Chapter 325 – Police Outpost
“Thank you again for helping me last time.”
[He says all kinds of things.]
Director Kim was very sad over the radio.
The help we are talking about is the story of the wedding ring.
Finding a ring to put on Artemis’ finger was more difficult than expected. Because it was a surprise for her, we had to prepare it without her knowing.
Precious metals are still expensive items even in a ruined world.
Even though I was the owner of the shelter, I was in a situation where I received pocket money, so it wasn’t easy for me to spend a lump sum.
If you suddenly ask for a large amount of goods, she will immediately notice her extraordinary hair. To secretly obtain a wedding ring, a collaborator was needed.
A being with sufficient financial resources, a distribution network that can quickly find what I need, and a person who cooperates wholeheartedly.
Director Kim is the perfect person to play that broker role.
The price of the ring was disposed of as high-level information that only managers could know, and the contact with the delivery man was resolved during the police inspection.
[The most difficult thing was receiving the goods. You can’t just knock on the shelter, right? But surprisingly, it came out easily. I thought my wife would wrap me up tightly and never let me out.]
“Because my nature likes to roll around on the field. She knows it would be stressful to have her completely confined by the width of her skirt. “She turns a blind eye to people wandering around in moderation.”
Baaaaang!
A dusty truck passed by and honked loudly.
Mmmm-!
A startled cow crashed into a nearby fence, causing a small commotion.
[I guess he’s still outside.]
“That’s right. Today, I especially went outside the police.”
The duster coat I wore fluttered in the sand wind. A vast plain spreads around.
Originally, it was a place with no people or shadows other than abandoned farmland. But now, wherever you look, you can smell people living there.
“It’s like a gathering of nomads I saw in an old documentary.”
Tents and tents were spread out in all directions around the processions going to and from the police entrance checkpoint. Even several flags fluttering in the wind.
[Nomads… It wouldn’t be an entirely wrong expression. Most of these people are explorers, peddlers, or people who make a living dealing with them.]
Is this what the Silk Road will be like in the post-apocalyptic era?
A place where only a few birds of prey and field mice roamed until a few years ago has changed dramatically.
[If you look carefully, it is a place where you can make money and have more things to see than you think. There are no guards patrolling, but it is quite safe.]
“It’s a city, so if you get into an accident, there’s a place to run and hide, but there’s nothing like that here.”
There is haggling and shouting everywhere. Although everyone’s tension was high, no one was seen shaking their fists or grabbing their collars.
This is because those who were unable to enter the city and settled in the plains are building a means of livelihood here.
If you make a fuss in your area, fists will fly right away.
It’s like the joke that when primitive people with axes get together, they are surprisingly cultured.
[These days, everyone who jumps into the grocery trade starts there. You can obtain a variety of information and low-quality trading products at minimal cost.]
“I know. “I think I saw dozens of little merchants.”
Children are running around busily.
The children chased passers-by, each holding several goods in their hands.
Most of them were luxury goods, such as beef jerky (probably rat meat) and homemade cigarettes that appeared to have been rolled by an adult.
The hunting success rate was not high, so most passers-by ignored it.
All the children were wearing worn-out shoes. Among them, you can even see children walking around with straw shoes or bare feet.
This is because most pre-war mass-produced products were geared toward adults.
Since children’s products are based on small quantity production of a variety of products, they are depleted quickly.
[We will soon send a contingent to North Korea.]
“Do you want to do business there too?”
[Rather than that, I want to find a good place just in case.]
“There are no supplies to rob North Korea, and there are still a lot of infectious agents, so investigators won’t be able to go there, so why not?”
[You don’t know how things in the world will change, do you? If 10 or 20 years pass like this, the road to Russia, Mongolia, or China may one day open up. People who have been there even once will be able to get ahead in the race.]
“After all, I am not an ordinary businessman.”
[Haha, don’t praise yourself too much. I’m just sending a team out in the mood for an adventure. If you get caught for something, it’s good, otherwise you should think of it as a lottery hit.]
Afterward, we exchanged brief greetings and concluded our communication. Because cute uninvited guests appeared in front of me.
A few kids who were eagerly soliciting customers came up to me.
Seeing as how many people came together instead of just one person, it seems like they caught the scent of some kind of gangster from me.
And that judgment is accurate.
“Thank you!”
“You will be blessed!”
This is because the children who approached us bought everything they were holding. Even with a tip.
All the children were happy, but especially the girl who came holding flowers had tears in her eyes.
There were adults who showed interest in beef jerky and cigarettes, but no one opened their wallets for flowers.
The era of paying for romance is over.
She handed over miscellaneous snacks to Seyoung, who had followed her as her escort today, and bent her knees in front of her girl.
“If you want, I can send you to the children’s shelter in Polis, how about that?”
Children who sold food or luxury items had someone who would provide them, most likely their parents.
At least she is handing over a sellable product to her child.
This girl, who followed her elders around holding flowers and repeatedly lowered her head, seemed to have none of that.
“I have a family. “I’m not mom and dad, though.”
There was a large tent where the girl pointed with her finger.
“It’s a circus troupe.”
Seyoung said.
“Everyone is nice. I’m still young, so I don’t have to make money. “I also want to continue to be together.”
“I see.”
“But, but I’m sorry…”
Seyoung shoved a piece of beef jerky into the girl’s hesitant mouth.
“It’s delicious.”
“Kids are supposed to be kids, right? All you have to say is ‘It’s delicious.’, ‘Thank you.’, ‘I’m sorry.’, And ‘I love you.'”
Seyoung handed over all the street food she had purchased from her children to the girl.
“Somewhere, a high-ranking person with picky tastes says it’s not very good. “Take all of this.”
The angry girl greeted her belly button again and again and ran to her circus.
When I looked closely, I saw that she was the only one among the children who went to her business to wear clean sandals. Even though she doesn’t have her parents, she will definitely be loved and growing up.
* * *
The smell of exhaust fumes, oil, sand and dust, animal feces, grilling meat, the faint smell of the sea, sweat, old tents, even obscene smells.
All kinds of things were mixed in the air here.
It doesn’t smell bad. Because it is wide, the density of people is dispersed, and the wind blows well, so the smell does not linger.
The mixing ratio of the odor cocktail changed every moment. Every time I passed a certain area, the smell that matched the theme of the place became stronger.
Now we are passing near the horse market, and of course the smell of horse manure is everywhere.
“If Artemis had come, she would have been shocked.”
“For sure. Even when they come down to the lower part like sprouts in a drought, they often look disgusted.”
“I don’t want to be criticized by the residents for being unlucky.”
“No. There’s nothing to say about being proud when someone is really overwhelmingly proud. “I just think everyone does that.”
“How come you look fine?”
Even I, who rolled around, ended up holding my nose in some areas, but Seyoung didn’t mind.
Chewing on roasted grasshoppers or gulping down moonshine wine with a strong odor.
“The stomach is also perfect.”
“That would be barely average in today’s world.”
“Are there any smells you can’t stand?”
“If I had to choose, would it be a fishy smell?”
Puhihi hin-!
In the presence of two men who had just completed a stallion deal, a male horse that had begun to conceive was being put to use.
Since it is done in a situation where there is a shortage of professional manpower, breeding is also eventful.
Even after being kicked hard while chasing a mare, the male horse does not give up.
“Cheer up!”
“Damn it! You have to get your money’s worth!”
“I think that stallion is having more fun than me.”
The people gathered around cheered and cheered.
The sight before your eyes is an interesting sight even by pre-war standards. In a world where entertainment has diminished, everyone has stopped in their tracks.
For a moment, people cheered.
“That’s right!”
“I believed it!”
Even after being kicked three times, the male horse did not give up and ran forward successfully.
“Due to a lack of livestock experts, random breeding is taking place. Anyway, we need to increase the number of offspring as much as possible.”
Seyoung said with a bitter face.
This is because there were many animals that died or were injured after accidents during mating or childbirth.
Quite a few of the beef and horse meat available on the market are like this.
The same goes for veal meat delivered as prime.
We also stopped by the circus.
Girls on horseback showed off amazing feats of Inmile Che.
They are said to be people who came to Korea from Mongolia to perform dressage but were forced to sit down due to the infection war.
A young man who acts as if he is wandering in front of an invisible wall, and a girl who rolls around so much that one might think she is a mollusk cannot be left out.
The best part was the twin brothers who took off their shirts and engaged in a real fight.
“Isn’t this a circus?”
“If you look around, you’ll see a lot of things like that. With the world looking like this, where can we find and retain professional circus talent? “The circus alone doesn’t make any money in the first place.”
“Is it some kind of comprehensive entertainment show?”
“That’s it. Because we live in a rough world, everyone wants things that are stimulating. “It’s hard to attract customers just by moving your body in a strange way.”
“Won’t you get hurt doing that?”
“Yes. So people change all the time. An authentic circus troupe that performs real tricks is the main force here, and the rest are part-time workers. “All I have is my body, but I use it by recruiting people who need money.”
“…”
Seyoung’s face is calm.
When I first met her, she was such a soft and gentle girl, but now, cheering for a clean hit, she was extremely tough.
Well, considering the fight she had with the old prison guard, it seems like she had a vicious side.
* * *
Our enjoyable hike in secret ended at an outdoor food stall.
Unlike other food stalls, most of the customers here were explorers, and it felt like a kind of meeting place to share information and find colleagues.
When I ordered a simple meal with Seyoung and listened to her, I heard interesting stories.
Among them, what caught my attention was the story of a man who visited the most dangerous place.
“Did you really go to North Korea and come back?”
“Uh. I’ve been planning this for a while, but I heard a rumor that they’re laying new mines. “I thought this was my last chance, so I rushed out.”
There were two explorers drinking table wine nearby.
It was gray with grains visible, and it looked as bad as the beer I had drank before.
However, the explorers took it to their mouths with a reverential attitude, as if receiving a precious medicine.
“Did you get anything useful there?”
“We found several remains of North Korean soldiers. “I think he died while deserting, but he had four old rifles, a pistol, a telescope, and four boxes of bullets.”
“Hwiyu~.”
“I was pretty lucky.”
I can’t say it was a jackpot, but as an explorer, it was a moderate hit.
They drank alcohol sparingly and chewed the dried fish that was served as a snack.
It doesn’t seem to be an anchovy, but rather a fry of another fish. In the past, this would have been subject to crackdowns, but now, everyone commits crimes like this.
“I would like to go again if I get the chance, but it will be difficult now.”
“It’s good that people didn’t get caught, but it’s still North Korea. How much do you think you have to save? I guess I was lucky that I picked up the gun.”
“If you go up a bit, the water is surprisingly good. There are several places where refugees trying to escape China and North Korean high-ranking officials gathered. “It’s a complete bonanza there.”
“… If you ever plan on going again, be sure to call me too? Okay?”
“Haha.”
The man drank the last glass and shook his head.
“I can’t go anymore.”
“Why? Because of land mines?”
“Land mines are land mines, but the Chinese are wandering around. I almost fell too? I was so surprised when soldiers suddenly appeared in platoons, shouting in Chinese. “It was hiding so well that I only found it right in front of me.”
I ended up hearing a story that I couldn’t ignore.
