Free Web Novel“Ohhh! Captain Park Gyu! What a tremendous relief! Really, I was convinced something terrible had happened to you! Do you know how worried I was? Haha, I think I got at least a dozen more white hairs overnight!”
As soon as I entered the command vehicle, Pyo Won-sang greeted me with such exaggerated theatrics it was almost unbearable. freeweɓnøvel.com
In contrast, Cha In-seop and Ha Tae-hoon’s expressions weren’t just grim—they radiated a murderous air.
Well, they knew exactly what they were doing.
They’d tried to kill me with full awareness.
But even so, now wasn’t the time to explode in anger.
In this situation, it made more sense to laugh like Skeleton rather than act like Professor.
So I laughed appropriately and played up the drama.
“I nearly died. Those guys detained me for no reason, and then out of nowhere, shells started falling. Some of them were even mixed with chemical agents. I almost died, but that chaos loosened their guard enough for me to narrowly escape.”
Pyo Won-sang surely knew I was lying.
Objectively speaking, there’s no way I could have escaped without Jeong Dae-kyung’s approval, and there’s a good chance Pyo’s advance unit had passed on information about me to him.
In fact, the smile tugging at Pyo Won-sang’s lips was closer to a mocking sneer than a nod of agreement.
“Oh, is that so?”
But even hollow, temporary patchwork like this is sometimes necessary to survive in this world.
“Yes.”
Everyone lives wearing a mask.
Some are thicker than others.
What matters is when the mask comes off.
*
“What? You want to make content? In this situation?!”
It wasn’t unreasonable for M9 to be shocked.
Just an hour ago, I was missing in action during an operation—in other words, presumed dead.
Now here I was, lounging on a train that could turn into a battlefield at any moment, blabbering about content production.
Even someone as suspicious and cunning as Pyo Won-sang wouldn’t accept my behavior at face value.
He’d probably think this was a desperate, flimsy charade to maintain a fragile relationship heading toward collapse.
And well, he's not entirely wrong.
Still, sitting around doing nothing on the train and letting the tension fester wouldn’t be a wise choice either.
Like me, Pyo Won-sang is sharpening his blade.
He’s a man of the apocalypse too.
Once conflict starts, he knows it won’t end until one of us is dead.
Anyway, Viva! Apocalypse!
It’s my eternal destiny, I suppose.
In these chaotic times, where I’m forced to squeeze out content by any means necessary, our forum has once again provided an oddly perfect topic.
Sangkkomi: [Insect King Contest] The one I just caught
MealwormCracker: [Insect King Contest] Today’s big catch
Millenial: [Insect King Contest] Is this enough to win?
AccountForPrize: [Insect King Contest] StagBeetle.jpg
ExCon123: [Insect King Contest] Isn’t this a longhorn beetle?
Anonymous1231: [Insect King Contest] Caught this guy in the back hills
...
...
While we were wrestling with Jeong Dae-kyung, the internet world was apparently holding an insect-catching contest.
The host, a newcomer I don’t know, goes by the handle “Fabre.” A recent joiner, but clearly powerful in real life, since he offered prize money in credits—a digital currency accepted throughout New Seoul—causing an unexpected boom with this bug-collecting event.
The winner gets a million credits, and considering that a pack of newly manufactured cigarettes costs around ten thousand credits post-war, it’s an insane prize.
From a veteran's forum perspective, my research concluded that this “Fabre” guy is likely a high-ranking government official.
Just look at his posts and the number of comments they receive.
Fabre: Summer's coming. Planning a fun event. (0 comments)
Fabre: Thinking of naming it the Insect King Contest. (0 comments)
Fabre: [Important] I’ll be holding the Insect King Contest! (11 comments)
Fabre: [Insect King Contest] Rules for the 1st Insect King Contest (1131 comments)
Fabre: [Insect King Contest] Hope to see lots of participation~ (623 comments)
...
...
He suddenly appeared and started rambling about an event no one had heard of, then his posts began racking up thousands of comments.
Clearly a viral campaign.
He must’ve used tons of people to push this as viral marketing, intentionally creating hype on the forum.
Even now, posts are going up at a rate of 2–3 per second on Viva! Apocalypse!’s Korean board. Normally, no one reads posts by unknown new users, no matter how good the content is—so this explosion of activity is undoubtedly engineered.
Regardless of who the backer is, this unexpected event could actually help me solve my current dilemma.
While the entire expedition team prepared for a showdown with Jeong Dae-kyung, Room 803—our team—was preparing for an unexpected little excursion.
Our gear included corn molasses from a Seoul factory, some cotton pads soaked in that molasses to attract beetles, a chemical gear set for protection, and a couple of regular Awakened to guard us.
As always, the ones who are sweating the most get the most anxious.
To put it more politely: it’s like how the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.
Near our car, Car 7, “accidental” passersby and obvious surveillance eyes kept drifting in, watching our every move.
The number of watchers increased—interesting.
Probably even sly Pyo Won-sang couldn’t figure out what we were doing.
Because catching bugs in the middle of a battlefield requires a level of insanity that not even the most paranoid mind would predict.
Pyo Won-sang knows about Viva! Apocalypse!, but he’s ultimately a Jeju intranet guy.
Losers like him, who use janky old forums, could never adapt to the pure, sacred, fundamental essence of Viva! Apocalypse!
Even now, just look at Kim Daram—a user who mocks job titles on weird work sites. He openly despises our board.
“Excuse me.”
One of Pyo Won-sang’s underlings couldn’t hold back and finally asked us.
“Pardon me, but... what exactly are you doing?”
She was a cute young woman with a second lieutenant insignia.
Woo Min-hee and I kept our faces blank, but like a sparrow drawn to a mill, Cheon Young-jae immediately seized the chance to stir up trouble.
“Haha, well. Who knows? What do you think we’re doing?”
Min-hee, standing beside him, snapped curtly.
“Bug hunting.”
The second lieutenant looked utterly baffled, but since she got an answer, she quickly turned and left. Only Cheon Young-jae was left, glaring daggers at the back of Min-hee’s head with a look of betrayal.
But there was nothing he could do.
We had everything prepared, so I reported to Pyo Won-sang: we’d be leaving the train tonight to survey the surrounding area.
Pyo likely came in person because of that lieutenant’s report.
In this world, in these times, saying we’re going bug hunting might hit differently for someone like him.
Still, he must have had some bug-collecting experience in his youth, because he quickly picked up on our intentions despite his confusion.
“Oh?! Don’t tell me... You’re going to catch rhinoceros beetles?”
Correct.
More precisely, we’re targeting popular beetles, including rhinoceros and stag beetles.
Among insects, the shiny, solid-bodied beetle types are seen as less creepy and more admirable, making them highly popular. Stag and rhinoceros beetles are the most iconic.
“Ah, this takes me back. When I was in Jeju, I used to go bug hunting with my colleagues.”
Pyo Won-sang said as he glanced around with sharp eyes, reminiscing.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. One of our committee members was obsessed with bug collecting. Still... what made you suddenly decide to go hunting?”
Finally, Pyo Won-sang unsheathed his blade.
I heard metallic clinks from hidden weapons all around.
He had come prepared to test us himself.
At least he wasn’t a coward.
A true coward wouldn’t come in person to verify anything.
And since he came himself, he wouldn’t let anything slide.
Meaning clumsy lies wouldn’t work here.
But I had an excuse ready.
Without a word, I showed him my phone screen.
“This is...?”
Exactly as expected.
This piece of trash wasn’t a real forum user.
He knew of our board, but didn’t live on it like we do.
I proudly scrolled through a few threads.
ChupungryeongGamjatang: [Insect King Contest] Yesterday’s rhinoceros beetle and two others
It was trending in the recent popular posts.
They had indeed caught a beetle worth bragging about, but I wasn’t trying to show off the size—I wanted him to see the number of comments below.
“Ah, I see.”
Smart guy. He quickly grasped the situation.
“This was all happening on the internet, huh...”
Soon his eyes slid toward me.
“But why would someone like you, Captain Park Gyu, want to participate in this kind of event?”
The smile that always clung to his lips like a mask was beginning to fade.
“Don’t you realize what kind of situation we’re in? Jeong Dae-kyung is trying to kill us. You, more than anyone, should know that after being there.”
“I know.”
I replied calmly, staring at the now cold and hostile Pyo Won-sang.
“I know it very well. But you see...”
Pyo’s lips twitched slightly.
He probably stopped himself from cursing.
He exhaled a shallow sigh and asked bluntly,
“Is there anything I can do?”
His lips pursed.
“Now that negotiations have broken down and Commander Jeong Dae-kyung’s fate is uncertain, what exactly can I do?”
“Well...”
“All Kang Han-min asked me to do was bring Jeong Dae-kyung to Seoul. Nothing more, and I never agreed to anything more.”
Pyo Won-sang fell completely silent.
A logical argument.
No matter how sharp your tongue, there’s only so much you can say in the face of reason.
All that’s left is childlike whining.
Watching him hold his tongue, I added,
“To be honest, I want to return to Seoul right now.”
I said it knowing full well he’d never agree.
No matter how ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ things stand, Pyo Won-sang wants to keep me under his thumb.
That way, if things go south, he can kill me whenever he needs to.
As expected, Pyo responded immediately.
“That would be difficult. We can’t separate the train, and as you know, we’re technically in a wartime state.”
“No other way?”
I stared him down.
Pyo answered.
“No. There isn’t.”
Stone-cold face.
“...”
I kept my expression neutral.
It was the only possible outcome.
Pyo Won-sang had successfully hidden his helicopter card.
That’s exactly the answer I wanted most.
Still masking my emotions, I said,
“...If that’s the case, I’ll just carry out my duties here.”
“Your duties, Captain?”
I smiled faintly.
“You know I’m a bit of an internet celebrity, right?”
“...”
“Let me manage my popularity a little.”
We’re all wearing masks—but in that line, there was a bit of truth.
*
Night fell.
Though the sun had long set, the air remained humid, and from the bluish-green mountains came the cries of unknown insects and animals.
The scent of the grass wasn’t refreshing—it reeked of hostile life.
We lay below the sloped earth, watching the train from above.
We had intentionally chosen this vantage point as our collection zone.
The most urgent objective was to vanish from Pyo Won-sang’s thoughts, even just for a moment.
I wanted to escape his field of vision before he started scheming to kill me.
In reality, I wasn’t his true enemy.
From the beginning, his goal was Shangri-La, ruled by Jeong Dae-kyung.
Replacing soon-to-be-destroyed Seoul with a new paradise that could last centuries—that’s what the clever bastard really wanted.
He attacked me not out of hatred, but because I was the easiest path to removing Jeong Dae-kyung.
“The tails have finally backed off.”
Cheon Young-jae peered down the mountain with his glowing eyes and muttered.
I nodded.
“Nothing left to see.”
Not that there would’ve been much to do anyway—my cute junior Woo Min-hee was standing guard on the train.
Thunk! Thunk!
Inside the train, artillery was being brought out and positioned on the ground.
Target: Gyeongju.
They were preparing to crush Jeong Dae-kyung.
Through night vision, I spotted soldiers carrying shells.
As expected—chemical weapons.
They weren’t even pretending anymore.
They must be desperate.
They need to kill Jeong Dae-kyung before anything else can proceed.
But it won’t be easy.
“What? You want me to fake my death?”
Before leaving Jeong Dae-kyung’s territory, I made the proposal.
“Yes. I think that’ll help that guy misjudge the situation.”
Jeong Dae-kyung gave a wry smile.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes. It’s also a way to keep me alive.”
At the very least, Jeong Dae-kyung wouldn’t try to kill me on the spot.
My guess had been correct.
He paused, exhaled softly, and nodded.
“Well, if you insist, Hunter Park Gyu.”
With a smile, he added,
“Our conversation isn’t over yet, after all.”
At dawn the next day, a voice filled with elation rang through our military comms channel.
“This is Whiskey One. This is Whiskey One. We just intercepted enemy comms: Jeong Dae-kyung died in the last attack! Repeating: Intercepted enemy comms confirm Jeong Dae-kyung perished in the last attack...!”
The radio burst with cheers from all directions.
Pyo Won-sang’s voice wasn’t among them, but I imagined him wearing that sly grin in the shadows.
I rubbed my tired eyes and looked east, where the sky burned red.
The sun would rise soon.
I stood up and checked the pit I had dug the day before.
A pit trap for bug collecting.
Inside, cotton soaked in sweet molasses—just the way beetles like it.
Though it was all just for show, I checked out of curiosity.
“Hm?”
Something squirmed.
A large creature with pincers.
A stag beetle.
It was a pretty big one, too—its shell gleaming.
Looks like we’ll have a good result.
