Chapter 218: Finding a New Home
If he became surrounded at that point, there would only be two possible choices.
Either he would have to forcibly clear out all the zombies around him, or he would have to abandon his supplies and leave.
There was no third option.
The supplies were not light. Even if he could carry them away, they would still slow him down. Therefore, without a vehicle, abandoning them would be the best choice.
Joo Joowon had also prepared for the worst possible outcome. The important supplies had all been placed inside his spatial waist pendant, and if the remaining supplies really had to be abandoned at a critical moment, he would not feel too heartbroken about it. Nothing was more important than his own safety and the safety of Byeol and the others.
In this way, he continued driving all the way out of the urban area. The number of zombies trailing behind the wheel loader also continued to increase. With so many zombies gathering together, it was impossible for the noise they created to remain small. This formed a vicious cycle. The commotion became louder and louder, which in turn attracted more and more zombies.
Joo Joowon pursed his lips, fully aware that if this situation continued, he would inevitably attract the attention of the stronger zombies sooner or later.
The only difference was whether they would think that he was alone and therefore not worth making a move against, or whether they would think that someone who dared to cause such a commotion alone must have some kind of support, making it unnecessary to take the risk.
Considering his luck... Countless possibilities flashed through Joo Joowon’s mind, and his nerves became increasingly tense as he observed his surroundings throughout the journey.
As he moved farther away from the city center, the surroundings gradually became quieter and more deserted. The roads became wider while the number of buildings decreased, making it easier for Joo Joowon to drive. He also had more time to observe which places nearby might be suitable as a temporary residence.
Factories with heavy pollution were not allowed to be built near the nature reserve, and neither were factories that produced excessive noise. Naturally, there were not many ordinary residences around here either.
However, there were still some buildings.
Remote areas had always been very suitable for building large villas or recreational establishments that occupied a considerable amount of land.
When Joo Joowon had worked with clients in the past, he had heard about an unlicensed racing track somewhere outside the suburbs. Apparently, sports cars raced on the mountain every night, and there were also buildings such as private clubs used to entertain important guests.
These places had always been far beyond Joo Joowon’s usual circles. However, after seeing some clusters of buildings scattered around the area now, he felt that those rumors had not been completely baseless after all.
He did not know whether there were still any residents inside, but regardless of the situation, he had no intention of using these places as a temporary residence.
Those villas and estates built on the mountains could not guarantee safety now. If an earthquake or something similar occurred, escaping would be difficult.
Joo Joowon preferred a place relatively close to the nature reserve but not directly facing the reserve itself. Ideally, it should be relatively open and flat. That way, it would also be more convenient to construct additional buildings after the territory expanded in the future.
Unfortunately, finding a place that met all these conditions was truly difficult.
As a first tier city, even though Joo Joowon was only searching in one direction, the area was still astonishingly vast.
Time passed slowly, and before he knew it, afternoon had arrived.
While chewing on biscuits and continuing to search for a suitable location, Joo Joowon drove back and forth between many different places. In the end, he finally managed to find somewhere that was barely suitable.
This place did not directly face the nature reserve. There was also a mountain in front of it that could serve as a buffer. If the creatures inside the nature reserve wanted to rush out, they would first have to climb over the mountain. By then, the commotion they caused would certainly not be small, making it easier for Joo Joowon to notice them in advance.
The vegetation on that mountain was also not particularly dense. Once a large number of animals appeared, their movements would be easy to spot with the naked eye.
People had once lived on that mountain. However, there had once been tigers inside the nature reserve, and attacks on people occurred from time to time. So, for the sake of safety, all the villagers living on the mountain were eventually relocated.
Naturally, the area was abandoned afterward.
Although it had been abandoned, no one had specifically carried out any project to return the farmland to forests over the years. Instead, new farmland had been developed at the foot of the mountain. Both sides of the road were occupied by cultivated fields, and there were also a few scattered clusters of buildings nearby.
As Sabi City became saturated with people, incorporating other cities and villages into new development plans had long since become a common practice. As a result, buildings and houses left behind from old villages could often be seen around the outskirts of the city.
This kind of scattered housing was actually even more common in the countryside. It was quite common to drive along a road for a while and suddenly see a single house standing there all by itself, with no other people living nearby apart from that one household.
Because of Sabi City’s geographical location, this kind of scenery appeared frequently once one reached the outer ring. Compared to other places, the density of buildings here could even be considered somewhat "crowded."
Joo Joowon had not attended an agricultural university, nor had he farmed for hundreds of years, so these fields held no particular advantage in his eyes. However, they did have the advantage of providing a wide open view and covering a large area. If his territory expanded outward in the future, the surrounding environment would not obstruct its expansion.