The White Porter and the Wizard's Gun (3)
“You’ll know once you open it.”
Cho Cheol-woong spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“Well… no matter how you look at it, this is…”
Yubin shrugged. He had seen plenty of steel ammunition crates holding six thousand rounds to know exactly how big they were. Judging by the bulging shape of this body bag, there couldn’t be more than three inside.
Ziiiip—!
When Yubin pulled the zipper open, three steel ammunition crates were indeed revealed.
Clack!
Yubin lifted the lid of one and checked the contents. Each cardboard box contained thirty 5.56mm NATO rounds, fixed in three rows on ten-round plastic stripper clips. It was exactly a six-thousand-round crate.
Times three made eighteen thousand rounds… It was certainly not an easy item to obtain in times like these, but the quantity was still far short of the fifty thousand he had demanded.
“…What exactly does this mean?”
Yubin turned to Cho Cheol-woong and asked. The major replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“We’ve shown you proof that we have sufficient ammunition. Now it’s your turn to show some sincerity.”
“What do you mean by ‘sincerity’? I clearly told you we cannot negotiate anything about the blood until we receive the fifty thousand rounds in advance.”
“I never asked for the blood. I’m simply saying the rest is for you to come with us to the ammo depot and take it yourselves. Besides… it’s dinner time. Why don’t we share a meal together?”
When he suggested eating together, a fleeting hint of embarrassment crossed Cho Cheol-woong’s face.
What the hell is this…? It’s not like he’s asking for a date…
Yubin’s eyes widened. He had heard that the man was strangely fond of Jinwoo, but he had never expected such a blatant overture.
“Does this secret ammo depot even exist? You had all that time and still only brought back half of what we asked for.”
Yubin kept his distance as he asked. Eighteen thousand rounds was enough to scrape together everything they had left in their own supplies.
“Can’t you tell from the dust on the lids? These crates were all sitting on the very top of tall stacks for a very long time, completely covered in dust. I deliberately picked only those.”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed at the crates and continued.
“Come with us to the warehouse. Take as many boxes as you want from the ones stacked underneath. If that’s enough to build a friendly relationship between us, I’m willing to hand them over.”
Scraaape—!
Yubin rubbed the lid with his fingertips. A fine layer of dust—accumulated slowly over many years—came off. It was distinctly different from the dirt of a short stay in a filthy place. This was the kind of texture you would only find on the most forgotten book in the back corner of a failing used bookstore. The same kind of dust was faintly visible inside the body bag as well.
So there really is some kind of ammo depot somewhere.
Yubin thought as he sniffed the dust left on his fingers. At the same time, he quickly weighed whether the “friendly relationship” this Special Forces major spoke of was truly possible.
Gathering strength was, of course, a good thing.
Just as Yubin had said when he first met the Taekwon Girl, in this zombie-infested world, the surviving humans absolutely needed to cooperate. Otherwise, survival itself would become nearly impossible. That belief had not changed. However… how far he could trust this individual man was still difficult to gauge.
How much can I trust him? How much of my true thoughts would be safe to reveal?
Yubin stared at Cho Cheol-woong’s face and asked himself. The man didn’t seem like a con artist or a vile person… but that didn’t automatically mean he was trustworthy. Yubin knew almost nothing about him, and behind Yubin himself lay the enormous and precious secret named Terra.
“What are you hesitating for? We’re all men here. Let’s open our hearts and talk like adults.”
Cho Cheol-woong lightly tapped Yubin’s stomach and pointed at the men standing behind him.
“These guys all have rough faces, but none of them are bad people. You’ll feel it once you talk to them. First, that Master Sergeant Hong over there…”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed at Hong, who was wearing a jungle hat, and continued his explanation.
“He was the one who commanded the scene when we rescued Terra and transported her to the Jamsil shelter. If it weren’t for Master Sergeant Hong, the blood you’re selling wouldn’t even exist. That’s quite the connection, isn’t it? And…”
Cho Cheol-woong moved his finger toward the younger operators standing to Hong’s right.
“That one is Staff Sergeant Choi. He carried the injured Terra in his arms and ran all the way to the next building. The guy next to him brought her those tiny pink sandals. And the other two are Private Park and the ones who fought alongside us in Samcheok. We may feel a little awkward right now, but the point is we’re not complete strangers. We’re all connected.”
It was obvious he had deliberately brought only people who shared even the smallest ties with them.
“Thank you for the words, but I still don’t understand what you’re trying to achieve by getting so close to us.”
Yubin maintained his cool distance as he asked. If what the major wanted was to recruit Jinwoo, that was a wish he could never grant.
Cho Cheol-woong stared straight into Yubin’s eyes and said,
“I want all of you to board a bigger ship.”
“Just so there’s no misunderstanding… we’re simply middlemen who receive the blood and sell it. We’re not close to the immune individual, and we don’t even know where she is. We’re just salesmen.”
Judging that Cho Cheol-woong might have enormous expectations regarding Terra, Yubin lied about their identity. But the major simply shook his head with an unconcerned expression.
“It doesn’t matter. What I need is you people. As long as we have enough immune blood for this transaction, that’s sufficient.”
If he could just get these young men to play along with his words, he was confident he could completely manipulate Lieutenant General Shin. If that happened, the chances of his plan succeeding would multiply several times over.
“You must all already feel it, but it’s hard to last long under Brigadier General Kim. There is no future for soldiers whose supplies have been cut off. You, who came all the way out here on a deployment just to trade ammunition, would know that better than anyone. Even if it’s a hundred thousand rounds, divided among a thousand men that’s only a hundred rounds each. It’s nothing more than pissing on frozen feet—just barely surviving day to day.”
Crack—!
A tiny rupture sounded inside Yubin’s head. The major’s argument was hard to refute because it was true, and that truth ignited his anger. Why should the people who had done the right thing be treated this way?
“You’ve worked hard until now, but how about boarding a bigger ship and doing something truly meaningful? Let’s save the Republic of Korea that has fallen into crisis together. I will make sure your talents are used to help far more people.”
“You keep talking about ‘big things’ and ‘meaningful work,’ but what exactly have you done?”
Yubin asked with a flushed face.
“Brigadier General Kim has been operating the Jamsil shelter since the very beginning of the outbreak, and he is now in Chungju protecting more than thirty thousand civilians. With so few men… And just as you said, even with supplies cut off, he continues to fight with everything he has. Isn’t that the more admirable thing? While he was doing all that, what exactly were you doing, Major? No—what about all those great generals in Busan? Even though they knew countless civilians were trapped inside Taeyang Group, they did nothing for months! And yet you have the nerve to talk about saving more people. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Hey, you little shit! Watch your mouth! Just because we said you could speak freely, you think you can spout whatever the hell you want?”
One of the Special Forces operators who felt Cho Cheol-woong had been insulted stepped forward in a rage.
“What? Little shit? You watch your own fucking mouth, asshole! Did he say anything he shouldn’t have?”
Of course, Sheriff immediately stepped in front of Yubin and glared. When the other man didn’t back down and reached for his combat knife, Sheriff snarled.
“What? What? You gonna do something if I grab my knife and stare at you? There isn’t a single person here weaker than you. Don’t start shit you can’t finish, got it?”
“What did you just say, you disrespectful punk?”
The opponent’s voice grew louder as well. Being called “shit” by someone at least three years younger was enough to make anyone explode. At that moment, Cho Cheol-woong called out in a low voice.
“…Staff Sergeant Choi.”
The man froze in place. Cho Cheol-woong jerked his chin, signaling him to stand down.
“I’ll handle the negotiations, so there’s no need for you to step forward and take sides.”
“Understood…”
Staff Sergeant Choi swallowed his resentment and stepped back. Cho Cheol-woong then spoke to Sheriff as well.
“You watch your language too. Do you want to break the negotiation?”
“They insulted him and cursed at him first, old man! Respect has to go both ways for any negotiation to work!”
“Do you think I dragged all this heavy stuff all the way out here for someone who doesn’t even show respect?”
Cho Cheol-woong pointed at the three-tiered stack of ammunition crates.
“Ugh, this old man… really knows how to shut someone up…”
Sheriff, struck at the core, immediately acknowledged it and softened his attitude. This Special Forces uncle had approached them twice today without any defense, practically offering his life. Once at Myeonmok Station like a madman, and again just now when he came down the Jungnangcheon on a rubber boat. It was something that could only be done if he truly trusted them—and genuinely respected them.
“It seems we’ll have to resolve this part first if we want to build a friendly relationship.”
Having silenced Sheriff, Cho Cheol-woong turned back to Yubin and spoke in a cold tone.
“Yes, what you said is correct. It makes sense, and it shames me as well. I know full well that Taeyang isn’t a good company, and that they’re conducting illegal human experiments somewhere in there. But listen…”
Cho Cheol-woong drew out his words and cast his gaze southward.
“Right now, starting from Busan, there are nearly 3.5 million survivors living in the south. 3.5 million. Add the survivors on Jeju Island and the scattered soldiers across the region, and it easily reaches four million. Their fate depends entirely on the decisions we make and how we act right now.”
“I don’t see what 3.5 million survivors around Busan has to do with Taeyang Group killing innocent people.”
When Yubin shot back without the slightest hint of intimidation, Cho Cheol-woong gave a thin smile.
“I suppose I don’t need to explain that the five warlords have divided and occupied the area. You’re the one doing arms deals with the generals, after all… The point is that this necessary evil called Taeyang Group is currently acting as a buffer zone and balancer at the center of those five warlords. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“No.”
Yubin shook his head. He simply could not understand why, with so many troops and so much firepower, they couldn’t suppress Taeyang Group. No—he didn’t even want to understand.
Cho Cheol-woong raised his left hand and curled his five fingers like a hawk’s talons.
“Imagine each fingertip is one of the warlords. If a collision occurs, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilian survivors will die each time. For now, they are somehow maintaining a peaceful standoff, but none of them trust one another, and none have any intention of cooperating. Everyone knows what happened to Brigadier General Kang, who first stepped up to clear the zombies in Busan after he lost his main force. Any sense of loyalty has completely vanished. And since there is no strong leader like General Chae inside the military, it’s only natural.”
“We’re not even asking for cooperation. Just have whoever is closest to Taeyang strike them. Isn’t it simple?”
Yubin still vividly remembered the terrifying sight of a tank blowing a hole through a wall with a single main gun round on the day they went to rescue Terra from the Taeyang headquarters in Yongsan. No matter how large a corporation it was, once the military stepped in, the game was over. What could possibly be so different about Busan?
“Strike Taeyang?”
Cho Cheol-woong narrowed his eyes.
“Then who will run it afterward? Taeyang isn’t just a chaebol anymore. It’s the lifeline that produces and manages nearly all military supplies in the south—ammunition, rations, uniforms, even the tedious work of loading rounds into magazines. If you were another warlord, would you sit quietly while someone else took control of that lifeline? The moment supplies are cut off, they’d end up just like Brigadier General Kim.”
“Then they should negotiate and decide it together!”
“They can’t negotiate! Everyone is satisfied with the current situation and doesn’t want any change! At the same time, they’re all terrified! So the moment someone strikes Taeyang, civil war will break out immediately.”
“Even so, does that mean soldiers should just stand by and watch innocent citizens die? Illegal murders are happening right next door! You must have seen that phone video too, Major!”
Yubin’s voice rose. He had grown up poor with only his grandmother, experiencing countless unfair situations, and had grown somewhat accustomed to absurdity. Even so, there were lines that should never be crossed. Sacrificing living people every day as offerings for the zombified Little Chairman was madness he simply could not overlook.
“Do you think my stomach is comfortable with this?”
Cho Cheol-woong let out a short sigh.
“But don’t forget that we are currently at war with the zombies. In war, there are countless situations where you have no choice but to sacrifice a minority to save a far greater number. Just like how we are currently abandoning that small force isolated one kilometer south of us. That is what strategic choice means.”
“What did you just say? Who are we abandoning?”
When Yubin asked with a rigid expression, Cho Cheol-woong replied quietly.
“Aren’t you people also standing by, knowing full well that those men are dying without having done anything wrong?”
He was clearly referring to the group stationed somewhere near Children’s Grand Park. Yubin made a dumbfounded face.
“Dying? They seemed to be protecting themselves just fine.”
“They were. Until now. But they’ve run out of ammunition. That changes everything.”
They’ve run out of ammunition?
At the unexpected information, Yubin and Jinwoo exchanged glances. Come to think of it… it had been quite a while since they last heard gunfire from the south. They had been firing like sworn enemies all day long…
When exactly had the gunfire stopped?
Yubin clenched his teeth and searched his memory. He had been so focused on negotiating with the Special Forces that he had momentarily forgotten about them. Seeing his reaction, Cho Cheol-woong let out a dry laugh.
“Are you pretending you didn’t know? That’s something you would have known just by eavesdropping on our radio. Actually, you wouldn’t even need to eavesdrop. It’s this quiet.”
Cho Cheol-woong placed a hand to his ear and shook his head slightly.
“Those men haven’t fired a single shot for over thirty minutes now. The fact that they’re staying silent even while zombies are surrounding the building means they’ve run out of ammo. They probably won’t last more than two hours.”
“That can’t be. Of course they’ll send support troops to rescue them.”
Yubin spoke in a bewildered tone. It made no logical sense that all those helicopters that had filled the sky with rotor noise during the day, along with all those troops, had suddenly vanished in half a day. However, Cho Cheol-woong shook his head coldly.
“There is no support force. For some reason, they withdrew and left only about twenty men behind.”
“Where exactly are those soldiers located?”
Jinwoo, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Yubin and Cho Cheol-woong until now, finally spoke up.