Chapter 403 – Beyond the Post-Apocalypse
There is a university located in the northernmost part of the former Republic of Korea.
Since it is located in a remote area, there are many mountains around and accessibility is poor.
Even as shelters were established, vaccines were spread, and the Korean Peninsula was restored, no one settled here.
City centers with many useful facilities, land adjacent to reservoirs and rivers, and areas close to the sea were more preferred.
Are the occasional explorers searching for anything useful or are the hunters staying overnight?
It was a lonely place buried in bushes, weeds, and vines.
However, today, for the first time in 6 years, many customers came.
Not just for passing through, but for the purpose of settling down.
A searcher leader armed with an assault rifle and two subordinates holding a submachine gun advance at the front.
“Aren’t you thirsty?”
“No work.”
The leader declined the canteen handed to him by his subordinate.
Behind them, 32 relatively unarmed people are following. These are professors, staff, graduate students, and their families who previously worked at this university.
They could not give up their jobs or studies for which they had worked all their lives. As the world became safer, he decided to return to his alma mater and establish a settlement.
When the searcher leader who was advancing from the front clenched his fist, everyone stopped and lowered their posture.
Due to the characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, most people basically know hand signals.
Wait about 10 seconds.
“Gurgling.”
A wild boar appeared through the bushes.
“Phew.”
The people following behind breathe a sigh of relief.
Bang!
One rifle bullet passed straight through the skull and the wild boar collapsed.
Even though the shooting was sudden, none of the group that followed screamed.
Even the children were silent, covering their mouths with their fern-like hands.
Stay calm and do not shout in sudden situations. This was common sense for everyone living in the modern era.
This is because in an emergency situation, one person’s scream can kill him and everyone around him.
“Hansoo, you let blood bleed.”
“I understand.”
One of his subordinates pulled out a military bayonet and ran away.
“We haven’t arrived yet. Is it okay if we reduce the number of people?”
Professor Noh, the representative of the 32 people who followed, asked.
“Then are you going to throw away the meat you worked so hard to get?”
“It’s definitely a waste… And we haven’t checked the surroundings yet. Would it be okay if a gunshot were heard?”
Professor Noh is drawn to the sound of gunshots and anxiously looks around to see if an infectious agent might pop out.
“If you’re going to set up here, you’ll have to kill him anyway. If you see him walking around like that, this must be his territory. “You wouldn’t want to see the crops you worked so hard to sow and sprout to be wiped out overnight, right?”
In the end, Professor Noh also nodded his head.
In the first place, they are not the investigators’ employers, so they have no authority to order them to do this or that.
All 3+32 people came this far with the support of the shelter.
Preserving knowledge by restoring universities, the cradle of learning, and setting up camps.
It is a public project currently being carried out in shelters targeting people who used to work at universities.
These 32 people consist of master’s and doctoral degrees from the Department of Bio-Food, Aquatic and Biomedical Sciences, and Landscape Botany.
After about 10 minutes, we finally reached our destination.
“Ah…”
A visit to my alma mater 6 years after the infection war. The eyes of an old professor who had worked for decades were watery.
After losing his family and home during the war, this abandoned building is all he has left.
“Everything is green.”
“It’s more charming than I thought, and it doesn’t feel like a ruin, which is nice.”
Returnees are greeted by the vine-covered school gate and weeds growing everywhere through the concrete floor.
“Do you see that elk? “Looking at the belly, it’s a female with a baby.”
“There are a few more over there. “If you see a pregnant person walking around on campus, there must be no infection.”
The explorers, who served as guides and escorts, looked around and talked.
Elk, a native of the Korean Peninsula, was a nuisance to drivers before the war, but now it is the opposite.
It is also a useful source of protein, and it is also helpful in guessing whether there is an infectious agent nearby when exploring rough terrain.
In the case of wild boars, bears, wolves, and packs of wild dogs, they simply attack and eat walkers or slave dogs.
On the other hand, elk have a large population and run away when they see an infectious agent, which is a highly reliable standard for judging.
“Where do you want to go from here?”
“Let’s go to the library first.”
In response to the searcher leader’s question, the researchers mentioned a pre-determined location.
“It’s a mess.”
A graduate student who arrived at the library chewed his lip.
The treasure trove of knowledge, neatly stored with numerous books, was harpooned.
It is full of the aftermath of war and six years worth of dust, animal excrement, traces of shedding, and traces of plunder.
There are even traces of the explorers who came first gathering books and lighting a bonfire.
Professors and students were angry at that barbaric act.
“You bastards!”
“If you need firewood, why not just tear up tree branches outside and burn precious books?”
The searcher leader comforted them as they were indignant.
“Still, this is good enough. At least it’s empty, right? Some of the accessible schools in the South were burned down due to gang fights.”
“That is correct. Thank you again for joining us this far.”
Professor Noh bowed his head to the leader.
“There is no work. Because this is all done for money. “If you sell your feet and get this much, you have a lot of left over.”
“No problem. Of course, it is best to do business with a shelter.”
The seeker leader and his subordinate shrugged.
The knowledge preserved in various forms at universities is a bridge between the pre-war era and the future. These are treasures that must be preserved and protected.
These days, an increasing number of former researchers are returning to their alma maters across the Korean Peninsula to set up camps and continue their studies.
It’s not a decision you can make rashly while you’re busy making a living.
This was possible because it was a reconstruction project carried out by the shelter providing materials and money.
The three searchers who served as guides and escorts up to this point were also hired by the shelter.
“We’ll take a few books too. “It’ll be okay, right?”
“No problem!”
Professor Noh nodded at the searcher leader’s words.
While researchers organized books related to their major, searchers searched for books to take home as trophies.
As the number of things to enjoy has drastically decreased, interest-oriented novels are traded as good products.
Because of their large volume and weight, only a small number can be carried at one time, so even now, even after 6 years, there are still a lot of them preserved here and there.
“As expected, did everything that was useful get swept away?”
But it seems like they are not looking for anything.
The most popular books were surprisingly those dealing with mythology, and the reason is simple.
This is because there were many nude illustrations in those books. Would you say she’s a kind of alternative pin-up girl?
Moreover, the myth itself is an interesting story, so there is a lot of demand for it because it combines erotic visuals and fun.
Of course, adult magazines such as Maxim and Playboy are considered treasures that are difficult to buy even with money.
If pornography, which is currently being produced at Shelter Broadcasting Station, is released to the market, a cataclysm will occur.
“Come on, this is our new house.”
Cows, horses, and pigs obediently followed the guidance of children much smaller than themselves.
A small auditorium was converted into a comprehensive stable, and several livestock sat in their respective compartments.
“He’s really nice. Right, brother?”
“I know. Moo while coming! Without making a single sound.”
If you put your index finger to the corner of your mouth and say ‘Shh!’, It was quiet without a single tingling.
Grumble!
However, even loyal livestock could not help the noise coming from their stomachs.
Most animals would collapse in front of their appetite, but they all stayed where they were ordered to wait.
“You must be hungry. What should I do?”
“Mom said she would come find a place to feed us in a little while. “Wait a moment.”
It was quite a difficult march, but the children were in good physical shape because they rode on the backs of oxen and horses the entire time.
A light child even came riding on the back of a pig.
Due to the structure, the child had to lie down on the pig’s back and take a hugging position, but the pig walked silently without showing any sign of displeasure.
The children each took their own comb and brushed the livestock’s fur or scratched any itchy spots.
Purr.
Honey.
The horses and pigs let out contented cries. It is a way to quickly become familiar with livestock without spending money or feed.
Meanwhile, the women returned and led the livestock to a place with lush grass.
“I’ve seen them countless times during training, whether it’s pigs or cows, but these kids are truly amazing.”
“I think he’s calmer and more obedient than my child. “I’m not a picky eater, and I don’t get an upset stomach even if I eat any kind of plant.”
Due to the nature of the department, former graduate students who had seen countless livestock in the livestock industry were impressed by the obedience, patience, and strength of GMO species.
“He’s so kind and smart that he feels a bit harsh.”
“Ugh. Did you feel it too?”
The women nod their heads as they see the horses and cows following along calmly even though they are not holding the reins.
“But now that I’ve handled them once, I don’t think I’ll be able to grow anything else.”
The somewhat odd parts were quickly forgotten in the face of overwhelming convenience.
“They say it’s okay to feed human feces, but that’s it, right?”
“I guess that’s a bit…”
According to the shelter’s explanation, these GMO livestock contain very powerful bactericidal enzymes in their saliva and gastric juices, which kill all parasites and viruses in human waste.
Kill two birds with one stone by skipping the troublesome task of emptying the toilet and replenishing livestock’s nutrition!
There is no need to worry about disease infection from meat after slaughter.
“If you get too tired of convenience, you won’t be able to go back to how it was before.”
“I guess so?”
As the women watched the cows grazing, they resolved to avoid paying human portions.
However, they vaguely guessed that they would eventually succumb to convenience one day.
Since then, people have been filled with emotion as they visit the research building, the restaurant, and the office where they once worked.
One professor brought his research coat to his office after 6 years and fluttered it around.
Even though he was coughing from the flying dust, he had a happy smile on his face.
The women collected musty-smelling blankets, old kettles, and dried coffee and tea leaves from the break room.
The men gathered materials and tools needed for hunting, gardening, and setting up barricades.
Once you decided to set up a camp, the most important thing was defense against external enemies.
Boom!
A drone passes over them while they are busy working.
* * *
“It looks like we arrived safely. Thank goodness.”
The screen transmitted by the drone was displayed on the central control room screen.
In addition to the scholars who left for Gangneung a week ago, there are reports of people settling down at various universities across the country.
Researchers in agriculture, fisheries, livestock and marine food fields.
Department of Pharmacy and Oriental Medicine, which cultivates medicinal herbs and improves the efficiency of folk remedies to the limit.
Wood engineers and electrical engineering departments are in constant demand.
Support was mainly given to technical scholars who could create something useful beyond simply preserving academic knowledge.
Guns, ammunition, oil, GMO livestock, GMO seeds, dry food, medicine, communication devices, etc.
In return, they are given the obligation to compile research accumulated over decades at their alma mater and report it to the shelter.
Sadly, liberal arts departments were completely excluded.
Most of them became farmers or fishermen in the wake of the post-apocalypse.
Please note that not all universities are empty.
The fact that it is a large building complex in itself provides good conditions for setting up a camp.
It is equipped with water supply facilities, and a significant amount of food can be produced by converting gardens, flower beds, and playgrounds into fields.
The student dormitory was perfect for use as lodging, and the lounge and duty room became the headquarters of a vigilante group that stood guard.
Therefore, universities with good accessibility and facilities already have owners.
If ordinary survivors set up a camp, a group of researchers could join through negotiation, but the problem is if a gang takes over.
They often pointed their weapons at the researchers and told them to get out of the way.
A helicopter was soon dispatched to that place.
[The occupation of Kongju University has been completed. There were no casualties, and the enemy surrendered with 3 minor injuries.]
Behind the stalker robot reporting, about 30 people were seen lying on the ground, disarmed.
Researchers enter their alma mater, leading GMO cows, horses, and pigs raised and trained at the shelter.
“Do not bring weapons taken from the gang, but hand them over to them.”
The guns and ammunition of this era are the same as the armor of knights in the Middle Ages.
If that thing passes, I won’t be able to even dream of revenge.
“Those guys were working hard to make a living for themselves, so I feel a little sorry.”
“It’s for science. It is a waste for a few people to monopolize a large and useful residence. According to the information I received, that gang also stole from the refugees who lived there first.”
Artemis was confident.
[A 50 square meter field was discovered growing cannabis.]
Along with the stalker’s report, green fan-shaped leaves filled the screen.
“Are you still feeling bitter?”
Artemis smiled and looked back at me.
“… Burn it all down.”
[Roger.]
I checked the status of universities being restored across the country while watching the flames of a flamethrower burn down a hemp field.
Reclaim the land from monsters, sow seeds, and raise livestock. Repel foreign enemies and comfort soldiers.
Lastly, the gears of the stagnant and dying academic world are once again moving forward.
We have entered the final stage of reconstruction.
