NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Chapter 16
—–CROW—–
“A vehicle arrived?”
“Yes, one just entered, but it’s not one of ours.”
Hearing Private Yoo Jae-wook’s report, Captain Kang Hae-seok immediately got up and headed for the second floor. Chae Su-ah, who was with him, followed.
‘…Haa, I’m so jealous.’
Watching Chae Su-ah’s retreating figure, Yoo Jae-wook smacked his lips. Large breasts, a curvy figure, and a beautiful face that could easily rank in the top 10% of the entire South Korean military.
Judging by the pungent smell emanating from Captain Kang Hae-seok’s room, it was obvious what they had been doing. He even saw some fluids trickling down Chae Su-ah’s skirt.
*Gulp.*
‘Fuck, I’ll have her someday.’
Imagining Chae Su-ah’s naked body, Private Yoo Jae-wook followed the two.
…
“So, who is it?”
“We haven’t identified him yet.”
Arriving at the second-floor lounge, Kang Hae-seok looked down at the man standing next to the van through the large window. Two soldiers were aiming their guns at him, keeping him in place. The soldiers and the man were in a standoff, separated by the barricade at the dormitory’s main entrance.
Suddenly, the unidentified man looked up at the window where Kang Hae-seok was standing. Sunglasses, a mask, a hoodie, and a baseball cap completely concealed his face.
‘Thorough bastard.’
For some reason, even his skin was barely visible. He clearly didn’t want to reveal his identity.
*Static.*
“He must have a motive. Find out what it is.”
Captain Kang Hae-seok relayed the order to the personnel on the first floor through his radio.
*Click.*
A soldier waiting in the first-floor lobby immediately ran out of the dormitory and joined the other two. The soldier spoke to the man, and…
The unidentified man, without much conversation, took an envelope out of the van and handed it to the soldier. The soldier checked the contents of the envelope, his eyes widening in surprise, and then turned to look at Kang Hae-seok. He then ran straight to the second floor without even using his radio.
“What is it?”
“Y-You have to see this for yourself!”
What could be so surprising? Chae Su-ah, curious about the envelope’s contents, peeked over Kang Hae-seok’s shoulder.
*Rustle.*
Kang Hae-seok opened the black envelope, revealing its contents.
‘…T-This is!’
Kang Hae-seok and Chae Su-ah froze, their bodies stiffening. The contents of the envelope were something unimaginable in their current situation: Vacuum-packed pork belly. Along with it were fresh lettuce wraps, ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce), salt, and other condiments. Finally, a folded piece of white paper was visible.
‘…A letter?’
Kang Hae-seok quickly closed the envelope so the others wouldn’t see the contents and took out the letter to read.
“Ha, what a crazy bastard.”
“W-What is it?”
Sergeant Joo Tae-eun, who’d only seen the envelope from the first floor, couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked Captain Kang Hae-seok. But Kang Hae-seok ignored his question and gave him an order.
“Send him back. Tell him we’ll consider his offer after seeing the goods.”
“…Yes, sir!”
Sergeant Joo, his face tense, responded to Kang Hae-seok’s stern command and went back downstairs. Kang Hae-seok then looked at the letter again. It contained a brief message:
[Trade proposal.
Offering: One week’s worth of food for your personnel.
Request: One female personnel on loan for one week.
If you agree, I will bring the goods in one hour.
P.S. The pork belly is a complimentary gift. I will bring more if you accept the trade.]
Kang Hae-seok scoffed at the letter, dumbfounded.
‘Is this bastard selling food because he’s that desperate for a woman?’
Even in this zombie-infested world, where sanity was a luxury, food was a precious resource directly linked to survival. And a week’s worth of food for the entire dormitory? That was enough for one person to survive for months if they rationed it carefully.
The trade proposal seemed too good to be true. So, he decided to send the man back, check the quantity of food he brought, and then make a decision.
‘But this pork belly…’
He hadn’t taken it out properly yet, but the lettuce wraps looked fresh. And the pork belly in the vacuum-sealed pack also looked very fresh.
‘I don’t know how he got it, but this is a no-loss deal for me.’
At first, he suspected the man was a scout from another group of raiders. But judging by the letter, he was just a survivor desperate for a woman. A man blinded by lust, willing to trade food for sex. Kang Hae-seok, who knew men’s desires all too well, understood what they were capable of when driven by lust. Especially in the military, where there were only men, incidents caused by sexual frustration were rampant. Therefore, he believed the man’s desire for a woman was genuine, without any ulterior motives.
‘I’ll have to check the goods he brings.’
A week’s worth of food for the entire dormitory in exchange for one woman. There were plenty of useless women in the dormitory. It was a profitable deal for Kang Hae-seok.
‘I don’t care if he tortures or impregnates her for a week.’
As long as he had Chae Su-ah and Shin Joo-ha to satisfy the soldiers’ needs, the other women were just dead weight, barely useful even as laborers. If the man killed the woman, he could redirect the civilians’ anger towards him and reduce the number of mouths to feed.
And a while later…
Exactly one hour later, the van returned to the dormitory. After receiving the report from the soldier, Kang Hae-seok went back to the second-floor lounge and looked down at the man through the window. His eyes widened at the boxes the man was unloading from the van.
*Static.*
“Bring him up too.”
He grinned and gave the order through his radio. Desire flickered in Kang Hae-seok’s eyes.
‘He looks normal.’
A short while later, guided by the soldier, the unidentified man came up to the second-floor lounge and faced Kang Hae-seok. He was about 170cm tall and of average weight. However, his face was completely hidden by a hat, mask, and sunglasses.
“Hey, did you check the contents?”
“Yes, it’s a bit more than you requested.”
Private Kim Seok-ho’s answer made Kang Hae-seok laugh in disbelief.
‘He even added more?’
And then he noticed a black envelope next to the boxes. Having seen the pork belly earlier, Kang Hae-seok knew it was meant for him. Now certain that the trade offer wasn’t a bluff, Kang Hae-seok looked at the unidentified man and asked,
“Thank you for this generous offer. But I’m curious… where did you get all of this?”
It didn’t look like he’d scavenged it. This quantity was impossible to obtain unless he’d raided a large stockpile of food. And the fresh pork belly… How could he get fresh pork belly when the power had been out for so long? Unless he’d slaughtered a pig himself, it didn’t make sense. He asked the unidentified man, filled with questions, but…
“…….”
The man didn’t answer.
“Is it a secret?”
“…….”
‘Well, I wouldn’t answer either.’
If they knew the location, a group with this much firepower wouldn’t just sit idly by. He was just a fool blinded by lust, risking his life for a trade. But he wasn’t stupid enough to reveal his hand.
“Then, let me ask a different question.”
*Reach.*
Kang Hae-seok raised his hand.
*Click, click.*
The surrounding soldiers aimed their guns at the unidentified man.
“Did you not consider the possibility of us just taking your goods without honoring the trade?”
It was a threat, of course. Bullets were a precious resource. They wouldn’t kill him for this. Of course, they could kill him with the butt of a rifle and take the food, and that was also part of their plan. But the most important thing was the man’s reaction.
‘…A letter?’
Kang Hae-seok expected a verbal response, but the man silently handed him a piece of white paper. It was the same type of paper as the letter Kang Hae-seok had read an hour earlier. Kang Hae-seok unfolded the paper without a word.
[I will propose another trade in one week.]
Just one line. A simple, single sentence. But Kang Hae-seok grinned after reading it. That one line contained a lot of meaning.
‘He’s saying if I kill him now, I lose the rest of the food.’
At Kang Hae-seok’s gesture, the soldiers lowered their guns. He then extended his hand to the man, who, despite being a lustful idiot, was quite meticulous and bold. It was a handshake, a sign of acceptance of the trade. The silent man shook his hand. Kang Hae-seok, his hand still clasped in the man’s, gestured behind him.
“Then we’ll gratefully accept your goods. …Now, it’s your turn. Choose whomever you want.”
Behind him stood the women Kang Hae-seok had gathered. They stood there blankly, following his orders without knowing why they were called. The man looked at the women for a moment and then slowly raised his hand, pointing his index finger at someone. His finger landed on Oh Na-yeon.
“Give him that one.”
“Yes, sir.”
“W-What? W-Why are you doing this? Hey! Wait! J-Ji-ho! Ji-ho!!”
At Kang Hae-seok’s brief command, two soldiers grabbed Oh Na-yeon’s arms and pulled her forward. Startled by the sudden restraint, Oh Na-yeon cried out for her boyfriend.
“N-Na-yeon!! You fucking bastards! What are you doing!!”
Han Ji-ho, watching from afar, charged at the soldiers in a rage.
*Whack!*
“Ugh…!”
But he was immediately brought down by a rifle butt to the stomach.
“J-Ji-ho!! Sniff, Ji-ho!!”
“N-Na-yeon…”
Oh Na-yeon, tears streaming down her face, looked at her helpless boyfriend with despair.
“Ah, they’re a couple. How about that? Makes it even more exciting, doesn’t it?”
Kang Hae-seok chuckled and spoke to the trader in a friendly tone. The unidentified man silently gave him a thumbs-up.
“This bastard! Who does he think he is?!”
*Whack, whack.*
“Ugh! Stop…! Please stop…!”
Han Ji-ho, who’d tried to save his girlfriend, was pinned to the floor and beaten by the soldiers.
“No━! Help me━! Someone please help me━!!”
Oh Na-yeon, like a cow being led to slaughter, was dragged behind the unidentified man.
‘A good trade.’
Kang Hae-seok watched the scene with amusement. As the unidentified man went down the stairs, he gestured to another soldier.
“Put two men on him. Find out where he’s keeping the food.”
“Yes, sir.”
Having learned that the man had more food than he’d brought, Kang Hae-seok had no intention of letting him go. In this ruined world, where there was no country or law to protect them, taking what you wanted by force was the norm.
‘I’m so lucky.’
Thinking about the enormous resources he was about to acquire, Kang Hae-seok’s eyes glittered with greed.
***
‘As expected, they’re following me.’
I checked the rearview mirror and saw the two soldiers. They were pursuing me on electric bicycles with their speed limiters removed, instead of noisy motorcycles.
‘They were always conserving the vehicles’ battery power. So this is what it was for.’
I’d anticipated Kang Hae-seok would send someone after me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have noticed the two pursuers. But this was all part of the plan.
“Get some sleep. I’ll take good care of you when we get back.”
“Mmm━! Mmm━!”
I looked at Oh Na-yeon, gagged and bound in the passenger seat, with a sinister smile hidden behind my sunglasses.
‘Haa, fuck, this is so exciting.’
I’d put a lot of thought into who to choose. To me, both the soldiers and the civilians were bastards. I thought about how to screw them over while benefiting myself. And then I saw her. Oh Na-yeon.
‘She was Han Ji-ho’s girlfriend, right?’
Having lived as a slave in the group, I knew their personal circumstances well. Especially Han Ji-ho’s frustration with his girlfriend, who wouldn’t sleep with him.
‘I can’t wait to see Han Ji-ho’s reaction after I’ve had my fun with her.’
I grinned beneath my mask, my cock hardening.
‘Well, should I deal with these guys first?’
The two soldiers were diligently pursuing me on their electric bicycles. I’d anticipated this, of course. No, it wasn’t just anticipation. It was part of the plan.
I drove carefully, making it easy for them to follow, and glanced at the quest window in the corner of my vision.
[Main Quest – 1
You have decided to unleash your vengeance upon those who wronged you.
Inflict despair upon your first victim.
Enemies slain: 0/1]
“Now, how should I cook you?”
—–CROW—–