Crackle-.

I tapped my fingers on the table.

'Numbers are power after all. There's nothing wrong with recruiting him.'

The problem was that he likely harbored ill feelings towards me. Unbelievable...

Around that point, a thought crossed my mind.

"Do marauders trust each other, or do they even exist?

Aren't they just people banded together out of necessity? Of course, it's just speculation, but aren't they the type of human who would unhesitatingly stab even fellow looters if necessary? I would do the same if I were in their shoes.

What was needed was not trust, faith, peace, friendship, or such nonsense.

Only profit and loss. The conviction that by moving with me, they would gain something. Conversely, the fear that by opposing me, they would lose something.

In the moment an idea about the future policy crossed my mind,

A sound of swallowing saliva was heard. The electricity thief, having noticed that I was pondering his treatment, looked up at me.

His expression was weighed down by the tense silence.

'Let's see. Is he a human worth recruiting?'

I analyzed the electricity thief, just as I would shape and analyze characters in movies and scripts.

'He's the type who would be swayed by others' opinions, like those stock recommendation videos. His personality is aggressive, but he's cowed by someone more aggressive like me. He has few contacts in his phone, and the messages he's received were all just ads. An isolated individual.'

This should be enough for him to not report me to the police for the time being and to move with me.

I leaned my elbow on the table edge and bent my head towards the electricity thief.

"What's your name?"

"Jeon Do-hyeong."

A very electricity thief-like name. It could be an alias. He had no reason to give me his real name. Or perhaps he changed his name to aspire to become an electricity thief.

"Alright, Jeon Do-hyeong. Where were you headed?"

"I was planning to live in a remote campsite until the zombie situation calms down..."

A remote campsite. Certainly not bad. But insufficient. His thinking is too simplistic.

I shook my head.

"Calm down? Will the zombie situation end?"

"Won't it end?"

Jeon Do-hyeong blinked his eyes blankly, seemingly not understanding the flow of this conversation.

"There are a lot of problems now, but it'll be fine soon. They're developing PCR? Virus diagnostic kits, and they'll be out in a month. The stocks for that are really-"

"What if the people making those get turned into zombies?"

I interrupted him.

I observed the cocoon caterpillar-like him silently.

"Diagnostic kits, yeah, let's say they get developed. But then what? Vaccines and treatments? Who's going to make those?"

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

A virus that turns the infected into zombies. The mortality rate was zero, but the transmission was horrifying.

"How long did it take for the COVID-19 vaccine to come out? 9 months? 1 year? Will the world be intact during that time? Will there be manpower left to make it? Will there be workers to run the factories? Who will transport it? Who will distribute it?"

Even zombies don't stay quietly quarantined. They thrash around madly, biting people and spreading the virus in the air. They are super-spreaders.

As people turn into zombies one by one, will society continue to function normally? At some point, we won't be able to manage the zombie patients, and society won't be able to sustain the zombies, and eventually the zombies will outnumber the humans.

I stood up from my seat and crouched in front of Do-hyeong.

I lowered my voice and whispered, "The world is doomed."

Do-hyeong's eyes wavered.

Using my skills as a screenwriter, I continued whispering, vividly describing the hopeful, no, dark and desperate future designed by our chairman, the future created by Immortal Company.

After listening to my whispering for a while, Do-hyeong's face drained of color, as if gripped by fear. His lips trembled.

"Then, what do we do? If all the people turn into zombies, then..."

I paused for a moment. You, become my colleague. I need to package this offer properly.

After shaking his mind with fear, it's time to show a clear vision. I need to instill the conviction that joining me will be beneficial.

"We'll survive."

"How can we survive! If the world is doomed like that-"

"Humans survived even in the primitive era. Humans won't die. It's just that civilization will crumble, and we'll return to the hunting era."

The zombies will be the enemies instead of beasts.

Humans will wander the concrete jungle, hunting for prey, grasping the remnants of the lost civilization.

After stating the predetermined future with conviction, I extended my hand.

"What's needed in that situation is power and a group. Do-hyeong. Let's combine our strength."

Do-hyeong licked his lips. His bewildered eyes wavered, then looked at me.

He seemed to be reevaluating me, whether I'm a person worth joining in the face of the apocalypse. Of course, I've already shown my value and personality suitable for the end times.

After some deliberation, Do-hyeong bit his lip firmly, his eyes sparkling with the desire to survive. He nodded.

"Alright."

The moment the electricity thief and I shook hands was the moment the group of looters was formed.

I quietly looked at him, then reached out and began untying the knot on his sleeping bag.

To be honest, I can't trust him. But distrust and betrayal are essential for surviving as a looter. As long as he doesn't report me to the police for now, that's enough.

I've shaken him with fear and lured him with a vision, so for now, he will prepare for the apocalypse with me. And when the apocalypse comes, we'll have to band together, whether we like it or not.

I continued untying the knot, thinking, 'The talents I need to make into colleagues in the future...'

The lock-picking thief and the deserter with a gun are absolutely necessary.

***

"Let's gather supplies first."

"Ah, shall we go to the mart?"

Do-hyeong, who had consumed all the water and food, turned to me from the driver's seat. I nodded, and then listed the necessary items like an expert.

"There's a lot to survive on. Machete, helmet, rope, fishing line, rider suit, tape, lighter, yes, and things like a kitchen knife and curtain rod or mop handle. We can use them as weapons when tied together."

Do-hyeong hesitated and then said,

"But what about food and water...?"

"Just enough for a few days. As long as we have weapons, we can obtain food anytime through looting."

I opened my mouth again.

"Alarm clocks. We need to buy a lot of them."

"Why alarm clocks? Wouldn't a wristwatch be enough to check the time?"

Do-hyeong asked stupidly, and I glared at him in frustration. Is his head a little slow? No, if he hasn't seen zombies yet, that's understandable.

Anyway, what I expect from Do-hyeong is just his money and a body to fill my ranks.

I explained step by step.

"It seems like zombies react to sound."

"Ah, I see."

"Yes."

Do-hyeong seemed to understand something. We spoke almost simultaneously. Do-hyeong was a little faster.

"Lure the zombies away from our base-"

"Lure the zombies to other people's bases-"

Our mouths closed. We looked at each other in bewilderment.

Do-hyeong came up with a defensive idea, and I came up with an aggressive one. I quickly resolved the awkward atmosphere.

"Right. We can use them for various purposes."

"Ah, yes."

And we went to the large mart, engaging in unnecessary conversation to resolve the previous conflict.

"What about your family?"

"My parents passed away when I was in college. I have a younger sibling, but we cut ties after dividing the inheritance."

"I'm similar. My parents passed away when I graduated. I don't have a younger sibling."

"It's better not to have one. Even if you do-"

***

In the mart's parking lot.

"Then I'll go get them."

Do-hyeong suddenly opened the door and went out. In a short time, a sense of empathy had formed, and his voice was unrestrained.

I watched his retreating back.

Do-hyeong's phone is with me, but if I decide to report him, I can do so anytime. I can borrow someone else's phone or report to the security guard at the mart.

That's why I slowly got out of the car, armed with a hat, mask, and hammer.

'If I see any signs of him reporting, I'll run away.'

I stepped back and followed Do-hyeong. It was a stakeout. If I see any signs of him borrowing a phone or asking the security guard for help, I'll immediately turn around and flee.

But for now, Do-hye seems to be thinking of using me, and he's just enthusiastically shopping.

'For now, he's trustworthy enough.'

I nodded silently and slowly looked around. As my focused gaze widened, I saw the changed world.

The world had become grim in just a few days.

People who had simply come out to shop were carrying baseball bats, golf clubs, and wooden sticks. These were weapons to fight the zombies. Some were even wearing motorcycle helmets.

Some people had even openly placed electric saws or machetes in their carts.

I let out a wry smile as I felt the shadow of impending doom approaching. A world where murder is trivial is coming.

'This scent of distrust and vigilance.'

People glanced around, and stepped back when someone approached them. As if they were afraid the person next to them would suddenly turn into a zombie and attack them.

People were maintaining a 2-meter distance better than during the coronavirus. The invisible virus seems less scary than the infected person who can suddenly turn and bite them.

It was then that I caught the scent of the apocalypse.

Suddenly, a scream was heard.

"It's a zombie!"

"Be quiet!"

I quickly turned my head. In the instant food corner where delicious-smelling fried skewered rice cakes and chicken were displayed, there was an obese zombie, greedily chewing and devouring the chicken with both hands.

Silently - Crunch -

A space formed around the obese zombie. People raised their hands over their masks and slowly backed away.

I had heard that basic zombie response guidelines had been established. Don't provoke them, just leave them alone. Report from a distance. Don't fight the zombies, just run away.

Unlike the people filming videos with their phones, I just watched the zombie with my own eyes.

'It's not a revived corpse. It's a living person. It seems to maintain the intelligence level of an animal.'

It reacts to loud or hostile stimuli. If hungry, it will look for food, if thirsty, it will look for water. If cold, it will probably find a warm place to go.

"Ah... I'll have to throw all this away."

The mart employee in a hazmat suit in the instant food corner repeatedly reached out, unable to decide what to do.

The zombie drooled, and food debris splattered out of its mouth. It even wildly waved its hands, knocking over the displayed instant foods, and picking up and eating the spilled food.

I observed it calmly.

That's why I was the first to realize that an incident was about to happen.

Several security guards in black suits came running. People who seemed to be the zombie's family were also rushing in a panic.

Even if a commotion broke out, it wouldn't escalate much.

Tick tock, the countdown of the time bomb was decreasing.

I turned my body and looked for the emergency exit. I had to escape quickly before the crowd at the entrance blocked the passage.

The optimal time to escape was when no one else was running away, so I could be the first to flee. If I ran away when others were already running, I would be too late.

But it seems this judgment was also too late.

I looked around with a stiff expression.

"Zombies..."

People are changing all around. The person pushing a cart, the person checking the freshness of fish, the person gripping a machete are all drooling and hunching down.

It was then that I realized the time.

Day 6 of the zombie outbreak.

4 weeks since the virus was first dispersed.

The timing when the initial infection and the first wave of virus transmission explode. The people who used to roam around without masks, who were infected early, have turned into zombies.

I clenched my fist.

They are more terrifying than the zombies. People no longer look human. The latent infected, the potential zombies. They can turn at any moment.

"Grrrr. Kaaaah!"

And the infected person gripping the machete, his eyes gleaming bright red, swung the machete wildly at the people around him, like swinging a bat. Someone was hit properly.

The sound of flesh being sliced. Swoosh, the bright red blood is splattered across the floor and carts.

Seeing that blood, I muttered.

"I was wrong."

The apocalypse has not come. It has already arrived at our doorstep.