Chapter 126
Helicopter Unit 3, carrying Hyuk, Luca, Jungsoo, and Eddy, hovered far from the harbor. Below them, a massive swarm of zombies surged toward the chopper, forming a never-ending wave.
“Luca, I’m opening the door for a second.”
Hyuk opened the chopper’s door and fired his rifle toward the zombies.
Bang! The loud gunshot cut through the wails of the zombies and the noise of the chopper’s rotors.
The bullet pierced a zombie’s forehead with precision.
“Wow, that’s insane.”
Watching Hyuk take down a zombie from near maximum range, Eddy and Jungsoo couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Are you sure it’s okay to fire like that?”
When Luca asked from the back seat, Hyuk nodded.
“It’s fine. The mission Yohan gave us is to lure the zombies as far away as possible.”
The chopper noise might be enough, but Hyuk didn’t want to miss this intense live-combat opportunity. He once again braced the rifle’s butt against his right shoulder and aimed at another zombie.
At the same time, Units 2 and 4—
The inside of the refinery was completely empty. It seemed all the zombies that had been inside were drawn out by the chopper’s sound.
“Ugh, what is that.”
Instead, inside one of the now-silent refining drums, zombie corpses, soaked in fuel, were moaning. The group grimaced at the sight of one drum whose surface had hardened.
They must have dove in, mistaking the machinery sounds for prey back when the machines were still running.
Unit 2 provided cover while Unit 4 manually sorted through usable supplies. On one side, Hajin was expertly operating a 1-ton forklift with one hand.
While Unit 2 covered all four directions, Jae-ho picked out necessary items from the stock warehouse. Meanwhile, Hajin skillfully drove the forklift with one hand and pulled out large fuel drums stored up high.
“Move all the ones labeled JP-8 over there. If you see F-76, MF, or MDO on the product name tags, separate them to one side. Same for HO, Heavy Oil, or gasoline—labelled G. Ah, and grab one drum of bunker C oil too.”
Responding to Jae-ho’s instructions, Hajin kept moving the steering wheel busily. Fuel drums began stacking up on one side of the spacious warehouse.
It was best to take pre-mixed fuel, but if needed, they could blend it themselves.
The drums were steadily transported to the docking area, and despite the cool breeze, people were drenched in sweat as they moved the heavy barrels.
“This is gonna take a while.”
Transporting by land was fine with vehicles, but the real problem was that loading onto the fishing boats at the dock had to be done manually. On top of that, the boats had limited cargo capacity, meaning several trips back and forth.
“Yohan, it’s Hajin.”
—Yeah, what’s up?
“Might take longer than we thought. That okay?”
—How long?
“Hmm, four to five hours?”
—Hold on.
Silence passed through the radio. Four to five hours wasn’t an issue for most operations, but the helicopter’s air time while drawing zombies with noise was the concern.
—Hyuk.
—Yeah?
—Circle far out with the chopper and land somewhere safe to stand by.
—Got it.
—And Units 2 and 4, don’t rush. We’ll stop the zombies from slipping through and keep them away.
Hajin smiled at Yohan’s reliable voice.
“Got it.”
Turning off the radio, Hajin addressed the others struggling nearby.
“Don’t push yourselves. Take your time. Watch your backs especially.”
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“Our assault team and decoys are doing such a great job that it’s pretty quiet here. How about we leave Sohee and Jungeun on watch, and have six guys move the gear?”
“Hold on. Six guys?”
“Huh?”
“…Wanna die?”
Seri’s flurry of jabs hit their mark.
They didn’t hurt much.
“I’d be grateful if you did.”
“Guys, come help us out.”
After getting a taste of Seri’s fists, even Sweeper felt ready to haul drums. Seri glared at him but still lent a hand.
The operation progressed steadily.
Despite the cautious and elaborate planning, things went smoothly.
Except for when they opened a container hoping to find food supplies, only for a trapped zombie corpse to lunge out and nearly bite Jae-ho.
If Sohee hadn’t always kept her bow strung and promptly shot an arrow into its head, it could’ve ended in disaster.
When Yohan joined later and heard about it, he shot a silent look Jae-ho’s way.
“You’re most likely to let your guard down when you’re physically worn out.”
After all, Jae-ho had been doing hard labor to the point his body was drenched in sweat and his clothes had salt stains.
Yohan exhaled and patted him on the shoulder.
“Good work. Let’s head back.”
Yohan’s group returned to Sindo, took a brief rest, and then, properly geared up the next morning, departed for the mainland.
Unlike the previous day’s recon and zombie-luring operation using the helicopter, today’s mission was the real deal—a venture into high-risk zones.
Their faces were visibly tense, filled with determination.
“Let’s go. First we sweep through Cheongna and Songdo. Grab a scooter or bike if you can, and head toward the Bupyeong District Office.”
* * *
“Hey, punk!”
Seeing a familiar face after so long, Yohan broke into a smile. People from the Bupyeong District Office and the mercenary camp gathered to greet them.
“Long time no see.”
“You ignored my radio for days, and now you just show up out of nowhere?”
“I told someone to relay the message. You didn’t get it?”
“Punk, there’s something called hierarchy, you know. You don’t let some snot-nosed girl deliver your message. You talk to me yourself, got it?”
Despite the words, his face didn’t show any real annoyance.
From behind, Hajin and Sweeper’s voices rang out as they greeted Cheol-gu.
“Hey, hyung! Been well?”
“Of course. You punks look good.”
As if reuniting with an old friend, they shook hands while a neatly organized street unfolded behind them, catching Yohan’s eye.
‘They must’ve worked hard on this.’
“But why aren’t you using the Bucheon City Hall camp?”
“Ah, that place. Just didn’t feel right, you know? It’s not empty though. Some new women from the Family Foundation are using it. Miss Kim just came out to see you.”
“I see. It’s been a while, Jeong-mi.”
“Yes, Yohan. Have you been well?”
A mix of awkwardness and joy lingered in the air. Noticing the mood, the old man mimed raising a glass with a flick of his fingers.
“What do you say? It’s been a while—how about a reunion beer?”
“I’m good. We’ll be heading out soon.”
“Cold one, aren’t you. Fine, let’s go in. The zombies’ll smell us soon.”
“Let’s.”
Yohan wrapped up the reunion and followed the old man. He was walking without much thought when he suddenly stopped. On the way to the mercenary camp’s main base, he saw familiar faces.
Gapsoo and the others—former members of Camp Yohan. Yohan unintentionally passed them by but made eye contact and gave a slight nod.
“It’s been a while.”
Instead of responding, Gapsoo looked to the old man. The old man gave a small nod of approval.
“It’s… been a while.”
They were standing stiffly at attention. Their bodies were bulkier, likely from hardship, but their faces were gaunt.
“What about the others from the camp…”
“Hey, who said you could cut into your superiors’ conversation? Just say hello and leave it at that.”
“Yes, sorry.”
Gapsoo backed down immediately. It was surprising. The fact that even speaking required permission. It wasn’t an exaggeration when the old man said he could reform people—these former troublemakers were now moving about with tense, focused expressions.
“That kid had the most talent out of the ones you sent me, but his mindset was completely screwed. I really had to beat it out of him.”
“You went through a lot.”
“They only listen when you knock some sense into them. Tsk.”
Yohan gave a dry smile.
He didn’t feel pity or sympathy.
They might regret parting with the good days they’d had with him, but compared to their past, even this mercenary camp was relatively civilized—something they’d never have imagined.
Compared to that, Camp Yohan had been a paradise.
Inside the old man’s office, Yohan accepted a cup of tea poured by the man himself.
“When you’re dealing with Chinese companies, the boss personally serving tea is a sign of courtesy. Call it sincerity.”
“The aroma’s nice.”
Yohan’s compliment brought a grin to the old man’s face.
“Right, you’re not here to flirt, so what do you want?”
The old man got to the point. So did Yohan.
“There’s something I want to obtain.”
“A trade, huh. Alright, what do you need?”
“I need documents on operating a naval vessel. Doesn’t matter if it’s a manual, publication, or classified file.”
At Yohan’s words, the old man scowled in disbelief—as if to say, ‘What now?’
“You hit up the Navy or something?”
“Something like that.”
“You crazy bastard. You’re really something else. Wanna be my son?”
“Can you get it?”
“You still only say what you want, huh?”
This time he really laughed.
“Military data? Hell no. Who even knows where that stuff is? I mean, if I really wanted to, maybe I could—but the risk is way too high. Let me hear your offer first.”
“I’ll take you for a scenic helicopter ride.”
“Eat shit, you little punk.”
The old man raised a fist hard enough to make a loud smack in the air.
“Just kidding. I’ll give you valuable information.”
“How valuable are we talking?”
“Without it, survival is going to be very difficult moving forward.”
Yohan’s tone was full of conviction.
There was a pause, and then the mercenary camp old man refused.
“No deal. No matter how I look at it, it’s not worth the cost.”
“Is that so. Then may I ask you just one thing? You can answer this one for free.”
“You didn’t expect me to agree from the start, huh? Fine, what is it.”
“I’m thinking of heading to the National Library to find info on naval bases. But do you know of any nearby naval bases or military facilities?”
“There’s the Northwest Island Defense Command in Hwaseong. Might be something there. Also, there’s the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Yongsan. That place definitely has what you’re looking for. What’s with the National Library, planning to catch up on some reading? I thought you were smart. You idiot.”
Internally, Yohan sighed and muttered Jae-ho’s name in despair, then etched the names and locations into his memory.
“I see. Thank you.”
“Man, I’m dying to know what you’re planning.”
Yohan merely gave a faint smile.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“I said no. At least give me a hint. I gave you one.”
“A calamity is coming—one we can’t stop with manpower alone.”
“A calamity, huh…”
The old man turned the words over in his head, trying to come up with something, but nothing came to mind.
“If you’re that curious, come with us. You don’t have to fight. Just be our backup once—if we’re in real danger.”
“You want to use us as insurance? The info better be worth that much.”
“If you don’t listen, you’ll regret it.”
He wasn’t one to spout nonsense. The old man had seen plenty of punks in his time, but never one this solid. If this kid came knocking, something serious was coming. Serious enough to raid a naval base to prepare for it.
“Fine. So the deal is: we’ll follow behind as backup and step in only if it gets dangerous. In return, you give us information that’s practically worth our lives. Right?”
“Yes. One more thing. If you get into trouble, we won’t be able to help you.”
“You cold little bastard.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s what I like about you.”
The old man clapped him hard on the shoulder.
“Alright. I’ve never regretted dealing with you before. I’ll back you up. Go wild out there.”
