44. What the Crazy Man Has Been Waiting For. (1)

We climbed the stairs and entered the room where the crazy man in the white coat had gone.

The large room was filled with various instrument panels, their lights blinking, and a few monitors displayed graphs and numbers moving calmly in real-time.

It was undoubtedly the control room of the nuclear power plant.

The crazy man in the white coat sat on a desk in one corner of the room, smiling at us.

“Welcome. It’s a bit messy, but I’ve been living here.”

As he said, the area under the professional-looking instrument panels was cluttered with dirty socks, underwear, and snack wrappers.

A few blankets were spread on the floor, which seemed to be his bed. They looked stained and questionable in terms of cleanliness.

The room reeked of middle-aged man odor.

Seong Gyu-hyuk asked the crazy man in the white coat:

“If you’re the only employee, managing this vast power plant must be overwhelming.”

“Why not? You can help, right?”

The crazy man in the white coat chuckled.

Don’t laugh, damn it. It’s creepy.

He continued:

“Of course it’s tough. How could it not be? I have to manage the power, dispose of waste, and check the water purification systems every day. There’s no time to rest.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk nodded and said:

“Don’t worry. We’ll help you now. Given the situation, nothing is more important than electricity.”

“…Help… That’s good.”

The crazy man in the white coat said this and stared blankly into the air.

His mouth was half-open, as if he was listening intently to someone important speaking.

Then, he wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something foul and said:

“Be quiet, will you? Speak sensibly. These people are here to help us.”

…He’s really in bad shape.

Should we trust this crazy man to manage the power plant?

I’d like to just stab him with my sword, but that would mean completely abandoning this power plant.

I don’t know how much power the Hanul Nuclear Plant supplies to Seoul and the rest of the country, but if the plant stops, the communication towers will shut down, making phones useless, and water purification facilities will stop, cutting off the water supply.

Electricity is essential for securing food, water, and shelter and for smooth operations.

Without electricity, we’d revert to the Stone Age.

That’s why we can’t just cut this crazy man’s throat, even though he’s spouting nonsense.

“…Sir, are you alright?”

Seong Gyu-hyuk asked cautiously, his finger on the trigger of his assault rifle.

The crazy man in the white coat raised a finger at Seong Gyu-hyuk.

He didn’t turn his head.

It was a gesture to not interrupt.

He then slowly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on a point in the air.

“…Stop talking nonsense.”

The crazy man in the white coat turned his gaze to Seong Gyu-hyuk, but his expression was clearly different from before.

The hint of relief and welcome he had shown earlier was gone.

He said:

“Do you know something?”

Seong Gyu-hyuk was staring at him without blinking, ready to shoot if necessary.

Seong Gyu-hyuk asked:

“What do you mean?”

The crazy man in the white coat smiled and said:

“You said you’d help manage the power plant, but the important thing is that uranium is no longer coming in. We have to make the most of what we have left. We can only hope the situation improves before it runs out.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk slowly nodded.

“That makes sense.”

The crazy man in the white coat stood up from the desk and walked to the panels.

He pointed to one of the monitors.

“Look at this. This shows the current power usage. After the world changed, power usage dropped at an incredible rate. But it’s still a massive amount.”

He looked at us and said:

“We need to reduce power usage. Once it’s running, a certain level of power is always produced, so we can ensure power is distributed to all areas by running just this Hanul plant.”

Sergeant Song, who had been listening, tilted his head and asked:

“Are you saying we should shut down all the other power plants and run only this one?”

“That would be ideal. If necessary, we could bring nuclear fuel from other plants here.”

“But how?”

Sergeant Song asked, clearly confused.

“How do you plan to reduce power usage? It would be best if we could, but we can’t exactly broadcast a message telling everyone to turn off their lights and air conditioners. Most people have turned into monsters.”

The crazy man in the white coat nodded and said:

“Monsters… That’s what you call them, I see.”

He smiled bitterly.

“It’s an appropriate name. They are indeed monsters. But you know, there were already monsters among us before they turned. People with hearts of beasts. There were inhuman beings among us. It’s amazing how many trash-like humans appeared on TV and the internet, and how they grew up to be such monsters. What’s even more amazing is how the world managed to function despite being full of such trash monsters.”

He looked at us and asked:

“Don’t you think so? Isn’t it amazing that a world full of trash-like humans still managed to function?”

Seong Gyu-hyuk and Sergeant Song didn’t answer.

I had nothing to say either.

Why is this crazy man suddenly changing the topic and spouting nonsense?

The man in the white coat continued as if he didn’t care about our response:

“It’s because of people like us. People who do their jobs, who maintain this world diligently. Even if the world is full of trash, we can move forward because of people like me, who do their jobs diligently and well.”

As he spoke, he became increasingly agitated.

His face contorted, and his wrinkles deepened.

“Do you think I made electricity for the trash to use? For inhuman beings to turn on lights, use phones, and sit at computers to write hate comments? Yet, I worked here every day, diligently and hard! Even now! I’m still here! Even when everyone else has turned into monster bastards, I’m still here, generating electricity!”

He clenched his fists and waved them, shouting.

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk slowly extended his hand and said:

“…Sir, please calm down.”

The crazy man in the white coat panted heavily and looked at Seong Gyu-hyuk.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

“Isn’t it because of me that you’ve survived? Without electricity, what would have happened? There are probably other survivors in the country. They are also alive because of me. I’ve been saving them, even now, at this very moment.”

He ranted and then seemed to lose energy, walking back to the desk and sitting down.

He placed his hands on his knees and said:

“I’m saving even the monsters and trash-like humans. Just as the sun gives light to everyone, I’m giving electricity to everyone.”

He laughed and then grinned as if finding it amusing, raising his head.

“I’m not saying I’m a god. The work is similar, but how could I ever compare to a god?”

His attitude changed completely, as if the outburst of strange frustration had happened ages ago.

This man is too unstable.

I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

Seong Gyu-hyuk had a slightly sour expression, but Sergeant Song was visibly sweating.

Sergeant Song awkwardly smiled and said:

“Well, we call them monsters, but some people call them zombies. This sword-wielding person calls them human beasts. There are various names.”

The crazy man in the white coat looked at me.

“Human beasts?”

I slowly nodded.

“…Yes, that’s what I call them.”

The crazy man in the white coat laughed.

He laughed so hard it seemed he found it incredibly funny.

But none of us found it amusing.

We would never understand why this man, who talks to the air and vents his frustrations, is laughing.

After laughing for a while, the man in the white coat caught his breath and looked at me.

“That’s a really appropriate, haah! title. Excuse me, but can I use it?”

“…Sure.”

It doesn’t matter to me if he uses it or not; I just want him to stop his crazy antics.

I’m starting to feel the urge to stab him with my sword.

The crazy man in the white coat grinned, his face contorted.

“Human beasts… Haahahaha! Why, why didn’t I think of that before! I always thought those trash-like humans were different, haah, different from humans. Haahahaha!”

…I’m stunned.

Even his laughter is disgusting.

It sounds like he’s scratching his throat, making a metallic sound.

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk said to the laughing man:

“…So, sir. What were you saying?”

“Huh? What?”

The crazy man in the white coat stopped laughing, wiped his tears, and looked at Seong Gyu-hyuk.

Seong Gyu-hyuk said:

“About power usage.”

“Ah, usage! Of course! We need to, haah! solve it! Haah!”

The crazy man in the white coat chuckled and wiped his forehead, catching his breath.

“Reducing power usage is important. We don’t know if the situation will improve, and electricity is necessary for people to survive. There are two methods, haah! to do this.”