The Regressor Only Protects Me Chapter 40

#Episode 40. Warrior (1)

Leaving the artifact story behind, I opened the door and walked a little, and a police officer came running towards me.

He was a young male police officer.

He was taller than me, had short hair, and a tall, slender figure.

He saluted me, his voice trembling.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I am police officer Kim Soo-kyung, who has been appointed as your secretary starting today.”

“Secretary?”

I asked him back, and he answered in his still awkward tone.

“Yes! That’s right. The chief asked me to help the manager with his work.”

Kim Soo-kyung carefully lowered her saluting hand.

Speech and behavior that seem somewhat immature.

He seemed to be a newbie, probably a police officer who had only recently become a police officer.

I looked across the hallway from him.

Police officers were still moving busily up and down the hallway.

Kim Soo-kyung said she was my secretary, but she was probably just someone assigned by the leadership for surveillance purposes.

But it actually turned out to be a good thing.

The internal work would have to be done with the help of police officers who had experience working here.

He stood next to me and said.

I had to look at him sideways.

“If you need anything, please let me know. I will do my best.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

It was like that even without saying anything.

I’m going to work you to the point where you’ll beg me to just give you a break.

I’m going to be really busy from now on.

I walked along the fifth floor hallway.

Kim Soo-kyung followed closely next to me.

Police officers were moving back and forth busily without rest.

I checked my wristwatch.

The time was now just past 9 am.

The fifth floor office space was not simply a place to house police officers.

In one room, there was also the doctor we had seen in the conference room and several female nurses.

They were medical personnel who had come here from a nearby hospital.

Because of the lack of medical equipment, surgery could not be performed, but the patient’s condition was being examined using medical supplies brought from pharmacies, hospitals, etc.

Most patients were similar.

He was being treated for trauma sustained during reconnaissance.

Nearby, frostbitten civilians loitered about, but the police officer guarding the door seemed unwilling to guide them inside.

In the next room, the work of sorting and organizing the food that had been brought in was in full swing.

Several police officers, each carrying a large number of shovels, were standing in the hallway.

They were a snow removal crew digging and melting the snow inside the police station.

There are various methods of snow removal, but the most common methods include melting snow in the cafeteria inside the police station, using portable gas burners, and by using a bonfire located at the west main gate.

The melted snow water was transferred to large basins or put into plastic bottles for drinking use, depending on the purpose.

Each and every police officer was busy throughout the day.

Since the police officers took on even the work that the citizens did not do, they had no time to rest.

‘It’s so inefficient.’

I looked at the ways they did things and thought.

It wasn’t just the citizens who were like this, but the police officers’ work was also extremely sloppy.

Everything had to be turned upside down.

From living, work, administration, personnel, to organization.

After looking around the 5th floor for a bit, I headed back to the stairs.

Kim Soo-kyung followed me behind in silence.

From the 4th floor to the 2nd floor.

It was the actual residential area of the citizens.

“Cough… …! Cough!!!”

“Huh… … Huh… … Hoo… … !”

As soon as we entered the fourth floor residential area, coughing and groaning could be heard from all over the place.

People’s living conditions were terrible.

There was a foul odor everywhere, and the cold made everyday life seem impossible.

The appearance of the people was so unrecognizable that it felt like they were alive.

If I were to define the scene unfolding before my eyes in one word, there was one word that came to mind.

Neglect.

Is this what chickens in a chicken farm would look like if left out for a few days in the winter?

If we let them go for a few more days, they’d end up eating each other.

This administrative structure was clearly prone to collapse.

To be honest, the more I looked around here, the more I realized that the layout, structure, and environment of the shopping mall was like heaven.

At least the people there weren’t a bunch of stupid people vaguely waiting for rescue.

That said, no method to completely overcome this situation has come to mind.

I have roughly summarized the problems so far.

1. Cold.

2. Food procurement.

3. Available labor force.

The most important thing is the cold.

The cold suppresses action.

It applies to all animals.

In winter, I feel like I don’t want to get under the blanket and do anything.

In the end, the first condition that Gil In-ho had told me, resolving the cold, was the top priority.

What methods have humans adopted to deal with the cold?

‘In ancient times, there was a bonfire, caves, in the Middle Ages, furs and fire as primary heating, in modern times, coal-fired boilers, and in modern times, gas boilers.’

A wood fire is something that can only be started by a small number of people, and it takes a lot of labor to maintain it.

briquet?

To begin with, we live in a world where it is difficult to even obtain a single gas burner.

It would be more difficult to go out and look for briquettes that have disappeared in modern times.

However, finding a gas boiler was an even more difficult task.

There was only one way I could think of.

This is the most basic method.

Maintaining heating using hot water.

A method of heating a building by filling a heating tank with water and using the heat generated there.

Such a method required adequate space to continuously supply warm water to the heating tank.

The first thing that came to mind was a bathhouse.

And now here we are… … .

After thinking about it, I turned my head and spoke to Kim Soo-kyung.

“Is there a bathroom inside the building?”

“Oh, yes. There is a bathhouse for the officers on duty… … but I believe it is not open.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s underground.”

I took my eyes off him again.

“How many people are there here now?”

“Oh, yes! Including the 21 survivors who came in yesterday, and excluding the 8 who left yesterday, the current number is 812.”

Among the 812 workers, technicians had to be recruited.

The addition of additional staff was good news as the company was desperately in need of manpower.

I looked back at him and asked.

“Is this Kim Soo-kyung?”

“Oh, yes, sir. Go ahead.”

Kim Soo-kyung stopped and looked down at me.

“Have you also collected information about previous occupations on the citizens’ register?”

“Yes. I believe we wrote it down together.”

“Then please find people with these jobs and bring them to me.”

“Oh, yes! Go ahead.”

After thinking it over in my head for a bit, I said.

“Boiler technicians, mechanics, safety engineers, electricians, industrial engineers… … .”

“Now, just a moment, sir.”

Kim Soo-kyung took out a notebook from inside in a hurry.

And after quickly turning a few pages, he prepared to write it down.

“Yes, please say that again, sir.”

“Boiler technicians, mechanics, safety technicians, electricians… … No, just tell all technicians to come. The location is on the first floor where the roll call is conducted.”

“Yes, I understand. How long should we meet?”

“Everything as soon as it’s ready.”

“Oh, yep! I understand.”

Kim Soo-kyung listened to what I said diligently, wrote it down, and then ran down the other hallway.

‘First, we need to gather the technicians and think about it.’

The next thing needed was a healthy worker.

We needed someone who was strong in a different way than Jin Jae-hee, who was strong and tough.

To put it simply, my professional worker.

If he also had fighting prowess, it would be the icing on the cake.

Most of the citizens were groaning like sick chickens.

Putting them to work on tough tasks seemed almost impossible.

We needed a healthy man who could do hard work.

At that moment, I felt eyes on me.

I turned my head and looked at the residence, and people were watching me.

“… … .”

“… … .”

They were clearly looking at me.

He was shivering from the cold, wrapped in a blanket, and he looked haggard as he looked at me.

Now when I look at them, they avoid eye contact.

After roll call this morning, they all found out I was the manager.

But until now, they were only looking at me with wary eyes.

I continued down the stairs, leaving those gazes behind me.

* * *

Zion went down to the basement where the bathhouse was.

His steady footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Then, one of the police officers guarding the basement stairs pulled out a three-pronged baton.

“Please step back. This is a restricted area for civilians.”

A police officer wearing a police hat pulled down low aimed his three-section baton forward, but Kang Si-on came down resolutely.

Then the policeman gripped his three-sectioned baton tightly and prepared to attack Zion.

Until recently, at least until two weeks before this place was locked down.

There were several civilians who tried to come down to the basement.

They were breaking the rules and trying to rob an underground warehouse full of police suppression weapons.

That’s why security here had to be tight.

“Hey! Didn’t you hear the warning: No trespassing!? If you come down any further, you’ll be arrested!”

As the police officer wearing his hat pulled down low shouted, the police officer next to him looked at the face of Kang Si-on coming down the stairs.

After seeing the face, he quickly became frightened and stopped the man holding the three-sectioned staff.

“Hey, hey. Aren’t you the newly appointed manager?”

“Huh… …?! A kid that young?”

The policeman holding the three-sectioned baton asked in surprise.

“Put the three-stage baton down quickly. Didn’t you hear that at roll call yesterday? The chief said. The city councilman appointed him specially. He said we don’t have the authority to control the manager.”

“Oh, oh. I, I’m really sorry!”

A man wearing a police hat pulled down low immediately put away his three-section baton and bowed his head.

The police are on duty every hour at 10:30.

An additional roll call was conducted on the 5th floor.

It was to receive orders from the chief or to deploy personnel on duty.

Just yesterday, the chief’s order was one.

Assist Manager Kang Si-on and establish internal order.

Even though I clearly told him what I was wearing, the security guard forgot about it.

But Zion did not blame him.

No, I wasn’t interested.

“Please open the door.”

“Ah… … Ah, yes. I understand.”

Clink, clank!

The third officer, Samdan Bong, hurriedly opened the door leading to the basement.

A cold air blew from inside.

Zion passed through the door leading to the underground.

Only after he was gone and the door was closed did the officer breathe a sigh of relief.

“Haa… … Damn. I almost got X.”

“You know, if you’re not on the good side of the chief, you know Team Leader Kim from Team 3? In Round 1… … he was locked up in the detention center for disobeying orders. … … Detention center is truly hell. Hell.”

“… … That’s what I’m saying.”

“Anyway, be careful.”

The two young police officers continued talking for a while.

And Zion walked down the dark hallway.

The basement was dark, almost like a cave, without any lights, as no light could enter.

Still, there were occasional police officers walking around carrying portable lights.

And then Zion’s eyes caught sight of a prison cell with iron bars at the end of a dark hallway.

‘… … .’

From the moment I first set foot there, a foul odor irritated my nose.

It smelled like I was in a sewer.

Both the police officers working here and the criminals behind bars whose sentences have not yet been finalized were all half-asleep.

Zion entered the kindergarten.

The interior was circular, and except for the entrance, everything was a prison cell.

Boom-!

At that moment, a man grabbed the prison cell bars and screamed loudly.

“Let me out!!!!! Aaaah …

Then, the police officer who was standing guard next to him took out his three-section baton and started striking the iron bars where the man was.

Tank-! Tank! Tank!

The three-tiered baton struck the iron bars, creating a loud noise.

Still, the person behind the iron bars showed no sign of stopping.

He continued to hold the iron bars and shake them roughly.

“Just kill me. Just kill me. What did I do so wrong? Huh?”

Zion slowly approached it.

A detention center is a facility that temporarily detains suspects for whom an arrest warrant has not been issued, or detains those sentenced to detention and those requested for admission by the court.

So, in any case, being in the detention center means that they are people who committed crimes.

Inside the detention center, there was absolutely nothing, just filth and half-crazed people passed out here and there.

There was no separate pigsty.

Even if they turned their bodies just a little, the feces would stick to their whole bodies, and the strong smell that irritated their noses made them feel like vomiting after just 30 minutes.

A scuffle ensued between the supervising police officer and the incarcerated prisoner.

“Why are you doing this… … Why!!! I told you I was just drunk and got into a fight? Huh… … ? Sir. Please. Mr. Police.”

“Be quiet!”

“Ba, ba, just tell me what happened outside. Please. This isn’t it! Hey!! It’s so cold in here… … A blanket… … A few blankets.”

“fu*k, will you shut up?! Please, just be quiet for a day! I’m having a hard time because of you guys.”

The man’s voice became more trembling.

“Drunk and hit someone… Is that such a big crime? No, I’ll just send you to prison or make a settlement! F**k, 10 million won? No, I’ll give you 100 million won. Please just spare my life. I’m freezing to death. Mister… … !”

They didn’t even know what was happening outside.

The criminals who had been trapped here for two weeks after the world was destroyed were completely unaware of the fact that the outside world was filled with monsters and snow up to their thighs.

Even if you say you know it, it’s probably just the interface of the league that appears before your eyes.

The police were silent, and the prisoners were on the verge of going mad.

Zion quickly lost interest and turned around to find a bathhouse.

At that moment, a voice was heard from inside the detention center.

“Hey, bro. Don’t waste your energy and come here.”

Zion stopped walking and looked into the detention center.

A man sitting on the wall inside.

Zion turned on the portable light he was holding and shined it on the man.

He was wearing several layers of clothing, and there were tattoos on his exposed arms and feet.

He had long hair that reached down to his shoulders, was muscular and bulky, and had an unkempt moustache and beard.

Anyone could tell he was a gangster.

The gangster was outside the iron bars, staring straight at the police officer and Kang Shi-on.

His eyes were not human.

It was a beast’s.

He completely dominated the atmosphere of this place with just his eyes.

The policeman met the gangster’s eyes and hesitated and took a step back.

The gangster spoke in a low voice, as if joking with his friend.

“If I leave here… … I’ll kill all of you… … So, shouldn’t I save my strength until then?”

North-North-.

The gangster scratched his neck and laughed calmly.

At that moment, Zion smiled.

Because he was the best porter he could think of.

(Continued in the next episode)