Chapter 38. Government Contact.
Chapter 38. Government Contact.
Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon came looking for me the moment he heard the news.
"I heard the good news. You found us a place to live, and livestock too."
"Yes, we got lucky. Speaking of which, I heard the job classifications for everyone have been finished."
"As it turns out, some of the older folks among the military families who used to live in the barracks had experience managing livestock. There's a fair number of people with farming experience too. And we had quite a few vehicle mechanics and people with construction backgrounds. Among your people, Sihu, there were some nurses but no doctors."
"Ha, that's still a relief. The nurses can handle simple wounds at least. In that case, we'll move the supplies first and leave ourselves with the last group."
Fortunately, there were no attacks from flying zombies during the multiple round trips, and our party departed last.
"Honestly... when I used to dream about retiring, I pictured a quiet life out in the countryside. Never imagined it'd happen like this."
Warrant Officer Lee Geun-cheol muttered as we flew smoothly past the airport area.
"Unmanned helicopter spotted up ahead. Same type we saw last time. They're requesting communications. How should we proceed?"
"Let's hear what they have to say first."
Warrant Officer Lee Geun-cheol exchanged messages with the other side and picked up quite a bit more information than I'd expected. As I'd figured, they were indeed government people. They said they were currently surviving in the Yongsan area, with a larger number of survivors than I'd anticipated.
"They're asking about the helicopter's origin and destination. What should we do?"
'It's a military transport helicopter, so bluffing's going to be tricky.'
"Tell them we're operating under military authority to relocate survivors to a safe location. Do not disclose the exact destination."
"Yes, I'll relay that."
Warrant Officer Lee Geun-cheol, still on the line with the other side, looked back at me and spoke again.
"They're saying they want to speak with the person in charge. How should we handle it?"
'No need to go out of my way to deal with a headache.'
"Just tell them there's no one in charge here. We're only transporting survivors and supplies."
Once the conversation ended and the line was cut, we continued flying toward our destination.
"We've arrived. Beginning landing."
I disembarked and looked around; everyone was moving supplies and getting things organized. Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon, Choi Jae-hyeok, and Seo Ji-hoon approached me along with a few others.
"These are the people I mentioned before — the ones with farming and livestock experience."
"The livestock are currently in the vinyl greenhouses. You don't need to worry about them escaping. Just take good care of them, please."
Then an old man with farming experience stepped forward and spoke up.
"I checked the state of the paddies and fields as soon as we got here. The soil hasn't dried out — must've rained from time to time — and for land that's been left alone, it's in decent shape. We might actually be able to move up the harvest more than expected."
"Good. I'll assign you some extra hands to help with the farming. And let's search the houses around here for any farming equipment."
We decided to use the village assembly hall as our hub and occupy the nearby houses. The people who'd done construction work before handled the repairs. Also, since there were far more empty houses than we had people, it was decided that Chaeyeon, Jia, and I would share one house, and everyone else could sort out the rest on their own.
Once the housing assignments were settled, everyone quickly unpacked and went off to their respective tasks. The group's leadership gathered separately in the assembly hall, and the meeting began when Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon spoke up.
"I heard you made contact with a helicopter confirmed to belong to government forces on the way here. Truth be told, I was originally going to suggest we head to the US military base in Pyeongtaek."
"Hm? That's surprising. I figured you'd want to rescue those people first."
"We've only just relocated. Our systems aren't properly established yet. Even if we were to meet them, we need to shore up our own foundation first. That's why I intended to suggest Pyeongtaek as the first move."
"I'm aware there's a US military base in Pyeongtaek. Is there a particular reason?"
"For one thing, the weapons there are of higher quality, and if things go well, we might be able to make use of attack helicopters and tanks. After all, driving a tank all the way here from our previous location would be difficult because of the noise..."
"Forgive my ignorance, but can't tanks be moved by helicopter?"
"There is a method using sling-loading, but that takes quite a lot of time. Same goes for the fuel. And honestly, the tanks were about half wishful thinking on my part. Realistically, you'd need a substantial number of troops to guard something like that while bringing it here."
"So it'd be practically impossible unless we fully secure this place's defenses before going... since we'd have to pull a lot of troops out."
"Yes. So I also considered the option of accommodating some of what the government forces want and borrowing troops from them. They say they have more people than we thought."
"What do you intend to do if they try to force us into joining them?"
"I've already prepared myself for that. If they ask, that's one thing, but if they try to force it, I'll oppose it by any means."
I relayed the plans Choi Jae-hyeok had laid out during our last meeting. He listened, considered it seriously, and answered.
"As a soldier, I probably shouldn't say this, but right now, overwhelming force is what protects people... whether from fellow humans or from zombies... I agree with Mr. Choi Jae-hyeok's opinion."
"From your perspective, Lieutenant General, couldn't this look like a coup?"
"Heh... a coup... what does that matter when we're rebuilding land that's already fallen to ruin? In the end, it's just a change in leadership..."
To be honest, my first impression of this man was that he'd be the rigid, by-the-book, hardline FM type of soldier, but in a situation like this, he's surprisingly flexible.
"Well, they'll be reaching out to us soon enough."
"How can you be so certain...?"
"Weren't you thinking the same? If the government is still alive, they'll want a safer location, and to restore society, they'll have no choice but to make contact with us — the ones who hold the power."
* * * * * * * *
A week passed like that, and things settled into a system faster than I'd expected. The men were trained in firearm use and took on guard duty, while the women were taught basic self-defense and first aid. The livestock that had been gaunt had put some meat back on their bones, and the farming was progressing smoothly without any major issues.
And the progress among our own party was striking. Each of them was now skilled enough to take down a tentacle zombie on their own, and if two or three of them grouped up, they were more than capable of handling a giant. Jia, in particular, had honed her skills to the point where she could hit a distant tree while in mid-leap.
Well, it is a bit disappointing that not one of them has managed to land a single clean hit on me during sparring yet.
Among the civilians, too, some started joining the soldiers for training voluntarily — men and women alike. With that, minor injuries during training and reconnaissance became more common.
'The nurses are enough for now, but we might end up needing a doctor down the line...'
Chaeyeon and I could heal them with magic, but we couldn't be glued to their sides all day. In the long run, a doctor was going to be necessary.
"Ah... should I just meet with the damn government people after all?"
"Hm? Thinking of meeting with the government?"
The old man overheard my muttering and asked. I told him we were starting to need a doctor.
"Why not just have them join the group? Even if the president himself showed up, what kind of power would that fellow hold in this situation? Even if the president's own grandpappy came, there'd be nothing he could do."
"Good grief... what are you even saying..."
"They're only holding on out of a sense of duty to the people. If a powerhouse like you exists, wouldn't it make sense for them to swallow their pride and come bowing?"
"Even so, do you really think they'd see it that way?"
"If not, then we just go our separate ways. You've got a habit of overcomplicating things. Just take it easy."
It was true — I'd always been the type to worry about things I didn't need to. But living on Titan, where you couldn't let your guard down for even a moment, had ingrained certain habits, and it seemed they'd stuck with me even now that I was back on Earth.
'What can I do? I lived like that for 900 years... It'll get better little by little.'
While I was lost in thought and chatting idly with the old man, the radio crackled to life.
— Kssht... kssssht!
"Captain! An unidentified helicopter is approaching our position!"
At the news of an unidentified helicopter closing in, our party cut their training short and ran toward the source with me.
— Thududududu!
'So there was a group out there with the resources to operate a transport helicopter...'
I signaled to Warrant Officer Lee Geun-cheol that it was fine. Only then did he spot the helicopter and signal it from below. The helicopter must have seen him as well, because it slowly began its descent.
A man in a suit and several others in black military uniforms stepped out.
'Those uniforms... special forces?'
Our people had their guns trained on them from the moment they disembarked, but the visitors raised their hands in compliance and approached slowly. The suited man at the front shouted out.
"I am Choi Jun-seok, Chief of Staff to the President, coming from Yongsan! We have not come to fight. I wish to speak with whoever represents you here!"
The people holding guns began glancing my way at the mention of meeting a representative. I motioned for them to lower their weapons.
"Chief of Staff to the President? What brings someone like you all the way out here?"
"I understand your caution. The truth is, there's an urgent matter, and the President wished to speak with you himself. That's why I've come."
"If it's that urgent, shouldn't the President have come in person?"
"In fact, he is here. I apologize for disembarking first on my own — it was for safety's sake."
'I thought I sensed a presence from inside... so he actually came?'
"So just how urgent is it that the President himself has graced us with his presence?"