Chapter 93
Thus, Lee Hyuna successfully contacted Ko Joon-woo using the alias Kim Ha-yeon and even managed to deliver supplies to him.
“If the delivered supplies are used sparingly, they should last for about a month. But can such a small amount really allow him to dominate Daegu? Or even expand his influence?”
After examining the list and quantity of supplies delivered to Ko Joon-woo, Lee Sua assessed that the supplies could sustain Ko Joon-woo’s faction for a month if used frugally.
However, that was only if the supplies were used sparingly. If the resources were recklessly consumed without any thought…
“What if they use everything carelessly?”
“If they try to conserve even a little, two weeks. If they splurge without thinking, everything will be gone within a week.”
In the continuous battles of the Apocalypse, food consumption was unimaginable. Even a truckload of supplies could disappear in an instant.
Thus, even if Lee Hyuna had delivered supplies from five trucks, a large camp would consume everything within a week if used without restraint.
That’s why Lee Sua coldly pointed out that the supplies would only last two weeks at best if used carefully, but would be entirely consumed within a week if squandered.
“What do you think he’ll do, Sua?”
“The latter, right? Judging from the personality that’s been revealed on the community forums.”
“Ha-ha. Correct. By next week, he’ll be out of supplies and begging me for more.”
Considering Ko Joon-woo’s nature, Lee Sua predicted that the supplies would be completely consumed within a week and gave Lee Hyuna a disapproving look for handing over such valuable resources.
To be fair, from the Balhut Cult’s perspective, with trade lines established with the United States, the supplies given to Ko Joon-woo were a negligible amount.
The food imported through trade into Pohang’s port was abundant, and the cult had even begun establishing factories to process food, making it relatively free from food shortages.
“Still, giving away canned tuna and ham was a bit much. Those are being used as a currency standard in other regions.”
However, supplies were supplies. Considering the rising value of physical goods in the Apocalypse, the fact that high-value items like canned tuna and ham—equivalent to currency in many places—were given to Ko Joon-woo felt wasteful.
The fact that these resources would vanish to fulfill Ko Joon-woo’s indulgences was particularly painful.
After all, these items didn’t appear out of nowhere. They were procured through the Balhut Cult’s time and effort.
“For that, I’m sorry. Can you just consider it a necessary expense? Besides, I made sure to keep the valuable canned goods for ourselves and filled most of the supplies with nearly expired instant noodles.”
Of course, Lee Hyuna acknowledged her mistake, explaining that most of the supplies consisted of soon-to-expire instant noodles.
By now, more than half a year into the Apocalypse, the expiration dates of many instant noodles had reached their limits. Some were already too rancid to eat and had to be repurposed as livestock feed.
Only dried noodles were still edible, but even those were nearing their end and would likely spoil in another month.
Thus, providing instant noodles wasn’t a significant loss. If anything, using them in this way might have been a gain.
“Fine. I’ll let it slide this time. But with such substandard supplies, he won’t achieve much beyond slightly expanding his influence. Daegu’s Interim Government isn’t to be underestimated. Heo Jin-ho’s leadership and public support are the real deal.”
“Ha-ha. In that case, they’ll have to request supplies from us. I’m looking forward to seeing what excuses or nonsense they come up with next week.”
Even though the Interim Government of Daegu had successfully formed, they were not to be underestimated.
While Ko Joon-woo’s faction might have some momentum, such substandard supplies wouldn’t allow them to achieve more than minor influence expansion. They certainly wouldn’t be able to pose a threat to the Interim Government led by Heo Jin-ho.
Nonetheless, Lee Hyuna seemed confident that Ko Joon-woo would eventually come crawling back to her for more supplies.
“Are you enjoying this?”
“Yes. It’s amusing to watch. I plan to turn him into our loyal little lapdog.”
“You’re ruthless. My sister is a complete villain.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
After all, her goal was to turn Ko Joon-woo into the lapdog of the identity she had assumed, Kim Ha-yeon—not directly of the Balhut Cult.
Hearing this, Lee Sua could only close her eyes and label her sister as utterly ruthless.
“D-do you have more food?”
And as expected, Ko Joon-woo failed to exceed Lee Hyuna’s expectations.
Human greed knows no bounds. With the sudden influx of free supplies, Ko Joon-woo and his faction had recklessly squandered them on luxuries and indulgence.
As the saying goes, “Even the spirits of the dead are well-fed.” In the Apocalypse, where death could come at any moment, many people prioritized immediate gratification over worrying about the uncertain future.
The loosened trigger fingers pointed at others were matched only by the frayed patience of survivors. For many, it was better to indulge now and die satisfied than to die without ever enjoying life.
“Ah, of course. We can arrange more.”
Planning with such psychological tendencies in mind, Lee Hyuna had orchestrated everything.
A week later, when Lee Hyuna returned to Daegu, she wasn’t surprised to find Ko Joon-woo shamelessly requesting more food. She inwardly mocked his foolishness while outwardly responding with a bright smile.
Even in the face of Ko Joon-woo’s unreasonable demands, she continued to smile warmly as though everything was fine.
“Let’s take this slowly, step by step. Let’s see how well I can tame him.”
From the beginning, the supplies Lee Hyuna delivered had been deliberately selected to prevent Ko Joon-woo from conserving them for a month.
The food given to him wasn’t long-lasting canned goods but near-expiration noodles and other perishable items.
“R-really!? Hah, ahem! When I succeed in the future, I’ll repay you generously!”
By ensuring that Ko Joon-woo couldn’t even consider conserving the supplies, Lee Hyuna effectively manipulated the situation to her advantage.
To Ko Joon-woo, the supplies were like a divine gift. He was oblivious to the fact that they were practically worthless and enthusiastically pledged his future success in return.
“But there’s one piece of information I’d like to know.”
“And what’s that?”
And before handing over the supplies, Lee Hyuna made one request.
Startled by the sudden request, Ko Joon-woo asked what her demand was.
“However, we have no idea how your faction is organized.”
Lee Hyuna expressed her desire to know how Ko Joon-woo’s faction was structured.
But there was one problem with this.
‘Well, I already have a rough idea.’
Lee Hyuna already had a general understanding of Ko Joon-woo’s faction, thanks to Lee Sua.
Her younger sister, Lee Sua, had compiled information from the Daegu community to estimate the general power dynamics within Daegu. Based on the information Lee Sua uncovered, Lee Hyuna was able to allocate only modest supplies to Ko Joon-woo.
From Lee Hyuna’s perspective, the request was unnecessary, as knowing Ko Joon-woo’s power structure offered no real benefit.
“And while we’ve secretly come here, we know nothing about Daegu’s internal dynamics. For Ko Joon-woo to conquer Daegu, you must have detailed information. Do you have any?”
“I-I can tell you as much as you want!”
Using this as bait, Lee Hyuna began gradually increasing her demands.
To Ko Joon-woo, this felt like a legitimate transaction with Lee Hyuna. At the same time, it convinced him that he was securing supplies through a fair deal.
It was a form of gaslighting. As Ko Joon-woo indulged in the luxury provided by Lee Hyuna’s supplies, he failed to notice that he was increasingly ensnared by her escalating demands.
“Could you possibly gather materials on the Interim Government of Daegu?”
“T-that’s difficult right now, but…”
Lee Hyuna then made slightly unreasonable requests, deliberately creating hesitation.
“Ah! That’s unfortunate! If you could provide that, we could deliver even more supplies to you! Our investors who support you would be thrilled!”
“I can do it!”
By suggesting greater rewards for fulfilling her demands, she stimulated Ko Joon-woo’s greed, steadily eroding his self-control and patience.
Once he crossed the line, Ko Joon-woo could no longer contain his greed for Lee Hyuna’s supplies.
“This information was very meaningful to us. Here’s your reward.”
As Ko Joon-woo crossed the line further, Lee Hyuna increased the amount of supplies she provided.
What started as a minor thirst became an insatiable craving, leaving Ko Joon-woo dependent on the supplies Lee Hyuna provided.
Thus, Lee Hyuna gradually began to turn Ko Joon-woo into a lackey under the alias Kim Ha-yeon.
“Here, I got it.”
“Oh, this was an unreasonable request, even in my eyes. How did you manage it?”
“Haha, bribery solves everything.”
And once Ko Joon-woo crossed the line, he managed to obtain internal information on the Interim Government of Daegu that Lee Hyuna requested.
This included critical information not disclosed to the Daegu community.
Since Ko Joon-woo was also a member of the Interim Government, he had access to the data, and due to the nature of the still-fragmented Interim Government, copying such information without being caught was easy.
All he had to do was bribe an acquaintance with a few supplies, and they would organize and hand over the data to him.
“Thanks to this, we can distribute supplies more efficiently!”
With this, Lee Hyuna was able to obtain internal information on Daegu, including the composition of the Interim Government, the factions they opposed, their blacklist, and the current state of Daegu.
This alone meant Ko Joon-woo’s role was effectively complete, and it wouldn’t have been an issue to discard him now.
“Haha, even Ko Joon-woo is on this blacklist.”
While reviewing the data Ko Joon-woo provided, Lee Hyuna discovered that Ko Joon-woo himself was listed on the Interim Government’s blacklist.
Amused, Lee Hyuna continued to observe the internal dynamics of the Interim Government, while Lee Sua, helping her from the side, sighed and spoke.
“Do we really need to support Ko Joon-woo?”
“We do. If used well, we can deal a major blow to the Interim Government’s pride.”
“But… if luck were on his side and his group won, we’d just be creating another Do Josoon.”
Lee Sua seemed worried about the possibility of another Do Josoon emerging.
Another Do Josoon.
Within the Balhut Cult, this term referred to a tyrant who ruled with oppression rather than governance.
“Even if negotiations are troublesome… shouldn’t we still work with the Interim Government?”
“They’d just be like Pohang, causing a ruckus to protect their own interests.”
“God Bahamut might listen to their nonsense, but watching it sickens me.”
Indeed, another Do Josoon was a frightening prospect, but so was the Interim Government opposing the Cult.
Lee Hyuna found this intolerable.
“We’ve shown so much mercy, so why do they keep pursuing their greed? It doesn’t make sense for us to always concede.”
The Cult couldn’t keep making concessions.
During their first encounter with Pohang, the Cult had no choice but to overlook certain things as it was the first interaction, and they lacked clear standards and boundaries.
But would they have to keep accommodating such challenges every time they reclaimed a city?
“That’s why I want to break their arrogant pride.”
Lee Hyuna couldn’t stand it.
She wanted to see these cities, which relied on their size and pursued selfish interests, humbled.
She wanted to see them beg the Cult for survival.
“Until we take over Daegu, I’ll ensure they’re embroiled in internal conflict.”
She planned to use internal disruptors like Ko Joon-woo to weaken them.
“I understand how you feel, but allowing a tyrant to rise is crossing the line.”
“A tyrant, huh. Yeah, someone like Do Josoon would indeed be terrifying.”
Lee Sua expressed concern about the emergence of another tyrant.
It was undoubtedly a terrifying prospect. After all, even the Cult had suffered because of Do Josoon.
“Even a tyrant, I’ll control.”
“Huh?”
“Daegu is a region that cannot sustain its own food supply. At best, they survive on lotus roots… and the people I work with are all young, aren’t they?”
However, Lee Hyuna claimed she could even control such a tyrant.
This confidence stemmed from her belief that Daegu, being an inland area without access to the sea, could not survive without Gyeongju’s support.
“Oh…”
“Besides, I plan to discard them eventually.”
As the saying goes, once the hunt is over, the hunting dog is cooked. Lee Hyuna planned to discard Ko Joon-woo once he was no longer useful.
“Is that why you’re using that organization’s name?”
“Of course. Why else would I pose as such a criminal?”
She had assumed the identity of an organization hostile to the Balhut Cult for the purpose of eventual betrayal.
“But will that be so easy? Controlling them?”
“Yes. Recently, I saw their business sites.”
But how would she weaken and control them? Merely providing supplies wouldn’t suffice, as there was always the risk of them consuming the supplies and running.
Despite Lee Sua’s concerns…
“What about the business sites?”
“I found something quite interesting. If given to Ko Joon-woo, it’ll lead to some very amusing outcomes.”
With a confident smile, she hinted at a secret weapon.
“Wait, sister. This interesting item… it’s not poppies, is it?”
“Hmm? Is there a problem?”
Lee Sua asked cautiously, suspecting the worst.
And Lee Hyuna, as if to confirm her suspicions, questioned what was wrong.
“…That’s opium.”
Indeed, Lee Hyuna’s secret weapon was none other than opium.
This woman was seriously considering spreading drugs in Daegu.
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