Marauder of the Apocalypse

Chapter 8: Police, Thief, and Zombies [1]

Day 10 of the zombie outbreak.

The world continued to turn, creaking and groaning, and zombies became more visible. I planned for the future.

***

Sometimes we bought things from convenience stores with broken glass, sometimes we ran over zombies that jumped out of nowhere, sometimes we got stuck in traffic because of zombie accidents, sometimes we saw police cars with sirens blaring, and sometimes we were terrified.

Yet, we diligently prepared for the future.

Today was the same.

I parked by the roadside and researched.

'The public authority must collapse.'

Tap, tap, tap-

I tapped the table with my fingers, glaring at my old mobile phone. In it were the role models I had studied - drug cartels, the mafia, gangs, terrorists.

Could there be better teachers and seniors than the looters already living in an apocalyptic state?

The first lesson I learned from my seniors was that lawless individuals thrive when law enforcement is nearly absent. Of course, this applied to the current apocalyptic world.

It was simple. Who is the biggest enemy of the looter? The public authority. Therefore, the public authority must disappear. For example, the police.

'Though this is a long-term plan.'

The world continued to turn.

While the police in the city cannot be eliminated overnight, it's better to have a scenario prepared to accelerate the apocalypse.

I fully spread the wings of my dark imagination. All kinds of sinister and dirty terrorist means. Zombie-luring bombs, bioterrorism, dispersing and then attacking in small groups, subcontracting and then raiding.

I was amazed at how much I could think of. The inspiration gushed out, surprising even myself.

"Ugh."

I suddenly rubbed my goosebump-covered skin.

It felt as if my mind had become warped. I wasn't originally this kind of person, but the apocalypse has ruined me. Turning an aspiring screenwriter into this.

Around then, Jeon Do-hyeong glanced at me.

"Are you cold?"

"A little. Isn't it spring now? The weather is strange."

I changed the subject. He wasn't a colleague I trusted enough to share all my plans with.

"Are you done with the checks?"

"Yeah, more or less."

Jeon Do-hyeong, who had been marking various maps with red, blue, and black pens, put down the pen.

On one side was his mobile phone, which was outputting the data he had diligently investigated - the locations of police stations, police boxes, large marts, hospitals, and other important places in the apocalypse, while sharing it with my old mobile phone via hotspot.

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Jeon Do-hyeong spoke slowly.

"We've found some police stations or precincts that might have firearms."

His voice drawled on. He pointed to a few spots on the map while glancing at me.

"There seem to be tasers or handguns in some places, and there are also police stations that have reserve military firearms and police stations that have hunting shotguns... What if-"

I think I know what he's trying to say.

It feels like he's suggesting we raid the police station, like a thief. Even though zombies are scary, it seems he's interested in stealing the state's assets.

His hands were even trembling, as if he couldn't contain his excitement.

"What if, could we-"

But I waved my hand hastily in refusal.

"What are the two of us going to do, attack a police station? We can't even handle a police box or a local police station."

I quickly calmed Jeon Do-hyeong down. This bold electric thief needs to be stopped before he causes trouble.

To attack a police station, we'd need more zombies, fewer police personnel, and hire a juvenile crime gang to assist in the raid. I'd also need to increase the number of people in my group.

Jeon Do-hyeong let out a disappointed sigh. His body slumped.

"Ah... I guess you're right?"

The sense of relief I feel is probably just my imagination. This guy is a vicious electric thief, after all.

'Managing one comrade is already exhausting.'

Like a wicked criminal, he has a high chance of betraying or causing trouble. Just having him around is mentally draining. I rubbed my eyes, but stopped, afraid of the virus.

Then I mentioned the next target, something that would pique the electric thief's interest.

"The police station is too much. Let's rob the police instead."

"...Huh?"

Jeon Do-hyeong blinked his eyes, as if doubting his ears. His fingers started trembling again.

'Looks good.'

Even if he's not enough as a main member, he has the qualifications to be a looter. Having even one looting comrade like this means I can do things I couldn't do alone.

I smiled contentedly and gestured with my fingers as if shooting a gun. Bang.

"We need to get handguns and tasers."

Zombies are too scary, after all.

Getting into close combat could lead to virus infection. Safe long-range weapons are a must-have.

They'd be useful even if the target isn't a zombie.

***

"...Guns would be nice, but no, we can't attack the police!"

Jeon Do-hyeong suddenly panicked and jumped up. As a thief who usually steals electricity in secret, the blatant robbery seems to go against his principles a bit.

His rationality has overcome his thieving instinct.

I frowned.

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I have many words to explain the justification or reassure him. The apocalypse is here, so why worry about the police? We need to weaken the police. We're already busy hunting zombies, and there are various other problems...

But I gave up on all that and slammed the table. Jeon Do-hyeong flinched in surprise.

"First, listen to the scenario. You need to know what we're going to do."

"Ah, yes..."

Jeon Do-hyeong said weakly.

I leaned forward and extended one finger.

"Step one, prepare a companion."

"Suddenly a companion? And one to attack the police? Is that possible?"

It was a reasonable question. He asked a question that would help complete the scenario as a companion. I shouldn't criticize him for that.

I nodded and mentioned the name of a reliable companion who would join us in attacking the police.

"You know, zombies."

Zombies can be companions. They can distract the police's attention and focus, bind their feet, and even help with attacks and defense.

I continued speaking to Jeon Do-hyeong, who was just gaping.

"We only need to find one zombie. Step two. call the police that you found a zombie."

"...Ambush the police who come to subdue the zombie?"

I nodded repeatedly, saying that's exactly what we'll do.

Currently, the police are the primary agency in charge of zombies. They respond with the appropriate number of officers, shoot tasers at the zombies, and handcuff their wrists and ankles while the zombies are paralyzed.

"I saw on the internet that they only send about two police officers for one zombie. And while the two police officers are focused on the zombie, we can ambush them."

"It seems possible..."

Jeon Do-hyeong had an enticed expression. He had clenched his fist and leaned forward.

I drove the point home.

"The police respond in pairs. One has a handgun, the other has a taser. If we succeed in the ambush, we can get both."

Weapons that can eliminate the virus-ridden zombies from a distance. He can't resist this.

Jeon Do-hyeong seemed to be wavering between his instinct and rationality, but eventually he tightly closed his eyes. The words I had implanted came out of his slightly opened mouth.

"The world is ruined... Since such crazy people have already appeared, we definitely need weapons."

Is he cursing me, the one who saved his life twice?

I frowned, about to scold him, but Jeon Do-hyeong suddenly opened his eyes.

"Let's do it."

"...Alright."

As long as he's motivated, that's enough. It's not like we're doing anything other than attacking the police. I hid my uneasy feelings and refined the scenario a little further. The unmentioned Step 4.

And just like location scouting for a movie, I went around looking for a suitable place.

***

A suitable place means a place without CCTV. Or a place with clever blind spots. Also, a place without any inhabited houses or parked cars.

The empty space had to be wide or long enough to park the camper van far away and move around.

Of course, there had to be zombies as well.

It was an extremely difficult condition to find in the city, but surprisingly, Jeon Do-hyeong provided the answer. He smiled awkwardly and turned his gaze out the window.

"Well, I have a few places where I secretly charge up. The zombies might not be there, but the rest should be about right."

"Good. Let's go."

I nodded vigorously.

I'm glad I accepted the electric thief as a companion. I never expected help from this direction.

Indeed, one cannot judge a person's potential and abilities just by their outward appearance. Everyone has their own unique strengths.

And so the camper van roamed the city, occasionally stopping to rapidly charge the electric vehicle.

Jeon Do-hyeong showed me one by one the crime scenes where he had stolen electricity, and each time I just gaped in awe andapped.

"There are such places in the city."

"If you look, you can find them all."

At first, Jeon Do-hyeong seemed awkward and embarrassed, but as I reacted enthusiastically, he now proudly introduced them.

"This is a place that can be used at night - just a quick charge here and there-"

He showed me an electricity meter for agricultural use attached to a utility pole on the outskirts of the city, a public restroom surrounded by construction barriers, and an old public restroom at the foot of a mountain.

"Honestly, if you charge for too long, you'll get caught. But a quick charge while passing by is fine."

This was beyond just being impressed.

The amount of stolen electricity wasn't even that much. It was just the thrill of stealing itself that he enjoyed.

'This guy is really an electricity thief!'

It was tiring. Even if the infrastructure was damaged and the power was cut off, he was determined to somehow plunder electricity.

As I was shaking my head, Jeon Do-hyeong awkwardly asked, "So where are we going to ambush them?"

"Well..."

I snapped back to my senses. The time was obviously deep at night. The locations were all fine, as long as there were zombies.

As night fell, we searched for and found zombies in a wide field.

In the darkness of the field, I panted as I walked a long distance from where we parked the car, then checked my phone. It was just past midnight, the date had changed. I looked around.

There was a simple shelter with just a roof and floor, and under an electric lantern, I could see a zombie wandering about. I quietly said, "Let's report the zombie to the police."

It was the 11th day since the zombie outbreak.

We were taking action to safely obtain weapons to deal with the terrifying zombies.