Killing the chimpanzee was hard, but transporting it was a whole other ordeal.

    Even with five fully grown men working together, we couldn’t manage it until we wrapped the mutation’s body in wires and finally dragged it out of the zombie-infested area.

    Of course, as we left, thousands of zombies came chasing after us in a raucous send-off. Strangely, instead of fear, I felt a sense of comedy in the whole situation.

    A fully armored chimpanzee being dragged along with thousands of zombies losing their minds behind us—it looked like something straight out of an old cartoon I used to watch as a kid.

    It felt like a dream.

    Not a prophetic dream, though. Just a common, nonsensical one.

    So, when we returned to the city, I felt like I’d woken up suddenly.

    Here, reality hit hard: poverty, destitution, hunger, anxiety, fear, disease, and despair permeated everything.

    What kind of feeling must it be to live in such a place every single day?

    "Wow, is this the one?"

    In stark contrast to the bleak atmosphere of the city, there were people who still exuded the vibrancy of the pre-war era: the research lab staff.

    Whenever I visited, they always pretended to be busy, though most of the time they were just stealing paychecks. Now, they eagerly surrounded the mutation’s corpse, laughing and snapping endless photos.

    One staff member even stepped on the creature’s head, striking a pose like a famous hunter.

    "Look at me! The legendary beast hunter has arrived~!"

    We hunters said nothing.

    In this small world, we were firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy.

    A short while later, the staff member we were waiting for finally appeared.

    "Thank you for your hard work, hunters. Here’s a token of our appreciation. Oh, this is just a bonus; the actual payment will be calculated and delivered later."

    A soft-spoken female employee handed us our reward.

    The cart pulled in by another male staff member was loaded with goods: meat, rice, various groceries, and even alcohol.

    "Whoa, rice! Actual rice!"

    Despite his broken leg, Cheon Young-jae’s eyes lit up at the sight.

    "I’ve been dreaming of eating rice!" he exclaimed, drooling as if he’d forgotten his pain entirely.

    The others were equally thrilled, especially with the meat, which looked like premium beef wrapped in paper.

    "This looks like refrigerated meat," Ha Tae-hoon said, unable to take his eyes off the marbled slices.

    "Can you believe there’s still such a thing as refrigerated beef these days?"

    "Look at the marbling! Where did they even get this?"

    Even Baek Seung-hyun and the others stared in awe at the meat.

    "It’s real."

    "Real beef."

    But, of course, Bang Jae-hyuk, the ever-pessimistic one, didn’t miss the chance to share his twisted perspective.

    "This stuff... It’s mutation meat, isn’t it?"

    No one responded to him.

    It was like the online forums I used to frequent. When someone started spouting nonsense, the entire community would collectively ignore them.

    Except, in real life, there’s no "block" function.

    "I’m telling you, it’s mutation meat! Those Legion bastards started eating it first."

    Even as no one replied, Bang Jae-hyuk continued undeterred.

    "They inject mutation factors into cows to make them grow massive, then slaughter them for meat. Just one cow can feed an entire division, you know!"

    Finally, Ha Tae-hoon, his face utterly expressionless, cut him off.

    "Is this from FailNet again?"

    "Yeah."

    "Stop with that crap site. I visited it once—full of lunatics."

    "Where else tells the truth, huh? FailNet is the light! The light!"@@@@

    "..."

    "Seriously, listen to me, Ha-senior—"

    "Stop calling me senior. I’ve disowned that school."

    "Fine, Ha-hyung!"

    Ignoring their bickering, we returned to the street.

    "Hey, everyone! Gather around! Let’s eat some meat!"

    Despite his limp, Cheon Young-jae energetically called people over.

    At the word "meat," the residents of the street poured out of their homes and gathered around a grill set up by the water supply station.

    It was quite a crowd—around thirty people.

    "Wow~ Meat! Meat!"

    Strangely, there were many children among them. Just as many elderly people too.

    As I silently observed the gathering crowd, Baek Seung-hyun sidled up to me.

    "Most of the people who stayed here did so for their families."

    "Seems that way."

    "You saw Bang Jae-hyuk earlier—his shooting skills are S-class, no doubt. Even with his injured leg, he’s more than capable."

    During the earlier zombie chase, I’d seen Bang Jae-hyuk’s sharpshooting firsthand.

    He’d gone from casually laughing at his phone and spouting FailNet conspiracy theories to precisely landing every shot on the heads of charging zombies with his .45-caliber handgun.

    Beside him now, a middle-aged woman who looked to be his mother was smiling, celebrating her son’s safe return.

    "He’s a dutiful son," Baek Seung-hyun added with a wry smile.

    The women, including Bang Jae-hyuk’s mother, cooked up a feast using vegetables and meat. Despite the limited ingredients and seasonings, the dishes they produced were quite decent.

    Still, the star of the show was the beef.

    Sizzle!

    A grin spread across his face as wide as his ears.

    "I get flamed like crazy whenever I go online. I mean, it’s no joke."

    With some time left before the armored vehicle arrived, I watched him try out the equipment.

    I didn’t help, feigning ignorance about the internet, but Baek Seung-hyun was surprisingly adept and soon managed to log into Viva! Apocalypse! successfully.

    dongtanmom: Yum

    "Huh?"

    "What is it, Park Gyu?"

    "Nothing," I replied.

    "Yum," huh. And that username—Dongtan Mom?

    Wasn’t that the nickname of someone who got blown up in an accident?

    Looking at the laptop, it seemed the satellite equipment had been salvaged, and the account restored. The Viva! Apocalypse! manual did mention that in emergencies, you could recover your account using just the satellite equipment.

    But why Dongtan Mom?

    Everyone has their stories, I suppose.

    No regrets, though. Watching a father holding the hands of his young wife and newborn child, stepping into the unknown world of our forum, was oddly satisfying.

    "Hey, Park Gyu."

    As I prepared to leave, Baek Seung-hyun called out to me.

    "Take this."

    "What’s this?"

    What he offered me was his trademark motorcycle.

    The image of him riding that motorcycle with his back straight, as if he were on horseback, was one of the quintessential pictures I had of Baek Seung-hyun.

    And now, he was offering it to me.

    "I can’t exactly take it to Jeju, and honestly, since I’m only going because of you, I’d feel bad if you left empty-handed."

    This was an unexpected windfall.

    "It runs great on synthetic oil, so don’t worry. I’ve already tuned it up for you."

    "Thank you."

    "No, I’m the one who should be grateful."

    He gently ran his hand over the motorcycle, like a father saying goodbye to his grown daughter.

    "Hey."

    It felt like the right time.

    The time to ask why he had come looking for me in my territory.

    I’d had plenty of opportunities to ask before but refrained, wary of what his answer might reveal.

    But now, I felt ready.

    "Did you search for me near my place before, using a radio?"

    "What? Oh, yeah, I did."

    He seemed momentarily flustered.

    That reaction alone confirmed my suspicions.

    I felt my heart grow cold as I pressed further.

    "Why were you looking for me?"

    Awkwardly smiling, he avoided my gaze.

    "Well... I just wanted to see your face for a bit."

    "Really?"

    "Alright, fine! I was desperate back then!"

    Of course. This guy and I just don’t click.

    *

    Back in My Shelter

    The dark, quiet place, at times resembling a tomb, brought me a strange sense of relief as soon as I returned.

    In the end, there was only one answer:

    I have to live here.

    I am now a creature that cannot survive anywhere else.

    How long can a fish live once it’s out of water?

    Even if the fish somehow adapted to the air, could it still be called a fish?

    Staring at the fake goldfish trembling inside the glass tank of my Dragon C, I steeled my resolve.

    Even if I die, I’ll die here.

    I thought about the armored mutation again.

    At least before it died, wasn’t it happy?

    It couldn’t have believed that its happiness would last forever.

    This place is my home and my sanctuary.

    Even if I die, I’ll die here.

    That was the conclusion I reached after all my contemplation.

    But in coming to this answer, I had committed yet another sin.

    dongtanmom: Yum yum... criticizing Jeju just because you can’t go... yum yum... why do people sour grapes what they can’t have? Yum yum...

    The reappearance of the dead on the forum was no longer shocking, but the newly revived Dongtan Mom brought shock and terror in a uniquely horrifying way.

    dongtanmom: Yum yum... why would the government kill people? Yum yum... Pioneering Team? They just threw in those over 55 who don’t listen and complain too much! Yum yum... wait, are you in that age group? Yum yum...

    Dongtan Mom had returned.

    With even more grotesque content and a darker concept than before.