81. Ghost Ships of the East Sea (3)
Whatever the case, to identify the ghost ships that had appeared at sea, Baek Seol-hwa dispatched coastal speedboats docked in Pohang. The speedboats carried marines loyal to the Balhut Cult, while the accompanying patrol ships had Baek Seol-hwa and Kim Tae-sik aboard, serving as the fleet's command vessel. Of course, Kim Tae-sik, the captain, was actually in charge of commanding the fleet, but no one questioned Baek Seol-hwa's position as overall commander.
"Heh. Quite the formidable sight. Though it's nothing compared to before."
"The great Dragon God's blessing is with us. If things get dire, Lord Bahamut will descend upon this East Sea."
Rather, being in the presence of the Dragon Priestess filled them with reassurance. With Baek Seol-hwa at their side, the marines and Kim Tae-sik were convinced the Dragon God Bahamut's protection was guaranteed. That was simply what it meant to have the Dragon God with them.
"Then, I leave it to you, Division Commander Kim Tae-sik."
"Of course. All fleet—advance!"
With that, the coastal speedboats and patrol ships cut through the waves, heading out into the East Sea. It wasn't long before...
"It seems there's truly an unidentified vessel at sea."
"A ghost ship?"
"Unclear. But most of the vessels detected on radar appear to be unidentified fishing boats without departure clearance from Pohang."
Pohang, now focused on reconstruction, managed departure and arrival clearances for registered vessels to avoid maritime incidents. Naturally, fishing boats departing from Pohang were tracked under the administrative network, which monitored all incoming and outgoing ships. Baek Seol-hwa had received a report on today's clearances before setting out, and the patrol ship had spotted unidentified fishing boats not listed in it.
"Is that the ghost ship Lord Bahamut mentioned?"
"I don't know if it's the one the Dragon God spoke of. But since we've come to investigate every ghost ship in these waters, let's send the speedboats to check inside. Oh, and there might be zombies aboard, so remind the marines to stay vigilant."
"Understood. Speedboats, this is the patrol ship. We've spotted a suspected ghost ship fishing boat nearby. Marines on the speedboats, prepare to board the unidentified vessel!"
"Roger."
When the unidentified fishing boat appeared, Kim Tae-sik first asked the supreme commander, Seol-hwa, if it was the ghost ship the Dragon God had mentioned. She replied that she didn't know. But since they'd come to identify every ghost ship in the East Sea anyway, she ordered them to secure it without hesitation. Hearing this, Kim Tae-sik linked comms with the speedboats built for coastal patrol and commanded them to approach the unidentified fishing boat.
"Closer! Get even closer!"
"Boarding!"
The speedboats obeyed Kim Tae-sik's orders flawlessly, smoothly approaching the drifting unidentified fishing boat. The marines aboard swiftly climbed onto the derelict vessel with practiced ease. They showed no fear, as if they'd honed the skill through experience.
Heh. Good thing I gathered personnel from the maritime security force for this.
For this operation, Kim Tae-sik had leveraged his pre-apocalypse connections to recruit former Coast Guard members into the marine unit. He'd had them pass on their maritime expertise to his subordinates, allowing them to board the drifting fishing boat effortlessly even from the high-speed craft racing across the waves.
Confirming all marines had boarded the unidentified fishing boat without incident, Kim Tae-sik breathed a sigh of relief that the operation was proceeding smoothly.
"Boarding complete! Proceeding to check the cabins!"
So far, I haven't disappointed the Dragon Priestess.
He stole a glance at the Dragon Priestess Baek Seol-hwa, who sat calmly in her chair. The marines, now safely aboard the ghost ship, gripped their weapons and stormed the interior cabins.
"Groooar."
"Zombies! There are zombies inside the fishing boat!"
"Take them down!"
Spotting zombies in the cabins and wheelhouse, they began suppressing them with rifles. They'd brought Bahamut Bullets for the mission, but confirming these were ordinary zombies without intelligence, they fired standard rounds and neutralized them in seconds. Unlike in cities where zombies swarmed in numbers, the boat's captain and crew couldn't overwhelm them. The Awakened marines' precise shots made short work of them.
They methodically shattered skulls to ensure no movement, then scoured the wheelhouse and cabins for any remaining zombies.
"Fishing boat secured."
"Any peculiarities inside the ghost ship?"
With the boat cleared, the marines radioed the patrol ship. Kim Tae-sik asked about any anomalies. In response, they double-checked the scenes inside.
"The captain and crew who sailed this boat have all turned into zombies. Nothing else unusual. We'll check the passenger logs and logbooks aboard."
"Search thoroughly."
"Roger."
They reported the captain and crew had turned into zombies with no other oddities, and would inspect the passenger logs and logbooks. Given the zombies swarming the deck, survivors inside were unlikely anyway.
"Then have the other speedboats hunt more ghost ships. Once you've secured the logs and logbooks, return to the main fleet."
"Roger."
Confirming one ghost ship secured, Kim Tae-sik moved to find others. Using the patrol ship's radar net, they identified about ten drifting ghost ships, including the one just taken. The speedboats swiftly cleared them, securing the wheelhouse logs and logbooks.
Reviewing those from the captured ghost ships revealed:
"Nine of the fishing boats we secured departed from port five months ago—before the apocalypse—for fishing operations. The last one seems to be an illegal foreign fishing vessel."
The logs showed nine had left from Pohang, with one intruder in Korean territorial waters.
"And the last one?"
"From China, apparently. Not common in the East Sea, but it happens."
"Ah."
When Seol-hwa asked about the last one's origin, Kim Tae-sik said China. Even without more details, she nodded in understanding. As a Pohang resident, she'd heard plenty about Chinese illegal fishing boats, rare in the East Sea but not unheard of. They mostly plagued the West and South Seas, but East Sea incursions occurred too.
"More zombie crew than expected on these fishing boats."
"Unlike us on land with places to flee, fishing boats have nowhere to run. A tragic fate."
Most were Pohang fishermen who'd gone to sea for work. During the outbreak, they couldn't escape the infected crew, getting bitten and turning or dying. In cities, evasion was possible, but not on a boat surrounded by ocean. Panic in the sudden chaos likely worsened it.
Seol-hwa pitied their end; Kim Tae-sik called it a regrettable tragedy.
"But these are just drifting ghost ships so far. We haven't found any properly operated by zombies."
"Haha. No need to worry. This patrol ship will spot them soon enough."
Yet they hadn't found any truly zombie-operated ghost ships. The zombies aboard were mindless ordinary ones on adrift vessels. Baek Seol-hwa sighed in growing impatience, prompting Kim Tae-sik to reassure her confidently, almost flatteringly.
"Division Commander."
"What is it?"
"We've... spotted the ghost ship you mentioned."
The long-awaited report came. Kim Tae-sik inwardly saw a chance for glory but kept a stern face as he pressed the reporting crewman.
"Report immediately. Why hesitate?"
"It's just..."
But the crewman's expression was grim. Trembling as if witnessing the impossible, he made Kim Tae-sik sense trouble.
"It's a fleet! Not one ghost ship—a whole fleet approaching our patrol ship!"
"Contact the speedboats—order an immediate retreat from that sector!"
His ominous hunch proved right as the crewman's scream echoed through the bridge. The ghost ships weren't solitary; they formed a full fleet, the man shrieked. Sensing the crisis, Kim Tae-sik ordered the speedboats to withdraw.
"Speedboats! Abandon the boarded fishing boat and evacuate that sector now! Over!"
"R-Roger!"
The speedboats had spotted the ghost fleet too; marines grabbed the logs and logbooks, boarding hastily. It was plain as day to them.
"Wh-what the hell is that?"
"Ghosts, looks like."
Spectral, translucent figures flying through the air, amplifying the ghost ships' menace and terrifying the boarding marines. Worse, the ghost ships weren't fantasy relics but modern fishing boats... and
"Our missing warships are there too."
...a ghost fleet including Republic of Korea Navy vessels. Seeing the armada bearing down in formation, Kim Tae-sik despaired at the Pohang warships among them.
"Zombies actually operating a fleet... What do you make of it, Division Commander Kim Tae-sik?"
"I can't believe it. Just can't." As a former marine division commander who'd led countless warships, the shock hit harder. "Even if variant zombies have intelligence, no single one could operate a fleet that size!"
Warships weren't simple to maneuver; they needed crew and technicians. A large fleet demanded training and command structure. Forming and advancing one with mere variant zombies was miraculous.
"Yet they're operating it so flawlessly?"
"I wouldn't know even if you asked me."
Kim Tae-sik cried out in disbelief at the impossibility. Seol-hwa stayed cool, admitting ignorance, but added:
"The Dragon God says zombies no longer fit—they're now more fittingly called undead."
"Undead...!"
Quoting the great Dragon God calmed the captain and crew. Zombies were undead anyway; surpassing them made the term apt.