Chapter 32. Client

Chapter 32. Client

“Huh… so there’s no Shelter or anything. I was only thinking about escaping and running away, but this puts us in a difficult spot…”

“Of course, it’s not certain. The area we’ve covered isn’t that wide. It’s just my personal guess.”

“Yes. Still, hearing what you’ve said, I also think that guess is likely true.”

Back in the 1st-floor store, I talked with the three Hana Trade employees.

They didn’t know much, so I mainly conveyed information based on my experiences and shared various conjectures.

I told them that there were hardly any survivors on the streets, only constant encounters with Zombies, that survivors seemed to be isolated and holding out somewhere, and my guess that national functions were almost paralyzed.

As the conversation progressed, their expressions grew increasingly somber.

It seemed their last shred of hope, that they could find refuge somewhere if they just escaped the building, was vanishing, and they were now accepting the desperate reality.

The help they had probably wanted to ask for was to be taken along to another group or another place.

“So, what will you do now? And tell me what you wanted to ask of us.”

“Ah, my thanks are late. The favor I initially wanted to ask was if you could share some food, so I’m very grateful you gave it to us first.”

“Thank you. I ate well too.”

The Assistant Manager with them spoke for the first time to express his gratitude, and the Director also bowed her head in thanks.

“The situations you’ve described, sir, are what we vaguely assumed to be the worst-case scenario. A situation where there’s nowhere to run, and Zombies roam the streets. So, I was wondering, would it be possible for us to join you at your current base?”

“I’m sorry, but that would be difficult.”

I flatly refused.

Manager Lee seemed to have anticipated the refusal when he asked.

A sense of helplessness and despair, like lost children, appeared on all three of their faces.

Director Kim Seung-hee, who had introduced herself earlier, opened her mouth as if to say something, then looked at the Manager and Assistant Manager, and finally closed her mouth again.

*What was she going to say? Did she have a proposal?*

“If you have something to say, please speak freely.”

“Kim Taesik-ssi. How about you reconsider? If we join, you’ll have more hands, and our Abilities will surely be helpful. And I’m not a woman who forgets kindness. I can compensate you greatly when society recovers later.”

*What had she heard so far? Had this woman not given up hope yet?*

Of course, the possibility of national functions recovering wasn’t entirely zero, but I expressed my personal opinion that it was unlikely.

*Was she just saying this because she was afraid Seonyoung and I would just leave?*

Regardless, making such an offer to someone who believes the country is already doomed is worse than simply asking for help.

“I’ll say it again, that’s not possible. And I don’t expect any future compensation either.”

When I refused their joining again, Director Kim bit her lip and her expression hardened.

She seemed a little angry.

As I felt my own expression harden looking at her, Manager Lee stepped forward again and spoke.

“Director. We have nothing to offer. We’ve already received more than enough help. Frankly, even if Kim Taesik-ssi had just left earlier, we wouldn’t have been able to resent him.”

Manager Lee seemed to want to stop Director Kim from speaking, so he scolded her.

Yet, it was surprising how he maintained a polite tone and demeanor.

Indeed, I had noticed when they introduced themselves earlier that these three were still bound by their company roles.

“Sir. We have nothing to offer, and frankly, we don’t even know what kind of help we need. All we can say is that we unilaterally want to receive as much help as you can possibly give. Please, help us.”

Manager Lee, who had been speaking to the Director, suddenly stood up and bowed deeply, pleading for help.

Assistant Manager Jeon Hyeon-seung, who had been silent, also stood up and bowed with him.

At this point, as Seonyoung and I discussed, I should make a proposal.

Even if it’s a proposal, it’s still unilaterally giving them things.

Puff, puff.

Seonyoung and I took Manager Lee from their group outside and shared Cigarettes at the building entrance.

Manager Lee was so overwhelmed, saying it was his first cigarette in three days, that I just tossed him the entire pack with 15 cigarettes left.

“Manager Lee, how many Zombies have you caught?”

“I’ve caught two, and Assistant Manager Jeon caught three. The Director also dealt with one.”

“Then, if I help you a little, do you think you can catch more Zombies? If you can fight Zombies, surviving on your own becomes much easier.”

“Yes, we have to if we want to live. Fortunately, my Ability is helpful in combat.”

“Can you tell me roughly what your Ability is?”

“Yes, we haven’t shared precise information among ourselves, but I can tell you roughly what our Abilities are.”

As if they had already discussed it, Manager Lee explained their Abilities.

Seonyoung was also listening intently beside me.

“When I fight Zombies, it seems my weapon deals more damage. At first, I thought my strength had increased, but when Assistant Manager Jeon and I experimented, my strength was the same.”

It seems everyone is the same in that the Status Window doesn’t have detailed explanations of Abilities.

These people also don’t know exactly what their Abilities are and are only making empirical guesses.

Manager Lee’s Ability increases damage when attacking, and Assistant Manager Jeon can restrain Zombie movements.

Unexpectedly, Director Kim seemed to have a relatively accurate grasp of her Ability: she can sense human emotions.

She said she could spread the range quite wide, which allowed her to roughly understand the situation in the building.

“So, Director Kim’s Ability is like Mind Reading?”

“She said it’s not reading thoughts, but reading emotions. There was no specific explanation of how she reads them. All I know is that it weakens if she expands the range.”

“I see. Do Zombies have emotions too?”

“Yes, she says she feels intense emotions from Zombies, but they are distinctly different from human emotions, so she can differentiate. And this is just my guess, but it seems there isn’t just one way to read emotions. At first, she’d pass out immediately after using her Ability. She even had nosebleeds. But as she consistently used it, at some point she’d say there were no people up to a certain floor, and today she said there were no people in this building.”

*It’s an interesting Ability, but I wonder if it will help in fighting Zombies.*

While Manager Lee’s and Assistant Manager Jeon’s Abilities haven’t been precisely understood yet, they are immediately usable and helpful, like Seonyoung’s Ability.

On the other hand, Director Kim’s Ability is somewhat abstract and seems to require a kind of enlightenment, like my own Ability.

I felt it while watching MeTube comments, but Abilities are truly diverse for each person and difficult to grasp precisely.

Until now, seeing Seonyoung’s and Gayoung’s similar Abilities, I thought there might be a few large categories with slight differences in specific details, but as time passes, I’m starting to think there won’t be any such large categories.

It’s more likely a coincidence that Seonyoung’s and Gayoung’s Abilities are the same.

“Now, let’s go inside and talk together.”

After finishing our Cigarettes, we went back into the building.

The distance between us had become much closer than before.

Though still not within weapon’s reach.

In a corner of the 1st-floor store.

The three Hana Trade employees sat together, and Seonyoung and I stood across the counter from them, talking.

“Since the three of you already have experience dealing with Zombies, how about this? While joining us isn’t possible, we can help you establish a base.”

“Thank you so much for agreeing to help us. What should we do?”

“First, we’ll provide you with the supplies we’ve done Farming for. We’ll deliver food and water to help you last for a while, and you can gather clothes and other things you think you’ll need from here, starting now.”

“Then only Shelter remains among food, clothing, and Shelter.”

“Yes, this building has too many Zombies, which would be a burden, so let’s change clothes first and move to another location.”

The plan was this:

While Seonyoung and I procured food, the three of them would gather necessary items from the store.

Then, we planned to move together to a place with a smaller number of Zombies.

My current thought was to consider the Officetel building we had simply passed by.

Since the building has many sections, the probability of encountering a large number of Zombies at once is low, and Director Kim’s Ability can help ascertain how many Zombies are scattered and where.

I proposed that we could establish a residence there and gradually expand our range of activity.

Manager Lee and Assistant Manager Jeon seemed to have gained the will to deal with Zombies.

When I explained earlier that they could grow stronger by fighting Zombies, their desperate faces brightened.

Initially, we would have to help them set up a residence and deliver food, but I believe that if the three of them adapt well, they will be able to survive on their own without our help.

After explaining the plan, I also described tips and precautions needed when dealing with Zombies, moving through streets, or checking inside buildings.

“This is truly a valuable lesson. I was very despairing when you refused us joining, but I never expected you to help us this much. I will consider you our saviors and do my best to survive. If you ever need my help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask, sir.”

“You don’t have to think of it that way. Your words are thanks enough.”

Assistant Manager Jeon’s face was also bright now, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Seonyoung and me.

I wasn’t sure what Director Kim was thinking, but it seemed she would at least move according to our plan with the other two men.

If they settle in well, we might be able to share information as we pass by, and they could serve as a kind of insurance in case of an unforeseen crisis.