Chapter 6: Prologue

Tap tap tap-

I drummed my fingers on the table.

‘Numbers mean power. Nothing wrong with recruiting.’

The problem was they’d likely hold bad feelings toward me. Couldn’t trust them…

Then a thought struck.

‘Do marauders trust each other anyway? Isn’t that not a thing?’

Aren’t they just people banded together out of necessity? Though just imagination, wouldn’t they be the type to stab fellow marauders in the back without hesitation when needed? I would.

What was needed wasn’t trust, faith, peace, friendship, or any of that crap.

Only profit and loss. Certainty they’d gain something by moving with me. Conversely, fear of losing something by opposing me.

Just as ideas about future policy flashed through my mind.

Gulp, I heard him swallow. The electricity thief looked up at me, noticing I was considering his fate.

His expression strained under the tense silence.

‘Let’s see. Is he recruitable?’

I analyzed the electricity thief like analyzing characters from movies and screenplays.

‘Watched stock recommendation videos. Easily swayed by others’ opinions. Aggressive personality but submissive to me who’s more aggressive. Phone contacts few, mostly spam messages. Isolated person.’

This seemed enough that he wouldn’t report me to police for now, and could move with me.

I rested my arm on the table edge and leaned toward the electricity thief.

“What’s your name?”

“Jeon Do-hyung.”

Such an electricity thief name. Maybe an alias. No reason to tell me his real name. Or maybe he’d legally changed it out of ambition to become an electricity thief.

“Right, Do-hyung. Where were you heading?”

“Well, I was planning to live at a quiet campground until the zombie situation calmed down…”

Quiet campground. Definitely decent. But insufficient. Too naive.

I shook my head.

“Calmed down? Will the zombie situation end?”

“Won’t it?”

Do-hyung blinked blankly, seemingly not understanding where this was going.

“There are lots of problems now, but it’ll get better soon. PCR? They’re developing virus test kits, saying they’ll be out within a month. Those stocks are really-“

“What if the people making those become zombies?”

I cut him off.

Watching the sleeping caterpillar bag steadily.

“Test kits, sure, let’s say they’re made. Then what? Vaccines and treatments? Who’ll make those?”

Do-hyung closed his mouth. He seemed to vaguely imagine the future.

A virus that turns infected into zombies. Zero mortality rate, terrifying transmission rate.

“How long did the COVID vaccine take? Nine months? A year? Will the world stay intact that long? Will there be people left to make it? Workers to run factories? People to transport it? To distribute it?”

Moreover, zombies don’t quietly isolate. They rampage around biting people and spreading virus through the air. Super spreaders.

As people become zombies one by one, would society function normally? At some point they couldn’t manage zombie patients, society couldn’t sustain zombies, and eventually zombies would become the majority.

I stood and crouched in front of Do-hyung.

Lowering my voice to whisper.

“The world is ending.”

Do-hyung’s eyes wavered.

Using my aspiring screenwriter abilities, I kept whispering.

The future our Chairman designed, the future Immortal Company was creating. I vividly described that hopeful- no, dark and desperate future, shaking his mind.

After listening to my whispers for a while, Do-hyung’s face drained of color, perhaps from fear. His lips trembled.

“Then what do we do? If everyone becomes zombies, then.”

I closed my mouth briefly. To say “become my comrade,” such words needed packaging.

Having shaken his mind with fear, next was showing a clear vision. Had to implant certainty that joining me would be profitable.

“We survive.”

“How can we survive! If the world ends like that-“

“People lived in primitive times too. People don’t die. Civilization just collapses and we return to the hunting age.”

Just zombies as prey instead of beasts.

People just roaming concrete jungles hunting prey. Clutching remnants of lost civilization.

After confidently describing the predetermined future, I held out my hand.

“In that situation, you need strength and groups. Do-hyung. Let’s join forces.”

Do-hyung’s lips moved. His bewildered eyes wavered before fixing on me.

Seemed to be reevaluating me. Whether I was worth partnering with in the apocalypse. Of course, I’d already shown my value, my personality suited for the end times.

After consideration, Do-hyung bit his lip hard, then his eyes sparkled with survival desire. He nodded.

“Alright.”

The moment the electricity thief and I joined hands, a marauder group was formed.

I watched him quietly, then reached to untie the sleeping bag’s knots.

Honestly, I couldn’t trust him. But distrust and betrayal were essential to living as marauders, right? For now, he just needed to not report me to police.

Having shaken him with fear and enticed him with vision, he’d prepare for destruction with me for now. And when destruction came, we’d have to stick together whether we liked it or not.

I kept untying knots while thinking.

‘The talent I need to recruit next…’

Lock-picking thieves and armed deserters were essential.

“Let’s get supplies first.”

“Ah, should we go to the supermarket?”

Do-hyung looked back at me from the driver’s seat after eating and drinking. I nodded. Then listed necessary items like an expert.

“Lots to buy. Machetes, helmets, rope, fishing line, riding suits, tape, lighters, yeah, kitchen knives and curtain rods or mop handles. Can tie them together as spears.”

Do-hyung hesitated before speaking.

“Um, what about food and water…?”

“Just a few days’ worth of that. With weapons we can get food anytime.”

Food could be stolen. Had to get weapons for stealing first.

I spoke again.

“Alarm clocks. Need to buy lots.”

“Why alarm clocks? Wouldn’t regular watches work for checking time?”

Do-hyung asked stupidly, and I glared at him in frustration. Was he slow? No, maybe understandable if he hadn’t seen zombies.

Anyway, all I wanted from Do-hyung was his money and numbers.

I explained carefully.

“Zombies seem to react to sound.”

“Ah, then.”

“Right.”

Do-hyung seemed to get it. We spoke almost simultaneously. Do-hyung slightly faster.

“Lure zombies away from our base-“

“Lure zombies to other people’s bases-“

Our mouths closed. We looked at each other with surprised eyes.

Do-hyung had thought defensively, I’d thought aggressively. I quickly smoothed over the awkward atmosphere.

“Right. We can use them various ways.”

“Ah, yes.”

And we made pointless conversation heading to the supermarket, resolving our previous conflict.

“Family?”

“Parents passed when I was in college. Have a sibling, but lost contact after dividing the inheritance.”

“Similar to me. My parents passed when I graduated. No siblings though.”

“Better not having any. Having them just-“

The supermarket parking lot.

“I’ll go shop then.”

Do-hyung opened the door and left quickly. His voice held no hesitation, as if we’d formed a connection in that short time.

I watched his retreating back.

Though I had his phone, he could still report me if he wanted. He could borrow someone else’s phone, or inform security guards.

So I slowly got out of the car. Armed with cap, mask, and hammer.

‘If he shows signs of reporting, I’ll run.’

I followed Do-hyung from a distance. Tailing him. If he showed signs of borrowing a phone or asking security for help, I planned to immediately turn and flee.

But Do-hyung, perhaps planning to use me for now, just shopped enthusiastically.

‘Trustworthy for now.’

I nodded to myself, then slowly looked around. As my focused vision widened, I saw how the world had changed.

The world had grown dangerous in just days.

People out for simple shopping carried baseball bats, golf clubs, or wooden sticks. Weapons against zombies. Some wore motorcycle helmets.

Some people even openly loaded chainsaws or machetes into their carts.

I grinned, feeling the shadow of approaching destruction. A world where killing would become light.

‘This smell of distrust and wariness.’

People glanced around furtively, backing away when anyone came close. As if afraid others might suddenly turn zombie and pounce on them.

People maintained 2-meter distancing better than during COVID. Apparently infected people suddenly changing and biting was scarier than invisible viruses.

As I breathed in this scent of apocalypse.

Suddenly screams rang out.

“Zombie!”

“Quiet!”

I whipped my head around.

At the ready-to-eat corner displaying fresh-fried rice cakes and chicken. In that delicious-smelling area stood a fat zombie, clutching chicken in both hands and chomping madly.

Tiptoe- Rattle-

A void formed around the fat zombie. People raised hands over their masks, slowly backing away.

I’d heard basic zombie response protocols had formed. Don’t provoke them, leave them alone. Just report from a distance. Don’t fight zombies, run away.

Unlike those filming with phones, I observed the zombie carefully with my eyes.

‘Not reanimated corpses. Living people. Seems they retain animal-level intelligence.’

They react to loud or hostile stimuli. Seek food when hungry, water when thirsty. Probably seek warm places when cold.

“Ah… we’ll have to throw all this away.”

A mart employee in hygiene gear at the ready-to-eat corner repeatedly reached out helplessly, unable to act.

The zombie drooled constantly, food debris flying from its mouth. It even knocked over displayed ready-to-eat items, picking up and eating food that burst from broken packaging.

I observed coldly.

Thus, I realized trouble would break out sooner than anyone.

Several security guards in black suits running over. Someone running with a bewildered expression, perhaps the zombie’s family.

This would cause major chaos.

“…”

Tick tock, the time bomb countdown decreased.

I turned to find Do-hyung. Had to escape quickly before people crowding the entrance blocked passage.

The optimal escape timing was when no one else was fleeing so I could be first. Fleeing when others fled was far too late.

But this judgment seemed far too late too.

I looked around with a hardened face.

“Zombies…”

People transformed everywhere. People pushing carts, checking fish freshness, holding machetes – they hunched over drooling.

Only then did I realize the time.

Day 6 of the zombie outbreak.

Four weeks since the virus release.

The moment when the first infected and those infected by them exploded. People who usually walked around without masks, who were infected early, turned into zombies.

I clenched my fists.

More frightening than zombies. People no longer looked like people. They looked like incubating infected, potential zombies. Zombies that could transform anytime.

“Grrrr. Graaaaah!”

And an infected person holding a machete swung it wide at surrounding people like swinging a bat, bright red eyes gleaming. Someone was hit solidly.

The sound of meat being sliced. Bright red blood sprayed across the shiny floor and carts.

Watching that blood, I muttered.

“I was wrong.”

The apocalypse wasn’t coming. It had already arrived.