Chapter 357 – Life Finds a Way (4)
“Now.”
“Thank you.”
Margarita held the coffee cup I handed her with both hands.
Even in the post-apocalyptic era, coffee is not such a rare luxury item. If you’re lucky, you can find something 4 to 5 years past its expiration date in a dusty abandoned house.
Right now, there are about 20 kg of 4-year-old coffee grounds in her wagon number 6.
It’s one of her secret products.
However, you will not be able to taste the aroma of fresh coffee beans harvested a few days ago in a hydroponic cultivation room where such things are boiled.
Margarita’s eyes turned to the sugar cube container on the table.
“It really is surrender. “There is nothing that is missing.”
Then he dropped one more into the glass. I already added 3 of them.
“Wouldn’t it be too sweet?”
“There are many people in the world these days whose wish is to drown in sugar water.”
“I thought too much of myself.”
Hehe.”
The blue eyes looking down at the black surface are filled with sadness. It is knowing that the time to enter heaven is coming to an end.
Slurp.
“Those unidentified beings must be monsters different from infectious agents, right?”
“Maybe. Infected organisms don’t really have a sense of kinship. Depending on the situation, they may prey on each other or trample on entities that block their path.”
Each one of them is just a part. They just have different roles under the cause of annihilating civilization.
“But the colony you saw was completely wiped out without a single walker corpse, right?”
“That’s right. “I couldn’t find a single limb.”
“No matter how small it is, I have not seen a single case of fratricide at the community level. “You can trust us because we have killed and observed the most infectious agents on Earth.”
“Ha, I thought things would get better now that the difficult times have passed, but another disaster is coming.”
Margarita made her gloomy face.
“Has no one even seen their shadow?”
“Yes. “We tried hard to find out, but nothing happened.”
Apart from the fact that they came and went, the investigation was full of negative news.
Vast Siberia, reduced population, destroyed means of communication, pitch-black night due to annihilation of electricity and lighting.
The expansion of natural areas is also significant due to the collapse of civilization. The more bushes and vegetation there are, the easier it is to hide.
“The only clue is a roar.”
“I said they cried as a group from across the mountain range. Did you hear it yourself?”
“Yes. What would it feel like if a whale roared like a lion? It was a frightening sound that I had never heard before.”
She took a sip of her warm coffee, as if just remembering her gave her chills.
“The horses were so scared that they didn’t move. If those monsters were nearby, we would all be dead. “A person’s feet can’t be faster than theirs.”
“Wow, that must have been terrifying.”
“Of course! It was night, and right before that there were wolves howling?”
“Awww~! That thing you do? “The number of wolves has increased a lot these days.”
I told you so much that it can be heard often even in Gyeonggi-do.
“The wolves’ chorus suddenly cut off with a death note. Afterward, the aforementioned roar rang out. “We broke up the camp, woke up everyone who was sleeping, and ran all night long.”
It’s definitely a situation that would give me goosebumps, even if it were me.
“It has the combat power of an infectious agent and the behavior of a hunter. It’s going to be a pain in the ass.”
Nocturnal, protective coloration, mimicry, digging, erasing traces, lower posture, not turning your back to the wind.
Wild predators are more intelligent than you can imagine and have the ability to hide themselves.
I don’t know how long it has been since this new type of monster came into existence, but it must be more cunning than you can imagine.
“It would be a pain in the ass if you were to tease the baby.”
“… Don’t say horrible things.”
“It’s so unsettling that the snail that so frugally carries its prey is so uneasy. “Whenever something like that appears in an animal documentary, there are always babies in the nest with their mouths open.”
“…”
Margarita just sipped her coffee in silence.
The next day, her crew prepared to return to Russia.
“It’s a pity, but I’ll have to visit Polis next time.”
Margarita seemed to have some regrets as she kept looking at the direction I told her about, Polis.
“I guess expectations were high.”
“I heard that it is the only city in the Far East that still retains its past glory. I heard that a large movie theater and public bathhouse are open, and you can even see a circus.”
She urged me to answer with her subtle eyes.
“It’s just as you said. As the survivors flocked together for better food and safety, we were able to have excellent manpower in many fields. Thanks to this, we were able to preserve most of the services and culture.”
“Oh!”
“However, the title of past glory is only suitable for Prime and not for the entire polis.”
Well, by the standards of today’s world, it’s still the best city.
“Prime! “I’ve met a few people who’ve been to Police, but I’ve never met anyone who’s been to Prime.”
“If you do a good job, I’ll give you a ticket to Prime.”
I asked Margarita to gather information about her Siberian monster.
So that she could start work right away, we purchased all of her items and also paid for her labor and supplies.
“What you have already given is more than enough.”
She smiled, holding the Shelter radio in her hand. This model is charged with solar power, so you don’t have to worry about the battery.
“The one we had was in trouble because the buttons were in bad condition and the battery life was almost dead.”
Since we have been provided with these radios for the number of carriages, traveling uphill will be much easier in the future.
“There are already a number of drone carriers we operate in Russian skies. “As long as you are not too far away, you will be able to communicate through them.”
“I saw it twice on my way here. “You mean an airship with a drone?”
“It’s good that you are quick to notice. If you get any information, report it. “I know that the automated system, not me, will respond to most things.”
“I understand.”
Margarita did not want to leave, so she encouraged her subordinates to set off in her carriage.
The only ones who take steps without regret are horses that are satisfied after eating their fill of delicious feed.
After seeing off the band leaving for the north, we returned to the shelter by helicopter.
We can’t just wait for news. From here too, you have to be ready to attack at any time.
“The lesson of our predecessors was not to invade Russia.”
Fortunately, my army, unlike the French or German armies, does not shiver from the cold.
* * *
“So have you thought of a name for this new monster?”
This was the first question Artemis asked me when I returned.
She places great significance on the act of naming her. Whether she is an ally or an enemy.
Do I consider it an act that symbolizes my authority as a manager?
To be honest, it was annoying to name each one of her, but Artemis was stubborn about exercising my naming rights. Like a military officer from the Joseon Dynasty.
Fortunately, this time there was a name that caught my eye right away.
“Exile.”
“Exile?”
Artemis closed her eyes and crossed her arms. The way she nods seems to be the queen’s favorite name.
“It’s a monster that was driven out of its essence as an infectious agent by a vaccine, right? At the same time, it is also a competitor between humans and the wild world over the ecosystem.”
Although there are only a few traces, I am convinced that they are beings that cannot coexist with humanity.
“It doesn’t seem necessary to limit it to humans. “If we were to compare disasters, would we say it is a combination of the Locust plague and the Tiger attack?”
“It’s scary to even imagine. “I’m glad there aren’t that many of them yet.”
“I’m not sure about that either. Because Siberia is large.”
“If necessary, we will turn over that large area of land. The name Exile symbolizes the determination to expel them from the Earth’s ecosystem.”
Anxiety about fighting an unknown entity. It was difficult for even me, who had a powerful army, to shake off.
I held Artemis in my arms.
As she embraces her wife’s soft skin and body, she feels like her complicated mind is loosening up a little.
“It would be better to change the composition.”
Artemis gently pushed me away with both hands.
She unbuttons her top to reveal more than half of her voluptuous breasts. She looks like a mother trying to breastfeed.
She hugged me so that my face was buried deep in her breasts. She is tall, and her feet fit comfortably like a puzzle.
“Artemis, you don’t seem to mind?”
“How far will we protect ourselves from this threat?”
She spoke in a theatrical, sonorous tone.
“It’s probably because the scope of protection is different from yours. “If I have to, I’m thinking of blocking the front gate of the shelter and locking myself in.”
“What if people are screaming and banging on the front door asking for help?”
In the early days of the shelter infection outbreak, the people who died in droves in front of the doors of the upper residential area come to mind. Bloody handprints and fingernails stuck with blood as glue.
“It’s not me that’s afraid, it’s you.”
I felt a hand stroking my head.
Unlike when I touched her lower body, her hands are so warm now.
“Jinsu, you too must have priorities. But if possible, you want to save not only the police but also all the people on the Korean Peninsula, right? Even foreigners in Siberia, as far as I can.”
“I don’t think it would be that reckless…”
Artemis slightly released the hug. He lifts my chin with the top of his cutely clenched fist. Like a prince trying to kiss a princess.
“Can’t I use it if I lie to my wife?”
A beautiful face, brilliant golden eyes looking down with benevolence.
“It’s universal sympathy. It’s strange that they don’t care about innocent people dying. It’s common for people to be saddened by news of hunger on the other side of the world.”
“When are you talking about common sense? These days, if a warlord leader speaks like that, his subordinates may call him weak and get kicked out.”
“I have no intention of becoming an idealist. Because we want to eradicate it quickly before the danger grows. “I also protect people who catch my eye.”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.”
Side.
Artemis kissed my forehead.
Pride as a soldier and morality as a human being are important, but I have no intention of putting my duties as a shelter manager on the scale.
Still, it is fortunate that I am the owner of a very powerful power.
Because you don’t have to just hide in the face of approaching danger. It’s not like you can’t do anything.
* * *
After a week, the cool air gave way to a chilly feeling, marking the beginning of winter.
As usual, there were a lot of things I wanted to do outdoors with Artemis before fall ended.
Go on outings or camping (although she might complain about the uncomfortable bed and bugs), go sea fishing, or enjoy surfing.
However, there is no time to leisurely enjoy such things as we are faced with two consecutive blows from the Chinese brigade and the threat of Exile.
[We! Friend! I want it!]
Difficulty speaking Korean came over the radio waves from northern North Korea.
[Fight? No! Trade? Yes! We love Korea!]
We also spoke segmented English to make it easier for each other to understand.
[Are you coming down again?]
[Hey, if you’re going to come to someone else’s country, at least bring a gift set.]
The grumbling Korean explorers and pioneers answered by radio.
Now, Russians can be seen everywhere, including North Pyongan Province, Chagang Province, Ryanggang Province, and North Hamgyong Province.
Although the number was still only a handful, it clearly had the purpose of southern exchange.
If the number of such people increases in the future, it will increase, not decrease.
Most of them were people who came down voluntarily for profit and opportunity.
The merchants who heard the story of Polis and Margarita came to open a trade route.
Russian warlords sent envoys to establish relations with warlords on the Korean Peninsula.
Explorers who came over to hunt more prey.
Farmers wishing to immigrate for warm weather and soft farmland.
The fishermen of Vladivostok came down to avoid the half-floating port in a situation where they could not even use icebreakers.
In this way, the Russians crossing the border were made up of various categories.
Among them, there are refugees who fled from Exile.
* * *
-Everyone is dead. To those monsters!
In the recorded interview video, a boy full of freckles is crying.
The drone approached and took the photo after receiving a radio signal from a Russian guard who was protecting the boy on the Gaema Plateau.
-Hey. It may be painful, but could you explain the situation at the time in detail?
The old Russian merchant spoke in a cautious but stern voice.
You can criticize children who have lost their families to monsters, but that is something that can only be done in the past.
Artemis added subtitles to the video instead of audio interpretation. This may be because a clear on-site atmosphere can be preserved that way.
-There is a powerful army in the south where we are going now. So much so that even those devilish Chinese people were punished. Don’t you want to avenge your parents?
-I want to kill them!
The boy, wiping away his tears, nodded his head. He opens his mouth with anger boiling over instead of sadness.
-In the darkness, he tore down the window with one hand and snatched away my mother and father who were sleeping in their beds. Hmm…
But a child is a child. He couldn’t continue speaking for long before he burst into tears again.
Their shadows began to cross into the human realm. Faster than you thought.
