Apocalypse Tyrant

“…Those were truly golden words that will become flesh and blood, Director!”

Ko Janghun’s voice quietly flowing in while descending the internal stairs.

“I will definitely use the Director’s words as a guiding light and properly set fire to this body for the camp! No—! I’m already setting fire, Director!”

When I slightly turned my head, he was expressing a cauldron of emotion with his slit eyes and features.

Acting with soul put into it to the point where even I was confused whether it was flattery or sincerity now.

I lightly opened the 5th floor door while appreciating his passionate performance that was somehow more creepy if not acting.

Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!

I examined the quite unfamiliar 5th floor view while listening to the footsteps of the search and strike team members still diligently stomping their feet.

The 5th floor completely changed from when I stopped by to deal with remaining zombies inside the library.

Squeak—!

I opened the graduate student reading room occupying the largest part of the 5th floor and examined the interior.

The interior of the graduate student reading room packed with cubicle desks befitting the name reading room.

The memory of specialized textbooks still filling the floor and desks and training the search teams here was clear.

But all those many cubicle desks that zombies had to collide with dozens of times while rushing had completely disappeared.

Partitions dividing the spatial margin gained like that at regular intervals.

Step— step—

I slowly looked around the graduate student reading room with partitions obtained from department offices etc. erected regularly.

Cots and blankets arranged in each space between partitions.

The surplus furniture remaining after first filling the 6th floor was already full of traces of life.

“The camp members?”

A question recognizing the camp members not visible at all in contrast.

Ko Janghun following behind me hurriedly answered.

“The camp members are waiting for the Director’s inspection on the 4th floor.”

4th floor.

I lightly nodded at Ko Janghun’s answer and looked around the graduate student reading room, no, now the camp member dormitory again.

A structure changed to the point that those visiting this space for the first time would absolutely not associate it with being a graduate student reading room.

Heavy labor among heavy labor not easily attempted with ordinary effort.

A kind of manual labor work of completely removing all the cubicle desks that filled this place and moving them to the basement, and orderly arranging the furniture obtained from the College of Education inside.

It would have been quite unfamiliar high-intensity labor for ordinary college students.

And that high-intensity labor is still continuing in progress.

Because the camp members who completed the 5th floor as Ko Janghun mentioned would be continuously working on the 4th floor right after.

“Shall I send someone to gather them here?”

I lightly shook my head at Ko Janghun’s casual question.

It was a bit too much to give another speech to the camp members right after just giving a speech-like speech on the 6th floor.

“Let’s inspect the 4th floor last, where’s the dining hall for now?”
“Yes. We remodeled the rare book archive opposite the dormitory into the dining hall.”

I opened the door of the rare book archive opposite the camp dormitory and started inspecting it the same as the dormitory.

Tables and chairs extending long on the cleanly emptied space.

I thoroughly looked around the space where camp members gather to eat meals.

The camp dining hall too clean to be called a dining space, perhaps because I had announced the full inspection.

I roughly scanned the sparkling tables and chairs then slowly closed the dining hall door again.

Thud—!

“They’re doing the rationing and dishwashing properly, right?”
“Yes. Every morning, search team members distribute 2 ration tickets to camp members. Among them, camp members who want cigarettes are given cigarettes instead of ration tickets.”

Food rationing is done 2 times a day.

It’s carried out in the morning and evening excluding lunch, and ration tickets provided by the camp must be presented to receive rations.

The tickets were crude tickets made from the overflowing paper in the library, but we prevented minimum forgery by selecting and stamping what seemed to be a library staff stamp.

It’s true the situation would become quite awkward if someone deliberately forged them, but no camp members committing such bold acts have appeared yet.

Of course, I was fully willing to show them to everyone as a very good example if caught by me.

“Also, dishwashing is carried out daily with only the designated liters of water through assigned duties.”
“Good. They’re not doing things like buying and selling tickets yet, right?”
“Yes. Acts of exchanging tickets for other items or buying and selling have not occurred yet.”

Yeah. They probably don’t have leisure for such nonsense while suffering from heavy labor all day.

There shouldn’t be idiots giving their precious tickets to fill constantly growling hungry stomachs to someone else either.

But it’s hard to say if the situation improves a bit more.

Bastards wanting something else instead of skipping a meal will definitely appear.

Female camp members selling their bodies for ration tickets naturally came to mind just thinking a bit deeply.

If we increase the types that can be received instead of ration tickets like cigarettes and other daily necessities, such examples would explode even more.

“Hmm—”

I slowly scratched my forehead and continued thinking.

This is quite a complex issue to decide in a short time.

There were quite a few bothersome aspects visible to rashly prohibit transactions through tickets.

“For now, maintain this system as is.”
“Yes, Director.”

Putting this issue off a bit and finishing the things to do today first was the priority.

Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!

The foot stomping of the search and strike teams quietly waiting for Ko Janghun and me started again.

I quietly stared at the 4th floor we were passing for now while descending to the next floor through the internal stairs.

The camp ‘executives’ of sorts settled on the 6th floor and the general camp members who would be diligently laboring on the 4th floor now.

Both of them were important to me to firmly establish the ruling system.

If I inspired a sense of belonging and superiority in the executives on the 6th floor, the general camp members on the 4th floor would need a similar stimulus.

I slowly organized in my mind what to say to the 4th floor camp members while descending the stairs.

The most important thing is that they must be made to resign and conform.

To do that, I must be established as a special being in their minds.

A superior and great being that’s natural to be above them.

What’s needed above all for me to be deeply imprinted in their minds like that is ‘repetition’.

Violence, conversation, speeches, pressure, etc.

I had to deeply root it in their minds by evenly repeating in various ways.

The perception that I am a better being than them, to the point of thinking it’s very natural to follow my words.

I’ve mainly used violence and pressure so far, so I just need to use speech today.

I could continue this speech-like speech over and over if I could buy their loyalty with just a few simple words.

Library 3rd and 2nd floors.

I slowly examined the not so neat view and structure, perhaps because I had just inspected the 5th floor completely transformed into dormitories and dining hall.

But there was no messy feeling since the camp members had been worked quite long after securing the 2nd floor.

I lightly scanned the area that would become the shelter for new camp members if we secure them later, then descended to the 1st floor.

Squeak—!

The wide lobby entering my view as soon as I opened the internal connecting door and two camp members stiffly frozen.

They seemed to have already corrected their postures long ago and were waiting for me at the footsteps echoing thud thud— through the library.

Thud—!

“Well, you’re working hard.”
“Not at all, Director!”
“That’s right! It’s not hard at all!”

Shouts bursting out like instruments as soon as I tapped their shoulders.

Two chairs and blunt weapons placed on the table in front.

And a drum barrel obtained from somewhere I don’t know full of paper books.

I thoroughly looked around the 1st floor passing by the drum barrel that seemed to be for illuminating the darkness during the night.

Bookshelves connected in long lines and blackout curtains.

I quietly rolled my tongue thinking of the two lines of vehicle barricades that would be beyond that.

We’ve secured almost all university buildings close to the library, so it’s now gradually becoming impossible to move obtained items on foot.

“Sort out a few vehicles outside that are in relatively good condition and can be started.”
“Yes, Director.”

I pointed at the lobby with my iron pipe and continued speaking.

“And gather all usable bicycles or motorcycles in the lobby.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Ah— Did you find someone who knows how to drain fuel?”

Ko Janghun nodded his head several times as if he had been waiting for my question.

“Yes. We’ve secured a camp member who says he can drain fuel using the siphon principle if there’s just a long hose. He says he learned from his father—”

…What principle?

I waved my hand long at Ko Janghun about to go on another long-winded speech.

“Then tell him to drain some fuel from the overflowing cars here and store it. It will be useful later.”
“Yes, Director.”

I passed by Ko Janghun hurriedly taking out his notebook and scribbling something, and opened the internal stairway door again.

Squeak—!

I took in the last remaining floor while ascending the stairs I had just descended.

4th floor.

The last floor where general camp members would be waiting for me.

Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!

I gently opened the 4th floor door while listening to the foot stomping echoing noisily even while ascending stairs.

A somewhat unsettled atmosphere welcoming me along with the creaking hinge sound.

“You’ve come, Director!”

I sent a faint smile to the two I was seeing after quite a long time.

Those two seemed to be supervising the 4th floor camp members’ labor.

General camp members who had stopped 4th floor remodeling in advance and were waiting for me in long lines.

I thoroughly— scanned their lines much thicker than the 6th floor executives.

It was vividly felt that the general camp members were quietly avoiding my gaze with tense faces.

Thud—! Thud—!

Those startled by the faint vibration each time the iron pipe hit my thigh.

I slowly nodded my head at the reaction not much different from the 6th floor camp members.

If I instilled a sense of superiority in them—

I had to instill desire in these people.

“Is it very hard?”
“……”

No one readily opened their mouths at my gentle question.

Thud—! Thud—!

I kept tapping my thigh with the iron pipe and slowly strolled the 4th floor.

I suddenly let out an empty laugh while scanning the long line of general camp members as if taking a walk.

“Well— While the 6th floor camp members are probably napping or lightly gathering for small talk at this time, you all are—”

Words drawn out long without finishing and slightly narrowed pupils.

Eyes mixed with pity and disdain scanned up and down the camp members drenched in sweat.

And the faces of camp members meeting that gaze naturally stiffened.

“You must feel quite unfair. Especially those bastards who think they’re not much different from the 6th floor camp members.”

And—

“That thought isn’t completely wrong.”

I calmly acknowledged and continued speaking to the general camp members.

“Rather, there may be many people here with more outstanding abilities than the 6th floor camp members.”

“The reason you are doing odd jobs here on the 4th floor while the 6th floor camp members are comfortably resting is only one.”

The only difference between the 6th floor and 4th floor is one thing.

“Unlike the 6th floor camp members, there’s no trust between us yet.”

“And trust isn’t something that can be built in such a short time. Trust is completed through very long time and effort.”

“What’s more important here isn’t the time to build trust, but the effort to build trust.”

“Anyone can just stay in the camp for a long time.”

“A long-term part-timer doesn’t become family just because the employment relationship continues long.”

I met eyes with Sung Jaehee listening to my words in the middle of the ranks.

A female camp member who joined my camp earlier than most camp members here, but tasted miserable humiliation as an ‘example’ for rebelling against orders.

She was still staying on the lower floors, not the 6th floor.

“What’s the problem if trust doesn’t build even as time passes?”

I asked Sung Jaehee but also asked all the general camp members.

“Of course it means you didn’t make efforts to build trust. Part-timers receive the same wages whether they work hard or not.”

“No one works while caring about someone else’s house sales. That’s—”

I dragged out my words again and gathered everyone’s attention.

“Unless it’s their own house.”

“The attitude towards a house to stay temporarily and one’s new house would be as different as heaven and earth.”

“And that shows in your actions as a sign that can’t be hidden.”

“You are on the lower floors because you didn’t show me that sign.”

Thud—! Thud—!

I kept tapping the iron pipe and raised my voice to everyone.

“Prove to me that this place has become your new house, not a house to stay temporarily.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do if it’s making your new house safer and more abundant.”

For example, working harder than anyone—

Providing skills and techniques needed for the camp—

Reporting those who slander or endanger our new house to me—

Voice becoming smaller and more subtle as I gave more examples.

The general camp members were very quietly listening to my words.

“Whatever that effort is, if it’s sincere, I absolutely won’t treat that effort carelessly.”

I stopped walking and took in everyone.

After briefly pausing my words, I calmly continued speaking again.

“The world has already ended too clearly, and we may be people who boarded Noah’s Ark, if not Adam and Eve.”

The library, a far too small ark.

Far too few people settled inside it.

“Noah isn’t me here.”

“It’s not you either.”

“Making the ship sturdy and safe isn’t you or me, but us.”

I showed one finger to them.

“Just one thing I can clearly tell you is that the ship will gradually get bigger and new people will continue boarding the ark, if not monkeys and horses.”

As the ark becomes more enormous—

“The process of building trust won’t become easier, but more complex and difficult.”

In that sense, you are lucky.

Because you can contemplate for a very long time whether to go up or stay here.

“What’s needed to go up isn’t money and life. It’s trust and effort you can already sufficiently give me.”

I slowly caught my breath then added words.

“To add one thing, this isn’t coercion. Since outside is such hell, people should be able to live decently here at least.”

“I have no intention of giving disadvantages to camp members who diligently do what they’re told well. I don’t want to force more intense labor than this either.”

However—

“If you want more than that, if you want to enjoy more than that, show me more effort than that.”

I alternately stared at the search and strike teams lined up behind me and the general camp members lined up in front.

Appearances that can instantly distinguish who’s from the lower floors just from lightly examining.

I quietly murmured while taking in the general camp members already drenched in sweat from early morning.

“Remember.”

All I want is just effort.