47. Advance (1)
Jeong Dong-gun halted the advance after hearing a shocking statement from a female survivor. The vanguard immediately contacted Yuna at the cult headquarters to request support.
"Let's make this intersection our expedition's forward outpost. Pushing further... it's impossible with our current forces."
"Agreed, Commander."
They declared a nearby building as the forward base for the upcoming expedition forces and rescued a group of survivors in the area. The survivors, all emaciated and abandoned, were loaded onto the troop transport buses that had just been carrying Jeong Dong-gun and his men, giving them a place to rest comfortably.
One bus wasn't enough for all the survivors, so they prioritized the severely injured first, then provided tents for the rest to rest in peace.
"We have emergency medical kits, so we'll give you first aid with those. Once the evacuation vehicles arrive, you can get full treatment at the hospital."
"Th-thank you. Thank you so much."
They unpacked the medical supplies from the buses and began treating the survivors one by one. To these people, who had lacked even basic medicine, the kits Jeong Dong-gun handed out were like gifts from heaven. Those who had suffered without painkillers started to show improvement after emergency treatment. For the most critical cases, all they could do was ease the pain slightly with analgesics, but Jeong Dong-gun personally promised to rush them to the hospital, putting their minds at ease.
"By the way, are you the leader of this camp?"
"Yes. Son Sang-hee."
Only now could Jeong Dong-gun have a frank conversation with the leader of the intersection survivor camp—and it turned out no introduction was needed. The first female survivor he'd found was the camp leader herself. Now calmer after treatment with the medical kit, she spoke with him directly.
She's younger than I thought. Well, considering Yuna... age doesn't matter much to awakeners.
He hadn't realized in the dim, rundown building, but Son Sang-hee looked barely an adult. Jeong Dong-gun pondered this, but remembering that Yuna, whom he served, wasn't even of age yet reminded him age was irrelevant for awakeners.
"Sang-hee, aside from your camp, can we assume all the others have been wiped out?"
"I'm not sure. Pohang is huge. If you just avoid those aliens... I mean, the mutant spider zombies as much as possible, you can survive just fine. Especially the marines or fishermen in the port area—they can hop on boats and escape to sea. That would be even easier."
"So, survivors are still holding out inside Pohang. That's how I should interpret it."
"There should be plenty of small camps left around Pohang Airport if you look carefully. We're still alive, after all."
Jeong Dong-gun first asked about other survivors in Pohang. Son Sang-hee said she didn't know for sure, but emphasized that the city was vast, and avoiding the new mutant zombies made survival feasible. Her mention of escaping by sea if they'd been coastal rather than inland confirmed potential allies inside Pohang. With their cooperation, reclaiming the city would be smoother, he thought.
"The navy held out too, huh."
"Yes. The marines have taken heavy losses, but they're still intact. Back when things weren't so dire, they evacuated civilians by sea."
She confirmed the stationed navy's survival. Though many marines had died, the unit remained operational, currently rescuing civilians at sea. Jeong Dong-gun looked relieved.
"At least they didn't try a countercharge."
"Countercharge?"
"No, nothing."
He muttered the infamous marines' term, relieved they hadn't attempted it this time. It was regrettable the navy hadn't reclaimed Pohang, but their efforts to save civilians made them reliable partners. The naval base hadn't abandoned its duty yet.
"In any case, we're establishing this as our forward outpost to strike Pohang. Can we count on your help?"
"You saved us, so of course we'll cooperate with you soldiers. But... what can we even do?"
Having grasped Pohang's situation, Jeong Dong-gun requested her cooperation. Local knowledge was essential for the reclamation, and at this moment, Son Sang-hee was the only potential local ally. She readily agreed, showing deep gratitude for their rescue, though she looked gloomy about her own usefulness.
"You'll be a huge help. We're new to Pohang. Sure, we can pull up satellite photos via Starlink anytime, but we have no idea which survivor camps are friendly, or who we can ally with. If you've survived here this long, you must know them well."
"Yes! Yes, we do!"
They could provide exactly what was needed. Satellite images showed terrain, but not the leanings of countless survivor camps. Online posts weren't fully trustworthy, so local intel from someone active in Pohang was crucial. Through her, they could contact cooperative camps and prepare the assault. Son Sang-hee gazed at Jeong Dong-gun with flushed cheeks, her expression full of trust at his earnest explanation.
"That's the most valuable help we could get. We'll send the most urgent cases to Gyeongju hospital on the incoming transports."
"Gyeongju... Gyeongju... Isn't that where that pseudo-cult is?"
"Ahem!"
Jeong Dong-gun's slip nearly derailed everything. He mentioned Gyeongju so casually that Son Sang-hee repeated it, then brought up the Balhut Cult—the "pseudo-cult."
The soldiers coughed awkwardly and averted their eyes.
Oh no!
Jeong Dong-gun realized his mistake. Cursing inwardly, he racked his brain for a way out.
That's the normal reaction... but it still stings.
The watching soldiers understood her reaction. Pre-apocalypse, calling the Balhut Cult a pseudo-religion was the sane response.
"It's fine. Gyeongju is fully normalized now. I assure you, Sang-hee, there's nothing to worry about."
He tried to calm her and fix his error.
"B-but the community posts say a dangerous pseudo-cult is rampaging there. Even North Gyeongju fell to them and is suffering."
"That's propaganda and rumors. All lies. North Gyeongju's tyrant Jo Sun-do has fallen, and they've regained their freedom."
"R-really?"
Remnants of Jo Sun-do's gang spread anti-cult lies. Jeong Dong-gun flatly denied them, explaining the tyrant had been toppled. But Son Sang-hee's skeptical look left him pondering how to proceed—until
"Commander, Yoo Soo-seong has arrived."
"Bring him here immediately!"
The rear guard's Yoo Soo-seong arrived right on cue. Desperate to escape the awkwardness, Jeong Dong-gun summoned him at once. As Yoo Soo-seong entered the tent, he greeted him with feigned sunny cheer.
"Yoo Soo-seong, you've arrived."
"Yeah. Can't miss building the outpost, right? But why are you grinning like that?"
Yoo Soo-seong eyed Jeong Dong-gun suspiciously, wondering if he'd eaten something bad. But his help was vital to defuse the tension, so Jeong Dong-gun desperately signaled him with Morse code.
"And this is...?"
"Uh..."
It was hard to explain. Calling Yoo Soo-seong a Balhut Cult executive might raise more doubts, deepening Jeong Dong-gun's worry—until
"...the engineering corps commander."
"I-is that so?"
After agonizing, that's what he said. Son Sang-hee glanced at Yoo Soo-seong, seeking confirmation.
"Haha, if you're talking about the head honcho building this outpost, that's me."
Yoo Soo-seong caught on quick. Sensing trouble from Jeong Dong-gun's desperate face and Morse signals, he smoothly backed him up.
"Unload all the construction materials from the trucks. The labor buses should handle transporting the urgent wounded."
"Good idea. Once the hospital buses return, we can send the laborers back to Gyeongju."
This was expedition territory. With introductions done, Yoo Soo-seong got to business, suggesting repurposing labor buses for evacuations. They couldn't house non-combatants here, so Jeong Dong-gun agreed. The outpost needed only fighters; the rest to the rear.
"Where's the rest of the expedition?"
"Everyone's assembled. Yuna's leading them."
"Right on plan."
The full expedition had mobilized under Yuna. Once they arrived safely, the Pohang assault would begin. Relieved at the progress, Jeong Dong-gun thought of someone due soon.
"Good. So, where's Tae-hyeon, always tailing us?"
"Right here, Commander Jeong Dong-gun!"
"Haha, that guy's everywhere."
Sure enough, Kim Tae-hyeon had shown up to hawk to the vanguard. Yoo Soo-seong gave a wry smile, calling him the inescapable face, and stood.
Jeong Dong-gun's vanguard had secured the site, but now Yoo Soo-seong had to turn it into a usable base. His real work started now—no time for chit-chat. He headed out to begin.
"I'll pay, so feed them."
"No charge, of course."
Jeong Dong-gun opened his wallet to treat the survivors to hot food. Kim Tae-hyeon declared it free without hesitation.
"Come on, hot fish cake soup and cold drinks. Dig in!"
"Wow!"
"When you get to Gyeongju, don't forget Kim Tae-hyeon Company!"
He distributed food gratis. Not pure altruism, of course—just savvy branding. But
In this era, even selfish goodwill like that is needed.
Jeong Dong-gun knew such gestures were luxuries now. He wouldn't stop it. Saving one life that way was a bargain.
"Um, is it really okay to give away supplies like that?"
Son Sang-hee questioned the giveaway, wondering if it wasn't wasteful. Jeong Dong-gun could only reply,
"That guy's rich, despite appearances."
He'd sold nonstop to the cult army, raking in soldier scrip. He could buy a building near headquarters outright.
"Rich? In this disaster?"
"It... means something, right?"
She stared like he'd mentioned aliens. Jeong Dong-gun looked away. Fair enough—what did wealth mean these days?