Chapter 95

51. Verification (2)

Although I didn’t talk much with the Defender siblings when they helped with the construction, we occasionally chatted about the past or our interests during downtime.

I knew she was familiar with internet culture, but when we actually talked, I realized her expertise was on a level I couldn’t match.

“I’ve been in communities since elementary school.”

“You were a promising young sprout, then.”

At that time, it was the so-called resting period for the Defender.

After meeting a formidable opponent named Justice Min, he hardly wrote and didn’t verify at all.

“I feel good about not verifying these days.”

It’s true.

The fewer verifications there are, the fewer people the Defender has to face.

“Verification is better not done.”

Da-jung sighed and smiled bitterly.

For a moment, she looked like a seasoned veteran, slumped and shaking her head as she gazed into the distance.

“...The kids who verify on the bulletin board don’t last long.”

“Really? Was their verification not good enough?”

“No, that’s not it. There were even really rich kids in the sites I used to frequent, the kind you’d see in movies.”

“But why do they disappear?”

“I don’t know. They just do. Maybe it’s like a sage’s time has come.”

“Hmm.”

“Thinking about it another way, it might be because they’re different. You know about masquerade balls, right?”

“Of course.”

“Everyone wears a mask and mingles, but if you’re the only one without a mask, wouldn’t you feel out of place?”

The Defender’s sister smiled wryly at me.

I didn’t fully understand her words, but I felt I understood why people who verify disappear.

But there was a counterexample right in front of me.

“Still, you guys have been verifying a lot and for quite a while, haven’t you?”

At this, the Defender’s sister laughed.

“Verification is what it is. There’s heavy verification and light verification. Ours is the light kind.”

At the time, I didn’t understand the meaning of her words.

But now, I think I do.

What heavy verification means.

In the photo, a man was hanging upside down, and the blood dripping from him had dyed the seat of the chair he was sitting in red.

“...”

Just by looking at the photo, the man seemed to be alive.

Sure enough, the Defender added a sentence at the end of the photo.

Defender: He’s still alive.

The moment I saw it, I felt a familiar sense of disgust, along with a long-forgotten chill.

That disgust was probably not much different from what I felt when I first met the Defender siblings.

What the Defender was doing now was a faded reenactment of scenes I had seen countless times in China.

When the regular army couldn’t handle the rebels, specialized guerrilla units were deployed.

These men, closer to butchers than soldiers, often captured a few rebels as hostages and used them to lure out the rest for a complete annihilation.

Inducing bleeding in the hostages and leaving them was one of their favorite methods.

A choice between two evils, you could say.

If you don’t come to save them, they die; if you do, the rest die.

The Defender, my internet friend, was using a similar method, not in China but in Korea.

Defender: Video

In the video the Defender posted, a man tied upside down was crying like a child, pleading for his life.

The low resolution of the video wasn’t an issue.

On the contrary, it enhanced the eerie atmosphere of the dimly lit room.

“...”

I have little to say about this situation.

This is the Defender’s fight.

He chose and decided.

But why do I feel such strong aversion to his methods?

Is it because this is the heavy verification Da-jung talked about?

Or is there another reason?

I can’t clearly explain the frustration in my head, but another user on our bulletin board did.

Dies_Irea69: I don’t know what’s going on, but using our bulletin board as a tool for murder seems to be crossing a line.

Dies_Irea.

The leader of the collective survivalists, a man who could articulate the discomfort I couldn’t express.

That’s right.

The Defender is using our bulletin board.

He’s bringing his war to the place that was our hard-earned sanctuary and the source of joy in our lives.

The Defender probably knows everything about the enemy.

Their base, their patterns, and their habits.

He gathered all the information and set a trap to drive them to death.

He chose our bulletin board as the bait to lead them into the trap.

I recalled the message the Defender showed from Justice Min.

Message from JUSTICE_MIN: Defender. You’re the crazy guy from Viva! Apocalypse! Killing people and verifying, hahaha, fuck hahaha.

Message from JUSTICE_MIN: Now I know you. This champion of justice knows you. I’ll hunt you down from today. I’ll hunt you and “verify” you. Wait, it won’t take long...

Judging from the message, he’s the type who likes to show off.

What made him so eager to hunt the Defender?

The Defender’s sister had her own thoughts on Justice Min’s actions.

“A kid with a sense of belonging to the community.”

“Sense of belonging?”

“Yeah. He’s from Big Fail Net and was a big shot there. Seeing our bulletin board, a refuge for cowards, must have been unbearable for him, a Big Fail Net elite.”

What I know about Justice Min is that he’s a former raider and has formed a group.

He must have killed at least one of our bulletin board users, given the satellite equipment he stole.

Even so, the Defender’s methods can’t be justified.

Defender: Second Video

Despite Dies_Irea’s criticism, he posted a second video.

In the same location, the video showed the man tied upside down writhing like a speared fish, pleading for his life.

“Please, save me, ugh, bro! Bro! Please save me, please...”

At the end of the video, a ruthless club struck his face.

Dies_Irea was right.

The Defender was trying to draw out Justice Min.

He was creating a situation where he had to move.

If Justice Min didn’t act, the Defender would post even more horrific and cruel videos.

“...”

I had planned to turn on the communicator only when the Defender siblings were in danger.

Now, that’s changed.

There’s a need to communicate.

I have to stop him.

Whether he dismembers Justice Min or grinds him into meat, that’s something to be done offline.

The greatest taboo of our bulletin board.

I can now clearly state it.

Bringing “a reality you don’t want to see” to the “bulletin board.”

Anonymous848: This is kind of unpleasant.

Anonymous458: The Defender’s antics are neither interesting nor moving. So what?

Anonymous1131: Is this what the Defender is like?

Foxgames: This doesn’t seem right.

Berkut_Break: Is he obsessed with being named?

dongtanmom: It’s like what the Chinese kids do. Yum yum...

mmmmmmmmm: What are you talking about? (I really don’t know)

...

...

The atmosphere on the bulletin board is cold.

No one likes it, and some are openly showing their disgust.

Well, the Defender isn’t the type to flinch at such reactions.

Defender: Video 3

I didn’t even play the third video.

It’s probably more torture, threats, and pleas for mercy.

There’s no need to watch it.

If I did, it would only increase my aversion to the Defender.

Sure enough, a user finally stepped up.

Dies_Irea69: I’m warning you, Defender. I don’t want to see your disgusting videos anymore. I’m warning you.

Dies_Irea.

He’s not a named user.

But at some point, he became a presence that no one could ignore or mock.

Even after the Defender went into a long silence, he continued to assert his influence as a key figure on our bulletin board.

His sincere and strong points in the IAmJesus contest are still vivid in my mind.

Now, Dies_Irea is issuing a warning.

I know this person doesn’t speak lightly.

And I also know he has a killer’s heart.

Defender: Ignore it.

The Defender, who rarely responded to others, reacted to Dies_Irea.

The Defender must have sensed it too.

Dies_Irea is not an easy opponent.

Dies_Irea69: Are you declaring war on us?

Dies_Irea responded immediately.

The Defender didn’t answer.

Dies_Irea continued to post.

Dies_Irea69: To be honest, I never liked you. I let it slide because the world is what it is and you had your reasons, but this time, you’ve gone too far. Justice Min. I don’t know him, but he’s a user on our bulletin board, right? You’re breaking your own vows.

The moment I read that, I felt a strong tension.

It’s because I know the essence of Dies_Irea.

I’ve seen it firsthand.

They say he’s a yellow sprout, but he mercilessly killed all the children without a shred of mercy and used their deaths as propaganda.

He’s an adult.

Not just an adult in age, but a cold, ruthless adult who navigates the world without shedding a tear.

Dies_Irea69: This is your final warning. Your fight. If you bring it here one more time, we will take action.

He didn’t pick a fight with the Defender for no reason.

He’s using the Defender as a stepping stone to achieve a larger goal.

The moment I realized this, my decision was simple.

“Defender.”

I immediately turned on the communicator.

“Answer me.”

Bang!

Gunshots rang out from the other side of the communicator.

“Is that you, Da-jung, typing?”

“?!”

A startled breath came from the other side.

“Don’t respond to Dies_Irea.”

It was the first time I spoke so strongly to her since our first meeting.

“Skeleton...”

Her voice was subdued.

“Can’t you see what kind of person he is?”

“What kind of person?”

Da-jung asked, her voice tinged with subtle protest despite her submissiveness.

“He could kill you.”

“Kill us? That guy?”

“Yes. He will.”

“Skeleton.”

“Don’t do it. Don’t fight. Don’t let him manipulate you.”

Bang!

A gunshot echoed from the other side.

Soon, the Defender’s fading voice and heavy breathing came through.

“It’s over. They’re all dead.”

“Good job.”

“But, Skeleton. What did you just say? Even if you’re our friend, that’s a hard thing to let go.”

“I meant what you heard.”

“Skeleton.”

The Defender’s voice was sharp.

“Are you serious?”

He’s angry at me.

“Yes. Don’t do it.”

But the sharpness in his voice isn’t his alone.

This is a warning.

“I told you not to do it.”

“...”

I could feel the silent, unpleasant tension from the other side.

I waited quietly.

For my internet friend’s response.

After a moment, a resigned sigh came from the other side.

“...I understand.”

“You made the right decision.”

You really did.

The Defender probably thought he had removed a fated obstacle by killing his arch-nemesis, Justice Min.

Fate’s blade doesn’t come alone.

Sometimes it comes in pairs, sometimes in an inescapable barrage.

At least to me, Dies_Irea seems a much sharper blade than Justice Min.

“...Are you going to verify?”

I asked, softening my voice a bit, hoping they would understand my heart.

After a moment, a sigh from the Defender’s sister came through the communicator.

“This verification.”

Her fading, melancholic laugh echoed.

“It was heavy, wasn’t it?”

She’s an internet master.

She knew the other side of herself and her brother.

She knew the fate of “Defender.”

*

Anonymous: What’s up with the Defender? Why is he not posting?

Anonymous1131: Did the Defender get trolled by Dies_Irea? Haha, no word from him.

Unicorn18: Was the Defender really a water rocket?

Anonymous848: Surely the Defender isn’t dead?

Anonymous458: Defender, did you really get scared by Dies_Irea?

RokaGG: The Defender is surprisingly smart. He knows his limits.

mmmmmmmmm: What’s going on? Is it some troll bait? (I really don’t know)

...

...

Someone’s downfall is always a topic that stirs people up.

Especially if they were once at the top.

The named user, once the epitome of fear and the most dangerous and powerful user on our bulletin board, was now falling into ridicule and mockery.

In a way, it was predictable.

He became a named user through a shocking verification, but now that shock has become routine, he can no longer remain shocking.

“Those who rise by verification fall by verification.”

The words of the Defender’s sister.

“Looking back, Dies_Irea was right.”

They, the Defender siblings, are here in our shelter.

I invited them.

As a token of gratitude for their great patience.

I treated them to a rare piece of beef from the deep freezer.

“...It’s delicious.”

The Defender chewed the meat with a blank expression, looking into the distance.

He looks weak.

No wonder.

He fought a life-or-death battle and came back to ridicule on the bulletin board.

According to the Defender’s sister, he won’t be active for a while.

The named user “Defender” will fade into history.

“Do you really need to leave the bulletin board?”

The Defender’s sister sighed and joined the table.

Above us, countless stars twinkled.

A surprising gift from the apocalypse.

The Defender’s sister turned on her tablet and showed me a message.

[Leaving is the right move. Anti-Defender sentiment has been growing, and we’ve done things that could get us in trouble. Dies_Irea, who was already sizing us up, hit us right on the mark. What else could it be but ridicule?]

The words of an internet master. They must be true.

Still, there is one escape route.

Kill Dies_Irea, who started the trouble, and verify.

But that won’t happen anytime soon.

“Why are you leaving the bulletin board?”

The Defender’s sister asked bluntly.

“Aren’t you going to use the Defender account anymore?”

“We have a backup account.”

Message from seamonkeyPAPA: (Defender) hi

“What’s this?”

“Just a nickname change. There are a lot of new users these days, right?”

Truly an internet master.

His thinking is different.

Unlike his still spirited sister, the brother remains dejected.

It’s understandable.

His pride has been hurt.

He suddenly asked me.

“...Is he really that dangerous? Dies_Irea?”

He still seems resentful.

“He is. Ambitious, smart, and cruel. But...”

I looked at the countless stars twinkling above.

Stars are often compared to the souls of the dead.

The many stars twinkling during the apocalypse might mean many lives have been lost.

“I don’t think he’ll last long.”

“Why?”

The siblings asked simultaneously.

“He doesn’t hide, does he?”

Everyone will become stars, but we will twinkle later than them.