Chapter 48
There was a brief silence, but neither Jung Dong-gun nor Son Sang-hui was the type to forget their duties.
Using the bus led by Yoo Soo-sung, they prepared to board all critical patients and send them to a university hospital in Gyeongju.
“Are all urgent patients on the bus?”
“Yes.”
“Then, depart.”
After loading the patients onto the bus with the soldiers, they set off for Gyeongju.
Once they reached Gyeongju, Hospital Director Han Joon-woo and his medical staff would thoroughly examine and treat the survivors.
To gain control of Pohang, it was essential to win the people’s support, and Jung Dong-gun’s actions could be seen as a gesture to win the favor of Pohang’s survivors.
“Thank you.”
“No, it’s only right.”
However, even such a display of hypocrisy was necessary for many in this apocalyptic era.
If left alone, this survivor camp would likely have perished from disease, exposure, or starvation.
To those like Son Sang-hui, who found a lifeline in this desperate situation, Jung Dong-gun’s actions appeared as noble rather than mere pretense.
“Then, for the operation, I’d like to hear your perspective, Ms. Sang-hui. Shall we proceed?”
“Yes, by all means.”
In a temporary tent, Jung Dong-gun listened as Son Sang-hui shared all the information she remembered.
They spread out the satellite map of Pohang, pinpointing the locations where mutant spider zombies had caused strange incidents, as well as identifying other survivor camps that had managed to stay alive.
They identified camps willing to cooperate, those less likely to do so, and the leadership traits of each camp’s leader.
“There are more camps willing to cooperate than I expected.”
“Isn’t this normal?”
“Well… yes, this should be the norm.”
To his surprise, most of the survivor camps in Pohang were inclined to cooperate in the effort to reclaim the city.
In contrast to his experience in Gyeongju, Son Sang-hui’s testimony indicated a majority who would support the effort, and Jung Dong-gun was visibly surprised.
“Well, unlike Gyeongju, Pohang has a clear enemy—zombies—to unite against.”
Unlike Gyeongju, where there was no unifying external threat, Pohang had a tangible enemy, making it easier for people to come together in a common cause.
Even Do Josoon had managed to maintain the semblance of a functioning survivor camp before Bahamut’s descent, so as long as the zombies were a formidable outside enemy, camps would not refuse to participate in the reclamation.
After all, if they didn’t reclaim Pohang from the zombies, they themselves would be the next to fall.
“This is tricky. If most camps cooperate now, it means there could be some here who would later reveal their true intentions to the Cult.”
Jung Dong-gun had initially intended to distinguish between those willing to cooperate with the Cult and those who wouldn’t, and now he looked troubled.
He feared that once Pohang was reclaimed, conflicts could arise between the Pohang survivor groups and Gyeongju.
“But it should be manageable. If anyone rebels like Do Josoon did, we’ll prove our strength again.”
He concluded that it wouldn’t be a major issue.
The Balhut Cult had already faced numerous challenges from opposing factions.
They had already crushed the self-proclaimed King of Gyeongju, Do Josoon, and gained control of everything in Gyeongju. Any potential resistance in Pohang could be crushed just as they had done with Do Josoon.
In this era, organizations needed to demonstrate their strength to ensure unquestioned obedience.
“They’re here.”
“Wow.”
The long-awaited main expedition arrived at the forward base under construction.
Son Sang-hui gasped in admiration at the sight of heavily armed soldiers disembarking with precision from numerous military transport trucks.
These troops were the Cult’s elite forces, standing in perfect rows, awaiting the commands of the Cult’s leader.
Even though strange events were occurring in Pohang, they showed no hesitation or wavering.
“Who… who is that person?”
At the center was a priestess in a distinctive ceremonial robe who drew everyone’s attention.
She was the Priestess of the Dragon, serving as the supreme figure of the Balhut Cult.
She had come to Pohang herself to uphold the Dragon God’s promise.
“The ruler of Gyeongju. This is Lady Choi Yuna.”
“The ruler of Gyeongju… Then she is…!”
The head of the Balhut Cult.
Son Sang-hui gazed at Choi Yuna in astonishment, and as if sensing her gaze, Choi Yuna gave a gentle smile and slowly approached her.
“Ah, so you’re a survivor from Pohang?”
“Ah, y-yes.”
“Don’t worry. We will reclaim Pohang from the zombies.”
She greeted Son Sang-hui warmly, smiling in a way that conveyed her determination to free Pohang from the zombies.
Son Sang-hui briefly wondered if she was simply putting on a show, as politicians often did, but the priestess in front of her made her think it might truly be possible.
Even just standing there, she exuded an overwhelming presence, and more than anything—
“She’s… powerful…! I can see it; this overwhelming mana. Is she even human? Seol-hwa wasn’t even close to this!”
The intense mana radiating from the Cult Leader made Son Sang-hui wonder if she might not even be human.
Though, of course, she was human.
If she weren’t, the soldiers wouldn’t follow her so loyally.
But once the doubt had been planted, it was hard to shake.
“Uh… I mean…”
“We will attack Pohang and rescue our people.”
“Y-yes!”
Son Sang-hui couldn’t hide her astonishment and could only answer with a simple “Yes” to Choi Yuna’s words.
Seeing Son Sang-hui’s dazed expression, Choi Yuna thought to herself,
“It seems I made her nervous by coming here. Hmm! I understand! Hmm, hmm!”
She had no other thoughts.
She simply assumed the tension was from meeting someone important or that Son Sang-hui was tired from prolonged survival struggles, never once considering that her own power was the source of the tension.
In some ways, she was quite similar to the Dragon God she served, though hopefully, she wouldn’t resemble him in such trivial ways.
“Lady Yuna.”
“Yes, Mr. Jung Dong-gun. That… is that the suspicious structure?”
“Yes, it is. From what we’ve heard, the entity that created it is either something spider-like or akin to an alien from the movies.”
Observing Son Sang-hui’s tension, Jung Dong-gun stepped forward to snap Yuna out of her thoughts.
As Jung Dong-gun spoke, Yuna quickly mentioned the webs near the intersection, and Jung Dong-gun confirmed that, yes, the creature responsible was said to resemble an alien.
At the mention of “alien,” Yuna’s expression darkened.
“That sounds scary.”
“Haha, you’re joking.”
She said it was scary.
Jung Dong-gun assumed she was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke and didn’t take her seriously.
Given her strength, he thought she would easily incinerate the webs and eliminate the mutant with a single blow.
However, to his dismay—
“No, I’m actually scared. I… really don’t like spiders.”
“……….”
She was genuinely frightened.
When she confessed openly that she couldn’t handle spiders or creepy things, Jung Dong-gun was at a loss for words.
To be frank,
“No, to me, Lady Yuna’s Unades Beam is scarier.”
Compared to spiders or mutant zombies, he found the Unades Beam—which had obliterated Do Josoon with a single shot—far more terrifying.
The sight of her casually extending a finger and cheerfully releasing a beam that took down Do Josoon was exhilarating but equally fearsome.
For her to say she was scared of spiders… well, Jung Dong-gun decided to remain silent on the matter.
After all, Jung Dong-gun was a sensible soldier who knew better than to voice every thought.
“Let me establish a barrier at the center of this intersection. We need a safe resting area for the expedition, and I’ll also set up a healing magic circle.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Thankfully, before Jung Dong-gun could accidentally say anything unwise, Yuna announced that she would deploy a barrier at the forward base.
Jung Dong-gun bowed his head and thanked her, as both the protective barrier for the expedition and the healing magic circle to restore their energy were invaluable.
While both spells would greatly benefit the expedition, they would also be taxing on Yuna.
She wouldn’t be able to enter the battlefield herself while maintaining these two spells, but—
“In any case, the final battle will conclude with the arrival of the Dragon God Bahamut.”
Even if Yuna wasn’t on the front lines, the Balhut Cult had a final card to end the war.
Once the battlefield was prepared for Bahamut’s arrival, they intended to finish everything with the Dragon God’s descent, so there was no need for Yuna to participate in minor skirmishes.
“It was scary.”
“Was it really that frightening?”
As Yuna left to enchant the forward base with her magic, Son Sang-hui, who had been tense, let out a sigh of relief.
Jung Dong-gun, noting her sigh and expression, asked why she found it so frightening.
“She seems like a good person, but… is she truly human, like us?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, the power emanating from her… it doesn’t feel human….”
Saying that it didn’t feel like human power was no exaggeration, Jung Dong-gun thought.
Even as her close aide, Jung Dong-gun occasionally felt that Yuna, with all the miracles she performed, might not be human.
Of course, he knew it was due to her contract with the Dragon God Bahamut, who made her His representative, so Son Sang-hui’s words didn’t surprise him.
“You seem to have the ability to sense the mana of others, Ms. Sang-hui.”
“Yes, I… my eyes allow me to detect the level of a person’s mana.”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t realize there were awakened abilities like that.”
Usually, Yuna concealed her mana, so one wouldn’t feel its intensity, yet Son Sang-hui had sensed it.
When Jung Dong-gun inquired about it, Son Sang-hui nonchalantly explained that her eyes enabled her to see such things.
Jung Dong-gun expressed his amazement at such abilities and casually accepted her answer.
“Was that person just now the leader of the Balhut Cult, Choi Yuna?”
“Yes.”
“And… Mr. Jung Dong-gun, are you a soldier under her command?”
Son Sang-hui mentioned the Balhut Cult and asked if the young lady they had just met was the Cult’s leader. Jung Dong-gun answered truthfully.
With his straightforward answer, Son Sang-hui gathered more courage and asked about Jung Dong-gun’s true allegiance.
“Yes, I am a soldier of the Balhut Cult, not the Republic of Korea. Are you disappointed?”
Jung Dong-gun replied honestly.
It wasn’t a complete lie.
He had skillfully hidden his affiliation to prevent Son Sang-hui from reacting rashly, yet every word he spoke about his role and purpose here was true.
“No, I appreciate the consideration. It’s just… surprising to see someone like you serving under her.”
Knowing this, Son Sang-hui said it was okay, though she admitted she couldn’t understand why someone like Jung Dong-gun would follow Choi Yuna.
He was loyal, sincere, brave, and had many followers who trusted him.
She couldn’t comprehend why he would serve the Balhut Cult, widely regarded as a cult.
“Hehe, I had my doubts too at first. But after seeing ‘that,’ I couldn’t help but believe. If I doubted that, I’d have to question my own eyes.”
“What… ‘that’?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Understanding her feelings, he answered candidly that he, too, had initially harbored doubts.
Even as he hoped in Lady Yuna’s ideals, Jung Dong-gun had found them futile, even as she stood alone against the zombie horde.
But those doubts vanished the moment he witnessed the descent of the one they revered.
If he doubted that, he’d have to question everything he’d seen.
Recalling that moment, Jung Dong-gun smiled faintly and told Son Sang-hui she would understand soon enough.
“Before that, we need to prepare for the operation. It’s going to be a long fight.”
They needed to finalize the plan for reclaiming Pohang.
Preparations for battle were still underway.
“Oh, right, we should prepare proper clothing for you all. You can’t withstand the coming cold in those rags, can you?”
“Oh.”
“There should be military supplies with uniforms. I’ll personally distribute them.”
To achieve this, he would need the assistance of his ally, Son Sang-hui, before him.
Jung Dong-gun promised to distribute the Cult’s military supplies, including uniforms, as he inspected the resources they had brought along.
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