Pohang (2)
The Balhut Cult executives had realized why Bahamut had set Pohang as the direction of advance. Jeong Dong-gun's speculation was deemed a terrifying tale by Yu-su-seong, while the others fell silent—but every face had paled blue in shared understanding.
"New variant zombies."
The emergence of new variant zombies. There could have been objections that this was too much conjecture among the executives, but the existing variant zombies already provided ample grounds for the hypothesis. Those variants hadn't existed in the early days of the apocalypse either; they had evolved from regular zombies as time passed.
So, wasn't assuming they couldn't evolve further just wishful thinking biased toward the cult's favor?
"...A terrifying tale indeed."
"Then Bahamut's concerns make perfect sense."
"If even stronger zombies appear... our cult may have to accept sacrifices."
If powerful new variant zombies emerged as Bahamut feared, even the Balhut Cult would suffer losses. Of course, the battle could awaken new Awakeners, potentially leading to victory in the war against the zombies by centering fresh recruits as time went on. But human psychology favored perfect victory with minimal sacrifice over a Pyrrhic one born of heavy losses.
"Above all, our Balhut Cult is surrounded on all sides. The cult needs a secure rear base, and it seems Pohang has been chosen for that role."
That was Jeong Dong-gun's logic for Bahamut's advance on Pohang: turning it into Gyeongju's secure hinterland. As reasons for this—
"Pohang hosts a naval base. If we're lucky, we could salvage military weapons or surviving soldiers. If fortune favors us, we might even claim Republic of Korea Navy warships."
"Warships! Right—there's definitely a naval base in Pohang!"
He mentioned the naval unit stationed in Pohang. Whether it still existed was unknown, but the weapons and any surviving personnel from the dormant navy were tempting assets and manpower for the Balhut Cult. And since it had been a naval outpost, there was every reason to target Pohang if intact ships lingered in the harbor.
"Above all, controlling Pohang's coastline would secure Gyeongju's eastern flank completely. The eastern mountains provide natural defense, but zombies or monsters crossing them aren't impossible."
"Meaning we can protect Gyeongju's east perfectly."
"Yes. Broadly speaking, it's seizing the East Sea."
It would also shorten Gyeongju's current front lines. Even with the natural barrier of the eastern mountains, the uncontrolled east left Gyeongju surrounded on all four sides. Reducing that to three made targeting Pohang all but inevitable.
The moment Pohang fell, the Balhut Cult could leverage the sea, stabilizing Gyeongju's eastern flank along the coast.
Jeong Dong-gun's bold declaration greatly improved the executives' complexions. Securing Gyeongju meant greater safety for its citizens—and, of course, for themselves.
"The road to Pohang runs through North Gyeongju."
"Yes. North Gyeongju's security isn't fully restored yet, but Jo Sun-do's judgment has spread across the region. No foolish bandits will dare raid our supply lines."
The route to Pohang lay through North Gyeongju. It wasn't fully subjugated, and bandits still prowled the rear, but Jo Sun-do's trial was infamous there. He had cried for appeal, claiming the judgment invalid, but the cult wouldn't overturn a verdict from Dragon God Bahamut. Besides, by pre-apocalypse standards, Jo Sun-do deserved death for his atrocities—and even in the apocalypse, he was scum through and through. No one in Gyeongju sympathized with him.
"I'll train the prototype Awakeners as security forces and deploy them additionally."
But they weren't complacent. The ringleader Jo Sun-do and his lieutenants were captured and judged, yet remnants lurked in North Gyeongju. In ungoverned areas, they stirred up Awakener crimes as bandits. Jeong Dong-gun planned to mold the prototype Awakeners into a security force to restore order in Gyeongju.
"I'll make the offer personally."
"Thank you."
At his words, Yu-na responded as if sparing no support, volunteering to propose it herself. With her direct involvement, most matters would proceed smoothly.
"This expedition is one directly commanded by Bahamut himself. The cult cannot take it lightly."
Continuing Jeong Dong-gun's point, she sternly declared to all executives present that this was no trivial affair. Since it was ordained by the Dragon God Bahamut whom the Balhut Cult revered, it could even be seen as a holy war desired by the divine.
"At smallest, it secures Gyeongju's safety. Further, it saves our kin suffering under zombies in Pohang! Yes—attack Pohang and rescue our kin!"
Yet it wasn't a meaningless crusade for Gyeongju. At minimum, it bolstered local security; at best, it became a righteous battle to save Pohang's citizens. Even if the true aim was Pohang's infrastructure, Yu-na had instinctively learned as pontiff that the public needed convincing justification. Thus, she brazenly repackaged the cult's gains for the executives as a mission to rescue kin.
"'Attack Pohang and rescue our kin.' Excellent phrasing!"
"The greater good lies with the Balhut Cult!"
Politicians Hwang Geun-chul and Park Cheol-gon instantly grasped Yu-na's intent from her cry. Far from criticizing, they admired how she cloaked base desires for infrastructure in the mantle of a grand crusade. And it wasn't entirely false—the cult's plans did include saving Pohang's survivors as a bonus.
These kids these days are scary.
Growing at a terrifying pace. Does position really shape a person?
Conversely, they saw her instinctive grasp as innate talent. Shocked by Yu-na's frightening growth, Park Cheol-gon and Hwang Geun-chul simply echoed her appeal. Growth was growth, but Yu-na was their superior and the Balhut Cult's head of state. In this apocalypse, having a reliable leader was reassurance enough.
"I'll inform the expedition force to prepare. For weapons, I'll notify Choi's Ironworks in advance."
"Please do."
With that, the cult meeting ended, and the Balhut Cult began war preparations for the Pohang advance.
Naturally, for the cult's war, Jeong Dong-gun's first stop was Choi's Ironworks, handlers of the cult's weaponry. As Gyeongju's industrial hub, the forge thrummed with unrelenting heat, workers sweating as they produced goods for the city without respite.
Thus—
"That's the gist. Count on you, Choi."
"Get out."
To Jeong Dong-gun brazenly ordering more than the ironworks could handle, Choi told him to leave at once. They were already swamped producing his prior military supplies, hammers ringing day and night—yet this Jeong bastard now demanded multiples more.
It was impossible volume, and he knew it, yet he pressed on shamelessly. Choi seethed with disgust.
"Hey, come on. This is important business, even if I look like this."
"No openings. We're backed up as is—how could we handle this? To meet that deadline, every smith would work nonstop."
"Isn't that great?"
But the fact it wasn't impossible only fueled his anger. If the entire ironworks mobilized, they could fulfill Jeong Dong-gun's request on time.
"But then nothing else gets done. We can't meet the expectations of Gyeongju's citizens who gave us this work."
"I get it. Yeah, I pushed too hard."
Resolving it would backlog other orders, inconveniencing citizens. Jeong Dong-gun scratched his head in apparent agreement.
"But this comes with the revered Pontiff's personal request. Even with side effects, we must prepare thoroughly."
Yet he had a trump card: invoking Balhut Cult Pontiff Yu-na's name. Permission was already secured—no issue.
"Ahem. A little backlog won't hurt. Hey, you lot! Start on Jeong's order first!"
Choi flipped instantly, as if his backlog complaints were lies, bellowing for the smiths to prioritize Jeong Dong-gun's work.
The swift reversal was familiar; Jeong Dong-gun smirked at him.
"Heh. Reliable as ever."
"Tch. Our lovely Pontiff's word? Fine. But hearing it from you feels off."
"Can't take a joke?"
Reliable indeed. The smiths shifted to Jeong Dong-gun's order without complaint upon hearing it was Yu-na's command. Choi grumbled about the name-dropping, but Jeong Dong-gun brushed it off as banter.
"So. Another war?"
With Yu-na's order dropping like this, something big was afoot in the cult. Choi asked if war had broken out again, probing Jeong Dong-gun.
"War. War with zombies."
"Zombies? Gyeongju has none."
"True. Not here."
Jeong Dong-gun called it essential for zombie warfare; Choi eyed him skeptically. Gyeongju had been zombie-free for ages—why declare war on them now? Especially when Jeong Dong-gun admitted as much.
"Zombies swarming from another city?"
"Not yet. But Bahamut is concerned."
"He is?"
When Choi guessed an influx from elsewhere, Jeong Dong-gun denied it. But mention of Dragon God Bahamut's worry tensed Choi's face.
"Yes. So it'll be a preemptive war—and a cult holy crusade to save our suffering kin in Pohang."
"Pohang. Targeting their steel mills?"
"Yeah. That's part of it. If zombies grow stronger, we need stronger weapons."
Choi instantly saw through the Pohang motive; Jeong Dong-gun admitted it openly. But on stronger zombies, Choi didn't argue.
"Can't fault that logic."
In this apocalypse, even peaceful Gyeongju prioritized food and overwhelming force against zombies. The quickest path to force? Powerful weapons, as ever.