A faction ruled by the police.
As expected, they were still expanding their influence based on the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.
Basing their actions on the constitution meant that, at the very least, basic human rights were protected within this faction.
And having those rights guaranteed meant I could grow and develop in a stable environment.
For now, this seemed like the best possible hideout for me.
While facing off with the police, we managed to join them without much trouble.
Honestly, from the moment I first saw them, I thought it wouldn’t be hard to get inside their ranks.
The police were gathering survivors from the streets, and we were among those they found during their patrol.
Of course, that didn’t mean there were no problems at all.
The Detective Sergeant walking ahead glanced back and spoke to Jae Hee.
“…Still, please be careful with that sword. Inside the police station, you must never let it be seen. Understood?”
He was talking to Jae Hee, but she didn’t seem interested in what he was saying.
Seeing her reaction, the Detective Sergeant gave a small shake of his head and walked on ahead.
The police station wasn’t far from here.
The moment I saw it, I let out a small sigh.
A massive wall.
The retaining wall circling the hill around the police station looked just like the ramparts of a fortress.
There were villas and studio apartments nearby, but nothing as large as the police station.
The police station was the clear center of control for this area.
The Detective Sergeant approached the barricade at the main entrance of the police station.
A Police Constable saluted him.
“Loyalty. Good work, sir.”
Just as I thought.
The fact that they were still saluting meant they were still following regulations.
The entrance was surrounded by several layers of barricades.
These weren’t the makeshift ones we’d built at the mall, but factory-made steel barricades.
A few Police Constables stood guard behind the barricades.
After checking us over, the Police Constable immediately opened the barricade.
“Please, come this way.”
The Detective Sergeant led the way, guiding me, Jae Hee, and the other survivors.
There were a lot of police officers.
They were all armed, some with guns, others with expandable batons.
Before entering the police station, the Detective Sergeant stopped everyone.
“We’ll be conducting a quick search of your belongings. This is for everyone’s safety inside, so please cooperate.”
A few Police Constables approached to check our things.
At that moment, Jae Hee looked back at me, as if asking for my opinion.
I nodded.
I had no intention of making them my enemies right now.
If I wanted to use them, I’d have to earn their trust first.
Two male officers came over and frisked me.
On Jae Hee’s side, a female police officer approached her.
The female officer soon found the sword and pointed at it.
“You can’t bring this inside.”
Not knowing any better, the female officer tried to take it away, but Jae Hee irritably slapped her hand aside.
The moment Jae Hee moved, the surrounding officers instantly drew their guns and aimed them at her.
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
Just then, the Detective Sergeant who’d brought us here waved his hand to calm the officers.
“It’s fine. I gave her permission to carry it.”
“But, sir…?”
One of the officers, still aiming his gun, asked. The Detective Sergeant looked Jae Hee over and replied,
“She seems like she’d be a good fit for the Reconnaissance Team. Every person is valuable right now. Lower your weapons.”
At his words, the officers, though suspicious, carefully lowered their guns.
Only then did Jae Hee take her hand off the sword’s hilt.
“Let’s head up. You must be hungry, right? We’ll get you something to eat.”
At the mention of food, a few people’s faces brightened.
We followed the Detective Sergeant up toward the police station.
* * *
Manan Police Station had five floors above ground and two basement levels.
The rescued civilians lived on the second through fourth floors.
First, we were taken up to the fifth floor for a brief interview.
It was a meaningless investigation.
They asked what things were like outside, whether we’d had any contact with the government, and if we’d encountered any monsters.
Zion and Jae Hee both answered “No” to every question, without wavering.
Then, following the Detective Sergeant, they moved to their assigned living quarters.
They went down to the second floor.
The part of the police station that used to handle civil complaints had now become a place for civilians to live.
At a glance, there were well over two hundred people crammed into a space that looked to be about 330 square meters.
Men and women, young and old.
If there was ever a time to use that phrase, it was now.
People had spread out makeshift bedding, and some had even managed to put together small tents.
Somewhere, someone was heating water on a gas burner, and children who’d lost their parents were huddled together in a corner, watching the new arrivals.
With the cold pressing in, people curled up tightly, shivering.
They looked just like baby birds waiting for their mother on the edge of a cliff.
Even as we walked, we had to watch our step.
People’s belongings were scattered everywhere.
“The second through fourth floors are being used by civilians, and the fifth floor is where our police officers stay. For now, this is all the space we’ve been able to secure, but we’re hoping to get more in the future. Of course, that depends on how much the Reconnaissance Team can manage. You two will be using this spot. Since you’re siblings, sharing a space shouldn’t be an issue… you’re okay with that, right?”
The Detective Sergeant pointed out a cramped spot for them under the fire hose cabinet by the stairs to the second floor.
Next to them was an elderly couple, in front of them were some young men, and to the right were two orphans.
It was so cramped you couldn’t even stretch your legs out fully.
And you had to live packed in right next to complete strangers.
The conditions were truly miserable.
“As for the bathrooms, we control access. Here, take these.”
The Detective Sergeant handed Zion two plastic sticks.
One was red, the other blue.
He handed Jae Hee two sticks as well.
“When you want to use the bathroom, hand the blue stick to the officer in charge. The red stick is for meal distribution—give it to us when it’s time to eat.”
“So we only get one meal and one bathroom break a day?”
Zion looked down at the sticks and asked.
The Detective Sergeant nodded in response.
“Yes. That’s how we’re controlling things. Food is running low, but the bathroom situation is even more serious…”
The Detective Sergeant closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
Back when they were at the mall, they could use the bathroom freely.
That was because, until then, the city’s water supply hadn’t stopped.
But now that Round 2 had started, it seemed the water had finally been cut off.
“The water isn’t running, is it?”
Zion glanced past the Detective Sergeant toward the bathroom.
Just as the Detective Sergeant had said, two police officers were stationed by the bathroom.
When civilians wanted to use it, they had to hand over the blue stick.
Even though each person could only use the bathroom once a day, the line still stretched long.
“We’re melting snow to get water for now. But even that’s a huge manpower issue.”
“……”
Zion listened to the Detective Sergeant and thought.
Well, with snow covering everything, there shouldn’t really be a water shortage.
But the problem was that it took people to melt all that snow, and those people were being wasted on such pointless work.
Being able to use the bathroom was the bare minimum for maintaining human dignity.
Even with things this bad, no one wanted to bare themselves and relieve themselves outside.
Because they were still human.
That was one right they couldn’t give up.
But none of it really resonated with Zion.
“Every morning at 6:30, we do a headcount and roll call. Those two sticks will be handed out again at roll call, so keep that in mind. Everyone’s cramped, everyone’s struggling. Please hang in there a bit longer, and let’s get through this together.”
“Are the civilians here not doing anything?”
Zion called out to the Detective Sergeant as he was walking away.
The Detective Sergeant turned back to look at Zion.
“For now, that’s the case.”
The Detective Sergeant waited for Zion to say more.
But Zion just frowned, staring at something up ahead.
Zion peered at it for a moment, then turned to the Detective Sergeant and said,
“Alright.”
Zion and Jae Hee exchanged a few quiet words.
The Detective Sergeant watched them for a moment, then moved on.
* * *
5F, Police Officers’ Quarters.
“Chief, are you saying that woman really had a real sword?”
Without responding to the young Police Lieutenant, Detective Sergeant Lee Cheongchun climbed up to the fifth floor, taking off his police cap as he went.
He sat down in a chair and leaned back, looking worn out.
Manan Police Station, 5th floor.
Just like the civilian quarters, the floor here was covered with bedding.
Men and women alike were huddled together, sleeping or resting close to each other.
The police officers were also assigned two sticks each, and had to hand one in whenever they wanted food or needed to use the bathroom.
This was an order from the police chief.
Detective Sergeant Lee Cheongchun leaned back in his chair for a moment to rest, then sat up.
Creak—
The chair’s hinges squealed loudly.
The young Police Lieutenant spoke up to Cheongchun.
“Chief, I’m asking if that woman really had a real sword?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t she dangerous? Why did you let someone like that in?”
The young Police Lieutenant followed behind Detective Sergeant Lee Cheongchun.
Cheongchun headed to the office storage area set up in one corner of the office.
There was no door, and the entrance was blocked off with a desk.
To receive food rations, everyone had to hand in a red stick here.
Detective Sergeant Lee Cheongchun was no exception.
He placed a stick on the table, and the Police Constable sitting across from him took it and set some bread and a PET bottle of water on the table.
Cheongchun took the bread and water and returned to his seat.
The young Police Lieutenant, still by his side, kept chattering away noisily.
“Chief, what if she ends up like that crazy psycho from two days ago?”
Two days ago.
Two young men discovered by the Manan Police Station Reconnaissance Team while searching for survivors had caused a violent incident here.
Because of the stabbing, two people died and four were injured.
The two young men are now locked up in the detention center on the first basement floor.
The Police Lieutenant was worried, mindful of how that incident had lowered morale at the station.
Lee Cheongchun sat down and chewed his bread.
A family photo sat in one corner of his desk.
Cheongchun looked at the photo and took a sip of water.
It was water they’d collected by melting snow and filling PET bottles one by one.
The Police Lieutenant placed both hands on Cheongchun’s desk and spoke to him, sounding a bit irritable.
“Chief… please…! Seriously, what should we do?”
“Team Leader. After twenty years as a cop, you can tell just by looking into someone’s eyes. Whether they’ll harm us… or help us.”
“Sigh… Chief! That’s just your intuition.”
“That’s right, Team Leader. Would you trust my intuition—honed over twenty years?”
Cheongchun munched on his bread as he looked up at the young Police Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant looked frustrated.
He’d only been at the station for a year, a young officer who’d come straight from the academy.
His rank was higher than Cheongchun’s, but Cheongchun had far more experience.
The young Police Lieutenant lifted his cap and scratched his head vigorously.
Every time he scratched, dandruff fell in flakes.
No one had washed in a long time.
No one cared about things like hygiene anymore.
After thinking for a moment, the Police Lieutenant cautiously asked Cheongchun,
“You’re not planning to bring her onto the Reconnaissance Team, are you?”
“I am. I’m bringing her onto the Reconnaissance Team.”
“…What?”
The Police Lieutenant stared at Cheongchun in shock, but Cheongchun finished his bread, closed his eyes, and got ready to rest.
“Chief. Chief…?”
Without a word, Cheongchun put his feet up on the desk and fell asleep.
He’d been on duty for fourteen hours straight.
Cheongchun didn’t bother fighting off the sleep that overtook him.
“Sigh—.”
The young Police Lieutenant let out a deep sigh as he looked at Cheongchun.
* * *
I took Jae Hee with me and headed to a stairwell where there weren’t many people.
I described what I was seeing in front of me, and she looked at me in surprise and asked,
“A Quest Window?”
It was a window that no one else could see.
I looked at it calmly and replied,
“Yeah. A Quest Window.”
“Is it for a World Boss or a Hidden Dungeon? What kind is it? No, wait—what color is the border?”
Jae Hee rattled off a bunch of terms I didn’t recognize.
She looked genuinely flustered.
“…Gold.”
“Gold?”
She rested her chin on her hand, as if searching her memory, and fell into thought.
It seemed Jae Hee didn’t know about the window either.
Maybe in my previous life, I’d deliberately kept it from her.
But the Quest Window in front of me was real.
It wasn’t something created by an administrator or a third party—it was a personal quest given only to me.
My eyes kept going back to the reward section written in the Quest Window.
“What does it say?”
Jae Hee asked again, and after hesitating for a moment, I answered.
I figured there was no reason not to tell Jae Hee.
But this quest was definitely a huge advantage for me.
“The quest is…”
(To be continued in the next chapter)
