RE: Survival - Chapter 30

After stopping by the shelter to restock on ammunition, Yohan led the search team into action. The other survivors were curious about his brief departure, but Yohan brushed it off, saying he’d gone to a gun shop to resupply.

At the mart, Yohan left two rifles behind—one at the main entrance and one at the parking lot—assigning them to guards on rotation. He instructed them to check the ammunition count at each handover. Each rifle was loaded with only three bullets, a precautionary measure. Too much ammunition was risky, but having none was even more dangerous. With the visible reduction in zombie numbers on the streets, Yohan anticipated more survivors might start showing up.

“Any survivor who ignores the warning signs and barges in through the main entrance—don’t hesitate, shoot them. If they approach from the parking lot, disarm them, check for wounds, and only let them in if they’re clean. Once inside, give them some food and isolate them. Explain the reason to them. If they refuse, shoot them too,” Yohan instructed grimly.

Jung-hwan reluctantly nodded, his face uneasy.

—

With the camp in order, the search team set out for H Department Store. Like the mart, most of the zombies that had been gathered near the entrance had been lured away by the noise. Although there were still many zombies inside, they posed little threat after the zombie wave had subsided.

The team formed a diamond formation, just as they had when barricading the mart doors. Yohan led at the front, Hajin took the rear, with Seri and Sweeper covering the sides. Despite initial concerns, Seri handled her position capably.

Their first task was to secure a few carts from the department store and head to the main office.

When they reached the office door, Yohan knocked twice and waited for a response. Hearing none, the four of them kicked the door open and entered simultaneously. The room was empty, and the supplies were untouched.

Yohan holstered his pistol and began loading supplies onto the carts.

“Do you think the executive is dead?” Hajin asked.

Yohan didn’t answer. Based on the situation, it seemed likely. If the executive were alive, there would have been some indication by now.

After loading the remaining supplies onto the carts, the team moved to the rooftop and secured two radios. Seri grimaced at the sight of corpses scattered across the rooftop. Most of them had died from gunshot wounds. She cast a glance at Yohan, who met her gaze before she quickly looked away.

The search team descended to the basement.

—

The basement was a mix of freshly turned zombies and those already rotting. Without hesitation, the team methodically eliminated the undead. Yohan was about to kill a female zombie when Seri’s sharp voice rang out.

“Wait!”

Seri’s pupils dilated as she stepped forward, her movements trembling.

“…Sister?”

The zombie appeared to be Seri’s sister. Yohan let out a soft sigh.

When Seri impulsively moved toward the zombie, Yohan grabbed her and pulled her back. Her face crumbled in despair.

“Calm down. You’ll get bitten,” Yohan warned.

The zombie snarled and lunged at them but was pushed back by Yohan each time.

Seri eventually went limp in his arms and collapsed to the ground. Yohan glanced down at her and was relieved to see she wasn’t crying—just dazed, as if she had anticipated this outcome.

“Leave that zombie alone. Take care of the others,” Yohan ordered the team.

Sweeper and Hajin moved aside, steadily thinning the zombie horde. Meanwhile, Yohan dragged the zombie resembling Seri’s sister aside.

“She’s already dead. You have to deal with her,” Yohan said firmly.

“I… I can’t,” Seri murmured.

“She’s your family,” Yohan countered.

“…Just kill her. Please.”

“Do you want me to carry the guilt of killing your family?” Yohan’s tone was resolute.

After a moment of hesitation, Seri rose unsteadily to her feet, wiped her face, and drove her knife into the zombie’s head with all her strength.

“I kept watching as zombies poured into the department store,” Seri said quietly.

“I see,” Yohan replied.

“I thought I’d given up… but…” Seri trailed off.

“You don’t have to give up hope until you see a body,” Yohan said.

While Yohan couldn’t condone the sentiment of dragging a zombie around for the sake of family, he believed there was no harm in holding onto hope while it was still possible. And for the dead, the best tribute was rest granted by their loved ones.

Seri straightened herself.

Yohan, wasting no time, began assigning tasks as if nothing had happened. “Get moving. Grab canned food, dried goods, canned drinks, and water.”

“Should we take the ramen? Most of it’s past its expiration date,” Hajin asked.

“Take it. If you’re starving, you’ll eat anything,” Yohan replied.

Though ramen was recommended to be consumed within six months of production, in this situation, worrying about expiration dates was a luxury. Anything edible had value as long as it wasn’t immediately harmful.

The group hauled their loaded carts up and down the stairs, which was a grueling task.

Having gathered all the supplies into carts, Yohan left them at the entrance with Seri and Sweeper to guard. Meanwhile, he and Hajin searched the department store thoroughly for any surviving remnants of the Goldmoon gang.

The work was exhausting, with sporadic battles and the physically draining task of checking every corner. But it was essential.

After recovering all four radios and combing through the final floors, they found no survivors.

“Yohan,” Hajin called as they regrouped. “This is strange.”

“What’s strange?” Yohan asked.

“The executive’s body is missing. If he died, he should have either turned into a zombie or left a corpse. But no matter where we look, he’s not here.”

Yohan frowned deeply, muttering to himself. *A third-rate thug with nine lives, apparently.*

“What should we do?” Hajin asked.

“For now, we’ll just keep it in mind. I’d like to confirm his fate, but it’s not worth overextending ourselves. We’ll focus on fortifying the camp’s defenses and patrolling the area regularly. He likely hasn’t gone far.”

—

The search team hauled all the supplies from the department store back to the camp, then raided two nearby convenience stores. The wave that had drawn zombies away made the streets safer, and with fewer undead around, the work was manageable.

A fortunate discovery was that many convenience stores still had intact supplies. The zombie-filled streets had deterred other survivors from scavenging, leaving goods relatively untouched.

After several trips, the warehouse and loading dock were noticeably fuller.

“We’ve got plenty now. Can’t we stop?” Sweeper groaned.

Yohan shook his head. “This camp is going to become the central supply hub for other camps. Even if we strip the city bare, it won’t be enough.”

“Then we need something to burn bodies more efficiently,” Sweeper muttered.

The increasing battles meant more zombie corpses piled up, and they couldn’t simply leave them to rot. At the same time, burning them consumed precious fuel, which they couldn’t afford to waste.

Yohan tapped on a map of Bucheon spread out before him, deep in thought. There was so much to do. The camp needed to expand. Weapons needed to be sourced. Roads had to be blocked to prevent endless waves of zombies from neighboring cities. But first, gathering more survivors within the city took priority.

The plan was clear, but the variables were many. Six months was a long time in the apocalypse—too long to predict what might have unfolded in the city.

—

“Yohan, take a look at this,” Seo-jun, one of the camp’s administrators, called out.

Seo-jun had earned his position early on when he locked the doors during an initial zombie surge, prioritizing safety. Despite the circumstances, he had performed his role admirably.

“This is…” Yohan trailed off.

“A slingshot,” Seo-jun explained, holding up a “Y”-shaped contraption made of wood and long rubber bands.

“Remember all those bolts and screws we found at the mart’s hardware section? Bullets need to be conserved, and arrows have to be retrieved. But with this, we could reinforce the parking lot defense with bolts. What do you think?”

“Show me a demonstration,” Yohan requested.

Seo-jun confidently led him to the parking lot. After a few initial misses, one bolt finally embedded itself deeply into a zombie’s head. The zombie, unaware of what had happened, swayed for a moment before collapsing.

“Their skulls are weaker than a regular human’s. These are enough to deal with zombies,” Seo-jun explained.

“Impressive,” Yohan said sincerely. The slingshot wasn’t lethal against humans, but for stationary defense against zombies, it was perfect—light, quiet, and efficient.

Seo-jun scratched his head, pretending to be nonchalant, but the corners of his mouth twitched with pride. “I’ll make about ten more, just in case.”

“Good work. One guard with a rifle and one with a slingshot for the parking lot should be perfect,” Yohan said.

“Not a big deal,” Seo-jun replied, walking off, but his glowing expression betrayed his satisfaction.

—

Over the next few days, Yohan focused on internal reorganization and camp improvements while allowing the search team some rest. Despite the harsh conditions, the camp was steadily stabilizing.

The camp’s total population—including the search team—was still well under 20. With the search team frequently absent, only about ten people remained at the camp full-time. Even auxiliary personnel had to assist with guard duties due to their limited numbers. Yet paradoxically, this smaller size made the camp more manageable and efficient.

The technical team was made up of five members, carefully selected by Yohan after individual interviews.

– Ji-hye, with her exceptional cooking skills, was in charge of boosting morale through meals.
– Seo-jun excelled in management and served as the camp’s administrator.
– Grandma Jung, though initially overlooked, was reassigned as a seamstress due to her familiarity with overlock machines, making her the go-to for repairing clothing and fabrics.
– A surprising addition was a welding technician discovered during a chance encounter. This individual had begun welding steel plates over the hinges and gaps in doors, including those at the main entrance and emergency exits.

Doors like side entrances and emergency exits were traditionally easy to breach by breaking the handles. But with the handles destroyed and welded shut from the inside, they became nearly impervious to external intrusion.

Yohan commended Seo-jun and the welding technician for their foresight in strengthening the camp’s defenses, particularly after hearing about the possible survival of the Goldmoon executive.

“Brilliant work,” Yohan praised, his sincerity evident.

The two men beamed as if they’d been handed awards.

—

The last addition to the technical team was Old Man Park, whose request took Yohan by surprise.

“Yohan, could you bring me some soil and fertilizer the next time you’re out?”

“Soil?” Yohan asked, puzzled.

“I’d like to start a rooftop garden,” the elderly man replied.

Old Man Park’s expertise? Farming.