Chapter 51
After several attempts at engaging with the Spider Mutant Zombies, Jung Dong-gun and his unit secured the Steelworks Triangle, thus clearing a path to Pohang Campus.
While the zombies coming from inside the buildings around Steelworks Triangle and those descending from Pohang Campus were problematic, just making Steelworks Triangle a safe area for the unit to navigate was a significant achievement.
Next time they needed to search the area, they would be able to arrive quickly without much interference.
Without expecting to gain too much on the first try, Jung Dong-gun looked toward the path leading to Pohang Campus and asked Son Sang-hui, who was beside him.
“Is there a Survivor Camp over there?”
“Yes, it’s one of the three main camps in Pohang.”
“I see. If we’re lucky, we might encounter a large Survivor Camp here at this intersection.”
The distance from Pohang Campus to the university’s main building was about 4 kilometres. (2.48 miles approx.)
By car, it would take only about 4 minutes, while on foot, it would take roughly 25 minutes.
It was a short distance if you looked at it one way, but a fair distance if you looked at it another way. Jung Dong-gun stared briefly down the path to the campus.
“Today’s exploration ends here. Let’s start by clearing out the zombies around this intersection.”
“Are you not planning to make contact with the Survivor Camp?”
“No, that’s not it.”
He decided not to proceed further and would instead clear out the zombies near the intersection.
Son Sang-hui, curious about Jung Dong-gun’s decision, asked if he didn’t intend to make contact with the Survivor Camp at Pohang Campus.
Of course, Jung Dong-gun had considered the idea of contacting the Pohang Campus and forming an alliance.
However.
“Today, I only plan to retrieve data on the newly encountered mutant zombies. We need to develop countermeasures against the Spider Mutant Zombies first.”
“They weren’t even real threats to you or your unit, though.”
“Yes, but for Bahamut’s Cult, each of our soldiers is a valuable asset. Rather than gambling with the lives of my soldiers, I’d rather choose the safest way to fight.”
Jung Dong-gun explained that he had no intention of recklessly risking the safety of Bahamut’s Cult by confronting the Survivor Camp.
This area was still enemy territory, occupied by zombies, and Jung Dong-gun and his unit were here on an expedition.
Losing even a single soldier, especially from the elite awakened expedition unit, would be a significant loss. Therefore, planning a strategy that prioritized safe combat was the best course of action.
To fully secure Steelworks Triangle, they needed to clear out the surrounding area.
And while at it, gathering any supplies stored within the nearby buildings was part of the expedition’s duties.
“Still, it might be a good idea to leave a way for them to contact us if they wish.”
He didn’t intend to avoid contact with Pohang Campus entirely.
If they chose to reach out to Bahamut’s Cult rather than the other way around, then it would be necessary to have a way to receive that contact.
“What do you have in mind?”
“This.”
“Isn’t that a supply kit?”
Jung Dong-gun pulled out a supply kit he had packed into his combat backpack just in case.
The kit contained enough food for one person for four days, high-calorie chocolate bars, purified water, and an emergency medical kit.
Before the apocalypse, these were common items, but now, in a world ravaged by the Zombie Apocalypse, each item was rare and precious.
“I’ll leave this on the street.”
“Isn’t that a waste? It’s like throwing gold on the ground.”
“Yes, it’s a waste. Each of these items is essential for survival.”
While Bahamut’s Cult had unrestricted access to such resources, for most, these supplies were nearly impossible to find.
Especially the emergency medical kit, which, in these end times, was as valuable as several cans of tuna put together.
Recalling how Son Sang-hui and her group of survivors had nearly perished for lack of medical supplies, Jung Dong-gun’s action seemed akin to throwing gold on the ground.
Watching him, Son Sang-hui felt it was a waste, and Jung Dong-gun admitted as much.
“But on the other hand, it can serve to lure them. Precisely because these items are so valuable.”
“Oh.”
He understood that such high-value items would attract attention.
Anyone finding a single kit in the area would gain enough food for three days, clean water, and an emergency medical kit.
How many survivors would risk their lives to come here upon seeing this?
Having survived before Bahamut’s Descent, Jung Dong-gun believed that many survivors would indeed come.
“You’re right. But won’t most survivors assume these were left by someone fleeing zombies?”
“I’ll leave a contact address to Bahamut’s Cult along with the supplies.”
Of course, he had no intention of just leaving the supplies there.
To ensure the other side could recognize them as an invitation, he planned to leave Bahamut’s Cult’s contact information with the supplies.
Seeing Jung Dong-gun effortlessly insert Bahamut’s Cult contact information into the supply kit, Son Sang-hui thought he must have done this before.
“Do you think the Survivor Camp that finds this will make contact?”
“I don’t know. But if we openly leave such valuable supplies and request contact, the survivor who retrieves it will surely feel curious, wondering just how well-off we must be to leave all these supplies behind.”
“But they might just assume it was abandoned in a rush to survive and that the contact info is a fake left to reclaim the supplies.”
Curious, Son Sang-hui immediately asked if a survivor would contact the cult, and Jung Dong-gun, shaking his head, replied that he wasn’t sure.
However, he added that simply stirring up curiosity was enough, since there was always a chance. He acknowledged that, as Son Sang-hui had pointed out, it could indeed be interpreted as someone abandoning supplies to escape.
“The decision is theirs to make. It’s not up to us. If they think that, then it ends there. But there’s also a way to make them not dare to doubt.”
“Really?”
Jung Dong-gun replied that ultimately it was up to the survivor who retrieved it, but he added that he had a plan to make them incapable of doubting.
What could he possibly have planned that would prevent the other side from even daring to question it?
“We’ll scatter a large quantity of supplies throughout the area. It’s called the ‘Money Squander Operation.’”
“……….”
Son Sang-hui remained silent.
If they did that, it would force the other side to believe it, whether they wanted to or not.
“Um… do you really have that many supplies?”
Bahamut’s Cult seemed suspiciously wealthy—or rather, they had an almost suspiciously abundant amount of supplies.
Where on earth did they get all of this?
Food, clean water, and a vast array of weapons essential for survival.
Considering the sheer volume of materials used even now in constructing the forward base on Gunpo Industrial Road, one might question if Gyeongju alone could really support this.
“Well, we were lucky. We happened upon a Treasure Goblin. Yes, we were very fortunate.”
Naturally, all of this spending wasn’t Bahamut’s Cult’s own wealth but rather came from Do Josoon’s treasure vault.
If Do Josoon, who had appealed his death sentence only to have all his powers sealed and be imprisoned, could witness this sight, he’d be horrified. However, Bahamut’s Cult had no intention of taking responsibility for his wealth; instead, they had flung open the vault’s doors wide to compensate his victims.
Even after such wanton spending, they could still cover the costs of the expedition unit!
Of course, they’d thoroughly plundered North Gyeongju’s rule to amass those assets, but that wasn’t Bahamut’s Cult’s concern, so they could just ignore it for now.
“Alright, let’s get ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
And so, Jung Dong-gun and his unit began to place backpacks filled with supplies in easily visible spots.
With the backpacks from all twelve members, including Jung Dong-gun and Son Sang-hui, placed on the street and a contact for Bahamut’s Cult attached, they were ready to wait for a response.
“Lord Bahamut, please teleport us.”
Once everything was in place, Jung Dong-gun lightly tapped the ID tags of his unit, just as Yuna had instructed.
A magic circle appeared around Jung Dong-gun and his unit, and in a flash of white light, they vanished.
They were teleported right to the front of the forward base, where a magic circle had been drawn.
“Is… is this even possible?”
“I’ve heard of it, but… it’s amazing. This will drastically reduce the time spent moving.”
Arriving instantly from Steelworks Triangle to the forward base, Son Sang-hui looked at Jung Dong-gun in disbelief.
Though it was Jung Dong-gun’s first experience with the magic, he was elated, realizing that if used properly, this could significantly cut down on wasted movement.
“It’s possible because I’m stationed at the forward base. If the barrier here were to disappear, this function wouldn’t work.”
Yuna, who had teleported them, greeted them, explaining that if the barrier at the forward base were removed, they would lose this function.
“That’s a shame. So, does that mean we can teleport to Gyeongju as well?”
“It’s possible, but for now, it’s being remotely controlled by Lord Bahamut, so it won’t be used regularly.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Jung Dong-gun felt disappointed yet encouraged by the possibilities this hinted at.
Though the technology was still underdeveloped, he felt optimistic that they could make more progress with time.
“If we continue developing this technology, it may become possible. Lord Bahamut is researching it, after all.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
More than anything, it was reassuring to know that Lord Bahamut himself was committed to its development.
With Bahamut personally involved, Jung Dong-gun believed it was only a matter of time, feeling genuinely thrilled.
“Now, I’ll report the results of our reconnaissance.”
He began his report on the outcomes of the exploration.
From the encounter with the Spider Mutant Zombies to the by-products obtained from the zombies and the potential contact with survivors—all of it.
Yuna would report all of this to Lord Bahamut, who would use the information to advise the cult.
“So there was a camp nearby.”
“Yes. According to Son Sang-hui, there should be a large camp on the university campus.”
“Given the recent skirmish, they’ve likely sent scouts to investigate, and they may have already found the supplies we left.”
“That’s possible. Since we fought in the area, any well-equipped camp nearby would surely notice. We even used Bahamut Rounds.”
Yuna noted that if there had been a fight with the Spider Mutant Zombies nearby, they likely detected it.
Jung Dong-gun nodded in agreement, believing that any camp with resources wouldn’t miss his skirmish.
It hadn’t been a quiet battle, and he had even used Bahamut Rounds against the Spider Mutant Zombies.
These rounds, imbued with fire attributes, produced a deafening sound akin to cannon fire.
Having fired several of those rounds, Jung Dong-gun believed it would be impossible for anyone nearby not to notice.
“If… if they had collapsed after we left, they might not have heard it.”
“But it’s a large camp, right? If they only took the awakened ones and fled, they might still survive.”
“… Somehow, you seem suspiciously knowledgeable about extreme survival tactics.”
Bahamut’s Cult Leader, Yuna, who seemed suspiciously well-versed in such desperate survival strategies.
Son Sang-hui’s pointed remark drew a bitter smile from Yuna.
“It was knowledge generously provided by someone. Of course, that would be for the worst-case scenario. Still, let’s hope that some scattered survivors retrieve the supplies we’ve left. Let’s stay hopeful, Sang-hui.”
“Yes!”
Encouraging her to stay hopeful that scattered survivors would find the supplies the cult had left behind, Yuna smiled kindly.
Son Sang-hui nodded solemnly, moved by the cult leader’s words, and resolved to hold onto hope.
Indeed, over the next few days, they launched aggressive offensives in various directions through Gunpo Industrial Road.
The main expeditionary force liberated numerous villages and farms on the outskirts of Pohang and cleared the surrounding zombies for safety. Meanwhile, Jung Dong-gun’s reconnaissance unit penetrated deep into the city of Pohang, distributing supplies extensively to establish contact with the survivors within.
And then…
“We’ve received a message.”
“Yes. They posted a message on the community as we instructed.”
A long-awaited message appeared on the Bahamut Cult’s website.
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