Pohang Recapture (1)
Of course, the worries of Pohang's three major camps were their own problem, and the Balhut Cult's plan to recapture Pohang Airport never halted.
For the Balhut Cult, assaulting Pohang Airport was the perfect opportunity to absorb—not quite, but bring under their wing—a mid-sized survivor camp unaffiliated with the three major powers. It was also a golden chance to boost the growth of the cult's awakeners. They still had to venture out on expeditions to level up their awakeners, but Pohang was brimming with zombies perfect for just that. Especially the variant spider zombies, which granted massive experience points. It was to the cult's advantage to have their awakeners clear them out and level up before Bahamut himself descended.
"So that's what happened."
"Heh. Of course, that won't stop our Pohang Airport recapture operation."
After wrapping up the meeting, Jeong Dong-gun returned to the forward base via the Yeongilman Road secured by the cult. There, he met Son Sang-hee, who was assisting the cult's awakeners, and briefed her on the discussions.
Even if full cooperation was off the table, securing an internal communication network with them was progress—at least, that was Son Sang-hee's assessment. The meeting had ended too smoothly for any real criticism.
Jeong Dong-gun had joked that even with the meeting, the recapture op wouldn't stop, but Son Sang-hee responded coolly.
"You've already cleared most of it."
"The airport interior hasn't been touched yet. The Pohang Airport recapture isn't over."
Son Sang-hee shot him a cold, impassive glance, pointing out that they'd already cleared most of it. They hadn't breached the airport itself, but Jeong Dong-gun and the cult's soldiers had long since taken the surrounding civilian and industrial facilities.
With most of the civilian zones around Pohang Airport under control, all that remained was storming the airport, sweeping the zombies inside, and calling it done. Sure, some zombies the cult hadn't handled lingered, but those could be mopped up during policing ops.
The Balhut Cult already had a foothold in Pohang.
"Shouldn't monitoring the three major Pohang factions take priority instead?"
"Well, they'll move based on their own calculations. No need for us to nitpick their actions."
"Still, for recapturing Pohang, won't we need cooperation from the three major factions?"
Son Sang-hee countered that grasping the factions' movements mattered more than the near-complete airport. She wasn't wrong. With Yeongilman Road secured, the Balhut Cult had only two avenues left into Pohang. It was odd for Jeong Dong-gun, who had always approached the assault with grim seriousness, to act so relaxed and dismiss the need to monitor them.
"We will. To govern Pohang going forward, we'll need the help of the local factions—the three camps."
"Then shouldn't we coordinate with them? If they act selfishly for their own gain, it'll hurt the cult badly."
Of course, for future governance, the three camps' support was essential. But if they harbored ulterior motives, it could backfire spectacularly, so coordinating was key. Son Sang-hee had no flaws in her logic.
"I understand their mindset fully. I acted the same way at first."
"Pardon?"
Yet Jeong Dong-gun sympathized with the three camps. He even seemed to justify any potential selfishness on their part.
"So... understanding them means you were once a survivor camp leader yourself, Commander Jeong?"
"Yes. Before joining the cult, I led a decent-sized survivor camp in Gyeongju. In Pohang terms, think of me as one of their three major camp leaders."
"You were that prominent?"
Son Sang-hee questioned him, and Jeong Dong-gun gave a wry smile, admitting he'd been in a similar spot. If he'd been such a successful leader, why was he now just a soldier in the Balhut Cult? Son Sang-hee felt a flicker of confusion at his words.
"That's why I get their actions. If the Balhut Cult fails, they'll bear the full backlash. We have Gyeongju as a rear base—we can fall back to the forward base's defenses if things go south. They can't."
"Ah."
The Balhut Cult had won nonstop so far, so it was easy to forget failure was possible. But they had to account for it. If the cult failed and retreated from Pohang to Gyeongju, the three camps would suffer the fallout alone. The cult could retreat to Gyeongju via the forward base, but the camps had no such luxury. That was the gap between a group with a secure rear base and one without.
"Besides, the one we serve won't even care about their potential disloyalty."
"Lady Yu-na, you mean?"
"Yes. Her... and our Dragon God, whom we serve."
Above all, he trusted that their lord wouldn't fuss over it. Son Sang-hee first thought he meant Yu-na, but Jeong Dong-gun invoked Dragon God Bahamut alongside her.
"...Does he really exist? This Dragon God you speak of."
"Yes. He does."
Son Sang-hee had never seen him herself—only heard his voice—so doubt was natural. Still.
"If you say so with such conviction, I'll believe it."
"Mm. Hearing it so boldly makes me a bit self-conscious."
Trusting the Jeong Dong-gun she'd observed so far, she said she'd take his word for it. He flushed slightly, embarrassed by the faith, and stepped back. But the awkwardness passed quickly.
"It's time. Turn the telescope not toward Pohang Airport, but around Jeokgye Pond."
"Pardon? Isn't that just farmland? They missed harvest season, so most crops are spoiled and discarded..."
The promised moment approached. Jeong Dong-gun directed her to aim at the spot where Bahamut would descend, and Son Sang-hee wondered why mention worthless farmland, but complied, swiveling the telescope.
It was just a pond and fields—valueless land, as she said, with ruined crops past harvest in late winter.
"Yes, right there. The farmland's lost much value this late in winter, but it's perfect wide-open space to deploy him."
"Deploy him? Does he need that much room?"
"Yes. Crank up the magnification. You'll see Lady Yu-na near Jeokgye Pond."
How massive must something be to require such vast space? Son Sang-hee stared at him incredulously, but he just smiled lightly, insisting Yu-na would appear at max zoom.
Trusting his confidence, she adjusted the telescope skeptically.
"Ah. There she is."
True to his word, Yu-na stood alone in the middle of the vast fields, relaxed, with no guards around. A reckless setup where the Balhut Cult's pontiff could be snatched by any unbeliever, Son Sang-hee thought—right then.
"Wh-what is that?"
"Lady Yu-na called it a provocation spell."
Yu-na raised one hand, firing a flare into the sky. It lit up all of Pohang, drawing Son Sang-hee's eyes upward too. She asked Jeong Dong-gun what it was, and he explained it was Yu-na's provocation magic.
"Pr-provoke?"
"Yes. The spell forces aggro, as they say. It'll lure zombies from the city to that spot."
That made sense. To reclaim the city safely without destruction, draw the zombies out first.
"Yes, that's fine, but the range..."
"All of Pohang City."
"Pardon?"
But the range was absurd. Son Sang-hee wondered if she'd misheard. City-wide? Then why fight inside all this time? And above all.
"Pl-planning to wipe them in one go? With Bahamut Bullets? Can those one-shot them?"
Did the cult have the firepower for every zombie in the city? If it was their famed Bahamut Bullets, maybe. Knowing they had high-explosive rounds, she figured something similar would do it.
"Heh. One-shot wipe, yes—but not with Bahamut Bullets. Too expensive to burn through them."
But no, not those. Powerful as they were, each bullet cost a fortune, so conserve when possible.
"Then how...?"
"You'll see. Look, zombies are falling for Yu-na's provocation, heading to the fields by Jeokgye Pond."
As they chatted, zombies from Pohang's streets poured out toward her. Even near the airport where Son Sang-hee was, hidden regulars emerged, shambling to the fields under the spell. She realized it pulled even lurkers.
"Hmm. Doesn't work well on intelligent variant spider zombies. Only the weak ones are biting."
Jeong Dong-gun noted it bypassed the smart spiders. Peering through the telescope at those inside the airport, he confirmed only weaker variants fell for it. For the cult, needing levels for their awakeners, leaving high-XP spiders was good news.
"Perfect. We need those variant spider zombies for our awakeners' growth. Their webs could make new gear if used right."
"Um, Commander? No troops deployed near Lady Yu-na."
But Son Sang-hee sensed something off, pointing out the lack of forces around Yu-na. Indeed, no cult soldiers were near her or the fields.
"Yes. Main force is at the forward base. Watching from the observation post."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Jeong Dong-gun confirmed the main body was back at base, viewing from afar. Worried for the lone Yu-na, she pressed, but.
"Dangerous?"
Honestly, Yu-na was the safest person in the world.
"Look at that majestic sight in the sky. Could anyone call that dangerous? I, watching now, say no."
"Ah?"
Could anyone be in danger beholding the Dragon God plummeting like a meteor? Jeong Dong-gun declared proudly to the world, gazing at the massive form streaking down. Only then did Son Sang-hee spot the meteor-shaped Dragon God descending from the heavens—and she was speechless.