The moment I saw the inside of the captain’s office, I could immediately grasp the current state of these guys.
Just flashy on the outside.
From the outside, the entire settlement looked like a decent forward base, but the interior was a mess.
Broken furniture, like collapsed bookshelves, had simply been left as-is.
The top of a crude water purifier was filled with pitch-black water.
At the bottom, there was only a tiny amount of murky liquid, barely more than a few drops.
Dried meat hung on the walls and it was clearly zombie flesh.
Even that had been rationed so carefully that it had gone bad, reeking with age.
They’re right at their limit.
At first, they probably could find food around the settlement.
But as time passed, they would’ve had to search farther and farther out.
The problem is that the anti-aircraft gun only protects the area near the settlement.
And these guys are rebels. Enemies of the state.
If they go too far out, they’re as good as dead.
Starve to death or die fighting. Either way, they’re not long for this world.
This settlement won’t last much longer.
Just like most of the others.
“I heard you used to be a soldier?”
That was the captain’s first remark, spoken from behind a blackened wooden desk.
He sat in a frail chair that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
“I was.”
He looked to be in his mid-twenties, a few years younger than me.
His pale complexion made it obvious he was malnourished.
Either way, he’s the one who allowed me into the settlement.
No need to waste energy on pointless posturing.
“Then you should know better. Can’t you report properly and with some urgency?”
“I’m a postman now. Reporting isn’t really my thing. We’ve got our own way of doing things.”
“Your own way?”
It’s been a while since I’ve done this.
I made a heart shape with both hands and flashed a bright smile.
“We serve with love, valued customer! Any mail is delivered fast and accurately! A proud Korean postman who gets it there within a week! I. Love. You.”
Director Bae came up with this.
He even got an award for creating this ridiculous greeting.
“…What the hell was that just now?”
At least this guy’s better than Director Bae.
“What else? Work life is always disgusting.”
“Well, that’s true…”
Grrr.
That wasn’t my stomach.
“I’m dieting.”
“I didn’t ask.”
Captain Choi already looked more than thin enough.
Yeah, that chair’s going to need all the help it can get to keep holding together.
“Anyway, if you’ve got any mail to send, hand it over. Otherwise, I’ll be on my way.”
“I heard you offered to repair the anti-aircraft gun.”
“Yes. Think of it as paying an entry fee.”
The captain clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them.
“I’ve heard you weren’t exactly ordinary back when you were in the military.”
“I was a bit above average.”
“They say you fixed things on your own that even an entire engineering unit couldn’t handle.”
“That’s because they were below average.”
“You’re clearly not your typical postman. So let me make you an offer.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
The captain finally revealed his true intentions.
“I’ll give you all the support I can provide in here. In return, get me out of this place.”
***
When I climbed up onto the wall, the broken anti-aircraft gun immediately came into view.
But I didn’t plan on just tinkering with that one.
Opportunities like this don’t come twice.
“Sergeant Jung.”
“Yes, Postman-nim!”
“I should take a look at the other anti-aircraft guns too.”
“…Huh?”
“The captain asked me to inspect all of them.”
“Ah… yes, sir! Understood!”
“This one’s functioning properly, right?”
As I carefully examined every part of the gun, running my hands over it, a blue glow visible only to me began to form.
Good. That’s one.
Just a precaution.
If I build a strong enough connection like this, I can use my ability from a distance for a while.
Let’s test it.
“The probability that this anti-aircraft gun fires properly…”
[99.8%]
Even from a fair distance, I could see the probability.
If I’m going to get the captain out, there’s a chance I might have to deal with these guns at worst.
Of course, just being able to check probabilities related to the anti-aircraft guns doesn’t give me some perfect strategy.
Still, nothing to lose.
If I want to prepare for every possibility, I have to do everything I can.
Originally, Plan A was to secretly sabotage all the anti-aircraft guns.
But the engineers kept crowding around, saying they wanted to learn how to repair them, so that plan went straight to hell.
“By the way, what were you talking about with the captain for so long?”
“I showed him the postman greeting, and he said he wanted to learn it too.”
“The postman greeting…? What’s that supposed to be?”
“Classified.”
The captain knew the settlement was on the brink of collapse.
And honestly, it probably wasn’t just him.
They just don’t talk about it, but there are probably others thinking the same thing.
No one shows it, though.
“This is the kind of insane place where they control people so tightly they can’t even speak just because a single postman showed up.”
In a place with this level of extreme control, it’s hard to try anything.
“That’s the last one. The rest of the anti-aircraft guns are all functioning normally.”
After establishing a connection with every anti-aircraft gun, I roughly repaired the broken one.
As soon as the gun, which hadn’t been moving at all, started working perfectly—
Clap, clap, clap!
The engineers, their mouths effectively sealed shut, applauded.
But their eyes were clearly saying, “What the hell just happened?”
No surprise there.
All I did was punch and kick different parts of it.
If I hit here, the probability it’ll start working is…
If I kick this part, the probability that current flows is…
I just check a few times and strike precisely.
I was in a hurry and took a gamble, but luckily, it worked.
Of course, every time I kicked the anti-aircraft gun, I could feel the engineers’ glares burning into me.
One of them, in particular, had his face turn so red it looked like it might explode. Like he was about to lunge at me any second.
If Sergeant Jung hadn’t held him back, he probably would have.
“Postman-nim? Thanks for fixing it, but… your repair methods are very different from when you were in the military.”
“Machines have always been fixed this way since ancient times.”
“Ancient times…?”
“Even back when people were being sent into space. If a machine doesn’t listen, you start by hitting it.”
And there was one more thing I learned while repairing it.
I knew it. The shells are different.
This anti-aircraft gun is supposed to use old-world NATO-standard 35mm shells.
They pack a strong explosive punch, which makes sense since they’re meant to target aircraft.
But if you’re using them for anti-personnel like these guys are, that kind of explosive power is just a waste of propellant.
Their guns have been modified to use smaller rounds.
And they’re loaded with crude, homemade shells.
Most likely, they’re firing solid metal projectiles, relying on kinetic energy rather than explosions to take down targets.
No explosive power means the shells have to hit directly to do damage.
And since they’re using homemade rounds, the accuracy is bound to be terrible.
Still, since the gun can unleash dozens of shots in an instant, they probably manage to hit something eventually.
If they can’t hit even a single person with that, that would be the real miracle.
They’ve probably dismantled all the original 35mm shells and extracted the propellant.
Using it to make homemade rounds and rifle ammo.
Seems like they’re putting it to good use all over the place.
Anyway, now all that’s left is to deliver the mail and get the captain out.
The captain offered me all the cores he had stored if I helped him escape the settlement.
None of them were particularly valuable, but there were twenty-five of them.
That’s still a huge payout.
And calling it an “offer” is generous. I didn’t really have the option to refuse.
Letting me into the settlement in the first place was part of setting this up.
If I had refused, he would have kicked me out again.
The problem is, sneaking him out is impossible…
Security here is far too tight.
There’s only one safe exit. The main gate.
No matter how I thought about it, there was only one way.
“Take the captain and walk straight out through the front gate.”
After finishing the repairs, Sergeant Jung stuck close to me, continuing to act as my guide.
“Once we pass the square, the house where the woman who’s receiving the mail lives is right there.”
“Finally, back to my actual job.”
“But… how did you end up becoming a postman?”
“Classified.”
“…I had no idea being a postman involved this many secrets.”
“Of course you didn’t. That’s classified too.”
On the way to the square, I saw a lot of soldiers.
All of them were focused on their tasks, and just like before, none of them spoke.
The only sounds were the faint rustling of clothes and the occasional grunt of effort.
There were so many people moving around, yet it was eerily quiet.
“At this point, I can’t even tell how they’re any different from zombies.”
“Well… if I had to say, at least they can see what’s in front of them.”
“You really think that counts as an answer?”
And that wasn’t the end of it.
In the middle of the square stood a bizarre statue.
“Did you make that yourselves?”
“Ha! Doesn’t it look exactly the same?”
“…You made it in the shape of an anti-aircraft gun, didn’t you?”
“It’s our pride and joy!”
Why would anyone make something this hideous?
“Well, since it’s made of stone, it doesn’t have the same intimidating presence as the real thing… but instead, it’s full of a sacred aura!”
I see.
So it’s basically a totem.
Now I understand the engineers’ reactions when I kicked the anti-aircraft gun earlier.
They held back because I was “repairing” it. Otherwise, I might’ve been riddled with bullets already.
“So what, do I have to pray to it now?”
“Oh. How did you know?”
Honestly, this is still relatively normal.
Better than those guys who told me to pray to a tower made of clipped fingernails.
“Let’s get it over with. How do I do it?”
The motion involved raising both index fingers, stabbing upward toward the sky several times while shaking your hips.
I feel like I’ve seen something similar in some ancient dance.
When I asked what it meant, they said it symbolized the rapid-fire shooting of an anti-aircraft gun.
That explanation was weirdly convincing.
After finishing the “prayer” and walking a bit further, the woman’s residence came into view.
Like the captain’s, it was a neatly built red brick building.
“That looks like officer-level housing. The way you said woman, I figured she wasn’t anyone important.”
“Oh, she’s the only doctor at headquarters. She’s definitely important.”
“Then wouldn’t she be a military doctor?”
“She’s one of only two civilians in the entire headquarters. And our rule is to speak informally to civilians.”
“That rule seems pretty universal these days.”
“And she wasn’t even a military doctor. She was a veterinary officer.”
A veterinary officer, specializing in caring for animals like military dogs.
Naturally, that also means she’s capable of treating people.
I’ve heard that in earlier times, they used to strictly separate patients by specialty.
But that was back when doctors were as common as corpses lying by the roadside.
Anyway, a civilian doctor in a settlement packed with soldiers.
That’s definitely unusual.
“Was she recruited from outside?”
“No, she’s been with us from the beginning. She belonged to our unit the whole time, but after the headquarters was established, she voluntarily gave up her military status.”
“Wouldn’t that be called a discharge?”
Sergeant Jung smirked as he looked toward the woman’s residence.
“There’s no discharge in our military, sir.”
In other words, she was dishonorably discharged.
If some nobody had whined about quitting the military, they’d have ended up with a bullet in their head.
But they couldn’t exactly kill their only doctor.
So they must be maintaining a delicate relationship.
“Since she’s a civilian, she’s not subject to communication restrictions, right?”
“That’s correct. You can speak with her freely, Postman-nim.”
“Better than dealing with zombies.”
“But the thing is…”
Sergeant Jung frowned.
“She might not say a single word at all… even by choice.”
“Hmm?”
“She’s the type who does that often. Her personality is a bit… difficult. And she already said she’d refuse all mail, so your visit might not be welcome.”
Then Sergeant Jung leaned in close to my ear and continued in a low voice.
“Her younger sister, though….she’s got a great personality and she’s pretty, too.”
“The other civilian you mentioned earlier?”
“That’s right. Those two sisters are the only civilians here.”
What kind of relationship does that Explanation-Obsessed guy have with people like them?
“So how old is the doctor?”
“Mid to late thirties, I think.”
“And the younger sister?”
“There’s quite an age gap. She’s probably in her early twenties.”
The next moment, Sergeant Jung’s expression suddenly stiffened, even though he’d been answering so smoothly.
“Don’t get any ideas.”
“I prefer older women.”
Sergeant Jung’s face immediately softened again.
Grinning to himself, he knocked on the wooden door set into the red brick wall.
But there was no response.
“Ah, Postman-nim. If you want to deliver the mail smoothly, you should be careful not to get on her bad side. Her personality is really awful.”
“She’s not even opening the door right now.”
“She will. The captain has already pulled some strings.”
That captain did say he’d provide any support he could if I helped him slip away.
“So what exactly did he do?”
From the sound of it, she’s not someone who’d be easily persuaded.
I wonder if the captain’s influence will actually work.
“I heard you gave her a pack of beef jerky. Supposedly it’s one of the captain’s prized treasures.”
That’s definitely going to get the door open.
Bang.
The door swung open, and a woman appeared on the other side.
“……”
She stared at me in silence.
“What are you staring at?”
At my first words, the muscles in her face trembled.
“Excuse me… what did you just say?”
Startled, Sergeant Jung immediately whispered in my ear.
“P-Postman-nim? If you provoke her like that…!”
Just as the woman was about to speak, I cut in first.
“Quit glaring.”
“You… you…!”
Her face flushed red, then pale, cycling through colors.
But then—
“Go get your older sister.”
“……?”
While she hesitated,
I quickly added,
“Look at that smooth skin; clearly you had an easy life. I’m not interested in talking to a kid. Go bring your sister.”
She clamped both hands over her mouth.
She was struggling to hold back the gasp escaping her.
It was the first time she had felt something like being deeply moved since arriving at the settlement.
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