Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 76: Alliance

The two police friends came at dawn several days later. Since zombie patterns were unpredictable lately, they said they came when they saw an opportunity.

"This really is our gun."

The police friends who robbed on the streets came into my house and examined the gun I handed over with unreadable eyes.

I smiled innocently while packing some rice in a plastic bag.

"I was really shocked. Suddenly pointing a gun, threatening me to open the mask boxes."

I was the victim. That vicious threatener tried to use us as mine detectors. It was terrifying enough to make my hands shake.

"He threatened that the masks were bombs and when we drove him out, we killed him by dropping a ladder from the roof, but it could've been really bad."

"One moment. Let me check the gun's serial number first."

Police Friend 1 sat down heavily and typed on his phone. After carefully checking the number engraved on the gun several times and sending a message, he nodded.

"Wondered where it leaked from - it belonged to a senior who died at the school back then."

I blinked.

They managed guns this strictly in the apocalypse? Recording and matching every serial number to a person? Wasn't this excessive for a ruined world?

Police Friend 2 looked around my room and sighed heavily. It was a weighty sigh.

"Thanks for returning it."

"Really, thank you. Actually you're the first person to return a gun."

Something about their voice suggested they'd found a last shred of conscience in this harsh world. I quickly played the good citizen and waved both hands.

"Guns being loose among people is just dangerous. It's better for police officers like you to manage them."

At those words the police friends looked at each other. Ambiguous expressions. They seemed to want to say something but hesitated, scratching their heads.

Then they held out the gun I'd given them back to me.

"Take it. Keep it."

"What? The gun?"

What was this? Making an excuse to kill me? Planning to use the gun as a pretext to kill me later?

When I stayed still without taking the gun, the police friend put it on the floor.

"We haven't officially announced it yet, but we're planning to start selling guns soon."

"Selling guns? No, why?"

I looked down at the police friends in confusion. I didn't understand why people so focused on gun control were doing this. Were they that short on resources? But couldn't they just raid if so?

"We have so many police family members that resources are getting scarce. We won't make it through summer without selling weapons."

"But won't that make it dangerous for police too?"

Police Friend 1 grinned. He patted the police vest he wore.

"Instead we'll restrict bulletproof vests. We'll also control the number of guns and bullets released. Above all, we plan to arm ourselves with stronger firearms."

"The armory perhaps...?"

"Yes. Reserve force guns, hunting rifles, stored ammunition. We can hold out for a while."

This meant they could afford to sell handguns.

Police vests could stop handgun rounds. And armed with more powerful guns, handgun-wielding raiders would be nothing.

Moreover, it gave them an excuse to raid by making an issue of any guns.

Perhaps because we'd talked enough, the police friends sat comfortably and kept chatting.

Asking if I was hurt fighting that robber, saying they'd tell the electricity nomads the police caught the culprit, how life was getting harder...

I naturally steered the conversation to gather information.

"Do the electricity nomads make improvised explosives?"

"Yes. From what some seniors said, apparently homemade bombs aren't really that hard to make."

Changes in other groups including the electricity nomads.

The Delivery Vigilantes stockpiled fuel mixed with stabilizers, Life Tower's doctors and pharmacists centered on medical services and poisons, even zombies couldn't be ignored...

"There are too many people we can't mess with carelessly even though we have guns."

After chatting for a while, the police friends got up as the sun was about to rise.

"We'll head back now."

"Take this at least."

I gave them the plastic bag of rice, and though the police friends waved their hands in refusal at first, they eventually accepted the gift.

"Seems you don't have much left... We'll make good use of this."

"You gave me a gun. This is just to show my gratitude."

"Well then, yes. We'll come visit when we can."

After walking a few steps past the entrance, one police friend suddenly turned back and said casually:

"We might have good news for you. News that could give hope to good citizens like you."

And so the brief meeting ended.

Alone in my room, I fiddled with my mask. I didn't understand what the police friend meant by his final words. Just felt it wouldn't be good for me.

'Good news for good people would be bad for me?'

I found out what the good news was just days later. Do-hyung, who'd gone to visit Hope Community, returned extremely excited and gathered all our companions.

"I've got good news!"

We stared blankly at Do-hyung jumping up and down alone. Sa Gi-hyeok snickered and shook his head.

"Where'd you hear another strange rumor? Aren't you too gullible?"

It was a time of rampant false rumors spreading by word of mouth.

The government made a quarantine safe city and evacuated important people, the COVID vaccine was actually the zombie virus, the virus had mutated, self-test kits were lies, the military was coming to kill everyone...

These were just the negative rumors - those desperately clinging to hope were even worse.

A cure was already developed, rescue was coming soon, someone returned after defeating the I-virus, Immortal Company had a vaccine somewhere, and so on.

I thought Do-hyung had been fooled by that kind of false rumor, but he pounded his chest as if frustrated.

"This is real! I heard it from an elder at Hope Community!"

"What news?"

Park Yang-gun asked flatly. I was interested too. Could the police friend's good news and Hope Community's news be connected?

Indeed they were.

"They're saying everyone will die at this rate, so survivor groups are discussing uniting to create a survival zone."

"..."

I kept my mouth shut.

So this was it. What I'd been wary of was finally happening. Fragmented survivors gathering to transform into a massive group.

Words slipped out without me realizing:

"This could be dangerous..."

Electricity experts, doctors, pharmacists, metal workers union, archers, police, firefighters, riders.

The synergy if these people gathered and combined forces would be beyond imagination.

Electricity experts providing power, running factory farms, doctors treating people, police opening armories to supplement firepower...

And that wasn't all. A safe large group naturally drew people in. The alliance might even grow to dominate the city.

Perhaps imagining a similar future, my companions started showing interest in Do-hyung one by one.

"Can they do it? Where and how?"

"Can't tell if it's a scam or not. Any concrete details?"

Do-hyung scratched his cheek above his mask, calming his excitement.

"They're just in the discussion phase apparently. Lots of talk about where to make the survival zone if they do it now, how to supply food, who and how many people to accept, how to run the zone..."

Of course. The problems were endless. Many groups would want a voice. There would be lots of friction.

But despite all the problems and conflicts, it would probably happen.

Because this was closer to a wild world. Having more numbers and a safer base was human instinct.

I said:

"For now, Do-hyung. Keep visiting Hope Community daily and listen well. See how it progresses."

"Yes. But what'll we do when the survival zone is made? Join?"

"That..."

My companions looked at me. I couldn't open my mouth easily. No appropriate thoughts came to mind.

'Don't see an angle to mess it up like with Hope Church. Enter the survival zone? Or just watch?'

I really wasn't sure. I frowned deeply and let my hands drop limply.

"Let's watch for now. They're just discussing, right? We'll talk again once concrete decisions are made."

We'd have to respond based on the situation.

And so everyone returned home. I sat at my desk, pointlessly tapping the keyboard. Words wrote and erased themselves in my mind.

'Join the alliance and survival zone, or not.'

It felt like standing at a crossroads. Scenes from when the world was normal flickered before my eyes.

On the first day of the zombie outbreak, I accidentally killed someone and fell off a cliff. Could this be a chance to climb back up that cliff?

Instead of living like now, deceiving and killing people, could I live normally as a member of some society?

I suddenly recalled my eyes when cutting my hair. Eyes more full of life than ever.

"Right..."

Something like realization flashed by. How long you lived mattered more than how you died, and how you lived mattered more than either.

A life working like an ant and eating rationed food held no fun. Better to live as a raider even if dangerous.

I reached a tentative conclusion.

I wouldn't join the alliance. I'd live as a raider outside the survival zone. No more vaguely worrying about survival and preparing for the future like now.

A purpose emerged for my life that had drifted here and there, swept up in the Chairman's disaster. A grin leaked out.