Chapter 81
To determine the identity of the ghost ship that appeared in the sea, Baek Seol-hwa dispatched a coastal patrol boat docked in Pohang.
The coastal patrol boat carried marines loyal to the Balhut Cult, while the accompanying patrol ship, designated as the fleet’s command ship, was boarded by Baek Seol-hwa and Kim Tae-sik.
Although the actual command of the fleet rested with Kim Tae-sik, the captain, no one doubted that Baek Seol-hwa was the supreme commander.
“Heh. It’s a reassuring sight, even though it pales compared to the past.”
“With the blessing of the Great Dragon God, Bahamut, we have nothing to fear. If necessary, Lord Bahamut will descend upon the East Sea.”
Rather, the fact that they were with the Priestess of the Dragon inspired only confidence.
The marines and Kim Tae-sik firmly believed that being with Baek Seol-hwa meant receiving the blessings of Bahamut.
Such was the significance of having the Dragon God on their side.
“Then, I entrust this to you, Commander Kim Tae-sik.”
“Understood. All ships, advance!”
With that command, the coastal patrol boat and the patrol ship began to cleave through the sea, heading for the East Sea. It wasn’t long before…
“It seems there really is an unidentified ship out at sea.”
“A ghost ship?”
“I’m not sure. However, most of the vessels detected by radar seem to be unregistered fishing boats that didn’t receive departure permits from Pohang.”
Pohang, currently undergoing reconstruction, was managing ship departures and arrivals to avoid maritime accidents.
Naturally, fishing boats departing from Pohang were under the administrative network’s oversight, which kept track of ships entering and leaving the port.
Before departure, Baek Seol-hwa had already received a report on the ships scheduled to arrive or depart today, and it seemed the patrol ship had spotted unidentified vessels not included in that report.
“Is that the ghost ship Lord Bahamut spoke of?”
“Whether that’s the ghost ship the Dragon God mentioned, I cannot say. But since we are here to investigate all ghost ships in our waters, we should use the patrol boat to inspect the interior of the ghost ship. Ah, and we should warn the marines to be cautious, as there could be zombies aboard.”
“Understood. Patrol boat, the patrol ship has discovered a suspected ghost ship nearby. Marines aboard the patrol boat, prepare to board the unidentified ship!”
“Roger.”
As the mysterious vessel appeared, Kim Tae-sik first confirmed with Baek Seol-hwa whether it was the ghost ship the Dragon God had mentioned. Baek Seol-hwa responded that she didn’t know but reaffirmed their mission to investigate all ghost ships in the area.
Hearing her instructions, Kim Tae-sik communicated with the patrol boat designed for coastal patrols, ordering it to approach the unidentified ship.
“Closer! Get even closer!”
“Boarding!”
The patrol boat followed Kim Tae-sik’s orders faithfully, smoothly approaching the unidentified ship adrift at sea. The marines aboard the patrol boat quickly and skillfully boarded the drifting ship.
Having apparently honed their expertise, the marines showed no fear as they climbed aboard the ghostly vessel.
“Heh. I knew it would come in handy to have recruited personnel from the maritime police.”
For this operation, Kim Tae-sik had leveraged his pre-apocalypse connections to include former coast guard officers among the marines, ensuring their expertise in handling such missions. Their know-how had been passed on to the marines, enabling them to board the drifting ship effortlessly even from a swiftly moving patrol boat.
Seeing all the marines board the unidentified ship safely without any mishaps, Kim Tae-sik let out a sigh of relief.
“Boarding complete! We will now inspect the interior!”
‘So far, I haven’t disappointed the Priestess of the Dragon.’
Kim Tae-sik discreetly glanced at Baek Seol-hwa, who was sitting calmly in her chair.
The marines, now aboard the ghost ship, immediately drew their weapons and entered the ship’s interior.
“Guaaargh.”
“Zombies! There are zombies aboard the ship!”
“Take them down!”
Upon discovering zombies in the cabins and navigation room, the marines quickly began neutralizing them with rifles.
Although they had brought along Bahamut Rounds for the operation, it was confirmed that the zombies aboard the ship were ordinary ones. With precise gunfire, the marines swiftly subdued the zombies.
Unlike the cities, where sheer numbers could overwhelm, the zombies aboard the ship, consisting of the captain and crew, were few in number. This allowed the awakened marines to eliminate them with precise shots.
One by one, they destroyed the zombies’ heads to ensure they couldn’t move and began thoroughly searching the cabins and navigation room for any remaining zombies.
“The ship has been secured.”
“Is there anything unusual inside the ghost ship?”
Having completed the subjugation, the marines radioed the patrol ship to report their success. Kim Tae-sik then inquired if there were any peculiarities aboard the ghost ship.
In response, the marines re-examined the interior of the cabins and navigation room.
“The captain and crew aboard the ship were all turned into zombies. Other than that, nothing unusual so far. We will check the ship’s boarding records and logbook.”
“Search thoroughly.”
“Roger.”
Concluding that there were no survivors aboard, given the presence of zombies, they proceeded to check the ship’s boarding records and logbook.
“Have the other patrol boats continue searching for more ghost ships. Once you’ve secured the boarding records and logbook, return to the main fleet.”
“Roger.”
Confirming the successful capture of one ghost ship, Kim Tae-sik immediately directed the other patrol boats to search for more. Using the patrol ship’s radar, they identified about ten ghost ships adrift in the sea, including the one they had just secured.
Thanks to swift operations, they quickly subdued the ghost ships and retrieved the boarding records and logbooks from the navigation rooms.
After analyzing the retrieved records and logs, they concluded:
“Of the nine fishing boats we secured, all but one departed from Pohang five months ago, before the apocalypse. The remaining one appears to be an illegal fishing boat from another country.”
Among the ten ships, nine were identified as having departed from Pohang, while the remaining one was an illegal vessel that had intruded into Korean waters.
Aside from that single exception, all the ships had originated from Pohang…
“What about the remaining one?”
“It seems to have come from China. While it’s rare in the East Sea, it’s not unheard of.”
“Ah.”
When Baek Seol-hwa asked about the origin of the remaining ship, Kim Tae-sik replied that it was from China.
Even without further explanation, Baek Seol-hwa immediately understood.
Illegal fishing vessels from China were a familiar issue, even to Seol-hwa, who had lived in Pohang. She had occasionally heard of Chinese fishing boats conducting illegal fishing in the East Sea, although it was more common in the Yellow Sea and the South Sea.
In reality, while fleets of illegal fishing boats mostly appeared in the Yellow Sea and South Sea, there were occasional sightings of Chinese fishing vessels venturing into the East Sea.
“It seems there were more fishermen-turned-zombies aboard the fishing vessels than expected.”
“Unlike us, who had the option of escaping to land, the fishermen on the boats had nowhere to run. It’s a tragic fate.”
Most of the fishermen were from Pohang, having set sail to fish, only to fall victim to the zombie outbreak at sea. Unable to escape from the zombies onboard, they were either bitten and killed or turned into zombies themselves.
In cities, there might have been options to flee from zombies, but aboard a fishing boat surrounded by the sea, there was no escape.
Moreover, when the zombie outbreak first occurred, the sudden chaos likely caused many to panic, making them even more vulnerable to the zombies.
Baek Seol-hwa expressed her sorrow over the tragic fate of the fishing vessels, and Kim Tae-sik remarked on the tragedy as well.
“However, all we’ve found so far are ghost ships drifting at sea. We haven’t yet found a true ghost ship operated by zombies.”
“Haha, don’t worry. This patrol ship will locate it soon enough.”
Yet, the true ghost ship operated by zombies remained undiscovered.
The ships they found were merely drifting vessels with ordinary zombies aboard, lacking any intelligence or organization.
Baek Seol-hwa let out a sigh, seemingly anxious, and Kim Tae-sik, noticing this, confidently assured her, almost as if flattering her, that they would find it soon.
“Commander.”
“What is it?”
“It appears… we’ve found the ghost ship you mentioned.”
Finally, the ghost ship they had been waiting for was reported.
While Kim Tae-sik thought it was the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself, he maintained a composed expression as he addressed the crew member reporting the sighting.
“Then report it immediately. Why hesitate?”
“Well, the thing is…”
However, the crew member’s expression was grim.
Seeing the trembling crew member, who appeared to have witnessed something impossible, Kim Tae-sik realized that something was wrong.
“It’s a fleet! The ghost ship isn’t just one—it’s an entire fleet approaching our patrol ship!”
“Contact the patrol boats and order them to retreat from the area immediately!”
As if confirming his ominous premonition, the crew member’s panicked scream echoed through the cabin.
The ghost ship had appeared, but it wasn’t a single ship. It was an entire ghost fleet, as the crew member shouted in terror.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kim Tae-sik ordered the patrol boats to retreat.
“Patrol boats! Abandon the boarded ships and evacuate the area immediately! Over!”
“R-roger!”
The marines aboard the patrol boats also appeared to have spotted the ghost fleet. They quickly retrieved the boarding records and logs before retreating to their boats.
Even the marines could see it clearly.
“What… what is that?”
“It appears to be ghosts.”
They saw translucent figures.
These ghosts floated in the air, projecting an overwhelming aura of menace, instilling fear in the marines aboard the fishing boats.
What frightened the marines most was not just the sight of the ghost ships that seemed straight out of a fantasy, but that the ships included…
“Even the warships we lost…”
…South Korea’s own warships, now part of the ghost fleet.
Seeing the numerous vessels forming ranks and advancing toward the patrol ship, Kim Tae-sik despaired, noting that the ghost fleet included warships once stationed in Pohang.
“To think zombies would be operating a fleet. What do you think, Commander Kim Tae-sik?”
“This is unbelievable.
I can’t believe it.”
As a marine commander who had led countless warships, the sight before him was beyond comprehension.
“Even if mutant zombies possess intelligence, it’s impossible for a single entity to operate such a massive fleet!”
After all, operating ships wasn’t something that could be done easily. It required skilled crew members and technicians.
Moreover, to form a fleet of this magnitude, extensive training and a structured chain of command would be necessary. The idea of a fleet advancing under the control of mere mutant zombies was nothing short of miraculous.
“And yet, they’re operating it so systematically?”
“If you ask me, I can only say I don’t know.”
Kim Tae-sik, unable to accept the sight before him, cried out in disbelief, questioning how this was possible for mutant zombies.
To this, Baek Seol-hwa, maintaining her composure, could only respond that she had no answers.
“Lord Bahamut has said it is no longer appropriate to call them zombies. It is time to refer to them as the Undead.”
“The Undead…!”
Quoting the words of the great Dragon God, she sought to calm the captain and crew.
After all, zombies were a type of Undead. If they had transcended the limits of ordinary zombies, calling them the Undead wouldn’t be out of place.
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