Chapter 2: === CHAPTER TITLE ===

=== CHAPTER CONTENT ===

Just then, a loud 'BANG BANG' sound started coming from the bunker entrance. On the CCTV, an elderly-looking woman and man were pounding on the bunker's heavy door with difficulty. They appeared to be contaminated with radiation—their hair was patchy and sparse, their bodies gaunt, and their clothes filthy. My first instinct was to ignore them.

'They'll get tired and go somewhere else eventually.'

But my mother peered intently at the CCTV screen.

"Son, don't those people look familiar? I think they're the friends of your father's who taught us and helped us with the tomato farming."   

"Oh, you're right." 

When we first started the tomato farm, we struggled with a lack of knowledge. My father had introduced us to a friend of his from the neighborhood who was an experienced farmer. That was them. 

"At least let's hear what they have to say. They did help us with the farm work."

"Hmm... I'm grateful for the help they gave back then, but honestly, I think it's dangerous. In times like these, you never know how people might change."

"Even so, son, we can't just ignore people after receiving their help! Let's not lose our humanity, even in an era like this."

I had no choice but to pick up the microphone connected to the entrance speaker.

[Ahem~ Can you hear me? What brings you here?]

The two people's faces suddenly brightened at the unexpected voice, and they hastily pressed close to the speaker.

"Do you remember us? We're friends of your father. We vaguely heard his son had built a bunker here. We've run out of all the food we had and are starving to death. We came hoping against hope. Could you spare some food? Please. We're really going to die."

That was my father's name. 

[We have weapons here, so don't try anything funny. We're willing to share a little food, so please step back at least 20 meters from the entrance and wait.]

"Ah~ Thank you! We're saved, saved!"

I packed enough food in a bag to last two people a week from the warehouse. I handed my mother a makeshift spear made from a kitchen knife, just in case. After checking the CCTV, I slightly opened the bunker door, threw the bag outside, then firmly shut and locked the door again.

After confirming both the outer door and the inner secondary door were securely locked, I checked the CCTV. The elderly couple rushed over and checked the food in the bag.

[We have no more food to share, so don't come back! If you show up again, you won't like what happens.]

I spoke sternly into the microphone.

"Thank you."

The elderly couple repeatedly bowed, expressing their gratitude, and then left the bunker area.

"Was it necessary to be that harsh?"

"Yes, it was just right. If we keep handing out supplies, we'll end up like them too."

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That's what I said, but honestly, I wasn't happy about sharing the food at all. It was something I did because of my mother, but my feeling that it was 'dangerous' hadn't changed.

Four more days passed after that.

After organizing the supply warehouse and cleaning the bunker, I was so tired that I lay down for a moment and fell fast asleep.

"Son! Son! Wake up!"

My mother shook me awake urgently.

Still groggy, I looked around and heard a 'CREAK CREAK' sound coming from the door leading to the outside.

I jumped up and checked the CCTV. About fifteen adult men were at the bunker entrance, trying to force the door open.

"What... what is this situation?"

Looking closely at the CCTV, I could see the couple from before with them. They must have told others about the bunker's location.

“We took a risk and shared our food because they said they were dying, and this is how they betray us!”

I was furious, but the situation was urgent. I pushed the thought aside and grabbed the compound bow from under my bed.

The door was the sturdiest part I had built when starting the bunker. Thick steel plates were hard to come by, so I had welded together four large ship-grade steel plates and attached eight heavy-duty industrial hinges. It wouldn't be easy to open no matter what they tried. The raiders outside struggled with it for thirty minutes. They seemed to realize this, gave up on prying it open, and gathered to discuss.  

They seemed to reach a decision. A large man who looked like the leader gave some orders, and the people scattered.

It would have been fortunate if they had just given up, but these guys didn't seem the type to quit so easily.

Sure enough, after about an hour, the sound of a vehicle started outside. On the CCTV, I saw a large truck being driven towards the bunker entrance. They probably planned to use the vehicle to tear the entire entrance structure out.

Several people started pounding on the bunker entrance door with various tools. The noise was maddening, but there was little I could do. My mother seemed to be suffering too, bowing her head, covering her ears with both hands, and enduring it. 

They pounded on the entrance for a long time, eventually creating a gap, then hooked a cable into it and connected it to the truck.

They started the truck and put it in reverse. The cable grew taut, ready to snap, and the others grabbed the cable and began pulling.

The bunker door let out a metallic 'SCREEEECH~' as the gap widened slightly. I opened the small viewing port installed in the inner door, watched through it, and aimed my bow.

A moment later, there was a loud 'THUD!'—the entrance door must have been forced open. Then, a man holding a kitchen knife began slowly descending the ladder into the underground section.

Without hesitation, I loosed an arrow at the back of the descending man's head.

Thwack!

"Guh-ack!" 

The man fell from the ladder, dead on impact from the arrow to his head.

"Gasp! Choi's dead!"

A person presumed to be his comrade screamed after checking the corpse.

After a period of silence, I checked the CCTV. They were gathered again, discussing something. Then they brought over several large wooden planks and started shoving them into the space between the ladder down and the inner door. It seemed like a measure to block arrows.

I quickly grabbed some lighter fluid and a few butane gas canisters. I opened the lighter fluid can, stuffed a rag in, lit it, and threw it along with the gas canisters through a slightly opened part of the inner door towards the ladder area, then hurriedly slammed the door shut.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Soon after, the fire must have caught well because the sound of gas canisters exploding started.

The explosions and flames seemed to startle the guys outside, and they backed away from the bunker entrance.

The inner bunker door was also made of steel, and with the chimney effect and good air circulation, a fire at the underground entrance wouldn't harm us.

Then I issued a strong warning over the speaker.

[This bunker is full of gas canisters! If you force the door open, I'll blow everything up!]

'Please let this work...'

I watched the CCTV screen nervously. 

Then the man who seemed to be the leader, with an angry expression, said something and suddenly started beating the elderly couple who had betrayed us.

The elderly couple stopped moving, perhaps dead. Only then did the leader seem to calm down, stopping the beating and giving orders to the others.

Then the people suddenly started shoveling rocks and dirt, pouring them down into the underground entrance.

"These damn bastards!"

It was good they were abandoning the bunker, but in their anger, they piled up dirt and rocks, completely blocking the entrance. Now we couldn't get out, and no one could get in. It might as well be called a tomb now, not a bunker.

By evening, their work seemed finished. The raiders who had attacked the bunker began to leave, one by one. I was furious, but there was absolutely nothing I could do.

'Sigh~ Let's just get some sleep.'

Having been tense all day, I was exhausted. I lay down on my bed and fell asleep immediately. It had been a truly hard day.