Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

In other words, this winter, Pyeongseong Safe Zone will not be able to obtain supplies from the surrounding safe zones.

The Safe Zone Commander had been deeply troubled by this situation. But aside from sending the search teams out more frequently to find resources, he couldn't come up with any other solutions.

Had he known about this sooner, he could have sent teams further afield to request aid from more distant safe zones. But it was already autumn, with winter approaching faster. With transportation systems paralyzed and the roads filled with dangers, any team sent out would be unlikely to return in time for winter.

And even if they did, they'd need to haul back large amounts of supplies.

Fortunately, there was some good news.

One was the batch of food from Gokmul County. With careful rationing, it could feed a considerable number of people through the winter. The other was Kim Haru.

"Mr. Kim, only you can save all of Pyeongseong Safe Zone now," the Safe Zone Commander said, looking at Kim Haru. "Your vegetables, your animals… I know you have your secrets. I know you can save Pyeongseong Safe Zone. Please, you must save these people."

Kim Haru looked at the Safe Zone Commander's face, unsure of what to say.

"…I'll think about it."

In the end, Kim Haru said nothing. He pressed the teleportation device and vanished instantly.

Kim Haru stayed on his farm for five days. During that time, he didn't tend to the crops in the fields, didn't check on the orchard, and didn't restock his store, which had long since sold out of goods.

After finishing the daily routine of watering the fields, feeding the chickens, and feeding the pigs, Go Okrim couldn't hold back any longer. He approached Kim Haru and asked, "Kim Haru-hyung, what's been going on with you? You've seemed down these past few days."

Kim Haru looked at Go Okrim for a moment before asking suddenly, "Gojo, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, hyung."

"When you used to stay in that county with your brother, were you happy? And later, when you were on your own, were you happy then? Do you like being around people, or do you feel it's enough just to live well on your own?"

Go Okrim thought about it for a while, looking earnestly at Kim Haru. "Kim Haru-hyung, I don't know what you're going through, but I've thought about this question more than once."

"In the beginning, staying in the county with my brother, of course, I was happy. I had freedom, no one restricted me, and no one stopped me from doing what I wanted. I could go wherever I pleased, and I had the ability to protect myself and my brother. But before long, I wasn't happy anymore." Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

"My brother had already turned into a zombie. He couldn't talk. He could only understand some simple words. I needed someone to communicate with; I wanted to feel a human presence. Even though I usually didn't talk much to others, I wanted to know that there was someone there to talk to if I needed it. But with my brother's presence, I couldn't. I didn't dare."

"Later, when my brother was gone, there was a brief moment of relief. Not because I was happy to lose him, but because I felt that now I wasn't any different from other humans. They wouldn't be afraid of me anymore. But that feeling lasted only a moment and quickly disappeared."

"But it made me realize that humans are social creatures. No one can live entirely alone forever."

"Kim Haru-hyung, did my answer help you at all?" Go Okrim asked.

Kim Haru smiled.

He realized he had been trapping himself in a dead end. He truly couldn't live entirely alone. His so-called "living alone" before came to this world was only possible because other people delivered what he needed. He had people to play games with, food delivery to bring meals to his door, and the internet to let him chat with others. All these conveniences made him think he didn't need to leave his home, that he was fine on his own.

But weren't those conveniences all provided by other people, in one form or another?

Kim Haru was sure that if he lost food delivery, express shipping, and the internet, he wouldn't be able to stay at home and live a comfortable life alone.

So what was he hesitating over now? As for whether he could really take on the responsibility, that was something he didn't need to worry about yet. Even if he couldn't save everyone in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone, doing something was better than doing nothing.

"It helped," Kim Haru said, no longer feeling lost. He patted Go Okrim on the head and thanked him. "For now, let's just get to work."

Kim Haru prepared to head to the safe zone to give his reply to the Safe Zone Commander, but just then, he heard the familiar ding of the system notification.

[ Ding! The tenth type of crop has matured. ]

[ Ding! Congratulations, you have advanced to "Small Farm Owner."]

[ Ding! The construction function is unlocked. ]

[ Ding! The detection function is unlocked. ]

[ Ding! The consultation function is unlocked. ]

[ Ding! The system inventory expanded to twenty slots. ]

[ Ding! The employee recruitment limit increased to ten people. ]

[ Ding! The beginner wooden cabin is upgraded to a Level 1 wooden cabin. ]

[ Ding! The iron hoe is upgraded to a bronze hoe. ]

[ Ding! The iron axe is upgraded to a bronze axe. ]

[ Ding! The iron... ]

The system notification sounds kept ringing one after another, only finally quieting down after a while.

Kim Haru was momentarily stunned.

How had he suddenly advanced to Level 2?

He turned around to Go Okrim. "What crops have matured over the past few days?"

Go Okrim, unsure why Kim Haru was suddenly asking this, counted on his fingers. "One of the sweet potato plants matured unusually fast, so you told me to dig it up and replant it as a seed. Two rapeseed plants also matured yesterday. Oh, and the garlic bulbs you left on my windowsill started sprouting a couple of days ago, so I split them in half and replanted them. They've been growing like crazy and might be ready to harvest too."