Chapter 22 – Apocalyptist

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Though he was a warm father to me, Commander Hayden was strictly a dictator ruling this zone by force.

Well, it didn’t matter since I had also attempted the illegitimate child route to utilize his power.

However, it would be a problem if the commander killed off my slaves… no, my talents, in this manner.

‘Since the commander doesn’t know that the Second Apocalypse will happen, he probably doesn’t know how precious manpower is.’

I needed to prepare countermeasures before the commander killed all of my precious talents.

At any rate, the reason I came all the way to the research institute was to check the combat rations.

First, let’s meet the research director.

* * *

“You were looking for me?”

The elderly research director, who had his graying hair swept back, appeared before us, swinging his long legs.

Although his complexion was poor, perhaps due to severe stress, he had a large build and did not look weak.

‘This is the first time I’m seeing this NPC so close.’

He was a typical extra NPC with no particular narrative or ambition, so there was no need to be cautious.

Although I had interacted with Meursault, who managed supply, it was my first time directly dropping by the research institute.

In the first place, I had never thought about developing something like a Fasting Pill while playing the game.

“What a surprise. For Director Meursault to visit here of all places.”

Since he was an NPC with no other motives, he seemed to have only that much impression despite Meursault’s and my sudden visit.

“It’s nothing else, but could you show the combat rations to Young Master?”

“Young Master?”

The research director looked at me and wore a face of realization.

“This must be that rumored Young Master.”

“Yes. To my surprise, Young Master is curious about the combat rations.”

“Curious about… combat rations? The Young Master?”

At those words, the research director became incredibly excited and began to spout off the importance of combat rations.

“Is a commander who knows the importance of food supply finally emerging?! Our research institute has high-level freeze-drying technology, but research on combat rations has always been sluggish. It was always put on the back burner. For the reason that they are useless except when going out on subjugation battles!”

Oh.

It seemed Hayden, the previous commander, and the commander before him only cared about weapons or combat uniforms and were indifferent to combat rations.

Rather, it was a good thing.

If combat rations had failed to develop not because the zone’s technology was lacking, but because of a lack of interest.

It meant that combat ration technology could rapidly improve even if I just paid a little attention to it.

It did not stop there, as words that piqued my interest followed from the research director’s mouth.

“It has not even been a hundred years since we suffered a food shortage right after the apocalypse… We do not know when we might experience an apocalyptic situation again. We must prepare too!”

“Prepare for the apocalypse?”

When I reacted to the research director’s words, Meursault leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Old folks who went through the aftermath of the apocalypse often act like that. Saying that the apocalypse will come again… They are the last remaining doomsday believers of this era. Though it is because of his temperament of wanting to prepare in advance that he became the director of this Zone Security Research Institute.”

Ah, so he believed that the apocalypse would come again due to the trauma of the apocalypse?

The Second Apocalypse was indeed going to happen… but humans did not want to hear negative stories.

Had I claimed that the Second Apocalypse would come, it was obvious that I would have been treated as a delusional patient like this research director.

Then, there was only one thing for me to do.

Pretending to empathize with the old man suffering from PTSD, egging him on to produce the ultimate Fasting Pill… no, combat rations.

“I do not think your thoughts are wrong, Director.”

“Young Master?”

Meursault stared at me with an extremely suspicious expression.

It was probably because he knew that I was not a good child who respected the elderly.

But it didn’t matter, since those words weren’t meant for Meursault’s ears anyway.

Perhaps because I was the first person to say such a thing to him, the research director was startled and stammered.

“Y-You think my thoughts are not wrong?”

“I was living in the slums until not too long ago.”

I felt like I used this slum repertoire too often, but it worked really well.

Since my body was that of a ten-year-old, the effect seemed to double.

“Food shortage… was not a distant story to me. Therefore, if preparing in advance as the director said means that no one will have to starve in the future… I will support you, Director.”

“Young Master…”

The research director looked at me with eyes filled with pity and pride.

“Ah… instead of doing this, you said you came because you were curious about the combat rations, right? I will prepare them right away!”

Thanks to the research director, who had become highly cooperative, it didn’t take long before something like hard jerky was neatly placed on a metal tray in front of us.

The combat rations of this world looked like palm-sized hardtack, but because they were made from monster meat instead of flour, they were much harder than hardtack.

“This is a combat ration called dried meat. Would you like to try it?”

Although I wanted to inflict a wound on myself to see the effectiveness before eating it, I couldn’t perform self-harm in front of the watching research director, even if it were just Meursault.

I obediently brought the dried meat to my mouth.

Although I couldn’t know the taste as it turned into blue particles near my mouth and was absorbed into my body.

Any player of Safe Zone would know the taste description of this dried meat better than anyone.

I recited the game script exactly as it always appeared when eating dried meat.

“It tastes terribly bad. It tastes like combat boots that haven’t been washed for years.”

At that, both Meursault and the research director wore startled faces.

“Why are you so surprised?”

When I asked that, the two seemed to hesitate to answer while looking at each other, and soon Meursault explained with a small sigh.

“Well… it is because that is something only a soldier who has rolled and tumbled on the battlefield would say. I do not know if you are aware, but since combat boots are also made of monster leather, soldiers sometimes eat their boots when food runs out during subjugation battles. However, since Young Master, who has never been to a battlefield, speaks like an experienced soldier, both the director and I were surprised.”

After finishing his words, Meursault stared at me with great pity.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was wondering if you might have eaten combat boots during your life outside.”

As if I would have.

“It seems you starved a lot… before entering the mansion. That must be why Young Master is so interested in meals.”

Since I, who had asked for a dining table with children of my age and even went hunting just to eat, asked about combat rations, it was understandable for him to think so.

It was convenient that he misunderstood on his own like this instead of finding it strange that I suddenly asked about combat rations.

Should I push forward with this concept as it was?

“I heard that half of the children who came to the last party will be going to the subjugation battle. I hope those children do not starve when they go out to the subjugation battle.”

“You do not need to worry. No matter what, they do not starve children on the battlefield.”

“Yes! Young Master! Do not worry. By the next subjugation battle, I will develop combat rations that all the children can eat deliciously!”

“Really? If it’s you, Director, I can trust and leave it to you. Also, I wish they were smaller and lighter than now. Since children cannot carry a lot of luggage.”

“Smaller and… lighter?”

“Ah… would it be difficult…?”

“No, no!! Just trust me!”

Ending with giving a satisfied smile to the bragging research director, Meursault and I concluded our visit.

While I was smiling, feeling good about acquiring a useful slave, Meursault slowly spoke inside the car returning to the commander’s residence.

“I wondered why you specially brought in a boy soldier named Darling Outsider into your room…”

When CornerHoney’s name came out of Meursault’s mouth, I looked at him, and he stared at me intently and asked.

“Did you ask that boy this and that about military life? Perhaps… are you worried the children might be abused? Is that why you arranged a dining table to check on those children’s condition every month?”

“……”

‘Meursault knows that I called CornerHoney separately after the dinner was over.’

I had purposely called him in without informing Meursault because I wanted to know to whom and to what extent my daily life was being reported.

He didn’t even hide that he knew information I hadn’t told him.

Well… just as I had planted Tae-jeong inside the mansion, Meursault and other executives probably planted spies too.

When I just stared at him without any particular reply, Meursault let out a small sigh.

“’The people who will become my soldiers one day’ was not just empty talk, indeed.”

“Did you think it was just empty talk until now?”

“Because you are still a young child who is only ten years old.”

Thinking about it, although there were many things I could obtain because of a ten-year-old body.

There must also be many things I couldn’t obtain because of a ten-year-old body.

If no one took what I said seriously, how could I convince people to prepare for the Second Apocalypse in ten years?

As if comforting my worries, Meursault’s words followed.

“I have always thought that all humans except Daphne-nim are idiots, but…”

…Are you including the commander in the humans you think of as idiots?

“I think it wouldn’t be bad for you to become my superior.”

Since Meursault shifted his gaze outside the window after finishing those words, I did not talk to him anymore either.

‘Come to think of it, there is still no reaction from the other executives.’

It was unexpected that no one approached me, whether they were the pro-commander faction or the pro-Daphne faction, even though I had noisily caught a medium-sized monster to attract attention on purpose.

Of course, that might be because Meursault’s surveillance on me was severe.

Since Meursault, the commander’s closest aide, was monitoring me keeping a sharp lookout, there would be no bold bastard who would approach.

But I realized after meeting the son of the deceased Batom in person.

I need to know what the executives think of me.

That way, I can pick out those to take with me and those to cut off.

The problem was that those guys pretended to be uninterested in me, as if they had made a promise.

It was probably due to Meursault.

‘Well… even if it were me, I wouldn’t want to catch the eye of a crazy guy who drove a bullet into his superior’s forehead.’

It couldn’t be helped.

If they won’t come to find me.

I have no choice but to invade them first.