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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Stinky, no, Han-tae, had a rather useful skill. Perhaps it was the only unique ability among their group.
Baking.
The bread on the supermarket shelves was covered in mold and inedible.
But the supermarket was overflowing with flour, butter, sugar, salt, and individually packaged yeast. If someone knew how to bake, the ingredients were abundant.
It was just that no one knew how.
“There’s so much jam in the supermarket, why aren’t we making bread…?”
Han-tae’s casual question was the catalyst.
After a brief discussion about who knew how to bake, Han-tae rolled up his sleeves and began baking in earnest.
He proudly distributed loaves of his homemade bread to every household, and they suddenly found themselves with a surplus.
So, breakfast this morning was ham and egg toast with strawberry jam.
The sight of Ye-eun and Soo-hyun standing side-by-side in the kitchen, chatting and making toast, filled him with a sense of contentment.
The scene itself was arousing, and the ham and egg toast was delicious, but their conversation wasn’t quite as pleasant.
“By any chance…”
He spoke after swallowing a bite of toast.
Soo-hyun and Ye-eun looked at him.
“Haven’t you seen any birds lately?”
“Birds?”
Soo-hyun tilted her head and flapped her hands.
He nodded, and the two women exchanged glances.
Seeing them shake their heads, he said,
“Be careful if you see any.”
Their expressions changed.
“…Why?”
After a moment of consideration, he told them what he’d seen and experienced at Cheonggyecheon.
Calmly and simply, without embellishment.
Ye-eun asked nervously,
“Th…Then what about our vegetable garden…?”
“I think the garden will be alright.”
He took a bite of his toast and said,
“I haven’t seen any birds flying around since all this started. Haven’t you noticed that either?”
Soo-hyun and Ye-eun nodded.
But their faces were etched with worry.
He continued,
“I don’t know where all the birds have gone, but they’re not in the sky. At least, not in the past few weeks that I’ve been out and about. The problem is, it might not just be birds; other animals could be like that too.”
“Then where did they all go…?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to the forests or somewhere like that.”
He looked at their faces and chuckled.
“Honestly, I was debating whether or not to tell you. I was worried you’d react like this. I think, since the human beasts are gathering to form those zombie waves, the actual animals are probably doing the same thing somewhere, forming beast waves.”
“…Ah…”
The women murmured in understanding and slowly nodded.
He said,
“So, if they do show up somewhere, there’s no way we’ll miss them, right? How could we not notice a massive influx of animals? That’s why what we need to do is…”
He wiped his mouth with a wet tissue and stood up.
“Focus on reinforcing this building and making it as secure as possible. I’ll clear the area around the building. So we can be prepared for whatever comes.”
Soo-hyun and Ye-eun nodded.
“Okay.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
He smiled and equipped his weapons.
“Get the men to work. Make them work hard. I’ll be back.”
Soo-hyun and Ye-eun stood up with him.
“Be careful.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
He smiled and patted their heads.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”
Just then, they heard a commotion outside.
A person’s voice.
A scream, filled with desperation and shouted with all their might.
“What’s that…?”
Soo-hyun looked startled and ran to the window.
Rustle.
She pulled back the curtain and peered outside.
Despite the one-way glass, Soo-hyun gasped and ducked back behind the curtain.
What was it?
“What’s wrong?”
Soo-hyun turned to him and said,
“It’s that ajumma. That… ajumma.”
…Ajumma?
…He needed to go check it out.
He left the apartment, and people were emerging from other units, looking around curiously.
“What was that noise? Who’s screaming out there?”
“I don’t know. Who is it?”
Soo-hyun addressed the concerned crowd.
“It’s that ajumma. The ajumma from that other group.”
Jung Eun-seo emerged from her apartment and overheard.
She looked at him.
That ajumma.
Ah.
Seeing Jung Eun-seo, he immediately remembered.
The ajumma who had slapped him, the one whose ear he’d partially severed.
The Cockroach Leader’s wife.
Jung Eun-seo’s expression grew serious.
In contrast, a smile spread across his face.
A grim, slightly unpleasant smile.
…So, she was back.
He walked towards the elevator, and as he stepped inside, Jung Eun-seo and several others crowded in with him.
Hoon, standing in front of him, fumed,
“Th…This time, I’m not going to just stand around and do nothing.”
He let out an angry huff.
Hmm.
That was the right attitude.
They reached the first floor and headed towards the side entrance.
Jun-hyuk, who was standing guard, noticed them and approached.
“Sung-hoon, there’s an ajumma outside shouting.”
…Huh?
He tilted his head.
“Just one ajumma?”
“Yes. She’s standing out there all alone, yelling her head off. She seems drunk.”
Drunk.
After what he’d done to her husband, she was probably trying to get revenge by causing a drunken scene.
He really couldn’t understand her.
He took off his quiver and unwrapped the feather band.
As he walked, he said,
“Open the shutter, please.”
“Yes, Sung-hoon.”
Rattle-
He picked up a cylindrical quiver filled with arrows from the wooden basket by the door and wrapped the feather band around it.
Snap!
He stepped outside and saw the ajumma standing in the middle of the intersection.
She was clutching her knees.
Gasping for breath.
Stumbling around, she really did appear drunk.
He looked back; his group was gathered both inside and outside the shutter, watching the ajumma.
Their faces displayed a mix of curiosity, worry, tension, and hostility.
He slung the quiver onto his back and walked towards the ajumma at a leisurely pace.
The ajumma spotted him.
She straightened up.
She pointed at him accusingly.
“Hey! You son of a bitch! You bastard!”
Without responding, he continued walking towards her.
The ajumma shrieked hysterically,
“How! How could you do that to a person! Huh?! Are you even human?! You bastard!”
Her face was crimson.
The veins in her neck were bulging.
“Kill me too! You son of a bitch! Kill me! Kill me! Kill meeee!”
…Hmm?
He tilted his head as he walked closer.
“Is he dead? That guy?”
The ajumma staggered and wailed.
“He’s dead! You bastard! Does he even look human?! Huh?! How can he even live like that! You should have just killed him! How could you do that to him! How!”
…What was she talking about?
“So, is he dead or isn’t he?”
The ajumma gasped and bent over.
She vomited.
…She was definitely drunk.
The ajumma abruptly lifted her head and cried out,
“I killed him! I did! My husband, sob… I killed him! With a knife! You bastard! If it wasn’t for you! You killed him! You bastard!”
She raised her hand.
A kitchen knife.
Covered in blood.
The ajumma stumbled towards him.
He, too, continued to approach her.
The ajumma yelled,
“You bastard! Kill me too! Huh! Let’s see who dies first!”
As he walked, he untied the strap that secured his scabbard.
The hilt of his sword slipped into his hand.
The ajumma brandished the knife.
“Let’s see who dies first!”
She charged, stumbling, towards him.
He drew his sword.
Shing-
The women behind him gasped and shouted,
“Sung-hoon!”
The ajumma shrieked,
“Yaaaagh!”
She lunged at him, gripping the kitchen knife in both hands…
Really…
Her eyes burned with resentment.
Her expression was venomous.
Her steps were unsteady.
He swung his empty scabbard.
Thwack!
The scabbard connected with her head, and the ajumma crumpled to the side.
“Ugh!”
Thud.
She hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.
He scoffed.
“Seriously. She’s out of her mind.”
…Should he just kill her?
His lips twisted into a snarl.
He glanced back.
The others were watching him.
Watching…
…Hmm?
They weren’t looking at him.
Their gazes, one by one, shifted towards the road.
What was it?
He turned and looked down the road.
Men were running towards them.
Their faces and shirts were drenched in sweat.
They had been running for quite a while.
They didn’t seem to have any weapons.
And they certainly didn’t look like they were coming for a fight.
…It must be because of this ajumma.
He waited, sword still in hand, for them to arrive.
After a moment, the Cockroaches approached.
Their faces were haggard, and he could hear their panting breaths.
“E…Excuse me…”
One of the Cockroaches stepped forward hesitantly.
He stood, leaning casually against his sword, and looked at them.
He gestured towards the ajumma with his sword.
The Cockroaches nodded.
Some waved their hands dismissively.
It seemed like a gesture to show they weren’t there for a fight.
…Seriously.
“Take her. And be more careful in the future.”
The Cockroaches nodded awkwardly and approached him, bowing their heads.
“Y…Yes. U…Understood.”
“Thank you.”
Three of them helped the ajumma to her feet.
She was still unconscious.
She seemed to have passed out from the blow to her head.
“L…Let’s go, Ma’am.”
“Honestly, when she comes here like this, we really… Haa…”
Grumbling, they supported her on either side and walked past him.
They bowed their heads to him as they passed.
He watched them stagger away, then sheathed his sword.
Shing Click
…Tsk.
This was disturbing.
He looked back; the others were still watching the Cockroaches disappear down the street.
He walked towards the sidewalk and said,
“Don’t worry about it. Go back inside. I’ll be back.”
“H…Have a safe trip, Sir!”
“Take care, Oppa!”
He waved and headed towards the subway.
Seriously.
How much of a scene did she have to make?
Shouldn’t she have learned her lesson after seeing what happened to her husband?
No.
People didn’t change.
He glared at the retreating Cockroaches with disgust.
Those pests would probably be back.
“…Tsk.”
The world was full of unpleasant people.
He spat and descended into the subway.
Human cockroaches were even more disgusting than actual cockroaches.
But pests were pests, and he needed to level up.
He would kill as many as he could.
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