RE: Survival - Chapter 23

*Bang!* Yohan kicked open the door to the office on the second floor of the shopping mall. With his rifle aimed, he scanned the room thoroughly, but the executive was nowhere to be found. Instead, a man lay unconscious, tied up on the floor.

It was the same man Yohan had seen earlier, captured by the executive.

‘Not here.’

Yohan’s eyes turned to the conference room deeper inside the office. Supplies were piled up there, a likely reason the executive might have headed to this location.

‘Or maybe he went to the infirmary first.’

But in a supermarket infirmary without a proper medical professional, there would be obvious limitations. For anyone unfamiliar with latent infection, heading toward supplies should have been the logical choice.

Yohan dismissed unnecessary thoughts. Predictions could always go wrong.

His attention shifted to the unconscious man. Despite sitting slumped and bound, his bulky frame and muscular build were unmistakable. Memories of the man surfaced.

*”Why make it hard for yourself? Just listen to me, and this will be easier. Huh?”*

This man had likely opposed the executive and lost, refusing to comply with any offers of cooperation and ending up tied here as a result.

Yohan’s interest in him was simple. Escaping a zombie wave meant inevitably confronting large numbers of zombies. He would need someone to guard his back.

But there was a risk. This man knew nothing of Yohan and could betray him. Yohan once again faced a critical decision: untie him and gamble on trust or attempt to break through the zombie horde alone.

Sometimes, in dire situations, it was better to trust survival instincts than overthink strategy. Yohan decided to rely on the instincts that had kept him alive for three years.

This situation was different from when he’d left Sweeper tied up. At that time, there had been no reason to save him, Sweeper’s initial approach had been suspicious, and stealth had been necessary. Now, there was sufficient reason to untie this man, especially after the information Yohan had gleaned during his conversation with the executive.

Yohan shook the man awake, deciding to start with a conversation.

“Wake up.”

“Ugh… Who’s there?”

The man opened his eyes groggily. Judging by his clear voice, he hadn’t fainted but simply fallen asleep.

“My name is Yohan. I can’t give you a full explanation right now, but the area around this camp is swarming with zombies. Can you fight?”

“…What about the Goldmoon bastards?”

The man’s first question was about the gang.

Goldmoon. So that’s their name. What a dramatic name, Yohan thought with a smirk.

“Most of them are dead. A few may have survived, but escape will be difficult. Consider them wiped out.”

The man seemed to be processing this information, though understanding the situation was likely difficult in such a short time. Still, they were both short on time.

“I’ll ask quickly: who are you, and why were you captured?”

“…”

“You need to answer honestly, or I can’t help you.”

“I’m Kang Hajin, a member of the Bucheon City Unemployed Taekwondo Team. After the outbreak, my group and I entered the food court to search for supplies and got ambushed.”

An athlete, then. Yohan nodded, glancing at his well-built frame.

“What happened to your team?”

Hajin shook his head, unwilling to divulge the grim details. His team had been drugged by the gang and fed to zombies. But revealing such a painful truth to a stranger seemed unnecessary. He simply conveyed the gist with his gesture.

Yohan understood.

“If I untie you, will you cooperate with me to escape?”

“Seems like I don’t have much of a choice. Why even ask?”

“Well, it’s more of a formality. But I’d feel better knowing you agreed. Will you cooperate?”

Hajin gave a silent nod. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words, and in a situation with no other options, trust came easier.

Yohan cut Hajin’s bindings with a knife. Hajin staggered as he stood but quickly regained his balance.

“How long have you been tied up?”

“About three days, I think.”

Three days bound in such an uncomfortable position would cause severe dizziness. Impressive mental strength, Yohan thought, as he retrieved a water bottle from his pouch and handed it to Hajin.

“Here, take this.”

“Thanks.”

“And this.” Yohan spun the knife he’d used to cut the bindings and offered it to Hajin by the handle. Hajin accepted it but raised an eyebrow.

“You’re carrying two guns. Wouldn’t it be better to give me one?”

“Sorry, I’m not the type to hand out firearms to people I don’t know.”

Hajin stared at Yohan, not with irritation but a look that was hard to decipher. Yohan added quickly:

“Honestly, untying you is already out of character for me. That’s how urgent things are.”

“I understand. So, what’s the plan?”

Yohan took a moment to think. The glass on the first floor had shattered, and the four exits there were likely useless. The underground parking lot had separate entrances and exits, making it the easiest area to breach.

Staying in the building during a zombie wave was akin to being trapped in a sinking ship—zombies pouring in like water through every crack.

Finally, Yohan made his decision.

“We’ll head to the underground parking lot through the emergency exit and clear either the entrance or exit. I’ll take the lead; you cover me.”

After refilling his pouch with water and some supplies, Yohan opened the office door. Three zombies awaited outside. Yohan pushed them back with his left arm and stabbed their heads one by one.

As he shoved the lifeless corpses aside, he felt something odd under his left foot. A zombie missing its lower half clamped its teeth at him. Yohan stomped its jaw until it broke.

Avoiding gunfire, Yohan attached a bayonet to his rifle and used it like a spear. Though cumbersome, it conserved ammunition and avoided splattering zombie blood on his firearm.

Behind him, Hajin used the knife Yohan had given him. Each strike from Hajin’s powerful arms drove the knife through the skulls of zombies, killing them instantly—an impressive feat compared to the usual delay of a few seconds before death.

Seeing Hajin’s effectiveness, Yohan focused entirely on the front, confident in his choice.

Reaching the end of the pedestrian bridge, they saw the emergency exit, about 50 meters away, guarded by roughly 40 zombies. This area, unlike the bridge, was wide open and offered no natural barriers.

Yohan’s focus sharpened. In his mind, he plotted a direct path: eight zombies, eight strikes, minimal movement.

But his focus led to danger. He failed to notice the executive aiming a handgun at him from the third floor.

*Bang!* The gunshot echoed through the mall. Before Yohan could react, pain ripped through his body as the bullet struck.

“Argh!” Yohan staggered and fell, blood pouring from his wound.

“Hey!” Hajin shouted, alarmed. But Yohan didn’t respond, seemingly unconscious. A second shot rang out, but Hajin ducked, and the bullet missed.

Zombies began closing in. Hajin dragged Yohan into a nearby office and slammed the door shut. Inside, two zombies greeted them, lunging with hunger.

—

**Meanwhile, at the Supermarket Parking Lot**

Jung-hwan and his team fortified the barricade of delivery trucks and SUVs. Four young men stood atop the trucks, spearing zombies with makeshift weapons made from metal rods and taped blades.

Despite their weight and difficulty piercing zombie skulls, these weapons allowed them to kill from a safe distance.

At first, the task was routine—killing the occasional zombie that wandered too close. But the number of zombies gradually increased.

“Hyung, there are more of them,” one youth said nervously.

“Yeah,” Jung-hwan replied grimly.

Outside the barricade, a stream of zombies headed toward H Department Store, the nearby building. But as the horde thickened, some spilled into their area, drawn by the noise and movement.

The barricade, reinforced with stacked materials, seemed inadequate against the growing tide. The team stabbed zombies relentlessly, knowing that if the barricade fell, the loading dock—and their hard-won supplies—would be overrun.

If only Yohan were here.

Jung-hwan felt his absence keenly as he watched the horde swell.

Then came a scream.

“Aaaaah!”

“Seong-jun!” A zombie had climbed over the barricade and bitten into Seong-jun’s neck.

As panic spread, more zombies scaled the barricade. Jung-hwan shouted urgently:

“Get down! We can’t hold them! Get inside!”

But as they descended the ladder, zombies poured over, trapping them in a desperate struggle.