Chapter 127
When the old man extended his hand, Yohan took it. A satisfied smile spread across the old man’s face.
“Are we done talking?”
“Yes.”
“Then I better get ready for an outing.”
The old man stretched his shoulders, seeming a bit stiff.
“Do you need to prepare anything?”
“Of course. Seoul has the most zombies and the most humans, kid. You can’t take going into Seoul lightly—especially not with this many people.”
The old man wore a serious expression. Though he said that, he no doubt understood the mindset Yohan brought with him.
He had seen the strength of Camp Yohan firsthand—it was beyond expectation.
Even against any power they’d encountered, they had never outright lost. And despite being ambushed, they had been completely overpowered.
Considering Yohan had only had about twenty people at the time, in terms of individual combat ability, they were easily the strongest group the old man had ever seen.
And even with that kind of power, the kid had come here—seeking additional support, looking to secure insurance just in case.
Meticulous to a fault. Honest, cautious, and bold.
The old man withdrew his warm gaze from Yohan and picked up his radio.
“Cheol-gu, you there?”
—Yes, Grandpa.
“Come on in.”
The old man, having briefly summoned Cheol-gu, looked toward Yohan.
“Kid, I’m going to give a quick route briefing. Call in whoever needs to hear it.”
“Right.”
Yohan activated his radio and called Sweeper, Hajin, Hyuk, Jae-ho, and Luca.
Cheol-gu arrived first. As soon as he opened the office door, he gave the two of them a respectful nod.
“You called, Grandpa?”
“Prep a departure team for Seoul. Pick about fifteen of our best.”
“You’re going personally?”
“I am.”
Hearing this, Cheol-gu’s lips twitched in clear disapproval, but he didn’t voice any objection.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Chunhyang and her mom. Time for some eye candy.”
Cheol-gu simply acknowledged and stepped out of the office. Soon after, the squad leaders and some marksmen Yohan had called knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Three commanders and two tacticians. Good balance.”
The old man chuckled as he looked over the people Yohan had brought. The others tilted their heads, not understanding what was going on.
“The old man has agreed to back us up on the expedition.”
Some of them reacted in visible surprise at Yohan’s words.
“Alright, rookies. I’m gonna give you two pieces of intel. And listen up, squad leader punk—this info is part of the price for backing you up.”
“Understood. Please go on.”
The old man gave Yohan a wry smile before nodding.
“First is the route. You’ve probably mapped something out in your heads, but the safest way from here to Yongsan is the one I’m about to give.”
Some of the group nodded. Jae-ho raised a question.
“Yongsan, sir?”
“Yeah. We’ll hit the Joint Chiefs of Staff first. Then the National Library.”
“Ah, the Joint Chiefs… Right. Of course.”
Jae-ho nodded in realization. He had been too fixated on the Navy to remember the higher command structure.
“We’ll take the Gyeongin Expressway to the Sinwol Interchange. That’ll be our first base and the location of one of my contacts. From there, you’ll switch to Go-Pads.”
“Go-Pads?”
“Yeah. Electric scooters. They’re slow, but with a full charge, they’ve got a range of about 80km. That’s more than enough for a round trip. You can’t use motorcycles—they’re too conspicuous.”
Yohan immediately understood. Unless they planned to go full warlord and enslave or kill everyone they met, flashy transportation like motorcycles was out of the question. He had been considering bicycles or going on foot, so the electric scooter was a fresh idea.
“From there, follow Nodeul-ro and head to Singil Station R Park. That’s your second base. After that, you proceed on foot. Cross the Wonhyo Bridge and reach Yongsan Station. But from that point, you absolutely can’t travel above ground.”
Individually, zombies weren’t much of a threat. But in Seoul, once they caught your scent, it was a never-ending wave. Survivors typically moved across rooftops or through underground routes.
To survive, one had to descend ever deeper into the darkness. That was the survival method they had learned.
“The most dangerous part is the stretch from Singil Station to Yongsan Station through the subway tunnels. The darkness and tight space are hazards enough, but this is also the territory of the Yeouido Camp.”
At the mention of Yeouido Camp, Yohan visibly flinched.
“We’ll lead the way up to Sinwol Interchange. I’ll introduce you to my contact there. After that, you’re on your own. We’ll follow at a one-hour interval. If an emergency hits, transmit the exact location and situation. If that’s not possible, just say one word: ‘Ma-an.’”
“‘Ma-an’?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. Just a code.”
“Got it. Understood.”
Yohan agreed without hesitation to the streamlined plan.
“Second—potential hostile forces.”
The old man marked three circles on a map of Seoul: Yeouido, Guro, and Jamsil.
“According to our intel, there are three major camps in Seoul. First, Yeouido Camp. They absorbed the group from Yongsan where Gae Baekjong used to be and expanded their influence. Their leader’s a clever kid, and they’ve got capable men. Dangerous group. My contact lost out to them and retreated to Sinwol-dong.”
“From Yeouido to Yongsan, huh… that’s a pretty wide range.”
“More precisely, Yongsan, Mapo, and Yeouido. They mostly move through the subway.”
“There should be mutated Gollums down in the tunnels.”
“They must’ve handled it. Gollum-level variants aren’t fatal if you know how to deal with them.”
Yohan nodded and the old man continued.
“Next is the camp in Guro. I’m not sure what its current state is. It was too overcrowded with people.”
“When was the last contact?”
“Over a month ago.”
A month in Seoul was more than enough time for a camp to fall. Yohan didn’t think much of it. Due to its location, there was little chance of running into them anyway.
“Lastly, the Jamsil Sports Complex.”
“They’re still holding out at the Jamsil Shelter?”
“You know the place?”
The old man widened his eyes in surprise at Yohan’s response.
“Yes, a bit. Isn’t it the official shelter held by part of the Capital Defense Command and some armored units from Paju?”
“That’s right. It’s the only remaining government-affiliated shelter left in Seoul.”
“That’s surprising.”
“It’s basically been shredded from all the attacks. But early on, they stockpiled a huge amount of supplies, and their firepower was overwhelming.”
“They’re still holding out?”
“Apparently, remnants from disbanded military units and stray soldiers are trickling in after hearing about it. They’re still suffering casualties, but they’re replenishing their strength at the same time. The real problem is…”
Yohan already knew what the answer was without needing to hear it.
A food crisis.
That camp had been called the beacon of hope in southern Seoul. Survivors flocked there en masse, and despite the numbers, they managed to keep infections to a minimum.
When the first zombie wave hit, they lost hundreds, but after the 2nd Armored Brigade joined, they managed to hold off even the continuous zombie assaults.
In the end, the problem was food. Or rather, the problem was that the commander was too competent.
He had saved too many people. The population began to starve, control started to slip, people fled, and in extreme cases, even rebelled against the military.
Eventually, when no solution was in sight, the command attempted to escape Seoul via the Han River—only for all the ferries to become overrun by zombies.
They had the talent, but hunger and power struggles between the two military units ultimately led to the collapse of that ill-fated shelter.
“No matter how elite a unit is, you can’t fight on an empty stomach.”
Even with stockpiles of ammo, bullets can’t feed you. Real survival starts after six months—when ramen and most stored food become useless and starvation truly sets in.
“The one thing you must drill into your heads is this—never fire a gun inside the city. Think of one gunshot as calling in tens of thousands of zombies. Remember this well: there are ten million zombies in Seoul.”
The group looked visibly shaken. Jae-ho asked nervously.
“Should we just head to Gyeryong or Jinhae now instead?”
“Do you know how much time we even have left? No regrets. No second-guessing. Just keep moving forward.”
Jae-ho’s concern was understandable. Why not avoid Seoul entirely and head somewhere safer?
But it wasn’t about whether it was more or less dangerous—danger was danger.
No matter where you went, it was still risky.
And the scariest part was not knowing how much time was left. Like a ticking time bomb—the countdown had already begun, and they didn’t know when it would go off.
“They said they’re ready. Let’s move out, rookies.”
Yohan gave Jae-ho’s shoulder a light tap.
He overthinks things—just like Yohan used to, not long ago.
“You’re still keeping up the log, right?”
“Of course, boss.”
“Good. Let’s head out.”
When there’s no time to think, you move first. Yohan was, in truth, more anxious than anyone. He hid it well, trying not to let it show, but the growing sense of unease was creeping up his spine with every passing moment.
That’s why he rushed. Rina’s dream, the mutated Piccolo, the Yeouido Camp, ten million zombies in Seoul—there were too many factors gnawing at him, but what really mattered was that there were no other options.
With heavy thoughts weighing on them, the bikes roared to life. The mercenary group advanced in a trained formation, clearing the roads.
Thanks to them, Yohan’s group was able to conserve energy as they moved forward—without encountering a single zombie.
Truly a group worthy of surviving this long.
“Yo!”
The old man had brought them to Goriul Elementary School, near West Seoul Lake Park. From across the school gate, he waved cheerfully to the armed gatekeepers. They recognized him and waved back.
“This is Camp Chunhyang. Deok-bae, long time no see.”
“Yes, it’s been a while, sir.”
“Where’s Chunhyang-mom?”
“She’s in the principal’s office.”
“Let her know I’ve got guests. We’re coming in.”
“Understood.”
Camp Chunhyang.
Based out of two schools near West Seoul Lake Park. It didn’t look like they’d been here long—unattended corpses lay around, and many survivors showed signs of injury.
Missing arms or legs, bandages on foreheads or abdomens—they were a common sight.
‘They fought like hell.’
And it probably hadn’t been against zombies. zombies didn’t use guns. The old man had said they’d been driven out by the Yeouido Camp.
Yohan found that entirely plausible.
Shin Noah wasn’t a good person. He was the type to embody cold-blooded group egoism. Kind and generous to his allies, ruthlessly brutal to his enemies.
They had gotten along well because they shared the same worldview.
The only saving grace was that, compared to Gae Baekjong’s group, Shin Noah’s methods were far more civilized.
He didn’t resort to taking hostages, torture, or planting spies—he fought purely with strength. That’s why he struggled so much against Gae Baekjong, constantly being blindsided and betrayed.
Before Yohan joined, the Yeouido Camp had been on the verge of collapse, torn apart by Gae Baekjong’s schemes.
“But, Captain.”
“Hm?”
Jae-ho interrupted Yohan’s thoughts.
“I’ve been wondering… these people look really bad off. Why haven’t they left Seoul despite the danger? Why do survivors cling to this place with ten million zombies around?”
“Sharp question.”
“It just seems dumb. If it were me, I’d have left for the outskirts ages ago.”
“Well, there are lots of reasons. Look at these people—what do you notice?”
“Hmm…”
Jae-ho thought for a moment and answered.
“They have no light in their eyes… no hope.”
“Exactly. It’s a normal reaction. Every day feels like the end of the world. People die daily, and they have no plan, no supplies, no idea what tomorrow holds. They risk their lives to scavenge just enough to survive one more day.”
“Ah…”
“They don’t have a future. They’re not really living—they’re just not dead yet. Asking people like that to leave Seoul and build toward a future somewhere else? That’s too much to ask. Even surviving today is a burden.”
Their faces were filled with despair. Just like the people from the Mart Camp before they’d met Yohan.