Chapter 36. The Government's Survival Chances.
Chapter 36. The Government's Survival Chances.
After taking the gun from me, he aimed it at Park Minsu with trembling hands.
"Why are you hesitating? Is it because he's your senior and your longtime colleague?"
"..."
"If we'd been murdered by them, wouldn't you have been perfectly happy with a stable supply of resources?"
"No! At the very least, I would have investigated the incident for the victims' sake and followed proper..."
"And would that punishment have led to them all being executed?"
"..."
"If my people had died or been injured, I might have killed everyone in this group. Because that is true revenge."
Some might say the best revenge is forgiveness, and that revenge leaves you with nothing. They're all wrong. The moment you finish exacting revenge, the exhilaration and satisfaction are indescribable.
"Anyway, make your choice quickly. Whether intentional or not, if you endanger my people, I don't care who you are."
Soon, as if he had made his decision, his gun hand stopped trembling. Park Minsu seemed to notice it too.
"L-Lieutenant General Go... Let's talk this over!"
"Senior, given what you've done, I won't apologize."
ㅡ Bang!
After the execution was over, he shouted so everyone could hear.
"The world you knew is gone. Outside, there are many who kill and rape for fun. From now on, anyone who betrays the group or acts to its detriment will be dealt with mercilessly."
"Yes, we'll keep that in mind..."
"Of course, I won't force you into the group or give you harsh work. You may leave if you wish. But as long as you belong to the group, remember this."
Everyone who heard him tensed up and composed themselves. Then he looked at Choi Jae-hyeok and Seo Ji-hoon and spoke.
"The same goes for our group members. I don't like dissension within the group."
"Yes..."
"Understood..."
After dismissing the others, Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon and his closest advisors gathered to discuss the merger.
"What is the total number of people here?"
"Currently, we are all soldiers, about 60 personnel."
"All of you are soldiers? Are there no family members?"
"Yes. The number of bullets was far too insufficient to break through and retrieve them. And given the time that has passed, it is presumed that most have already died..."
'Even if more people joined here, it wouldn't change much anyway.'
"Also, we've heard various reports: the government is still surviving, there are several groups that have formed powers within South Korea, and unique monsters have been confirmed."
The groups forming powers were entirely plausible, and the unique monsters likely referred to things like the flying ones we'd seen, the giants, and the tentacled things. But the government was still surviving?
"The government is still surviving?"
"Yes, we heard they were surviving near Yongsan, but I don't know what's become of them now."
"First, let's make one thing clear. I have no sense of mission to restore the Republic of Korea. It might end up that way by chance, but I won't take the lead on it. Please keep that in mind."
"Yes, we will absolutely not force you. We couldn't even if we wanted to."
"Good. Then we need to think about where to move."
"Do you have a place in mind?"
"Actually, I planned to resupply here and think about it slowly. But with your group joining, the numbers have grown, and I'm thinking of rescuing the survivors in the barracks as well. Of course, it won't be for free. Right now, any extra hands are welcome. If they join, they'll have to do what they can."
"Yes, the barracks are in an apartment complex a block away from here. There are only a few schools and one supermarket nearby, so we don't expect many zombies."
From our discussion, I confirmed that the food obtained while clearing the unit, combined with their existing stock, was enough to last two months. Also, we could transport people using transport helicopters, which solved the mobility issue.
After asking them to train us in the use of the weapons our group possessed, the meeting ended.
"Then let's wrap up here. We'll be going now."
* * * * * * * *
"You've all heard, but they've decided to join us. And we won't tolerate any kind of territorial behavior among the group members."
Choi Jae-hyeok, who had been deep in thought for a while, raised his hand and spoke.
"I heard the government is alive. Do you have any intention of joining the government, Sihu?"
"Not at all. I might cooperate with them, but I won't work under them."
Seeing Choi Jae-hyeok fall back into thought after hearing the answer, Seo Ji-hoon asked.
"May I ask why you asked such a question?"
"Earlier, they mentioned there are already groups that have formed their own power in Korea. Given the worldwide situation, is there really a reason to deliberately restore Korea?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Those who have already built their own power are survivors who have adapted to the current situation. Tell them to go back under the state's authority? They'll resist unconditionally. Rather than that, we'd be better off demanding territory where we can act with a little more autonomy."
"Jae-hyeok, are you saying we should establish a nation?"
"No, not that. I mean, instead of becoming their hands and feet to reclaim territory, we should cooperate as the 'superior party.' If the government survives, they might try to work us to the bone using the whole 'citizen' excuse. I'm just putting it nicely, but isn't it the case that might makes right in this situation?"
"Jae-hyeok! Even so, that's..."
"Rather than that, if we stick together and solve things ourselves without being tied down by them, we won't be interfered with, and it'll be more comfortable."
'This is something I'll have to think about.'
"That's a problem to think about when we actually meet the government. Right now, the issue is where we should go."
"Nearby places include Nonsan, Geumsan, and Gongju. If you're thinking about Seoul, there's the Gyeonggi-do region nearby."
"Do we have enough fuel to move everyone?"
"Yes, we have our own tank where we've stored fuel, so it's sufficient."
I tapped my fingers steadily on the desk, agonizing over which candidate to choose. Considering the infrastructure that would be restored later, heading to Gyeonggi-do was a decent choice.
'Seriously... I came down from Seoul, and after all this, am I really heading back to Gyeonggi-do?'
"The problem now is the lack of people, not that the infrastructure is destroyed. So considering the future, Gyeonggi-do seems right."
"In that case, I think either Paju or Gimpo would be suitable. Neither is surrounded, and both are relatively far north."
"After all that moving together... To go to Gyeonggi-do, an advance party will have to go scout it out first."
"Yes, we don't know what's there, so it's essential for safety."
"Then let's first check if there are survivors in the military barracks and get supplies from the supermarket over there. Anyway, this area is mountainous, so hunting is imposs..."
'Wait... Don't animals turn into zombies?'
I tapped Terion, who was in my shirt pocket, to make him come out.
"Terion, hypothetically speaking... Is there a chance animals could turn into zombies too?"
Perhaps because it was a terrifying thought, everyone in the group had grave expressions as they pondered it.
"I know that beasts that have evolved by possessing mana are called divine beasts... but as for them becoming zombies like you said, I'm not sure."
"So it's not just humans that are the problem..."
* * * * * * * *
We gathered troops to rescue the people in the barracks.
"Go up, and if there are survivors, bring them back. If not, gather anything useful and return."
"Yes, I'll deploy the troops."
"While bringing them, let them know about our group. If they really don't want to come, it can't be helped."
"Then I'll head up."
"I'll search the supermarket with the other members."
As expected, perhaps because many had come out in search of food, unable to endure the hunger, the supermarket was full of corpses and zombies. But anyway, the group could easily handle ordinary zombies.
ㅡ Fizz...
"The supermarket cleanup is finished. We just need to call people over to take the intact supplies. How did it go on your end?"
"Most of the rescued personnel are suffering from malnutrition. Fortunately, there seem to be no serious injuries."
"Okay. Then I'll wait at that intersection from earlier."
We returned to the unit and gathered again with our group, along with Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon, who had joined us, and his staff officers.
"We're currently considering Nonsan, Gongju, and Geumsan nearby, and Paju and Gimpo in Gyeonggi-do."
We explained the reasons for our thinking. Then Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon spoke.
"In that case, if things go well, there's a chance we could get higher quality weapons from Pyeongtaek."
"Pyeongtaek?"
"There's a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek. I don't know the current situation, but they might be alive. And if we're lucky, the U.S. might be handling the situation faster than expected. It's a country where firearms were legalized to begin with, so the damage should be less than here."
"Then, everyone, Paju or Gimpo, which do you think is better?"
At that, Mr. Chu gave his opinion.
"I think Gimpo is good. It's close to Seoul, and there's an island next to it called Ganghwado. We could move there in a real emergency. As far as I know, there are only two bridges leading there, so defense would be easy."
"Hmm... Actually, when I discussed it with my staff, I thought Paju was better. After all, there should be much better land for farming. But given our numbers, we probably don't need that much farmland."
"Then does everyone agree on moving to Gimpo?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. No one objected.
And so, our final destination was decided as Gimpo.