Chapter 39
Indeed, the Heavenly God must be fair, as the zombie apocalypse didn’t occur solely in South Korea.
The entire East Asia region, including South Korea, was suffering from the zombie apocalypse disaster.
This included island nations like Japan, as well as North Korea, which shares a border with South Korea, and even China, which borders North Korea.
And the situation in other countries sharing borders with China was likely not much different.
In essence, all of Asia was struggling under the sweeping disaster of the zombie apocalypse.
“Long live our great leader!”
First, let’s discuss North Korea, the country geographically closest to South Korea. Surprisingly, North Korea seemed to be holding up better than South Korea.
The fact that North Korea’s political system is a one-man dictatorship could work in its favor—if the dictator assessed the situation correctly without misjudging it, they could deploy their military forces to manage the crisis.
“Sweep away all the zombies in Pyongyang province, and shoot any intruders approaching Pyongyang!”
Kim Jung-man, who rules North Korea, knew better than anyone how to preserve his power, and when the zombie disaster broke out, he mobilized his entire military to maintain control over Pyongyang.
Of course, his methods were far from gentle, but his thorough approach to hunting and controlling zombies allowed him to maintain control over the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
Yes, he could only protect Pyongyang, but the rest of the country was, frankly, in a state of chaos, with areas beyond his direct control.
However, Kim Jung-man didn’t view this situation pessimistically.
“This is business as usual. Send in the troops and regain control of the provinces.”
From the start, all of North Korea’s power and resources were concentrated in Pyongyang, and as long as he could secure the capital, Kim Jung-man believed his regime could continue.
Kim Jung-man’s dictatorship thrived because of the overwhelming influence of Pyongyang over the provinces, so as long as he held Pyongyang, he believed he could eventually regain control over the other regions.
After all, even before the apocalypse, Pyongyang held sway over the rest of the country, and though he might have lost control of the military forces stationed in the provinces, he retained a firm grip on Pyongyang’s central army and his loyal guards—hence, his confidence.
However, what Kim Jung-man did not anticipate was the following variable:
“From today, we declare our independence from Pyongyang! We will no longer be slaves to Kim Jung-man and Pyongyang!”
“You miserable wretches!”
Awakened individuals who gained power in the provinces that had slipped from Pyongyang’s control began declaring independence from Pyongyang.
Regions outside of Pyongyang, which had long been oppressed, began declaring their independence or self-sufficiency one by one, and it became clear that Pyongyang had no means to suppress them.
One might ask, how could Pyongyang, with its supposedly invincible military, fail to quell these rebellions? But the truth was, Pyongyang had no way to counter the challenge from the rebels.
“Are you doubting the leadership of our great leader?”
“You traitor, you must be a puppet!”
“No, no, I am only concerned for our leader’s well-being.”
The reason was simple: within Pyongyang itself, there were awakened individuals who resented Kim Jung-man’s regime and sought to challenge his authority.
To suppress these dissenters, Kim Jung-man had to rely on his personal guard, using force to silence any awakened rebels, while uprisings against Pyongyang’s exploitation continued to grow outside the capital.
To make matters worse…
“Graaaaaargh!”
“You damned Chinese zombies!”
North Korea was being pressured by Chinese zombies crossing over the Amnok River Bridge.
Closing the border was no easy task.
In a situation where even the provinces were in rebellion and out of control, Pyongyang’s government had no capacity to secure the borders.
Moreover…
“Woohoo! It’s an experience point bonanza!”
“Wipe them all out!”
“If we capture them, our powers will grow stronger! Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!”
From the perspective of the awakened in the provinces, the zombies crossing over from China were like a double—or even tenfold—experience point event, perfect for training their newfound powers.
Moreover, as more Chinese zombies crossed the Amnok River, the provincial control weakened further, providing more opportunities for the awakened to challenge Pyongyang. Thus, even though there were civilian casualties, the awakened had no incentive to help secure the border.
Instead, the regional warlords actively disrupted any government efforts to secure the border, eagerly anticipating the influx of Chinese zombies—a veritable experience point bonanza.
Next, let’s discuss China, which shares a border with North Korea.
“What is the central government doing?!”
“Well, we have had no contact from the Party… at all.”
“Damn it!”
Frankly, considering that Chinese zombies were crossing the Amnok River into North Korea, it was clear that things weren’t going well in China either.
With China’s enormous population, the zombie apocalypse was tantamount to a collapse of civilization.
Moreover, the fact that the political heart of China, Beijing, was among the first to fall to the zombie apocalypse felt like some kind of cruel joke to the regional authorities waiting for central directives.
With the central government in Beijing collapsing and the Party’s leaders, including the president, going missing, China’s provinces had no choice but to fend for themselves during the crisis. Naturally, ambitious warlords began emerging throughout the country…
“There are too many enemies!”
“This is hopeless!”
“Why are the zombies using human wave tactics?!”
…Well, self-proclaimed righteous warriors and warlords were emerging, but at the same time, many of them were vanishing, overwhelmed by the zombie hordes.
With China’s massive population, the number of zombies had surged into the hundreds of millions. The zombie hordes moved like human wave attacks, and the self-proclaimed heroes and awakened individuals could not withstand their overwhelming numbers.
Of course, as many vanished, new would-be heroes and awakened individuals continued to arise, displaying their ambitions. However, no single warlord had yet managed to conquer an entire province.
Yet, given China’s immense population and its status as the largest source of awakened individuals in East Asia, it was likely only a matter of time before a talented leader emerged to tame the chaos and unify the continent.
Lastly, we should discuss Japan, an island nation.
“This is the curse of the Prime Minister! It’s the wrath of the assassinated Prime Minister! Hahaha!”
To be honest, Japan at that time was already reeling from various hardships and grim rumors, including the assassination of its Prime Minister by one of its own citizens.
Naturally, when the zombie apocalypse broke out before a new Prime Minister could be elected, the central government collapsed without offering a proper response, leaving each region to fend for itself.
As the disaster was unprecedented, handling the situation according to any manual proved difficult, and containing the crisis was an overwhelming task. However, the city of Fukuoka managed to achieve some success in controlling the situation, thanks to the emergence of an exceptional awakened individual.
It was a small blemish that this extraordinary awakened individual was not Japanese but a Korean tourist visiting Japan. Nevertheless, the Korean group became celebrated as the heroes who saved Fukuoka.
The mayor of Fukuoka made repeated efforts to recruit them.
“I will return to Korea.”
“That’s… a pity.”
Unfortunately, their offer was politely declined.
With strong resolve, Jina Ahn, the female awakened, expressed her intention to return to her homeland, South Korea. The mayor, despite his regret, could not force her to stay through administrative orders.
The mayor understood that in the current era, power spoke louder than law. He knew well that, despite her delicate appearance, this awakened woman had taken down countless zombies.
Not wanting to meet his end at the hands of her powerful strikes, the mayor chose to extend a gesture of goodwill to win her favor.
“So, will you be heading to Gyeongju?”
“Eh? Why Gyeongju?”
“Isn’t it the only city in Korea that has overcome the disaster?”
While Fukuoka was the only Japanese city to reclaim itself from the zombie disaster, in South Korea, Gyeongju stood as the sole city that had successfully reclaimed itself from the zombies and established a proper local government.
Naturally, the mayor believed that she would use Gyeongju as a base to reclaim her homeland.
“Eh?”
However, Jina Ahn responded with a puzzled expression to the mayor’s statement.
The mayor, taken aback by her reaction, could not hide his surprise.
“Um… weren’t you planning to join the Balhut Cult in Gyeongju?”
“What’s this Balhut Cult?! I’ve never heard of such an organization before!”
Jina Ahn was taken aback.
It seemed she was quite out of touch with current events, as she was unaware of the most famous ruler of Gyeongju in South Korea.
The mayor deeply regretted sharing this information, but he couldn’t take back what he had already said.
‘She’s really out of touch with the world.’
If only he had been more persuasive, there would have been ample opportunity to convince her.
The mayor sighed and looked at Jina Ahn, who had a bewildered expression.
He thought that with a bit more background knowledge, he could have persuaded Jina Ahn.
And the last country to mention was none other than the United States.
The United States also faced the disaster known as the apocalypse.
However, the disaster they encountered wasn’t the zombie apocalypse that East Asia faced.
“What the hell is that damn creature?!”
If the United States had also faced a zombie apocalypse, it might have been easier to handle.
After all, America had an abundance of civilian firearms, and it was commonplace for each household to own at least one gun, making it possible to fend off approaching zombies with bullets.
Defeating just one zombie could awaken someone as an Awakened, making the subsequent disaster management much easier.
However, the disaster they encountered was an invasion of other lifeforms… commonly referred to as an alien apocalypse—a first-time encounter with creatures never seen before.
“I’ve seen this in the prologue of a hunter story!”
Koreans living in America saw the situation as no different from a hunter-themed novel.
Indeed, dozens of gates appeared across every state in the U.S., and through these gates came the invaders.
The U.S. had to battle with the invading hordes of creatures, which were unaffected even by civilian gunfire.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Mr. President!”
To make matters worse, a horde of creatures appeared in Washington, D.C., including the White House, leading to the death of the president in a highly dangerous situation.
With the central government effectively in a state of brain death, the unprecedented situation of the United States being without a central government arose.
“I am still alive!”
“Vice President Arthur!”
By some stroke of luck, Vice President Arthur, who had evaded the disaster, succeeded the deceased president’s position and issued executive orders as the new president across the entire United States.
Thanks to this, the U.S. quickly recalled military forces stationed abroad and used the remaining troops on the mainland to declare overwhelming retaliation against the invading creatures in North America.
It was a measure taken to secure the safety of the mainland as a priority.
“To wipe them all out, let’s deploy the drones.”
“Are you crazy? If we use drones to cleanse the cities, we’ll wipe out our own infrastructure too! This will set back civilization!”
“Then what do you suggest? These creatures are skilled in guerrilla warfare! Should we use poison gas in the city instead?”
“Aren’t there Awakened individuals?”
Unfortunately, the invaders had taken over U.S. cities, fortifying themselves in occupied towns and holding their ground.
Deploying the military to exterminate the creatures in the cities was the logical course, but the creatures waged effective guerrilla warfare while waiting for reinforcements through the gates, and most of the U.S. military at the time was not composed of Awakened individuals.
Non-Awakened soldiers couldn’t match the creatures unless they had numerical superiority, and deploying missiles or the ultimate weapon of human civilization—nuclear weapons—was not an option.
A miscalculation that destroyed city infrastructure could set American civilization back by decades.
“We will appeal to American citizens’ patriotism.”
But the central government wasn’t idle.
The White House realized that Awakened individuals were the most effective at combating the creatures, so they appealed to the patriotism of Awakened individuals across the U.S., urging them to protect the nation.
Taking advantage of the popularity of superhero movies throughout the U.S., they elevated the status of Awakened individuals by calling them heroes, promising them honor and high status, and even establishing new government agencies focused on heroes, all as part of their effort to appeal to unknown Awakened individuals across the country.
“Damn it!”
However, it wasn’t as simple as in superhero movies where evil is defeated, and justice prevails.
Many citizens answered the White House’s call, but fundamentally, the disaster itself had lasted less than six months, and the levels of the newly Awakened individuals were still relatively low.
The worst part was—
“An, an independence declaration?”
“Yes. If the central government cannot protect us, we will declare our own sovereignty.”
“Ha, but don’t you all know? That even the central government is struggling, not to mention the other regions.”
“We don’t care.”
As it became clear that the disaster would last for a long time, states with ulterior motives began to emerge.
The disaster, now dubbed the Gate Apocalypse, severed the railroads across the U.S. and physically cut off communication between the central government and the states.
Naturally, the White House wanted to reestablish control and communication with the other states, but by then, it wasn’t surprising that some states would start harboring other ambitions.
The states that still approached the negotiation table in a civil manner were considered more reasonable. Already, several states had declared independence and were acting independently, ignoring the central government’s directives.
“We must unite and fight against this disaster! Independence is out of the question!”
“That’s nonsense! Now is the time for us to raise our voices! Long live freedom! The oppressive central government can drop dead!”
The U.S. became fractured, with the central government calling for unity while the independent states proclaimed their own voices.
It was a miracle that the value of the U.S. dollar was maintained at all.
Though they could not prevent hyperinflation, the United States now faced a crisis of material shortages in its cities, with the central government still clinging on and a surviving military trying to cope with the disaster.
There were still means available to address the crisis, and the White House showed strong resolve to overcome it.
“Sir, if the states continue to ignore us, perhaps we should seek a strong alliance to restore the central government’s authority.”
“But, is there such an alliance on this Earth?”
“There are a few factions that have managed to reclaim cities and establish proper governments. There’s the British Protectorate Cabinet, the Bonapartist and Orléans Saint factions in France, and the Balhut Cult in Korea.”
Thus, the White House sought a powerful alliance to help restore the authority of the central government.
“…Wait, is this really the 21st century?”
“It is, sir.”
“Then why do these factions sound like something out of the 3rd to 6th centuries?”
“…I don’t know.”
Vice President Arthur couldn’t help but feel exasperated that the strong alliances mentioned by his aide seemed more fitting for an ancient museum rather than the modern 21st century.
Arthur sincerely wondered if he was trapped in a twisted nightmare.
—
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