Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 139.1: The Weight of Life (1)

Talking about Foxgames' sleaziness is old news by now, but recently the guy’s been stirring up new drama on the board.

Foxgames: Raising Little Blackie (1)

He picked up some mutt somewhere.

Sure, “puppy” would sound nicer, more innocent—but I call it a mutt because it’s a mutation.

Well, as far as suicide methods go, this one’s at least original.

Better than that pathetic, miserable excuse for a game he made.

The real problem is that his post, thanks to the influx of Necropolis newcomers, is gaining ridiculous popularity.

“Skelton. Another group of migratory birds spotted outside.”

That was Sue’s voice over the speaker, but I didn’t respond.

I was too busy staring at the number of likes on Foxgames’ puppy-raising post.

[988]

“······.”

Nearly a thousand.

That’s practically legendary on Viva! Apocalypse!. Maybe PaleNet could hit those numbers, but here?

The Korean board doesn’t even have ten thousand users total.

If we apply the 10,000:100:1 rule—ten thousand views, one hundred likes, one comment—then it means nearly a hundred thousand people saw that post.

Of course, that’s a YouTube-level metric based on millions of users, not our backwater board, so maybe it doesn’t quite apply.

Still, one thing’s clear: Foxgames has staged a comeback thanks to Necropolis traffic.

It’s insane, but the reality is that all the effort and sacrifice that I and Valentine poured in... ended up benefiting Foxgames.

I took my hands off the keyboard and let out a deep sigh. Just then, Sue stepped into the bunker.

“Skelton. What are you doing?”

“Sorry, Sue. I was working on tactical planning.”

“For real? Not just online again?”

Times like this make me regret forming a group.

It’s not Sue’s fault.

The real root of the problem is the refugees—aka the migratory birds.

Inspired by Jang Ki-young’s example, I’ve decided to use poetic and philosophical terms when labeling things.

So “migratory birds” is what I call the winter refugees.

They’re pouring southward more each day.

That said, my territory sees fewer than most.

That’s thanks to smart location selection—my base lies right next to a highway leading south, meaning most refugees bypass my area entirely by sticking to the road.

Only a few stray into my zone—those who got lost, avoided raiders on the highway, or are looking for alternative settlements like Sejong.

Before forming a group, they weren’t a problem. My bunker was well hidden, and I was careful.

Not anymore.

Now we’re a group. Our space has expanded.

We’re far more likely to be seen.

Fortunately, most of the migrants rush past without even glancing at us.

But their numbers keep growing.

“Are they headed to Sejong?”

“Probably. That place’s reputation is still solid.”

We stood on the hill, watching the group trek down from the north, heading southwest.

Yeah, that’s Sejong’s direction.

Like it or not, it’s the only place that still functions like a proper city.

They say there are other towns down south under military control, but those are run like prisons. Information barely leaks out from them.

Sue and I watched the latest wave pass.

About 50 people.

Most were armed—rifles, makeshift weapons, even Judge-Killers. No vehicles, but they had handcarts loaded with supplies.

Just like the others, they moved fast and didn’t stop, vanishing over the ridge.

“Stand down from alert.”

Another group passed.

There’ll be more.

Sejong’s reputation was already good back on PaleNet, and now with Necropolis, people are treating it like some kind of paradise.

The sun was setting, so I returned to the bunker.

Foxgames: Raising Little Blackie (1)

First thing I checked? That damn post at the top of the popular page.

[1,089]

Over a thousand likes.

“······.”

I didn’t get it.

Why him?

A man who’s spent his life leeching off others, stealing ideas, and being bad at everything except political scheming—how the hell does he get this kind of support just because he picked up some mangy dog?

Foxgames: Thanks for all the love, everyone. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get this kind of response.

Foxgames: You all know, right? My last game totally flopped. I’ve had shutdowns before, but this one really hurt.

Just so you know, his trash game finally shut down.

Too many bugs, zero updates, and lag so bad it made the game unplayable.

Not that he made it himself anyway—he just piggybacked off others, so the outcome was expected.

Foxgames: Raising Little Blackie (2)

But reality doesn’t follow my expectations.

The comments say it all:

Mangja723: Aww, so cute! And Foxgames, you’re such a kind person!

Mangja8321: This is what I live for lately.

Anonymous458: Feels nice with so many people here.

Mangja1233: Mutations are usually dangerous, but if it’s this cute and smart, I’d feel like I was raising a real kid.

Anonymous1423: Foxgames is back, huh~

SKELTON: Is this really a good thing?

...

He did it again.

I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

“······.”

In this kind of pet-raising content, the peak will probably be when the mutation eats him.

That’ll be the finale.

And that’s when it hit me.

This isn’t right.

A guy who built his entire life by stealing others’ ideas, exploiting younger devs, and leeching off their fame—he gets lucky once and now he’s everyone’s darling?

No way.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I logged in with my alt account.

[Welcome to Viva! Apocalypse!]

[Urgent Notice: Posting restrictions for Necropolis users]

Yeah, yeah. I figured.

Too many users spamming posts, so they’ve restricted who can write.

Still, they’re letting us leave comments, at least.

Anyway, the reason I logged in as my other self—Dr. Emiris—was to test the waters, see what people are saying.

“······.”

Tap tap tap

Dr.emiless: Is it just me who's uncomfortable seeing Foxgames, the guy who tanked his game, now getting popular for raising a fucking mutt?

Everyone’s holding their breath in the face of majority opinion, but I can’t be the only one who hates Foxgames.

Especially after he tanked his game and public opinion turned sharply against him—he vanished completely after that.

I threw the spark. Now it’ll catch fire, one way or another.

A day passed.

Sue reported that another group of migratory birds had passed.

We checked together—another group headed for Sejong.

They didn’t even notice us, nor did they seem like the kind to bother scouting this desolate place.

Back to the board. I checked the comments.

gijayangban: ?

Only one comment.

Lately, Woo Min-hee must be really bored.

At the very least, I’m sure she bookmarked my alt account.

I logged back into my main and checked the trending posts.

“?”

Just like Woo Min-hee’s comment, a question mark popped into my head.

mmmmmmmmm™: Raising Angle (1)

I’ve seen plenty of people say things like “This is why Koreans can’t be helped,” but I’ve never actually said that myself.

It’s always been my belief that human individuality is far too diverse to be homogenized by categories like nationality or ethnicity.

But the moment I saw M9’s new trending post, I was seized by the overwhelming urge to use that exact cliché I’ve always avoided.

There’s this thing that happens.

Like when a neighborhood’s hot new restaurant pops up, and right next to it someone opens a copycat shop in no time.

Same with YouTube.

Someone comes up with new content, and soon there’s a horde of copycats imitating it.

M9 is one of those.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I don’t know where the hell he got it, but he posted a raising diary about a kitten he’s keeping inside a tilted apartment.

Doesn’t seem like he could get a mutation, probably because Kim Byung-chul’s gang is pointing guns in the next neighborhood.

Still, judging by appearance, it’s definitely a purebred cat—the kind they used to call “designer breeds” before the war.

You can confirm the breed in the comments.

Mangja8321: What the? That’s a Scottish Fold, right?

Mangja229: Whoa, it’s really cute. You can’t even find those in shops nowadays.

berkut_break: Cats have always been a philosopher’s old companion.

Anonymous1421: Feels like he’s riding the trend, but the content’s legit. Where’d he even get that?

unicorn18: So cute (pant pant)

Mangja1123: Was Viva always this wholesome?

Mangja13: Why does he have weird shit after his nickname? Same with Foxgames. Are there armbands or something now?

Dr.emiless: Why the fuck are you raising a cat in a place like that? This is animal abuse, isn’t it?

...

...

The number of likes on M9’s imitation content was around 400.

Less than half of Foxgames’ post, but considering most popular posts usually cap around 30 likes, it’s still insanely popular.

And M9 didn’t stop at the cat.

mmmmmmmmm™: Oh, that woman? Not my girlfriend. Just a neighbor in the apartment, haha.

He slyly included the daughter of the Ji family freeloading in his apartment building.

Ji Young-hee might have a gloomy personality, but her looks are what people would call “classy-pretty.”

Anyway, I’m feeling a bit disoriented from this sudden animal-raising craze.

Isn’t raising animals a ridiculously outdated hobby?

Not to mention dangerous.

Foxgames himself is basically in a time-attack countdown until his mutt mauls him to death.

There were others who kept pets in the past too, but I distinctly remember how they had to tearfully put bullets through their beloved animals’ heads.

Years have passed since then.

People change. Thoughts change.

At the very least, it’s clear this pet-raising trend is real.

But I have no intention of joining in.

To be exact—I don’t see the point in taking on that level of risk just to raise an animal.

I keep my mouth shut about it, but online I’m a giant. Far beyond Kang Han-min.

“······.”

Tap tap tap

SKELTON: I have something to say.

I messaged Deadman Working.

Just a small, simple request.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but I wanted to ask if he could add my name—just a little bit—to the front page of Necropolis.

I didn’t list my own nickname next to Valentine’s to keep the focus on him, but maybe it’d be okay if they tacked on my name at the end, like staff credits.

Something like:

[For F. Sawyer, M. O’Connor, Byungseon K., and the beloved crimson one.]

[Welcome to the clamorous city of the dead.]

[P.S. Our friend Skelton lent a small hand.]

That wouldn’t be too much, right?

Deadman Working replied almost immediately.

Message from deadman_working: Why are you going back on your word?

SKELTON: ?

deadman_working: Didn’t you just say the other day that you’d refuse any credit in order to honor Kim Byung-seon?

SKELTON: I’m not asking for credit.

deadman_working: Then what is it?

SKELTON: Just a tiny footnote at the end, like staff roll. Barely visible.

deadman_working: Not acceptable. That’s final.

“······.”

It’s a shame, but I guess I won’t be getting my name on Necropolis after all.

In hindsight, that was the right call.

I must’ve been seeing red for a moment there.

Meanwhile, the random animal-raising craze Foxgames kicked off has spread to other users too.

berkut_break: Cat of a basement philosopher (1)

Anonymous1332: What kind of animal is that? I want to try raising one too.

Anonymous458: Jumped on the trend and tried raising a dog myself.

It’s become a trend to find some cat or dog and post about it.

I checked a few out.

Most were just regular cats and dogs.

Berkut’s cat was hilariously ugly—it made me snort.

The issue is, these dumb nothing posts are now getting traction just for hopping on the trend.

Even bottom-feeders like Berkut are landing on the popular page.

“······.”

That pisses me off just a bit.

“You haven’t seen any cats or dogs?”

I asked Rebecca, the hunter.

Despite being American, she has no qualms about eating dogs, cats, even bullfrogs.

If anyone around here knows about local animals, it’s her.

“Mutations are fine too. Haven’t seen any with pups?”

“Nope, none.”

“······Really?”

“Besides, migratory birds are passing by constantly. No time to go looking for pets.”

She’s right.

The migratory birds keep coming.

Most are small refugee groups headed to Sejong.

Wandering around the wasteland to chase internet trends right now wouldn’t be smart.

But the real issue is, I’m not the only one influenced by this trend.

armeegruppe_B: I adopted a puppy too!

Kim Byung-chul posted.

Or more precisely, his somewhat slow daughter did.

The photo showed a girl with only her arms and legs visible, hugging a massive dog nearly her size.

It was a mutation.

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