Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 29
29. Stealth-type Awakener (2)
Lee Ganghyeok brought the Man to his safe house and led him to the Valve Room, located at the innermost part of the 30th Floor.
Even though he’d kept the Man’s eyes covered on the way, confining him to a room meant he could discern the safe house’s location through the windows, so Lee Ganghyeok decided to lock him in the Valve Room instead, where all sides were sealed.
After all, the Man could share the location with others through the Community.
“Stay here. I’ll bring food shortly.”
“Ha.”
The Man looked around the Valve Room—no toilet, no washing area—and let out a sigh.
“I wasn’t expecting such generous treatment… Thank you.”
“Tsk. Anyway, you’d better not think about escaping. Unless you want to be eaten alive by these things.”
As Lee Ganghyeok spoke sarcastically and pointed to the Zombies, the Man shrugged and, as if probing him, asked a question.
“I have no plans to sneak out, but do I really have to stay in here the whole time until my body recovers? I’d like to take a walk. And use a bathroom while we’re at it.”
“I’ll open the door three times a day.”
“I’m so grateful I might cry.”
Again, he shook his head mockingly.
Truth be told, Lee Ganghyeok understood.
Even though the Man had apologized, Lee Ganghyeok hadn’t accepted it, and he must feel like he’d been thrown in prison.
“Tsk.”
Thinking the Man was just upset, Lee Ganghyeok clicked his tongue again and stepped out of the Valve Room, leaving the Man behind.
At the same moment…
He locked the door with an Iron Chain he’d brought as a precaution in case the Man tried to escape.
‘An Iron Chain and Zombies too. That should be enough.’
Just in case the Man escaped, he’d ordered two Zombies to kill the one beside them the moment he tried to flee.
Whenever a tamed Zombie died, he would know it immediately, no matter where he was.
With peace of mind, Lee Ganghyeok came back downstairs and gathered provisions for the Man.
‘There’s no need to give him plenty.’
If he’d gathered food while drawing the Union’s attention, that might be different.
But the Man had already cleaned out everything.
Of course, he held no grudge about it.
After all, resources belonged to whoever claimed them first.
But with an extra mouth to feed and winter approaching soon, Lee Ganghyeok needed to manage food supplies more carefully, so he handed over only a small amount of food.
“Hmm.”
As the Man received the provisions, he let out a small grunt. Then, as if he’d made a decision, he opened his mouth.
“I’d like to tell you about the place I used as my safe house as an apology. I’ve stockpiled a lot of food there.”
“Why would you tell me that?”
At the Man’s sudden words, Lee Ganghyeok’s brow furrowed involuntarily. But the Man, as if he’d anticipated this reaction, shrugged with a slight smile.
“Like I said before, it’s an apology. And… it doesn’t look like I’ll be leaving here anytime soon. So rather than let it all rot, I thought I’d help you take it. The location’s close too—near Nowon Station.”
“…”
What was he scheming? The way he spoke made him seem guileless, yet he was offering to hand over all his food? And the way he said he didn’t know when he’d get out suggested he understood his own predicament well.
But why?
‘Could he be trying to signal his allies that something’s happened to him?’
It was possible.
Even as a Stealth-type Awakener, surviving alone in the heart of a city was no easy feat.
If he’d been on the outskirts like himself, he might have believed the Man’s story.
But mention of proximity to a subway station wouldn’t ease his suspicion.
Above all…
‘Winter’s coming soon anyway, so it won’t rot quickly.’
If the Man was telling the truth, there’d be no problem going to retrieve it later.
Perhaps that was why.
“Never mind. Just focus on recovering.”
Indifferent to the Man’s continued attempts at persuasion, Lee Ganghyeok turned and walked away.
At that moment.
“You keep stalling like that, and the Union might grab it instead. You okay with that? Looks like you’re avoiding the Union anyway.”
“…”
At those words, Lee Ganghyeok stopped in his tracks unconsciously, then resumed walking.
Coming down to the 23rd Floor shortly after, Seo Hwarin and Seo Arin approached him.
“How did it go?”
“I’ve locked him in the Valve Room on the 30th Floor.”
“Did he say anything else? About the Union, or whether there are other Shelters?”
“He said there’s a safe house near Nowon Station with a lot of food stockpiled there, and told me to go retrieve it. Said the Union might take it.”
As Lee Ganghyeok relayed what he’d heard from the Man, Seo Hwarin’s brow creased.
“Hmm. He might have allies.”
“Probably.”
As Seo Hwarin voiced what Lee Ganghyeok had already thought, he nodded readily.
Meanwhile, Seo Arin seemed confused by the current situation and tilted her head as she asked.
“Um… Wait… Am I the only one who doesn’t understand? How does asking you to retrieve food mean he has allies?”
“If he were managing the place alone, he’d never reveal his safe house location, not even for future security. And the way he said the Union might take it if we’re slow—that suggests he’s been in contact with the Union from the start. Since we look like we’re avoiding the Union, he might have contacted his allies to set a trap for us.”
“Ah…”
As Seo Hwarin’s explanation continued, Seo Arin nodded in understanding.
Satisfied that Seo Hwarin had said what he was about to say, Lee Ganghyeok pointed upward as a warning to both of them.
“In any case, even if you don’t sense any movement from inside, never open that door. And don’t panic if you can’t see anything. If you’ve seen Jurassic World, you’ll understand what I mean.”
“What? Jurassic World? Oh! I get it. He’ll pretend to escape while cloaked, like the dinosaur in the movie, right? But he has Stealth as his ability—will the Zombies really stop him?”
Seo Arin, who’d grasped the reference immediately, asked with concern in her voice.
Seo Hwarin, who was also worried, looked at Lee Ganghyeok in response to her question.
“Is an Iron Chain really enough? What if…”
“He could escape if he wanted to, but the moment the door opens, I’ve ordered the Zombie beside him to kill him. So if he tries to flee, we can seal off the stairwell immediately—he won’t get far. And it’s almost winter anyway, so he might end up staying here.”
“It’d be wonderful if he’d just stay put quietly.”
Keeping him was a problem; killing him was a problem. But at least in the Valve Room, he couldn’t cause trouble.
Lee Ganghyeok nodded reassuringly and pointed to the partially remodeled bridge.
“Anyway, let’s finish what we need to do.”
“Yes!”
* * *
Two days had passed since they’d captured the Man.
In that time, the three of them had successfully connected a bridge to the adjacent building and converted the flower bed into a field, and now moved busily to construct a Vinyl Greenhouse.
Though they’d learned the method for building a Vinyl Greenhouse from books, this was their first time actually constructing one, so every step was fun and fascinating.
“Lee, can you hold this for me? And Arin, pull this side a bit.”
“Sure!”
“Like this?”
“Yes! Keep it like that while I secure this side… There we go… Done! Now we just need to cover it with vinyl and we’re finished.”
As Lee Ganghyeok simply followed Seo Hwarin’s instructions and the Vinyl Greenhouse nearly came together, he asked in surprise.
“Already? It’s easier to build than I thought.”
“That’s thanks to the increased strength from awakening.”
“True enough… Let’s finish quickly then.”
Now that the frame was complete, his desire grew. They had time anyway—to finish the Vinyl Greenhouse before sunset, he grabbed the vinyl, and then—!
Bang—!
Boom!
As distant explosions rang out again, they nodded as if familiar with the sound.
“Looks like they’re hunting hard today too.”
“The sound’s closer than yesterday. We should start being careful.”
“Let’s just hope they follow the traces we left and head that way. Anyway, let’s finish this.”
“Yes!”
Even as the sound grew closer, there was still time.
But on the other hand, there was a possibility that the Man had shared information with the Union through the Community, so they decided to refrain from outside activities for now and monitor the situation.
Besides, they needed to clean the building interior, so there was no reason to venture outside, and since the Man had already taken most of the food at the midpoint between them and the Union, there was nothing to regret.
And so…
With explosions as background noise, the three completed the Vinyl Greenhouse and scattered before sunset, each finding tasks to complete.
Lee Ganghyeok headed to the 30th Floor to give the Man a chance to use the bathroom, and when he opened the Valve Room door, the Man bolted upright.
“Why, why are you only coming now!”
“It looks like I arrived right at the scheduled time.”
At the Man’s urgent question, Lee Ganghyeok shrugged as if to say what’s the problem, and the Man gnashed his teeth and let out a sigh.
Grind.
“…Fine, let’s just go to the bathroom first.”
“Let’s.”
At the Man’s words, Lee Ganghyeok opened the door to the front unit.
The windows were already curtained so he couldn’t see the outside view.
Or perhaps he had no intention of looking, because the moment the door opened, the Man hurried into the bathroom.
After a short while, he emerged with a much more comfortable expression, exhaling a relieved sigh.
“Phew.”
“You should eat properly, you know.”
“…Is there anything else to do in there? Since we’re talking, let me ask you something. What exactly are you going to do with me? If you plan to kill me, just do it already.”
“Nothing in particular? I haven’t decided yet. Besides, why would I need to do anything? I’m fine with things as they are.”
“Huh? You’re even more of a pervert than I thought.”
“Think of it however you like.”
Once his urgent business was settled, the Man reverted to his sarcastic tone and wore a bewildered expression at the ensuing conversation.
But realizing his predicament, he made a proposal.
“Then move me somewhere else. I’ll stay completely quiet. Actually, forget everything else—just give me access to a bathroom. If you do that, I’ll tell you not only where my food stockpile is, but also the locations of all the Union’s Shelters.”
Only two days had passed. Yet the Man, unable to endure any longer, proposed a deal.
‘The locations of their Shelters?’
Not bad.
Honestly, it was a very attractive condition.
Knowing the Shelters’ locations would be immensely helpful when deciding where to raid for food and resources.
So Lee Ganghyeok was tempted for a moment, but then came to his senses and shook his head.
“I appreciate the offer, but that won’t be possible.”
“Why not!”
The Man, who’d thought this was enough to at least live in a bathroom if not a full room, snapped irritably.
With winter approaching, being confined here without needing to forage for food was fine enough.
But he’d hoped for at least an environment where human dignity was guaranteed, and to have such a proposal rejected so coldly was humiliating.
As his body began to tremble with shame, Lee Ganghyeok gave his reason.
“The bathroom’s an excuse. You’d be looking to memorize the layout so you could tip off the Union.”
At that, the Man’s brow furrowed in bewilderment and indignation, and he burst out in anger.
“The Union? Me? What’s good about those guys? They ignored my request for help.”
“Help?”
“The one you killed and turned into a Zombie. I asked them to help me catch him, but they ignored me. Those damn bastards.”
Sensing something off about the Man’s reaction, Lee Ganghyeok asked in confusion.
“Then when you said the Union would steal your stockpile…?”
“How many Awakeners does the Union have? Of course they’d find my safe house quickly. They were already hunting Zombies and moving up toward Nowon Station anyway. I figured you’d understand it the same way. Looks like you didn’t. Is that why you locked me in this hellhole? Thinking I was some Union lapdog? Ha… I’m going insane. You thinking I’m the Union’s… kekekeke.”
Only now realizing why he’d been locked in the Valve Room, the Man laughed weakly, his expression a mix of deflation and absurdity.
His demeanor lent credibility to his words—a tangle of disbelief, rage, resignation, and helplessness all at once.
Yet Lee Ganghyeok still didn’t trust him easily.
The Man could be acting, so he couldn’t bring himself to believe him hastily.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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