained my plan, murmuring words of admiration.

“Ohhh!”

“You’re truly a professional, Hunter.”

“Amazing, Hunter hyungnim!”

The title shifted from Hunter-nim to Hunter hyungnim.

Now that I was their "hyungnim," my words carried far more weight.

Manseok quickly barked orders after hearing my suggestion.

“Let the women out! Put them to work too!”

Vrrrmmm.

As spiked barricades were being constructed across the area, I wandered around, revisiting the spots where people had been attacked and killed. I reviewed the methods the creature used to strike.

Its preferred method was an ambush, but it also reportedly attacked people by walking up to them and splitting their skulls open with its beak. It could even incapacitate attackers from behind with a mere flap of its wings.

Preventing ambushes wasn’t enough.

This creature was strong enough to tear through one or two people with ease, even on the ground. It was, essentially, a walking dinosaur.

The more I thought about it, the tougher this opponent seemed.

It wasn’t just a monster dominant in the air—it was equally dangerous on the ground.

“...”

These hastily constructed spiked barricades weren’t going to stop a creature that had already killed hundreds of people.

Spiked barricades are one-time use. If we failed to seriously injure it on the first attempt, they’d be as good as useless.

We couldn’t rely on floodlights and random gunfire, like something out of World War II, to fight it in the dark. Not only did we lack floodlights, but spraying bullets indiscriminately would drain my ammo reserves overnight.

There was only one real solution.

“Blader.”

The Blader.

This hunter weapon unleashed 18 sharp titanium blades like a rainstorm upon firing.

It wasn’t widely adopted against monsters due to its relatively low stopping power, but for a fight like this, it would be invaluable.

The Blader was essentially a giant shotgun that used blades instead of bullets. A well-aimed shot could shred a mutation like this into pieces.

The only real issue with the Blader was its ricochet problem—stray blades could bounce back and hit our own side.

Still, with the Blader in hand, survival was almost guaranteed. As long as I spotted the creature first and got it within range, I’d have a winning card to play.

But I’d underestimated Manseok.

“Oh, this? The Blader? Yeah, I know what it is. Of course, I do,” Manseok said with a smug grin.

“I’m keeping it for myself.”

It seemed he’d come to the same conclusion as me.

Not wanting him to read my intentions, I quickly abandoned the idea and walked away.

Three hours remained until sundown.

The gangsters were still hammering spikes into place all around the containers.

I climbed onto an empty container to rest for a moment.

“...”

There he was again—the naked judge.

He stared at me with those sharp, unwavering eyes.

I turned away, intending to climb back down, but then he spoke.

“I had no choice.”

The voice was calm and clear, almost melodious, which made it all the more jarring coming from someone in such a wretched state.

“I had no choice but to release the man accused of killing his daughter.”

“Is that so?”

I knew I shouldn’t engage, but my curiosity got the better of me.

The naked man nodded firmly, his gaze filled with conviction.

“It is our role to ensure that no innocent person is imprisoned, even if it means letting ten criminals go free.”

“Bullshit!!!”

A furious roar erupted from below the container—it was Manseok.

“Hey! String that bastard up! We’ll use him as bait!”

The naked judge didn’t flinch.

“Even if I could go back to that day, I would release him again. That was the judgment I made as a judge of the Republic of Korea. If we begin imprisoning people based on mere suspicion, without sufficient evidence, then this world—”

His words were cut short as the gangsters bound him tightly and hoisted him high onto a pole.

Manseok placed LED lights around the base of the pole and turned to me with a wicked smile.

“The moment that damned owl bastard swoops in to snatch this guy, we’ll hit it with the Blader.”

He held the Blader out toward me.

“...Will you do it?”

His eyes were wild with madness.