The Regressor Only Protects Me Chapter 30

#Episode 30. Government Dog (2)

I explained to Jin Jae-hee about the quest window that appeared before her eyes.

[Quest: Government Dog]

[Achievements:

●Achieve a comfort level of 30% or more for citizens (current level is 3%)

●Resolving the problem of continuous food supply (0/1)

●Achieve 100% of available manpower within the police force (current figure is 20%)

★ Reward: Achievement Points – 150 ]

I said every single sentence I saw, without missing a single one.

Jin Jae-hee’s expression darkened.

She thought about it for a moment and then said to me.

“Achievement points are the scores of the monarchs. And achievement quests are opened in the mid-to-late game. Most achievements are required for ‘proclamations’ or ‘decrees.’ Of course, you can use them early on, but it’s a bit… … unconvincing that you got them when you don’t even have a force yet.”

No matter how you think about it, you can’t say that this is the mid-to-late game.

The achievement points that I needed to obtain in the second half of the game were now right before my eyes.

Simple system error?

That didn’t make sense.

It is a system created by a divine being with overwhelming power that could bring the world to this state.

It’s hard to imagine that there could be a flaw in such a system.

In the end, I could see that this quest window in front of me was a benefit given only to me.

Let’s conclude like that, another question arises.

Why me of all people?

Jin Jae-hee hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

“No matter how much I try to recall, there are no similar cases from my past life. Even if I think it’s a mistake, it doesn’t make sense. But… … it’s definitely a huge advantage.”

“Could it be a coincidence?”

Jin Jae-hee immediately shook his head at my question.

“Absolutely not. There is no such thing as coincidence in the Administrator’s system. There must be a reason why you were given such an advantage.”

Those words actually made me more anxious.

Why did the manager give me these benefits?

And is this only for my benefit?

I couldn’t figure out anything.

It was just a riddle.

“… … Okay. If you say it’s an advantage, I’ll think of it as a task that needs to be cleared first.”

“Yeah. That’s fine for now. I’ll help too.”

Anyway, solving this would give me a huge advantage, so there was no reason to hesitate.

And if these achievement points were valuable as scores for monarchs in the mid-to-late game, I needed to start saving them up from now on.

But before that.

There was still work to be done.

“First, I’ll look for my younger brother.”

There was a high probability that my younger brother had come here.

The reason I originally headed here was because I suspected that my younger brother would come here.

Jin Jae-hee told me.

“Can I help you?”

“it’s okay.”

Anyway, it’s a 7-story building.

I will be able to find out my brother’s whereabouts in one day.

I put down the bag I was carrying and walked through the crowd.

* * *

“My name is Kang Jun-ho and I’m this tall. Yes.”

“Have you ever seen a kid named Kang Jun-ho? He’s about as tall as me. He has short hair.”

“Excuse me. I have one question.”

“Yes. I’m about this tall. I’m thirteen years old. Yes. If you see me, I’m on the second floor.”

Kang Si-on spent the whole day going around the police station.

There were quite a few people at the police station.

If there were roughly 200 people on one floor, and all four floors were filled with survivors, there were roughly 800 people in the building.

He visited 800 people one by one and asked about his brother’s whereabouts.

But there was no younger brother.

Zion’s younger brother Jun-ho did not come to Manan Police Station.

The basement was inaccessible because it was controlled by police officers.

They said it was for security reasons, but Jun-ho had no reason to go into the controlled area.

From the 2nd to the 4th floor.

I asked almost everyone, and they all said they had never seen it.

Zion stopped a high-ranking police officer who was wandering around and asked him.

“Has anyone who came in here ever left again?”

“… … Yes. Well. You are free to leave. Some people who did not follow our instructions left… … and there were also expulsions.”

The policeman answered in a sleepy, hushed voice and then left again.

In the end, no one could give Zion the answer he wanted.

Of course, it’s possible that he was here and then left again, but the odds of that happening are slim.

My younger sibling is young, and children tend to want to be with adults in fearful situations.

Even if I were to leave this place right away and go look for my little brother, that would still be foolish.

As Jin Jae-hee said, he was weak now.

I was a light in the wind, and I had to become strong to find my brother.

Whether it’s an artifact, a personal status window, or a quest.

Now was the time to accomplish the task at hand.

‘Let’s not be impatient.’

If you are impatient, things will not go as planned.

Zion thought to himself like this.

Before I knew it, the scenery outside the window was covered in thick darkness.

The nights in the city without electricity were so dark that it was scary to even look at.

The giant silhouettes that occasionally appeared between the clouds illuminated by the moonlight were not only mysterious but spiritual.

As Zion gazed upon the majestic sight, he could understand why ancient people had imagined divine beings when they saw whales, giant squids, and natural disasters.

As Zion was looking out the window, a policeman came down the stairs and found him and said:

“It’s almost time for control. Please return to your assigned location.”

Zion looked at him.

He was a young police officer.

Early 30s at most.

Zion stared at him blankly, then nodded and went down the second floor.

There, people were well prepared, relying on portable lights.

It was like a scene of refugees sleeping together in a gym during a disaster.

Zion took his place and headed to his assigned location.

Jin Jae-hee was sitting there waiting for him.

As Zion sat there, Jaehee asked naturally.

“Brother. Did you find him?”

She spoke in a whisper, but the distance between them was close enough for her words to be heard loudly.

It was inevitable because Zion and Jaehee were mistaken for siblings and placed in the same space.

Zion shook his head.

Then Jaehee immediately looked elsewhere.

Everywhere there were faint groans, coughs, and the sounds of bodies tossing and turning.

A man was sleeping next to Zion, and an old man was sleeping at his feet.

Zion looked at the old people who were wearing the same padding and said to Jaehee.

“I’ll start the quest tomorrow.”

“huh.”

“I have a method in mind.”

“I’ll follow you. But you have something to do too.”

“What is it?”

“I will train whenever I have time.”

“training?”

When Zion asked again, Jaehee remained silent for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Yes. Training. Your body is still too weak. So you need to be able to protect yourself in case I am not around. That is the training.”

Zion nodded silently.

Because I agreed with what she said.

Jin Jae-hee still looked ahead and spoke to Zion.

“It’s going to be really hard. I won’t show any mercy. It’s all to protect you.”

Jaehee shrank back a little.

Zion looked back at Jaehee once and then quickly looked away.

And then I slowly laid down.

Zion closed his eyes slightly while lying down, then looked up at Jaehee and spoke.

“Sleep. I need to replenish my stamina.”

Jaehee was crouching under his fur hat, smoking a cigarette and looking around.

Then, closing her eyes a little, she answered him.

“I’ll be fine. When you fall asleep.”

“… … .”

Zion thought about Jaehee’s words for a moment, then stopped.

Because I was so tired today, I fell asleep quickly.

Zion soon fell asleep, and Jaehee lay down next to him only after making sure there were no dangerous people around.

Day 1 of Round 2 is over.

It had only been a week and a day now.

‘… … .’

Jaehee thought blankly about his past life and soon fell asleep.

Their sweet sleep did not last long.

6:30 in the morning.

The police began to wake up the sleeping people by shining their flashlights.

* * *

A controlled life.

That was the way of life for those oppressed by those in power.

1st floor parking lot area.

At 6:30 in the morning, before the sun had risen yet, everyone in the police station came out here and lined up.

It snowed heavily all night.

Even while we were taking roll call, the snow kept falling.

I went down the stairs and walked through the crowd of people.

2nd floor, 3rd floor, 4th floor.

They stood in rows aligned to fit each floor.

People were huddled together, desperately resisting the cold.

“2nd floor! Please line up. It’ll be over soon. Line up!”

“Sir! Don’t sit down. Get up. Hurry up.”

“Okay! Let me just call your names once. Mr. Ji Seok-ho? Mr. Kim Yong-pyo?”

Police officers shouted at the people lined up here and there.

Jin Jae-hee and I entered the line and stood in an appropriate spot.

Honestly, I couldn’t think normally because of the cold.

It felt like it was below minus 10 degrees Celsius.

Without realizing it, my teeth clacked and clashed randomly.

cold.

It was painful.

Most people here have never felt this cold.

Are people who have served in the military different?

Anyone would find it difficult to endure the cold in these harsh conditions.

“Mr. Lee Jong-won! Mr. Song Seung-bo! Mr. Kang Jin-seok!”

Starting from the front row, a police officer began counting people by calling their names and handing out two sticks.

The cold made my vision dizzy.

I felt like my hands and feet would freeze at any moment.

At that moment, something was thrust into my right pocket.

Swish-.

“… … .”

When I put my hand in my pocket, there was a hot pack inside.

I turned my head and looked back.

There was Jin Jae-hee, wearing a fur hat pulled over his head.

Jin Jae-hee put a hot pack in my pocket for me.

She leaned her head a little closer to me and whispered.

“Don’t let anyone else catch you. A hot pack is worth more than gold here. This hot pack lasts for over 30 hours. If it gets cold again, tell me and I’ll exchange it for another one.”

After saying that, Jin Jae-hee turned his head again.

At that time, I thought it was fortunate that she was a well-prepared regressor.

The feeling of shivering from the cold just a moment ago melted away with a hot pack.

At this very moment, I was thinking that hot packs were the greatest invention in human civilization.

Then a police officer came up to me and handed me two sticks.

“Mr. Kang Shi-on.”

“yes.”

“Take two, and the person behind you is Jin Jae-hee?”

I was handed two sticks by the policeman.

Since I didn’t use the bathroom or eat anything yesterday, I had a total of 4 sticks.

The police officer gave Jin Jae-hee a stick and disappeared back into the back row.

Waiting in the cold was more than boring; it felt like a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear gas chamber.

It was a grueling wait, where every minute felt like an hour.

Before we knew it, hundreds of police officers had finished screening people and were walking up to the stage one by one.

They were controlling the people with batons and pistols.

Several police officers smoked cigarettes in front of him, and then a man walked out of the police station.

I looked up at the stage while warming my hands on the hot pack.

A dark gray sky where the sun has not yet risen.

The backs of the heads of countless people in the front row.

The whirling snow storm.

The flashlight beams of the police officers.

And then a man came up to the stage.

He was a middle-aged man.

Even though the situation had gotten to this point, the man who had come up to the stage was still wearing neat attire.

He spoke in front of people.

“Citizens. The fifth day has dawned. We are currently attempting to communicate with headquarters and are following government guidelines. I understand that you are very tired both physically and mentally. However, our police will never give up and will protect the property and safety of our citizens until the end. Yesterday, 30 more people entered our police station. Another 12 people left without permission. What I would like to ask of you citizens is… … It is hell outside. Everyone. Already, 12 of our police officers and 22 members of the autonomous security force have died while performing reconnaissance missions. Everyone, even if this place is difficult, tiring, and painful, please trust our police. You must follow our orders. Our police will definitely return you to the warm embrace of your families, to your homes.”

As soon as one old man began to clap his hands, feeble applause soon erupted from all around.

It didn’t make sense to applaud in this situation, but it was clear that they were relying on the police officers in front of them.

There was one reason why they were satisfied even though their lives were controlled like this.

As the police chief said, leaving this place was hell.

Because this police station was the only place where they could live like human beings.

But despite their enthusiastic support, I could never applaud.

A man on stage receiving applause from the citizens.

Chief of Manan Police Station.

Because I planned to eliminate him and take over this force.

“Phew-.”

Pure white breath came out.

Snow was falling heavily from the sky.

After the chief entered, the police officers led the men back into the building.

Things to do here.

It involves doing a quest called Government Dog.

I started to follow the line of people into the building.

When I turned my head, the sun was finally rising from the mountainside beyond the distant horizon.

The sunlight was brightly illuminating the ruined city.

(Continued in the next episode)