Chapter 33 – Sieve

Chapter 33 – Sieve

The place I live is Geumhwa New City.

It was a City Near the Capital Area, bordering Seoul, Incheon, and Bucheon, and a newly developed new City.

With the City’s development, the Old Downtown Area was designated as the Redevelopment Zone where I currently live. It was neglected in almost every aspect.

For example, Line 1, which connects Seoul and Incheon, was extended towards the New Downtown Area, and the intercity bus terminal, apartments, and commercial centers were all built towards The Man.

The most important of these was the Line 1 Route.

Line 1 could easily connect from Incheon, where Choi Seunghwan was active, to Seoul. It could also connect to all Train Railway lines that led to the provinces.

This later became an opportunity for Choi Seunghwan to expand his influence.

‘I cannot let him have this again this time.’

In the previous round, the guy who completed the Castle chapter led Korea into a Civil War. As a result, not only did countless people die, but a significant portion of the country’s territory was devastated.

Of course, Korea was not the only country that decided to side with the Monster and bring about the Humanity Apocalypse, so most countries experienced a similar fate to Korea.

However, Choi Seunghwan was incredibly capable.

He did an excellent job at what he was tasked with.

As a result, the number of Koreans was drastically reduced, and only the best, who had gone through the Sieve, survived.

Meanwhile, the ‘Sieve’ was also the method I would use.

‘Geographically, if someone wants to enter Incheon by land, they almost have to go through me. That means…’

My goal was to filter out all the good people, like a Sieve, and only let the unnecessary ones enter Incheon.

‘Well… while I’m at it, I’ll stop the Civil War too.’

This was not just about patriotism or simply for the sake of Humanity.

Having many people who understand me in the Apocalypse means it becomes easier to gather forces, and the talent pool available becomes wider.

In other words, it’s like growing the pie.

‘Shall we start, The Man?’

I began to plan the operation in detail.

* * *

“I have something to tell you.”

I called Sua, Deokchan, and Seongjae for Fire Manipulation.

“The world won’t change if only the three of us survive. For humanity to survive, at least a city-sized population must remain, right?”

“That’s right…”

“Ahem. Indeed.”

“What, what? Siwoo, are you finally going to play the role of the lord?”

Along with a joke, Seongjae quickly grasped my intention.

“Something similar. There’s something I need you to do. With Elder Deokchan.”

“Just say the word.”

“I’ll do my best in anything.”

I guided the three of them to the Motel Village inside the City Wall.

It was a place I had deliberately left when planning the area.

“The newcomers will stay here.”

“Oh my, so not with us?”

“That’s right. We don’t know how many people will come, and we can’t individually let all of them into the Shopping Mall.”

“You’re certainly right…”

Deokchan became quiet. He flinched with uneasy eyes, seemingly recalling past experiences.

“Speaking of which, Seongjae. How is Seongmin doing?”

“Oh, he’s much better. He’s even training with Ms. Sua these days?”

“Oh, really?”

It was good news.

“I’ll put restrictions on the newcomers with contracts. If they betray us or do anything bad, we’ll get an immediate notification.”

“Hmm, that would certainly be good.”

“You should talk to Seongmin about it.”

“Okay, I will.”

And we looked over the buildings in the Motel Village together again. Deokchan and Seongjae, who were in charge of rebuilding the Motel Village, seemed happy to have new work and chattered endlessly.

“Hmm… If people were to live here…”

“For electricity, we can just run a power line… Water is the problem.”

I watched the two of them, who were already starting to make plans, with satisfaction.

“Like with The Man, I can leave it to you two again, right?”

“Of course, for water!”

“It’s for water, of course!”

They both shouted almost simultaneously.

***

After The Man, it was Sua’s turn.

“And then… Ms. Sua.”

“Yes.”

Sua replied with a disciplined voice.

She was showing more and more characteristics of a soldier as time went on.

‘I wonder if she’d get along well with that guy, The Man?’

A random thought crossed my mind for a moment,

but I quickly shook it off and focused on the main topic.

I spread out the map, pointed with my finger, and said,

“Ms. Sua, you’ll be looking at this area, from the Western United States to here… Check if there are any good people among the refugees and try to recruit them.”

“Oh, by myself?”

“Yes. I’ll attach some Magitech Armor and Mountain Cavalry to you. Also, can you handle Stompers by yourself now?”

“Hmm… I’m not quite sure yet, but it might be possible.”

Lately, she had been experimenting with new technologies following Seongjae’s ideas, and the results seemed to be quite good.

“That’s good. If not, I’ll provide firepower support with Assault Cannons.”

I also gave her a backup plan.

And decided to delegate one more authority to her.

“By the way, Ms. Sua.”

“Huh?”

“From here to here, the width is a bit wide, isn’t it?”

“Yes… I actually thought I might miss quite a bit.”

“Would you like to take this?”

I handed over the authority of 6 Observation Probes scouting the area to her. As she took over the mana from me, she seemed quite shocked.

“Wow! Is this how Siwoo usually sees things?”

“Yes… that’s right. But for now, please keep it a secret.”

My request for a secrecy oath was protected by a contract. She understood the meaning and nodded her head.

“Yes. I understand.”

“I’ve already set the Observation Probe patrol routes, so you just need to keep checking them steadily. You can do it, right?”

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Sooa had a serious expression.

‘Good… she seems like she’ll do well.’

I smiled with satisfaction.

Finally, I also gave orders to the Black Mountain Cavalry.

‘Patrol mainly around the Main Base, Motel Village, and Dungeon Entrance.’

As it was where all our facilities and resources were, the defense of the Main Base could not be neglected. Having finished delegating tasks, I decided to focus on what I needed to do.

‘Since I’ve left all the low-density areas to Ms. Sua… now I just need to clear out the New Downtown Area.’

The place where my original studio apartment used to be.

The time had come to reclaim the New Downtown Area.

***

Tap-tap-tap-ta-tap-

Gunshots echoed from the distant Western United States. In the past, the girl would have been filled with hope that the military had come to rescue her, but now it was different.

‘Mom said there’s a high chance it’s marauders these days…’

Was she only about a second-year middle schooler?

The girl’s small frame trembled with fear.

Already, the survivor group that the girl and her mother belonged to had identified three Looter Groups in the vicinity.

Considering that their activity range wasn’t that wide, there was no telling how many Plunderer Groups were already active in the New Downtown Area.

‘Mom… when are you coming?’

The girl, feeling uneasy, just sat there motionlessly, like a block of wood, waiting endlessly. Moving around would only make her hungrier, and thirstier.

Especially with food, she could eat snacks, but water was the biggest problem. The collected rainwater was yellowish and often had a strange metallic taste, making it truly unpleasant to drink.

So the girl just fiddled with her cellphone, which had been discharged for quite some time, as if it were a talisman.

Hoping, against all reason, that the cellphone might suddenly turn on and her mother would call.

But… today was going to be a little different.

* * *

When did I fall asleep?

Thump-!

Thump-thump-thump-!

The girl woke up to the deep thudding sound that echoed through the building.

“Oh, Mom?”

With wavering eyes, the girl immediately looked for her mother. The living room was already dark, as the sun had set a little while ago.

And with winter slowly approaching, the temperature was dropping to the point where it felt cold indoors, even at night.

But something even more frightening was happening.

Stomp-stomp-stomp-

Thump-thump-thump-thump-

Footsteps echoed chaotically in the apartment hallway. At first, the girl thought it was her mother, but she quickly changed her mind.

‘Mom’s footsteps wouldn’t sound like this…’

Survivors usually moved in groups of two or three at most. And usually, her mother would come back to her house alone, with only her allotted share.

But today, there were far too many footsteps.

‘Five…? No, it seems like at least six people…'”

The woman stifled her breathing so it wouldn’t be heard.

Because the woman knew well enough that if she was caught, she would die… or, if she was unlucky, something even worse might happen.

‘Please, just pass by quickly…’

The woman prayed like that.

But the world betrayed her expectations.

Click- click-click-

The doorknob of the front door began to shake.

‘It’s okay, I locked the door well-‘

Click-

Thud!

But the door cruelly betrayed the woman’s expectations.

‘Why, why did it open!?’

It was then that the girl froze in fear.

“Suhyeon? Are you sleeping?”

It was the woman’s mother.

***

“Mom, so… we’re going to live with these people now?”

“That’s right. These are the people who will be with us from now on. This is Mr. Siwoo.”

A young man with a calm impression. The girl met his eyes and unconsciously turned her head away. The young man smiled warmly, as if to reassure the girl.

Then he added,

“When you go, please follow these guards.”

“Ah… yes. What should I do with my luggage?”

“It will all be moved by tomorrow morning. You don’t need to worry.”

“Yes…”

And so, they followed the guards down the dark road.

A gun, isn’t it?

The girl was surprised to see the guns held by all the Armors. Although the design was unfamiliar, the weapon was clearly a gun.

Moreover, sometimes monkey-like creatures carrying sharp spears would move among the Armors. Despite their tiny size, they could manipulate fire, and there was a strangely ominous aura about them.

What are those things…?

The girl avoided them as much as possible. However, it wasn’t just the strange soldiers that startled her.

Suhyeon, eat this.

Wow, jerky?! This precious stuff!

There’s clean water here too, so chew it thoroughly.

Wow…

Suhyeon’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the shimmering, invisible water.

It’s all from the Chief Deity.

All of this…?

We’re saved now. They said we just need to do our best.

How long has it been?

Her mother’s expression looked very bright.

***

After filling their hungry stomachs and quenching their dry throats, the mother and daughter steadily followed the Armor.

The Armors, who swiftly dealt with attacking monsters, escorted them quickly out of the New Downtown Area and headed towards the Old Downtown Area.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie, the girl became scared and tightly grasped her mother’s hand.

Mom? Is it really okay here?

The girl whispered.

She was only a middle school student, but she knew that this area was a redevelopment zone where the marginalized lived, and that the public safety was unstable.

I heard all the bad kids from school hang out here…

Such rumors spread quickly, after all. But her mother’s expression showed a great deal of trust in them.

Suhyeon, everything will be fine now.

For some reason, the girl felt uneasy about the Fire Manipulation.

Why was her mother doing this? But as the girl entered the Redevelopment Zone, she finally understood her mother’s feelings.

Under the dark night sky, there was only one place shining brightly.

That was… the Castle.

The Castle in the middle of the Downtown Area had the appearance of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, which she had visited on a school trip. It seemed to have plenty of Electricity, as bright light illuminated all directions.

‘A gun… and a Castle?’

The girl was astonished.

But what was even more surprising was the Moat surrounding the City Wall, which she couldn’t imagine how it was dug and filled with Water.

And behind the City Wall, there was a building in the middle that looked like it was clad in iron, whose original form was difficult to even guess.

‘What kind of building is that…?’

As she was thinking that.

Tiriririririri-

Clang!

A Steel Drawbridge lowered in front of the two mother and daughter.

“Uh… Mom…?”

“Let’s go in. Mom already checked everything.”

Her mother grabbed the girl’s hand firmly and led her. The girl could feel a strong will from her mother to protect herself.

‘If it’s here… it might really be okay.’

And she, too, was naturally persuaded.