Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 47

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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 47
47. The Laughing Zombie (2)
“Is something wrong?”
Seo Hwarin asked with a puzzled expression, noticing Yi Ganghyeok peering anxiously out the window.
“Hmm? Oh, well…….”
Yi Ganghyeok hesitated before responding.
Was something wrong? Had things not gone as planned? If so, were his words on the 1st floor simply meant to reassure her?
The question that had formed on Seo Hwarin’s face faded just as quickly.
Yi Ganghyeok, who had been peering out the window with an anxious expression, let out a sigh.
“Truth is, before I came back, I encountered something that wasn’t even on the Mutant Zombie list. Or more precisely, I didn’t see its face, but there was a creature presumed to be a Mutant Zombie near Dobong Station.”
“What?”
“A Mutant Zombie not on the list?”
At his words, both Seo Hwarin and Seo Arin, who had been boiling ramen, wore looks of shock.
“Could it have followed you here?”
Seo Hwarin asked, rephrasing the question.
Her face stiffened involuntarily.
She had asked why he was looking out the window, and he’d answered that he’d encountered a Mutant Zombie not on the list—which only made her more uneasy.
“No. I didn’t sense anything following me.”
“Then…….”
“It’s just that I suddenly heard its laughter. So I wanted to check it out.”
“Laughter?”
“A zombie laughed?”
At those words, both women’s eyes widened.
They had never heard of a zombie laughing before.
Perhaps because of that.
“Then it’s not a zombie—it’s a person, isn’t it?”
Seo Arin asked in bewilderment, and Yi Ganghyeok, still watching outside, shook his head.
“Honestly, I’m not sure either. I didn’t see it directly. It could be a person, like you said. But it didn’t seem like one.”
He hadn’t seen it directly, but it wasn’t a person?
If anyone else had said such a thing, she might have countered that he’d misheard. But this was Yi Ganghyeok—he must have had solid grounds for such a judgment.
Seo Hwarin, genuinely curious about the reason, stroked her chin and asked.
“Would you explain the circumstances of that encounter?”
“Yes. Back then…….”
At her question, Yi Ganghyeok explained from the moment he’d encountered the presumed Mutant Zombie to how he’d shaken it off and returned.
“I see…… So it’s one of two, then. Either it’s a person like Arin suggested, or it’s a Mutant Zombie that hasn’t been discovered yet, as you suspect. If it truly is a Mutant Zombie as you say, it could very well be a new type with an unfamiliar ability. And that laughter you heard might be its power. Or perhaps you were exhausted and lost focus for a moment, drifting into a dream…… But we should be cautious for now.”
“I’d prefer it was a hallucination.”
Either a new type of Mutant Zombie with an ability, or he’d dozed off unconsciously as his tension eased and had a dream.
Apart from hearing that laughter, there had been no other unusual signs.
Yi Ganghyeok nodded in agreement, hoping he’d simply dreamed it, and Seo Arin pointed upward and spoke.
“Um…… Should we ask the man upstairs? He might know something about laughing zombies. Or maybe he’s encountered someone like that before.”
“Hmm.”
“……Would he answer even if he did know?”
At Seo Arin’s sudden suggestion, both Seo Hwarin and Yi Ganghyeok instinctively looked upward. When Seo Hwarin distrustfully rephrased the question, Seo Arin shrugged.
“You never know! There’s nothing to lose. Besides, if it turns out he does know about laughing zombies, isn’t that a win? Right?”
Even if the man said he didn’t know, there was nothing to lose. On the contrary, merely getting him to answer or pretend to know was already beneficial.
“You make a fair point. That’s true.”
Yi Ganghyeok nodded, and Seo Arin quickly dashed toward the entrance.
“Then I’ll be right back!”
“But the ramen…….”
Startled by her sudden departure, Yi Ganghyeok tried to stop her, saying there was no rush and she should eat first. But she was already gone.
‘She certainly moves fast…….’
Seo Hwarin did the same, and now Seo Arin too. Watching them, he couldn’t help but think they really were sisters. But such thoughts were fleeting as Seo Hwarin placed the finished ramen on the table with a smile.
“If you start eating first, she’ll be back down soon. Otherwise the noodles will get soggy. Go ahead and eat.”
“Right. Thank you for the meal.”
As the aroma of ramen wafted into his nose, Yi Ganghyeok wasted no time digging in.
Slurp.
A smile bloomed naturally the moment he took that first bite.
Ramen eaten while still fatigued was as delicious as any delicacy, and its warmth was enough to ease muscles that had grown rigid with tension.
Click.
Thud!
In the meantime, Seo Arin returned from the man upstairs, her lips pursed as she stepped back inside.
“What’s wrong?”
“He doesn’t know either.”
“That’s unfortunate. All we can do is wait for information to appear on a community board eventually…… Oh! We should notify the Union too.”
“The Jungnang-gu Union?”
“Are we part of the Union?”
“No, that’s not it. But I think they might start poking around our Safe House. If we accidentally draw their attention and end up leaving, it’ll only put us in danger. So I’ll warn them to be careful.”
“You think we’ll be discovered eventually either way?”
When Seo Hwarin asked about his continued explanation, Yi Ganghyeok smiled with a bitter expression.
“It’s a place that’s bound to be found eventually, no matter how much we might not want it to be.”
“That’s certainly true.”
When Seo Hwarin agreed with Yi Ganghyeok’s assessment, Seo Arin suddenly stood up from her seat.
“If we’re going to be found anyway, we should prepare as much as possible before they discover us. So, should we block off the 1st floor entrance?”
Yi Ganghyeok smiled despite himself and shook his head at her eagerness to rush downstairs and seal the entrance right then and there.
“There’s no need. Since there are Awakeners involved, blocking the entrance won’t help anyway. It’ll just be a waste of resources.”
“I see…….”
Perhaps because Yi Ganghyeok had immediately countered her suggestion.
Her enthusiasm vanished, and she pursed her lips quietly with a sullen expression.
Yi Ganghyeok, turning her words about blocking the entrance over in his mind, seemed struck by a good idea. He continued with a smile on his face.
“But conversely, if the entrance is sealed, they’ll assume that’s a Safe House.”
“Bait! That’s actually a really good idea!”
At those words, Seo Arin’s eyes sparkled with renewed enthusiasm, and Seo Hwarin, apparently thinking it wasn’t a bad plan either, stroked her chin thoughtfully and nodded.
“That does seem better. The Jungnang-gu Union won’t be looking to clash with you right away, so even if they find it, they won’t rush inside. They’ll think that’s where you’re hiding.”
It might deceive them, or it might not. But it was better than nothing.
As she was thinking this, a suitable building suddenly came to mind.
A place she’d considered as a Safe House long ago but had abandoned, thinking she couldn’t maintain it alone.
“There’s actually a decent location nearby. Let’s check it out as soon as it gets light. While we’re at it, I’ll grab a Welding Machine for the work.”
“Right now? You must be exhausted. Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Roughly three hours remained until sunrise.
He’d spent all day working, had just barely returned, and had eaten only one bowl of ramen—yet he was planning to go out again in three hours?
Though setting bait did require haste before others became aware, Seo Hwarin’s concern made Yi Ganghyeok shrug.
“It’s fine. Staying up all night has been routine since long before this. Even a couple hours of sleep is enough.”
He smiled as he spoke.
He was referring to his days before the Catastrophe, when he’d pulled all-nighters gaming.
Seo Hwarin, apparently interpreting it as nights when he couldn’t sleep from anxiety during his solitary survival, nodded with a wry expression.
“I understand. Then I’ll prepare for the outing while you’re resting. Don’t worry—sleep well before you go.”
* * *
“Are we ready?”
Three hours later, after a brief nap, Yi Ganghyeok came up to the 23rd floor and asked. Seo Hwarin and Seo Arin responded with concern.
“We’re ready. How about you? You still seem pretty worn out…… Are you really all right?”
“There are dark circles under your eyes.”
Yi Ganghyeok, having finished his preparations, smiled at their worried gazes.
“Rest can wait. For now, this takes priority.”
If he rested now, he might end up resting forever.
To be honest, the Jungnang-gu Union didn’t seem likely to attack, but he still couldn’t bring himself to trust them completely.
So the faster he created a decoy Safe House and exposed it to them, the higher his odds of survival became.
With that thought, Yi Ganghyeok smiled and picked up the Bone Shield. Seeing this, both women exhaled and clenched their fists.
“Since you insist, we have no choice. But we’ll do our absolute best to protect you.”
“That’s right. Just trust us, and we’ll make sure nothing happens to you!”
“That’s reassuring. Oh, I should station some zombies on the 30th floor…….”
Just as he was about to leave and position some zombies on the 30th floor, in case the man tried to escape during his absence—
Seo Hwarin stopped him and spoke.
“Don’t worry about it. While you were sleeping, I welded the entire door shut as practice. If he tries to escape, he’ll have to tear through the door itself, so he can’t get out until you return.”
“……I see. Thank you for the effort.”
She’d welded the entire door to prevent him from escaping.
Caught off guard by something he hadn’t anticipated, Yi Ganghyeok scratched his cheek and nodded.
‘Well…….’
Rather than worrying endlessly about him escaping, taking definitive measures wasn’t a bad idea.
Having settled on that thought, Yi Ganghyeok praised Seo Hwarin and then glanced out the window.
“Then let’s depart before it gets any later.”
“Yes!”
* * *
A short while later.
After walking for several minutes behind Yi Ganghyeok—
When they arrived at the building he’d mentioned, Seo Hwarin and Seo Arin’s eyes widened.
“This place is…… Amazing. It’s perfect!”
“Wow! Why don’t we just move the Safe House here?”
Apparently satisfied, Seo Arin suggested relocating the Safe House. Yi Ganghyeok pointed to an apartment complex nearby and shook his head.
It wasn’t close, but it wasn’t far either. Close enough that if there was a commotion, the zombies in the apartment complex could hear it.
“It’s too risky to use as a Safe House. Even though there’s distance, if a horde of zombies ever came, we couldn’t hold them off.”
“That’s true…… If a Zombie Nest is nearby, it is dangerous.”
“What a shame. The building itself is really perfect…….”
As long as they stayed quiet, it seemed fine enough. But since when had things ever gone according to plan?
If someone with ill intent caused a commotion and lured the zombies from the Nest, they’d be wiped out in an instant.
The two women, who had once lost their shelter to a zombie horde, sighed softly at the lost opportunity.
“Anyway, before we go inside, let me scout it first. Just wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
Did he plan to send zombies in first?
“Shriek!”
Splash!
The moment the two women expressed confusion about his intention to scout inside, Im Jaebeom used his skill to summon water snakes.
He then issued the search command through his Command Domain, and the water snakes quickly disappeared from sight.
“So if an Awakener is turned into a zombie, they can use their abilities too?”
Seo Arin asked. She seemed to be recalling how Im Jaebeom had used the water snakes to search.
“No, it’s not that. This one uses the ability, and controls the water snakes as well. But I can feel the water snakes’ senses through the connection. Since only their sensations are transmitted to me, it’s hard to make visual judgments.”
“Oh…… I see. That’s interesting.”
“If scouting is possible, infiltration would be too, then. What’s the range of your command?”
Unlike Seo Arin, who was simply fascinated, Seo Hwarin was curious about how the water snakes could be utilized and asked.
“The range is about fifty meters, I think? The first time I used the ability it was dark, so I couldn’t confirm precisely, but it seems to be around that. Plus, since the command is relayed through this one, there’s about a two-second delay.”
“That’s plenty to explore the entire building. If anyone tries to infiltrate later, it’s perfect for an ambush. And it’s exactly the kind of ability we need!”
She smiled with delight, as if the delay was insignificant compared to the ability’s potential.
Certainly…….
Much like Yi Ganghyeok’s goal was survival, Seo Hwarin’s goal was protecting her sister.
She genuinely celebrated and was pleased that their available abilities had increased.
Seo Arin, on the other hand…….
“Anyway, acquiring a zombie that was once an Awakener means gaining new abilities. Like Electric, and the skills that man was using. It’s completely unfair.”
She was simply envious of the expanded abilities.
But even that was brief. Soon she seemed caught in thought, her chin in her hand, as she contemplated what synergy she and Im Jaebeom might create, their affinities being the same.
She wanted to show good teamwork with Im Jaebeom the way Electric and she had demonstrated good compatibility, and Yi Ganghyeok, satisfied with her reaction, nodded with a smile on his face.
“There seem to be about twenty inside, so let’s hunt and scout as we go.”
“Yes!”
With that, the three advanced inside, leading the zombies and water snakes ahead of them.

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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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