Are You Scared?
The apartment complex, which had been the territory of the zombies that swarmed in last night, had been searched and cleared by Lee Seok-jin’s unit. Since the Alpha that had claimed the three complexes as its domain—along with the slave zombies and regular zombies it had driven there—had been almost entirely wiped out, there were very few infected left. Furthermore, since the remaining ones were all trapped inside their homes, they weren't difficult to deal with.
Jun-ho had offered to lend a hand, but Lee Seok-jin and his officers had adamantly refused. "We can handle this much. Mr. Lee Jun-ho, please just get some rest. Manager, you should rest too."
Thanks to that, Jun-ho, Park Deok-cheol, and the resort combatants led by Park Cheol-woo were able to spend a few hours in deep, uninterrupted rest, attending to their personal gear.
Shortly after lunch, the two platoons that had gone to clear the apartment complexes returned, bringing a group of survivors with them. Out of the three apartment complexes, which totaled nearly 3,000 households, fewer than 500 people had survived. The reason the casualties were so high here, when usually about a third of the population survives, was because the survivors had split into factions and fought, leading to a major disaster. Even in a world like this, they had fought among themselves, ultimately just doing the zombies a favor.
Regardless, the number of people staying at "Golden Heights," including Major Lee Seok-jin’s unit, had reached the thousands. Power and water were no problem, but it was becoming difficult to last more than half a year even with the food they had secured.
However, neither Jun-ho nor Lee Seok-jin seemed particularly worried.
"Shall we start farming right away? I’ll take my troops to Yeongho-ri and send the rice over. We need to install a relay station there anyway."
"Thank you, Mr. Jun-ho."
"Don't mention it. It’s something I need as well. Oh, and on the way, I’ll send over some chickens and rabbits."
"Pardon?"
"Even... livestock?"
Lee Seok-jin and his officers’ eyes widened in surprise, and Jun-ho nodded.
"Yes. There’s an elderly man I know well in Gahyeon-ri who has spent his whole life farming and raising livestock. He managed to multiply the number of rabbits significantly in just half a year."
Go Jeong-nam and his son Go Seok-jin from the nursing home were true professionals in animal husbandry. In particular, the old man, Go Jeong-nam, had performed a miracle; he had turned an initial group of about 30 rabbits into over 200. That was even after slaughtering a few for food along the way. Moreover, he had started raising a few chickens, and by the last count, there were over 200 young chickens alone.
"I'll send some rabbits and chickens. For the chickens, just eat the eggs for now and let them multiply."
"Thank you so much."
"It's nothing."
Golden Heights, where Major Lee Seok-jin’s unit would be stationed, was at the entrance of Namyangju and had the natural advantage of a direct view of the Han River. Unless someone was out of their mind and trying to pass through the densely populated areas where the Namyangju City Hall offices were located, anyone entering Namyangju from the direction of Seoul would almost certainly have to pass through this place. Especially considering that survivors from Seoul and the adjacent metropolitan cities, both before and after the regression, had all moved along the Han River or through it when crossing from east to west.
This place, which would be connected to the shelter via the relay station, was the perfect outpost and tripwire. Therefore, as long as they were well-fed, survived well, and could fight well, Gahyeon-ri—and our shelter—would remain safe.
"Then, I’ll head to the ecological park by Paldang Lake and clear that area first. That way, the vehicles left at Ungilsan Station can travel back and forth relatively safely along the riverside bike path."
"Yes. I’m counting on you. We’ll send our troops directly to Ungilsan Station via the Gyeongui-Jungang Line."
"Understood. Have them depart tomorrow. I need to stop by the resort first."
"Understood."
Lee Seok-jin and his officers were immensely grateful to Jun-ho, who hadn't hesitated to do the hard work until the very end. After saying their goodbyes, Jun-ho and the resort combat team, led by Park Cheol-woo, boarded the electric motorboat and headed back up the Han River.
After retrieving the electric motorboat near Paldang Lake, Jun-ho and the combat team crossed Paldang Dam and moved on foot along the bike path to the ecological park. Onae-ri, where Paldang Dam and Paldang Lake were located, was a water resource protection zone with a very small population, so they encountered very few zombies. There was only one Alpha, which the Alpha had likely already consumed most of, and Jun-ho took it out with his AR-15, while the combat team easily dealt with the remaining slaves.
In this way, Jun-ho and the combat team cleared the zombies in the vicinity, centered around the ecological park. There, they reassembled the electric motorboat and traveled along the Gyeongancheon Stream toward the resort.
"Manager!"
"You’re all safe!"
Resort staff were stationed at the riverside of the village where they had encountered and fought the gangsters who were targeting the resort. Furthermore, just as Jun-ho had ordered before leaving, they had already built a guard post and a structure similar to a pier for easy boat docking. This was because, from now on, they would need to transport people and supplies to Namyangju using the electric motorboat.
"You built it well. You’ve all worked hard."
"Oh, we didn't do much! Farming and manual labor are all we do. You and the staff here are the ones who really worked hard. Come on, follow us."
The other staff members enthusiastically welcomed the combat team, who had returned safely without a single injury, let alone a death, and guided them to the village hall. And inside the village hall, which was being used as an office and a "re-education labor dormitory," were some unexpected people. It was Ahn Yu-jeong, the Blossom member and Park Deok-cheol’s crush, along with the other Blossom members. And there were the combat personnel led by Yoon Seol-hee who were to be dispatched to our shelter.
"The Representative said it would be better to go directly from here instead of going through the trouble of stopping by the resort."
"Oh, really? I wanted to see your faces before I left, so I’m a bit disappointed."
At Jun-ho’s words, Yoon Seol-hee, who had recovered significantly from her injuries—proving she wasn't an ordinary person, even if she wasn't a transcendent like him—spoke with her characteristic calm expression.
"Actually, the Representative is quite busy. I don't know where they heard the rumors, but survivors keep gathering at the resort."
"Oh, is that so?"
Although he already knew from before the regression that the group led by Kang Baek-ho would become one of the largest survivor factions in Gwangju and the metropolitan area, Jun-ho feigned surprise.
"Yes. Every three days, at least three or four, and sometimes more than ten people arrive. They seem to have thought the military had arrived when they heard the gunshots during the fight with the gangsters here. But there are some people whose character isn't very good..."
Jun-ho lowered his gaze at Yoon Seol-hee’s signal. On the path below the village hall rooftop, people who looked like neighborhood thugs or punks at a glance were walking sluggishly, shoulders slumped, among the other people in shabby clothes. Every one of them had a blue bruise on their eye or bandages stuck all over their faces. It was obvious whose handiwork it was, so Jun-ho chuckled.
"Looks like the Manager gave them a proper lesson?"
"Yes. I was planning to deal with one more today, but... huh?"
Yoon Seol-hee, who had been watching them with cold eyes, tilted her head.
"Why?"
"Because the person I was planning to deal with isn't here. They definitely all went to work together..."
That was when it happened. *Thud! Whack!* Following the dull noise, there was a sound of crashing.
"You fucking bastards!"
"Come at me! Come at me, you sons of bitches!"
"Bring it! Bring it on, you asshole!"
Three men began to threaten the people around them with knives and hand axes.
"Ugh..."
"Stay still, you fucker! If you move, I’ll stab you! You want to die?"
"Kugh!"
Among them, a sturdy man who looked to be 190 centimeters tall had his arm wrapped around the neck of a resort employee, holding a knife to his throat. Two scrawny men on either side of him were waving an axe and a kitchen knife, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"You bastards! You fucking assholes!"
"Fuck! You work us to death just because of one little mistake? You sons of bitches!"
They were none other than the rappers known as LD and Kelvin.
-100% HP
"Put the knife down! Put the knife down, LD!"
"Fuck off, you bastard! You little shit! Who the hell are you to act like this? Go get Representative Kang! Kang Baek-ho! Now!"
No matter how scrawny they looked, if someone was holding a weapon, you had to avoid them at all costs. There was a reason why even professional boxers and mixed martial arts fighters were told to run if the opponent had a weapon. Moreover, leaving LD and Kelvin aside, the man threatening the employee with a knife looked like he was no amateur, given his build.
"Phew... talk about bad timing. You’ve just returned from working hard, and now you have to see this mess. I’ll go down and handle it."
Yoon Seol-hee sighed deeply and started walking.
"You fucking bastards. You think you're something just because you have guns? Go ahead, shoot. You're nothing but losers without your guns..."
At that moment, Jun-ho, who had been watching the man's actions from the rooftop, leaped down.
*Whoosh!*
"Huh!?"
Seeing him land so lightly from a six-meter-high rooftop, everyone’s eyes widened.
"Hey."
"Hiiik!? Y-you..."
LD and Kelvin, who had made eye contact with Jun-ho, were so startled they stumbled backward, nearly falling over.
"You still haven't come to your senses. Didn't I tell you? This isn't the world you used to know anymore."
"U-ugh..."
As Jun-ho took a step forward, the two rappers trembled like rabbits in front of a predator and backed away. However, unlike those two, the man holding the employee hostage was seeing Jun-ho for the first time today.
"You fucking asshole. Who the hell are you? You have a gun too, you piece of shit? You guys are all the same, acting tough when you have guns. Pfft..."
He openly ignored and mocked him.
"..."
Jun-ho turned his face toward the man.
"What? Why? Are you scared? Does it bother you? What are you going to do? Hey, you son of a bitch, shoot with that fancy gun of yours. That would be simple, wouldn't it? You piece of sh... huh?"
The man, who had been mocking and provoking Jun-ho, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Although he had a significant build, Jun-ho, who was half a head shorter, had suddenly started putting down all his weapons—not just his gun, but his machete and commando dagger as well.
"Deok-cheol. Take these."
"Yes sir!"
Park Deok-cheol, who had been ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice, quickly approached and took Jun-ho's gear. Jun-ho rolled his shoulders and walked toward the man. The man watched him as if he were ridiculous and sneered.
"Haha, look at this guy? Hey, you little shit. Did you think I’d just send the hostage over because you did that? You think I’d let you shoot me in the meantime..."
"Nobody shoot. Absolutely not."
Jun-ho cut the man off.
*Clack! Clack-clack!*
At that, all the resort staff lowered not only their guns but all their weapons, as if they had agreed to do so beforehand.
"...!?"
Flustered, the man looked around wildly while pressing the knife against the hostage's throat. His face, marked by several long scars, twisted in anger. Most of the staff had expressionless faces, but some were looking at him with pity, and some were even sneering.
That was when Jun-ho said to the man,
"Why? Are you scared?"
"...What? Ha! You fucking..."
The man spat out a curse as if he couldn't believe it, and his eyes flashed sharply.
"You're dead today."
*Whoosh!*
He shoved the employee's shoulder roughly.
"Ugh!?"
For a split second, the employee's falling body blocked Jun-ho's view.
"You bastard!"
Taking advantage of that opening, the man swung his right hand quickly. In that short moment, Jun-ho clearly took in the snap of the opponent's wrist, the angle of his arm, and the rotation of his waist. As expected, he was a skilled knife-fighter who had dealt with many people in the past. But that only worked against ordinary people or fellow gangsters.
*Whoosh.*
Avoiding the employee, Jun-ho easily grabbed the man's right hand with his left, pulled his body in, and threw a straight punch at the man's scarred face.
*CRACK!!!*
The black glove didn't just crush his front teeth and nasal bone; it made his face cave in as if it were being smashed inward. The impact sent the man's head snapping back.
*Clatter!*
The knife fell limply from the man's hand as he staggered. "Kuh... Kuugh..." Spitting out red blood and fragments from his nose and mouth, the man gasped for air a few times, then immediately collapsed to his knees and fell forward.
Jun-ho, who had reduced his opponent to a near-death state with a single blow, shook the teeth embedded in his glove and turned toward the two rappers, then immediately paused.
"..."
"..."
LD and Kelvin had already discarded their weapons and were kneeling quietly on the ground.