Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Protein, Only Protein

***
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m kin gm tl.org

Time of pain and humiliation.

There were no better words to describe the past few days.

-Seokho, I want to eat meat.

-What? Oh, come on! Meat, really…

-Stupid Seokho.

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-Stu… what?

Helen’s attitude had become unruly since she found out the truth about me.

-Guitar.

-Huh?

-Guitar string. One broke.

-You want me to fix it?

-Don’t think you’re getting it easy. I’m just telling you it’s broken.

Ki-hyun started using me as her pawn, leveraging the bet’s reward.

That wasn’t all.

I saw pity in Dabin’s eyes whenever she looked at me.

Dayoon no longer asked me anything.

“Tree!”

Hyesung had learned the word ‘tree.’

…Yes, this was my own doing.

Why are humans so foolish?

If I had lost honestly and fairly, I wouldn’t have fallen this far, but I didn’t think of that in my impatience.

“Tree!”

I looked up at Hyesung, who kept shouting ‘tree’ by my side.

Her face was bright and cheerful.

Even in these times, Hyesung remained by my side.

“Hyesung…!”

As I spread my arms, Hyesung ran over and hugged me.

“Tree!”

“Yes, tree. Hyesung is a tree.”

“Yes! Hyesung is an apple tree!”

Ah, my heart was healing.

It felt like all my sorrows were dissipating.

Yes, Hyesung is all I need.

Hyesung is the future.

As I rubbed my cheek against Hyesung’s in my swelling emotions, she giggled.

“It’s your beard!”

“It tickles?”

“It’s scratchy!”

My heart melted.

***

Helen savored the jerky she had obtained after a struggle, feeling a sense of elation.

Though it wasn’t the tender fresh meat she usually ate, it was still something.

Compared to the damned canned beans she constantly forgot, this was a feast.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Helen thought about how she had ended up like this and then erased those thoughts.
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“This is so good.”

After the apocalypse, it had been a long time since she felt human warmth, so the menu wasn’t that important.

Everything Helen loved… no, everything except meat was here.

The children’s laughter, a cozy roof, and the warmth of people who loved each other.

In her mind, what humanity needed most was here.

Seokho might seem foolish as a leader, but it was fine.

Despite that, he had a sense of responsibility and was a just person who couldn’t overlook wrongdoing.

She was willing to follow someone like that.

Crack.

Helen bit off a piece of jerky and wrapped it in the packaging.

Her gaze turned to Seokho, who was joking with a girl in the corner.

The bright appearance made it hard to believe he had been downcast for days.

Helen nodded in satisfaction, smiling.

“Seokho, you’re foolish, so I’ll help you.”

Helen realized she could offer more than just knowledge to these people.

***

She realized she couldn’t offer more.

“What?”

“No, lady, how are you going to find a lab kit here?”

“There is a lab in Seoul. They have everything!”

“Lab? Did you just say a lab? Lady, you don’t know how things work—those labs were all blown up by cultists. They just went boom!”

Helen was furious.

“Fuck!”

“Ah, that’s a word I know. In Korean, it’s ‘씨발,’ isn’t it?”

Even as Seokho rejoiced in understanding the word, Helen felt dizzy.

What was he saying?

How could humans destroy their own civilization and technology?

How could intelligent beings do such things?

As she pondered, Helen realized.
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“Cultists are monkeys. They have no intelligence.”

Helen’s whole body trembled.

An action born of despair.

Seokho, feeling awkward, patted her shoulder.

“Well, it’s unavoidable. Stay strong.”

“I can’t stay strong….”

“Jeez, but why do you need a lab kit?”

“To extract protein…. For nutrition….”

That was it.

Helen’s plan was to extract protein from the plants Hyesung was growing.

Of course, it didn’t eliminate the need for animal protein, but it was a worthwhile attempt to positively affect the children’s nutrition.

It didn’t stop there.

If conditions allowed, she could also extract oil from plants.

With oil, they could make fried or grilled foods.

But that was the end.

The plan, born of her passion for oily food and desire to help, collapsed before it even started.

“Uncle Park doesn’t have anything?”

“Mr. Park? The only thing he probably uses is for brewing alcohol.”

“Fuck….”

Helen was extremely saddened.

***

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I watched Helen walk away with a mixed feeling.

‘Why is she walking so dejectedly?’

Her slumped shoulders looked pitiful.

I wondered if she wanted protein that badly.

A surge of wanting to help her somehow rose within me, but it was beyond my control.

‘Even if the labs were intact, the shelters would have taken everything….’

That wasn’t all.

Given how persistent those guys were, just hearing the word ‘kit’ would make them organize an army to plunder it.

The same was true for the issue of meat.

It wasn’t that livestock didn’t exist in this world.

But for drifters like us, it was so rare that it might as well not exist.

Just think about how the large shelters only had fewer than ten pigs each.

Even chickens, easier to raise than pigs, were fewer than a hundred.

‘Mapo folks said they only had five pigs….’

As those thoughts crossed my mind, I suddenly realized.

‘…Wait, Mapo?’

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Currently, Mapo was controlled by that backstabber.

Moreover, the backstabber was afraid of me.

A lightning bolt struck my mind.

Plans appeared, then vanished.

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‘…This might work.’

Protein supply.

This might actually work.

***

Gi-chul walked with a sullen expression.

It wasn’t for any special reason.

Today was the day to clean out zombies in Seodaemun, and it was his turn, which filled him with dissatisfaction.

‘Why did my senior make that promise….’

His narrowed eyes turned to Hak-jong, walking beside him.

His mentor, now the new shelter leader.

Although he could have handled internal shelter affairs, he insisted on directly handling this task.

‘If you’re going to do it, do it alone.’

Though Gi-chul grumbled, he didn’t actually rebel.

Regardless, the shelter’s situation had improved significantly since Hak-jong became the leader, and being one of the leader’s close aides brought considerable benefits.

“Senior, let’s go together!”

“Let’s finish quickly. There’s no good in staying here long.”

“Then why make that promise in the first place…. Sorry.”

Hak-jong’s glare made Gi-chul shrink back.

A look that could kill.

That was why.

‘With those eyes, no one can defy him….’

He wondered what kind of person Hak-jong was.

Mostly silent, even when he did speak, it was curt.

His expression was always stern, and when angry, he glared as if he would stab you.

In fact, he had stabbed someone once, so that says it all.

‘Is he a real killer? Or a soldier?’

Curiosity welled up, but Gi-chul suppressed it.

One of the lessons Hak-jong had taught him was ‘Don’t be curious about unnecessary things.’

Even Gi-chul, who was known for his impatience, understood one thing.

If you stay still, you’re halfway there.

Continuing their walk.

Yawning widely as he walked, Gi-chul spotted a zombie crawling in the distance.

“Ah, there’s one over there.”

“Deal with it.”

“Yes, yes.”

Gi-chul reached behind him, drawing the Japanese sword he carried.

A personal weapon given to him by his seniors when he joined the assault team.

A weapon that suited Gi-chul well, given his obsession with Japanese manga and novels.

Gripping the sword with both hands, Gi-chul charged.

“Hup-!”

As he closed the distance, the zombie’s head turned.

But it was too slow.

Gi-chul’s sword cleanly sliced through the zombie’s neck.

Sshk.

‘This is it!’

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A grin spread across Gi-chul’s face.

His thoughts were clear.

‘I looked so cool…!’
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He thought he looked cool, cutting down the enemy with one stroke.

“Senior! It’s done!”

“Keep your voice down. Do you want to attract all the nearby ones?”

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“Ah, come on, it’s just this…”

Gi-chul froze mid-laugh.

Hak-jong frowned.

What did that fool see this time?

Hak-jong turned his head to look where Gi-chul was staring.

“Mush-!”

He froze as well.

It wasn’t for any special reason.

At the end of their gaze was someone they never wanted to meet.

Sloppy combat uniform.

Messy hair and a scratchy beard.

And a pair of gleaming eyes.

“B-Bomber…!”

“What’d you say, punk?”

It was Seokho.

Gi-chul let out a terrified squeal and shrank back.

Hak-jong swallowed dryly and stared at Seokho.

Seokho, who had been glaring at Gi-chul, sighed deeply and turned his gaze to Hak-jong.

Then he spoke.

“Hey, give me a hen.”

Hak-jong’s face went blank.

End of Chapter