The Right Time to Gather Survivors
I ended up inside a zombie apocalypse novel. At least there was one bright side to standing at the front of the pack: once the fighting ended, I didn't have to do any of the grunt work. Other people gathered up the zombie corpses, piled them together, and burned them, so I was left with nothing to do. They did leave a few bodies behind, though, which made me think they were finally getting serious about growing plants. It was a smart move. If you used them right, plants could be incredibly useful. It all depended on what they grew into, but every type had its purpose.
The vines we'd seen back at the PC Bang, for example, were perfect for setting traps. The fruits could be eaten, and the black ones worked great for chemical attacks. You could dry out thorny bushes and turn them into makeshift barbed wire, too. I didn't remember every detail, but I knew for sure they were helpful. And it wasn't like we were short on fertilizer. Who would complain about plants that grew from zombie corpses? Their survival rate was off the charts. They could thrive on excrement or rotten, mushy food without any trouble at all.
Looking at the current situation, I could more or less figure out what Kang Siwoo was planning. Having read the original novel, I already had a rough idea. In the story, Kang Siwoo tried to organically link up the various survivor groups—the military forces in eastern Busan and the church forces in the south. After connecting with those two, he'd set out to take down the newly emerged Baron in northern Busan.
But that plan was doomed to fall apart. A pseudo-cult called Yahweh's Paradise would appear in the south, and on top of that, the Baron would successfully mutate into the next rank: a Viscount. He'd have to keep an eye on the cult in the south while dealing with the zombie hordes in the north. Even the alliance with Captain Han Daewi's forces would start to fracture because of that newly appeared incompetent officer. With looters running wild on top of everything else, Kang Siwoo would have no choice but to draw his sword—the very blade he'd sworn never to use on other survivors. After he pacified Busan with it, his eyes would turn to the countless districts across South Korea, along with the intelligent variants ruling over them.
But that future was unlikely to happen now. Because I'd be right by Kang Siwoo's side. No joke. The competent regressor, Lee Yeji. I wasn't competent or a regressor, but there were still plenty of ways I could help him. And to do that effectively, we needed to communicate.
So I casually asked him, "Siwoo-ssi. Once we're done cleaning up here, what's our next target?"
"We'll clear a path to the campuses. Both Bumin Campus and Gudeok Campus are worth securing."
"Wow, we'll have to kill so many more to get that far."
"It won't be that difficult. As time goes on, humans grow stronger."
Kang Siwoo smiled reassuringly. Humans did get stronger, but not at the breakneck speed he made it sound. "Getting stronger quickly" in this world simply meant whether they could survive against zombies that kept evolving. Relying on a small group of powerful people was incredibly risky. If those few died, everyone else would be left with nothing but death. So of course I was worried.
I pressed him again. "You do have actual plans for all this, right?"
"Of course. With both me and Yeji-ssi here, there's nothing we can't accomplish."
"Huh?"
"Ever since you joined us, the plan's stability has more than doubled. Everything will work out."
"No, that's..."
"Is something wrong?"
Kang Siwoo beamed at me with that bright smile. If he really had no idea what he was saying, I couldn't even get mad at him. But this bastard definitely knew how much Kim Yeonhua and Lee Ayoung scared me, and he'd said it anyway. That just made me angrier. If you're going to look out for me, do it properly. What the hell was that attitude supposed to be? He could've just said something later like "Yeji-ssi worked hard," but no—he had to announce it publicly. I had nothing to say, so I'd hold it in for now... but I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind later.
Since I couldn't do that right now, I smiled obediently and changed the subject. "Then gathering the survivors will be incredibly important. Just like in your plan, Siwoo-ssi."
"That's right. I'm looking forward to finding even more of them."
"There should still be plenty left, so I'm sure it'll go well."
"I hope... you're right."
Kang Siwoo let out an unusual sigh. It probably came from his own uncertainty about whether things would actually turn out okay. But when I said it would go well, I wasn't just offering empty comfort. He might not know the full details yet, but I—who had read the novel—did. The period when survivors became truly hard to find started around two to three months after the outbreak. By then, most of them had either died or joined one of the major groups. So if we hurried now, there was a high chance things would go exactly as Kang Siwoo hoped.
"Siwoo-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Come over here for a moment."
"Ah, understood."
Anyway, giving him one solid piece of information would be enough for this guy to handle the rest himself. I hardened my expression and shot him a look that said play along with the act. Fortunately, he caught on immediately, his own face growing serious as he followed me. I could've just dragged him along, but... Kim Yeonhua and Lee Ayoung were watching. I didn't want to get interrogated later about what happened.
I led him to a spot where we wouldn't be overheard and glanced around.
"Looks like no one's here. You can speak freely, Yeji-ssi."
"It's been a little over a month and a half since the outbreak, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Siwoo-ssi, even before your regression, you were always part of some group, weren't you?"
"...Yes. Unless there were special circumstances, I always ended up as the leader."
"That explains a lot. If you want to rescue survivors, now is the perfect time."
"...The perfect time. Could you explain what you mean?"
This time Kang Siwoo's expression grew truly serious. Good. Since this was crucial information, he was ready to listen carefully. I began explaining slowly. The period when it would become genuinely difficult for survivors to live on their own started from about two months to three months in. From then on, since they couldn't survive alone, they'd have to join one of the three major factions.
"There were two emerging powers in the west. Two university factions."
"I know. I was their leader, after all."
"Well, they merged into one later, but at the time there were two... There was the church faction in the south and the military faction in the east, right?"
"Correct."
"The first to establish a proper force was the military."
If my memory was accurate, Captain Han Daewi had been the first. He was the quickest to gather people when the rare true soldier, Major General Park Hakcheol, had called for them. After that, more true soldiers who shared the Major General's ideals joined, creating what I remembered as terrifyingly efficient operations. It was so impressive that I'd even wondered what it would be like if the protagonist had been there.
"So you're saying we should head toward the military faction?"
"Yes. Many people went different ways, but as you know..."
"Some returned from the south after it became Yahweh's Paradise."
"Honestly, some people refused to join the university groups because they didn't trust them."
"So what exactly are you trying to tell me?"
Kang Siwoo asked with a smile. He'd already figured out what I wanted to say, which made this a little annoying. Still, since I was a nice person, I held back and continued.
"If we rescue survivors now while the zombies are still weak and spread the word, they'll come to us on their own."
"I understand. This time we don't need to do things the way we did before."
"Plus, with all your experience, Siwoo-ssi, you probably have a manual or something. Using that would make it even better."
Just saying this much should be enough for someone as sharp as him to take it from there. He'd probably discuss it with Professor Jeong Changhun to flesh out the details—organizing information about the variants that would appear during this period, strategies against zombies drawn from ten years of experience. If we could just compile all that, even people without combat experience would be able to handle it. There would be some trial and error, of course...
"So you're telling me to handle all of that myself. Yeji-ssi, do you enjoy messing with people this much?"
"Ah, did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"It's such excellent advice that it makes me even angrier."
"The only thing I can help with is providing the reasons."
In life, you needed days like this. If I was always the one being worked to the bone by Kang Siwoo, there had to be days where I got to make him do the work. That was only fair. And honestly, despite what he said, I knew he'd be thrilled to do it. Even though he claimed he'd live for me while building a harem with all the heroines, he'd never once half-assed the work of saving survivors.
"Then I'll make full use of those reasons."
"Yes, yes. Do whatever you want. Just say you heard rumors while coming to Busan. From me."
"If only you would show this side of yourself more often..."
Kang Siwoo let out a deep, genuinely regretful sigh. But I had things to say, too. There was no better gap moe than a seemingly ditzy character occasionally showing flashes of sharp wit. Not that I was aiming for gap moe or wanted to acknowledge the ditziness.
Now that one issue was settled, there was another problem: Kim Yeonhua and Lee Ayoung. Knowing full well that those two were watching us, I couldn't just walk back with a smile. We'd gone off with serious expressions to have a talk—if we came back without them, they'd definitely ask, "Unnie, what were you doing with Siwoo oppa?" So I quietly asked Kang Siwoo to cooperate, and we returned with slightly hardened faces.