Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 70

Fanatics Are a Menace

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Do you know how to escape an awkward atmosphere?
T h i s wa s c o p i ed fro m k i ng m t l .o rg

I dare say, if there’s someone in the same space with whom you can’t possibly hold a conversation, the best choice is to run away.

‘This is driving me nuts….’

The Seodaemun shopping district.

I had come here to avoid Helen and was scratching my head, sighing.

-Next time, for sure…!

That single phrase.

That was the problem.

It’s the kind of statement that makes me imagine unnecessary things.

Isn’t it?

If it was just a drunken mishap, shouldn’t it be ‘I’ll be careful next time’ instead of ‘Next time, for sure’?

Why does ‘Next time, for sure’ sound like she has feelings for me?

‘Am I just imagining things…?’

Th i s w a s co p ied f r o m kin gm t l. o rg
Was I misunderstanding?

Maybe Helen was just saying we should drink again sometime.

Maybe my lack of experience was making me misinterpret things.

T hi s w as co p ie d f r o m k i ng m t l . or g
I pondered deeply once again.

I was trying to grasp the speaker’s intent—a kind of thinking I hadn’t done since my college entrance exams.

I went through a long and complicated process to understand the true meaning of the words through context.

However, as someone shining brightly with 34 years of singlehood, it was too difficult.

In the end, as I was struggling without finding an answer, Ki-hyun spoke up.

“Uncle.”

“Huh?”

I looked up quickly.

There was Ki-hyun, frowning at me.

“What are you doing sitting there? Aren’t you going to look for supplies?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Scratching the back of my head, I stood up.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

‘Put those thoughts aside for now.’

Well, actually, it’s not just a random thought, but it’s not the most important thing right now.

I composed myself and surveyed the surroundings.

What I saw was the usual completely ruined city.

Today, we needed to find kerosene.

Because Hyesung was more sensitive to cold than I thought, it was necessary to prevent her from catching a cold.

‘Can we find it…?’

To be honest, I was skeptical about finding fuel.

If it were still the first or second year, maybe, but now we’re entering the sixth year of the apocalypse.

Not only that, but unlike other supplies, fuel is something that shelters desperately search for.

‘All the gas stations must have been ransacked….’

So, the best bet would be to search the corners of these shopping districts for kerosene used for heating.

I took a deep breath and looked around the shopping district.

‘Newly built buildings are out.’

They would use gas for heating, so searching them would be a waste of time.

We needed to target old buildings run by elderly people.

For instance, that hardware store in the distance looked promising.

“Kids, let’s go over there.”

“The hardware store?”

“Yeah, while we’re at it, we can get some new tools.”

I swung the monkey wrench I was holding.

The tools had suffered a lot, so it was time to replace them with new ones.

Ki-hyun nodded.

Jinwoo also looked at the iron pipe he was holding and then nodded.

“Sounds good. I could use a decent tool too.”

He had completely adapted to external exploration.

I remember how he used to tremble all over when he first fought zombies, and now it made me feel proud.

‘If only he didn’t read those weird comics….’

Maybe I was being too sensitive, but Jinwoo seemed to collect more strange comics each day.

Especially after returning from external explorations.

‘Is he collecting them without me knowing?’

I cast a suspicious glance at him, and Jinwoo tilted his head, noticing my gaze.

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

Hmm, his innocent face didn’t seem like it was lying.

I guess I should keep an eye on him.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Pushing aside my random thoughts, we headed for the hardware store.

The shopping district was so dilapidated that we occasionally saw zombies.

“Let’s take care of these now. It’ll be a hassle to deal with them later when the weather warms up.”

Crack-!

I casually put down a zombie and spoke.

The kids then dealt with the nearby zombies.

Crunch-!
T h i s w a s c o p ie d fro m k i n gmt l . o r g

The incident at the hospital had been too big.

The zombies’ paths were all tangled up, making it a complete mess despite having cleared the alley before.

‘Damn bastard.’
T h i s w a s c o pi e d fr o m k i n g m tl. or g

The Artist’s smirking face came to mind, making me feel annoyed.

While thinking that, I moved and reached the hardware store.

“Just three places. We’ll check three places. If we can’t find it here, it’s really gone.”

I felt sorry for Hyesung, but there was nothing else I could do.

Finding oil was tough, even for me, and clinging to a low-possibility task was inefficient.

It was more productive to use that time to find snacks.

Rattle-.

Entering the hardware store, the smell of metal filled the air.

Scattered around were metal items that were once used as daily necessities.

And tools.

“I’ll go check for a heater. You guys look for some tools.”

“Okay.”

Jinwoo and Ki-hyun headed for different shelves.

I watched them for a moment before heading for a side door in the hardware store.

When the store was in operation, the owner probably rested inside.

It likely had a structure similar to a home.

Before opening the door, I pressed my ear against it to check for sounds inside, then made some noise with the monkey wrench.

“Groan….”

“Someone’s here.”

Seemed like someone was inside.

‘Just one sound.’

Probably an elderly person living alone.

Without hesitation, I opened the door.

And confronted an elderly zombie in the middle of the room.

Crack-!

“I’m here for fuel!”

The zombie’s head rolled off.

The rotten head rolled into a corner of the room.

I gave a short nod of respect to the deceased and surveyed the room.

A fat television sat on a roughly built shelf.

Next to it were work clothes hanging on a rack, and there was a refrigerator on the other side.

‘The rotten smell is coming from there.’

A foul odor different from the rotting corpse filled the room.

It was probably from spoiled food after the power went out.

I pinched my nose and breathed through my mouth as I checked the room.

At the end, I finally found a heater.

As expected, it was a kerosene heater.

‘Let’s see….’

If there was fuel, I’d need to take the entire tank.

The monkey wrench, finally doing its job, helped me disassemble the heater.

Creak-.

The monkey wrench, soon to be retired, used its last bit of strength to open the heater.

And inside.
T h i s w a s co p ie d f r o m ki n g m t l .or g

“…Oh.”

I felt stunned.

“This really has fuel?”

The tank was more than half full.

A thought came to mind.

I glanced at the elderly zombie.

‘…Makes sense. If he was still in this room, no one else had found this place.’

If there was a heater, it was natural to have fuel.

I had been too pessimistic.

A smile spread across my face at the thought of achieving my goal.

Excitement tingled up my spine.

“Kids, I found it!”

I spoke in a not-too-loud voice.

The kids quickly ran over to me.

“Really? You found it?”

“Is there? How much? Can we use it for a while?”

Questions came rapidly.

I shook the disassembled tank.

“If we only use it when it’s really cold, it’ll last a month.”

The kids’ faces brightened.

Ki-hyun’s expression, in particular, stood out.

Well, she was the most sensitive to cold among the kids, so it was an expected reaction.

The harvest was good.

We could head home now.

We didn’t urgently need anything, and the kids deserved a break after being so busy lately.

As I was about to speak.

Booooom-!

A loud bell rang in the shopping district.

The kids and I froze.

First, the sound, echoing everywhere, naturally startled us.
T h i s wa s co p i e d f r o m k i ngm tl . o r g

I had a second reason.

Why wouldn’t I?

I knew this bell sound very well.

Booooom-!

The loud sound shook the earth.

Along with it, I felt the presence of others.

I pulled the kids into a hug.

In a whisper, I said.

“Shh-.”

This wa s co p i e d fr o m k i ng mt l . o r g
The kids held their breath.

Thump-.

Thump-.

My heart pounded wildly.

Realizing their identity made my head feel like it was burning with anger.

T h i s w as c op i e d fr o m k i n g mt l . or g
Hiding behind the door, I peeked out at the street.

There was a procession of people passing by.

All of them were draped in black cloths and had wooden crosses around their necks.

‘…Fanatics.’

Fanatics.

Members of the “Eternal Pilgrimage Church” founded by the Priest.
T h is wa s c o p i e d f r o m k ing m t l .o rg

They were the ones who had become the most active since the apocalypse.

They had targeted and destroyed Seoul’s infrastructure and research facilities.

Enemies of everyone surviving in this ruined world, they had also torn my mentor to pieces.

End of Chapter