Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 82.1: Finger Princess (1)

keystone: Let’s say someone showed up next to your bunker and built a small house. Not a raider or a thug—just someone decent and harmless.

Let’s also assume they’re not a young, attractive woman or anyone appealing like that. But their house is right next to your bunker. You have weapons, and they don’t.

In that situation, what would you do? What’s the right answer?

Keystone posted for the first time in a while.

He explained that he hadn’t posted because of his neighbors.

For some reason, people kept settling near him, and this time was no different. New neighbors moved in, and he had to tread carefully around them.

In the end, he barely endured by keeping the heat to a minimum until they froze to death.

At one point, he risked his life to leave his bunker and run his generator, even starting a wildfire in the process.

Classic oldbie behavior.

Although Keystone and I don’t get along, he’s one of the original forum members whose numbers are steadily dwindling.

Original forum members are those who, before the war, signed contracts with Star Obelisk and Viva! Apocalypse!, paying over 200,000 won a month for membership.

It’s unfortunate, but the number of original members decreases by the day.

New users have been filling the gap, often acquiring satellite equipment through bartering or other means, but they don’t share the same spirit as the originals.

We were doomsday preppers to the core—people who put our beliefs into action long before society collapsed.

Before the war, we debated countless strategies and plans for survival.

Every original member has probably stayed up all night at least once, passionately discussing the nuances of preparedness.

Keystone’s post was a nostalgic nod to those times.

But the dilemma he posed was an old one, with a clear answer:

Kill them.

Staying out of sight—low visibility—is our most sacred principle.

Having someone nearby threatens that principle and risks attracting raiders or other dangers.

Even if they’re unarmed now, that doesn’t mean they’ll always be. They might have armed acquaintances visiting someday.

Interactions with neighbors during an apocalypse almost always end in disaster.

Even my relationship with Rebecca and her daughter took an exceptionally long time to develop. And even that was because I unilaterally offered help.

Unless you’re prepared for such effort, it’s wiser to abandon the idea of neighbors altogether.

Lastly, they’re unarmed.

In other words, easy to kill.

There’s a vast difference between someone with a gun and someone without. No matter how strong, brave, or experienced they are at killing, it’s irrelevant.

When neighbors pose more risk than reward, and they’re unarmed, there’s no reason to hesitate.

Keystone even thoughtfully removed the complicating factor of “an attractive young woman” from the scenario.

Such individuals, while harsh to admit, hold different value than ordinary people and can’t be placed on the same level.

Of course, to someone like Defender, they’re all just people.

Anyway, Keystone’s nostalgic question delighted the oldbies, who eagerly commented:

mmmmmmmmm: Haven’t seen this scenario in ages.

berkut_break: I remember debating this topic.

Anonymous424: We concluded that killing is the answer, right?

Anonymous458: Yeah.

—(Blocked user comment)—

DOLSINGMAN: Removing the attractive woman makes it an easier question.

I thought about commenting, but since I’m already well-known, there was no need to flaunt my oldbie status.

However, not all comments were from oldbies.

Anonymous1311: Can’t you just live with them?

Before the war, anonymous usernames didn’t exceed three digits.

Now, usernames with four digits are either secondary accounts or new users.

Anonymous1311 is a textbook example of a new user.

Although they’re part of Viva! Apocalypse!, there’s an invisible barrier between original members and newcomers.

Historically, this makes sense.

There have been numerous incidents involving stolen satellite equipment.

The infamous Sunbi Incident, now half-legend, is one example.

Early raiders didn’t understand the value of our satellite gear—discarding it, disassembling it for scrap, or selling it.

But when PaleNet launched and the existence of Viva! Apocalypse! became known, our satellite equipment and accounts gained immense value in trade.

Of course, this gear often came from dead or murdered forum members.

In many cases, these new users were simply using the accounts of deceased forum friends they barely knew.

Even if we understand this rationally, it’s hard to accept emotionally.

The most common discrimination original members show newcomers is deliberate neglect.

If a new user comments, they’re ignored, even while oldbies engage with one another.

Keystone’s post is no exception.

Anonymous1311 offered a suggestion, but no one responded.

This wasn’t an isolated incident.

I remember Anonymous1311 because they’re unusually active for a newbie.

Such activity often correlates with receiving significant neglect and hostility from oldbies.

I, SKELTON, have experienced posts with no comments before, but the reasons are entirely different.

In my case, it was jealousy or lack of agreement with my ideas.

For Anonymous1311, it’s pure prejudice—they’re dismissed solely because they’re a four-digit stranger.

Still, they remain undeterred, continuing to ask questions with their head held high.

Lately, they’ve been posting more self-aware content.

Anonymous1311: Why doesn’t anyone reply to my comments?

Even that lament received no replies.

Instead, a new post mocking them appeared.

dongtanmom: Nom nom... No self-awareness? No common sense? Or neither? Nom nom...

The worst offenders aren’t newcomers like Anonymous1311, but mid-tier users like Baek Seung-hyun.

These people, despite being newcomers themselves, are even harsher toward those who joined later.

Among them, M9 is the most notorious.

Whenever M9 comments on a post, they always complain:

mmmmmmmmm: Seems like the forum is full of finger princesses these days.

Finger princess—the slur has resurfaced.

The term Finger Princess (abbreviated Ping-Pru in Korean) refers to a notorious type of newbie often found in game forums—people who are too lazy to search for easily accessible information and instead flood the forums with questions.

M9, a mid-tier user, had a habit of throwing around the term Ping-Pru whenever a new user showed up, using it to create an unspoken pressure against them.

mmmmmmmmm: Ugh, another Ping-Pru.

Unlike with Dongtanmom's snide remarks, Anonymous1311 seemed visibly hurt by M9’s comment.

Anonymous1311: I’m not a Ping-Pru... 😭

For some reason, Unicorn18 responded to the post.

unicorn18: ?!

What did they sense?

Regardless, the so-called Ping-Pru posted another question shortly afterward:

Anonymous1311: (Please answer!) Why doesn’t anyone live on deserted islands? Aren’t they the safest places?

“...”

I, Park Gyu, may have a reputation for being cold, but I don’t judge people by surface traits or discriminate against them.

Back when I was known as the Professor, I only cared about skills.

Of course, "skills" included qualities like obedience, cooperation, and courage necessary to carry out missions. However, personal flaws or allegations of civilian murders—none of that mattered to me.

Now, as the forum-famous SKELTON, I’m no longer a Professor, but I like to think I’ve retained some of my old impartiality.

And honestly, isn’t this newbie a bit... endearing?

The little preface they added to their post seemed inspired by me. That tiny gesture moved me to act.

SKELTON: ...

A rare and distinguished presence deigned to comment, exuding the aura of a reclusive martial arts master.

Unsurprisingly, the newbie was ecstatic.

Anonymous1311: SKELTON?! Whoa! Is it really SKELTON?

They were genuinely thrilled.

I understand that feeling. I remember the days when no one commented on my posts. The excitement of seeing even one response—it’s akin to wanting to rush out barefoot to greet it.

Smiling faintly, I replied:

SKELTON: Why doesn’t anyone live on deserted islands?

Anonymous1311: Yeah, I really want to know! I’ve been curious ever since I got here. There are so many people here—why doesn’t anyone live on deserted islands?

SKELTON: (SKELTON Teacher Mode) Well, let me explain...

For our dear Anonymous1311, I decided to give a proper lecture for the first time in a while.

Deserted islands.

On the surface, they might seem like an ideal survival environment.

Water could be scarce, but with isolation from outside threats and the right skills, one could secure food and remain safe from monsters. To my knowledge, no monsters cross the sea.

With the proper machines and knowledge, the water issue could also be resolved, and some deserted islands even have drinkable springs. Waste management is straightforward.

But why don’t deserted islands work?

Because they’re deserted islands.

By nature, they’re cut off from trade.

Especially in terms of acquiring survival tools like weapons, islands are a dead end.

While isolated, they’re far from being low-visibility.

At sea, visibility often extends to the limits of the Earth’s curvature—tens of kilometers.

A single plume of smoke rising from an island can be seen and tracked from far away.

And islands don’t move.

They’re fixed locations, easy to find and differentiate.

If South Korea had isolated islands far out in the Pacific, like Japan or the U.S., it might be different. But most of Korea’s islands are near the mainland, and they’re not numerous.

In fact, their limited numbers make them even more dangerous.

What’s the issue?

Ultimately, it’s people.

A deserted island is nothing more than an easy, visible target for sea raiders.

This is a well-discussed issue on our forum.

During the early days of the war, some survivalists attempted to start on deserted islands. Few lasted more than a year.

Given the pre-war difficulty of obtaining weapons, most island preppers were unarmed. Later, they were wiped out by armed, sea-savvy raiders who knew the ocean better.

Deserted islands are scarier than land for one reason: there’s no concept of "passing by."

Each island is a specific, countable location, unlike the vast anonymity of a wasteland.

On land, no one counts the wasteland. But islands? They’re finite and limited.

Narrow, with few habitable areas, islands are easy targets for raiders equipped with drones and dogs to search every corner.

I recall one family who tried to survive on an island. We can all imagine their fate.

SKELTON: Sure, there might be someone surviving on a deserted island even now. But that person could survive anywhere.

Deserted islands might have worked before the war, but they’re hardly ideal now.

For once, I felt a twinge of nostalgia while answering a newbie’s question.

Anonymous1311: I see... (understanding)

Anonymous1311: Thanks so much, SKELTON! Really. This is the first time anyone here’s responded so kindly to me! (wink)

What’s with this kid?

Their tone seems... odd.

Trying to act cute, maybe?

No wonder Unicorn18 reacted so strongly.

SKELTON: ...

I signed off with the air of a reclusive master once again and left the thread.

Everyone knows what happened next:

Anonymous1311 continued to post questions.

And everyone continued to ignore them.

But no one knew who they were—not until later.

I remember the day clearly.

The day I saw black smoke rising in the sky from the attacked oil storage facility in Incheon, visible even from my territory.

On that day, Anonymous1311 posted a new thread.

Anonymous1311: You people are so cold-hearted.

They attached a photo.

Had it been an ordinary photo, the post would have been buried in the same cold indifference as their others.

But it wasn’t ordinary.

The person in the photo was a woman.

And not just any woman—she was stunning.

How could she not be?

The woman in the photo was Yeo Sa-yul, one of South Korea’s most famous actresses.

mmmmmmmmm: (M9 trembling) Is that really Yeo Sa-yul?

dongtanmom: Nom?!

The same people who had mocked Anonymous1311 suddenly tried to latch on to them.

Anonymous1311: Yep, she’s my sister. (wink)

For the record, Yeo Sa-yul is my age.

In any case, the verification post received ten comments.

That might not sound like much, but the thread’s view count surpassed 3,000—far exceeding our forum’s average of 100 views per post.

Before the buzz from the shocking reveal subsided, the controversial newbie posted another question.

Anonymous1311: What is this?

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

“...”

Perhaps Anonymous1311 didn’t need to reveal their identity to get attention.

The object in the photo was a grayish sphere—a capsule.