Park Su drove back home, only to find several people loitering suspiciously around his doorstep. His expression darkened as he jumped out of the car, "What are you doing here?!"
The group was startled by his sudden shout. Upon seeing that it was Park Su, some of them averted their eyes, clearly not wanting to be the ones to step forward. However, a sturdy middle-aged man with a muscular build stepped up, his neck stiffening as he said, "I'm coming back to my own house, what's the matter? But you, why are you at my doorstep?"
Upon hearing this, Park Su recognized him. Wasn't this the son of the family who sold him the house? When he bought the place, the man had briefly appeared, collected his share of the money, and left, so Park Su had only glanced at him without paying much attention. But he was aware that the family sold the house partly because of this good-for-nothing son. He hadn't expected that, on the second day of the apocalypse, he would have the audacity to show up.
"Your house? Where is it your house? This is my home!" Park Su quickly understood the situation and responded coldly.
"Your home? Everyone in the village knows this is my house. I grew up here, everyone knows me. I was only away with my lover for a month, who are you to try to take over my nest?" The man, seeing that Park Su was alone and seemed even more delicate and cute than he remembered, thought he could handle him with one hand. His earlier nervousness vanished, and he became increasingly self-righteous.
In fact, he had taken the money from the sale of the house, splurged for a month, and rented a place nearby with his lover. Since the place was far from the city center, the rent was reasonable. The money Park Su paid was enough for him to pay off his gambling debts and live comfortably for a while. He had also noticed Park Su's modifications to their old house and had laughed at the young man's efforts.
It was just a rural house, why go through so much trouble to renovate it? Even if there was going to be a demolition, it wouldn't happen that quickly. He had the idea of coming back to get a share of the compensation if there was a demolition, which is why he didn't move too far away. This young man putting so much effort into the house might lead to more money when it was time for demolition, which wouldn't be a bad thing for him.
What he hadn't expected was that before any demolition, the apocalypse arrived. Initially, he didn't have his eyes on the house. But as more zombies began to bang on his door, and with limited food at home only enough for a few days for him and his lover, he thought of the old house.
Having kept an eye on the place, he knew it had been fortified with reinforced security doors. The safety level was much higher than his current broken-down abode. If he could move in, he wouldn't have to live in constant fear. Moreover, in his mind, this young man seemed wealthy; rich people usually stocked up on food, which would be much better than the plain white rice he was eating daily.
Furthermore, he saw Park Su as having little fighting ability, with his thin arms and legs, and believed he wasn't a match for him. He had also observed that Park Su lived alone, except for one visit from a middle-aged woman, so he didn't think the house would be hard to take.
So, today, he mustered the courage to come over. However, the journey wasn't as simple as he thought, with far more zombies than he anticipated. Fortunately, he encountered some villagers out looking for food along the way.
They cooperated to kill many zombies, and he shared his intentions with them. Of course, some didn't agree, but considering this man was a local bully, they had always tried to avoid trouble with him. Now, in these times, they were even less willing to provoke him, fearing he might kill them and blame their deaths on the zombies. They still hoped to survive until the government could rescue them.
Feeling somewhat lucky, they arrived at the house without seeing Park Su there, which lessened their guilt somewhat. They were considering following the man inside to grab some food when Park Su returned. The few who had been dragged along by this man were naturally feeling guilty, but the man, upon seeing Park Su, confidently stepped forward to argue, implying that they should all testify that this was indeed his house.
Park Su was nearly driven to laughter by his audacity. He was already tired from killing zombies, and now he was even more annoyed. He released a bit of his oppressive aura and said coldly, "When I bought this house, the contract was crystal clear, and I didn't owe you a single penny. It was a proper, legitimate transaction. The contract is still at my place. Are you really thinking of coming to rob me now? Do you really think I'm that easy to bully?"
The people around him had been dragged along by this man, willing to stay for the potential gain. However, they now felt that Park Su wasn't as easy to push around as they had assumed, and some of them were already having second thoughts. Yet, they hesitated to leave due to the man's domineering presence in their village.
"Written contract?" The man thought Park Su was just putting up a front and didn't believe he couldn't handle such a delicate-looking young man. He continued, "I don't know anything about any contract. I only know I've lived here for thirty years, and I just went away for a bit, and now you've taken my place. You better leave on your own if you know what's good for you. Don't make me get physical; I'm not responsible for what happens if I have to force you out."
Park Su furrowed his brows, surprised by the man's shamelessness and lack of situational awareness. He gave a cold laugh, "So, if I don't leave, you're ready to use force?"
Seeing that the pretense was over, the man wouldn't back down, and his earlier facade of civility dropped. He stepped forward and said, "I don't want to bully you, so you should leave now before things get ugly. Don't blame me for not being polite if you insist on stealing my house."
Park Su let out a cold laugh, no longer looking at the man but instead turning his gaze to the group behind him. "And you all feel the same? Are you all in this together?"
Some in the group also believed Park Su, with his slender frame, was no match for the man, thinking his current composure was just an act. Moreover, they had noticed Park Su's luxurious attire and knew he was wealthy, having seen him bring back many good things over time. The prospect of gain motivated them to stand behind the man, forming a united front. At least, they thought if the man won, they could share some of the spoils.
Others, however, were dragged here against their will. They didn't want to make an enemy out of Park Su. Some of them recalled the night zombies appeared, and Park Su hadn't returned until the next day, covered in blood. Their instincts told them this youth might be more formidable than they thought.
Furthermore, they were aware of the house sale; Park Su had lived there for over a month without much interaction, but they found the idea of taking advantage of someone's misfortune and robbing a house to be somewhat immoral. They sensed a crisis from Park Su and didn't want to get involved further. The man's physical threat had brought them here, but Park Su's calm demeanor made them reconsider their choice. Some also preferred to watch the conflict unfold, hoping to benefit from any outcome.
After Park Su finished speaking, the group behind the man immediately split into two factions. One middle-aged man around thirty stepped forward to mediate, "Brother Tiger, maybe let's just forget it. I don't think he's easy to deal with, and this house was sold by your mother..."
The man immediately cut him off, "My mother? What about my mother? Meng Shan, you're not saying my mother sold the house to this pretty boy, are you? Don't make baseless accusations without evidence. I've never acknowledged selling this house to anyone; it's just been taken over. But I, Meng Hu, am not someone to be bullied. It's only right that I take back what's mine."
The man named Meng Shan, after being interrupted by Meng Hu, looked uncomfortable but, after glancing at Park Su, chose not to say more. Instead, he stepped back, clearly not intending to get further involved.
Meng Hu's expression darkened as he saw Meng Shan's actions. "Meng Shan, you've got guts. I'll remember this. Once I deal with him, I'll come back for you."
Meng Shan shivered slightly at the threat, his face also turning grim. Just as Park Su thought he might change his mind, Meng Shan actually walked towards him.