Animals have territories. You could also call it activity ranges. The area where they wander to find food, the area they move to avoid the cold and heat. The distance they travel for survival.

Humans are also animals, the same way. Each with their own activity range centered around a base.

And when territories overlap, survival competition begins.

In the city where scarce resources are fought over, the survival competition between zombies and humans, zombies and zombies, humans and humans has begun. Each sharpening their own weapons.

***

I stood by the window and looked down at the street. I saw people wandering around as usual, looking for food, but there was a slightly different feel to it.

The numbers were many. Over 50 people? Anyway, a huge number of people were rushing around, and the sheer number itself was an immense pressure. The sound of their footsteps was almost like waves.

"Let's work diligently today!"

"Our neighborhood association president is full of energy, that's good."

Creak-

People were dragging carts, having apparently stolen them from the mart, and started looting the nearby convenience store, breaking through the shattered windows. They piled up not only the remaining food supplies, but also cigarettes and clothes.

I tapped the window frame, deep in thought. What are these people doing?

'Are they the apartment residents?'

Seeing the mention of the neighborhood association president, they seemed to be the people from the apartment buildings near the villa neighborhood. The ability to mobilize so many people was unique to the apartments. 

In a way, it was the power that only apartments could possess. The densely packed houses, the rationale of binding all those people under the name of "apartment residents." Isn't it essentially a factory that produces people?

And the large number of people is power in itself.

"Grrrr."

A few zombies wandering the street turned and fled after seeing the apartment residents. The sight of over 50 people seemed to frighten them.

The apartment residents, seemingly used to the zombies' retreat, naturally ignored it and checked their haul.

"There's not much food."

The person who was the neighborhood association president frowned as she looked at the cart.

The food was scarce, but there were more expensive-looking clothes, wallets, and bags. Since most of the regular food supplies had already been cleared out, it seemed that personal greed took priority.

"Sis, this bag really suits you."

They were showing off the clothes to each other, just like people shopping at a clothing store.

I was about to lose interest at that point.

Taking things from other houses? That's fine. It's just a temporary change of location. I can reclaim them anytime I want. They're ultimately mine. They're just keeping them for me.

But the situation took a slightly strange turn.

The neighborhood association president, with a bag on her shoulder, clapped her hands and gestured to the security guard.

"Did you bring the ladder? Let's check the 2nd floor houses too!"

"What if there are people there?"

The security guard with graying hair shrugged his shoulders, and the corner of the president's eyes lifted.

"You won't do it? Will you starve?"

"Well, that's not it..."

Eventually, the security guard reluctantly muttered and pushed the heavy cart. Not only the ladder, but also various tools were anxiously loaded in the cart, making a creaking sound.

Then the people gathered together to install the ladder, and it just happened to be at the location of my villa. It was the 2nd floor house where a burglar had broken in and I had fought him off before.

I felt an instinctive aversion. Touch my territory, my building? Of course, there were only corpses in that 2nd floor house, but still, I disliked it.

My hands automatically moved to search for a weapon.

'A gun? A water gun for zombies? A Molotov cocktail? No, I'll restrain myself.'

The enemy is 50 people. If I kill them, I must do it thoroughly. Without revealing myself. So that they don't know who attacked them. Like a sudden accident.

As I was memorizing their faces in my mind, an uncle suddenly popped out from the neighboring villa. Wearing a leather jacket, with work gloves, and holding an iron pipe.

"What are you people doing in our neighborhood!"

"What's this."

The 50 people surrounded the uncle. Voices and gazes mixed with annoyance and contempt overwhelmed the uncle.

The neighborhood association president sharply glared at the uncle and shouted.

"Who are you? Is this your house? No, right? Why are you interfering?"

"I'm a resident of this neighborhood! You people are the ones invading other people's homes!"

"Sigh..."

The uncle bravely faced them, but the situation was not good. The apartment residents approached him even closer and poked him.

"We're just going to take some things from the empty houses. What's the problem, huh?"

"Don't be so nosy. You're also living off of taking other people's belongings."

"Or is it that you should be the one stealing, and we're stealing instead?"

I nodded to myself.

It's a survival competition. Competing for the resources on the villa street. Like animals whose territories overlap, they are fighting.

It's just that the uncle is weaker compared to the many apartment residents. He doesn't have a gun or a water gun for zombies. It seems he will face a tough situation...

That's when the uncle, who was being pushed around, suddenly fell to the ground and rolled around.

"Oh, neighborhood people! The evil apartment people are trying to kill the neighborhood resident! They're trying to kill all the neighborhood people and loot!"

"What, when did we do that!"

The uncle's resounding shouts and the flustered responses from the apartment residents.

Shadows of people appeared in the windows all over the villa street. Even those who had ignored the commotion now looked out the window with interest.

An uncountable number of gazes. Eyes from the higher floors looking down on the apartment residents.

It was the moment when the confrontation between the uncle and the apartment residents turned into a confrontation between the villa street people and the apartment residents. The uncle had changed the situation with just a few words.

'The response is not bad.'

An enemy that is too dangerous to handle alone? Then gather the people. For an impromptu response, it's quite substantial.

"What kind of person is this!"

"Let's go. There are many more places."

Eventually, the apartment residents turned their backs under the gazes of the villa street people. If they touch the uncle here? They'll think the apartment residents are really trying to kill and loot, and the villa street people will pounce on them with hostility.

It's difficult to fight with hostility.

It seemed like another peaceful day was passing, but I stared at the receding backs of the apartment residents.

'This won't be the end of it.'

The dwindling resources of the city. I have to find a way to obtain food that isn't mine in order to survive in this city.

Conflicts will only increase. Unlike now when we lack the resolve to fight for our lives, we will truly fight to the death.

***

If a war-like battle is imminent, what will people do? Conscription. They will organize a military force based on one of the strongest human weapons - sociality.

The sheer number of people was the easily accessible power.

Not long after the apartment residents left, there was a loud knock on the door. The voice of the uncle I had seen earlier was heard from the other side.

"Did you see how the apartment residents were causing trouble? If we don't want to be the victims, we need to band together as neighbors! If you're interested, come to the rooftop of the villa next door!"

"...Okay."

After my brief response, the uncle left without hesitation. I could then hear the sounds of him knocking on the neighboring houses and leaving.

I adjusted my mask.

"Trying to gather people?"

Is he planning to form a group of villa residents, just like those apartment residents?

Honestly, it's not a brilliant idea. Even if we gather all the villa residents, it won't be as easy to mobilize as many people as the apartment. Is it the right choice to capitalize on our inferior characteristics?

Wouldn't it be better to become more ruthless? Ruthlessness is the easiest and surest choice, isn't it?

'But simple ruthlessness may not be enough...'

I turned my gaze to the map spread out on the desk. There were several circular markings around the villa area.

It was the territory of truly ruthless and heavily armed beasts, not the clumsy humans of the villas or apartments.

The hopeful community that runs smoothly after we leave, the archery club that shoots arrows, the police station that dominates the area, the hardcore muscle zombies who eat protein instead of regular food, the territory of the muscle zombies who have learned siege warfare, the Tower of Life that cleans the streets with Botox...

To compete with and joyfully continue the plundering life with these, a lot of effort is needed.

I need to refine my ruthlessness into a weapon of my own. A more accurate scenario or a more deadly strategy.

I tapped my knee in thought.

'If I leave it alone, those guys will eventually come to my villa anyway. I might as well try to get rid of them while gaining some experience.'

***

"Then I'll be going."

I waved to Jeon Do-hyeong and Park Yang-gun. As the representative of my villa, Peace Villa, I decided to participate.

Park Yang-gun casually nodded his head, seemingly uninterested, and Jeon Do-hyeong leaned his body back and forth, looking uneasy.

"You're not going to cause any trouble again, are you? I'm feeling anxious."

"What trouble?"

Anyone watching would think I'm always causing trouble. In reality, I'm the one who gets caught up in the trouble.

I let out a hollow laugh and went to the rooftop of the neighboring villa. There were already many people gathered on the rooftop.

The remaining professional survivors. Those with weapons opened and closed the doors, greeting the people on the streets, and the uncle who had gathered the people asked me,

"Where did you come from?"

"From the neighboring Peace Villa."

"Ah, a neighbor! Welcome!"

Some time passed. No more people came. This meant that everyone who was going to come had already arrived.

The uncle looked around and cleared his throat, then spoke softly.

"Everyone. The apartment people have left, but the truth is, it's just the beginning. For now, they seem to be just breaking into empty houses, but how long will that last? Eventually, the day will come when they start killing people to obtain food."

He spoke in a somewhat logical manner. His prediction was not wrong.

The people remained silent, subtly agreeing, and the uncle, with confidence, continued to make eye contact with each person as he spoke.

"Even if it's not the apartment people, if we remain scattered, we will be picked off one by one by other robbers. So what should we do?"

I quickly raised my hand and said,

"We should band together and take the offensive. We should retaliate."

"Huh?"

The uncle, who had been pleased with the idea of banding together, turned to look at me in surprise.

Was his intention just to gather people and defend? But that's too loose, isn't it? That's not what I want.

I looked around at the people. There were some who were well-fed and well-off, but there were also many who looked weak from not eating well. Hunger would be the driving force for them.

"Why should we just take it when those nasty apartment people attacked our neighborhood? Let's go get food from the apartments too."

"Wait, hold on. How are we going to deal with that many people? And how are we going to open the apartment doors? That's impossible and too risky-"

The uncle tried to quickly calm the situation, but it was too late. The spark had already ignited in the eyes of the hungry people.

I pulled a taser gun from my pocket.

"This is a gift from my police friend. You can shock the door locks to open them. This is an opportunity to bring back all that food from the apartments."