Chapter 96

52. Boiler (1)

It has been two years and eight months since the war began.

Before the war, I expected that not many people would still be alive after this much time.

But reality was different.

Even if it's just a shell, the government still exists, and countless people are living scattered throughout the country.

However, I'm not the only one who feels that everything is reaching its limits.

Even Park Gyu, who prides himself on being the most well-prepared in South Korea, is starting to feel a sense of crisis these days.

The threats to our survival are not just the Legion or monsters.

External threats are just one of many factors that threaten our survival.

Survival includes daily life.

To live daily life, we need supplies.

If we compare it to a game, supplies are like HP.

Just as a game character dies when their HP reaches zero, we, the doomsday preppers, die when our supplies run out.

Traditionally, there are two main ways to replenish scarce supplies.

Plundering and scavenging.

Plundering is not my style, nor is it easy.

As we learned from the Defender expulsion incident, everyone has leveled up.

The easy targets, those who would sit at home and take it, are already dead.

The easier option is scavenging.

To put it politely, scavenging; more accurately, scavenging.

It involves searching through abandoned homes and bodies to obtain supplies.

These two ways of life were not options before the war.

But now, with the prolonged doomsday and the unexpected resilience of people, I've decided to change my thinking.

Rebecca provided the impetus.

*

The supplies people need are many, but ultimately, they don't deviate from the traditional essentials of food, clothing, and shelter.

First, the food situation is relatively good.

I've mostly converted frozen food into preserved food, and I also cultivate crops sporadically in my territory as a pastime.

Planting seedlings given by Mr. Kim and other things I've stored, and harvesting them is one of my few pleasures.

However, my farm is irregular.

Unlike those in D'Sera, who have agricultural skills and plant various crops intensively in square plots, I scatter seeds here and there.

It's not because I'm stupid, but to make my farmland look less like a field.

I've planted plots as small as a shoe and as large as a person can lie down.

Managing them is difficult, and watering them leaves me exhausted, and they are vulnerable to pests and have low productivity.

But compared to the risk of being discovered, these are minor issues.

If someone like me, marked by the Legion, were to proudly display my farmland in D'Sera and post a certification article titled "Skeleton Farm," I might receive artillery fire from the Legion and ruin an entire year's worth of crops.

But even this will be a problem to consider for next year and the year after.

My stockpile will last about a year.

Combining long-term storage "brick food," it might last five years, but I'll likely die of mental illness or other diseases before then.

A bigger problem than food is the aging of facilities.

The electricity and plumbing were initially installed with near-top-tier quality and with expert advice, so there are no issues.

However, the batteries cannot last forever.

I have a large number of batteries, but after about three years, their charge and voltage are gradually decreasing.

The most critical issue is fuel.

The condition of the fuel is getting worse.

This was expected.

Fuel cannot be stored indefinitely.

Gasoline can't last a year, and diesel can last at most a year and a half.

So, I ordered diesel with good preservation properties, added various additives to prevent oxidation, and stored it in a vacuum tank, but I can't completely stop the passage of time.

Every time I use the fuel, I have to open the valve, and air will inevitably enter, which even large corporations can't prevent.

The unique seasonal fluctuations and humidity in Korea also negatively affect the fuel.

It's a comprehensive gift set of the harshness of nature that can be experienced on Earth.

Rebecca's seniors didn't freeze to death during the Korean war because they were ignorant.

They didn't expect a country as warm as an island in the Pacific to get so cold.

The lack of fuel is a problem.

"......"

Rebecca sent me a message this morning.

Message from COOKIEMONSTER123: Skeleton. This winter will be very cold.

It's not common for Rebecca to send messages via the internet.

She also sent me a translation of a popular article on the Viva! Apocalypse! English board.

Drastic81: Warning! North American meteorological research institute predicts the coldest winter on record.

In short, the article says that if you approach this winter with a half-hearted attitude, you will freeze to death.

According to the article, a global cooling phenomenon is currently being detected on Earth.

Last winter, a record-breaking cold snap claimed many lives, and this winter will be even harsher and stronger.

The author attributes the cause to massive volcanic eruptions in Southeast Asia and a global-scale nuclear war.

"......"

This winter will likely bring another significant change to the world.

It means that nature will test humanity before the monsters do.

Chirp chirp—

Outside, cicadas are in full swing.

It's a time to worry about heatstroke, not the cold.

It's midsummer.

But I'm thinking about winter.

If the Legion or monsters attack before then, I'll die, but if I face winter unprepared, I'll freeze to death.

How should I prepare for winter?

I thought of the equipment that people starting off-grid living most often search for.

It's a wood-burning boiler.

There are two main reasons.

While the quality of fuel is deteriorating, wood is a relatively common and easily obtainable fuel.

The heat from wood is much stronger than city dwellers imagine.

Mr. Kim also enjoyed a wellness life with a clay room heated by a wood-burning boiler before he passed away.

The reason I didn't choose a wood-burning boiler is simple.

It emits a large amount of white smoke visible from a distance.

Before the war, it might have been a symbol of a cozy village, but now it's a suicide signal to the people around me.

So, a wood-burning boiler was never even considered as a heating option.

But now, I'm seriously considering a wood-burning boiler.

There's no choice.

According to Rebecca, this winter will be even more terrifying than the last cold snap.

So, you either freeze to death or get shot to death.

It's a harsh either-or choice.

Without much thought, I chose the wood-burning boiler.

I didn't need to think deeply.

When the harshness of winter hit me like a club, I had a clear sense.

That cold is more terrifying than people.

Of course, I will only operate the wood-burning boiler when the cold is unbearable.

When the temperature stays below -15°C for over a month.

By then, most of the weak will be dead.

The people who have survived through hardships around me will not be in good condition.

They might not even be able to come to the golf course this time.

Of course, if the Legion comes with winter gear, they will die.

But I don't have a wood-burning boiler.

Not considering it as an option means I never thought about using one.

But now, I need a wood-burning boiler.

With no internet shopping and all the suppliers turned into zombies or corpses, there are two ways to get things.

Steal or scavenge.

I chose to scavenge.

I have a scavenging expert nearby.

My neighbor, Defender.

*

"Wood-burning boiler? They're everywhere. You can find one easily by searching a few abandoned off-grid homes."

Defender, known for his kill certifications, eventually had to retire from the board because it became a liability.

But to me, he's more like a highly skilled scavenger.

Every time I visit, there's always something new, including vehicles.

"Consumables are almost gone. Most have been looted. But fixed equipment, especially simple things like wood-burning boilers, are left behind. You don't need to carry heavy things; you can easily make them with what you have."

Defender told me where I might find a wood-burning boiler.

<Sunflower Village>

A nearby abandoned off-grid housing complex.

No one lives there now, but there are traces of looters and scavengers from long ago.

Strangely, there are many cemeteries behind the off-grid homes, possibly due to legal disputes between the construction company and residents before and after the sale.

It seems there was a German scavenger, as a few graves have been dug up.

Defender warns to be especially careful when searching abandoned homes.

There's a possibility that people, especially the elderly, are hiding in what looks like an abandoned home, or there might be zombies.

In the worst case, there might be mutations.

Message from Defender: It was a cat mutation. I really screamed and ran away.

Mutations are indeed terrifying.

But their numbers are not that large.

They become more visible as they grow larger and need to eat more to match their increased size, which is not easily solved by increased intelligence and size.

Many mutations appeared in China but died due to lack of food or by killing each other.

Some that fed on humans were also killed by humans.

There are no villages or animals nearby to sustain mutations.

It's a place with nothing.

But complacency is dangerous.

I approached the abandoned home slowly, an axe in one hand and a gun in the other.

Bang!

Kicking the door open, I entered to find a dust-covered interior and the lingering scent of a long-dead body.

Click!

I carefully searched the house, step by step.

When scavenging an abandoned home, it's a rule to search the entire house.

You might be attacked by someone hiding in the attic or basement.

Especially if you plan to spend time in the house, you need to search thoroughly, even nearby houses, to ensure safety.

If you start scavenging and announce your location, and there's someone with a weapon nearby, it can lead to a dangerous situation.

I found the item I was looking for without much difficulty.

A large wood-burning boiler was in the boiler room, undamaged.

The two mummified bodies lying next to the boiler were concerning, but I took it as a positive sign that there was no immediate danger in the house.

The problem was the weight of the wood-burning boiler.

It looked like it weighed at least 150 kg.

A skeleton could lift it, but it would be a strain.

A strained back means death.

A cold means death.

The cold means death.

It's that kind of world.

"......"

Should I use a forklift?

It's a 9 km distance, and using a forklift is a tough decision.

But I have to take it.

I can load it onto a truck.

In any case, I secured the boiler I was looking for.

Next is the search.

I'll have to come back again, so I need to thoroughly check the surroundings.

I entered the next house with my gun.

It's smaller but a well-built and attractive home.

The first-floor windows are mostly broken, but the second-floor and hard-to-reach windows are intact, showing a clear view of the outside.

But as I entered the house, I hesitated.

Should I turn back?

Because this house.

Is inhabited.

There's a sense of life.

No matter how well I hide, my senses are good.

Engaging with people is not a good choice.

Facing someone who is prepared with a gun and ready to shoot anyone who comes in is not a good idea.

"......I'm sorry, I came to the wrong place. I'll just leave. I have no intention of fighting, so please don't misunderstand."

I apologized to the unknown person and slowly backed away, taking careful steps.

But before I could take a few steps, two lights flickered in the darkness.

A person.

"Hey, over there!"

Children.

Not one, but three.

They were all as thin as skeletons.

"Do you have any food?"