Chapter 98
Bahamut’s advice proved invaluable in the midst of uncertainty, particularly in deciding how to proceed toward Ulsan.
Despite the fear of the unknown, Commander Jung Dong-gun found himself surprisingly composed.
If this was a phenomenon caused by magic or the power of an Awakened, then it was neither terrifying nor intimidating.
After all, if this was the work of humans, there was no reason to believe Jung Dong-gun couldn’t achieve the same. Most importantly…
‘Even Lord Bahamut, the Dragon God, doesn’t see this as an insurmountable magic or mystery.’
Being human, Jung Dong-gun also had moments when he wanted to lean on someone or something.
With countless lives resting on his shoulders, he couldn’t help but yearn for relief from the overwhelming burden. He needed a guiding deity to help him navigate such moments.
Fortunately, Bahamut served as a charismatic guide.
There were many occasions when the Dragon God stepped in to make heavy decisions that Jung Dong-gun found difficult to bear on his own.
And now, the Dragon God suggested that this wasn’t a fear born of the unknown but rather an event caused by someone’s power.
If that were true, then it was the role of a soldier like Jung Dong-gun to trust that and press forward without hesitation.
“How far are you planning to go?”
“I want to reclaim Ulsan Airport. I don’t know if the United States will join our fight, but if we can secure air support from them, it will make future operations much easier.”
Having established a gateway at the intersection and built a forward base, Jung Dong-gun unhesitatingly mentioned Ulsan Airport in response to a question from his lieutenant, Son Sang-hui.
To the south of their current location lay Ulsan Airport.
By reclaiming it, they could utilize the airport’s capabilities to secure air support from the United States.
“The road we are using as our supply route is clear for now. However, there is no village or town to serve as an intermediate base along the way.”
Although they had liberated numerous villages, none could serve as a mid-point supply base.
A key reason was the absence of collaborators or residents to defend these places.
A village without people was worthless as a base.
Without locals to cooperate with, it wasn’t worth the effort to split forces and guard it.
“Are you suggesting the possibility of zombies in places we don’t know about?”
“Yes. If these are ordinary zombies or the mutated variants we’ve encountered before, we don’t need to worry about ambushes. Guard posts at critical points will suffice. But if the enemy is human, they could strike at our most vulnerable moment and deal devastating damage to our supply lines. That’s what I’m concerned about.”
Without intermediate bases, any hit to their supply lines could prove fatal to their expedition.
If worse came to worst, the expeditionary forces might find themselves isolated in Ulsan, running out of fuel, and forced to trek 20 kilometers back on foot under enemy pursuit.
Considering such scenarios, Jung Dong-gun realized they needed not only land-based supply lines but also aerial supply options.
“In the worst-case scenario, we must also secure Pohang Airport. If necessary, we’ll have an escape route by plane.”
“…Are you saying we might have to fight humans?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
This was to prepare for potential conflict with other humans.
Son Sang-hui looked at Jung Dong-gun with concern, but he had already steeled himself.
“And this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve fought humans. We’ve already dealt with the tyrant of north Gyeongju, Do Josoon.”
“Ah.”
Indeed, fighting humans wasn’t new. Jung Dong-gun’s forces had clashed with raiders and played a key role in subduing Do Josoon, the tyrant of north Gyeongju.
Having fought humans before, Jung Dong-gun knew better than anyone how to handle such encounters.
Even so…
‘I can only pray to the Dragon God that the muzzle of this rifle won’t point at innocent people.’
Jung Dong-gun was all too familiar with how easily violence could spiral out of control in this apocalyptic world.
Though he wished to avoid fighting humans as much as possible, he instinctively knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“Then let’s move out.”
With a final look at the gateway at the intersection, Jung Dong-gun departed with Son Sang-hui and his elite troops, heading toward Pohang Airport.
Riding in military trucks, their journey was uninterrupted.
For a while, they enjoyed serene views of rural villages and nearby farmlands.
“Commander, we’ve found something.”
“What is it?”
“A barricade.”
“What?!”
As they neared Pohang Airport, they finally encountered a barricade.
Hearing his subordinate’s report, Jung Dong-gun stood up, staring ahead from the slowing truck. Sure enough, there was a barricade.
It wasn’t the usual metal structure marked with “No Entry” signs. Instead, it was a crude barricade made of furniture scavenged from homes.
“This means someone is holding out here. Or was, at least.”
It was a rare chance to glean the whereabouts of the Ulsan residents who had so far remained untraceable.
Signaling the driver to stop, Jung Dong-gun brought the truck to a gradual halt, maintaining a safe distance from the barricade.
Given their current distance, it was unlikely anyone at the barricade could see their truck unless they possessed extraordinary vision, like that of an Awakened.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone guarding the barricade.”
“Perhaps it’s just a decoy to slow us down. But if we don’t clear it, we’ll have to take a long detour to reach the airport.”
Through his binoculars, Son Sang-hui confirmed the absence of guards at the barricade. Jung Dong-gun deduced it might have been placed to cause delays.
Awakened individuals could easily dismantle it to secure the route, but the time and noise involved could be problematic.
Dismantling the barricade would inevitably alert anyone defending the area. Alternatively, they could take a longer route.
“The other roads are likely blocked too.”
It was reasonable to assume that any alternate routes were also barricaded.
This barricade was a clear declaration of intent to defend Pohang Airport at all costs. However, Jung Dong-gun had no intention of antagonizing the defenders.
“Let’s just bypass it.”
“Yes, sir.”
For military trucks traveling on the road, bypassing the barricade was the only option. However, for Awakened individuals, it was a simple matter of crossing over it or finding a hidden path or small gap.
After parking the military truck in a suitable concealed spot, Jung Dong-gun led his forces to climb over the makeshift barricade and advance toward Pohang Airport.
To avoid any potential surveillance from Ulsan Airport, they hid in the ruins of an abandoned farmhouse’s greenhouse.
Moving cautiously, they crossed a steel fence and successfully infiltrated the parking lot of Ulsan Airport.
“Hmm.”
“Yes.”
Using hand signals, Jung Dong-gun communicated with his soldiers, instructing them to move stealthily.
Hiding between the parked cars in the lot, they began crawling forward in a prone position to infiltrate further inside.
Although there was a chance that no one was at Ulsan Airport, the existence of a barricade suggested a high probability of someone occupying the area.
Thus, Jung Dong-gun approached cautiously.
And his judgment proved to be correct.
“What… what the hell!? How did they get this close!?”
Just as Jung Dong-gun and his men successfully infiltrated Ulsan Airport, a sharp cry rang out. Someone had discovered their intrusion and was visibly shocked.
It seemed the survivors occupying Pohang Airport hadn’t anticipated such a covert approach.
“Everyone, get up! We’ve got enemies!”
Despite the sudden intrusion, the survivors didn’t panic. Instead, one of them remained calm and rallied others to prepare for battle.
Realizing that the survivors had misunderstood their intentions, Jung Dong-gun quickly revealed himself to avoid escalating the situation.
Raising both hands above his head, he shouted into the darkness:
“Wait! We didn’t come here to fight!”
“Don’t make me laugh! After what your cult did to Ulsan, I still get chills just thinking about it!”
“Huh? Cult? What are you talking about?”
Jung Dong-gun was utterly confused at the mention of a cult.
Had the Balhut Cult soldiers stationed along the industrial road acted without orders and caused trouble?
He briefly entertained the possibility that someone under his command had disobeyed orders and undertaken an unauthorized external expedition.
Unable to monitor every soldier stationed at observation posts or checkpoints, Jung Dong-gun relied on his field officers to manage their units. Could one of them have secretly gone rogue?
“I swear on the Great Dragon God that we worship…”
“Spare me your oaths! If I think about what your so-called Immortal Cult did to Ulsan, there’s no way the heavens would ever forgive you!”
“…What did you say? Immortal Cult? What is that?”
Jung Dong-gun was at a loss for words.
As he swore on Bahamut, the Great Dragon God of the Balhut Cult, to assure them that his group wasn’t responsible, a woman shouted the term “Immortal Cult,” leaving him stunned.
Wait. What did she just say?
‘Not the Balhut Cult but the Immortal Cult? Is our cult being mistaken for something else?’
The Immortal Cult?
While it wasn’t uncommon for apocalyptic settings to spawn new cults, the sudden mention of an unfamiliar name rendered Jung Dong-gun’s mind blank.
‘No, wait. Are they confusing us with a completely different religion?’
The Balhut Cult worshipped the Dragon God, and the term “immortal” had no connection to them.
To clarify the misunderstanding, Jung Dong-gun raised his hands higher to demonstrate he had no hostile intentions and shouted again:
“That’s not true! We’re not part of the Immortal Cult! Our group is—”
“Attack first, talk later!”
However, in the apocalypse, people often found it easier and quicker to attack first rather than debate.
Without hesitation, the woman launched an attack. Jung Dong-gun lowered his hands, raised his rifle, and defended himself against her downward strike with a staff, trying to push her back.
“What!?”
“Commander Jung Dong-gun!”
“Commander!”
The attack didn’t overpower him.
As an Awakened who had survived countless life-or-death situations, Jung Dong-gun possessed superhuman strength.
Renowned as the strongest Awakened in Gyeongju after the Priestess of the Dragon, he had already surpassed level 20 and attained the Warrior class.
“You blocked it? Let’s see how you handle the next one!”
The woman wasn’t discouraged by his defense. Instead, she grinned as if testing him, twirling her staff and launching a series of lightning-fast thrusts.
Although Jung Dong-gun tried to block with his rifle, his subordinates watching the scene were horrified.
“The commander… took a hit?”
Even if it was an ambush, the idea of someone landing an attack on Jung Dong-gun, the strongest warrior of the Balhut Cult, was almost unthinkable.
Yet, the mysterious Awakened facing him had managed to land a clean strike, leaving everyone stunned.
‘Strong! This opponent is at least level 20 and has also obtained a class! It wouldn’t be surprising if they were known as a named figure. To think someone of this caliber is hiding here at Ulsan Airport…’
Jung Dong-gun quickly assessed the opponent’s skill.
Like himself, this individual had surpassed level 20, gained a class, and achieved the title of a superhuman.
Though he wasn’t knocked down, the hit stung. Without time to draw the knife from his belt, he had to counterattack quickly.
He couldn’t help but wonder how such a powerful individual had managed to stay hidden in Ulsan Airport without any rumors.
‘A motorcycle helmet… I can’t see their face.’
If he could see their face, he might have been able to deduce their identity. However, the opponent wore a helmet, likely for protection.
Their build was slightly small for a man, and their voice was androgynous. Jung Dong-gun suspected they might be a young boy who hadn’t fully gone through puberty.
‘A boy? Or… could it be a girl? No, based on their chest, it must be a boy.’
The figure’s peculiar appearance momentarily confused Jung Dong-gun, but he concluded they were likely male after noting the flatness of their chest.
“Well, well. So you blocked that? That means you’re over level 20 too, huh? Are you the leader of the Immortal Cult? I specialize in taking down big shots.”
The opponent seemed impressed that Jung Dong-gun had blocked the attack but showed no signs of slowing down.
“Let’s see how you handle this!”
With that, the mysterious attacker launched into another ferocious assault, determined to overwhelm Jung Dong-gun.
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