NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
“….”
“It’s simple. Adolf Hitler is a bastard, a fucker – ”
“No, no, no, just a moment.”
Mr. James approached, as if trying to massage his temples.
Mr. Curtis also tilted his head in confusion and lowered his weapon gently.
“What does Hitler have to do with anything here?”
“It’s what I like to call an ideological test. It’s not that difficult, so hurry up.”
“Is it important? Asking someone who just woke up – ”
“It’s important.”
Hans Anderson momentarily looked around with an air of confusion.
Or maybe he was sizing things up.
“So… does that mean I should say Hitler was a bastard?”
If this was an act, it was a magnificent one.
If not… a natural reaction, but then again…
That damned German pistol, his appearance, and the suspicious flicker in his eyes were all raising alarms.
“…Hah.”
“Could you at least explain what’s going on?”
“There’s a group called the 0th Empire that worships Hitler. They’re extremely dangerous.”
“So, they’re Nazis?”
Mr. Curtis flinched at the mention.
His face was clearly irritated.
“Yep.”
“…Germans?”
“No, they’re American neo-Nazis.”
“Damn bastards.”
Curtis’ face twisted in anger as he glanced at the German pistol in his hand.
And then he glared at Hans Anderson.
“Being a Nazi is a different matter altogether. Young man.”
“Are… are you speaking to me?”
“Do you know the name of this gun?”
Hans blinked and shook his head.
“I found it in the bunker.”
“Where?”
“In a tin box that seemed to store items for display. It was supposed to be for self-defense….”
“Veterans back then were dying to get their hands on one. They were hard to collect since only officers could have them. It wasn’t easy surviving battles against the SS bastards either.”
Mr. Curtis took one last glance at the pistol and tucked it into his coat.
Hans’ eyes flickered a little.
“I’ll hold onto this while you’re staying here. Any objections?”
“…No, none at all. Consider it payment for the life debt I owe.”
“You’re a reasonable man. James, make sure this guy named Hans gets water and food. Xuan Woo, you come with me. Sarah, watch over them with James.”
With Mr. James handing out dried meat and water bottles from his pocket, I followed Mr. Curtis as he walked away.
Once the door closed quietly behind us, the gravity of the situation became clear.
“Nazis.”
“Yes.”
“Did you say the 0th Empire?”
“They claim to continue Hitler’s Third Reich.”
“Characteristics?”
“They argue that only people with black hair, blue eyes, and white skin are superior.”
“Everyone else is inferior. Last time, they preferred blond hair though.”
“Hitler – ”
” – had black hair and blue eyes. Just like that cripple Goebbels.”
I should’ve told Curtis this information first.
Who knew he’d react so strongly just hearing the word Nazi.
…But didn’t he used to call me a yellow monkey and make fun of me so gleefully?
“You’re worried he might be a Nazi?”
“If he is, we can’t let him walk away alive.”
“You think they’d send him back to one of their camps?”
“They’d gas shower you if they had enough numbers. To cleanse the inferior races.”
“Would they claim people with blond hair and blue eyes, like Jewish descendants, are all wonderful Aryans just like last time?”
“To be honest, you and Mr. James – ”
“Stop the nonsense.”
With a shout, Mr. Curtis fixed his gaze on me.
A sigh escaped him.
“Listen, I apologize for making fun of you as a yellow monkey before. I didn’t mean it. I don’t think you’re someone who deserves to die like those Nazi bastards. Besides, how can I forget the favors you’ve done saving my only granddaughter and creating this great place we’re living in?”
“…I understand.”
“We lost hundreds, thousands of comrades cruelly to those bastards. We spilled blood to liberate Europe from that bastard’s clutches. And now, knowing there are Nazi bastards in this country I fought to protect… I’m legitimately pissed off.”
He extended his hand.
And I shook it firmly.
“If that bastard turns out to be a Nazi, I’ll personally blow his balls off with my shotgun. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you told Sarah?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She trusts you.”
“Of course. You’ve never let her down. I’ll brief James later. Go and get the work done.”
I nodded.
“…Trust us. You’ve become so essential to us that we’d forget how to breathe without you.”
After another pat on my shoulder, I nodded as Curtis returned to the room.
This made me confident that the 0th Empire would never recruit all three of us.
No, it’s not just that.
Especially in times like this, I need to prove that I’m irreplaceable.
It would be easier if I belonged to a class where strength and stamina could increase easily and I could handle everything alone, but I must still rely on the members of the community.
So, where should I improve to anchor these people firmly here? –
“Looks like you’re deep in thought again.”
“…Ah.”
“Grandfather’s helping Mr. Xuan Woo.”
“With his legs?”
“It’s now just a mild tingling. I should be able to run without issues.”
She demonstrated with a light jump in place and offered a grin. Blood no longer seemed to be seeping through the bandages.
“I plan to look for a water source.”
“Indeed. With more people here, we need more water.”
“Before that, I want to block off any potential spider entry points and carefully inspect each connected passageway.”
“I’d need your help with that, right?”
Ideally, I’d like to completely uncover Hans Anderson’s identity before moving, but we lack the necessary resources.
Plus…
“Ugh, those spiders. They’re getting active now.”
From beyond the barricades came a lot of rustling sounds. They appeared to be gathering the fresh bat carcasses scattered around.
If ignored, they’d likely start spinning webs, and worse still, possibly even build a nest.
If that happens, it could become dangerous to stay here.
Even with our strong arsenal, taking on spiders without flamethrowers with only three of us would be suicidal.
“I’ll fetch the shotgun. Let’s get moving and take care of what needs to be done.”
“I’ll inform Mr. James. Oh, if there’s a marker of sorts available, could you fetch that too?”
“We have chalk for marking purposes.”
“That’ll do.”
There’s so much that needs to be done.
So much, yet the new refugee is highly suspicious.
While I’d like to shoot him immediately, an execution without evidence would severely hurt our trustworthiness, so it’s absolutely something we can’t do. Quite the dilemma.
“Are you ready? Shall we go?”
“About Mr. James – ”
“I already told Father. We’re not going far anyway, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Alright, let’s do this quickly.”
***
While Miss Sarah kept watch, I used the welding tool to block the tunnels leading to the spider’s den.
I installed a panel that could be pulled shut from the inside to push bodies into the den.
Given the situation, we might need to use the spider den as a way to dispose of bodies for the time being.
…Though if the population becomes overwhelming, it could lead to problems, but handling that will have to wait.
“With this, we’ve blocked two tunnels going to the spider den….”
“How many more do you plan to block?”
Excluding the corridors leading to the residential area, there are four tunnels on each side remaining.
“Four more, at a height we can crawl through.”
“Ugh. That’ll take a while.”
“No, the other tunnels won’t be as sturdy as the ones leading to the spider den. If they become dead ends, it actually increases the living areas available to us.”
“…Impressive expertise.”
After 2000 hours of pondering how best to use the underground space, I’ve honed these strategies.
With proper utilization of the space, it’s even possible to house eight people in one room under non-human conditions.
Of course, doing so would crash morale instantly.
“…Hmm?”
Turned my head, and saw Mr. James and Mr. Curtis rushing about, with Hans Anderson.
“Hmm? What’s going on? Is he well enough to move around already? What are they doing?”
Indeed, as Sarah had said.
What on earth are they up to?
It’s still unclear if he’s an ally or an enemy. Why are they showing him the internal structure?
Setting the welder down, I crossed through the barricade firmly.
Sarah followed closely behind me.
“Mr. James!”
“Are you done with your work?”
“No, I’m here to ask what you’re doing with Hans Anderson.”
“Oh, I was just giving him a brief introduction to our internal facilities. Where the shower is, how to use the toilet, what chores need to be done.”
“Chores?”
“Things like putting the oil we found into the generator. Where to store any water we find and so on. What we find and where to keep it.”
It wasn’t a good idea.
The generator and water tank are our most critical areas.
Ideally, they should be located deep inside the structure during construction.
If the generator shuts off, the lights go out. If the water tank gets contaminated, diseases spread rapidly.
Showing those locations to an outsider… –
“Mr. Curtis!?”
“Is it because you’ve learned something and now you’re giving him a tour?”
“We’re showing him where he’ll work.”
“Work? These are things we managed – ”
“I can help too.”
Hans Anderson slightly raised his voice and stood firm in front of me, speaking clearly.
“I want to return the favor for my life. Since this place has such facilities… I would like to entrust my body here at least until I fully recover.”
“Entrust?”
“While the wounds from cuts and stabs still hurt… Until new flesh grows, the scent of blood might attract monsters. Please, at least let me stay until I recover.”
“I won’t be assigning anything critical to you. But, at least part of what all of you do daily could be entrusted to him. You’ll notice any oddities right away, and if he’s not diligent, we can just toss him into the spider’s den.”
“I have no objections to that part.”
“Honestly, we can’t keep washing dishes with all the important tasks ahead. Finding a water source is urgent. We can’t keep depending on Mr. Xuan Woo to always deal with filter maintenance and the like.”
That’s what Mr. Curtis and Mr. James said, but – don’t they trust others too easily?
Even if Hans is not affiliated with the 0th Empire, if he’s part of a looting gang, they could figure out our internal layout and use it against us.
Especially, if sabotage occurs during the repetitive processes I manage –
If one day Hans contaminates the filter I assemble with mutated creature’s blood –
“I humbly request to stay until I recover. It won’t take too long.”
His respectful and upright stance.
The dismissive shrug from James and Curtis as they glanced at each other.
And…
“Let’s give it a test, right? It’s not such a bad idea. And… I’m honestly troubled by how you’ve been skimp