45. One Day, Two Days, and Four Days. (3)

The old man wiped his eyes repeatedly as he led the way to the basement of a dilapidated apartment building.

It seemed to be a separate space for storing cleaning supplies and housing pipes and pumps.

The basement door was covered in scratch marks and bloodstains, likely from the human beasts trying to break in.

When the old man opened the door, a stifling, foul-smelling air rushed out and enveloped my face.

“Phew.”

I covered my mouth with my arm, and the old man bowed apologetically.

“I’m sorry. We can’t open the door freely, and there’s no bathroom. Everyone is gathered here.”

I nodded and said:

“You can leave the door open. This area is safe.”

After shouting so loudly, any beasts that could come out have already been killed by me.

The old man kept bowing to me.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The old man left the door open and went inside.

Following him, I saw dim shadows of people scattered in the dark basement.

…Women, children.

About a dozen people were lying around.

They all looked terribly pale.

One woman couldn’t even get up.

After being in the dark for so long, they squinted and covered their eyes as sunlight streamed in from outside.

“…Father? Is it really you…?”

She couldn’t see me clearly due to the brightness.

The old man wobbled over and said:

“Yes. Someone from the government has come.”

“…From the government…?”

The women started to get up one by one.

They all looked terribly emaciated, having not bathed or eaten properly.

A foul smell wafted from a rubber basin in the corner, which seemed to be their makeshift toilet.

“Phew.”

I exhaled and placed the thick plastic bags, which I had filled with supplies, in the relatively clean center of the basement.

I then took out a cold Pocari Sweat can, which was so cold that droplets of water had formed on it.

Chirp.

The sound alone was refreshing.

I knelt down and offered the Pocari Sweat to a gaunt woman.

The woman, squinting from the sunlight, looked at my hand and then at me.

I said:

“You can relax now. Someone from the government has come.”

There is a government force, but borrowing the name is fine in a place like this.

The woman looked at me and the can in my hand, then burst into tears.

She took the can with both hands and passed it to a child.

The child, about two or three years old, eagerly put the can to their mouth.

It’s heartbreaking.

The old man, wobbling, took out ion drinks from the bags and distributed them to the women and children.

…It would be better if there were some men here.

I came to rescue people, but I also needed some men.

As I offered another Pocari Sweat can, an auntie bowed and took it with both hands.

She was weak.

She had starved too much.

She couldn’t open the can.

I sighed and opened the can for her.

Chirp.

It would have been a more refreshing sound if it were a carbonated drink, but an ion drink is more suitable for these people.

The auntie bowed gratefully and leaned over to the person lying under a thick blanket, who looked like a lump of bedding.

It was a man.

In his early 40s? Or late 30s?

He was quite muscular, but he had starved too much.

He didn’t even seem to recognize me.

“Honey, someone from the government has come.”

The man didn’t respond.

He just weakly blinked and accepted the drink from his wife.

I looked around.

The women were crying and sobbing as they drank the refreshing ion drinks.

The children clung to the bags, drinking eagerly.

It was a pitiful scene.

There were no other men besides the one lying in front of me.

The old man, distributing drinks, met my gaze.

I asked him:

“Are there any other men here? Where are the men?”

I had a guess based on the condition of the women and children.

The old man wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his hand and said:

“The men left to find food, leaving their wives and children here. I don’t think any of them are alive.”

…That’s probably true.

There was no one else besides the man lying in front of me.

I asked:

“What have you been eating?”

The old man brought a black bag from the corner.

It contained crickets, grasshoppers, and worms.

The old man said:

“We caught loaches from the nearby stream and ate small fish like minnows. But we couldn’t find them anymore, so we survived on these.”

…They were eating insects and worms?

I clicked my tongue and pointed to the man lying down.

“What happened to this man?”

The old man shook his head.

“He said he couldn’t eat the insects, so he went out and picked a lot of mushrooms. But they were poisonous. He ate a lot and brought them back for us to eat.”

…He just picked wild mushrooms and ate them.

Was it reckless or brave?

The old man said:

“It didn’t seem to be a deadly poison. He vomited and had diarrhea for a while, and then he’s been lying here for almost two weeks.”

…Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and asked:

“What about the others? Are there any other survivors?”

The old man shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so. After the chaos, the remaining people gathered here. The young men left one by one and never returned. The number kept decreasing until only these are left.”

The old man wiped away tears as he spoke.

“I should have died first, but those young men…”

I shook my head.

“It’s fine. You survived, and that’s what matters.”

The auntie, who was feeding her husband the Pocari Sweat, turned to me.

“You said you’re from the government? How many people are left? The internet said this is happening worldwide. Are many people still alive?”

I nodded and said:

“I can answer your questions, but first, can we move to a different location? Can you move?”

The gaunt auntie looked at her husband with a troubled expression and said:

“My husband…”

“Don’t worry. Come on, let’s get up.”

The auntie wobbled to her feet and held her child’s hand. The women started to get up one by one.

Women and children who had survived by eating insects and worms.

It would have been better if there were some men, but it’s better than having none.

There are farmlands nearby, and with the old man, they can grow crops.

I tapped the shoulder of the man lying down.

“Can you hear me?”

The man, with a gaunt face, opened and closed his mouth a few times but didn’t speak.

He had severe diarrhea, I remember.

He seems to be suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.

At least he drank a can of Pocari Sweat, so he won’t die.

I hope he doesn’t die.

Sergeant Song will learn various things, but he’s from the government. He’s the only one who can maintain the Chinook helicopter.

That means we can’t stay here.

The power plant needs people.

The only reason I came to find survivors was to find someone to manage the power plant.

It’s not because your lives are precious.

You need to manage the power plant.

The women can do it if instructed, but we need someone who can handle a gun and has military training in case of emergencies.

And you are most likely a veteran.

So, don’t die. Stay alive.

“I’ll lift you up, so bear with it.”

I lifted the gaunt man by his knees and shoulders, standing up.

Thanks to my Strength skill, I could lift him without much effort.

Or maybe he was just too emaciated.

I turned around, carrying the man.

The old man, women, and children were all looking at me.

I said:

“There’s a convenience store nearby. It’s empty. Go in and gather all the food you can. Don’t worry about the bodies on the street.”

I carried the man up the basement stairs.

“Eh… Where are we going?”

The auntie with the child asked.

I looked at her and said:

“We’re going to the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant. My team is all there.”

The women looked at each other and then at me.

“Outside… Is it really safe outside? You’re alone. Even if you’re from the government, how can you manage alone…?”

A young woman asked.

I smiled and said:

“Trust me. Let’s go.”

As I led the way, the women and the old man followed.

The convenience store I had already looted still had a lot of food in the refrigerators, freezers, shelves, and storage. The women rushed in and started filling bags with food.

They all seemed to be in relatively good condition, having survived by eating insects and worms.

They didn’t seem too bothered by the bodies on the street, as the apocalypse had been going on for a long time.

Survival was more important than being horrified by gruesome sights.

The women’s movements as they gathered food were filled with a determination to survive.

We walked towards the nuclear power plant.

The old man, walking behind me, said:

“Thank you so much for coming. As days passed, I thought it was all over. Thanks to you, we survived. Thanks to you… we survived.”

“You’re welcome.”

I’m sorry, but I didn’t come to save you. I just needed to find people to manage the power plant.

If it were President Min Jeong-woo, finding survivors would have been his top priority, but not for me.

Of course, I didn’t say it outright.