Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Rescue Operation (5)

A small rocky island with a maritime structure built on it—this is Korea's only offshore prison.

As the ferry had just departed from the port, four women were gathered in the central building of the prison. One of the women spoke up, “Look at this, look at this.”

She appeared to be in her late twenties and, like Sophia, was a Slavic beauty. Despite her striking appearance, she exuded an air of unapproachability. It wasn’t the thorniness of a rose, but the poison of a pufferfish.

She wasn’t born with poison, but had accumulated it over the course of her life from all the dangers she had faced. Born in Moscow and now imprisoned in Korea’s offshore prison, this woman had always thrived in the presence of danger.

Where there’s danger, there’s money. And she knew how to avoid danger while keeping the money close. Men who were enamored with her, or terrified by her, were numerous enough to fill a truck. Each was dealt with according to their own “recipe,” taking the fall in her place. Her name was Sasha. She led the largest faction among the prisoners from the west wing.

“I’m glad the rescue team is coming. I’m getting sick of this place too. But why did you act on your own?” She was reprimanding Sophia.

Tsss— She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. It was one she had smoked halfway, snuffed out, and saved to smoke again later. Though this thrifty action didn’t match her luxurious appearance, in this prison, a single cigarette could cost someone their life.

“So, are you saying we should all just starve to death? Sure, you might have hidden food, but our side won’t last a week.”

Sasha exhaled a long stream of smoke in response, a strange smile playing on her lips as she flicked the cigarette butt in her fingers, signaling for Sophia to keep talking.

Damn woman.

Sophia hated Sasha with a passion. Once, they had been like sisters living in a foreign land. Later, their relationship evolved into one of employee and employer, though not in a reputable field.

It’s a common story. A hopeful young woman sets foot in a foreign land, only to be exploited by someone who speaks the same language, ruining her life. At first, Sophia had admired and been grateful to Sasha for greeting her in their native tongue and helping her adjust, but that misconception had twisted her entire life. And now, here they both were, locked up in the same prison. Though, ironically, this had saved Sophia’s life.

“I’m not blaming the negotiation itself. We have to do something, or we’ll all starve. Fixing the communication device and contacting the rescue team? That’s praiseworthy.” Sasha approached Sophia.

“The problem is, why did you handle it on your own?” Sasha exhaled another puff of smoke.

Even though Seyoung tried not to show it, everyone in the room noticed her throat bob as she swallowed at the sight of the smoke.

“A prostitute doesn’t set the price, the pimp does. Why did you make the deal yourself?”

“That’s ancient history! I have nothing to do with you anymore…”

Sasha’s foot slid between Sophia’s legs as she sat in the chair.

“You’ve seen what happens to girls who try to make deals with customers behind my back, haven’t you?” Her foot brazenly teased Sophia’s private area.

“Stop it!” Sophia lifted her head and shouted, but she couldn’t maintain eye contact with Sasha for long, who smiled down at her. It was her gaze that made Sophia falter.

Despite having cut ties with Sasha years ago, her eyes still looked at Sophia in the same way. The eyes of someone appraising merchandise. Sophia hated the way Sasha looked at her, hated it so much that it made her shudder.

“Sasha, are you really going to keep fighting over rank even in this situation?” Seyoung interjected.

“What’s more important than rank in this world? Money? That’s nothing.” Sasha reached out and grabbed between Sophia’s legs.

“Let go!”

“Even just using this well will get you money. But status? That’s not something you can buy, and it’s even harder to keep.” Sasha said, suppressing Sophia’s resistance.

“In times like this, if someone makes a deal that could mean life or death for everyone while pushing me aside, what do you think the others will think?” She leaned in close to Sophia’s face.

“I always set the price. I always make the decisions.” She poked Sophia’s chest with her long fingers.

“Fine…” Sophia nodded reluctantly, and Sasha withdrew her hand.

“What a mess.” Sasha sighed as she glanced at her chipped nail polish.

“What’s the point of caring about your nails when the world’s gone to hell?” said the woman sitting in the chair with her feet propped up on the table while staring at the ceiling. The name tag on her clothing read Hajisu. She didn’t lead many, but no one in the offshore prison, not even Sasha, dared to cross her. The reason was simple.

“Why not exercise instead? You’ll have to take care of yourself from now on. The days of ordering around thugs with a mere nod of the head are over.” As she idly swung her leg off the table, the clearly defined vertical lines of her abs were visible. Her broad shoulders and the muscles of her crossed arms were equally impressive.

In a world where law no longer holds sway and women can no longer rely on men’s strength, physical power becomes paramount. Though Sasha felt as if Jisu was subtly mocking her, she bit her tongue. Normally an optimistic person, even Jisu was visibly irritated by the situation.

"My muscles are dwindling." Jisoo said as she rubbed her stomach.

No matter how much she tried to maintain them, in a situation where the food coming in was insufficient, it was inevitable that her muscles would weaken. Moreover, exercising only made her hungrier faster. For someone like her, who had dedicated her life to fitness, the situation was unbearably frustrating.

“So, that man, his name was Seo Jinsoo, right? Tell me everything you know. First impressions, his mannerisms, even the smallest details—anything.” Sasha spoke up.

“We didn’t really have a long conversation.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Just tell me everything you know.” In the end, Sophia shared every little detail she could remember. When the mention of 200,000 cans of beer came up, everyone in the room widened their eyes in shock.

***

Swoooosh— The sea displayed on the large screen gave off a refreshing feeling just by looking at it. All the infected aboard the ship had been eliminated, and with no immediate threats until reaching the island, it was essentially a safe voyage.

Thanks to my request to view the wide expanse of the sea through one of the surveillance drones, the central control room had turned into a virtual reality navigation experience. Since Artemis was already overseeing all the squad members and drones, indulging in this little luxury wasn’t a problem.

The endless horizon under the sunlight, the waves crashing against the ship, and the sound of them breaking—all of it felt vivid. Artemis even adjusted the air circulation system on the ceiling, creating an experience close to a 4D movie theater. I couldn’t help but feel grateful for her effort to understand and cater to humanity’s longing for nature.

As I watched the sea, a question suddenly popped into my head. “The fact that the survivors in the offshore prison have made it this long—does that mean the infected can’t cross the sea?”

[That’s one way to look at it.]

“Then isn’t it strange? Where is the navy? I can’t understand how there’s not a single force holding out at sea.”

[You’re making me give the answer I hate the most.]

Artemis hesitated for a moment before responding.

[There’s not enough information to make a judgment.]

She sounded genuinely reluctant to say it.

After a while, we finally reached our destination.

“There it is.”

The outline of the offshore prison appeared on the screen. It was an artificial settlement built on the water, designed to be completely isolated from Korean society. A desolate landscape of inorganic concrete and dark gray rocks unfolded before us. Rocks and concrete.

“Gray, gray, and more gray, wherever you look.”

Well, except for the occasional splash of pink.

Wait, what?

“Hold on, pink?” When I adjusted the touch panel to zoom in, an unexpected sight came into view. At the far end of the rocky area outside the offshore prison, several naked women were spotted, without a single thread on their bodies. It seemed they had been bathing in the seawater.

Zooming in further, the details became clearer. Their bellies were sunken, and their bodies appeared lifeless, likely due to prolonged malnutrition. Their movements as they washed were weak, and their faces showed no expression.

Were they trying to cling to the last shred of human dignity in the face of slow death from hunger and thirst? They were using the cold seawater to cleanse the dirt from their bodies, at least. Had it been a spa or hot spring, their lips would have been moving constantly, chatting away. But now, their mouths remained tightly shut.

As we got closer, one of the women seemed to notice us and pointed in our direction. Soon, they bolted away, not out of embarrassment at being seen naked, but out of fear. At the end of their run was the gloomy front gate of the offshore prison.

As we docked at the island, the navigation computer automatically completed the docking process, as it was connected to the island’s mooring system.

[Disembarking.]

At Rose’s command, the rescue team marched onto the island in orderly fashion. We had switched back to normal voice communication since we were no longer in a combat zone and would be dealing with human prisoners.

“This place is in a terrible state.”

Crunch— One of the security robots stepped on something, and it crumbled beneath its foot. It was the bones of a small animal.

[It’s a cat’s skeleton. There are marks indicating the flesh was stripped off with tools.]

Artemis, having analyzed the skeleton, informed me. Not men, but women resorting to eating cats…

“The food situation must be worse than I imagined.”

The path leading from the dock to the offshore prison was filled with filth. It wasn’t just litter or animal and fish bones. Human excrement was scattered everywhere.

“The stench on the ground must be awful.”

I offered my condolences to Rose, who was passing through that area with her human-like sensory organs.

“Are they forced to relieve themselves outside because the toilets aren’t usable?”

[The desalination system might be broken, or there may be no one to operate it. If that’s the case, they wouldn’t waste precious water on toilet flushing.]

The desalination system was probably maintained by a technician from an external company on a regular basis. If that service had stopped…

“The chance of combat here is low. Stay alert, but avoid stepping in the filth. There’s no need to step on anything unnecessary.”

At my command, the security robots broke formation slightly to skillfully avoid the waste.

It’s best to present a clean and strong image when escorting the prisoners. Leaving behind footprints in excrement wouldn’t help with that.

After a few minutes of walking, the entrance to the offshore prison came into view. Waiting there were Lee Seyoung, Sophia, and an unfamiliar woman, who had been informed of our arrival.

“This is Warden Lee Seyoung. Thank you so much for your help in such difficult circumstances.”

Seyoung greeted the rescue team politely, in formal speech. It seemed her curt tone during our previous communication had been due to the urgency of the situation.

[Who are the other two?] Rose asked.

“This is Sasha, the representative of the west wing prisoners, and Sophia, the representative of the east wing prisoners. There are more factions, but for now, these two are the ones you need to know about.”

Prisoner representatives or not, they were essentially just the leaders of their respective groups. It was an odd situation for the warden to introduce gang leaders to her guests, but it wasn’t something I could simply laugh off in this sad reality.

Sasha, who had been smiling from a distance, suddenly froze when she saw the rescue team. She shot a glare at Sophia, likely realizing now that the team wasn’t made up of human men like she had expected. She seemed to be accusing Sophia of withholding that information.

Sophia’s response was a simple shrug, as if to say, “What do you want me to do about it?”

[Warden Lee Seyoung, we’re heading to the administration building. Will you join us?] Rose asked, turning her attention back to Seyoung after observing the two prisoners.

There was something they must secure as a top priority once they landed at the offshore prison. She was carrying out the mission I had assigned in advance.

[Please lead us to the warden’s office and the prisoner records archive.]

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