The Urban Center of the Apocalypse
“The elementary school, The First Apartments, and the people from Hadong we rescued recently. They aren’t fully united yet, are they?”
“…I have nothing to say to that.”
Jun-ho shook his head at the apologetic Kim Seok-hwan. “No. I’m not trying to criticize you, Village Chief. I expected as much. But to unite as a community of shared destiny, we have to do something together that truly puts our fates on the line.”
“I-is that why you’re sitting this one out, Jun-ho, and leaving us to fight among ourselves?”
“Yes. Of course, I will provide the air rifles and ammunition. The drones as well. So.”
Jun-ho continued, pointing at the map again. “The people at Edu Town don’t know that we’re watching them from above. But we know exactly when they’re coming, where they’re going, and how many of them there are. You can defend yourselves easily with just air rifles and bows. Don’t you think?”
Song Ki-jun, catching Jun-ho’s gaze, answered confidently. “Of course. Besides, we have much higher numbers, and we have more weapons like guns and bows. We can wipe out the Edu Town bastards when they attack, and we can even counter-attack. Of course, some might die or get hurt. But if we don’t do this with our own hands, we’ll just end up torn apart and fighting amongst ourselves again.”
“Ki-jun, you’re right, you’re absolutely right. We have to protect our neighborhood with our own hands.”
“Indeed. I’ll send my son too, depending on the situation, so feel free to use him as you see fit.”
At Song Ki-jun’s words, Kim Seok-hwan nodded heavily, and Go Jeong-nam agreed as well. Just then—
“But, everyone.”
At Jun-ho’s voice, the three men turned their gazes toward him.
“I said I wouldn’t participate in the fight against Edu Town, but I never said I wouldn’t fight at all.”
“Huh?”
“T-then?”
Under their puzzled gazes, Jun-ho swiped his finger across the tablet screen. The aerial map shifted past The First Apartments and Edu Town, settling on a view of Mokuri.
Jun-ho’s eyes turned cold as he spoke in a low voice.
“While you are fighting Edu Town, I will strike the Gukje Gang myself.”
The decisive reason he had been forced to choose death in the middle of Namyangju before his regression was precisely because of them—a real organized crime syndicate. Along with Han Chang-sik, whom he was keeping alive in the basement of the detached house, or rather, in a way, they were his true enemies.
This battle was, for Jun-ho, a true act of vengeance.
The next day, 20 low-spec air rifles produced in the shelter and 2,000 rounds of ammunition were distributed to the Gahyeon-ri community. The people chosen to use the air rifles were all military veterans and adult men whose families resided at Gahyeon Elementary School. Because of this, it was difficult for those who received the air rifles to harbor ulterior motives. Even if it was a bit much, they had used their families—whom they had protected without abandoning even in this world—as the ‘safety catch’ for the firearms.
Since they had all served in the military, they perfectly zeroed their sights and finished test-firing. The next day, they followed the narrow mountain path in the detached house village toward The First Apartment complex.
The First Apartment complex had only about ten people standing guard, as most of the residents had already left. Many had wept bitterly at having to leave the ‘my home’ they had worked so hard to obtain. However, everyone knew that it was no longer possible to find water and food there, and above all, that surviving this winter would have been impossible without Jun-ho’s support.
The 300 or so survivors packed only the essentials and moved into the vacant houses prepared in the safe zone, where walls had been built using containers and abandoned cars.
- Now, have the drones stand by at the designated locations.
“Understood.”
At the words of Yun Yeong-su heard through his earpiece, Song Ki-jun climbed onto the apartment rooftop, braving the biting wind, and prepared the four drones and the rapid-charging station. These drones were to operate in pairs in case of an emergency; one would monitor Song Ki-jun and his colleagues, while the other would tail the enemy. Also, although they were originally for agricultural use, the general-purpose drones modified to carry thermal imaging cameras were quite useful, despite the short 20-minute flight time.
- From now on, the footage from our drone cameras and the PTZ camera will appear in a split-screen on your tablet and laptop. You can control the drones placed there, but basically, we will be controlling them.
“Yes. That’s more comfortable for us, too.”
The ‘female’ drone pilot on the other end possessed flight skills far more stable than the residents who had flown drones as a hobby for a few years. Moreover, one couldn’t help but be tongue-tied at how she reported the enemy’s movement direction in a cool-headed voice, considering every situation, and even informed the allies of the optimal firing positions.
- They’re slowly coming along the predicted movement path now. You see them, right?
“Yes, I see them.”
Song Ki-jun and his colleagues in the Search and Destroy Squad watched the screen with tense eyes. The PTZ camera installed on the roof a short while ago had a daytime visibility of up to 1 kilometer. That meant they could see everything happening as someone emerged from Edu Town, which was only 500 meters away.
- Judging by the numbers, it looks like they’re doing one last route check and scouting our movements today. They’re unnecessarily thorough for a bunch of thugs.
“…….”
- Still, thanks to those people, the zombies in that neighborhood have decreased quite a bit, so I’m a little grateful for that. They even caught an Alpha. Oh?
“Why?”
- It looks like today is a busy day. About thirty more people just came out of Edu Town Building 1.
As soon as Yun Yeong-su’s words ended, footage being filmed by the shelter’s high-performance drone popped up on the tablet screen. True to his word, over 30 men, each carrying weapons, were in the middle of moving.
“Whoa? Those bastards?”
“W-what do we do?”
“What do you mean, we fight.”
The Search and Destroy Squad members who saw this were a bit restless, perhaps flustered.
“What do we do from here?”
Song Ki-jun was also slightly flustered, but he asked without trying to show it.
- I’ve already reported it to the boss. He says he’s heading out with Jun-hyeok now.
“Excuse me? I heard Jun-ho wasn’t participating this time.”
- Yes. Only Jun-hyeok will be supporting you all. The boss says he’s going to Mokuri.
“Ehh?”
Song Ki-jun couldn’t help but openly show the flustered state he had been trying to hide. “What about reconnaissance? How many more of those Gukje Gang thugs are there? And before that, do you even know where their base is?”
- Of course I do. We installed repeaters, solar panels, and batteries on the roof of the apartment you’re in just a while ago. Now we can send drones near Mokuri Station anytime.
“Ah….”
- Anyway, you know the building belonging to the Edu Town residents’ representative? The Cheongsan Building. The Gukje Gang stays there. It’s also close to a nightclub.
“Then the path to get there…?”
- We’ve already figured out exactly how those Gukje Gang thugs have been coming and going by launching drones. Hehe.
“…….”
Song Ki-jun was left speechless by Jun-ho’s meticulousness combined with cutting-edge technology. Well, I suppose that’s why he was able to take down dozens of bullies alone and eventually destroy the Gukje Gang.
- Alright, alright, it takes about 20 minutes for those Edu Town geezers and the thugs to get there. Everyone, go to the locations I told you about earlier and prepare. If you just hold out, you’ll win no matter what.
“A-all right.”
Having finished the communication, Song Ki-jun turned to his colleagues. Some were apartment residents who had fought alongside him from the beginning, and some were people who had stayed at Gahyeon Elementary School. If the world hadn’t turned out this way, they might have lived their whole lives without ever knowing each other’s faces. But now, as a single community living together, they had to join forces and fight for the survival of their families.
“You all heard him? Let’s go. Don’t get hurt, and let’s make sure we meet again safely. Keep your ears open, and if anything happens, send a radio message immediately.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s live. Let’s see each other alive.”
At Song Ki-jun’s words, the heads of households of the apocalypse—someone’s father or son, whose precious families were living safely within the Gahyeon-ri community—ignited their resolve.
“Lock the rooftop door tight. If anything happens, get into the safe house.”
- Yeah, don’t worry. You be careful too, brother.
“Yeah. By the way, are you having any trouble eating or sleeping?”
- Not at all? It’s super warm sleeping in the sleeping bag while hugging Purdy. Hehe.
Jun-ho continued his communication with Jun-hyeok, who had already entered the high-rise safe house in Edu Town with Purdy three days ago. Since some of the Gukje Gang members had joined Edu Town while even armed with firearms, Jun-ho, anticipating a high probability of an incident within a week, had sent Jun-hyeok and Purdy to the safe house prepared on the top floor of Edu Town Building 2. The Edu Town survivors could not open the safe house, which had four locks installed on a custom-made blast-proof door instead of a regular front door, and it was still serving as both a safe house and a front-line unmanned surveillance post.
However, now that a clash between Edu Town and The First was scheduled, it had to become a manned outpost performing an aggressive role. So, Jun-hyeok had entered the safe house after thoroughly searching the stairs with a mini-drone while wearing night-vision goggles on a moonless night, and this fact was kept strictly secret, with only Yun Yeong-su knowing besides the brothers. This was because if, by any chance, Jun-hyeok’s location were identified by the enemy, a situation where he was trapped there alone could occur. Of course, he had also sent a helper(?) to assist with Jun-hyeok’s combat and survival along with Purdy. That was none other than the new attack drone, the masterpiece of Yun Yeong-su and Baek Ha-il.
“What about A1? You checked it one more time, right?”
- Obviously. It’s super loud, but I’ll be launching it from the rooftop anyway, and it’s windy today, so they won’t be able to hear it. By the way, you said the accuracy is trash from the height of this apartment rooftop, right?
“Yeah. That’s the unfortunate part. But I made it without worrying about accuracy, so it’s fine. It’s for containment purposes anyway.”
A1 was a flying attack drone capable of firing an air rifle while hovering in the air. However, unlike G1, which was a ground-based type and quite heavy, A1, which had a maximum payload of only 10 kilograms, was somewhat lighter, and it was extremely difficult to control the recoil while in flight due to the wind direction and speed at high altitudes. Furthermore, the flight time while firing was only about 10 minutes, and due to weight restrictions, it had to be equipped with a small compressed air tank that could only fire about 30 tungsten pellets. In other words, it was an item that could never be highly rated in terms of efficiency.
However.
“If two of them fire thirty rounds and even a quarter of them hit, they won’t be able to crawl out. If you move back and forth in the high-rise apartments and fire while hiding, it’ll be hard for them to even know your location.”
- That part is a game-changer. Including me, there are three of us actually shooting, but the guys getting hit will think there are more than five or six people. Setting aside those inefficiencies and numerous drawbacks, that was the reason Yun Yeong-su and Baek Ha-il touted it as a ‘masterpiece,’ and why Jun-ho also genuinely acknowledged it.
The short flight time could be solved by frequently swapping in fully charged batteries, and at that time, the magazine and air tank could be replaced as well. So, Jun-hyeok had actually brought six extra drone batteries, dedicated magazines, and air tanks.
A1’s goal was singular. In environments with many hiding spots and cover, such as dense forests, apartment complexes, or city centers, it was to maximize the enemy’s confusion and terror by mindlessly pouring out bullets, regardless of accuracy.
“If it comes down to it, leave the cover to A1 and just run away with Purdy. I’ve left G1 on standby near the armored car, so it’ll go to help you too.”
- Okay. Brother, it looks like it’s starting now. Over!
“Yeah. Over. Phew….”
Jun-ho, who had cut off communication with Jun-hyeok, caught his breath and moved his feet. He quickly climbed the mountain, where there was no sign of human life, with only the sound of the cold, rough wind brushing against the bare branches. As it was a mountain, there were no paths, but he felt no difficulty. There was no way Jun-ho, whose physical abilities had already transcended human levels, would find the route the gangsters had been using difficult.
Moreover, he was not alone.
> No threats within a 300-meter radius. You may continue moving.
> Distance remaining to final destination: 3400. Arriving in 46 minutes at current movement speed.
> Four houses at the 3 o’clock position, 220 meters ahead, centered on Master Lee Jun-ho’s movement direction. No threats observed. Please proceed with caution.
> Distance remaining to final destination: 640 meters. Point A, where the final destination can be observed with the naked eye, is 170 meters away.
After climbing the mountain without rest for nearly an hour, guided perfectly by AI Akina’s reconnaissance and directions, Jun-ho arrived at a mountain ridge that overlooked the commercial district and entertainment area, which were the most developed parts of this region, centered around Mokuri Station. As befitted a place with a population of 150,000—the first he had encountered in the second apocalypse since his regression—the apocalypse’s city center, swarming with tens of thousands of zombies, unfolded before his eyes.