The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 42

## Episode 42. Wintering (1)

Sion ascended the stairs from the first floor.

In the lobby, approximately 30 people summoned by Kim Su-kyung were gathered.

They were all shivering from the cold, their faces gaunt, and no one dared to speak out of turn.

The entrance was simply a glass door, and cold air seeped in through the gaps.

The breath of the assembled citizens hung in the air like smoke in a designated smoking area.

“Is everyone here?”

Sion approached Kim Su-kyung, who was organizing them, and inquired.

Kim Su-kyung nodded, continuing to arrange the people. “Yes, they’re all here. All the individuals with the professional skills you requested. Also, those the chief marked are in the left row.”

He treated Sion with deference, as if he were a supervisor at work.

This wasn’t a social gathering.

It was a small group of survivors struggling to make it through.

The people here couldn’t easily let go of the vestiges of the old world.

They still clung to the hope that after enduring these hardships, spring would return, they could go back to their jobs, their schools, and spend weekends with their families.

But that life was gone, never to return.

Jin Jae-hee was proof of that.

Among these hundreds of people, only Kang Sion and Jin Jae-hee truly understood this.

Sion consulted the list and called out, “Lee Jong-cheol.”

“Yes, that’s me,” a voice replied.

Lee Jong-cheol, a boiler technician, raised his hand from the middle of the group and stepped forward, looking weary.

Lee Jong-cheol was the only qualified technician who knew how to operate boilers.

As he approached, Sion asked, “You know how to operate boilers, correct?”

“I do, but…”

“Let’s go over there.”

“…….”

Lee Jong-cheol glanced at the designated area, then addressed Sion. “Hey, Manager, what’s going to happen to us now?”

The police chief had appointed Sion as the manager and presented him as an expert capable of resolving their situation.

Within this police station, the chief’s orders held absolute authority, at least in the eyes of the citizens.

This applied to both those who had been here since the beginning and those who arrived later.

People are loyal and obedient to those who protect them.

This was a principle proven throughout human history, dating back to the creation of kingdoms.

However, the young man before them, newly appointed as manager, didn’t inspire much confidence.

Sion looked too young and seemed to lack practical experience.

To have such a person determine their fate…

Regardless of the chief’s endorsement, Sion didn’t appear trustworthy.

“Hey, Manager,” Lee Jong-cheol repeated, but Sion remained focused on the list.

Of course, Sion had heard Lee Jong-cheol’s question.

But he had no intention of engaging in casual conversation with individual workers.

He didn’t have the luxury to waste time chatting.

Time was of the essence if they were to survive the winter.

Every minute was precious, and Sion was dedicated to his task.

When Sion didn’t respond, Lee Jong-cheol bit his chapped lower lip.

‘That guy is just like the chief. They’re all going to kill us…!’

Power that clings to authority and acts arbitrarily.

Lee Jong-cheol was among those who resented the chief’s controlling management.

Lee Jong-cheol reluctantly walked to the designated spot.

“Next, Choi Se-heon.”

Sion continued to categorize people based on their labor value.

The core labor force, the experts essential for winter survival, were placed in the highest category, followed by assistants and general laborers.

The classification was based on two primary criteria.

First, heating specialists with boiler expertise.

Second, skilled metalworkers.

Under Kang Sion’s management system, boiler experts held the most important positions.

Sion intended to reward them accordingly.

Because work efficiency would suffer without incentives.

After completing the initial classification, Kang Sion approached Lee Jong-cheol.

“Lee Jong-cheol.”

“Yes,” Lee Jong-cheol responded, raising his hand weakly again.

Some people were sitting listlessly on the floor, and Sion’s gaze swept over them.

Sion addressed Lee Jong-cheol. “We’re going to restart the boiler. Is that possible?”

Everyone present was taken aback by Sion’s statement.

Even Officer Kim Su-kyung, who was standing nearby, was surprised.

It was an audacious idea.

In a world where electricity, water, and gas were nonexistent, and even securing a single meal was a struggle, restarting the boiler seemed impossible.

Lee Jong-cheol knew better than anyone how unrealistic it was.

Lee Jong-cheol stared at Sion for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

He was dumbfounded.

“Don’t even mention it, Manager. With no city gas or electricity, what kind of boiler are you going to operate? Besides, the police station doesn’t have underfloor heating; it uses space heaters.”

“We don’t necessarily have to install pipes under the entire floor. For now, we’ll focus on the residential floors,” Sion countered.

Lee Jong-cheol immediately responded, “That’s absurd. We’d have to tear up all the concrete flooring, and we lack the manpower and equipment. It would take forever. And are you aware of our condition? We’re barely able to move a finger. We’re just weak citizens.”

“Who said anything about tearing up the whole floor?”

“What?”

Kang Sion interrupted him and tapped the floor of the police station with his foot.

The floor was made of concrete and steel plates, making it extremely difficult to remove with manual labor.

Even in peacetime, it would be considered back-breaking work.

But Sion’s plan didn’t involve exposing the entire floor.

“We’ll lay the flue [ducts for exhaust gases] pipes on this floor and cover them with plywood. We don’t need to cover the entire floor with pipes; it just needs to provide insulation. Three rows of pipes per floor should suffice. If we’re pressed for time, we don’t even need the plywood. We’re not aiming for apartment-level heating; we just need enough warmth to prevent people from freezing to death.”

“…Right on top of this?”

“Exactly. We’ll collect flue pipes from nearby apartments. I’ll organize a separate team for collecting them. And plywood is readily available throughout Manan-gu. There’s plenty of it lying around.”

Sion’s plan was straightforward.

The operating principle of a boiler is to circulate hot steam, generated by heating water, through flue pipes to warm the floor.

Maintaining a constant temperature in this way would allow them to survive the winter.

Collecting and laying flue pipes inside the police station, specifically on the floors where the citizens resided, would provide temporary heating.

Sion’s plan was appealing, but it had two major flaws.

Lee Jong-cheol pointed them out.

“Flue pipes are fragile and will quickly dent or burst if an average adult steps on them, making it difficult to maintain warmth. And the most crucial aspect is heating and pumping.”

“…….”

Everyone, including Sion, listened intently to Lee Jong-cheol.

“How are you going to heat the flue pipes? There’s no gas supply, and no energy source to heat that much water in the first place. And even if you manage to heat it, the pump requires electricity to operate. Without electricity, the pump won’t work, rendering the boiler useless. I’ve been pondering these issues since I arrived, but I remained silent because I didn’t think it was feasible… Haa…”

Lee Jong-cheol took a deep breath after speaking at length.

He seemed winded, likely due to his physical exhaustion.

But Kang Sion had already considered these issues.

The solution was simple and intuitive.

“People will do it. Insulation, heating, pumping. All of it.”

“……?!”

Everyone was shocked by his words.

It was absurd.

Even if it were possible, it couldn’t be done here.

“How many people do you think that would take…? Dozens. Dozens for one boiler.”

“Yes, we will. Even if it takes hundreds of people,” Kang Sion interrupted.

Sion knew better than anyone.

Sion tilted his head slightly to the left and overwhelmed everyone gathered there.

“…Or, just freeze to death.”

Sion made his point clear.

If they couldn’t solve the heating problem, everyone here would eventually die.

That’s why Sion was willing to do whatever it took, even if it required dozens, or even hundreds, of people to operate a single boiler.

They were already using a significant number of people just to secure toilet water.

And that was with only the police force.

If that manpower, plus additional personnel, were dedicated to the boiler, it could be operational.

That was Kang Sion’s plan.

Reallocating manpower from useless tasks to essential ones.

While the details needed to be discussed with Lee Jong-cheol, he had already devised a general boiler operation method that could be powered by human labor.

Sion spoke clearly to the workers who were staring at him.

“If you can’t do it, what are you going to do? You have to do your best. I don’t think you guys have grasped the reality yet. We will survive. In this building, in this city. To do that, we have to do something. We will melt snow to make water, connect flue pipes to the boiler, and connect the connected flue pipes back to the heating tank. When the boiler is completed in this way, there will be heating, and we can protect ourselves from the cold. We can also unite with each other in this process. That’s how we’ll get through this winter.”

Sion, who hadn’t softened his expression once, took a step back after delivering his speech.

Then, Sion bowed deeply.

Not just a little, but almost 90 degrees.

Kang Sion earnestly pleaded with the workers.

“Please. Your strength is desperately needed.”

Even without bowing his head, Sion was in a position to command them.

Like the police chief, he could do as he pleased, but he chose to bow.

Sion didn’t want mediocre labor through coercion.

He wanted the will to live, unity, and passionate labor born from believing in and following him.

And Kang Sion’s instincts were correct.

“Ah…….”

“Haa-. This is…”

The workers began to open their hearts to Kang Sion’s sincerity.

In truth, they vaguely knew that if they didn’t act, they would lose everything.

They needed a driving force to propel them into action.

And Sion became that driving force.

A man who had been silent stood up and said, “Mr. Jong-cheol, let’s give it a try. This doesn’t seem bad? What was that thing you told me about last time…”

“Plan. You mean the plan.”

As one person spoke, others chimed in like a dam bursting.

“That’s right. Didn’t Mr. Jong-cheol say he had some plans for the boiler?”

“It’s not completely impossible. It’s better to do something than nothing. Like that student.”

“We can’t all die here! Let’s do what that student says! Huh?!”

“We can’t just wait for the rescue team forever, and we can’t just keep believing in the police! Yes! Let’s do it!”

“We can’t freeze to death! Right? Everyone!! Let’s get up!”

The citizens stood up one by one and shouted.

Even as they shouted, Kang Sion remained bowed.

Lee Jong-cheol looked around at the citizens who had united.

Then he looked at Kang Sion, who was still bowing.

“Haa…….”

Lee Jong-cheol licked his dry lips and thought.

Honestly, everything Kang Sion had said wasn’t definitively impossible.

If it had been impossible, Lee Jong-cheol would have dismissed it.

However, if he proposed reasonable solutions to the problems he was considering, Lee Jong-cheol was willing to reconsider.

If they exchanged ideas, the plan would undoubtedly become more refined.

Honestly, Lee Jong-cheol was frustrated.

He was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything while watching the citizens suffer from the cold.

But at this moment, meeting Kang Sion, he felt like his frustrated heart was뻥뚫린 기분 [feeling relieved/unblocked].

People who couldn’t stand it anymore were rising up around him.

And Lee Jong-cheol was in the center.

Manager Kang Sion, who was still bowing.

Lee Jong-cheol couldn’t refuse.

“…Okay. Let’s do it.”

Sion finally raised his head.

As planned, everyone had joined forces and risen up.

They rejected the existing police methods and fully supported the new leader.

There were only a few dozen people gathered here now, but the moment the boiler was completed, Sion’s approval rating would skyrocket.

Of course, operating the boiler was the priority, but the approval rating was also important.

Sion smiled inwardly as he looked at the workers shouting.

‘Good.’

The wintering here had only just begun.

The beginning was Kang Sion.

(Continued in the next episode)