Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 412: The Dream and the Osmanthus Tree

He had never experienced one before, and it felt quite novel.

Soon, Kim Haru found the being that had spoken.

It was impossible to miss.

That was a tree that looked somewhat familiar.

A sturdy trunk, lush branches, and delicate pale yellow flowers scattered among the leaves, exuding a refreshing fragrance.

It was the scent of osmanthus flowers.

This tree looked exactly like the osmanthus tree in his small farm.

Kim Haru often rested under it for shade—there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.

Except, this one was several times larger than the one in his farm and emitted a gentle, shimmering green glow.

But this was a dream, after all.

Strange and unusual things appearing in a dream weren’t surprising.

Kim Haru was only momentarily dazed before quickly coming to terms with it.

So what if it was bigger and glowing?

At least it wasn’t some grotesque, sanity-draining nightmare fuel.

[ Human, do you detest that place called Haneulsae Safe Zone? ]

The osmanthus tree spoke again.

Aside from the odd way it addressed him, it sounded just like a casual neighborly conversation.

It had to be a dream.

People dream of what’s on their minds during the day.

He had been worrying about Haneulsae Safe Zone earlier—no wonder he ended up with a strange dream like this.

Kim Haru didn’t hide his thoughts and nodded before shaking his head. "I wouldn’t say I hate Haneulsae Safe Zone itself. I just despise the ones leading it and their lackeys who turned it into what it is now. After all, there are still a lot of innocent people in the Haneulsae Safe Zone under the control of those Gu parasites. They had no choice."

"I mean, the world’s already in ruins. Humanity barely managed to establish safe zones in the face of zombie crises and mutated creatures, so why do some people refuse to focus on survival? When all humans are dead, who do they plan to rule over? What luxuries will they even have left to enjoy?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, if justice from the heavens could just descend and wipe out that Haneulsae Safe Zone Commander and his Guy parasites, that would be great. Maybe even let that bastard experience firsthand what it’s like to be controlled by those things."

The osmanthus tree shimmered as if flickering in thought.

[ I see. ]

Kim Haru chuckled. "Right? Even a tree like you understands this. How come some people just don’t get it? Maybe their brains have been eaten away by the mutagenic virus or something, hahahaha."

The tree swayed its branches, producing a rustling sound.

It almost felt like it was laughing along with him.

[ You shouldn’t let these troubles weigh you down. Have a good night’s sleep. I heard that if humans don’t sleep well, it affects their health. ]

"Hah, venting really does make you feel better… Now that you mention it, I do feel kind of sleepy…"

Kim Haru’s consciousness gradually faded.

When he woke up the next morning, Kim Haru still remembered that dream vividly.

For some reason, he called Moon Baein through the voice-transmitting snail.

"Mr. Kim? Contacting me this early—do you have an urgent matter?"

This was the first time Moon Baein had received a call from Kim Haru in the morning, and he found it quite surprising.

Kim Haru didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, "Any new updates from the Haneulsae Safe Zone?"

Moon Baein was taken aback. "New updates? No, there’s been nothing new, just the same situation I reported to you yesterday. Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing." Kim Haru shook his head and ended the call.

He couldn’t possibly say he had a strange dream, right?

But… it was just a dream, after all.

He wasn’t sure whether he felt disappointed or relieved.

Carrying those mixed emotions, Kim Haru headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

He hadn’t even finished eating when his voice-transmitting snail suddenly started ringing like crazy.

When he answered, it was Moon Baein.

"Mr. Kim! Mr. Kim, my god! Was this your doing? The Haneulsae Safe Zone—Haneulsae Safe Zone has been dealt with!"

Kim Haru froze. "What?"

On the other end, Moon Baein couldn’t contain his excitement, his voice brimming with uncontrollable laughter.

"I just received the news! The Haneulsae Safe Zone Commander is dead! And the Guy parasites inside the bodies of our affected people all died instantly! We don’t have the exact details yet—our scouts are entering the Haneulsae Safe Zone now to investigate and report back."

Without hesitation, Kim Haru said, "I’ll be right there to wait with you."

He didn’t bother finishing his breakfast.

Grabbing a fried egg on his way out, he instructed Go Okrim and Kang Hose to look after the small farm.

Before teleporting away, he paused for a moment.

"Use the best bag of fertilizer and feed it to the osmanthus tree by the house."

Only after saying that did he truly leave.

...

Pyeongseong Safe Zone.

By the time Kim Haru arrived, the Safe Zone Commander had just received a second report.

"What exactly happened?"

Kim Haru had a vague guess, but it was too unbelievable to be certain.

Moon Baein still looked somewhat shocked. "The latest update—apparently, every single Gu parasites in the Haneulsae Safe Zone died in an instant! Because of this, their entire defensive system collapsed into chaos. Our people infiltrated easily, and they’re currently investigating further."

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Kim Haru’s breath caught.

"What time exactly did it happen?"

"The people on our side who were afflicted by the Gu parasites discovered the death of the Gu parasites around 7 a.m. As for those in Haneulsae Safe Zone, it’s unclear, but based on the current information, most of them also realized it only after waking up."

Hearing this, Kim Haru’s suspicion became even more certain.

Seven in the morning—that was about the time he usually woke up from his dreams.

Thinking this, a warm feeling spread through Kim Haru’s heart.

He was no longer anxious about the follow-up reports.