Chapter 104
The group, having successfully demolished the bridge, immediately moved on to their next objective.
Their first stop was the Incheon Airport Logistics Center.
Yohan had initially assumed that, true to its name, the logistics center would be a treasure trove of supplies. However, upon arrival, he had to revise that assumption.
There were supplies, that much was true.
The problem was that they were all too modern.
“Well, would you look at that? Our fearless leader finally made a mistake.”
“Seriously. Guess you live long enough, you see everything.”
The Incheon Airport Logistics Center mainly handled air cargo. The warehouses were filled with laptops, TVs, electronic devices, and semiconductor components.
“I mean, if you think about it, it kinda makes sense.”
As his teammates half-playfully teased him about what was practically his first mistake, Yohan felt his frustration rise slightly.
“There should be a warehouse for duty-free goods somewhere.”
As he murmured to himself, Jae-ho chimed in.
“Ah, that would be over in the special cargo storage.”
After grabbing a few luxury items they had always wanted, the team moved toward the special cargo storage.
“…It’s been looted.”
The warehouse was completely empty.
Staring at the empty storage, Yohan muttered:
“There’s a survivor group here.”
“What?”
“They didn’t just strip the supplies—they took the entire pallets and loaded them up. And look around. No zombies. Someone lured them away while the supplies were being moved.”
“Hmm.”
Hajin let out a contemplative hum before adding:
“Well, at least we have one thing confirmed. And it’s not like we came away empty-handed. We’ve got more than enough watches, clothes, and cigarettes to last a lifetime.”
In an ironic twist, they now had an overabundance of luxury goods instead of necessities. Yohan nodded. Even if there was no food or emergency rations, there were still plenty of valuable items here.
“This place is worth coming back to.”
Marking a circle on his map, Yohan added three and a half stars to indicate importance and drew a small human figure to signify survivor presence.
“Should we check out the duty-free store at the airport? That might still be untouched.”
“The airport?”
Hajin shook his head immediately.
“Half the zombies in Yeongjong Island are probably swarming there. It’s hell on earth.”
It was a location worth considering only as an absolute last resort. Even from a distance, it was clear that clearing out the hordes was an impossible task. Marking the airport area in red, Yohan turned his attention back to the present.
“Jae-ho.”
“Yeah, next up is Unseo-dong and Yeongjong-dong. Those are the only two spots left. Once we check them, Yeongjong Island is basically done.”
“Damn, there’s really nothing here.”
“It was a planned airport city. The apocalypse hit before development was finished. If we don’t find anything useful, we should consider setting up a mid-point base at Jakyakdo Pier and raiding the Incheon International Passenger Logistics Center. That’s the real goldmine.”
Jae-ho’s words made Yohan immediately check the map. Incheon Port.
The distance was a little too far for a small fishing boat, but it was close enough to keep in mind.
“Once Yeongjong Island is cleared, we could consider expanding operations there.”
Jae-ho let out a chuckle, seemingly pleased.
He was a rare type of talent—the kind not often encountered.
More than anything, the fact that he possessed such extensive knowledge yet never actively pushed himself forward until an opportunity arose or the leader took interest was noteworthy.
A smart way to survive.
Completely unaware of Yohan’s scrutiny, Jae-ho called out to Jung-hwan.
“Jung-hwan, let’s switch drivers.”
“Ah, sure, hyung. Thanks.”
Jung-hwan, despite handling all the grunt work and quietly looking out for the group, still maintained formal speech with Jae-ho—the only one in the recon team who did.
It was so natural that even when he was being spoken to casually, it never felt out of place.
‘Hmm…’
Yohan made a mental note.
He needed to nurture Jae-ho a bit more.
At the very least, he couldn’t afford to lose him suddenly to an accident or unforeseen event.
—
– Hyung, it’s Hyuk.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
– There are signs of survivors on Jangbong Island.
“Survivors?”
– Smoke is rising.
For a moment, Hyuk’s words overlapped with the logistics center scene in Yohan’s mind.
“Got it. Keep an eye on it. We’ll be back soon—tighten security until then.”
– Got it.
Yohan immediately relayed the update to the team.
“We’re cutting this mission short. We’ll check Unseo-dong and head straight back.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
If a survivor group had been discovered right next to their main base, further scouting became secondary. Their base’s safety came first.
Yohan raised his hand, signaling the vehicles to stop.
They had reached the outskirts of the city. From this point on, they would have to go on foot.
Carefully hiding their vehicles, the team moved stealthily into the city.
It wasn’t much of a city—more like a cluster of districts—but that only meant there was a higher chance of both zombies and survivors.
And sure enough, the entire city was crawling with zombies.
‘It’s freezing in here.’
Yohan halted the team near an apartment complex at the city’s entrance.
There were clear signs of survivors everywhere.
He clenched his fist twice, a silent signal for the recon unit to regroup.
At this point, moving carelessly was too dangerous.
Keeping his voice low, he gave instructions.
“Hold position at the entrance of Building 104. Stay on guard. I’ll check things out.”
As his team took defensive positions, Yohan rushed up to the rooftop.
Taking a deep breath, he scanned the cityscape.
First, with his naked eye.
Then, using binoculars, he carefully examined every corner.
Tire tracks covered the roads.
Zombies’ corpses littered the streets and apartment buildings.
But more importantly, he noticed that a significant number of zombie bodies were concentrated around a large supermarket entrance.
The undead were migrating, as if drawn to something inside.
There were two possibilities—
A survivor group was trapped inside.
Or they had already been wiped out.
‘This isn’t the end.’
The concentration of zombie corpses in specific areas indicated that apart from the survivors who had fled toward the supermarket, there were still others within this apartment complex.
The scattered bodies were mostly felled by arrows, their positions aligning with the center of the streets. The surroundings were littered with a conspicuous amount of trash.
Everywhere else outside the U-shaped apartment complex across from where Yohan stood, zombies were still roaming freely.
It was clear that only the absolute necessary number of zombies had been eliminated. The kind of traces left behind by a small survivor group.
Then, Yohan’s gaze caught a subtle disturbance in the distance.
He snapped his head toward the movement and quickly adjusted his binoculars.
For a brief moment, a dark silhouette flickered past a window in the apartment building. It was only a fleeting instant, but his sharp instincts didn’t miss it.
‘A trap?’
A survivor was here.
And not just any survivor—one who had already detected the recon unit’s intrusion.
It was possible they had set up some kind of alarm or detection system within the apartment complex.
A trap sophisticated enough that the one caught in it wouldn’t even realize.
At this moment, Yohan knew of their presence, while they remained unaware of his.
‘Clever strategy.’
His senses sharpened, every nerve on edge.
Now that he had confirmed the survivor’s awareness of their presence, and considering they were likely alone or in a small group, he couldn’t just let them slip by.
Yohan swiftly descended the stairs.
“Captain, you find something?”
“There’s a survivor.”
“Here? How many?”
“One, maybe a few. Could be a tricky opponent.”
The air, initially tense, eased slightly at the mention of “one or a few.”
“Sounds like someone who managed to eat chicken in this chaos.”
Jae-ho grinned and muttered something cryptic.
“Surviving alone in this mess… they must be something else.”
At Sweeper’s remark, the group nodded in agreement.
Even they, experienced and well-armed, would struggle to survive alone in this world.
“Stay alert. We go in at full force.”
Yohan pointed at the three apartment buildings ahead.
“Buildings 101 through 103, plus the connected commercial building. That’s their range. Their movement route is the underground parking lot. All three buildings share the same lot.”
His explanation continued.
“This survivor scavenges from the apartments. They take out zombies near the parking lot with arrows, then toss down cans or garbage to lure out the zombies hiding underground. Once they surface, they take them out, ensuring a safe passage.”
“So… not confident in close combat.”
“Could be an old man, a woman, or a kid.”
Sweeper and Jae-ho each offered their thoughts.
Yohan nodded.
“Or just someone extremely cautious. Either way, they’ve survived this long.”
He picked up a scrap of paper from the ground.
> Unseo-dong Evacuation Notice
> _Citizens… evacuation… safety…_
Yohan skimmed it before crumpling it and tossing it aside.
A small town like this would have evacuated quickly.
Which meant it had also quickly become the target of a zombie wave.
In this world, gathering together meant death—unless one had overwhelming power.
If the evacuation was rushed, the apartments would still be filled with abandoned supplies.
Someone who stayed behind and survived this long would have had ample resources.
‘Judging by the number of dispatched zombies, they have some skill, too.’
A skilled, small-scale survivor.
Exactly the kind of companion Yohan was looking for.
His body didn’t react with any sense of danger.
Maybe it was just his desperation for manpower talking, but for the first time, he thought:
‘This might be a potential recruit.’
Clearing his mind, Yohan issued his next command.
“Move in. Start with Building 101. Combat strategy: herd hunting.”
The moment Yohan burst forward, the team followed.
BANG! BANG!
A few gunshots echoed, zombies dropping instantly.
Herd hunting—a tactic where zombies were deliberately drawn in to prevent prey from escaping, forcing them into close-quarters combat.
A strategy used when they had an overwhelming advantage and needed to capture every enemy without fail.
The team had trained extensively for this. Even with minimal instruction, they moved with flawless coordination.
The element of surprise was already lost.
Their best bet now was to make enough noise for the survivor to realize resistance was futile.
Many of the hallway windows had already been broken or pried open.
From the ground floor up, the recon unit systematically tore down doors, shattered windows, and pried off locks with crowbars.
Like a predator cornering its prey—
Bit by bit. Slowly. Methodically.
