91. Preparation (2)
The National Tax Service had not only collected the overdue taxes in full but also arrested Kim Ha-yeon on charges of tax evasion. In truth, while low-level organization members might not have known better, someone at the boss level like Kim Ha-yeon had every reason to resist fiercely against the aggressive tax agents who had launched a forced collection.
"Ha, I surrender! I surrender! Please, just spare my life!"
"Tch."
But Kim Ha-yeon offered no resistance at all. The moment she realized her opponents were from the Balhut National Tax Service, she lost even the will to fight.
'Am I crazy? Fighting the tax office? Better to go to prison and repent—it's easier on the mind!'
'A criminal, but... pitiable.'
She thought Lee Hyun-ah, leading the tax service, was more ruthless than Jeong Dong-gun's security forces. The tax service had already spawned countless infamous tales and victims, and it wore that notoriety like a badge of honor, a medal. It publicized the fates of those who opposed it through various channels, spreading detailed accounts to hidden tax evaders and instilling fear and dread toward the agency, knowingly or not.
Yes, every time a criminal organization fell to the tax service, the survivors trembled, thinking, 'Next it'll be us.' Being captured now and thrown meekly into prison on tax evasion charges might even feel psychologically relieving. They say there's no paradise in flight, but prison seemed like a paradise of the mind by comparison.
"With this, their businesses and names are ours now."
'Well... this isn't collection; it's conquest.'
In any case, through this collection operation, Kim Ha-yeon's businesses, organization name, and registrations had all fallen into Lee Hyun-ah's hands. From now on, they would be hers to wield as she pleased.
After surveying the business interiors left in chaos by the tax service's commotion, Lee Hyun-ah smiled brightly and turned to Jeong Dong-gun, who had been quietly observing.
"Mr. Jeong Dong-gun, can you reposition the surveillance outpost on the Daegu route—heading toward Daegu—so it's as hidden as possible from their side?"
The Daegu route she mentioned was the road west of Gyeongju, connected to Taejong-ro. It was a vital link from Gyeongju to Daegu, allowing access to the Gyeongbu Expressway or even straight to central Daegu city. From Gyeongju's perspective, it was the central artery connecting to Daegu—and zombies had indeed come from Daegu via that road.
"It's feasible. Just dismantling and reinstalling the outpost."
Aware of its importance, Jeong Dong-gun had seized the area and set up surveillance and checkpoint outposts to monitor and control zombie movements toward Gyeongju. Relocating them to avoid Daegu's detection wasn't demolition; it was just adjustment. Even if it meant hassle for the field teams reinstalling them, it was a reasonable request if necessary.
"But... is it really necessary? The outposts are operating fine as is."
Moving them still cost manpower and money. Why hide perfectly functional outposts from Daegu?
"To convince Daegu that there's a path into Gyeongju the Balhut Cult hasn't spotted."
"You don't mean... a smuggling route into Daegu?"
Sensing something from her words, Jeong Dong-gun asked if she meant a smuggling route. Lee Hyun-ah smiled brightly at his guess.
"Yes. We're creating our own smuggling route straight to Daegu."
She calmly confirmed his hunch was right and proposed that the Balhut Cult establish a smuggling route. Of course, they couldn't openly call it that—it would just be a nominal one, intentionally created and managed out of necessity.
"I get that, but is it worth the effort?"
Above all, did Daegu merit it? Jeong Dong-gun couldn't help tilting his head. Daegu was a major city with solid industrial infrastructure, but without full reclamation from zombies, those facilities were useless. It had formed a provisional government, but the zombie war raged on, making it a region needing external supplies—not one exporting them. It just sucked resources from the cult; no one at the meetings saw it as attractive.
"We need a narrative that Kim Ha-yeon's group could sneak Gyeongju goods into Daegu."
But what Lee Hyun-ah wanted wasn't profit from smuggling—it was a narrative, a story Daegu could buy into.
Daegu needed plausible deniability for this tale, which required Jeong Dong-gun's help controlling the routes. With him managing the passes, fabricating her desired story would go smoothly.
"Work for a story, huh. I don't know what you're aiming for, but this is definitely for the cult—not personal gain?"
"Yes. I swear on Dragon God Bahamut's name."
If she was laying such thorough groundwork for plausibility, what was her endgame? Jeong Dong-gun racked his brains but couldn't fathom her picture. Still, as a Balhut Cult soldier, he warned her.
Her unwavering oath on Dragon God Bahamut's name—whose weight no one in the cult took lightly—convinced him it was true. He sighed deeply.
"Tell me everything you want."
"Build us a specific route to sneak out to Daegu undetected."
"Simple enough."
He asked her real request, and she obliged: a dedicated stealth path to Daegu. Not hard—his side handled outposts and checkpoints. Align internally on timing, and it could evade notice indefinitely.
With collaboration from Jeong Dong-gun complete, Lee Hyun-ah's next stop was...
"Su-ah, I need a favor. It's important."
"Sure, what is it, sis?"
Lee Su-ah, handling cult administration and swiftly resolving incoming petitions, asked her suddenly visiting sister what was up.
"Find someone in the Daegu community we can collaborate with."
"Easy. Didn't we decide on Ulsan at the last meeting? Has Bahamut changed his mind?"
Lee Hyun-ah mentioned Daegu collaborators; Su-ah said it was simple but questioned the sudden shift, recalling the Ulsan push from prior meetings. With higher-ups decided, why Daegu? Had the exalted Dragon God reconsidered?
Lee Hyun-ah shook her head—no, Ulsan was still on.
"Daegu's close to Gyeongju too. Better to prepare ahead."
"Fair enough. Got it."
With that excuse—Daegu's proximity warranting precautions—Su-ah accepted without question. She wasn't heartless enough to refuse outright, and the rationale sold itself. Even she agreed: Ulsan focus or not, nearby Daegu needed contingency plans.
Thus, Lee Hyun-ah's scheme began assembling piece by piece into a grand design.
"We've hidden the visible outposts from Daegu's view as much as possible, making the surveillance net look lax."
"Perfect. So when we pass through here..."
"We'll play dumb."
"Good."
First, Jeong Dong-gun's aid secured a covert path to Daegu. Known only to insiders, it was staged collusion—but they'd claim it a smuggling route. Only one group would use it, and it'd likely vanish from records later.
Securing the route, Lee Hyun-ah also obtained...
"Here's the list. Internal community intel, plus vetted collaborators for the cult."
"Spot on. Thanks to you, we'll know who to contact first in Daegu."
"Contact...?"
Via Lee Su-ah, she got Daegu community insights and screened collaborators. Lee Hyun-ah pored over the resumes, while Su-ah—curious about her sister's abrupt Daegu fixation—probed.
"Suddenly so into Daegu? Picking partners early?"
"Something like that."
"Who then? Heo Jin-ho from the provisional government, right?"
Su-ah recommended Heo Jin-ho, her top pick: good character, key government figure, solid rep, strong awakener. Teaming with him would speed Daegu ops, she figured.
"He's not bad. But... know anyone greedy for power like Jo Sun-do?"
Yet Lee Hyun-ah passed, seeking instead someone like Jo Sun-do: ambitious, power-hungry.
Su-ah blinked in confusion.
"Uh? There are some, but they're no good for collab—no value. Didn't include them."
"Get them."
"Mm. Okay."
The cult wasn't desperate enough for thugs like Jo Sun-do—especially loathed by Pontiff Choi Yu-na. They were off-list, non-starters. But Lee Hyun-ah wanted one anyway.
'Sis believes in Bahamut more than anyone. She won't betray us.'
Su-ah felt uneasy but trusted her sister's loyalty to the cult and Dragon God. She fetched the profiles.
"Go Jun-woo, 19. Built a major Daegu camp young, but personality issues caused repeated collapses. Joined provisional government but dissatisfied with his spot. Perfect."
She'd done the job sharply, delivering exactly what was asked. But even selecting them herself, Su-ah eyed her sister warily.
"Wh-what's perfect about him?"
"Prime puppet material. Decent strength, power-hungry, poor social skills. Guaranteed internal saboteur, right?"
Not wrong—if just for sowing chaos, he was ideal. But why need a Daegu wrecker?
"True, but..."
"I don't want Daegu growing into a real government. I want the Balhut Cult as the sole legitimate authority across this peninsula."
Simple. The cult—no, Lee Hyun-ah—wanted no rivals. Check Daegu's urban potential as much as possible.
"But... the US recognizes us."
"Yes. But some still don't get it—especially those declaring provisional governments. Time to teach them bitterness."
Su-ah noted US recognition; why poke the bear? But Lee Hyun-ah disliked Daegu's government claims, hinting at ladder-kicking to doom it.
"They just learned infighting's terror via Pohang. Let the kid's sabotage wear them down."
"But... Daegu folk could get hurt or die."
Much blood could flow. Pohang nearly had civil war; Su-ah's worry was natural.
"They won't die. I don't want Daegu collapsing. I'll even gift them supplies via Go Jun-woo."
"Eh? Gifts?"
Lee Hyun-ah insisted no collapse—quite the opposite, supplies to keep them afloat.
"With our gifts, they won't crumble easily."
"...You could blackmail them with those supplies."
Su-ah caught "via Go Jun-woo." Knowing him from her own vetting, pure sharing seemed unlikely—hoarding, probable.
"That's his choice. And it'll be under some generic anti-regime group's name—not the Balhut Cult."
"Ruthless, sis."
All under an anti-cult facade. Unrelated to the cult, truly vicious—but...
"It's the apocalypse."
In end times, one word excused all.