Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Mentor

Everyone has their own plans.

Even Doomsday Preppers like us, who share the same overarching ideology, often differ in our specific methods of implementation. For instance, whether to engage with the post-apocalypse world, adopt extreme isolationism, form groups, or survive solely with a few family members and friends.

In the apocalyptic community ‘Viva! Apocalypse!’ that I joined for a monthly fee of 100 dollars, debates among Doomsday Preppers were common.

From my observations as more of a bystander than a participant, constructive debates were few and far between.

Most arguments ended up being tedious keyboard battles running in parallel lines, ultimately culminating in a competition of flaunting wealth.

It went down like this: I have more money, invested more in superior facilities, and have better weapons, so my opinion is right.

It was a distasteful sight, but it’s not wrong to brag about money.

After all, more money does allow for more extensive preparations.

For example, a nuclear battery-powered self-generation system that I really wanted is something I could never afford, but for Donald Oris in the USA, it’s an amount he could easily make by selling just one of his yachts from his collection.

Of course, money isn’t the only source of credibility.

Personal strength, experience, and skills can sometimes be more persuasive than wealth.

There was one such person like that here.

Community ID: John_nenon

Commonly known as John Nenon. He’s Korean.

The special thing about him is nothing extraordinary.

John Nenon is a professional hunter.

A hunter is a guardian who hunts monsters at the front of rifts, known as monster dens. To become a hunter, one has to pass through extremely stringent qualifications and exams.

In other words, not just anyone can become a hunter.

Moreover, hunters possess significantly greater combat abilities than ordinary humans and have access to more confidential information due to their profession.

However, there are ranks even among hunters, and John Nenon has never verified what rank he is.

All he has confirmed is his professional hunter license.

Well, that alone is a definitive credential in the apocalyptic community filled with mediocrities.

You can tell by how a wealthy member backed off as soon as he saw the hunter certification.

I mention John Nenon not just for his hunter certification.

He shared a survival philosophy very similar to mine.

Especially in terms of establishing a large-scale survival facility in a remote location that is accessible to big cities but completely isolated from human contact, aiming for permanent survival.

He was someone I could learn a lot from.

When my expensively built underground bunker became a breeding ground for mold due to groundwater seepage and condensation, his posts on mold removal, why cement putty is better than lime putty for flooring, and managing groundwater according to aquifer types were invaluable knowledge for a novice carpenter like me.

His idea of creating multiple decoys instead of relying on one bunker for long-term survival was also in line with my thoughts.

Particularly, the idea of placing remotely detonable explosives or booby traps inside decoy bunkers, so that intruders can be easily be ‘cleaned up’ by pressing a button from the main bunker, was brilliant.

Additionally, his extensive knowledge, his willingness to kindly respond to questions, and his prestige as an active professional hunter.

It was inevitable that John Nenon became a popular figure in the community, especially among the Korean users.

However, he wasn’t perfect.

He always attached a header with his name [John Nenon] whenever he posted.

For example, like this:

[John Nenon] The Need for Low-Oil Foods for Long-Term Survival (3)

[John Nenon] Just Had Omakase Ha Ha

[John Nenon] (Classified) Current Situation on the Chinese Front in 2023

[John Nenon] Dinner Tonight Ha Ha

I didn’t understand why he did this, but his posts were of high quality and expertise.

But he too began to change over time.

The first to change was the community itself.

As signs of the apocalypse became increasingly visible and more people, especially Koreans, joined the community, strange signs began to emerge. People started to envy John Nenon, who had unique popularity and influence within the community.

At first, a few people subtly criticized John Nenon in a roundabout way.

Instead of directly attacking his informational posts, they presented different viewpoints to challenge his information.

The man who I thought shared the same thoughts as me, except for the [John Nenon] header, started acting differently.

Feeling a sense of belonging to the community, or perhaps conscious of public opinion, he eventually went as far as revealing his face.

Until then, he had been indirectly flaunting his well-toned arms and chest muscles through thin T-shirts. The reason he revealed his face was clear:

To stop others from acting up.

But his appearance, unlike his muscular physique, seemed naive…

Maybe that’s why.

The reaction within the community became colder, and openly targeting him became a common occurrence.

The main topic was John Nenon’s hunter rank.

Although he was indeed a professional hunter, rumors spread that he was a D-rank hunter, the lowest in the professional hunter hierarchy.

There were even rumors about his real name, supposedly Koo Sang-hyo.

Having already become a community star, John Nenon didn’t step down from his position; instead, he chose to confront the situation head-on.

He organized a meetup for Korean users of the Viva! Apocalypse! community, which cost 100 dollars monthly.

I attended the meetup, having just finished an important construction project and in the midst of planning a new one, to seek advice.

There were ten people at the doomsday preppers meetup.

The age range was diverse, but there were quite a few in their 50s, who had economic freedom and energy to spare.

The largest group was the 30s and 40s, especially those in the workforce with leadership positions.

There were a few in their 20s like me, but unlike me, they seemed more curious about doomsday preparation than serious about it.

It was late autumn and quite chilly, but John Nenon wore only a thin set of workout clothes.

The workout clothes seemed two sizes too small, stretching tightly over his body, and his well-praised robust muscles were clearly visible under the taut fabric.

With everyone’s attention on him, John Nenon introduced himself.

“I’m an active hunter, Koo Sang-hyo.”

Out of the ten attendees, four applauded, and I was one of them.

The meeting place, to be honest, wasn’t impressive.

It was a makeshift raw meat restaurant, chosen more for its cheapness than its taste.

The host, John Nenon, heartily ordered nine servings of unlimited refill pork belly for everyone.

He said he wouldn’t eat as he was on a diet.

But when the owner said everyone must order at least one serving, he reluctantly ordered one for himself too.

For someone who mentioned being on a diet, he ate more meat and drank more alcohol than anyone else.

Anyway, the meat originated from various places like Belgium, Germany, Chile, etc., and tasted exactly as one would expect from an unlimited all-you-can-eat restaurant.

The wealthier-looking members in their 40s and 50s left midway through the gathering.

John Nenon didn’t mind.

Instead, he seemed pleased, drinking a shot of soju heartily and began to unravel his prepared stories.

“Soon, there will be a war. It will be started by China. The Party is trying to contain it, but the situation inside China is a mess right now. There are so many rifts that they are retreating by province. I heard that the internal division in the Party has made centralized control impossible…”

John Nenon’s information was something any professional hunter would know and even that was about six months outdated.

He seemed to lack the connections or authority to access core information.

Well, it didn’t matter to me.

I had different expectations from John Nenon.

“Excuse me, Mr. John Nenon. I have something I want to ask.”

As far as I was concerned, I was a long-time supporter of John Nenon, always liking his posts.

“Who are you?”

“My nickname is SKELTON.”

“SKELTON? Ah~.”

A bright smile appeared on John Nenon’s naive face.

“You want to build a low-oil reservoir? I know a boss who can help. Shall I introduce you? What level are you looking for? Gas station level?”

My efforts in the community were not in vain.

John Nenon sincerely answered my question and even introduced me to contacts who could support illegal construction.

Despite his seemingly light-hearted manner, he was quite a decent person.

With John Nenon’s connections and information, my hideout was able to make a significant leap forward.

Apart from that, the first meetup was a big success for John Nenon.

Users who had interacted with him in person wrote favorable posts, enhancing his reputation even more.

I, too, modestly joined in the praise.

SKELTON: Mr. John Nenon looked even more impressive in person. He overflowed with a wild charm that could make even a man fall for him!

John Nenon liked my post.

There were a few more meetups after that.

More like fan meetings than meetups.

John Nenon’s rating increased over time, and the number of participants grew exponentially.

At the last fan meeting I attended, over 80 people gathered.

During that meeting, I found myself sitting in an obscure corner, not even visible to John Nenon, chatting idly with strangers.

With nothing more to learn and mountains of work waiting, I decided it would be my last fan meeting.

A slightly tipsy John Nenon gestured for me to come over.

He called me outside.

“Mr. Skelton.”

John Nenon looked at me with unsteady eyes, an expression I had never seen before.

I waited curiously for what he had to say.

“By any chance, are you a hunter?”

“Me?”

“Thought I’d seen you somewhere.”

“Really?”

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I tell the truth or lie?

“Well, to tell you the truth…”

Before I could finish, a group of people rushed out of the restaurant, pushing past me to gather around John Nenon like a cloud.

“Koo Hyung. What are you doing? The TV station called!”

“A reporter wants an interview?”

These were John Nenon’s new enthusiastic fans.

As drunk as John Nenon, they alternated their gaze between him and me.

“Koo Hyung. Do you have something to discuss with this person?”

One of the men looked intently at John Nenon.

Surrounded by fans, John Nenon glanced at me.

“…”

His lips seemed to part slightly, then closed firmly.

John Nenon went back into the restaurant with his fans.

That was the last time.

After that, I never saw him again, nor did I frequent the community much.

I logged back into the community about a year before the war broke out.

“Hm?”

While sipping coffee and looking at the monitor, I cocked my head.

John Nenon’s posts were gone.

Completely erased.

Dozens of informative posts and thousands of diary-like entries had vanished as if washed away.

Soon I learned why.

After I stopped attending the meetups, another group attacked John Nenon.

Unlike the previous subtle and dull attacks, the new attackers wielded deadly weapons.

Anonymous338: This bastard John Nenon, just Ctrl C + V the info posts from the European board.

John Nenon’s posts, which boasted vast knowledge, were not his own work.

He had stolen them from the posts of a French user active on the French board, presenting them as if they were his own.

When the community was small, he wasn’t caught, but as the community grew and more perceptive users joined, his actions were exposed.

As high as he flew, his fall was equally deep.

A storm of criticism poured over him, and even his fans turned their backs.

I looked up posts from that time.

RokaGG: Disappointed in Mr. John Nenon…

RKKArA: Saw the bragging of a D-rank pro hunter barely hanging on~

Anonymous82: Kaa~~~~ak too!!!! (spitting)

Doyourbest321: How will you take responsibility?

Hasanius: Go kill yourself, John Nenon~

A whirlwind of criticism swirled.

According to rumors, instead of defending himself or proclaiming his innocence amidst the numerous suspicions and criticisms, John Nenon simply roared a short and powerful retort.

John_nenon: Your mom.

After that, I knew nothing of John Nenon’s fate.

I heard rumors that his area had been devastated, but no news of his death.

Some say there has been recent communication suspected to be from John Nenon.

Is John Nenon dead?

Or is he somewhere far away, struggling for survival?

Sometimes, when I pump oil from my low-oil reservoir, I think of that man.

At least to me, John Nenon was…

A great mentor.