The results of the underground battle were as follows:

1. M9 is better (23 votes, 26%)

2. Skelton is better (55 votes, 74%)

I won.

The reactions were mixed.

unicorn18: Oh yeah! My body is shaking! (@@ ) ( @@)(@@ )( @@)

keystone: Unicorn, you idiot. You can't even type a proper dance move...

Anonymous848: ??? Skelton is a girl? (confused)

ㅇㅇ: Oh, not bad! Show your face, too.

Anonymous458: Isn't this just an impersonator?

Dies_irae69: ?

kimcic: Wow.

gijayangban: Huh?

Defender: Oh, are you someone who knows how to have fun?

COOKIEMONSTER18: WHAT THE....

...

...

The world is really small.

Who would have thought the sniper and her daughter would see this too?

"Skelton? Skelton? Are you alive?!"

Rebecca. She wandered through the Korean forums, too.

As if that wasn't enough, Sue joined in as well.

Message from COOKIEMONSTER18: (It’s me, Sue!) Skelton, who’s that girl?

SKELTON: (Yes, it’s me, Skelton.) Shh! I’ll explain later.

“I’m alive, don’t worry. I just called an acquaintance to help with a little trouble.”

While clearing up the misunderstanding over both the internet and the radio, I continued reading through the forum responses.

ㅇㅇ: What the hell? I came rushing to Viva! after hearing there was a pretty girl, but she won’t even show her face?

ㅇㅇ: I analyzed the video source, and it’s from before the war. It’s just an impersonator.

HoyoungMom: But judging by the heavily cracked nails, it might actually be a recent recording?

foxgames: It looks edited, but I’m no expert on videos!

keystone: Skelton, no matter how desperate you are for attention, pretending to be a girl is a bit much, don’t you think?

ㅇㅇ: What? Skelton is a netkama? This bastard?

...

...

As expected.

The flow was proceeding just as Defender's sister and I predicted.

Now, people were thrown into confusion about "Skelton," about my identity as someone entirely different from what they had imagined.

Some knew the truth, but their truths wouldn’t be accepted by everyone, not entirely.

After all, people tend to believe what they want to believe.

Isn't it called confirmation bias?

M9’s complete lack of interest in this fight also ties back to that same confirmation bias.

He was on Failnet.

Another battlefield where clashing confirmation biases collided—on the so-called "Jeju Island Forum."

*

<Jeju Island Forum>

After the government announced its Jeju Island evacuation plan, the forum skyrocketed from 40th place to 1st in Failnet’s rankings.

The one who informed me that M9 was messing around on the Jeju Island forum was none other than unicorn18.

Message from unicorn18: "Noona! M9 is arguing on the Failnet Jeju Island forum!"

“······.”

Click-clack

SKELTON: "Thanks~~♥"

Message from unicorn18: "Tehehe!"

It was around that time that the Defender siblings left my bunker in a hurry.

"I-I'll come back next time."

"Skelton, don’t get too addicted to the internet."

After they left, I searched to find out what exactly M9 was doing on the Jeju Island forum.

Actually, I didn’t even need to search.

MMMMMMMMM: "Defeated another bum! Alright, next one, let’s go!"

From the first page, it was already chaos.

I scrolled through the forum to get a sense of the atmosphere.

The Jeju Island forum was a literal battlefield.

The posts were split between optimists, who believed the refugee fleet would arrive safely in Jeju and receive all the services promised by the government, and pessimists, who were convinced the fleet would sink into the ocean, taking everyone with it. The two sides were locked in a fierce fight.

Honestly, I might bear some responsibility for this conflict.

Feeling a sense of duty, I quietly observed their arguments.

ㅇㅇ: "Jeju? Who would believe that bullshit?"

ㅇㅇ: "Still trusting the government, huh? LOL. You might as well support the Pioneers—at least they give you a gun."

ㅇㅇ: "Only Awakened can go there. Even the old-school hunters from Gukwiwon were kicked out and reduced to beggars. You think they’ll take regular people? Right?"

ㅇㅇ: "(Proof) I’m a former Gukwiwon hunter. Wake the fuck up."

The pessimists argued that the Jeju fleet was an impossible pipe dream, backing their claims with various logical arguments.

ㅇㅇ: "Go live your life~"

ㅇㅇ: "Doomsayers. First, they prayed for the country’s collapse, and now they’re wishing for the ships to sink. Pathetic."

ㅇㅇ: "Beggars. Just shut up and stay out of this."

MMMMMMMMM: "Pffft!"

On the other hand, the optimists didn’t even bother addressing the pessimists’ arguments. They dismissed them outright as the inferiority complex of have-nots.

Among this hideous battlefield, the most outstanding performer was none other than our very own M9.

MMMMMMMMM: "(Presidential Residence) Take this! Authentication attack!"

Despite being somewhat looked down upon for being a Viva! Apocalypse! user, M9’s survival skills—proven by surviving months in the deadly residential zone "The Hope"—and his knack for drawing attention made him the most influential user on the forum.

MMMMMMMMM: "Hey, where’s that hunter who claimed to be ex-Gukwiwon? Seems like he’s hiding in some shantytown. Prove your level, coward. Bet you can’t, huh? LOL."

With both notoriety and combat skills, it was only a matter of time before M9 became a Failnet legend.

ㅇㅇ: "Wow... M9-hyung is amazing~"

ㅇㅇ: "Hey, losers! Did you hear M9-hyung speak?"

ㅇㅇ: "Do you know how strong M9’s muscles are? He trained for survival in The Hope, tilted at a 45-degree angle. Real-world compressed muscles!"

...

...

Every time M9 said something, swarms of optimists buzzed around, praising him like worshippers.

Drunk on this adoration, M9 even started pretending to be a wise philosopher.

MMMMMMMMM: "(M9) Friends, isn’t the weather lovely? (431)"

• "Isn’t May the queen of seasons?"

• "Your heart is what makes life beautiful. Don’t envy others, don’t get jealous—just be thankful for what you have."

• "Today, I had some spam. It’s salty. Isn’t this the taste of life? Salty and savory. Let’s all hang in there! Not much longer now!"

“······What.”

That pointless garbage post had 400 comments.

Unable to bear it any longer, I posted something on the forum myself.

ㅇㅇ: "Hey, I’m Eomchang’s friend. (1)"

• "I heard hundreds of Chinese submarines are waiting at Yeonpyeongdo, eating crabs and ready to strike!"

And it was utterly ignored.

“······.”

As expected.

This was M9’s moment.

He had tangible hope, whereas we had nothing.

No matter how much we criticized reality or analyzed the situation rationally, to someone like M9, it all just sounded like the pathetic wailing of beggars.

Frustrating as it was, the only thing I could do was wait for the situation to change for him to fall.

Didn’t Woo Min-hee say it herself?

The Jeju fleet was a lie.

The only ones actually going to Jeju were the boys and girls she had selected for their Awakened potential.

And they wouldn’t even be traveling by ship—they’d be flying there.

But contrary to my expectations, the situation began to turn increasingly favorable for the optimists.

The government continued to release updates about the safe passage of the fleet, housing distribution schedules, job assignments, and income support for those selected. On top of that, live updates about Jeju Island’s situation and the fleet’s cargo were being uploaded in real time.

It’s hard to deny that Koreans are among the fastest-moving people in the world.

Didn’t they say foreigners always learn the phrase "quickly, quickly" first?

People started moving fast.

The secondhand trading board, which usually hovered around the top 10, suddenly surged past the Jeju Island forum to claim the number one spot.

ㅇㅇ: "Buying Jeju Island tickets. Please offer first."

HyukjaeDad: "Is it possible to trade a Jeju house allotment?"

Marisol232: "I own a bunker. I’d like to trade for a Jeju house. I can show the bunker if needed."

SeoulBuildingOwner: "I own a building in Seoul. The structure and functionality are completely intact, and the title is clean. I’d like to trade for a Jeju house."

00: "I’m a 15-year-old boy with no family. I don’t want anything else—just please take me to Jeju with a family. I’ll repay you for the rest of my life."

...

...

Everyone wanted a Jeju ticket.

Just like Kim Daram, now every surviving citizen was desperate to reach Jeju.

That massive hope became a powerful current, sweeping up anyone who tried to resist.

“······.”

Even I started to waver.

Despite knowing the truth from Woo Min-hee, I began to wonder: what if she lied? What if this flow of government announcements and people’s compliance was the real truth?

By the time three days passed, the pessimists on the Jeju forum had all but disappeared.

It was shaping up to be a decisive victory for the optimists, led by M9.

At the height of their triumph, however, M9—the hero of the optimists—suddenly fell silent.

The optimists’ main weapon, who had been battering the pessimists every day, was gone.

Just as everyone was wondering where he’d gone, I received an unexpected message.

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "Skelton? Hi?"

M9.

Why the hell was he messaging me?

A bad feeling welled up as I replied.

SKELTON: "Hey~♥"

But as I thought about it, this M9 guy...

He had a thing for women.

I remembered how he spouted nonsense about lining up for pretty girls when he moved out of The Hope.

Sure enough.

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "Skelton, are you a girl?"

Exactly as I expected.

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "I saw the video. You know, that one?"

SKELTON: "Oh my."

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "You were covering your face, so I couldn’t see clearly, but you looked pretty. Your figure is just my type."

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "I forgive your sins. LOL."

How could someone be so transparent?

Message from MMMMMMMMM: "Come to Jeju with me? Huh? I can take one woman with me, you know?"

“······.”

They say a dragon only has one reverse scale, but humans seem to have several.

Feeling an indescribable mix of disgust and rage, I pounded my keyboard.

Clack-clack! Bang!

SKELTON: "Get lost, you fucking bastard!!!"

This was the roar of my soul.

At the time, I had no idea that this little incident was a prelude to the events to come.

*

MMMMMMMMM: "Shit, I lost everything..."

The once-great figure who left our humble forum to ascend to new heights, M9, had returned to us in disgrace.

MMMMMMMMM: "I got scammed by a gold digger… I lost everything. My ticket, my housing certificate… everything."

At first, everyone thought it was a joke.

They assumed M9 was trolling us for a laugh.

After all, how could anyone forget? M9 wasn’t living in The Hope anymore; he had moved into a secure government-provided house near the Incheon dock, reserved for Jeju Island ticket holders. He was under military protection.

The idea that someone could rob him of his most prized possessions seemed utterly absurd.

gijayangban: "How the hell do you even get robbed in a place like that?"

The moment I read Gijayangban’s post, a sinking feeling told me I already knew what had happened to M9.

“No way…”

MMMMMMMMM: "Well, the thing is… shit… I was trying to find a woman to live with…"

I once saw a nature documentary about a certain bird species in Africa. To attract mates, the males build elaborate nests as part of their courtship ritual.

It seemed M9 had turned into one of those birds, actively seeking a partner and sticking his nose wherever he thought he might find one.

The text he sent me had been just one part of his grand reproductive mission.

But finding a partner in this dangerous world is no simple task.

Especially for someone like M9, a small-minded fool with terrible judgment.

From what I could gather, one of M9’s followers had slyly presented herself as an alluring and charming woman, gaining his trust. She arranged to meet him and ended up stealing every last bit of his wealth.

Though M9 didn’t post any proof, he claimed he’d been beaten so badly during the robbery that his nose was nearly broken.

He even appealed to the government for help, but of course, they refused. After all, he’d ignored their warnings and recklessly taken his precious ticket and housing certificate outside. They weren’t about to lift a finger for him.

The kind-hearted users of our forum comforted him, saying he was lucky to have survived.

Anonymous848: "Stay strong, M9."

Dolsingnam: "You’ve been through a lot."

RokaGG: "Just be thankful you’re alive."

Foxgames: "Yeah, surviving is what matters. Welcome back!"

Dies_irae69: "If you’ve got nowhere to stay, join us."

...

...

It was a rare moment of warmth from the forum.

After some hesitation, I decided to add my voice to the chorus of support.

SKELTON: "Stay strong…"

Typing that was harder than I expected.

After the wave of encouragement subsided, M9 posted a final message.

MMMMMMMMM: "Thank you, everyone…"

It was like watching a lonely actor take their final bow before leaving the stage.

It seemed he was resigning himself to returning to his only remaining refuge, The Hope.

But M9 was stronger than we gave him credit for.

Click-clack.

A new pessimist appeared on the Jeju Island forum.

And to everyone’s surprise, the pessimist’s identity was none other than M9—the same M9 who had once been the champion of the optimists.

MMMMMMMMM: "3,238 Chinese submarines are currently stationed off the coast of Incheon, eating crabs near Yeonpyeongdo while they wait!"

From within his tilted apartment in The Hope, M9 was now fighting a lonely battle against the optimists he once led.

MMMMMMMMM: "Gurgle!"

I sincerely hope fortune finds him again.