Chapter 54
“Ahh, I slept well.”
After selling every last potion yesterday, I slept soundly and woke up refreshed for the first time in a while.
Chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp!
Birdsong rang out from every direction.
Trickle-trickle-!
The sound of a stream echoed through the space.
“Yaaawn.”
Before going to bed, I went back down to the disaster-prevention room and turned on the sound system in the second-floor Gardening Garden.
The space was so vast yet so quiet that it felt a little empty, so I figured I should at least set something like this up.
I approached the window where Mr. Jomsaem was. Waking up and getting some photosynthesis is the universal rule.
“Mr. Jomsaem! Move over a little! They said the round sun came up! I can't see!”
Grrr-!
Whether it was coincidence or he actually understood me, one of the tentacles attached to the window opened a small gap, and I looked outside through it.
- Gigigigigigigi
An eyeball as big as a construction-site wrecking ball had appeared.
“Okay. How about a staring contest for the first time in a while?”
It was the perfect chance to stare at just one eye.
I wasn't confident I could win, but I was having a brief staring contest when—
Eeeeeeng-! Vrrrrrr-!
Several specks were stuck to the window.
After staring intently at them for a while, I realized what they were.
“Flies...?”
More precisely, flies and various bugs whose names I didn't know.
“Oh! My little friends!!!!”
I'd thought the Gardening Garden felt empty because it lacked something, and this was it.
“There weren't any insects!!!!!”
Until I was living underground, mosquitoes, goddamn cockroaches, and the like couldn't get in because I hadn't authorized them.
But now that I owned Gardening, things were different.
“Aww, how cute! Such tiny little guys!”
I'll let those friends inside right away and complete this greenhouse's perfect terrarium ecosystem.
“Now, welcome to Starplex...!”
Just as I gripped the window lock and was about to fling it open with all my might—
“What's this?”
In one corner of the status window floating in midair, at the very bottom, was a notification flashing bright red.
[Regular Patch 2 will be synchronized in real time]
[Theme: Small Ecosystem Coordination and Addition of Vectors]
[Applicable Area: Integrated Capital Area]
[From now on, insects will become vectors for all mutations]
...?
“Oh, fuck.”
Bzzzz-!
“Hey, just because I played with you, do you think we're friends?”
I hurled at the mosquito outside the line I'd heard most often from mosquitoes during my school days.
****
When I checked the Gallery, I saw that a whole round of speculation had already gone around while I was asleep.
The first thing that caught my eye was two featured posts.
Title: *Featured post—this makes it certain ㅇㅇㅇ
System <<< These bastards are constellations whose departments are divided, or at the very least are fighting among themselves ㅇㅇ
Goddamn System, aka the Destroyer <<< The constellation in charge of this goddamn scenario that has been bringing about the apocalypse from the start and even pushed through this patch
System Starplex <<< The constellation working to save us by awakening us, providing the Gallery, opening the Shop, and providing restrooms and pharmacies
So... we have to support Starplex!!!!!!
Agreed
ㄴ It's pretty clear that there isn't just one System
But why do you think Starplex is on our side?
ㄴ Doesn't this just feel like a game?
ㄴ A? game?
Once we awaken and kill zombies, mana stones drop, and there's a Gallery, and convenience facilities get updated...
ㄴ Starplex could just be a program that handles convenience updates in a game too ㅇㅇ
ㄴ It could simply be mechanically pushing out patches, without any purpose or intent
ㄴ ㅇ?
ㄴ So are you saying the System-nim we've praised all this time is nothing?!
ㄴ Off with his head!!!
Title: *Featured post—saying the System is a game host or program is a ridiculously idiotic claim
According to this bastard, it would just push out patches without emotion.
Then how do you explain it summoning the Black Zone and blocking that gay Jinhyeok when he showed up, even at the cost of causing an error?
Ah, right
ㄴ If it had been a mechanical decision, it wouldn't have spat out Head Mod and Seo-jin either ㅇㅇ
ㄴ It would've just ground us all up together ㅇㅇ
Without the Shop-nim, the Capital Area would already be destroyed ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Orange Zone would already have been split in half when the low-level mutant wave from the Red Zone arrived, and we'd have slowly destroyed ourselves ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Even without that, we'd probably all have died because of Jinhyeok
ㄴ The fact we're even using the Gallery right now is thanks to System-nim lol
ㄴ This is fucking true
[Head Mod] I can't agree that it's just a game either ㅇㅇ
ㄴ [Head Mod] System-nim is a Transcendent and definitely has a purpose ㅇㅇ
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] I agree with that claim too...
?!
ㄴ They agreed with each other...?!!
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] Of course, except for the part about it being a Transcendent.
ㄴ Hey, you bastard
ㄴ I knew there had to be a catch, fuck lol
The day the two of them agree... the world will be saved...
ㄴ Hurry up and agree!!!!
So the Constellation School persevered and finally won
ㄴ Constellation School victory!!!
ㄴ I told you, the System is a constellation!!!!!!
ㄴ Yeah, yeah, that's right
ㄴ That's what we're talking about right now
“Hmm...”
I'm not the System, so I'm flustered too.
What the hell is this System bastard thinking?
“Why did it suddenly make this patch?”
Whatever else, if it's insect-borne infection, aren't we completely screwed?
I almost let my little friends inside.
After scrolling down, posts about this patch began pouring out.
Title: No... fuck, if this is how it is...
Aren't we completely screwed...?
If insects transmit mutations... how the hell are we supposed to deal with that?
Exactly
ㄴ How are we supposed to deal with this?
ㄴ We're just completely fucked, aren't we lol
ㄴ No way...
If this is Patch 2...
ㄴ Does that mean Patch 3 exists too...?
ㄴ Seems like it...
ㄴ Fuck, we're really screwed...
No, fuck, stop just saying we're screwed and think about this realistically.
ㄴ Up until now, zombie infection required physical contact ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Right, getting bitten or scratched... or being injected;;
ㄴ Getting covered in it <<< This is important
[Myth] Even if you suffer a fatal wound and die while fighting a mutant, you eventually mutate and come back to life after a certain amount of time, right?
ㄴ So in the end, infection is closer to pure mutation than a virus.
ㄴ If it were a virus, science would've won lol
ㄴ Why do you think the scientists at the beginning of the apocalypse lost their minds lol
That's why the standard procedure when a comrade dies fighting zombies is to burn them.
ㄴ [Ironclad] It's in our guild manual ㅇㅇ
Burning them is best, but
ㄴ If that's not possible, you have to chop them into incredibly small pieces.
ㄴ If you only chop them up halfway, the infected pieces stick together and revive again lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ If you see that in person, you can consider your nights of sleep over lol
ㄴ The Stalker who knows why sleep aids always sell out at the pharmacy vending machine: skeleton
It had gotten so serious that even guild-master-level people were discussing it in the Gallery.
“This really doesn't seem like an ordinary matter...”
I learned some information I hadn't known because I'd only read about it and never fought directly myself.
Title: But what counts as an insect...?
For starters, mosquitoes and flies should obviously count...
ㄴ Do we have to include ticks too...?
How the fuck do we deal with ticks?
ㄴ So does that mean ants get infected too?
ㄴ Fuck, there's an anthill in my hidden shelter!!!!!
Or are the insects spreading it like pollen?
ㄴ Fuck, please don't take this way too far
[Shop Wiki] In my opinion, the will to infect matters more than the type of insect.
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] I can't know the exact principle, but zombies' behavioral motives fall into two categories.
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] Consumption and infection
[Shop Wiki] As you know, you become infected if you suffer severe physical trauma or intense physical contact in the process.
ㄴ For real
ㄴ ㅇㅇ
[Shop Wiki] Regardless of the type of insect, if they possess the will to infect and consume...
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] Insects should have mutated into zombies by now, or a swarm of them should have appeared.
ㄴ Fuck, insect zombies!!
ㄴ Ah, please don't let these bastards mutate into zombies...
ㄴ [Shop Wiki] But if that's not the case... isn't there a little hope?
ㄴ Hmm...
Everyone fell silent for a moment at Shop Wiki's sharp insight.
“Hmm...”
I fell into thought for a moment too.
Just as zombies move with the will to infect, it would be a disaster the moment insects began moving with that will.
Or if insects mutated like zombies, fuck, I don't even want to imagine it.
“Flying insect zombies... We couldn't stop them.”
I'm not joking; I really don't think we could stop them.
Just imagine mosquitoes growing as large as compact cars and coming to bite us like zombies. Dozens or hundreds of them.
“Well, given that my little friends... still look perfectly normal, I guess we're okay for now.”
The insects I'd seen after waking up definitely had normal appearances, though.
[Head Mod] For now, it doesn't seem like insects are becoming zombies. There aren't any like that.
ㄴ [Speedrun] I've been killing every fly I see for now, but there are no mutated insects.
ㄴ Hmm...
[Shop Wiki] Then for now, the most likely possibility seems to be that insects carrying zombie saliva fly in and infect people when they bite...
ㄴ Fuck, even that's daunting
ㄴ It is the best-case scenario among the worst-case scenarios;;
Head Mod and Speedrun hadn't seen any such insects yet, at least.
“Then that's a relief.”
We have to remember this at all times.
The zombies in the Black Zone where I am were all normal-looking at first too.
As time passed,
they grew huge,
grotesque,
twisted,
and warped.
Just like Mr. Jomsaem.
“Fuck... I just want to see zombies that only run around.”
So there was no guarantee insect zombies wouldn't appear, and we couldn't say anything for certain yet.
“Or not...? Is this evolution limited to the Black Zone?”
Of course, I hoped it was limited to the Black Zone where I was.
Title: For now, those from the Red Zone who have nothing to worry about, upvote lol
Starting with me lol
Fuck, I'm jealous
ㄴ Fuck, there are still people from the Red Zone left?
ㄴ I think people from as far as the Orange Zone are allowed to laugh ㅇㅇ lol
ㄴ Seahahahahaha
ㄴ Sehaha
This bastard immediately posted a humblebrag because his infection resistance is so high lol
ㄴ For real, what a fucking asshole lol
ㄴ Those from the Yellow Zone are trembling ㄷㄷ
But people from the Red Zone got infected when a pack of Runners tore into them too, didn't they?
ㄴ That's what happened to my leader from three parties ago ㅇㅇ
ㄴ ? If a hundred Runners tear into you, even Grandpa Hunter gets infected ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Obviously, not getting bitten is best ㅇㅇ
ㄴ The people who strutted around claiming infection resistance all disappeared in the early days of the apocalypse ㅇㅇ
Head Mod!!! Cut this braggart!!!
ㄴ [Head Mod] Don't order me around
ㄴ Sorry
[Head Mod] The biggest problem right now is Awakeners from the Green Zone...
ㄴ Why are Green Zone Hunter bros a problem
ㄴ You illiterate bastard, I said Awakeners from the Green Zone
ㄴ Ah
ㄴ Because relatively weak Awakeners have low infection resistance
ㄴ True
Insects << Whether these bastards have the will to infect or not isn't the important thing
ㄴ Anyway, the biggest problem right now is ordinary people, the non-Awakened ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Exactly
ㄴ Ordinary people aren't even counted
ㄴ Do you know how many ordinary people there are in the Capital Area?
ㄴ ㄴㄴ Who's counting them?
I asked the meat shields in our party, and even they didn't know how many there were among themselves.
ㄴ Ordinary people can't access the Gallery either.
ㄴ They don't even know where each other's villages or slums are.
There are also many ordinary people living in isolated small groups.
ㄴ For real, some have gone completely into hiding.
The real problem is that
ㄴ If mutants start appearing even in the areas designated as safe zones, it'll become impossible to contain.
ㄴ If mutations start from within, we're screwed ㅇㅇ
But zombie hordes already appeared in slums from time to time, didn't they?
ㄴ You idiot, those were small-scale at most.
ㄴ This time, it might be completely impossible to respond.
ㄴ Are you going to track down and deal with every single insect one by one?
ㄴ Hmm;;
The truly most vulnerable group was the ordinary people living almost like they were in the Middle Ages.
With no public institutions, many of them couldn't even be counted, and their villages weren't properly marked on any map.
“Ordinary people really are a problem...”
They seem like the most vulnerable right now.
Title: Maybe we can get through this without incident ㅇㅇ
You all know this, right?
Awakeners are the ones who can sense even attacks flying in from blind spots, like Spidey-sense lol
We fight zombies, so do you really think we can't kill a damn mosquito???
Right, think positively lol
ㄴ For real, I just killed five damn mosquitoes too
ㄴ It's not like we're freaking out because we can't catch a few buzzers lol
What are you going to do while you're asleep, you bastard lol
ㄴ If they buzz while I'm sleeping, I'll wake right up and kill them ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Do you think a bastard like Speedrun would get bitten by a mosquito?
ㄴ Are you saying Speedrun is slower than a mosquito?
You're not Speedrun.
ㄴ W-Well... that's true
ㄴ I can react to something as small as a mosquito lol
ㄴ For real, even someone from the Green Zone can react to a mosquito ㅇㅇ
Aah! Fuck, I got bitten by a mosquito!!
ㄴ Gasp, what?! Are you infected?
ㄴ I put on the Burmuri I bought from the pharmacy vending machine, and it got better hehe
ㄴ Idiot
ㄴ Your mom
Some users were still responding cheerfully, perhaps because they hadn't personally felt the impact yet.
[Head Mod] Since such an unprecedented situation has occurred, let's all come up with countermeasures for now.
ㄴ [Myth] Agreed
ㄴ [God of War] Sounds good. Shall we at least discuss it for now?
ㄴ [Gaboong-i] I forgot
[Head Mod] Let's discuss what to do, focusing on the most vulnerable ordinary people and those from the Green Zone.
ㄴ [Head Mod] I'll start a separate thread, so let's discuss it there.
ㄴ [Ironclad] Once the discussion is over and we have results, we'll distribute them as guild rules.
ㄴ [Myth] Sounds good.
That was when everyone began devising countermeasures with the guild masters at the center.
“I don't think we have time to discuss this...”
Isn't this a time when we should be taking action immediately? It feels like even starting now wouldn't be enough.
I closed the Gallery for now and fell into thought.
“Am I okay for now?”
First of all, I'm fine.
Those damn mosquitoes stuck outside that window can't take even a single step inside.
Of course, the window might not be the only opening insects could enter through.
They can't enter anywhere else without my authorization either.
If even Mr. Jomsaem and Mr. G-gegegegegege-saem can't enter without permission, there was no way a damn mosquito could get in.
If so.
“Are they okay...?”
Hmm.
After a little thought, the conclusion I reached was simple.
“No, of course not.”
[Current Member Count: 7998]
For now, there had been no effect on my membership count.
One or two people went missing as usual. They probably met with trouble while collecting scrap.
[Capital Area Survivors Gallery (Current users: 91,311)] ▼ 325
“They seem okay for now.”
In this world, where statistics had long since lost their meaning, even the Gallery's user count—which was a meaningful statistic—was merely following its usual downward trend.
“Hmm...”
This was the first patch actually carried out by the real System.
My conclusion was clear: there was no way things could pass this smoothly.
I really did have an uneasy feeling.
Then what would be best?
Solving the incident? Overwhelming force?
I had one answer.
“Prevention.”
If I could prevent a bigger incident before it occurred, and that was the best I could do, then I had to do it.
[Mana Stones Currently Held: 534,555]
To prepare for the possibility of something happening, I decided to conserve as many of the mana stones I had as possible.
I didn't know whether this would be enough. No, it might even fall short.
“For now, let's do everything we can.”
Given the circumstances, I knew I had to do everything in my power.
Who was the most vulnerable group I could help with the things I had?
“The goddamn ordinary people.”
Of course, ordinary people were systematically excluded from Awakened society, but I must never ignore them.
They were the ones who would reproduce and raise the next generation, the people responsible for our future.
[Troll NEET] Hmm, what's the most well-known ordinary-person village for now?
ㄴ Why?
[Troll NEET] I got some Burmuri ready; should I at least hand it out?
ㄴ Oh, Troll NEET
ㄴ That's fucking kind of you
But would that prevent mutations?
ㄴ If it did, we'd have already rebuilt everything thanks to System-nim lol
ㄴ [Troll NEET] It's better than having nothing;;
Why bother giving it to those rats?
ㄴ Just give it to me
ㄴ Yeah, give it to me lol
ㄴ They're useless anyway
[Troll NEET] You guys can at least buy it;;
ㄴ [Troll NEET] I heard ordinary people can't even buy it...
ㄴ Yeah, well...
ㄴ Are you farming goodwill because you want to become a branch manager too?
[Troll NEET] I'm the chairman, though?
ㄴ Chairman, my ass lol
ㄴ I'll tell you. There are the most near Migeum Station...
ㄴ There are also intact apartments near Dankook University in Sinhyeong-dong...
ㄴ And...
...
After carefully writing down every location the Stalkers told me on sticky notes, I...
“Okay. Coordinates confirmed.”
And without hesitation, I headed back down to the first basement level.