Chapter 167: The Ant Colony

After all, they were merely ordinary monsters.

Even if their levels had increased, their intelligence should still have remained inferior to that of Elite Monsters.

He simply could not figure it out.

Regardless of the reason, this was ultimately a good thing.

At the very least, he no longer needed to worry about being drowned beneath an endless sea of zombies every time he stepped outside.

And if this strange phenomenon disappeared by tomorrow, then it would prove that something that had happened to him today had affected the zombies’ perception of him.

At that point, if he carefully reviewed everything that had happened, he would probably be able to determine the cause.

As he stepped into the market, he discovered that the corpse of the Elite Monster had already been reduced to less than half its original size.

Apparently, the ants had fought with other animals over the carcass because the ground was now covered with layers of dead ants, forming something that looked disturbingly similar to a black fungal carpet.

Joo Joowon’s fingers twitched slightly.

Several strands of spider silk quietly attached themselves to the chunks of flesh that the ants were carrying away.

He deliberately kept his distance and careful not to alert them.

Although tiny ants like these probably would not pay any attention to him.

Even after becoming zombies, they would most likely still be directed by a queen ant or some form of brood mother.

Because of that, they were actually more predictable than many other creatures.

It was similar to how Zombie Birds still moved and acted in flocks rather than individually.

Following at a distance behind the worker ants as they marched forward, Joo Joowon walked along the same route while recalling the surrounding terrain.

It did not take him long to realize exactly where they were heading.

The nearby riverside park.

Sabi City was a place filled with mountains.

Not only in the countryside, but even within the city itself, many areas were built very close to mountainous regions.

The entire city had been constructed according to the natural landscape and because of that, one branch of a river flowed directly through the center of the city.

Most of the parks in the city had been built alongside this river.

Judging from the ants’ direction of travel, they were clearly moving toward the riverbank.

Joo Joowon could not help feeling somewhat surprised.

The riverside was still quite far from the market.

If someone walked there on foot, it would probably take somewhere between fifteen and twenty minutes.

The only time he had ever gone there in the past was when he took Byeol out for walks and even then, he had ridden a bicycle instead of walking.

There was absolutely no chance he would willingly walk that far.

The amount of exercise he got from work every day had already exceeded his personal limits.

What would a riverside park look like after the apocalypse?

After weighing the risks for a moment, Joo Joowon ultimately decided to follow the ants and take a look.

After all, it was the largest park in the surrounding area.

There were also plenty of nearby buildings he could climb if necessary.

As long as he avoided venturing too deeply into the park itself, the danger should remain manageable.

Besides, the parks had never really been places where animals gathered in large numbers.

The lawns were too open and exposed, leaving very few places for animals to hide.

Such spaces were more suitable for humans taking walks than for wildlife seeking shelter.

The road leading toward the riverside consisted entirely of wide avenues.

Property prices in the area were high and every residential complex nearby had been built within the last few years.

Because of that, unlike older neighborhoods, there were no maze-like alleys or interconnected side streets that had developed before modern urban planning and renovations.

Perhaps that was the reason why there were almost no wandering pedestrians visible along the road.

However, there wereplenty of vehicles, making the area appear much safer than the neighborhood where Joo Joowon lived.

After all, the apocalypse had arrived at midnight.

Very few young people enjoyed spending time around this area at that hour.

Most of them preferred gathering around food streets, shopping districts, and entertainment areas.

Perhaps there would be more zombies once he reached the riverside itself.

The once bustling avenue that had once been filled with orderly traffic had long since descended into chaos.

Numerous chain collision accidents had occurred all along the road.

Even those who had not transformed into zombies had likely died beneath the wreckage of the traffic accidents during the earliest moments of the apocalypse.

Joo Joowon even spotted an entire section of the road that had exploded.

He had no idea which vehicle had caused the explosion, but almost every surrounding car had been caught up in it.

Even so, apart from the wreckage, the ground itself was strangely clean.

He had no idea what kind of creatures had removed the bodies or perhaps they had simply been eaten clean.

The entire place was a scene of devastation.

Even those fortunate enough to survive would never have remained inside their vehicles forever.

After escaping, most likely hid inside nearby shops.

Those whose homes were close enough probably would have attempted to return home.

There were not many restaurants in this district.

Aside from one or two supermarkets, most of the establishments here were tea houses and tea lounges.

They existed primarily for businessmen discussing work and elderly people gathering to play mahjong and drink tea.

Joo Joowon himself had reserved tea houses in this area when discussing contracts with clients in the past.

Whether the tea was actually good or not, he could never tell.

What he did know was that the prices were outrageously expensive.

Apart from that, police had often raided the area in the past under the accusation of illegal gambling.

However, not long after one tea house owner disappeared, another would always open a new establishment to take its place.