Chapter 312 – Police Tavern
In modern society, before the outbreak of the infection war, public interest soon turned to money.
The thing that most easily attracts clicks is physical appeal.
It was common for Thumbnail’s yoga video with her butt filling up the screen, or a video of her fishing in the river wearing only a bikini, garnering millions of views.
In addition, it attracted people’s interest in various fields such as funny videos, travel, cute animals, woodworking, and survival.
In this case, latecomers will look for more provocative and unique materials.
Among them, there were those who delved into human destructive instincts or sadism.
I remember a newtuber who had 800,000 subscribers under the nickname ‘100 Ways to Kill a Rat.’
When I was just appointed as a shelter manager, I was struggling with the rat problem and got to know the newtuber through the guidance of the algorithm.
At first, I thought he was an expert on rat quarantine, but it turned out that he was an expert on rat torture.
The moment a rat enters a trap sprinkled with nuts and steps on the part connected to the copper wire, it breaks!
-Snap!
With a short scream, the body stiffens, trembles, and then dies.
Since the amount of power was not enough to cause instant death, even the twitching of the five outstretched toes was captured with a magnified camera.
The mouse ran to eat the beef jerky placed at the end of the seesaw-like platform and fell right in!
He falls into the water tank installed below, struggles and drowns.
A tasty-looking chunk of cheese. The moment the mouse came in aiming for it and took a bite, it touched the connected string and said, “Woo!”
A trap with dozens of nails falls from above, forming a beehive.
It was a channel that made videos like this all day and night, and it was very popular.
In addition, we cannot leave out the seawater hunting videos filmed by American farmer newtubers.
One-shot, one-kill hunting of field mice wandering around barns and straw bales at night with an air gun.
The mouse, which was moving while sniffling, lowers its head and stops with a ‘Sweet!’ Sound.
Because the photos were taken with a camera in night vision mode, it even gave the feeling of being in a special operation.
Wild videos of several terriers being taken with their teeth and being killed were also popular.
The destructive instinct that is difficult to relieve in modern daily life, the desire as a hunter.
It could be said to be a business that tastes them to the limit.
Today, NewTube has disappeared, but its content has not disappeared.
A new genre called infectious agent hunting has been revived on the Korean Peninsula.
* * *
A television installed in a bar in Police.
In the cracked screen, a walker is walking through the DMZ area.
Since he is wearing the uniform of the People’s Liberation Army, he appears to be a wanderer who walked a long way from China to North Korea.
Only about half of the people in the bar are watching with interest.
Although it is a common prey compared to heavier monsters, the military uniform it is wearing attracted people’s attention.
“Fuck you Chinese bastards!”
“Did you crawl all the way here to pick up something to eat?”
Someone in the bar swore.
I cannot have good feelings because most of the nuclear attacks on the Korean Peninsula during the infectious war were from China.
This is why, although foreigners living in cooperation with Koreans can be seen everywhere, there are almost no Chinese, who should be the most numerous.
It’s not that there aren’t active Chinese people, but they move around secretly, hiding their identities as much as possible.
[Ouch-.]
The mesmerized eyes were unfocused, and the feet wearing military boots stepped on the ground lazily.
One step.
Two steps.
And the third step.
Kwaang!!!
A piece of meat flew like a fluttering cigarette and fell to the ground, along with flying dust. A land mine exploded.
The mines originally in the DMZ area were completely consumed during the infection war, but the Shelter Engineering Unit recently began laying new mines.
This decision was made because it is difficult to eradicate each and every infectious agent that comes through North Korea.
Cheers rang out as the mine exploded.
The prey itself is nothing special, but explosions always make people’s hearts beat.
I took a sip as I watched the men clink their glasses and toast as if they had been waiting.
Gulp.
And immediately I frowned.
“Isn’t this old junk?”
“It’s not a manufactured product, it’s moonshine. But these days, this is enough to pay for and drink.”
Seyoung said from next to me.
She followed me as a guide and escort as I left the police undercover.
Not only has he trained hard and trained hard, but he is also the second person to whom Artemis has given body strengthening procedures.
Since I have a new, high-performance pistol, I will be able to protect myself without any problems.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“I thought you had become much more dignified than when I first met you.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Of course.”
He was overpowered by the prisoners and locked in the station, but even his shoes were taken away, so he greeted me barefoot. Considering the delicate past, this is a huge step forward.
Slurp.
“Ugh, I tried drinking it again, but it’s still shit water.”
“The evaluation was lowered one level from the old fix?”
But I was the only one who drank it all. People around me drank it like honey water.
“I don’t think it would be evaluated so harshly. “This is a pub that’s quite popular with travelers?”
“You try it. “Is that what it sounds like?”
“Of course.”
When I handed over the glass I was drinking from, Seyoung accepted it with both hands.
Gulp.
“Whoa~.”
Seyoung takes a big gulp and puts down the glass as if she is satisfied.
“Huh? Does it fit your mouth?”
“The quality is definitely dropping. But when I was active outside, I ended up eating a lot more.”
Shelter members basically do not work outside, but Seyoung is one of the few exceptions.
She has the brains to pass the civil service examination at a young age, excellent administrative capabilities, accumulated trust, and even the fact that she is a neat-looking young woman.
Seyoung is one of the very few people sent out on missions by Artemis.
As the police started to run, there were more things that humans had to deal with.
There was a reason why Artemis was the only person other than me who gave me annoying body enhancement techniques.
Since she is like this, there must have been many opportunities to encounter her food from the turn of the century.
“At least she wouldn’t have gone outside the police?”
“Yes. However, what the polis provides is only safety and opportunity, and entering here does not give you a prosperous life.”
Seyoung pointed at the menu with her thumb.
Rat Skewers: 300 credits.
Today’s Steak: Cigars.
Random Canned Food: Cigars.
Eojuk: 200 credits.
Boiled Corn: 100 credits.
Beer: 400 credits.
Spirits: 200 credits.
Makgeolli: 350 credits.
The handwritten food menu was a no-brainer to me, who still retained my pre-war taste buds.
“Every day is still a struggle when it comes to finding food and drink. It’s not that different from the camp outside. You have to go into a more well-off area to feel like it used to be. Thanks to you, I have picked up and tried a lot of this and that.”
As Seyoung said, the people in the bar slowly and carefully savored the food in front of them.
It seems absurd to say that eating quickly reduces the time to enjoy the taste.
“Those drinks are all going to be moonshine anyway, right?”
“Sure. “I have to go deeper into the city center to sell industrial products.”
Seyoung closed her eyes and sniffed her nose cutely.
“It looks like dog meat arrived today.”
Contrary to its grandiose name, Today’s Steak on the menu is simply grilled meat that is available at the market that day.
“You must be hungry. Would you like to eat something?”
“Rat skewers would be better.”
Fish oatmeal should not be thought of as the health food fish oatmeal from before the war.
All kinds of fish, including mackerel, anchovies, and herring, are added and boiled.
At least all the fish that were large enough to be eaten on their own were too small or in poor condition to be eaten as a regular meal.
Of course, you can’t expect perilla leaves, ramen noodles, or proper seasoning. Only the minimum amount of grass removal is required to remove the fishy smell.
I saw Seyoung in front happily eating corn.
“Try a bite.”
Noticing her gaze, she smiled and held out the other side of her corn.
I tried chewing it, but it was tasteless as it was not boiled in sugar water like the ones sold on the streets before the war.
“What do you want to drink?”
“It’s okay. “Just give me water.”
“You have to pay for water too.”
“…”
I really can’t get used to it.
While we were talking, the screen showed a new prey. This time it’s a big one.
It’s Slave Cow.
“Wow, isn’t that dangerous?”
The cast of this show included not only monsters but also people.
There is a person pulling a cart attached to a scooter and stepping on it like crazy.
It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of it alone, but since there was a cart loaded with luggage, the distance gradually narrowed.
If you wanted to live, you would of course have to uncouple the cart and run away, but no one watching in the tavern said anything like that.
In today’s world, giving up one’s burden is ultimately the same as dying.
I would have rather died while holding my baggage, but throwing it away was not an option.
Fortunately, the fact that this chase was filmed from the air means that something in the air was chasing the two.
Deering!
A square red square appeared with a cheerful mechanical sound.
It quickly narrowed in and targeted the slave cow, who was in hot pursuit with a lust for flesh.
Soon, with a loud roar, large shell casings were seen falling on the left side of the screen.
“It’s 30 mm.”
“You distinguish it by sound? That’s also a filmed sound.”
Seyoung looked at me with admiration.
“It’s like distinguishing dog meat by its smell.”
Since the prey was large and the narrative was sufficient, the majority of the bar was looking at the screen this time.
The land around Slave Cow, which was charging with fierce force, exploded into the sky.
The monster, which could blow away a van with one blow, was suddenly buried in the ground as if weighed down by thousands of times more gravity.
In the face of such overwhelming firepower, there is no room for even drops of blood or flesh to scatter. The moment you get hit, your existence is simply erased from the world.
Cheers were exchanged with excited shouts in the tavern.
When there is a close-up of the scooter owner’s face as he stops and looks up at the sky with a bewildered expression, she laughs here and there.
These are people who lost their hometown and civilization to infectious agents and live difficult days.
The show that punishes them seems to be simple, yet above all, to provide exhilarating pleasure.
Just in time, a plate with four rat skewers was placed on our table.
“I just like this one.”
This rat meat is also the real purpose of today’s secret retreat.
“Artemis never cooks this for me.”
“Because he is classy.”
Seyoung said.
“You don’t have to praise me in front of me.”
“I’m serious.”
“…”
Feeling indignant for no reason, I hurled the rat skewer I was holding at Seyoung’s lips.
“Yum.”
She takes it cutely.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes. I really like this too. Unfortunately, you can’t eat it at the shelter.”
I also took a bite.
It was similar to chicken, but a little more chewy and had a stronger savory flavor. It was a great delicacy that tasted complete on its own without any sauce.
Even when the infectious agents of this land die out and the world of complete civilization returns, this rat meat will continue to be loved by people.
“It’s finally coming out.”
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
In infection hunting, a third runner was now appearing.
People’s reactions are explosive, perhaps because it is a popular prey.
“That guy…”
“Do you think the manager knows this guy?”
I nodded.
“Well, he’s the one who killed the most monsters in the world.”
“There’s that, and I almost got killed by that guy.”
A large infectious agent with an upper body resembling a sea anemone and a lower body resembling a slug.
A vampire sea anemone with about 20 tentacles wriggling its large body in a hideous manner.
“Bake! Bake! Bake!”
People clap and stamp their feet.
As if in response to those expectations, a scene was shown on the screen where a bomb the size of a human body was dropped on top of him.
The monster suddenly raised its head to the sky as if it felt something falling from above. A bomb fell right next to it.
Kwaaang!
Napalm may have evolved further, as blue flames covered the vampire sea anemone.
The flames of hell persistently ate away at his flesh and evaporated it.
The monster turned into a blue fireball, writhing like crazy and rolling around.
“Sleep on your left side! Let’s go to sleep!”
An old man wearing a Marine Corps hat shouted in that direction. There was even venom in his bewildered eyes.
It was exhilarating for me to see the tentacles, which were shaking as if playing with fire, shrink one by one and stop.
“I thought it might be a bit unpleasant to watch in a place where you eat food, but that’s not the case.”
“Is that so? In fact, it’s so easy to digest.”
Seyoung, who had already finished eating one of the rat skewers, took the second one without hesitation.
I turned my gaze away from her and looked around her.
It’s not bad to have a well-equipped shelter or prime, but a place with a strong human scent like this also has a unique atmosphere.
Gulp.
Using that atmosphere as an additive, I poured beer that tasted like scum into my mouth.
“It doesn’t taste good either.”
But there were some things in the world that couldn’t be overcome with atmosphere.
