Gumi
After seeing Kwon Bomi off, Kang Dohyun returned to the base camp by drone.
"....."
His younger brother wore a subtle expression. Dohyun considered offering advice, then stopped himself.
He needs to realize it on his own.
With Lee Gaeun, he had spoken openly and directly. But this time, he wanted his brother to come to the understanding himself.
Bomi will be fine on her own—there's plenty of time.
Kwon Bomi was a woman more than capable of surviving alone. By the time Dohun reached his realization, she would have been managing just fine.
When Dohyun stepped off the drone, Dohun snapped out of his thoughts, looked at his brother, and said, "Hyung, you're back."
"Yeah. I went to see her off."
"Then... could you take me to the village by drone for a bit?"
Dohyun smiled at his brother's request. The two of them flew to the village, spent ten minutes taking care of the people there, and returned.
Back at the base camp, the brothers discussed their next destination.
"Where were we going next?"
"Ah, the next destination... but let's not go together."
Dohyun proposed that they move separately.
"Why?"
"I have something to do near Gumi. It's something I need to handle alone."
At the words "alone," Dohun glanced at Lee Chaerin beside him and asked, "Then what about Chaerin?"
"You'll take care of her for a while."
Lee Chaerin had become someone who was perfectly content as long as she was permitted to masturbate all day. Her dependency on Dohyun was strong, but even that could be resolved with a simple order.
"This is something I have to do alone. So... I'm asking you."
Dohun didn't like it, but he couldn't refuse his brother's request.
Once they'd decided to part ways, the conversation turned to their next routes.
"You said you're going to Gumi. Should I operate in Gumi too?"
"No. That's not interesting for you."
Dohyun pointed to three mountains on the map.
"Palkongsan, Gayasan, and Deogyusan."
"There won't be many zombies in the mountains."
"Not many zombies. But there will be beastman merchants."
"Ah! Right, there were beastman merchants."
Just like Jirisan, Palkongsan, Gayasan, and Deogyusan also had beastman merchants operating within them.
"Now that you're faster than before, you'll be able to find them if you search diligently."
"Alright. Chaerin will be a bit troublesome, but I'll try on my own."
And so his brother's destination was decided.
It was still before lunchtime, so Dohyun, Dohun, and Lee Chaerin left the base camp by drone. Dohyun dropped the two of them at a safe location and said, "I'll go first."
"Alright. Keep in touch."
After entrusting Chaerin to his brother, Dohyun departed alone.
Dohyun's destination was north of Gumi—more precisely, the area between Gumi and Gimcheon. His drone came to a stop on the rooftop of a small house near Gumi University.
No one nearby.
Since the house was empty, Dohyun walked down and headed toward Gumi University.
Gumi University had transformed into a massive fortress. Although the surrounding zombies had been largely cleared out, it had been a fortress fighting them until just three months ago. As a result, everywhere except the main gate was lined with barricades constructed from desks, cabinets, and an assortment of other items.
When Dohyun entered through the main gate—
"Stop. Stop."
Two guards at the entrance halted him.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm here to apply as a new combatant."
The guards' expressions brightened at the word combatant.
"Great, that's wonderful."
"Good choice. Our Gumi Student Front Group has excellent prospects."
The two opened the gate, and Dohyun entered the interior of Gumi University, now under the control of the Gumi Student Front Group.
The campus inside was a massive tent village. After the apocalypse, everyone living nearby had sought a safe place and converged on Gumi University. The leader who controlled the university accepted them all, turning the campus into a tent village housing over two thousand people.
And on the sports field—
"Ha! Ap! Ha! Ap!"
Combatants of the Gumi Student Front Group were gathered and training just like an army.
They've already established a military-type organizational structure.
For a non-governmental organization, it usually took some time to develop such a system. Yet here, they already had a full military framework in place.
They're definitely smart.
It was proof that the brain behind this organization was quite intelligent.
The Gumi Student Front Group had begun simply by defending the university from zombies. Later, they accepted nearby people as residents in family units, recruiting one combatant per family to protect them—building a small army from the ground up.
That's why they grew so fast.
Even as a civilian army, the military system was formidable. They had systematically occupied surrounding areas to secure food and supplies, and just a month ago, they had even cleared the Green Barrier Apnong Industrial Complex dungeon. They were currently recruiting additional combatants and residents to fuel continued organizational growth.
Dohyun passed through the campus and arrived at the main building.
"What brings you here?"
A guard stood stationed in front of the main building.
"I'm here for a combatant interview."
"Welcome!"
The guard welcomed him warmly and guided him to the interview room.
Dohyun waited inside, and two officials of the Gumi Student Front Group entered for the interview.
"Nice to meet you."
"Thank you for applying to be a combatant in the Gumi Student Front Group."
Though they were interviewers, the two greeted him with remarkably friendly smiles.
"I have to make an unreasonable request right from the start."
"Before we proceed with the formal interview, we'd like to check the applicant's status window."
"So please display it for a moment."
It was a rude request, but verifying the status window of anyone wishing to join their organization was considered essential.
And naturally, Dohyun had absolutely no intention of showing his status window. Instead, he had something else to say.
"I was sent by Ghost?"
At the mention of Ghost, the two interviewers' expressions turned sharply serious.
As a regressor, Dohyun naturally understood the importance of the note function. This feature played a crucial role in managing connections, so he occasionally exchanged notes with people of value.
Among those Dohyun kept in touch with via notes was Jin Taeseok, leader of the Ghost Mercenary Group. When Dohyun had been staying in Pohang, he had messaged Jin Taeseok.
The Ghost Mercenary Group's base was in Sejong City, somewhat distant from Gimcheon or Gumi, but those areas still fell within their operational range, so they did receive requests from both cities.
Jin Taeseok hadn't answered Dohyun's question about assassination requests right away. So Dohyun had made a counter-proposal.
After that exchange, Jin Taeseok informed him that there was an assassination request coming from the "Gumi Student Front Group," and Dohyun agreed to handle the request under the Ghost Mercenary Group's name.
At the mention of Ghost, one of the interviewers personally escorted Dohyun up to the upper floor of the main building.
On the highest floor was a situation room—the control tower of the Gumi Student Front Group. A massive map of the surrounding area covered the walls, with detailed information on where each group was located, how far their influence extended, and where major buildings stood.
"Leader, I've brought the person sent by Ghost."
"I see."
And there, Dohyun met Jeong Hangyeol, the leader of the Gumi Student Front Group.
Jeong Hangyeol—he was completely young at this time.
Jeong Hangyeol had the appearance of a young, handsome college student.
"Hello. I'm Jeong Hangyeol, student council president of Gumi University and now the leader of this group."
Jeong Hangyeol extended his hand, and Dohyun took it.
"I came at Ghost's request. I'm Kang Dohyun."
They shook hands. Then—
"You came at the request of the Ghost Mercenary Group?"
A woman's voice, sharp and precise, cutting straight to the key point.
Han Jiyu—still the same.
The genius strategist Han Jiyu, standing beside Jeong Hangyeol as his aide, also looked noticeably younger than he remembered her.
"Yes. Ghost asked me to come here."
At the mention of the Ghost Mercenary Group, Han Jiyu's eyes sharpened. But Dohyun spoke with confidence.
"I'm that strong. Especially when it comes to assassination."
Dohyun said it with a smile, but a faint tension flickered across the faces of both Jeong Hangyeol and Han Jiyu.