The streets weren't silent like the ruined outskirts they'd passed through. As Jin and the others followed Yewon deeper into the territory, the atmosphere shifted from abandoned devastation to something… alive.
People moved with purpose.
A row of makeshift stalls lined one side of the road, vendors arranging whatever supplies they had—bundles of salvaged food, scraps of fabric, even what looked like homemade weapons. A few people were mid-barter, exchanging goods with careful negotiation.
The structures here were still battered from past destruction, cracks and broken windows visible in almost every building, but there was effort in restoring them. Some walls had been patched up with metal sheets, others reinforced with wooden planks. Teams of people were working, clearing debris, reinforcing buildings, carrying supplies from one place to another.
It wasn't just survival. It was maintenance.
