Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 94

One week.

The time remaining until the war between Dongdaemun and the Eternal Pilgrimage Church.

'Honestly, calling it a war is a stretch—it's just a few gunfights, and that's it.'

Wars after the apocalypse are fights between primitive men armed with guns.

No matter how much they use supplies, strategies, and gunpowder, it was inevitable.

It's because there are so few beings left in Seoul to even call human.

'The overall pattern would be skirmishes, with key areas being the bridges spanning the river.'

The quickest route connecting Dongdaemun and Gangnam directly across the river.

Dongdaemun will be desperate to block that route, while the Eternal Pilgrimage Church will go all out to break through.

In reality, it was a disadvantageous fight for Dongdaemun, as they were outnumbered in forces.

However, I did not want a one-sided outcome.

'If we're going to do this, mutual destruction would be best.'

"Whew... This is killing me."

I patted my back and looked around.

The Han River stretched before my eyes, emitting a cold, dazzling light.

The blowing wind was bitterly cold, and somewhere in the distance, the armies of both sides were holding their positions.

One could call it the calm before the storm.

I mocked the armies posturing on both sides and stepped away from the Han River.

'The explosives are set....'

Under Jamsil Bridge, Yeongdong Bridge, and Olympic Bridge, I attached bombs everywhere.

I placed them in spots they wouldn't dare approach. When the war intensifies and the bridges are full of people, detonating them would paint quite a dramatic picture.

The reason I attached the explosives a week early was simple.

'Just blowing up the bridges won't end the war.'

If there were no bridges, they could opt to cross using boats.

Whether it was Dongdaemun or those cultists, the desperate party would resort to that method, even at the cost of troop losses.

By the time the war reaches that stage, both sides would concentrate their forces along the river.

What does this mean?

In short, Dongdaemun would end up as an unguarded house.

That's when the Mapo Shelter will act.

As previously agreed, when the battlefield reaches such a state, they will mobilize their forces stationed in Jongno to attack Dongdaemun.

A fight between Dongdaemun, left with only non-combat personnel and minimal defenses, and the fully armed Mapo Shelter that will attack without warning.

Moreover, the Mapo Shelter has the support of the Old Man and Juyeong, and they have maps of Dongdaemun's interior passed to them.

The outcome is so obvious, it's laughable.

While they're busy looting the unguarded house, I, too, will have my own tasks to attend to.

'There are too many cultists.'

The Mapo Shelter will handle the empty Dongdaemun.

That leaves me with only one concern—to clean up these cultists who have conveniently gathered in one place.

Clink-.

The old hideout in Jongno.

I entered the place and pulled out a weapon I hadn't touched since coming here with Gihyun, one I had resolved to leave buried forever.

A slender, elongated barrel and a menacing shell.

I laughed to myself as I looked at it.

'It's a magic wand, you bastards.'

The thing slung over my shoulder had once been like a brother to me.

It was an anti-tank weapon—a rocket launcher.

*

Back at the hotel after finishing my preparations, I faced an awkward situation.

"Take me with you."

It was Gihyun, who approached me as I inspected the cannon taken from the floor below the penthouse.

His words carried none of his usual languidness.

His eyes, sharply raised, were fully alert, and even the blanket he always wrapped himself in was nowhere to be seen today.

"I'm coming with you this time."

His tone left no room for disagreement, and I found myself speechless.

Of course, I should have said no, but a thought occurred to me, and I couldn't.

'...I can't protect him forever.'

In the post-apocalyptic world, zombies weren't the only enemies.

There existed groups of humans just as dangerous... or perhaps even more dangerous than zombies.

To say he was too young to learn about war or that I would teach him later—this world was far too harsh for that.

'...Should I teach him a little?'

This time, the task was relatively low-risk.

It wasn't about sneaking into enemy lines or fighting in the middle of a battlefield filled with bullets and explosives—it was just bombarding from a distance.

Just pulling a trigger and showing where to aim to crush the enemy—that was all.

It wouldn't hurt to teach him.

No, honestly, it was necessary.

'He needs to start learning.'

As I was about to agree with such thoughts lingering in my head—

Hesitation-.

It was only then that something I had missed came to mind.

'...Wait a second.'

I had overlooked something so obvious that I couldn't understand why I missed it.

A sense of crisis welled up.

This wasn't what was important right now.

It wasn't about the level of danger, the flow of the war, or the placement of the explosives.

What I hadn't considered as I thought only of the risks—

What I hadn't factored in until the moment I was about to answer—

'...Killing.'

I was about to teach Gihyun how to kill.

That was how desensitized I had become to killing.

*

On the rooftop, after sending Gihyun away.

I frowned deeply, reflecting on myself.

'Since when?'

Since when had it been this way?

Where did I become so numb to killing?

Blaming the circumstances wasn't an acceptable excuse.

There's a world of difference between being desensitized to my own actions of killing and being desensitized enough to teach it to someone else.

Simply put, I had just now realized my sense of morality had become flawed.

'Was it when I started cleaning up cultists?'

Up until three years after the apocalypse?

No, back then, I was always mindful of what killing meant.

Then was it during the two years of rest afterward?

'No.'

Not then either.

During that time, I was too busy figuring out how to survive each day, let alone kill.

There was only one answer.

'...After meeting the kids.'

Ever since I had an excuse for my killings.

Ever since I could add a reason, saying it was for the kids.

It was from that time that I became numb.

I ran my hand over my face.

'Dangerous.'

I knew.

That once you crossed the line, morality could crumble in an instant.

How disgusting those who turned into scum could become.

There was no need to look far.

The very representatives of people who lost their minds justifying murder were those cult fanatics.

I exhaled deeply, overwhelmed by the sudden sense of crisis.

Then concerns came to mind.

'Should I stop?'

Should I now just get rid of all the explosives and everything else?

Should I hide behind the Mapo Shelter and live quietly?

That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but it was a hard decision.

'The reason the kids haven't been exposed so far is because of my reputation.'

Blacklist Bomberman.

Setting aside the ridiculousness of the name, even I knew that its notoriety in Seoul was second to none.

I also knew that anyone associated with me met a bad end, which was why no one dared enter Seodaemun.

'If I remain silent, those who remember me will dwindle.'

People are creatures that grow endlessly complacent about realities they do not face.

Even if there are those who fear me now, the longer I remain silent, the hazier my existence will become in their minds.

Someday, there will even be people who dismiss my infamy as mere exaggeration.

'By then, it will be too late.'

The moment it is revealed that I have a weakness, I will no longer be an uncontrollable lunatic to them.

The top priority of humans who had grudges against me would become the kids.

'How...'

I pondered deeply for quite a while, but no clear solution came to mind.

My stomach churned unpleasantly, but with war imminent, there was only one thing I could do.

I ground my teeth.

'...I can't stop.'

I must not stop.

Even if repeated killings left me morally deficient, I had to uphold this name.

Only then could I protect the kids.

With such thoughts, I bowed my head deeply and sighed.

My stomach throbbed.

Yes, I understood this reason.

'...No.'

Upon closer reflection, it wasn't that there were no solutions.

'The problem is that my act of protecting the kids has become my excuse.'

My excuse is the kids.

I tell myself that I kill to protect the kids, to remain a reliable guardian to them.

This is not something I understand logically but is a psychological defense mechanism formed unconsciously.

In that case, isn't the solution obvious?

'I must exploit that defense mechanism.'

I needed to create a situation where I could convince myself that I was not someone who took killing lightly.

In other words, a child needed to witness my killings.

If a child were by my side, I could not kill so indifferently, even to set an example.

I had to choose.

To protect my moral boundary, would I kill in front of Gihyun, or should I abandon my morality to avoid introducing the concept of murder to the kids?

Either way, it was a dreadful choice for me.