Chapter 75
From this point on, speed was everything.
‘Seoul Survival Union’ wouldn’t make a move right away, but the moment they sensed weakness, they would pounce and devour the camp whole. They were the kind of people who showed infinite cruelty toward the weak.
The key was to secure ‘Kim Seol-hwa’ before she could act and then set a perfect, foolproof trap. There was time, but there was no reason to waste it.
There were two possible approaches.
One option was to reveal ‘Kim Seol-hwa’s’ identity and the existence of ‘Seoul Survival Union’, then unite the two camps to fight against them.
The other option was to extract ‘Kim Seol-hwa’ in secret, lay a trap, and use the two camps as bait—letting ‘Seoul Survival Union’ take the bait, only to be devoured themselves.
The answer was obvious. There was no need to hesitate. If any survivors managed to live through it, Yohan would simply absorb them into his ranks.
The remaining survivors would focus more on the fact that Yohan saved them from ‘Seoul Survival Union’ rather than the fact that he and his people had killed three of their own.
Humans were creatures of forgetfulness. They were more likely to cling to the lifeline in front of them than dwell on past suffering. Any debts owed could be erased.
By the end of it, there would be no reason for the survivors to resent him.
The only person Yohan absolutely needed to keep alive was the old man. It would have been easy to use him as bait, but he couldn’t let the old man die in the process.
Yohan restructured his strategy to ensure the old man’s survival while using the rest as bait. The thought of it all ran through his mind like a complex equation.
Many people would die.
And yet, he felt no hesitation. Not even a sliver of reluctance.
There were moments when he thought his worn-down humanity was returning, but when it came time to make a decision, he was as ruthless as ever. It was almost unsettling, even to himself.
There was one more issue to consider.
To secretly secure ‘Kim Seol-hwa’, he would need the cooperation of the search team. That meant he had to share some degree of the truth with them.
Who would he trust?
How much should he reveal?
“Yohan, you look like you’re in a good mood. What’s making you so happy?”
He had been so caught up in his thoughts about devouring ‘Seoul Survival Union’ that he had failed to notice the gazes around him. When Jung-mi saw Yohan grinning for no reason, she tilted her head in curiosity. Yohan snapped out of his thoughts, waving a hand dismissively as he came up with an excuse.
“It’s nothing. I’m just happy to see you again, Jung-mi, and proud to see all the good work you’ve done.”
“Well, aren’t you full of it.”
Jung-mi’s face lit up with a pleased blush, while the old man scoffed at Yohan’s words.
Yohan then turned to Jung-mi and the old man, shifting the conversation.
“I think I’ve seen enough of the camp. I’ve gotten a good grasp of the layout and formed a plan.”
Jung-mi and the old man exchanged glances, assuming he had decided their fate. They nodded and led him to a meeting room.
Right before stepping inside, Yohan gave orders to his team.
“Sweeper, stand guard at the door. The rest of you, find me a pair of handcuffs.”
“Handcuffs?”
“There were some zombies in police uniforms when we arrived. Search them. They should have cuffs—and get the keys too.”
“Ugh, digging through zombie corpses is gross.”
Kang Hyuk cringed at the thought, but after a moment, he and Kang Gun nodded and left to complete their task.
Once inside the meeting room, Yohan dismissed Jung-mi as well. Now, it was just him and the old man.
“Changed your mind about something?” the old man asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s good news.”
“I believe you when you say that you deal through transactions rather than violence and that you value trust.”
“Of course.”
The old man nodded emphatically, pleased with where this was going.
“I’ll release all the hostages.”
“You, kid, are a good man.”
“But,” Yohan continued, “there’s a price.”
“Ah, you son of a—”
The old man’s face twisted in frustration. He had thought things were going well, but now Yohan was offering another deal.
“You mentioned that you received valuable intel in exchange for securing this camp’s safety. Now tell me—what price will you pay for your people’s lives?”
The old man remained silent for a moment, contemplating. He had to admit, Yohan had a point. Their way of life revolved around deals, not brute force.
And right now, their lives were in Yohan’s hands.
It was only natural that he should name a price.
“How about we agree to leave your camp alone?”
“Denied,” Yohan replied instantly. “If you refuse this deal, my camp isn’t in any danger to begin with. Besides, do you really think you can win in a fight against us? The people I brought here are only a fraction of my forces. Even if we fight again, I doubt we’ll lose.”
The old man let out a long, exasperated groan. It was an absurd offer, but he figured it was worth a shot. Why was this kid so damn rigid?
After a moment of studying Yohan’s expression, the old man sighed and nodded.
“You’ve got something in mind, don’t you?”
“I have a request.”
“What kind of request?”
“There’s another camp nearby that’s hostile to us. A fight is inevitable.”
The old man ran a hand through his white beard, already guessing what Yohan was about to say.
“I want you to help us wipe out every survivor in that camp. In exchange, I’ll offer 500 kilograms of well-preserved food, three critical pieces of information about zombies, and, of course, the lives of your people.”
The old man raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. He had expected Yohan to negotiate for the hostages alone—but this was a far bigger deal.
Despite their short time together, he could tell one thing about this young man—he was precise. If Yohan was going to make a deal, he would ensure the losses and gains were perfectly calculated.
“Judging by the payment, this is a dangerous job, huh?”
“We don’t have a clear count of their numbers yet. Some of us might die.”
“Alright. But I want to change one of the terms.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t need information about zombies. Instead, I want information about ‘you’. You knew about zombie waves before they even happened. Who the hell are you?”
The old man’s sharp gaze bore into Yohan.
Yohan met his stare, remaining silent for a moment before shaking his head.
This old man was no ordinary survivor.
“My information comes at a high price. It’s not worth the trade. I’ll remove the food supply from the deal. In exchange, you get to ask me only one question.”
“You son of a—forget it.”
“Do you accept the deal?”
“You’re not even giving me a choice.”
“You’re always free to die with your pride intact.”
“You think I’m that much of an idiot?”
“I have a brother who threw away his life over a flimsy belief.”
“Tell that fool to watch his neck.”
Yohan let out a bitter chuckle, thinking of Kang Hyuk—his troublesome younger brother. The old man spat on the floor, then took a slow drag from his cigarette, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
It was unclear what exactly he was contemplating. Was he still set on prying into Yohan’s background, or was he thinking of making a counteroffer?
Yohan waited patiently. He didn’t rush him.
After chain-smoking two cigarettes in silence, the old man finally nodded.
“I’ll be taking you as collateral.”
“Can you stop calling me ‘old man’? Makes me feel like some frail geezer.”
“Until the mission is complete, your treatment may be somewhat discourteous. I ask for your understanding.”
“You really don’t give a damn about making friends, do you? No trust in your business partners either.”
“A client’s preferences should take priority in a deal, don’t you think?”
“…Fine. You’re one damn picky employer.”
The first phase of the plan was complete.
By using the old man as collateral, Yohan ensured his protection under the guise of taking him hostage. His subordinates, however, would be driven straight into the fire. Whether they perished or a few survived was irrelevant. The crucial part came after.
Yohan stood up, leaving the old man behind in the room as he stepped out to retrieve the handcuffs.
Just as he reached for the door, the old man stopped him.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“…?”
“You still owe me for the three men you killed.”
Yohan chuckled and gave a small nod.
—
Outside the meeting room, Sweeper leaned against the wall with one foot crossed over the other, waiting. When their eyes met, he shrugged.
“Stubborn old bastard.”
“You heard everything?”
“Well, you two weren’t exactly whispering.”
He met Yohan’s gaze head-on. He was a sharp man, one who had been by Yohan’s side throughout his journey.
There was no way he didn’t have doubts or questions about Yohan.
Yet, even after hearing that conversation, he said nothing.
He had always been like that—trustworthy to the point of suspicion. But at this point, they had come too far. Sweeper was someone Yohan had already let inside his circle.
“You’re not going to ask anything?”
“Well, the boss only says what’s necessary when it’s necessary. I figure you’ll tell me when the time comes.”
“…Yeah.”
Yohan met Sweeper’s easy-going grin with a small smile of his own.
‘I just hope I never give you a reason to lose that trust.’
He kept the thought to himself.
—
Yohan ordered his team to stay near the camp for now, only sharing the bare minimum—that another battle was coming.
Just as Sweeper had pointed out, Yohan only disclosed information on a need-to-know basis, and no one pushed him for more details.
The old man relayed the terms of the deal to his subordinates. A few of them flared up upon hearing that their leader was being taken as collateral, but the old man quickly shut them down.
“The deal’s already made, you dumbasses.”
At that, the dissenting voices quieted.
Once things were mostly settled, Yohan stepped forward and designated Hajin for a key role.
“The old man will be moving with me as part of the operation. As for the rest of you, you’ll be following this man’s instructions for the time being. He will relay any commands from the old man.”
“We don’t take orders from anyone, kid.”
The one who spoke up was a scarred brute named ‘Chul-gu’. Judging by his demeanor, he was likely the second-in-command.
“I’m not giving you orders. You’ll continue operating on your own. However, if the old man has any additional commands, this man will deliver them to you.”
It wasn’t an outright lie. Yohan and his group had no intention of leading them. They had no plans of losing any of their own, which meant keeping their operations separate.
The mercenaries seemed to take it as a sign of respect, and their expressions relaxed.
With that, the second phase of the plan was complete.
That night, the third phase began.
—
Under the cover of darkness, two figures slipped through the night.
Moving soundlessly, they scaled a two-meter wall with ease, landing quietly on the other side.
Their target: ‘The annex shelter’.
Their objective: ‘The Viper, Kim Seol-hwa’.
Yohan had chosen only one person to accompany him—Sweeper.
It was a simple job: exploit the lax nighttime security, neutralize her, and extract her. Her true danger didn’t lie in physical strength, so it was an operation that had to be handled cleanly.
Strapped to Sweeper’s back was a large sack.
With their lights dimmed to the bare minimum, they navigated by memory. The night sky offered enough illumination—starlight and moonlight guiding their way.
A soft ‘click’ echoed as they carefully jostled a locked door open.
It was crucial that no one woke up.
Inside, the annex shelter housed a considerable number of women. It was dark enough that identifying individual faces was impossible. At best, they could make out figures.
Yohan relied on the instincts of an infiltrator.
No matter how well ‘Kim Seol-hwa’ disguised herself, someone as dangerous as her would instinctively remain cautious of others.
She wouldn’t sleep among the general group.
She would isolate herself in the farthest corner.
Two women were positioned apart from the others.
Yohan slowly directed his flashlight toward one.
Not her.
He turned toward the other.
Moving silently, Yohan and Sweeper crept toward the remaining woman, careful to suppress even the faintest sound.
A faint ‘click’—a brief flicker of light from the dim flashlight.
Yohan caught sight of her face.
He pressed his thumb and forefinger together, signaling ‘OK’.
Sweeper nodded, quietly opening the sack to subdue her.
But at that moment—
Kim Seol-hwa’s eyes snapped open.
Her hand flashed, gleaming in the dim light.
Lightning-fast, she struck, aiming straight for Sweeper’s throat.
