48. Advance (2)
A brief silence fell, but neither Jeong Dong-gun nor Son Sang-hee were the types to forget their duties. Using the buses led by Yu Su-seong, they loaded all the urgent patients aboard and prepared to send them to the university hospital in Gyeongju.
"Have all the critical patients been loaded onto the buses?"
"Yes."
"Then depart."
With the soldiers' help, they got the patients onto the buses and sent them off toward Gyeongju. Once they arrived, Hospital Director Han Jun-woo and his medical team would thoroughly examine and treat the survivors. To rule Pohang going forward, they needed to secure the people's hearts without fail—and Jeong Dong-gun's actions could be seen as hypocrisy aimed at winning over the Pohang survivors' loyalty.
"Thank you."
"No need. It's only right."
But in this apocalyptic world, where so many needed even such hypocrisy, it was necessary. If they'd left them be, most in this survivor camp would have died of disease, exposure, or starvation. In that desperate situation, they'd thrown down a lifeline—and Son Sang-hee saw Jeong Dong-gun's actions not as pretense, but as noble resolve.
"Very well. For the operation, let's hear your thoughts, Sang-hee. Shall we go inside?"
"Yes. Of course."
Jeong Dong-gun listened to Son Sang-hee in the temporary command tent, and she shared every bit of information she remembered. They spread out a satellite map of Pohang, pinpointing the locations of the mutant spider zombies causing the anomalies, as well as the survivor camps still holding out—one by one.
From there, they categorized camps that could be allied with, those that couldn't, and assessed the tendencies of each leader.
"More than expected... a lot of camps we can work with."
"Isn't that normal?"
"Well... no. Yes. That's probably normal."
And unexpectedly, most survivor camps were willing to cooperate with the Pohang liberation. Unlike their experiences in Gyeongju, Son Sang-hee's testimony that the majority would join surprised Jeong Dong-gun, prompting her to ask if that wasn't just right. Of course. Unlike Gyeongju, Pohang has clear enemies in the zombies.
He realized that, unlike Gyeongju, the external threat threatening their lives allowed Pohang's survivors to unite as one. Before Bahamut's descent, even Jo Sun-do had hidden his true nature and run a seemingly normal camp. With powerful zombies as a common foe, no camp would refuse to cooperate in the liberation. They knew better than anyone that if Pohang wasn't reclaimed from the zombies, they'd be next.
This is tricky. If most camps cooperate, that means some here might reveal their true colors against the cult later.
Jeong Dong-gun, who had planned to sort cooperative survivors from resisters from the start, looked troubled. This could lead to conflicts between Pohang survivors and Gyeongju after liberation. But no problem. If any rebel like Jo Sun-do, we'll prove our strength again.
He judged it wouldn't be an issue. The Balhut Cult had faced opposition before. They'd crushed the self-proclaimed king of Gyeongju, Jo Sun-do, and seized everything there—so any potential challengers in Pohang could be smashed the same way. In this era, organizations had to prove their might to the masses for unquestioned obedience.
"They're here."
"Whoa."
The main expeditionary force finally arrived at the outpost under construction. Son Sang-hee gasped in admiration at the sight of heavily armed soldiers in combat gear disembarking smartly from countless troop transport trucks. These were the cult's elite, aligned in perfect ranks, awaiting orders from their ruler.
No anomalies in Pohang fazed them; there was no hesitation in their eyes.
"Wh-who is that?"
At the center stood the most striking figure: a saintess in priestly robes. The great Dragon Priestess who ruled the Balhut Cult, come to Pohang to fulfill the Dragon God's promise.
"Gyeongju's ruler. Lady Choi Yu-na."
"G-Gyeongju's ruler... then she's...!"
The pontiff of the Balhut Cult. Son Sang-hee stared in shock, and sensing her gaze, Choi Yu-na smiled brightly and approached.
"Ah, you must be a Pohang survivor?"
"Y-yes. Yes, ma'am."
"Don't worry. We'll definitely reclaim Pohang from the zombies."
She greeted her warmly, flashed a kind smile, and promised liberation. Son Sang-hee wondered if it was just politician's showmanship from the internet, but this saintess before her seemed genuinely capable. Her presence alone was overwhelming—and above all... She's strong...! That immense mana, visible to the eye. Is she really human like us? Even myths don't compare!
The overwhelming mana from the pontiff made Son Sang-hee worry she might not be human. Of course she was—otherwise, all those soldiers wouldn't follow her. But the doubt lingered.
"Th-that..."
"We'll attack Pohang and save our kin, no matter what."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Unable to hide her fluster, Son Sang-hee could only stammer agreement to Yu-na's words. Seeing her bewilderment, Yu-na thought, She's tense because I showed up. Yeah! I get it! Nod nod! She had no deeper thoughts—just figured it was nerves from meeting a higher-up or exhaustion from survival. She never imagined her own power was the cause. In a way, it mirrored the Dragon God she served—but please, not in these trivial ways.
"Lady Yu-na."
"Yes, Jeong Dong-gun. Is that... the suspicious object?"
"Yes. Witnesses say its maker resembles a spider—or something like the aliens from the movies."
As Jeong Dong-gun stepped forward tactfully, pulling Yu-na from her wandering thoughts while she eyed the tense Son Sang-hee, Yu-na immediately pointed out the webs near the intersection. Jeong Dong-gun confirmed it, adding the creator was alien-like. At "alien," Yu-na's face darkened.
"That's scary."
"Haha. Just a joke."
Jeong Dong-gun assumed she was lightening the mood, not truly scared. Given Yu-na's strength, he'd figured she'd incinerate it and one-shot any mutants. But the sad truth for him was...
"No, really scary. I hate spiders."
"........."
...it was genuine. Her honest admission of no tolerance for spiders or creepy things left him speechless. To be honest, Lady Yu-na's death beam scares me more.
Jo Sun-do's one-shot via her fingertip beam—laughing haha-ho-ho as she toyed with him—was satisfying, yet terrifying. If even she who crushed Jo Sun-do feared spiders... Jeong Dong-gun decided on no comment. As a highly rational, sensible soldier, he kept his thoughts inside.
"For now, let's set up a barrier at this intersection center. The expedition needs a safe rest area. And a recovery magic circle too."
"Appreciate the hard work."
Thankfully, before any slip-up, Yu-na announced the outpost barrier first. Securing the expedition's safety with a barrier and stamina via recovery circle—Jeong Dong-gun bowed, thanking her. Vital for the force, burdensome for her. Maintaining both kept her from the front lines, but the battle's end will be Dragon God Bahamut's descent anyway.
No need for Yu-na in small skirmishes once the field allowed Bahamut's summoning; that would end it all.
"S-so scary."
"That scary?"
As Yu-na left to imbue the outpost's magic, Son Sang-hee sighed in relief. Jeong Dong-gun asked why.
"She seems nice, but... is she really human like us?"
"Why say that?"
"Th-that mana from her. It doesn't feel human..."
Not wrong, Jeong Dong-gun agreed—even he, her servant, sometimes felt her miracles made her inhuman. But knowing it stemmed from her contract with Dragon God Bahamut, he wasn't shocked.
"You can sense others' mana, Sang-hee?"
"Yes. My eyes let me gauge people's mana levels."
"Oh? Impressive. Awakener abilities come in all forms."
She usually concealed it, so no pressure normally—but she'd sensed Yu-na's. When asked, Son Sang-hee explained casually. Jeong Dong-gun admired it smoothly.
"That girl earlier—the Balhut Cult's pontiff, Choi Yu-na?"
"Yes."
"And you're... her soldier?"
Son Sang-hee mustered courage, asking his true affiliation after mentioning the cult. Jeong Dong-gun answered honestly.
"Yes. Not the Republic of Korea's—but the Balhut Cult's soldier. Disappointed?"
Not entirely a lie; he'd artfully hidden his affiliation to avoid panic, but his job and purpose here were true.
"N-no. Your consideration alone is enough. Just... surprising someone like you follows her."
Knowing this, she said it was fine—but couldn't grasp why a principled, brave man like him with loyal subordinates pledged to a cult labeled pseudo.
"Heh. I doubted at first too. But after that, I couldn't harbor suspicion. Doubting it would mean doubting my own eyes."
"'That'?"
"You'll see it here soon enough."
Understanding her feelings, he admitted his initial doubts. He'd backed Yu-na's cause skeptically, even as she faced zombie hordes alone. But witnessing her arrival banished all doubt—if he questioned it, he'd question everything he'd seen. Smiling faintly at the memory, he forewarned Son Sang-hee.
"First, we need to finalize the liberation plan. It'll be a long fight."
They still prepared even now.
"Oh, and we should get you proper clothes. You won't survive the coming cold in those rags."
"Ah."
"There should be uniforms in the supplies. I'll distribute them myself."
For that, he needed cooperative ally Son Sang-hee's help. Jeong Dong-gun promised her uniforms personally and checked the cult's supplies.