Chapter 87
The path for the sect’s advancement had been determined, and now it was time for the bureaucrats in charge of each organization to execute the decisions made during the meeting.
“Did you call for me, Ms. Lee Hyuna?”
“Yes. I have something to ask.”
Lee Hyuna, who served as the economic bureaucratic representative of the sect, summoned Jung Dong-gun, the military bureaucratic representative, to her office immediately after the meeting.
They were to discuss the direction of future operations.
It might have seemed odd for an economic bureaucrat to lead discussions on the campaign for Ulsan.
However, since Lee Hyuna had proposed the initiative, and others had accepted it, she likely felt the responsibility to ensure its success, prompting her to summon Jung Dong-gun.
“What is it you’d like to ask?”
“I have a plan. If I proceed, will you cooperate?”
“Well, that depends on what the plan is.”
Or perhaps, she was formulating some sort of strategy of her own.
“What do you think of the coalition government previously proposed by the former three Pohang camps before negotiating with us?”
“That is something my deputy, Son Sang-hui, would know better. But from the information we’ve received in the military, while it might look united on the surface, internally, it’s a complete mess. They barely came together but couldn’t reconcile their differences, bringing them to the brink of civil war.”
Jung Dong-gun answered Lee Hyuna’s summons without suspicion.
She first asked about the coalition government formed by the former three Pohang camps, which had experienced something similar to Daegu’s coalition.
Jung Dong-gun mentioned that Son Sang-hui might know more details but admitted the situation in Pohang had been chaotic.
He revealed that the coalition was so internally divided it had nearly led to outright civil war.
“A complete mess, you say.”
“Yes, because each faction had differing interests.”
Though it was technically a coalition government, the factions pursued only their own interests.
With no real cooperation and inevitable conflicts of interest, tensions within the coalition had escalated, nearly resulting in civil war.
The factions within the three Pohang camps each had differing goals, meaning that when one faction benefited, another faced inevitable losses.
Internal conflict was thus unavoidable.
Despite these shortcomings, the coalition did allow Pohang to project a larger image of unity, which proved advantageous during negotiations with the sect.
Seo Un-jae had emphasized Pohang’s unified strength, which gave them the leverage to secure and protect their interests.
Similarly, Daegu likely formed its coalition government, despite its flaws, to project an inflated sense of power externally.
“Internal conflict, then. Even in our case, Gyeongju’s unification wasn’t entirely peaceful. Remember, we divided into North Gyeongju and South Gyeongju, and a near civil war broke out during the unification process. This means that Daegu’s temporary government must also be experiencing internal chaos, doesn’t it?”
Indeed, even the Balhut Cult had gone through a similar process, with Gyeongju factions engaging in an internal war.
Despite God Bahamut personally meeting Gyeongju’s survivor leaders to discuss the future sincerely, only half of those present had joined the Balhut Cult, while the other half had refused.
Even with Bahamut’s direct involvement, internal divisions had occurred.
It stood to reason that cities without such divine intervention would face far bloodier unification processes.
Of course, as demonstrated by Pohang’s Seo Un-jae, social consensus could potentially unify factions without violence. However, such courageous politicians were rare.
The political leaders of Gyeongju had not praised Seo Un-jae’s bold decision for no reason.
“However, based on community reports, Daegu doesn’t appear to be in as dire a state as Pohang. It seems they have a strong, decisive leader or a powerful Awakened individual holding Daegu’s reins tightly. They also seem to be achieving significant results through negotiation.”
“So, even after we target Ulsan, Daegu may remain intact to the west.”
“Yes, I think that’s highly likely.”
The formation of a temporary government suggested that Daegu had achieved some level of social consensus internally. Jung Dong-gun acknowledged this and evaluated their progress positively, while Lee Hyuna’s expression grew colder.
She remarked on the possibility of Daegu remaining strong even after the sect’s campaign against Ulsan, her tone tinged with what seemed to be jealousy or irritation.
Jung Dong-gun, unaware of her emotions, answered honestly.
“I don’t like it.”
“Pardon?”
Lee Hyuna’s expression revealed her displeasure at Daegu’s apparent resilience.
Jung Dong-gun finally noticed something odd, but before he could comment, Lee Hyuna spoke first.
“No. What do you think about supporting Daegu?”
“Supporting Daegu?”
Despite her icy demeanor, she unexpectedly suggested aiding Daegu, contrary to what Jung Dong-gun had anticipated.
He deliberated for a moment before replying.
“Well, if Daegu were to fall to the zombies before we launched our Ulsan campaign, it would indeed be problematic. We’d have to take over the frontlines Daegu is currently holding. The relationship between Daegu and Gyeongju is one of interdependence.”
As a military expert, Jung Dong-gun explained that if Daegu fell, Gyeongju would be next.
Daegu’s frontlines would become Gyeongju’s responsibility, requiring greater investment in eastern defenses.
“Haha, exactly. If Daegu falls to the zombies, their next target would be us in Gyeongju.”
Lee Hyuna laughed, aligning her thoughts with Jung Dong-gun’s analysis.
She added that the collapse of Daegu would inevitably lead to Gyeongju becoming the zombies’ next focus.
“If these zombies are more like undead than the typical apocalypse zombies we know, then there’s likely a stronger entity commanding them. Such an entity could very well lead to Daegu’s downfall.”
“I agree.”
Building on Bahamut’s warnings, Lee Hyuna argued that if Daegu were to fall to the zombies, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The suspicion that God Bahamut had warned about was accepted without question by Jung Dong-gun.
From the Balhut Cult’s perspective, Bahamut’s warnings were akin to prophecies.
“In other words, the temporary government of Daegu must survive. Even if it perishes, the Balhut Cult will forcibly sustain it.”
As if she had been waiting for the moment, Lee Hyuna asserted that the temporary government of Daegu must be kept alive.
She declared that even if the temporary government were to collapse, the Balhut Cult would intervene to prolong its existence.
“Are you planning to use Daegu as a buffer zone between the Balhut Cult and the zombies beyond?”
It was akin to the buffer zones often established between powerful nations.
Although neither the Balhut Cult nor the zombies had founded nations, the Balhut Cult, in terms of influence, served as a protective wall against the zombie hordes spreading across the Korean Peninsula, with Daegu as the frontier.
From the Cult’s standpoint, it was far better for Daegu’s temporary government to serve as a buffer than for the zombies to directly reach their borders.
“Yes, a buffer zone to block not only the zombies in Daegu but also those from regions beyond, such as Sejong or Gwangju.”
The Cult did not want to bear the burden of zombies from Sejong or Gwangju immediately.
It was a cruel suggestion, essentially using Daegu as a shield for Gyeongju.
“A buffer zone, you say. Not a bad idea. Coincidentally, we have an abundant supply of food and building materials, thanks to selling Balhut Cult weapons. Securing the materials Daegu needs should be easy.”
Surprisingly, Jung Dong-gun agreed with the idea of using Daegu as a buffer zone.
‘This would allow us to redeploy the soldiers stationed at the western border gate for the Ulsan campaign.’
From his perspective, it meant that troops assigned to the western border could be utilized for the offensive on Ulsan.
In a situation where every single Awakened individual was invaluable, such a reaction was inevitable.
‘We’re not responsible for the residents of Daegu, nor are we their rulers.’
Moreover, the Balhut Cult ruled over Pohang and Gyeongju, not Daegu, which further justified the decision.
If the Cult’s influence had extended to Daegu, Jung Dong-gun might have vehemently opposed Lee Hyuna’s proposal and reported it to the upper echelons of the Cult.
However, since Daegu was outside their jurisdiction and already had a government chosen by its citizens, the Balhut Cult had no reason to interfere unnecessarily.
Additionally, by supplying resources to Daegu, which lacked arable land and faced severe food shortages, the Cult could establish a transactional relationship with the city.
“Yes, Daegu, being an inland region, has no means of trading with foreign countries. While there is an airport, we don’t even know if it has been reclaimed from the zombies.”
“Haha. Then it’s only natural for the Cult, as Daegu’s closest neighbor, to assist them.”
Seemingly aware of Jung Dong-gun’s thought process, Lee Hyuna cleverly argued that only the Balhut Cult had the capacity to supply resources to Daegu.
Jung Dong-gun viewed this as a mutually beneficial transaction.
“Yes, Gyeongju will assist Daegu by supplying resources. In return, Daegu can block incoming zombies from outside regions. It’s a mutually beneficial deal, isn’t it?”
“Haha. Then we must establish contact with Daegu’s temporary government officials.”
“I’ll handle that.”
Thus, Lee Hyuna successfully secured the initiative for this mission.
While one could question how she intended to contact Daegu’s temporary government officials without military assistance, she seemed confident.
“I’ve heard that the temporary government of Daegu has established a communication network through the Daegu Community. Most of the messages are about regional danger alerts, though.”
“Still, it should be possible to establish contact through their community site.”
Even without direct contact, communication was possible through the community site.
The internet infrastructure, surprisingly still operational even in the apocalypse, allowed for the exchange of information between regions.
This functionality had already proven its utility during the campaign in Pohang.
“Then, what resources does Daegu need most?”
Unsurprisingly, the answer was food.
“Food.”
It was, without question, food.
“Now that the apocalypse has entered its sixth month, even instant noodles are nearing their expiration dates. While canned and dried foods might still be in stock, Daegu doesn’t have adequate farmland to produce its own food.”
Unlike Gyeongju and Pohang, which had the fertile Hyeongsan River basin for agriculture, Daegu lacked sufficient farmland to sustain its population.
While crops like lotus root, apples, and cucumbers were grown in the outskirts of Daegu, there were no farms within the city itself.
“They must be reaching their limits. If we plan to support them, we must act quickly.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
Unlike Gyeongju and Pohang, which could rely on their agricultural resources, Daegu had to depend entirely on external food supplies.
‘When they’re on the brink of despair, we’ll seize their lifeline with a dramatic gesture.’
Smiling brightly, Lee Hyuna contemplated using Daegu’s food crisis to tighten her grip on the city.
“In that case, the military will assist with this effort.”
As the discussion about Daegu neared its conclusion, Jung Dong-gun offered to allocate military personnel to support Lee Hyuna’s mission.
“Oh, there’s no need.”
“Pardon?”
“We have our agents to handle this.”
However, Lee Hyuna dismissed the offer, asserting that they could manage on their own.
“…What?”
It was only then that Jung Dong-gun began to sense something amiss.
Could it be…
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to use that organization?”
The entity she was referring to was none other than the Balhut Cult’s infamous Internal Revenue Service—a group notorious for its ruthless and terrifying methods.
Realizing her intentions, Jung Dong-gun looked at Lee Hyuna with a face full of fear and disbelief.
“The Balhut Internal Revenue Service?”
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