Chungju Shelter (1)
The Black Hawk that had taken off from Buron-myeon kept climbing until it reached a considerable altitude. Inside the helicopter, silence reigned. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts and emotions, too busy trying to sort them out logically.
“Mind if I ask you something?”
A short while later, Cho Cheol-woong was the first to break the silence. He tapped his headset microphone to get attention, then stared straight at Jinwoo with his one good eye and added a single word.
“…Special Agent Jinwoo.”
“Pfft! Kkgh!”
The entire Special Mission Group burst into the laughter they had been holding back, bodies shaking.
“You’ve been hiding it from us this whole time… pffft…! Sorry for speaking casually to you, Special Agent, sir! Kkghk!”
When Sergeant First Class Kim delivered the killing blow with a booming laugh, another wave of laughter rippled through the operators. Even Yubin started chuckling along.
“Haa…”
Unable to endure the embarrassment, Jinwoo covered his goggles with his palm and shook his head weakly.
He had already sensed it the moment Captain Moon had called him “Agent Jinwoo” in front of the soldiers earlier, but this… this hurt. At least several weeks’ worth of teasing material, easy.
“No… it’s not like that… there were circumstances, Captain. I wasn’t trying to trick the soldiers and mess with them…”
“So tell me about those circumstances.”
“It’s just… the Chungju Shelter was completely isolated after running out of ammunition. To give the people hope and lend authority to my instructions, a regular soldier or civilian identity wouldn’t cut it. A certain second lieutenant kept insisting on it, so I just went along with it and pretended I couldn’t stop him. I never once claimed to be a special agent myself. All that talk about national secrets and whatever was just him making things up on the spot.”
Even as he explained, his cheeks burned. A special agent whose very existence was a national secret… The method Second Lieutenant Kang had suggested had certainly produced results, but it had also saddled him with a massive debt that would take weeks to repay.
“…You saved a shelter that was isolated after running out of ammo?”
“I didn’t say I saved them! My friends and I brought ammunition inside the shelter and handed it over to the other soldiers! We fought alongside the civilians too. And Yubin’s plan was incredibly effective!”
As Jinwoo protested with such indignation, Cho Cheol-woong looked at him with an expression of admiration and smiled. Having driven through the area himself the night before, he knew exactly how massive the Chungju Shelter was. To break through the countless zombies filling that vast space with only a handful of troops and wipe them all out… just how many more insane stories did this kid have?
He had broken through alone from Samcheok all the way to Seoul on foot, raided the Taeyang Group headquarters that was packed with armed soldiers, and now he was hearing that the kid had rescued an entire shelter surrounded by zombies.
This absurdly talented private… all you had to do was poke him and out came another mythical tale. No wonder he had stepped forward without the slightest hesitation last night to rescue twenty soldiers. As casually as if he were just going for a stroll around the neighborhood…
“I should assign you as an instructor for the Special Mission Group later instead of making you an agent.”
Cho Cheol-woong casually hammered in the stake without even asking the other party’s opinion. Jinwoo’s eyes widened.
“Pardon?”
“After we drive out the zombies and reclaim the country, of course. Like I said yesterday, your talent isn’t something you get to use however you please. It’s too big for that.”
“But… I have my own life plans…”
“What are they?”
Cho Cheol-woong cut him off and asked quickly.
“Uh… well…”
Jinwoo dragged out the end of his sentence and glanced at Yubin. When suddenly asked about his plans for after they reached a peaceful world, it was surprisingly difficult to answer in a single sentence.
Before he enlisted, he had simply hoped to finish his military service quickly and return to normal life. Then he would work with his friends again… occasionally share some chicken and beer, crack stupid jokes, laugh together, and save up a bit of money… That had been his vague dream.
“I don’t know what you did or what you wanted to do before you picked that up, but you can’t go back now. You can’t live without it anymore.”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed at the K-2 rifle secured to Jinwoo’s tactical vest by a three-point sling and continued.
“You already know that, don’t you?”
‘…I guess so.’
Jinwoo stared down at the K-2 resting quietly in his arms. The Special Mission Group captain’s words suddenly felt right.
Even if the zombie world ended and he could return to his old daily life… he couldn’t imagine taking this K-2—which would then be an illegal firearm—off his body and turning it over to the state.
He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but at some point the rifle had become something like an extension of his own body. Without it… he no longer felt like his complete self.
“I won’t force you. But you are at your most special when you hold that rifle. That’s why I’m offering to give you the position where you can shine the brightest.”
“Hmm…”
Mingu, sitting across from him, met Jinwoo’s eyes and gave a faint smile along with a small nod. Then he tapped his knife bag. It was as if he were saying, ‘The man’s right. This is mine, and that’s yours.’
“I hope the day when we can worry about such things… comes soon.”
Yubin, who had been staring out the window, muttered blankly. Right after hearing the story of the radio operator who had blown his own head off, his heart felt heavy. Every single peaceful, safe day he and his friends had spent inside Big Island must have been pure hell for someone else—painful and terrifying.
He had known it vaguely, but feeling it in his bones brought a considerable sense of guilt. He had done what he could to help the people of Chungju survive… but it clearly hadn’t been enough. Unfortunately…
“That depends on us.”
Cho Cheol-woong looked at Yubin with a meaningful gaze. If they stood by and did nothing while Major General Park and Chairman Yoon carried out their coup, the already faint light of hope would surely dim even further.
But whether by heavenly luck or national fortune, he had been given quite a rich and varied set of materials with which to strike back. An immune, a sniper, the Special Mission Group, a B83, Hwang Nayeon, and even information about the coup… All that remained was figuring out how to combine them into a smooth, finished product.
The deadline had already been set. By January 1st of next year… That meant he had one month left to draw up the scenario, unite these guys’ hearts to execute it, and then find the man who would become the military’s new leader.
‘It’s tight.’
Cho Cheol-woong bit his lip as he ran the calculations in his head. Now that he knew the plan in advance, he couldn’t simply sit back and watch. There was no chance of victory unless he joined forces with this one-armed bastard and his group… and to do that, he first needed to earn their complete trust. These guys were currently holding three enormous cards.
“We’ve arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Cho.”
First Lieutenant Myung turned around to report. Looking down, they could see the Chungju National Forest Management Office building situated in the middle of mountains and forest. They had taken a wide eastward detour to avoid startling the civilians and soldiers inside Chungju city, yet from the air the distance felt surprisingly short.
“Looks like the message got through properly. Let’s head down.”
Cho Cheol-woong spoke as he watched the soldiers standing in the empty management office parking lot waving their hands. There was no hint of wariness in the way they stretched their arms wide to indicate the landing zone.
Whump-whump-whump—! Keeing—!
First Lieutenant Myung landed the Black Hawk smoothly in the center of the empty parking lot once again and cut the engine.
Clack—!
The moment Cho Cheol-woong slid open the helicopter door, Captain Moon, who had been waiting, approached and gave a crisp salute.
“Loyalty! Captain Moon Hyung-sik! I heard you rescued the soldiers from Buron GOP! Thank you so much!”
“In times like these, helping each other is only natural. And it wasn’t so much a rescue as lending a little assistance. Those kids fought well on their own. I’m Cho Cheol-woong from the Special Mission Group.”
After returning the salute, Cho Cheol-woong extended his hand for a handshake. Captain Moon greeted him brightly.
“It’s an honor to meet you in person, sir. I’ve only ever heard about you through rumors!”
“Yes, Captain. Nice to meet you. I’ve wanted to meet you once myself. Looks like it happened here.”
Cho Cheol-woong nodded while still gripping the other man’s hand. The one most surprised by his reaction was Yubin.
“You knew Captain Moon, sir?”
Yubin asked. The fact that this Special Mission Group lieutenant colonel—who didn’t seem the type to speak empty flattery—would say such a thing meant he genuinely had prior information about Captain Moon.
“You didn’t know? This friend was something of a quiet star inside the military.”
Cho Cheol-woong jerked a thumb toward Captain Moon. When Yubin still looked confused, Cho Cheol-woong added calmly,
“He’s one of the few officers who achieved victory over U.S. forces in small-scale simulated battles. He was a regular pick for every Paul Eagle exercise. A decorated elite.”
“Ah… if the leader of the Special Mission Group says so, I feel embarrassed. This way, please. The observation tower has the best view.”
Captain Moon replied with genuine bashfulness and led them toward the observation tower built on the mountain.
“Gwang-hoon didn’t come with you.”
As they climbed the stairs, Captain Moon indirectly asked about Sheriff’s well-being. Yubin answered with a smile to indicate he was safe.
“He stayed behind in Seoul because of some work.”
Whiiiish—!
When they reached the top of the stairs and stood on the observation deck, a wind as strong as a riverside gale blew past. Cho Cheol-woong gripped the railing and looked down the slope.
“You cleared all the trees here too.”
“Yes, sir. We performed logging to secure visibility. It felt a bit regrettable to cut down all the trees around the Forestry Service building, but it was essential for perimeter security.”
Captain Moon answered calmly in a polite tone. Cho Cheol-woong turned to him and asked,
“What is your current mission here?”
“Monitoring and defending the southeast of Chungju to prevent zombie approach. Unlike the other directions where rivers and bridges create clear boundaries, the southeast is surrounded by mountains, making a complete blockade difficult. That’s why we’re paying extra attention to it.”
“Hmm… that does sound tricky.”
Cho Cheol-woong nodded as he gazed at the gentle ridges stretching across the southeast. In such densely forested uphill terrain, maintaining a perimeter was difficult, and even if they fired constantly, hitting zombies between the trees wasn’t easy. At the same time, they couldn’t possibly cut down every tree and blade of grass across those vast mountains.
They might have managed to hold out so far, but if a zombie wave of scale five or higher arrived, repelling it would clearly not be easy. Especially without sufficient fire support…
“Your forces don’t look very large compared to the area you need to guard. Do you have some kind of secret contingency plan prepared?”
“It’s not quite a secret weapon, but we’ve been digging traps whenever we have spare time. Like over there…”
Captain Moon pointed to an area of roughly thirty square meters marked off with stakes and red string.
“…All the marked zones are traps.”
Now that he mentioned it, countless trap zones were scattered across the mountains leading toward Chungju city and deep in the southeast forests as well. The excavator standing on the slope, the piles of dirt, and the mud-covered soldiers stealing glances in their direction while resting all suggested the work was still ongoing.
“We realized that digging just 3.2 meters deep prevents zombies from climbing out easily, so we’ve been working as diligently as possible. Each trap can immobilize about twenty zombies. We judged that to be roughly equivalent to using 150 rounds of ammunition.”
“…Thorough.”
Cho Cheol-woong offered the assessment with a mixture of emotions. The diligence and idea weren’t bad, but to save a mere 150 rounds they were digging six-by-six-meter holes three meters deep and then covering them with wooden lids for camouflage… It could only be described as a desperate struggle for survival. It was truly poignant that the star of Paul Eagle had been assigned to such medieval-style labor.
Plus ten points. Fifty for now!
Cho Cheol-woong mentally assigned a score. He wasn’t looking for a perfect 100, but he had no desire to join hands with anyone scoring below 70. The score he had given after what he saw and heard at Buron-myeon GOP was 40. The diligence shown here added another 10.
“Are there any other deterrent measures besides the traps?”
At Cho Cheol-woong’s question, Captain Moon pointed to the logs stacked where the slope met the base.
“We piled the logged trees together with rocks like that. If we cut the securing ropes and collapse the wall, we expect the logs will roll down and crush the zombies.”
Dozens or even hundreds of logs and boulders rolling down a logged slope. It was an old-fashioned method, but the effect would be certain. With luck, it might even stop a wave of thousands of zombies climbing the mountain. However…
“You’ve put in the effort, but if a landslide occurs during next year’s summer monsoon, both the traps and those logs will all come tumbling down, won’t they?”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed out the tactic’s greatest weakness. Captain Moon’s expression showed he was already aware of that flaw.
“We’re thinking it would be good if we can hold out until next summer. It would be best if no landslide occurs even in summer, but if everything collapses, we’ll simply have to start over from the beginning.”
Even while speaking words that sounded utterly futile and despairing, Captain Moon’s face showed no sign of frustration.
Is this the spirit of the old man moving the mountain…?
Finding the tone intriguing, Cho Cheol-woong stared quietly at the gaunt Captain Moon for a moment. Compared to the well-fed officers from the south, he was truly thin, and his sun-baked skin was rough. But his eyes… they still burned bright, filled with determination.
“Weren’t you surprised? That I suddenly announced a visit?”
“To be honest… I was a bit dazed when I received the communication from Mokgye GOP. I never expected you to visit, sir, but I was even more surprised to hear you were coming with Yubin.”
Captain Moon answered candidly. He had been introduced to Yubin’s group by Second Lieutenant Kang and met them several times, but he had never imagined that the Special Mission Group lay behind them.
“Hmm, it’s only recently that I got to know this guy too. By the way, what about him? Did he open up to you at all?”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed at Yubin. Captain Moon shook his head slightly.
“Unfortunately we didn’t have enough leisure for such conversations. I’m simply always grateful.”
‘Hmm… He’s quite good in this regard too.’
Cho Cheol-woong stroked his chin in satisfaction at Captain Moon’s answer. From his experience, this sly one-armed schemer definitely hadn’t revealed his true intentions to Captain Moon either.
Yet Captain Moon was currently blaming himself for the lack of deeper conversation. Simply not shifting blame onto others already earned him half marks in trustworthiness. Another plus ten points.
“Did you know that I am currently under Lieutenant General Shin’s command?”
“I did not. As you can see, we are not in an environment where news from the south reaches us easily.”
Captain Moon pointed to the south, surrounded by river and mountains, and gave a faint smile. There truly was nothing but nature. Unless they flew a helicopter south, they could neither receive external news nor send any out.
“Why do you think I came?”
“I don’t know that either, but I am expecting it to be important and confidential good news.”
“Why?”
“Because the commander of South Korea’s strongest elite special forces unit personally came with only a small number of personnel.”
Captain Moon answered without the slightest hesitation. His expression and eyes radiated pure, 100-percent respect with not a trace of flattery. To Cho Cheol-woong, that was actually disconcerting. He couldn’t understand how someone who seemed to have stepped straight out of a moral textbook could have survived in the military.
“Lieutenant Colonel Cho promised us 100,000 rounds of ammunition support for Chungju, Captain. There are 6,000 rounds in the helicopter as a sort of down payment. But before that, he said he wanted to see the system here first. Would that be all right?”
Yubin briefly explained the purpose of the visit to save time. Originally they should have handed over three boxes of 6,000 rounds and left, but because this Special Mission Group lieutenant colonel had casually tossed 12,000 rounds at Buron-myeon, the scale had become far more than a simple advance payment.
“I see. We’re in your debt again.”
After expressing gratitude to Yubin, Captain Moon nodded readily and turned to Cho Cheol-woong.
“Thank you sincerely for your kindness, Lieutenant Colonel. We cannot approach the vicinity of headquarters, but I will do my best to show you everything within my authority. If you would examine our setup and offer advice on more efficient defense measures, I would be grateful. The vehicle is over there.”
What the hell is this guy?
Watching Captain Moon’s back as he led the way to the vehicle, Cho Cheol-woong clicked his tongue. The man was wearing a tattered uniform from lack of supplies, living like a beggar while chopping wood just to survive… yet he acted as if he had zero inferiority complex. To think such a human being existed…
“Is it really all right to reveal all this security-related information to outsiders, Captain?”
Cho Cheol-woong asked as they walked toward the truck with the rest of the group. Captain Moon smiled as if wondering what he meant.
“Outsiders? We are currently waging war against the zombies.”
The implication was that their enemy was the zombies, not the Republic of Korea Army. Still, Cho Cheol-woong tested him once more.
“Based on the information you reveal today, I could look for weaknesses and launch an infiltration. There’s no guarantee I won’t, is there?”
“The Lieutenant Colonel Cho I know is not the kind of person who would engage in combat in a region where tens of thousands of civilians reside.”
Captain Moon slowly shook his head and spoke his honest thoughts.
“And if the Special Mission Group decided to attack, we know we wouldn’t be able to hold out anyway. But why would the commander of the Special Mission Group personally take the risk of visiting just to deal with a weak force like ours?”
‘Hah!’
A gasp of admiration rose inside Cho Cheol-woong. This guy wasn’t simply pretending to be a good person; he was moving according to his own cold judgment. He was polite, yet every single word was airtight.
Ding—!
In an instant, Captain Moon’s score rose again.
75 points!