A Veteran Player is Needed in the Apocalypse

Chapter 22. Apocalyptic

To me, he was a kind father, but Commander Hayden was undoubtedly a dictator ruling this zone with sheer force.

Well, I also attempted the illegitimate child strategy to use his power, so it didn’t matter.

If the commander killed my slaves… I mean, my valuable people like this, it would be a problem.

‘The commander doesn’t know that the Second Apocalypse is coming, so he wouldn’t understand how precious manpower is.’

I had to come up with a plan before the commander killed all my valuable people.

Anyway, the reason I came to the laboratory was to check on the combat rations.

First, I decided to meet the head of the laboratory.

* * *

“You said you were looking for me?”

The elderly lab head with white hair brushed back appeared before us, striding with long legs.

He looked quite stressed and his complexion wasn’t good, but his build was large, so he didn’t look weak.

‘It’s the first time seeing this NPC up close.’

He was a typical extra NPC without any special story or ambition, so there was no need to be cautious.

Although I had interactions with Meursault, who managed supplies, it was my first time visiting the laboratory directly.

I’d never thought of developing something like a wall-dan while playing the game anyway.

“It’s unusual for Director Meursault to come all the way here.”

Perhaps because he was an NPC without any ulterior motives, he seemed to have only that level of impression about our sudden visit.

“It’s nothing special. Could you show the young master the combat rations?”

“Young master?”

The lab head looked at me and seemed to realize something.

“So, you’re that young master from the rumors.”

“Yes. The young master is curious about the combat rations.”

“The young master… is curious about combat rations? Really?”

With that, the lab head got extremely excited and started to talk about the importance of combat rations.

“Finally, a commander who understands the importance of food supplies! Our lab has advanced freeze-drying technology, but research on combat rations has always been slow. It was always pushed to the back because it wasn’t used except during punitive expeditions!”

Oh.

Neither Hayden, the previous commander, nor the commander before him cared about combat rations and only focused on weapons and combat uniforms.

This might actually work out well.

If combat rations hadn’t developed due to a lack of interest rather than a lack of technology, it meant that with a bit of attention from me, combat ration technology could rapidly improve.

Then, the lab head continued to say something that piqued my interest.

“It hasn’t been a hundred years since we experienced a food shortage right after the apocalypse… We never know when we might face another apocalypse. We need to be prepared!”

“Preparing for the apocalypse?”

When I responded to the lab head’s words, Meursault whispered in my ear.

“Old people who lived through the post-apocalypse often say that. They believe the apocalypse will come again… They are the last doomsday preppers of this era. Because of their temperament to always prepare in advance, he became the head of this zone’s security research lab.”

Aha, so he still believed that another apocalypse would come due to the trauma from the last one?

The Second Apocalypse would indeed come… But humans don’t like to hear negative stories.

If I had claimed that the Second Apocalypse would come, I would have been treated like a delusional person, just like this lab head.

Then, I had only one thing to do.

Pretend to sympathize with the old man suffering from PTSD and encourage him to produce extreme wall-dan… no, combat rations.

“I don’t think the lab head’s thoughts are wrong.”

“Young master?”

Meursault looked at me with a very suspicious expression.

He probably knew I wasn’t a good kid who respected elders.

But it wasn’t something I said for Meursault to hear, so it didn’t matter.

The lab head seemed shocked that someone had agreed with him and stuttered.

“You, you think my thoughts aren’t wrong?”

“Until recently, I lived in the slums.”

I felt like I used this slum story too often, but it worked really well.

Since my body looked like a ten-year-old, the effect seemed doubled.

“Food shortage… It’s not a distant story for me. So, if preparing in advance means no one will go hungry in the future as you said, I’ll support you, lab head.”

“Young master…”

The lab head looked at me with a gaze full of pity and pride.

“Ah, instead of this, you said you were curious about the combat rations, right? I’ll prepare them right away!”

Thanks to the very cooperative lab head, it didn’t take long before hard jerky-like things were neatly placed on a metal tray in front of us.

Combat rations in this world looked like palm-sized hardtack, but they were much harder than hardtack because they were made of monster meat instead of flour.

“These are called dried meat combat rations. Would you like to try them?”

I wanted to see the effect by injuring myself before eating, but I couldn’t self-harm in front of the lab head, even if Meursault was the only one there.

So, I obediently brought the dried meat to my mouth.

As soon as it reached my mouth, it turned into blue particles, dispersed, and was absorbed into my body, making it impossible to taste.

But if you were a player in the Safe Zone, you would know the taste of these dried meat rations better than anyone.

I recited the game script that always came up when eating dried meat.

“It tastes disgusting. It tastes like boots that haven’t been washed for years.”

Both Meursault and the lab head looked surprised.

“Why are you so surprised?”

When I asked, the two of them seemed to hesitate, then Meursault sighed softly and explained.

“Well… It’s something only soldiers who have been through countless battles would say. You may not know this, but boots are also made of monster leather, so when food runs out during a punitive expedition, soldiers sometimes eat their boots. But since the young master has never been on a battlefield, hearing you speak like an experienced soldier surprised both me and the lab head.”

Meursault looked at me with a very pitying gaze after finishing his words.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I wondered if you might have eaten boots while living outside.”

Of course not.

“Before you entered the mansion… you must have starved a lot. That’s probably why you’re so interested in food.”

It made sense that they thought I was so interested in combat rations because I had asked for dining arrangements and went hunting to eat with other children.

Instead of thinking it strange that I suddenly asked about combat rations, they misunderstood on their own, which made things easier.

Maybe I should continue with this concept.

“I heard that half of the kids who came to the last party would be going on a punitive expedition. I don’t want those kids to starve during the expedition.”

“There won’t be any such worries. Even in the battlefield, we don’t let kids starve.”

“Yes! Young master! Don’t worry. By the next punitive expedition, we’ll develop combat rations that all the kids will enjoy!”

“Really? I trust you, lab head. And I’d like it to be smaller and lighter than it is now. Kids can’t carry too much weight.”

“Smaller and… lighter?”

“Is that… difficult?”

“No, no!! Trust me!”

Satisfied with the lab head’s assurance, Meursault and I concluded our visit.

Feeling good about acquiring a useful slave, I was smiling in the car on the way back to the commander’s residence when Meursault spoke slowly.

“I wondered why you especially brought in the boy soldier Darling Outsider to your room…”

When Meursault mentioned BangguseokYeoBo’s name, I looked at him, and he asked, staring straight at me.

“Did you ask him about military life? Are you worried the kids might be abused? Is that why you arranged dining meetings to check on their condition every month?”

“……”

‘So, Meursault knew I called BangguseokYeoBo separately after the dining meeting.’

I did it without informing Meursault to see how much of my daily life was being reported to whom.

Meursault didn’t even bother hiding the fact that he knew information I hadn’t told him.

Well… Just as I planted Taejong in the mansion, Meursault and other executives would have planted spies.

When I just stared at him without saying anything, Meursault sighed softly.

“So, ‘people who will become my soldiers someday’ wasn’t just an empty phrase.”

“Did you think it was just an empty phrase until now?”

“You’re only ten years old.”

When I think about it, having a ten-year-old body has its advantages, but also many disadvantages.

If no one took my words seriously, how could I convince people to prepare for the Second Apocalypse within ten years?

As if to comfort me for this concern, Meursault continued.

“I always thought all humans except Lady Daphne were fools…”

…Does that include the commander as well?

“I think it might not be bad for you to become my superior.”

Since he turned his gaze to the window after saying that, I didn’t say anything more to him.

‘Come to think of it, there’s still no reaction from the other executives.’

I intentionally made a big fuss capturing a medium-sized monster to get attention, but it was surprising that no one approached me, whether they were pro-commander or pro-Daphne.

Of course, it could be because Meursault’s surveillance on me was intense.

No one would dare approach me while Meursault, the commander’s closest aide, was watching me closely.

But meeting Batom’s son made me realize.

I needed to know what the executives thought of me.

Only then could I decide whom to

take and whom to cut off.

The problem was that they all pretended not to care about me.

It must be because of Meursault.

‘Well… If I were them, I wouldn’t want to catch the eye of a madman who shot his superior in the forehead either.’

If they didn’t come to me.

I had no choice but to go to them first.