Chapter 97

Hearing that people infected with rabies turned on others and devoured them didn’t seem unnatural. But the idea that zombies could generate a wave whenever a group of survivors gathered? That was unsettling.

Every grave had a reason, and every problem had a cause.

Regression. And zombies.

What was the intention of the force that had brought the world to this state?

“…Hah.”

With Yohan’s level of knowledge, he couldn’t arrive at a definitive answer. He could only hope it wasn’t something as meaningless as the extinction of humanity or the end of the world.

That those who had fought tooth and nail to survive, abandoning their humanity and dignity in the process, wouldn’t meet their end with a final report card stamped with the words total annihilation.

It took almost an hour for the last stragglers of the horde to finally move out of the safe distance.

In the end, nothing happened.

Despite his best efforts, Yohan couldn’t fully analyze this bizarre phenomenon. He could only store it away as another variable to keep in mind.

“This is Yohan. The zombie horde has passed. The vanguard will start returning slowly.”

With that, the camp resumed its advance. Their sluggish pace from the past few days finally eased up.

Once they got onto the Incheon Airport Expressway, there were hardly any obstructions. A massive zombie incident near an interchange had caused several buses to overturn and pile up, turning the area into a chaotic disaster zone. Beyond that, however, the highway was eerily empty.

For Yohan’s group, this was a stroke of luck. They wouldn’t have to spend an entire week living on the road.

It only took three days to reach Yeongjong Bridge.

Several vehicles sped down the empty highway. Outside the windows, the coastline beyond the bridge flickered past, offering glimpses of the sea. The scent of salt and the cool ocean breeze flowed into the cars.

The stench of rotting corpses, which had clung to the air of the city like a curse, had finally vanished. For the first time in a long while, the air felt fresh.

After another twenty minutes, Yohan called out to the vanguard and rear guard.

“Stop. Everyone, halt. Gather at the center.”

At first, people looked at Yohan in confusion, wondering why he had stopped them in the middle of the bridge. But as they followed his gaze downward, they gasped in realization.

Below the bridge was a small island.

It was so small that one could probably walk around it in just twenty minutes.

To the side facing the airport, the land had split apart, forming a reed-filled marsh. A few scattered buildings stood in the distance, with a small mountain behind them. Beyond that, the vast expanse of the West Sea stretched endlessly. A handful of boats were moored along the shore.

“Unyeomdo!”

“Huh. I had no idea a place like this existed.”

As Jae-ho called out the name of the island, Sweeper raised his eyebrows in surprise. Despite having traveled across this bridge many times, he had never paid attention to the island below.

“This island is actually quite accessible—you can get here by taking an exit near the entrance of Yeongjong Bridge. But strangely, not many people know about it. The land reclamation project wiped out the mudflats that once thrived here, and the place became known as ‘Unyeomdo,’ meaning the ‘land that split apart.’ Until sixty years ago, it was an uninhabited island. At one point, the population grew to around fifty, but after recent reclamation efforts, most residents moved away, leaving only a few remaining facilities.”

Jae-ho took out a Polaroid camera, snapped a picture of Unyeomdo, and pasted it into his notebook, jotting down a few notes.

“You’re pretty sharp, journalist. Guess that long academic career pays off?”

“I actually covered a story here once.”

Jae-ho’s hands moved rapidly as he scribbled down details. Having once declared, ‘I will leave behind a record of everything that survives!’, he remained committed to that goal, diligently documenting each day with photos and notes.

Even when Yohan scolded him for getting distracted during their movements, he would brush it off, saying, This might become humanity’s new history book someday!

He was also the only survivor who still remembered the exact date, obsessively keeping track of time.

Yohan didn’t bother stopping him. If anyone managed to survive long enough, Jae-ho’s records would prove valuable someday.

While Yohan watched the island in silence, Old Man Park approached him.

“Yohan, if this is your final destination, you should reconsider. There’s an ocean, sure, but no water treatment facilities. Without a stable water source, sustaining life here will be difficult. The resources from the mountain won’t last forever, either.”

“You make a good point, sir. But this isn’t our final settlement. It’s just an outpost. Recon team, gather up.”

Yohan assembled his reconnaissance team.

“There are two bridges leading into Yeongjong Island. We’re going to destroy both of them and turn the island into a fortress. This island will serve as the first line of defense against zombie waves and any intruders from the mainland.”

He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and quickly sketched a rough map of the area.

The original map had been lost in their battle at Seoul Survivor Union, but Yohan had already memorized the local terrain. In just a few strokes, he outlined Yeongjong Island and the surrounding land.

“We’ll set up a temporary camp on Unyeomdo and take down Yeongjong Bridge first. We’ll rest for two days to recover, then move on to our second outpost at Yedanpo Pier. If the roads aren’t blocked, we should get there quickly. There’s a fishing boat I prepared waiting at the pier.”

Yohan pulled out a key from his vest and held it up for everyone to see.

Seri’s eyes widened.

“Whoa, you even got a boat ready?”

“It’s a decommissioned vessel, and I only leased it for a year, but it’s still functional. Our ultimate goal is Samhyeongje Island. There’s a reservoir, rice fields, and the well-preserved wilderness of Gubongsan Mountain. The population is low, which means fewer zombies. While the main group waits at the pier, the recon team will cross to Sindo, clear out the zombies, and confirm the safety of the route. Then, we’ll move in phases.”

Yohan continued.

“But before that, we need to stop by the uninhabited island between the pier and Sindo.”

“Why?”

“I released chickens, pigs, and goats there. Along with various seeds and grain crops. Unless the zombie outbreak wiped everything out, they should still be alive.”

“Huh…”

“Our ultimate goal is to settle here while using Yeongjong Island as our main supply base. There are cities nearby that can provide resources, and most importantly, there’s the cargo terminal.”

The cargo terminal.

A treasury of supplies.

A significant portion of air cargo shipments consisted of long-shelf-life preserved foods. The scale of storage there was incomparable to raiding a couple of supermarkets or grocery stores.

“Our first goal is to systematically clear Yeongjong Island of zombies. And the final goal? To survive here for as long as it takes—ten years, no, twenty years if we have to. Until every last zombie in this world rots into dust.”

A shiver ran down the spines of the survivors. But this time, it wasn’t from fear.

—

“Where do we set the explosives?”

“It has to be at least a kilometer away from Unyeomdo. If zombies fall into the sea, we need to make sure they don’t drift all the way to Sindo.”

Yohan’s group took up positions to demolish the bridge.

Their only experience with demolitions came from virtual simulations, so success wasn’t guaranteed.

If the explosion failed, they could still create a barricade with vehicles, but Yohan didn’t like makeshift solutions.

He handpicked a few skilled members to handle the explosives and sent the rest to guard the perimeter. Then, exactly one kilometer from Unyeomdo, they used industrial drills to bore holes into the steel plating.

The noise was deafening.

Yohan drilled as deep as possible, but even though they had brought as much explosive material as they could, it wasn’t as much as he would have liked.

They drilled the holes in an H-shape, stuffing half of their explosives inside and carefully linking the fuses.

To avoid mistakes, Yohan personally followed the old mercenary’s guidance, checking every step of the setup. He even descended into the underground railway beneath the bridge, drilling parallel holes to plant additional dynamite.

The plan was to detonate the steel plates between the pillars, causing the center of the bridge to collapse. They had studied real bridge demolitions, but the limited amount of explosives was a problem.

The only relief was that the bridge’s double steel structure made the surface relatively thin.

Once preparations were complete, Yohan ordered his team to retreat.

Jung-hwan and Jae-ho, drenched in sweat, wiped their faces as they moved behind Yohan.

“This… this is making me nervous. What if the whole bridge collapses?”

“Even small bridges require tons of explosives to bring down. Worry about whether we can even make a dent in it first. Personally, I think pulling this off would be nothing short of a miracle.”

Yohan signaled to the perimeter guards, alerting them of the imminent detonation. Then, he firmly gripped the detonator.

Without hesitation, he counted down.

“Three. Two. One. Fire.”

BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed through the sea.

If the drilling noise had been loud, the explosion was thunderous.

The three men instinctively covered their ears and squinted at the blast zone.

A thick, ash-gray cloud erupted from the explosion site.

As the dust spread, their throats became dry, and they involuntarily coughed.

The bridge hadn’t collapsed.

The explosion had created deep craters in the structure, but the kind of dramatic instant destruction seen in videos didn’t happen.

Just as disappointment began to flicker in Yohan’s eyes, the explosion site started to crack.

Crrrk… Crack!

The holes in the steel plates expanded like a spider’s web, growing wider and wider.

Then, with a tremendous roar, the ground beneath them began to fall.

It was like watching a landslide.

The team could only stare, awe-struck and horrified, as massive chunks of asphalt plunged into the ocean, sending towering pillars of water into the sky.

As the spray of seawater dispersed, the air became filled with a cool, salty breeze.

Jae-ho and Jung-hwan stood frozen, jaws slack.

“Whoa…”

Huge slabs of the bridge sank into the sea.

They had never seen anything like it in their lives.

“Miracles seem to happen pretty often these days.”

Yohan smirked and turned away.

Behind them lay the collapsed bridge.

Ahead, the sound of the explosion had already started drawing in zombies.

Some might call this a point of no return, but to them, it felt more like the first battle cry of survival.

“Maybe God is watching over us?”

“Maybe.”

Jae-ho lifted his Polaroid camera, capturing the collapsed bridge in a photo.

Even those who weren’t here to witness it firsthand would feel the same rush of triumph when they heard the news—the bridge was down.

Now, all that was left was to take one step forward at a time.

The greater the despair, the sweeter the hope.

Survival. And life.

In this moment, there was nothing more precious.

“Let’s go. There’s work to do.”

Jae-ho scribbled a verse into his notebook before following Yohan.

His handwriting was a little uneven—whether from haste or excitement, he wasn’t sure.

>Even if the sunset swallows the night, the dawn will come.
>Even if the dawn is devoured, the sun will rise again.