Marauder of the Apocalypse
Chapter 38: Kind Neighbor

"I am a con man."

Evening streets at sunset. After gathering the strings and roughly cleaning up the oil, Gi-hyeok sat in the middle of the street muttering.

Villa district people surrounded him like concert audiences, quietly watching. Like entertainment in their monotonous apocalyptic lives.

Yet a strange silence settled over the street. Like the church during the pastor's sermons.

Gi-hyeok became a sinner confessing sins, pouring out his story.

"The easiest way to make money was that. Scams. Taking money by deceiving wealthy people. So when the zombie outbreak hit, I thought this was my chance."

I watched him quietly.

He had a marauder's nature. The mind to use disasters as scam material.

Though his situation judgment seemed a bit lacking. The Chairman directly spread the virus, yet he just did financial scams? If he'd been smarter, he'd have noticed the Chairman's big picture and prepared for raiding.

Gi-hyeok seemed to regret this belatedly too. He hung his head, his heavy voice spreading like shadows on the ground.

"I didn't know the world would collapse this much. Thought it'd pass like COVID or flu. If I'd known..."

People started whispering. Voices criticizing Gi-hyeok gradually rose.

Was he really a con man, why'd he come here, how'd people fall for him.

At that point the man strode over. Muttering about doubt and suspicion like he'd eaten something wrong, he asked sharply with flashing eyes:

"So why'd you come here? What's your goal? Why pretend to be bad at work? What was your intention being kind to us?"

At that moment, Gi-hyeok's head snapped up. He looked at the man with wronged eyes, appealing to those around:

"I wandered avoiding pursuers and came by chance. I really did my best with work. And the kindness..."

Gi-hyeok looked around. Villa district people sending suspicious, accusing looks.

Gi-hyeok, who'd overflowed with confidence even when criticized for poor work, trembled like a forcibly disarmed soldier:

"It was genuine. I genuinely tried to live with you all. Because I had to. Because that's how to survive."

A voice like giving confession.

"Virus transmission has entered a lull. People all locked inside, wearing masks, disinfecting. Zombies and people don't fight if activity areas don't overlap. But."

What had he seen wandering streets avoiding vengeful victims? He continued in a weak voice:

"Rather, people killing people has increased. This isn't right. It means everyone dies. Fighting each other, we'll eventually be overwhelmed by zombies and die."

His persuasive words concluded:

"To survive, we must cooperate, be considerate, act with goodwill. That's all. I really had no ill intent."

"..."

Like a prisoner awaiting execution, Gi-hyeok went limp with closed eyes.

Meanwhile street people showed subtle expressions. Seeming to understand, to let it pass. Their reactions weren't hostile anyway.

I clenched my fist.

I understood. Why Gi-hyeok's impression was ambiguous. Why judgment was difficult like with the pastor.

'A born marauder wearing a good person mask. No wonder it's confusing.'

A con man focused openly on gaining favor. One who'd been raiding others' money since before the world broke. Of course I'd be confused, having become a marauder accidentally through circumstance.

Moreover, Gi-hyeok showed kindness with kindness itself as the goal.

This was deeply wrong. I grinned under my mask.

'Pastor. Here's a lost sheep. I'll guide it back well.'

People should do what they're good at. Kindness? Cooperation? Con men should live by conning.

Gi-hyeok had lost his way in the zombie outbreak, and I decided to guide this lost one into the light.

The man seemed to check villa district people's expressions before slowly raising his steel pipe.

"Go inside for now. Don't run away."

"...I can stay?"

"Need to think, so wait."

So people started dispersing. Surprisingly they didn't try to drive Gi-hyeok out.

And I followed Gi-hyeok with the man. The man probably wanted to interrogate more, while I went to guide him.

The home Gi-hyeok entered was neatly organized. The interior seemed renovated, giving the old villa unit a somewhat sophisticated office atmosphere.

Seated before a table, Gi-hyeok quietly watched me and the man.

He seemed to realize real interrogation was starting. The man was clearly the villa district's power player, and I probably felt familiar as a fellow marauder.

"I'll answer anything you ask. I truly enjoyed living here. If I could just stay..."

Gi-hyeok, claiming he really enjoyed it, really repented while working and socializing together.

The man, seemingly infected with suspicion, took out his notebook and pen.

"Birthplace. Parents, relatives. Schools, college, military, later history. Tell everything. What activities with who where."

Glancing over, I saw stars heavily drawn in the notebook. Next to a sentence about investigating all villa district people with suspicion. He probably wanted thorough investigation since blood ties, regional ties, school ties could motivate betrayal.

Seemed his mind had gone a bit strange. Well, this too was the apocalypse.

The interrogation continued until sunset brought darkness.

Gi-hyeok answered diligently while I kept my mouth shut. I didn't care about such interrogation. Whatever his past, only his marauder nature and usefulness mattered.

Can't prevent betrayal and trouble anyway. Better to live assuming betrayal than invest time and mental energy in this.

And the interrogation roughly concluded.

"Alright for now."

"Then I'm...?"

"Stay quiet. Haven't cleared suspicions. Try anything suspicious and you die instantly."

Those harsh words conversely meant passing the suspicion judgment.

As Gi-hyeok sighed in relief, I stood. My turn.

Gi-hyeok's body stiffened. His eyes moved to my hammer. The blood-crusted hammer. Too threatening? Though it might have zombie virus on it.

To ease his tension, I approached and patted his shoulder, speaking kindly:

"Mr. Gi-hyeok. Don't lie."

"I-I'm not lying. It's all truth."

"No, that's not what I mean."

This guy, wore the mask too long? Like how I seemed brainwashed under the pastor, had he forgotten his nature from pretending to be good too long?

I met Gi-hyeok's eyes. Shouldn't you make eye contact when sincerely persuading?

"You don't really have any goodwill. Your kindness was all calculated behavior."

"No! I really, sincerely tried to blend in with everyone-"

Gi-hyeok shouted loudly. Like truly wronged. Like an actor too immersed in their role.

He was an excellent con man. I smiled in admiration.

"Really? No. You chose those actions because they were profitable, because kindness was profitable, because you thought this was how to survive."

"That's."

His face turned deathly pale. Whether immersed in acting or sincere, he must have realized his true heart.

I truly couldn't understand purely good people. Their behavioral principles themselves were incomprehensible. But this guy I understood. He chose kindness after calculating its profit.

Therefore Gi-hyeok, whom I could empathize with, qualified as a marauder.

I patted his shoulder several more times saying not to worry.

"I'm not criticizing. Rather it's good. Better someone who coldly chooses long-term profit than someone acting stupidly on impulse."

"No, I. Sincerely, no. My sincerity..."

What sincerity. Would a naturally good person live by scamming?

Gi-hyeok's essence was one thing. A person chasing profit. A person who judged good deeds profitable in the apocalypse and acted regardless of emotion.

Leaving Gi-hyeok still maintaining his act, I briefly looked at the man.

"Let's do one job? Mr. Gi-hyeok. If you just complete one job well, we'll accept you in the villa district."

"...Send him to the apartments?"

The man's eyes flickered faintly, seeming to catch on.

Nodding, I continued whispering:

"Go con the apartments. Whether causing division, luring just their leaders here, harm them. I'll leave the method to you."

A no-loss gambit.

Failure was fine. The apartment people were enemies anyway. Couldn't get worse.

What if Gi-hyeok betrayed? Got caught failing? Same thing. He wasn't a key person anyway. Rather, a suspicious neighbor hard to trust would disappear.

Success meant checking enemies while gaining an excellent marauder companion.

"I, I can't. Can't do it. I decided not to do such things anymore."

Gi-hyeok hung his head. His hands trembled violently. Lacking confidence?

I instilled confidence in him.

"Mr. Gi-hyeok. People should do what they're good at. You can't do simple labor, right? Always making mistakes and getting in the way. This is using your specialty to help the villa district."

"This isn't right. Everyone will die."

His eyes shook as if confused.

The man added words there.

"We'll die sooner if you don't help. You heard the story. Our clash with those apartment bastards. We'll fight soon. We'll lose fighting like this. Everyone you got close to will die."

"..."

Gi-hyeok clutched his head groaning like in pain. Shadows fell on his face from his bowed head.

Soon, Gi-hyeok raised his head. A thoroughly exhausted face like after sprinting. Beyond cracked glasses, his heavily sunken eyes flickered with a faint cunning light.

"...I'll try."

A person who chose kindness for profit. Of course he'd choose if scamming was profitable. Our villa district was a decent enough group to join.

The man and I quickly responded encouragingly.

"Of course. How could we drive out someone who risked danger to act for the street? Right, mister?"

"Right. From then on, you're family."

So Gi-hyeok started moving slowly. Taking out a neat suit from his luggage, putting on undamaged glasses, strapping on a military watch.

His atmosphere changed with each piece of clothing. Confidence became his clothes, his very tone becoming reliable.

Even his seemingly lacking movements gained the unique energy of success.

Gi-hyeok muttered:

"Please give me background information on the apartment people, especially priority targets. More detail helps."

"Not hard. Already investigated."

The man laid out information about the residents' association head and management office director, somehow already researched. Gi-hyeok professionally tapped his phone confirming additional information, starting to plan.

Centered on hopes of this era people didn't want to doubt, like quarantine safe zones.

I smiled contentedly.

'Pastor, are you watching? I guided one lost lamb to the right path.'

A person doing ill-fitting work due to disaster returned to their true profession. It was a good thing.

Because before me was a kind neighbor holding hope hard to find in the apocalypse. A good and kind neighbor sharing that hope.

Was it thanks to Gi-hyeok's ability? Or were the apartment people that desperate? The kind neighbor operation went very well.

Days later, Gi-hyeok returned to the villa district leading a group of apartment people.

To our street where we'd already prepared traps and ambushes.

The sidewalk was blocked with cars, corpses and luggage, only the road wide open. Down that road Gi-hyeok and the apartment people carefully approached.

Whatever words he used to deceive them, hope and anxiety crossed the apartment people's faces.

"M-Manager Sa. Do we really have to go this way? We haven't done anything wrong, but people from other neighborhoods hate us..."

"Then you can go back."

Gi-hyeok shrugged like someone not at all regretful then looked back.

His gaze passed over the apartment people toward the road behind them. The attack point. Gi-hyeok needed to slip away at the right timing.

Because the plan was to ram them with cars. That's why we deliberately blocked the sidewalk.

I stood at the window quietly waiting for the revenge drama about to unfold.

'It begins.'

Vroom-!

A rapidly accelerating vehicle appeared at the road's end. Gi-hyeok's face briefly darkened before he quickly climbed onto a parked car.

Gi-hyeok instantly crossed over and vanished. People watched him with confused expressions.

"Manager Sa-"

That was it. The vehicle crashed straight into the apartment people. Bang, a loud collision. People flying like in comics, falling like bowling pins.

"Ahhh!"

"What kind of driving-"

Slow to grasp the situation. Even those who dodged the vehicle missed the golden time.

"Die you apartment fuckers!"

"Kill them!"

People waiting in villa buildings emerged with weapons, brutally beating the panicked people.

Fatal surprise attack, clean encirclement, perfect numerical advantage.

The apartment group was dealt with instantly. I quickly went to the street too, pretending to work hard while catching my breath looking around.

Blood flowing street. People with joints bent like dolls, cracked heads, axe wounds. All apartment people.

Someone seemingly still breathing raised their head with difficulty. The residents' association head. She searched for Gi-hyeok.

"Manager Sa. Why, why. Test kits, safe..."

A final mental attack? Appealing to conscience to wound the mind? But sadly meaningless against our capable marauder.

I bounced over hitting their head with my hammer several times, busily moving to confirmation kills.

Turning my head, I saw Gi-hyeok surrounded by villa district people. Deathly pale face. Couldn't take his eyes off the association head's corpse.

And gradually color returned to that face. Thanks to surrounding people's encouragement.

"Gi-hyeok, well done. So reliable. Thanks to you we got revenge on these enemy bastards."

"You can do it when it counts. Good work. Must have been dangerous for you too."

"We're safe thanks to you. With this many dead, those apartment bastards won't dare act carelessly."

People showering Gi-hyeok with praise. That pure joy and relief and satisfaction. They accepted Gi-hyeok regardless of means.

I too strongly patted his shoulder.

"See? Cooperation, kindness, whatever - just do what you're good at like I said."

Blankly looking around at villa district people, Gi-hyeok burst out laughing.

"Haha. Hahaha."

Seems he liked being acknowledged. Indeed people should do what they're good at, what fits their nature. Murder, theft, fraud - aren't these strengths these days too?

A world where people use abilities without prejudice, where field doesn't matter if helpful, where those abilities are purely acknowledged.

It was a world full of hope.

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