ã€ŠRe: Survivalã€‹


 Chapter 1 - The Return

    1. The Return

    Year 2020, Nanji Hangang Park

    ¡®More than anything, I wish I could have a cigarette right now. Has it been 6 months since I last smoked one? No, it feels like it¡¯s been at least 8 months.¡¯

    ¡°To think that smoking is all that I can think about right before I die.¡± A chuckle escaped his lips. Even he could tell that these thoughts were ridiculous.

    Blood trickled down from his torn shoulder and soaked through his shirt. He cringed involuntarily, unaccustomed to the pain. It was the first wound that he had received from a zombie and, in this damn apocalypse scenario that didn¡¯t allow for a single mistake, it would be the last wound as well.

    Yohan slowly raised his head as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The scenery around where he was sitting stood out to him.

    It was complete hell.

    A complete annihilation without a single survivor in sight. His entire party was wiped out again. He had stopped keeping track of the party death count once it hit the double-digits. He had already seen hundreds of his allies die. The names¡ªand even the faces¡ªof those who died near the beginning were faint in his memory.

    Yohan shifted his gaze to his right. Next to him was the last zombie that he killed. Just a few hours ago, it had still been his oldest and longest companion. It was someone who had been with him to the very end, even when Yohan had given up his humanity to survive in this fallen world. And it was the one who infected him.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    He was completely exhausted. It had been three years since the zombies first appeared. He had endured and survived for a long time, but it would all end here. Is there anyone still left alive? His party might have been the very last of humanity.

    The final battle between groups, who had been at odds with each other over dwindling supplies, was fierce. It was a battle between two forces who were quite strong and had survived for a long time.

    His team was annihilated and the opposing team suffered a blow that was most likely impossible to recover from. Although his team was the one defeated, both sides ultimately lost.

    He had already tried his best to survive. He felt like he could take a well-earned rest now.

    Yohan closed his eyes.

    * * *

    It¡¯s an odd feeling opening your eyes after you thought you had closed them for the last time. Yohan also had a strange feeling that there was a soft blanket covering his body.

    ¡®A blanket?¡¯

    Yohan¡¯s eyes shot open and he froze as he was met with an unbelievable scene.

    ¡°This place is¡­¡±

    It was a place that he remembered vaguely. He had opened his eyes and saw that he was in the rented room in Incheon that he had lived in since he was 24.

    ¡°What is this¡­¡±

    Yohan looked around at his surroundings. His room was filled with useless things. There was a computer, an air conditioner, and a washing machine. It was just as he remembered it.

    *Pick me, pick me, pick me up*

    The ringtone from his cellphone snapped Yohan out of his daze. He answered the phone while still a bit disoriented.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey you!¡± shouted a voice through the phone. Yohan frowned.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind? Do you know what time it is? Why aren¡¯t you at work yet!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Get over here now!¡± shouted the man once more before he hung up on Yohan. The caller¡¯s number was saved on his phone and identified the man as ¡°Deputy Manager Moon¡±.

    However, what caught Yohan¡¯s eye more was the date displayed on his phone.

    September 2016. It was six months before the zombies went rampant. A time when the world was still peaceful.

    ¡®Is this a dream?¡¯

    Confused, Yohan pinched himself. He definitely felt the pain. Was the apocalypse that he experienced just a dream? He hastily scanned through his three years worth of memories.

    He didn¡¯t think that he just had a long, awful nightmare. There was no reason he would dream over three years worth of content. Additionally, he could remember specific incidents and people very vividly. Though he had early comrades whose names and faces he could barely recall, he could never forget how fiercely he struggled to survive. Even now, his body was still tense, ready to respond at any moment to rotting corpses rising up and lunging at him jaw-first.

    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯

    He had returned to the past. There was no other explanation except that. There was no way to physically explain it, but the idea was already solidifying in Yohan¡¯s head. He rested his hand on his forehead and laid back down on his blanket.

    He had returned.

    Although he never wished for it, Yohan was revived and returned. Initially, he felt resentment towards the fact that he would have to go through the entire ordeal once again. But that was quickly washed away by a feeling of relief. He felt the relief in being able to peacefully take a breath again.

    Yohan picked up his cellphone and slowly typed out a text message.

    <I will take the day off today because I am not feeling well.>

    His company will disappear without a trace in six months. Rather than going to work, Yohan wanted to enjoy the comforts of the present day. He wanted to rest.

    Yohan closed his eyes and buried his face into his pillow. The softness of the cotton fabric was so cozy. It was a feeling of comfort that he hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time; it felt almost too good to be true. He fell asleep almost immediately.

    * * *

    Yohan¡¯s eyes shot open. His body felt so refreshed that he felt like he could fly. He had slept more soundly than he ever did in those three years. He had thought he would never experience such a deep sleep again.

    Looking at the time, he realized that he had slept for almost the entire day. There were nearly thirty missed calls from work. Yohan ignored them and picked up a coupon from the floor. He ordered chicken, pizza, bossam, jokbal, and whatever else he could get his hands on.

    It was the first time in three years that he had delivery food and it tasted extremely delicious; to the extent that it brought tears to his eyes.

    Yohan binged in decadence. Even though he was shoving food into his mouth non-stop, there was still piles of food to go through.

    With his most urgent desires, sleep and food, fulfilled, Yohan¡¯s thoughts became clearer. Then came the memories of the past three years.

    March 2017. Exactly six months from now, zombies would appear all over the world. They were a mysterious existence that some called the undead, while others simply labelled them as monsters.

    Those who were bitten or scratched by these creatures, and had zombie blood enter their wound, would experience pain akin to having their bodies torn and eaten alive by bugs before dying. Then, they would return as zombies. It could happen as quickly as five minutes post-mortem, but no later than one hour.

    Zombies weren¡¯t strong or fast, since they were just a moving corpse. The only problem was their numbers.

    The Republic of Korea had completely failed in its initial attempt to suppress the outbreak. The zombies appeared everywhere and spread quickly through the large, densely populated cities of Seoul, Busan, and Daegu, shutting down these major cities¡¯ functions in under a month. And while it took a month for a city to shut down completely, half a day was enough for the city to fall into chaos.

    Zombies kept coming no matter how many were killed and food supplies kept decreasing. Yohan speculated that less than 1% of Korea¡¯s population remained after the first year.

    At first, people were scared of the zombies, but time proved that other people were the true danger. The Republic of Korea descended into anarchy, filled with murder, robbery, and sexual assault. Even within groups, betrayal existed and it always resulted in the group¡¯s annihilation.

    Yohan had witnessed scores of comrades dying. Not twenty people, but twenty groups of people. He survived and suffered through extreme situations alone and thought of suicide many times. However, he survived for three years.

    For three years he teetered on the line between life and death. Every time he was about to fall over that line, he would claw his way back. If Yama was real, he would have yanked on his beard to pull himself out of the underworld in order to continue endure living hell.

    Now that he had returned back to this time, he knew what lay in his future. He could have dismissed it as a dream, but he ruled out that possibility. He had decided to put everything on the line and prepare for the apocalypse. It would be a thousand times worse to be unprepared for the apocalypse than to have his life be messed up because the apocalypse didn¡¯t come as he predicted.

    Yohan excised extraneous thoughts from his head and focused on only one thing.

    ¡®In six month¡¯s time, the world will come to ruin and only I know that the apocalypse is coming.¡¯

 Chapter 2

    The next day, Yohan went to the bank and took out a loan for as much as he could. He also amassed cash from other financial companies and even some more unscrupulous sources. The world was going to be destroyed in six months anyways. He wasn¡¯t afraid of loan sharks at all.

    He pushed aside any concerns of zombies never appearing. He was more worried about not having enough time and resources to fully prepare for the approaching zombie apocalypse. That day would definitely come. The instincts that helped him survive through three years of hell were already screaming out that there was danger.

    He had even found a real estate agent to help him sublease his place. Since housing was currently in high demand, it would probably get rented out quickly.

    After his loans were approved, he handed in his letter of resignation. Since he had been working in the same place for nine years, ever since he graduated from highschool, the severance pay was quite good.

    Yohan was lost in thought as he looked at his bank account balance. It was an exorbitant amount of money that one would normally struggle to amass in a lifetime. It was the kind of money that you would have to sell your soul for.

    Immediately, Yohan began preparing for ¡®that day¡¯. He wrote down in a notebook all the things he needed to prepare for the disaster.

    The first thing was the hideout. He needed to create a place that, in the future, would commonly be called a ¡®shelter¡¯. The place needed to be big enough to store a huge amount of food supplies and he wanted it to be near convenience stores and supermarkets. Most importantly, it needed auxiliary facilities. If the place didn¡¯t already have water tanks and solar panels installed, it needed to be able to accommodate them.

    Yohan went house hunting. There weren¡¯t many places that met his conditions, so it took him nearly a month to find a place that he liked. He signed a contract for an entire single-family house in the Kkachiul Complex in Bucheon City. The deposit was a whopping 30 million won and it had a monthly rent of 1 million won, but no one would be around to enforce the contract in six months anyways.

    The hideout had the solar panels on the roof and an emergency water tank, exactly what he wanted. There was a large convenience store in the center of the apartment complex and there was a strip of various stores, including a supermarket and department store, just a short distance away from city hall.

    ¡°By the way, I know there are already solar panels on the roof, but would you mind if I installed some extra panels?¡± asked Yohan as he signed the contract. The current solar panels were set up to heat water. What Yohan wanted was a standalone power system. He didn¡¯t want solar thermal, but solar photovoltaics. He wanted a self-sufficient place that could generate its own electricity.

    Yohan bought 12 household solar modules and inverters in a set. It was a worthwhile investment, even if the installation process and building regulation approvals took over a month to complete.

    Nearly 50 million won was spent just preparing the shelter and its facilities.

    Yohan bought food in bulk with the rest of the money. Rice, instant noodles, water, and all kinds of canned foods. Additionally, he stocked up on various vegetables seeds. He choose vegetables that were easy to grow and quick to cultivate, such as potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, and yams. His plan was to grow his own food after his supplies ran out. It was going to be hard to find food on the street in a year¡¯s time.

    Through the blackmarket, Yohan ordered several sets of large knives and got information on where he could acquire bows and crossbows. Of course, guns were the best weapons, but he could only get hunting rifles from the gun stores, which weren¡¯t very useful in the beginning of the apocalypse. They were noisy and awkward to reload, on top of other things. Yohan knew that guns would always be available, even after the panic. The issue was finding a weapon that would help him last until then.

    From his experience, the best weapons against a zombie were the 60cm hunting knife, the kukri, and the crossbow. These were easy to carry and wield and allowed him to attack while maintaining some distance.

    For survival gear, he needed maps, a bulletproof vest, combat boots, leather gloves, and more. Yohan carefully packed them away, making sure not to forget anything.

    Transportation was satisfied by a motorbike and a supply of gasoline. Finally, all of his primary preparations were complete. Yohan used the remaining money to prepare a second shelter. This was in case his first shelter was taken over by others or lost to the zombies. In the previous timeline, he had lost more than 10 shelters, and they were heavily fortified.

    The second shelter needed to be a remote place where drinking water and food could be procured from the wild. It had to be a place that people wouldn¡¯t accidentally find, even after a long period of time. It also needed to have a spot where he could store items so that they wouldn¡¯t be found, even if the shelter was discovered. Yohan checked a list of islands in the Republic of Korea.

    * * *

    Three months had passed since he started preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Yohan focused on physical training throughout these months and felt that he was in better shape than before his return. He gazed at his storage full of food with a satisfied look. Just looking at all the assorted canned foods that filled the space made him feel full. The amount here was enough to last him 4-5 years if he lived alone.

    Of course, he did not intend to be alone that long, he couldn¡¯t. There was a clear limitation in going solo. He didn¡¯t make all of these preparations just to live as a hermit and survive only for a few years. No, Yohan had a clear goal.

    He wanted a safe shelter and strong, capable comrades that he could trust. In other words, an organization. Yohan had realized something while surviving all alone in the previous timeline. When you were alone, you would either turn into a savage that stole from others or become too weak to defend yourself.

    Yohan visited a shop near Yeouido. He was here to pick up the crossbow that he had ordered. He wasn¡¯t happy that he had to go far away from his shelter, but he had no choice. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t easy to acquire contraband like this. After he obtained the crossbow, his preparations would be complete. All there was left to do in the remaining three months before the zombies appeared was to practice shooting the crossbow.

    The crossbow was light. He already had experience using it in the previous timeline; three months of practice would be enough to bring him back to form.

    After picking up his order, Yohan felt hungry, so he went to a food stall that he used to frequent back when he was working. It was a place that he often visited with his co-workers. It was akin to a haven, a place where he was relieved of the stress from his hard work life.

    They called it a food stall, but it was more of a dining bar. It¡¯s name, ¡®Romantic Stall¡¯, gave it a homey and welcoming atmosphere. The entrance was covered with a vinyl tent and there were plastic tables and curtains inside, which made it feel like you were inside a food stall.

    He had the stall¡¯s udon for the first time in a long time and it was exquisite. As he slurped and devoured the plump, soup-soaked noodles, the door chimes rang and several office workers came in, fresh off work.

    ¡®Is it already time for people to get off work?¡¯

    Several more customers came in, loudly chatting with one another. It was a large group.

    ¡°Oh? Yohan!¡± said a familiar voice. Yohan turned around. They were his co-workers, the security team from the Gyeongseong Industrial Facility. Everyone, from his immediate superiors to his colleagues and subordinates, were crowding in. They were probably having a get-together meal.

    Yohan¡¯s heart grew heavy. Even though he had reunited with the people of his past life for the first time in years, he had immediately spat out a short, single-paged resignation letter, leaving his colleagues disappointed.

    Deputy Manager Sung Chul Moon approached Yohan and smacked him on the back. Deputy Moon seemed happy to see him, but Yohan couldn¡¯t reciprocate the sentiment. When the company turned into a zombie swarm in the previous timeline, Deputy Moon sacrificed several colleagues and barely survived. Yohan forgave his actions when they were reunited at a survivor¡¯s camp, but then he did something even worse. He leaked the camp¡¯s information to hostile forces in order to save his own hide once again, leading to the annihilation of the camp and its people.

    Deputy Moon was one of those people who should never be accepted or trusted under any circumstances. Yohan really wanted to kill him right now in order to prevent him from causing any problems in the future.

    ¡°You punk, do you know how hard we had it after you quit without warning?¡±

    ¡°I apologize,¡± replied Yohan, with a quiet bow. Even though preparing for the zombie apocalypse had the highest priority, he was still sincerely sorry.

    ¡°You were such a hard worker, what got into you? Huh, have you been working out?¡± asked Deputy Moon as his hand gripped Yohan¡¯s shoulder and then moved down to feel his forearm.

    ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t touch me. You¡¯ll die if you do.¡±

    ¡°W¡ªwhat?¡±

    ¡°Just kidding,¡± said Yohan, with a smile as he grabbed Deputy Moon¡¯s hand and separated it from his body. ¡°Ah, but I wasn¡¯t joking when I told you not to touch me.¡±

    Deputy Moon flinched at Yohan¡¯s grip and retrieved his hand with a frown. The atmosphere grew tense, motivating Department Manager Joon Hyuk Go, who used to be a team manager, to step in.

    ¡°What the hell is with this mood? Anyways, how fortunate we are to bump into you. Let¡¯s have a drink together. I was sad that I didn¡¯t get a chance to send you off properly, but this is great.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Department Manager Joon Hyuk Go ignored Yohan¡¯s remark and dragged some tables over so that the group could sit with him. He was the overbearing type, who didn¡¯t really care if other people stared or thought badly of him. Yohan didn¡¯t hate drinking, at least not in his past life before the zombies appeared. Now however, with the apocalypse looming, he had no plans or desire to waste time getting drunk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have a bite to eat before leaving. I have business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Jeez, what¡¯s up with you? You weren¡¯t like this before, what got you so worked up these past few months? What have you been doing these days and what are those?¡± asked Deputy Moon, pointing at Yohan¡¯s luggage.

    Yohan wanted to yell ¡°I became like this because of you, you piece of garbage.¡±, but he forcefully swallowed down the words and smiled bitterly. No matter what anyone thought, the bastard¡¯s survival instinct was quite incredible. Yohan would most likely run across him again one day.

    ¡®If I happen to meet you after the outbreak, I¡¯ll kill you with my own two hands,¡¯ muttered Yohan to himself.

    As he was thinking this, there was a loud noise at the entrance. Yohan turned to look. As soon as he saw the condition of the man standing at the food stall¡¯s entrance, his whole body tensed from head to toe.

    White pupils, pale skin, and a dragging walk.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    It was definitely a zombie. The survival instincts that had been dormant within Yohan for months quickly revived. These were his sense for survival that had been honed through numerous near-death experiences. Yohan reached for the hunting knife at his waist and held it tightly without unsheathing it. Even during a time of peace, he was always armed. After living through three years of hell, it was his natural state of being.

    The zombie slowly walked towards its prey while groaning loudly. Everyone around the zombie was looking at it as if it was a crazy person. Everyone except for one person, Yohan. Yohan stood up quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out first.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going already? You haven¡¯t even finished eating¡­¡±

    Yohan got up and marched out before Department Manager Go could finish speaking. He put down two 10,000 won bills on the counter and deliberately moved to the door in the opposite direction of the zombie.

    Another zombie was right in front of him the moment he opened the door. The unpleasant, grating groans emanating from its throat was unmistakable. Yohan drew the knife from his waist immediately and thrust it into the zombie¡¯s heart without hesitation. He then kicked the zombie, which rolled to the ground. It writhed as it tumbled to the floor.

    Screams filled the air, partly because people just saw him stabbing a zombie, and partly because the first zombie was now biting a customer¡¯s cheek. Yohan ignored them and left the screams and the stall behind. Yeouido was in pandemonium. Although he didn¡¯t know when it started, it already looked like many people here were infected. There was blood splattered everywhere and screams could be heard.

    ¡®Why now?¡¯

    He didn¡¯t expect the outbreak to occur ahead of its anticipated time. Yohan realized that it was a mistake to expect any scenario prematurely and conclude that zombies would appear in six month¡¯s time. Even if it was necessary in order to pick up the crossbow, it was careless of him to go somewhere far from the shelter that he had prepared.

    However, Yohan was calm. Most of the preparations were already complete and the supplies needed for survival¡ªsuch as emergency rations, maps, and knives¡ªwere always carried on his person.

    It was still too early for the military to be involved or for traffic to be completely jammed. All he had to do was to follow his plan, travel back to his shelter calmly and get through the chaotic starting phase of the zombie apocalypse.

    ¡®Either way¡­ things are moving quickly now.¡¯

 Chapter 3

    Isn¡¯t this the zombie apocalypse?

    36 minutes ago | Report

    The walking dead!

    7 minutes ago | Report

    Recruiting party members to raid the Blue House during the chaos (1/999)

    1 minute ago | Report

    Chaos erupted after terrible pictures of various incidents, eyewitness accounts, and other articles were posted online. It wasn¡¯t until the third day, after the communication network went down, that the slaughtering started in earnest.

    In the previous timeline, there was a clear patient zero. If the government had handled the situation better, they could have prevented the whole disaster. However, things were different this time. This time, the outbreak spread quickly, without warning. There were no early signs or news. The outbreak seemed to stem from more than just one or two sources. It really was both sudden and quick.

    What changed? And why? Yohan suspected that his return may have had something to do with it. He turned his attention towards the large TVs on display in an electronics store. They were showing breaking news.

    It was noisy on social media as well. The current situation was similar to the third day of the outbreak in the previous timeline.

    ¡®I can¡¯t afford to delay.¡¯

    As Yohan took a step away from the electronics store, someone approached him. His knife rang in the air as he immediately spun around and pulled it out. The sharp edge of the blade moved accurately towards its target, the eyes.

    ¡°W¡ªwait!¡± a voice cried out.

    It was a person. Yohan¡¯s knife stopped midswing. It was actually someone that Yohan knew quite well. Jung Mi Lim, a female employee that had been working in the Gyeongseong Industrial Facilities team for two years.

    ¡°Miss Jung Mi?¡±

    The woman rested her hands on her knees and gasped for breath. Either she had ran all the way over or something else had caused her to lose her breath.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°H¡ªhold on a second.¡±

    Yohan quickly scanned her body. There were red bloodstains on her shoes and pants. With a glance, Yohan could tell that it wasn¡¯t her own blood. He had left the bar on the cusp of pandemonium and it seemed like she had quickly gotten out of there as well.

    ¡®She has good judgement and knows to get away from danger.¡¯ Yohan thought to himself approvingly. However, when she tried to hold Yohan¡¯s arm, he stopped her.

    ¡°I said this before, but maybe you didn¡¯t hear. Don¡¯t touch me. I won¡¯t be held responsible if I kill you accidentally. Also, were you hurt or bitten anywhere?¡±

    ¡°No. Just what is going on¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and even if I did, I don¡¯t have time to explain. Did you want something?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so cold. I thought we were good friends.¡± Jung Mi looked a bit hurt. They had actually been pretty close when he worked at the office. However, for Yohan, that was almost four years ago. Enough time for distance to form.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. If you don¡¯t have any business with me, I¡¯ll be off.¡±

    ¡°A favor¡­ please do me a favor!¡± Jung Mi said, looking around anxiously. Although there were more zombies right now than Yohan expected, their numbers weren¡¯t so great as to be a major threat yet. Only when they ¡®suddenly¡¯ appear ¡®en masse¡¯ were they truly dangerous. Of course, for novices who didn¡¯t even know about zombies and had no idea how to deal with them, even a single zombie standing around would be dangerous.

    Either way, Yohan was reluctant to accept her company. He didn¡¯t want to be responsible for others right from the start. He knew that she was a good person, but he didn¡¯t know how she might change when things got bad. Yohan was already determined to avoid anything unpredictable.

    ¡°I refuse. I don¡¯t have the leisure of taking care of someone else.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Yohan, you live in Incheon by yourself right? At least, let¡¯s go to Incheon together. I won¡¯t ask you to do any more.¡±

    Yohan remembered a bit more of the past life that he had left behind. They both used to commute to work from Incheon. Of course, that wasn¡¯t a good enough reason for them to group up. He really wanted to avoid joining up with any survivors in the early days of apocalypse, no matter who it was.

    ¡°We could go by subway, bus, or taxi. It¡¯s up to you,¡± continued Jung Mi. Yohan glanced over at the television display, which Jung Mi had walked past without regarding. It was replaying scenes of blood and flesh splattering against the inside windows of subway cars. Yohan frowned.

    ¡°I was looking through social media while we were eating. This situation¡­ people online are going crazy and calling it the zombie apocalypse. A lot of terrible pictures have been posted. No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s serious and scary. However, Mr. Yohan, you seemed to know about it already. You hastily left the bar before things went crazy there.¡±

    Yohan revised his assessment of Jung Mi. As long as she didn¡¯t encounter any misfortune, she was someone who could survive at least a year.

    ¡°So I quickly ran after you. For some reason, I thought that was the best thing to do. Normally it¡¯s weird to carry such a scary-looking knife. And it¡¯s weird to stab a person without warning. I got scared because you changed so much from the person I once knew, but¡ª¡±

    Yohan cut her off. Her quick thinking was praiseworthy, but they didn¡¯t have time for idle chit chat right now. The situation was only getting worse as they talked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Bucheon. I have a motorbike, but if the road looks bad, I¡¯ll walk. If you can¡¯t keep up, I¡¯ll ditch you. If things get dangerous, don¡¯t expect me to stick my neck out to rescue you. You can stay with me until we get to Bucheon.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Also,¡± Yohan held out his palm. Jung Mi looked up at him in confusion.

    ¡°Please pay me for my assistance. Anything is fine, but not money,¡± said Yohan, deliberately putting on a stern expression.

    He didn¡¯t want people to think that he was willing to help them out of goodwill. It would only lead to more unreasonable requests in the future. Jung Mi had a serious expression on her face as she handed over her watch and some accessories. She tried to force a smile, but only managed to look awkward.

    Just then, a piercing scream was heard across the street. A woman was being chased by zombies before she tripped and fell. She was wearing high heels and one of the heels had broken and was now dangling impotently. She was about to be bitten.

    ¡°Um, uh¡­¡± Jung Mi shuffled her feet anxiously as her eyes shot back and forth between Yohan and the fallen woman. Yohan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he ignored the scene once he confirmed it wouldn¡¯t affect him. The sound of biting, chewing, tearing, and a final scream struck their eardrums from just across the street. The pair moved away with increased urgency.

    Yohan headed straight for a nearby convenience store. The employees were long gone and the doors were locked. He picked up a nearby brick and smashed the window, which caught the attention of several pairs of undead eyes. Yohan deftly stabbed his knife into the temple of one zombie before going in. He glanced over at Jung Mi. Her jaw was clenched shut as if she was trying to contain her fear.

    The store¡¯s alarm was wailing incessantly. Yohan smashed it with his brick and proceeded to loot the convenience store. He was looking for simple groceries, water, lighters, and flashlights. He put as much as he could into his bag and pulled out a map, placing it on the ground.

    ¡®Ok, we¡¯ll need to go from Nodeul-ro to Gukhoe-daero and then take the expressway to Bucheon.¡¯

    He knew he should be able to get back to the shelter in about three to four hours. For now, the highway would be safer than the city streets. Naturally, once the infection spreads, it would be dangerous everywhere. Yohan stood up suddenly, causing Jung Mi to flinch. As she followed him towards the exit, he noticed her trembling hands taking a box cutter knife from the shelf.

    ¡°Do you think that can kill a zombie? Put it back,¡± said Yohan, sighing gently.

    ¡°Huh? But¡­¡±

    ¡°Miss Jung Mi, if you try to kill those bastards with that thing, you¡¯ll only get yourself killed.¡±

    Yohan pulled out a knife from the side pocket of his bag and handed it to Jung Mi. It was a large knife, but light for its size.

    ¡°You have to aim for their brains or cut their throats. They will also die if you stab their heart, but it can take up to three minutes. Even if they fall over and looked like they¡¯re dead, they might get up again and attack you. So, if you¡¯re fighting in melee range, always aim for the head.¡±

    Yohan could recall a lot of people who had fought in vain and died because they couldn¡¯t hit a vital spot.

    ¡°The temples, the eyes, the nape. Those are the best places to stab. Stab deep into their brain and quickly pull the knife out. Even if you stab them perfectly, they can still attack for up to 30 seconds.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ok¡­¡±

    ¡®That should be enough. Now it¡¯s up to fate whether you survive or die.¡¯

    ¡°Grab some slippers as well. If your feet start to hurt, you can change shoes.¡±

    It was going to be a difficult journey. The pair went to where Yohan parked his motorbike. He got on and started it up. As the engine revved, he could feel Jung Mi getting on behind him.

    * * *

    The pair got on the highway through Nodeul-ro. When they encountered other survivors and their vehicles blocking the road, Yohan hopped off his bike without a second thought and ditched it. He had spare motorbikes anyways.

    They walked for about four hours. It seemed that Yeouido was one of the epicenters of the outbreak. The number of infected encountered decreased significantly and were rare on the highway. However, the roads were jammed with cars honking at each other even though it was long past rush hour. Yohan¡¯s watch showed 11pm. He wondered if they should keep going or stop for the day.

    Unexpectedly, Jung Mi had managed to keep up with him. She followed his advice and switched shoes when necessary. She showed great willpower and did her best to not hold him back. Yohan reassessed her life expectancy score yet again.

    In the previous timeline, he had picked up a habit of giving people a score based on how much longer they would survive. He wasn¡¯t interested in what kind of person they were or what kind of life they had up until this point. He was more interested in whether they would live or die.

    People who were smart and proactive survived up to 6 months. If they were lucky, they could survive a bit longer. To survive past the one year mark, they had to be lucky and a bit cold-hearted. And to get past three years, one had to go beyond cold-hearted and embrace their evil side in order to survive. These were the people who were willing to sacrifice others in order to save themselves. Most of the people that Yohan had met after three years were like that.

    ¡°It looks like the cars are all stuck in this traffic jam,¡±Jung Mi said. Even with all the chaos, only a few things could affect the traffic this drastically.

    ¡®There¡¯s something going on at the center of this.¡¯

    A traffic jam this big wouldn¡¯t be caused by a simple traffic accident. It had to be zombies. Yohan considered his options. Should they could continue as they were, make a detour, or stop and rest until morning?

    ¡®As I suspected, we¡¯ll have to use the main road now.¡¯

    It was more dangerous to get attacked in a sparsely populated area, especially if it was dark. They had to move through large, open spaces. They would inevitably have at least one confrontation, but Yohan wasn¡¯t worried. Before he went into hiding for a few months, he wanted to experience a real fight again just to reassure himself of his abilities.

    After making up his mind, Yohan sat down on the side of the road and massaged his legs. Jung Mi watched him perform his warm-up routine with a weird look on her face.

    ¡°We may have to break through a swarm of zombies soon,¡± he told her.

 Chapter 4

    Yohan spoke casually while consuming an energy bar and drink that he had looted from the convenience store earlier.

    The pair started moving quickly once again and did not travel far before they encountered the swarm of zombies that Yohan had predicted. Right before the Bucheon interchange, they saw a large horde of zombies tearing away at people. Yohan quickly scanned the area and noticed a bus at the head of the traffic jam, with crashed vehicles all around it. The bus was red, the color of the long-distance, intercity service buses. From the look of things, it was the main culprit behind the traffic jam.

    Someone inside the bus was probably infected and, soon, all of the passengers were infected too. Once those zombies started flooding out of the bus, they must have caused the series of car crashes which now formed a veritable roadblock, spanning the entire highway. The stretch of road ahead of the bus was wide open, pretty much confirming his theory.

    Anyone who got out of their car to see what happened was likely to get infected. This would make the traffic even worse and motivate more people to leave their vehicles to investigate and subsequently get infected as well. It was a vicious cycle.

    Yohan buttoned his leather gloves all the way up, pulled his jacket¡¯s sleeves over them, and inspected his clothes. Before engaging in combat, it was important to ensure that none of his skin was exposed. He wrapped his fingers around the handle of his 60cm knife and forcefully relaxed his mind and body. It was a habit that he had formed in the previous timeline, a warm-up ritual to prepare for battle.

    There couldn¡¯t have been more than 400 zombies, even if he rounded up. In fact, he only needed to kill around 20 in order to clear a path through. 400 would have been threatening if it weren¡¯t for the fact that they were spread out thinly. No matter what they did, it was unlikely to draw the aggro of all the zombies here. This was a situation that they could comfortably handle.

    ¡®Looks like I can take it easy for a bit.¡¯

    Yohan walked along the edge of the road. He spat on the ground and stepped up to a nearby zombie. He stabbed his knife through the zombie¡¯s eye socket and quickly stepped back. The zombie snapped its jaws at thin air, stumbling around before collapsing. Just then, he heard a throaty groan from the side. Yohan swept his leg around without even looking at his target. He felt his leg make contact with another zombie¡¯s legs, causing it to lose its balance and fall. He stabbed his knife into its temple and pulled it back out in a flash. Dark red blood sprayed in the air.

    Left foot forward, right foot back. Like a pro boxer, Yohan floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. A zombie approached and Yohan pushed it away at the chest, but not before his right hand quickly stabbed at it. He did not waste a single movement.

    Jung Mi could hardly keep up with him. She only walked behind him, not fighting, but she was already short of breath. As if he was dancing, Yohan deftly smashed through the zombies blocking¡ªor trying to block¡ªhis way. He took each one down with a single blow. It was a jaw dropping display. He moved as if he was born to hunt zombies.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Jung Mi screamed. She had been so enthralled by Yohan that she hadn¡¯t noticed a zombie lying on the ground until it suddenly grabbed her ankle. She fell to the ground screaming. The zombie crawled closer and bit her thigh.

    ¡°Ahh! Mr. Yohan!¡± she cried out urgently. Yohan, who was already further ahead, turned casually and looked right into her eyes.

    ¡®Please help me.¡¯ Jung Mi¡¯s eyes pleaded to him in this brief glance. But Yohan ignored her and continued smashing through the zombies, his expression unchanged. She could only stare at his back, which looked cold and distant.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t keep up, I¡¯ll ditch you. If things get dangerous, don¡¯t expect me to stick my neck out to rescue you.¡±

    Yohan¡¯s words echoed in her mind. Jung Mi tried to shake off the terror slowly engulfing her. Yohan hadn¡¯t just been trying to scare her.

    ¡®He really meant it when he said that.¡¯

    Tears began to swell in Jung Mi¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t know if she was crying out of fear or sorrow. The zombie was still clinging to her thigh and trying to move its head further up her body. The bite wound was starting to hurt more.

    ¡°Let go, you crazy bastard!¡± Jung Mi cursed, as she swung her knife at the zombie¡¯s head.

    ¡°Hiya!¡± She swung with all her might, but the knife glanced off its skull. Her hands tingled as if she had struck a stone. The zombie growled loudly and continued crawling over her. It didn¡¯t seem to enjoy trying to bite through her tough pants and was trying to find some exposed skin to sink its teeth into.

    Jung Mi screamed again and swung wildly. Through sheer luck, the knife embedded itself into the left side of the zombie¡¯s head. The zombie snapped at Jung Mi but couldn¡¯t move closer with the knife stuck in its head. A disgusting hot and sticky substance, too horrific to describe with words, oozed out of its mouth and spilled all over her face.

    Finally, the zombie stopped struggling and Jung Mi was able to shove it off of her. She crawled to the edge of the road and vomited. After emptying her whole dinner from her stomach, Jung Mi wiped her eyes and mouth and looked for Yohan. She saw him a good distance away.

    ¡®I have to go after him.¡¯

    Jung Mi wasn¡¯t confident in surviving if the distance between them grew any further. One of her slippers had been pulled off during the struggle. She put it back on and began running towards Yohan. When she caught up to him, Yohan took out some wet wipes and handed one to her. Jung Mi nodded curtly as she accepted the tissue.

    ¡°Were you bitten?¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Does it hurt anywhere?¡±

    ¡°My thigh¡­¡±

    Yohan¡¯s expression darkened. There wasn¡¯t any blood around her thigh, but he had to check whether there was a wound or not.

    ¡°Please take it off.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Jung Mi¡¯s face turned beet red.

    ¡°Now is not the time to be embarrassed. If we don¡¯t check for infection, not only you, but the people around you will be in danger.¡±

    Jung Mi got the feeling that if she didn¡¯t immediately follow his instructions, Yohan might attack her. There was a subtle look of hostility in his eyes. Jung Mi bit her lips and lowered her jeans. Yohan examined her thigh. There was a bite impression there, but no blood. The thick denim had saved her. After Yohan was satisfied, Jung Mi pulled up her pants, her face still red.

    ¡°Do you resent me?¡±

    Jung Mi didn¡¯t answer. She would be lying if she said that her feelings weren¡¯t hurt. Yohan definitely ignored her even though he was fully capable of rescuing her. However, it was also true that he had already warned her that he wouldn¡¯t risk anything to help her. Jung Mi didn¡¯t know what she should be feeling right now.

    ¡°Either way, well done. It¡¯s commendable that you didn¡¯t wet yourself. It¡¯s always hard the first time, but you¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Yohan said, with a grin. To him, Jung Mi had successfully taken the first step towards survival.

    For some reason, Jung Mi took his praise adversely and looked as if she was going to tear up. Yohan ignored her strange reaction and made haste once again. Their journey became much easier after making it through the swarm. It didn¡¯t look like the outbreak had reached this area yet.

    ¡®I guess we should split up here.¡¯ Yohan thought to himself. He had to ditch Jung Mi eventually. Once the outbreak reached a certain point, it would be easier to separate those who had what it took to survive and those who did not. Once that happened, Yohan planned to search for comrades to help him achieve his goals. It was still too early to do that now.

    To Yohan, the current Jung Mi was a burden. She was still clueless about the whole situation, even though she had come close to guessing the truth and had questioned him about the zombies. Of course, he told her that he didn¡¯t know anything.

    ¡°Miss Jung Mi, let¡¯s split up here.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? We won¡¯t stick together forever. Thankfully, it looks like the outbreak hasn¡¯t reached this area yet, so you should be okay on your own. Still, be careful.¡±

    ¡°No, but how¡­¡± Jung Mi was about to ask him how he could be so cold, but the words didn¡¯t get the chance to leave her mouth.

    ¡°Where are you going in Incheon?¡±

    ¡°I have to go to Guwol-dong.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s far,¡± Yohan muttered, more to himself than Jung Mi. ¡°Is there someone you know in Incheon?¡±

    ¡°I have family there. My mom, dad, and younger sister.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you have people to protect.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Yohan, do you¡­¡±

    ¡°You already know the answer.¡±

    His former co-workers all knew his family history. A while back, during a drinking party, he had shared his family history with Deputy Manager Moon. Then, when everyone was enjoying the bar¡¯s side dishes, Deputy Moon told everyone else about Yohan¡¯s personal life.

    ¡®I was a real idiot in my past life.¡¯

    Of course, Sung Chul Moon was more to blame. Yohan didn¡¯t even know that everyone knew until much later.

    Yohan¡¯s parents had divorced when he was young. Yohan had no other relatives and spent his childhood alone under the care of his church¡¯s pastor. Both his parents remarried and didn¡¯t bother looking for him. Not once. Of course, Yohan didn¡¯t seek them out either. He never held a grudge against them. Thinking about it now, they had given him a better chance at survival.

    Because he had nothing to protect.

    When someone has something to protect, their chances of survival decreased proportionally to the weight of the responsibilities they shouldered.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off. You have somewhere to go and so do I. Good luck, stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Um, Mr. Yohan.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Could you maybe tell me the address of the place you¡¯re going to? If I find my family, maybe you could take us in¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite resolute.¡±

    Jung Mi didn¡¯t know how to react. Yohan¡¯s response was immediate. Blunt, but not impolite. She shook her head.

    ¡°If we happen to live and meet again by chance¡­I mean, surviving together at that point¡­would that be ok?¡±

    Yohan had already turned to leave, but turned back to give her a nod. He was actually more concerned about giving away the address of his shelter. He wanted to point out that it was the stupidest thing a survivor could do. He decided to give her some advice. It was a superficial gesture, but it did help to relieve some of his guilt in rejecting her in her time of need.

    ¡°Don¡¯t reveal to the location of your camp to strangers and don¡¯t write it down anywhere either.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Just listen carefully, engrave this on your soul. If there are too many people grouped together, a zombie wave will come. If you feel that the group is getting too big and its fighting power isn¡¯t comparable to its size,¡± Yohan paused as he looked at Jung Mi¡¯s bewildered expression, but then continued, hoping that his words would save her one day, ¡°be sure to leave that group immediately.¡±

    There were just some things that you couldn¡¯t know about the zombie apocalypse without experiencing them first. When most people think of zombies, they can surmise some general rules using common sense. However, there are other rules that one would only learn after losing their entire camp and team members several times.

    Of those, the first rule would affect Jung Mi the most. The first golden rule that everyone in the previous timeline eventually learned in order to survive: When a large number of people gathered in one location for a long period of time, a zombie wave would definitely come. A zombie wave, a phenomenon where a large number of zombies become concentrated in one place.

    When a large number of people settle down in place for a long period of time, countless zombies will end up flocking there. Yohan eventually ruled that the maximum capacity of a camp was 20 people. Additionally, more than half the camp must be able to fight. No more than 20 people, and at least 10 combatants.

    He had nothing to support his rule of 20. There was no hard evidence, but there was his experience. Camps that broke the rule rarely lasted more than a month.

    Seeing that he had nothing more to add, Jung Mi took her leave. Yohan simply watched her determined figure walk away.

    * * *

    At a convenience store in the center of Kkachiul town, a part-time worker was staring at a TV with a grim expression. The TV was broadcasting some grave news. No matter which channel the worker flipped to, only breaking news filled the screen. Yohan coughed, interrupting the worker.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think now is the time for you to be doing that. Don¡¯t you think you should head home?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ how are things out there right now?¡±

    ¡°Things look fine for now, but traffic is congested and it¡¯s a bit of a mess out there. If you don¡¯t leave soon¡­¡± Yohan trailed off on purpose. Anxiety filled the part-timer¡¯s eyes. The bloodstains all over Yohan¡¯s clothes probably made him even more anxious.

    The part-timer had already been feeling restless for some time now. He bit his lips, left the checkout counter, and began changing out of his work clothes. Yohan made sure that he was out of the part-timer¡¯s sight before taking some plastic bags and filling them up with various products. He swiped any and every product he saw, whether that was food, household supplies, or medicine. They all probably had some use somewhere.

 Chapter 5

    In the darkness, a loud crash could be heard as Yohan broke the window of a pharmacy store. He had moved quickly in order to complete a high priority task before the chaos of the outbreak reached this area.

    It was to secure more medicine.

    Aspirin, anti-inflammatories, other painkillers, and¡ªmost importantly¡ªantibiotics. He had to secure these life saving supplies. Band-aids and compression bandages were also important for survival, but one¡¯s chances of survival would decrease drastically if their immune system was compromised.

    Before he returned to his shelter, Yohan wanted to grab every drug he remembered using often. More supplies could always be gathered while on the move in the future, but for now he should have an emergency supply at home. Just then, Yohan heard movement and a voice behind him.

    ¡°Wh¡ªwho¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡®Damn it,¡¯ Yohan frowned, ¡®who knew there would be someone at the pharmacy at this hour?¡¯ He brandished his knife and gripped it tightly.

    It was a man that looked to be in his early 50s. He didn¡¯t look threatening. Yohan carefully and stealthily put his bag of supplies on the ground and moved behind the man.

    ¡°Mmm¡­.!¡±

    The man was on his guard, but Yohan still suppressed him quickly. He struggled fiercely but, as soon as Yohan moved his knife in front of his eyes, the man froze. Yohan could¡¯ve tried talking it out right from the get go, like he normally preferred, but he knew he was trespassing. He didn¡¯t want to risk any unnecessary commotion.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t resist, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm!¡±

    ¡°That is to say, I am able, and willing, to kill you. If you resist.¡±

    Yohan wasn¡¯t bluffing. He didn¡¯t want to kill for no reason, but he also wanted to avoid problematic situations. Thankfully, the man calmed down. Yohan nodded in appreciation and found a rope that he could use to tie him up. He untied the rope, which was wrapped around a box of medicine, and used it to bind the man¡¯s hands and feet. The man¡¯s eyes were full of fear.

    ¡°I came here for the medicine. I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble. Since I know your face now, if we happen to meet again¡­¡± Yohan continued to talk as his hands worked, ¡°I¡¯ll help you. One time.¡±

    He assumed the man was a pharmacist. It would be worthwhile to group up with him because of his skillset. Of course, the chance of meeting again was close to zero.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tie the rope too tight, so you should be able to free yourself easily.¡±

    Yohan exited the pharmacy, making sure to blockade the shattered window.

    * * *

    After he got home, Yohan double and triple checked his locks and created an alarm system consisting of fishing lines and bells all around the shelter. Afterwards, he washed himself. It felt like the warm water washed away the fatigue he accumulated throughout the day. As time passed, things would get more chaotic outside. It would be crazier tomorrow and even more so the day after.

    In about a month, people¡¯s stockpile of food would run out and they will eventually come out from hiding. The number of infected would continue increasing exponentially and the cities would no longer belong to the humans.

    Yohan was planning on staying at his place for about six months. Six months post-outbreak was when he had the most near-death experiences in the previous timeline. It was the city¡¯s most chaotic period. It was a period of time when people could not roam around carelessly. Of course, zombies were a danger, but the true death sentence was the reserve force enlisting you if you were caught roaming around in the early period of the outbreak.

    For six months, humans would be put to the test. A test to see if humans were qualified to survive. These six months were like a large sieve that separated the wheat from the chaff, only those who were qualified to survive would pass this test. And that was when Yohan would go out into the streets.

    He wouldn¡¯t be able to survive on his own, so he needed companions. His goal was to merge existing survivor groups into one big organization. In the previous timeline, the most powerful and cruel organization he encountered was the Seoul Survival Union. The Union would serve as a model for the organization that he was envisioning, minus the cruelty. Being objective and stern was necessary, but being cruel would eventually lead to bloodshed.

    He wanted to create an organization that wouldn¡¯t go down easily no matter who they went up against. That was Yohan¡¯s goal. As he organized his thoughts, he turned on the TV.

    ¡®There¡¯s still electricity.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t a major concern for Yohan. Even if there weren¡¯t any electricity, he would still be able to get some power from his solar panels. Yohan leaned back in his beanbag chair and turned on his game console. He was planning on beating the newest zombie survival game.

    It was noisy outside. Through the window with the blinds drawn, he could hear people being chased by zombies.

    ¡®Is it that bad already?¡¯

    The zombie outbreak was spreading fast. Yohan was glad that he had blocked the broken window back at the pharmacy. The outbreak had just started and he had already almost doomed someone. If this continued this way, he might need to move out in three months instead of six. It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse.

    Yohan frowned and refocused on the TV screen. Soothing background music started playing as the time of chaos approached outside.

    * * *

    2. First Camp ¨C Central Super Mall

    June 2017

    Six Months After the Zombie Apocalypse

    Bucheon City Hall Station, Inside the Mall

    ¡°Ack!¡±

    There was a scream.

    At the entrance to an electronics store on the first floor, a man was surrounded by zombies. The infected viciously grabbed the man, bit him, and tore him to pieces.

    Fear filled the eyes of the people who were trying to escape together with him. The victim spat out blood and raised his hand with difficulty. His expression was stricken with pain and fear.

    ¡°Gah¡­¡±

    ¡°Sung Hyun!¡±

    The leader of the group, Gunn Kang, screamed out his name, but intestines were already flowing out of Sung Hyun¡¯s stomach. Soon there was nothing but the white in his eyes.

    Gunn bit his lips. Even though they didn¡¯t really have any choice but to venture out from the basement, it was still a dangerous decision. Out of the eight people that came, two had already died. To make things worse, zombies were closing in on remaining survivors.

    ¡°Don¡¯t separate! Stay together!¡±

    Gunn ran towards the emergency exit on the other side of the mall. His grip on his kitchen knife tightened, but he still felt as if the knife might slip out of his hand as soon as terror overtook him. Still, he had to take care of the people that trusted and followed him.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Gunn stopped running abruptly. There were three zombies in between them and the exit. They wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with three at the same time. Just as Gunn decided to try a different direction, he heard screams behind him.

    ¡°Sae Hwa!¡±

    This woman, who had been following him, got caught by a zombie. Before she could even resist, a vicious hand tore away her flesh. Her horrific screams were painful to hear.

    ¡°Damn it, damn it!¡±

    Even though they had changed directions after losing a member, there was another zombie in front of them.

    The road before them seemed endless.

    ¡°Come up!¡±

    Gunn climbed on top of a tall display inside a cosmetics store. Three people followed behind him. Gunn¡¯s little brother, Hyuk Kang, followed after them. As he was about to climb up, a zombie appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his ankle. Right before Hyuk lost his grip, Gunn cut off the zombie¡¯s hand with his kitchen knife. He had to hack at it several times, as the hand was still fresh and strong.

    Hyuk managed to climb up with the hand still gripping his leg. The group of five stood helplessly on top of the tall display, catching their breaths. There were roughly 30 zombies chasing them and they were now stuck on top on the display. Suddenly, one of the women let loose the tears she had been holding back.

    ¡°S-Sae Hwa¡­¡± she cried, calling out her dead friend¡¯s name. Her sadness was contagious¡ªthe man next to her started crying as well.

    ¡°Shut up and stop crying!¡± shouted another woman. She sounded annoyed, but was more likely anxious, as she started to bite her nails. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die in a place like this.¡±

    Her eyes were filled with spite. Gunn racked his brains for a way out while Hyuk swung at the zombies, hoping to kill at least one. However, there were too many enemies, all trying to get their food. Hyuk stopped attacking after almost being scratched and spat on a zombie instead.

    ¡°Brother, what are we going to do?¡±

    Gunn didn¡¯t know the answer. They could only stay in their position for a few hours. They didn¡¯t even have enough room to sit down.

    ¡®The number of zombies are increasing. I¡ªI have to make a decision¡­¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll go down,¡± said Hyuk, interrupting Gunn¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯ll go down. In this kind of situation, we have no choice but to make one person the bait.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. If you go down there, you¡¯ll die 100%.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Hyuk¡¯s voice was filled with both fear and conviction. ¡°I¡¯m the one that suggested we come here. I¡¯m responsible.¡±

    ¡°Idiot. Why is this your responsibility?¡±

    In the end, they had no choice but to venture out in order to gather supplies. Hyuk boldly made the suggestion, but Gunn was the one that made the final decision. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s responsibility.

    ¡°We¡¯ll all die if we stay here.¡±

    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Gunn couldn¡¯t help but curse. After the outbreak, Gunn had gone back home, but his parents had already turned into zombies. Hyuk was standing at the entrance with a kitchen knife in his hand, his face covered in tears and blood.

    Gunn was thankful that his brother survived. He was his only family now.

    ¡®I can¡¯t lose you.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Gunn!¡±

    ¡°You see that empty space over there? I¡¯m going to try to jump over these zombies as best as I can and land over there. As soon as I land, I¡¯m going to draw their attention and lure them away. Run for the emergency exit once the zombies thin out. If you guys can¡¯t wait for me, head to the loading dock without me. If I can¡¯t follow you directly, I¡¯ll go underground.¡±

    Hyuk looked at where Gunn was pointing. It was roughly a three meter jump. Although Gunn was athletic during highschool, it was definitely dangerous to attempt such a jump. Even if he somehow managed to make it, he would be surrounded by zombies as soon as he landed. It was no different than a suicide mission.

    ¡°I said I¡¯ll do it!¡± repeated Hyuk. Gunn couldn¡¯t die. People were still alive because of him. If he died, the survivors would lose all hope.

    ¡°I have to do it.¡±

    As the brothers argued over who would be the bait, an ominous shadow slowly approached. A tall zombie, almost 190cm, was walking towards them.

    ¡°Gunn, ov¡ªover there¡­¡±

    Gunn looked where Min Seo was pointing and saw the giant zombie. The zombie could easily grab one of them just by extending its arms. Before they could act, the giant grabbed Hyuk¡¯s leg. Hyuk tried to attack with his knife, but he lost his balance and hit nothing but air. The zombie dragged Hyuk off the display, but he managed to grab hold of the divider. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for long.

    ¡°Brotherrr!¡± Hyuk¡¯s fingers slid off the divider and his body disappeared into the crowd of zombies. A blood curdling scream erupted from Gunn¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Hyuk! Shit, let me go!¡±

    ¡°Gunn, you can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Gunn moved to jump down without any hesitation, but two of the survivors stopped him.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± It wasn¡¯t a scream, but a battlecry. Hyuk had cut off the giant¡¯s hand and was escaping through the legs of the zombies. His movements rippled within the crowd.

    Suddenly, they heard a loud blast as sharp projectiles flew through the air. An arrow struck the back of the head of a zombie that was attacking Hyuk. The zombie staggered and fell. The sound of more arrows flying filled the air. Zombies fell and Hyuk stood up with a confused look on his face. More zombies approached him, clamoring over their fallen brethren.

    A mysterious figure moved in like lightning and began slaughtering the zombies.

 Chapter 6

    Like a motorboat cutting through the water, the sea of zombies fell as the figure moved through them. The man looked as if he was going to move forward, but then stepped back to lure the zombies forward.

    ¡°What are you doing? Do you all want to die? Come down and fight!¡± yelled the man, while killing the zombie in front of him. He took another step back, ensuring that he wouldn¡¯t get surrounded by the zombies, and quickly eliminated a few more.

    Gunn shook off his surprise and saw that there was a noticeable decrease in the number of zombies.

    ¡°Go down. We have to save Hyuk!¡±

    The others in his group hesitated. Gunn ignored them as he started fighting back against the zombies that were reaching for them. The woman with the short hair, the one who was yelling at her friends for crying earlier, followed Gunn. She felt that she had a higher chance of surviving with Gunn, so she followed closely behind him.

    Gunn and Hyuk took down three more zombies while the mysterious man finished the last one and began collecting his arrows. The man was completely untouched. Although blood was flying everywhere during the battle, his clothes and shoes were pristine, as if he had just finished getting ready for a date.

    He definitely wasn¡¯t your average survivor who was just lucky to be alive. He had two knives at his waist and both a crossbow and a regular bow on his back. After he collected all of the arrows, he quickly climbed up the display that the survivors were standing on in order to fire at the new zombies that were starting to approach them. It only took one arrow per zombie. He was skilled, calm, and on point.

    Despite their efforts, there were still a good number of zombies roaming the area. The man took the lead.

    ¡°This way.¡±

    He led them to the nursing room on the first floor. Finally feeling safe again, the people in the group sighed in relief.

    ¡°Thank you for helping us. My name is Gunn Kang,¡± said Gunn, with sincere gratitude. Yohan stared back at him for a moment before responding by nodding his head. In that brief moment, Gunn got the weird feeling that the man looked happy to see him, even though they had never met before.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yohan. Hey you, take off your clothes,¡± Yohan said, pointing at Hyuk.

    * * *

    After hiding away for six months, Yohan headed straight to the mall. He did this specifically to meet Gunn Kang. The Central Super Mall was the third survivor camp that Yohan had stayed with in the previous timeline. Gunn was already the leader of the camp before he arrived. He was a prominent figure that was strong and very chivalrous. After the outbreak, he managed to fortify the mall into a base and survive until the first major zombie wave struck. He was a Grade A survivor who had maintained a strong camp.

    Honestly, when only considering his skills, he was a Grade A survivor. However, in Yohan¡¯s eyes, he had a personality that could get him killed at any moment. He was an upright person who just had to help whenever there was someone in need. He would put his own life on the line, even to rescue just one friend. This was the Gunn that Yohan knew in the previous timeline. He kept this mentality right from their first meeting all the way until their final moments together.

    Yohan could still recall the last memory he had of Gunn. The huge zombie wave, screams, zombies everywhere.

    ¡°Yohan!¡± screamed Gunn, while being bitten, ¡°Live, you have to live. At least you have to live!¡±

    Zombies poured in like a tidal wave and dragged Gunn¡¯s body into the sea of rotting corpses.

    ¡°Yohan, live. Live without regrets. Please stay alive, my friend.¡± Gunn pushed Yohan away without any hesitation. Gunn¡¯s last word was friend. Even though Yohan knew the meaning of the word, it felt strange hearing it at that moment.

    Yohan liked Gunn.

    Unlike he, who made his own safety the number one priority, Gunn Kang took care of all the people around him. That was what Yohan liked about him. That was why he had ventured out to find Gunn first. First of all, he had a life debt to pay. Second, Gunn was his most trustworthy friend. No matter how hard he tried, Yohan couldn¡¯t think of another person that would have his back the way Gunn would.

    And then there was his little brother, Hyuk Kang. Yohan checked over Hyuk¡¯s body thoroughly. There were no wounds. Hyuk was beyond lucky. He was in the middle of a group of zombies for several minutes and escaped without a scratch. Originally, he was supposed to die today. However, the date of the apocalypse had already changed, so why couldn¡¯t this change too?

    When Yohan met Gunn previously, he was already living on without his younger brother. Four months before Yohan joined the camp, the survivors at the mall were running low on supplies. In order to obtain more, they planned on raiding the third-floor loading dock. On their first attempt, Hyuk was grabbed by the giant zombie and decided to sacrifice himself. He endured the wounds on his body and lured the zombies away, allowing Gunn and the other survivors to run to the emergency exit. However, the other survivors ran into more zombies at the emergency exit and were killed, forcing Gunn to return to the camp by himself.

    This was the story that Yohan heard from Gunn when they originally met. This was what was supposed to happen today. There were a few discrepancies, however. One was the party members. In the original story of the first attempt, Yohan did not recall there being a female in the group. The other discrepancy was the timing.

    Yohan did not plan to show up at the last minute. He actually wanted to arrive really early, but Gunn¡¯s group had headed out for the loading dock a lot earlier too.

    ¡®Can this be considered as being lucky?¡¯

    This event was originally supposed to happen seven or eight months after the apocalypse started. The results of the past would have repeated if he had been late even by a bit.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gunn asked, looking worried as he gently examined Hyuk¡¯s body. He looked relieved once he realized that his younger brother was safe.

    Yohan had a vivid memory of Gunn from the previous timeline. They were fighting the zombies on the first floor of the mall and Gunn was crying profusely while killing Hyuk, who had turned into a zombie.

    ¡®I saved your brother¡¯s life, so consider my debt paid.¡¯ Yohan felt free. The baggage that had been dragging down one side of his heart had now disappeared. He finished inspecting for infections and patted Hyuk on the shoulder.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Hyuk.¡± The greeting was unexpectedly warm. Hyuk looked puzzled for a moment, but then smiled brightly at him. Just as he was told, Hyuk was a cheerful kid.

    ¡°If any of you are injured, please say so now.¡±

    The other three survivors looked at each other and shook their heads. Yohan looked at them doubtfully, but dismissed his suspicions after inspecting them.

    ¡°Do you live here?¡± Yohan asked, wiping blood off of his arrows and knives.

    ¡°Yes. We live on B1F and B2F,¡± answered Gunn. It was obvious that Gunn was completely at ease with Yohan after he saved their lives. Yohan couldn¡¯t help but smirk. This was part of the issue he had with Gunn Kang. He was too accommodating. They had argued several times before because of this. Having an overflowing sense of justice was good, but it could put others in danger. It was a trait that Yohan had to correct.

    ¡°How much supplies do you have?¡±

    Gunn didn¡¯t reply immediately. He must have thought that Yohan intended to steal their supplies.

    ¡°Let me ask you something first.¡±

    ¡°No need to talk so formally. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re probably around the same age. Ok, I won¡¯t speak so formally. Yohan, are you a part of a group?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m by myself,¡± replied Yohan immediately. However, Gunn looked doubtful.

    ¡°Where have you been living all this time?¡±

    ¡°Home. I have a lot of supplies stored up.¡±

    There was another moment of silence. Gunn still looked doubtful, but Yohan knew that he was easy going. If he spent a bit of time with Gunn, he could earn his trust.

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you something. Why did you venture out when you still have supplies?¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­?¡±

    Yohan shrugged and said, ¡°if you didn¡¯t have supplies, you wouldn¡¯t have hesitated at my question before.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°So¡­?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of supplies. There¡¯s a loading dock on the third floor of the parking lot. There¡¯s a lot of zombies in that area, making it hard to approach. I thought there would be a lot of supplies there, which is why we were making our way there.

    Yohan nodded thoughtfully. It was just as he had surmised.

    ¡°Just as I thought. You¡¯re right, there is a lot of water and boxes of ramen at the loading dock.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Gunn looked surprised.

    ¡°I already looked around the building before I met you. However, there are too many zombies. They¡¯re everywhere on the second and third floor of the parking lot, as well as the emergency exit. It¡¯s impossible for a small group to move the supplies.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you clean up.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of all the zombies inside the building. If you let me stay at your camp, I¡¯ll help you clean up.¡±

    Gunn and the other survivors looked incredulous.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Zombies will keep coming in if we make noise inside the building.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only three entrances into the mall. Before we start cleaning up, we can block the entrances. I already blocked Exit Two when I came in. We just have to block the front door and the parking lot entrance.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°We can talk about the details later. I want to check the condition of your camp.¡±

    The survivors looked at him as if he was a monster, but Yohan ignored their stares. He fully understood what they were thinking. It had only been six month since they settled here. They were still afraid of the zombies. This scouting party, which originally had eight members, were now only five. If Yohan hadn¡¯t save them, they could have all been slaughtered.

    And yet, the man before them was saying that he would get rid of all the zombies. Gunn glanced at the two knives and the crossbow on Yohan¡¯s back. He gulped.

    While enduring their stares, Yohan noticed something odd. One of the girls, who had introduced herself as Saeri Yun, was staring at him. She was wearing tight leather pants and a jacket. She had a bob cut hairstyle and strikingly large eyes. This was the first time that Yohan heard this name. Saeri was someone that was not a part of the camp in the previous timeline.

    Things were indeed changing. Major events were still the same, but small details were different. Yohan frowned. Saeri¡¯s stare was different than the others. She didn¡¯t shy away from his glance, but instead glared back. It was as if she was challenging him. Yohan stared back, he didn¡¯t avoid her gaze. They stared at each other for a long time in silence before Yohan turned to Gunn and asked, ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t we leaving?¡±

    * * *

    There were 33 people at the camp. The number of men and women were about the same. There were 10 seniors that couldn¡¯t fight and two children.

    ¡®There¡¯s too many.¡¯

    The building itself was big and sturdy, a zombie wave wouldn¡¯t be able to break through. But if they had to fight, they would die from the endless horde pushing through. Eventually supplies would run out.

    Luckily, there were a lot more supplies than Yohan was expecting. It was strange, with the amount of ramen, dried food, and canned food, they could last at least another two months. Their food management was amazing. Starting with refrigerated food and moving on to frozen food, they consumed the perishables first. There was still time before they needed to consume the ramen and canned food. Their situation did not seem so desperate that they needed to venture out for more supplies.

    Yohan looked at the internal facility directory board hanging on the wall next to the escalator. Inside the mall, B2F was where the food was located. B1F contained household supplies. The first floor sold electronics, cosmetics, and other items. The second to fifth floors were all for parking. The loading dock was located on the third floor of the parking lot.

    The layout of the mall was unique. B2F and the first floor were connected but, in order to go to the parking lot, one would have to use the emergency exit or ride an escalator up to the first floor, walk to the other side of that floor, and then use the emergency exit or escalator there.

    Since the first floor was filled with zombies, unless they found a way to break through, they would be unable to go outside or visit the upper levels. It seemed like they were isolated, but it also made the base well-protected. There were only two ways to enter the camp and one of those entrances was even blocked with furniture. Yohan inquired about the blocked escalator.

    ¡°When the zombie outbreak started, it seems the survivors isolated themselves in the household supplies section in B1F.¡±

 Chapter 7

    The zombies had first started spreading on the first floor. In that hellscape filled with blood and screams, survivors either fled outside the mall or went underground. Jung Hwang Kim, a sales promoter working at the mall, reacted quickly and worked with his friends to stack furniture by the escalators in order to block out the increasing number of zombies in the mall.

    The problem, however, was that the supplies were on B2F. After one person became infected, that place was now hell on earth. As such, they ended up blockading both the top and bottom of the escalators. At that time, there were around 60 people on B1F. They were waiting to be rescued and met Gunn and Hyuk in the emergency exit the following day while scavenging for supplies.

    Gunn insisted that they needed to proactively seek out supplies, but people were too scared and avoided him. Four more days passed and there was still no signs of rescue. All communication networks were down and the sounds of gunshots outside further increased their feelings of fear. A few survivors dared to venture out through the emergency exit, but they came back bearing infected wounds.

    They had thought that the emergency exit was safe, since Gunn and Hyuk had came in that way, but the brothers had to fight through zombies in order to reach them. After these failures, Gunn decided to try and organize everyone. They needed to conserve their energy in order to fight back before it was too late. Everyone would die if there was no water or food. The group reluctantly got motivated to fend for themselves.

    Thankfully, they had weapons. People armed themselves with cutlery and blunt objects from the household goods section and went down to reclaim B2F. Gunn and Hyuk took the lead. During this campaign, almost half of their party got infected and died. It was costly, but they managed to acquire the supplies guarded by the zombies. This was the first and last fight for many people in their camp.

    ¡®They lack fighting skills.¡¯

    Yohan quietly rubbed his chin while listening to Gunn¡¯s story. The brothers were great fighters. They knew the zombie¡¯s weak points and, even though they were afraid, they didn¡¯t hesitate to fight back. However, Yohan wasn¡¯t confident in the others. In order to clean up the mall, they needed at least 10 fighters, people who could fight zombies one to one, and a small support group.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Yohan,¡± he said, greeting the camp members one by one and asking if anyone needed the medicine that he brought. He largely received a warm welcome, helped by the fact that he had rescued Gunn¡¯s group. It also helped that he was an outsider and had information about the situation beyond the mall.

    ¡°Is there anyone here like me, who came from outside the mall and joined recently?¡± he asked, but was met with silence. Everyone kept their lips sealed. Yohan felt something was off, but decided not to inquire further. He would find out eventually.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the rescue party?¡±

    ¡°And the military! What is the government doing?¡±

    ¡°Are there really that many zombies outside?¡±

    The questions came non-stop. Yohan was only able to answer a handful of them. He told them that the government was now practically non-existent and, though many military bases were still operating, they were focused on maintaining their defenses. He had acquired this information in the previous timeline and had assumed that the situation would still be the same now.

    Even though the government and its infrastructures collapsed quickly, Koreans managed to persist, primarily due to the country¡¯s population density. Korea¡¯s unique city planning also contributed to this. There was a convenience store and supermarket on every block and apartment buildings were already predisposed to help their occupants survive a disaster.

    Two years after the apocalypse, the fate of humanity was threatened more by in-fighting over supplies rather than zombies. When the Seoul Survival Union started to make its move, that was the beginning of the end. In an anarchist state, their ways became the law. If people didn¡¯t abide by their rules, they were killed, just like Yohan and his organization in the previous timeline.

    * * *

    ¡°Let¡¯s take our time clearing out the parking lot. Please make sure the emergency exit door is locked. The problem is the first floor entrances¡­¡±

    People had been stuck at the camp for a long time. This was due to the growing number of zombies crawling over each other to get in through the entrances on the first floor. The problem with trying to blockade these entrances was that there were two of them on the first floor. The doors were on opposite sides of the building and were filled with zombies. If they moved to bar one entrance, zombies could stream in through the other and surround them. Even with Yohan¡¯s experience and skill, he couldn¡¯t guarantee their safety.

    A team of five could watch each other¡¯s backs and safely control an area. Two teams would be needed to rush in and blockade both entrances at the same time. After that, they could put their backs against the blockade and deal with the zombies swarming around them.

    ¡®But is anyone willing to participate? Gunn just took eight people with him to scavenge for supplies and three didn¡¯t make it back. Gunn himself doesn¡¯t seem to like my plan.¡¯

    ¡°Could I at least ask?¡±

    ¡°Do what you want, it won¡¯t make a difference. It was hard enough to convince people to go out with me before. A few might even¡­¡± Gunn trailed off. He looked like he was hiding something, but what? Yohan didn¡¯t mask the suspicious look he gave Gunn, but also didn¡¯t inquire further.

    ¡°How¡¯s the water supply?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t tallied everything up, but we¡¯ve used up the smaller bottles first. There¡¯s still around 50 boxes of bottled water left.¡±

    ¡°No, not drinking water. I¡¯m talking about the water supply. Is it in good condition?¡±

    ¡°The water¡¯s a bit cold, but it¡¯s flowing just fine. We¡¯re using it sparingly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. The city water supply should¡¯ve been cut off long ago. There must be a large emergency water tank on the roof.¡±

    Some of the more recent buildings didn¡¯t have emergency water tanks. Thankfully this building must have been built a while ago, since there was water that could only have come from a water tank.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to check on the water tank on the roof. It¡¯s probably low.¡±

    ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t think about that.¡± Gunn nodded, learning something new. If they had been using it for six months, it was probably pretty low by now. Once gone, not only would they struggle to wash themselves, but it would be difficult to flush away bodily wastes as well. Drinkable water was too valuable to use on flushing poop.

    ¡®As I thought, we can¡¯t avoid fighting the zombies.¡¯

    Yohan had already made up his mind. He just needed to convince the others to conquer the mall with him. The first person he approached was Jung Hwang Kim, whose quick thinking to block the escalators with furniture helped protect B1F. In the previous timeline, Yohan had spent a lot of time with him and, although he wasn¡¯t a Grade A survivor like Gunn Kang, he did survive for a long time.

    ¡°Hey, I heard great things about you. Could you tell me a little more about the stuff you did at the start of the outbreak?¡±

    Jung Hwang hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.

    ¡®Maybe the heroic story that Gunn told me wasn¡¯t the full story?¡¯

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t matter what happened, no one¡¯s going to blame you.¡± Yohan had to coax him a bit before Jung Hwang started talking.

    ¡°I was working on the first floor when everything happened. I saw the zombies flooding in from the front entrance and immediately sensed danger.¡±

    Yohan nodded his head, impressed. Jung Hwang smiled bitterly and continued talking.

    ¡°I used to be a zombie otaku,¡± Jung Hwang said.

    ¡°Well congratulations on your successful otaku life!¡± The joke was somewhat inappropriate, but Jung Hwang still laughed. Yohan said it to ease Jung Hwang¡¯s nervousness. It seemed to work, as Jung Hwang started talking more.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I just ran. I was going to go outside at first, but there were so many of them at the main entrance. So many¡­ I had no choice but to take the escalator.¡±

    ¡°You came down here because you knew there was food, right?¡±

    Jung Hwang nodded. Yohan admired his decision making.

    ¡°People followed me. But then I saw someone get bitten by a zombie¡­ I pressed the emergency stop button for the escalator and got people to help me stack up furniture to block the way.¡±

    ¡°Good job.¡±

    ¡°¡­We blocked out a lot of survivors.¡±

    ¡°You could have been slaughtered. No, you definitely would¡¯ve been killed 100%.¡±

    ¡°They were trapped on the escalator, screaming while the zombies ate them alive. We continued to stack up the furniture. Then it got quiet. While we were catching our breath, we heard some more screaming from the food court. Among the people that escaped, there was an infected.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s when you blocked both sides,¡± Yohan said, nodding his head. This was the result of having the determination to survive and a bit of luck.

    ¡°How many zombies have you killed so far?¡±

    Jung Hwang shook his head. He had survived six months, but had yet to kill a single zombie. This was a serious problem.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to survive for even two months with our current supplies. We have to go get more. I need your help.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°You can. It¡¯s hard in the beginning, I know. But they¡¯re just corpses that happen to look like humans. They¡¯re not intelligent beings. They¡¯re just rotten pieces of meat.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I just¡­¡± Jung Hwang shook his head again.

    Aside from Jung Hwang, Yohan tried talking to a few more people, but they were also hesitant. In the previous timeline, they weren¡¯t this passive. Did they need more time and the right opportunity? Even the people that he just rescued were wary, even though they had built up the courage to venture out not too long ago. The incident must have been traumatic for them, filling them with fear.

    This wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    While he was deep in thought, one of the women that he had saved earlier came up to him. It was the woman that he¡¯d had a staring contest with. She introduced herself as Saeri Yun. She had a bob cut hairstyle and an attractive, tight leather outfit. She looked like she was in her early 20s, maybe mid-20s at most.

    ¡°Did you come to talk about what I was saying to the others?¡±

    ¡°I came because I wanted to say something to you, tough guy.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something that Gunn didn¡¯t tell you,¡± answered Saeri. Yohan looked at her in confusion but, with a serious look on her face, she continued, ¡°there were some bastards that barged in here a week ago. A bunch of gangsters that were staying in the H Mall across the street.¡±

    ¡°Wait, there were intruders? How¡­ no, why did they come? For supplies?¡± Yohan asked, changing his question mid-sentence. They would have to enter through the parking lot, force their way through the first floor and enter the camp using the emergency exit. This was the way that Yohan came in. The passage was narrow, making it easier for an experienced person to fight zombies and get through.

    ¡°At first I thought they were here for supplies, but that wasn¡¯t it. They took alcohol and cigarettes. And women. Six of them. My older sister was taken.¡±

    Yohan now understood why everyone looked uncomfortable when he asked if anyone came from outside. Why didn¡¯t anyone tell him something so important? This was different than the past that Yohan knew.

    ¡®Since the starting date of the outbreak was different, other things could be different too, but a gang?¡¯

    ¡°Gunn said they left because they already have enough supplies but, if they run out, they¡¯ll come back to take our supplies. That¡¯s why he wanted to take over the loading dock. He wanted to store supplies there discreetly.¡±

    Yohan knew that it would eventually be important to acquire the supplies from the loading dock but, to him, eliminating hostiles was more important. These gangsters weren¡¯t an issue that could be ignored. However, Gunn¡¯s group couldn¡¯t even handle zombies. It would be impossible for them to fight against a malicious group of humans.

    Still, something needed to be done. Yohan still had his own set of rules that he always followed¡ªsave the people that were useful and qualified to survive. Kill the people who lacked morals and could potentially be a threat.

    Never ignore threats that could be an issue in the future.

 Chapter 8

    Yohan felt confident. It wasn¡¯t like he was downplaying the danger. Rather, when compared to some of the stuff that he had experienced before, he was confident in his ability to handle it.

    A gang. They may be actual gangsters, but how many people could they have actually killed? Ten? Twenty? In the previous timeline, Yohan had killed hundreds of people in order to survive. His mentality was on a whole different level. They wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him. There was one issue however¡­

    ¡°Do those guys have guns?¡± asked Yohan. This was vitally important.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see any.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something else I wanted to tell you,¡± Saeri said. Yohan was still thinking about the gang when he noticed her movements. He looked over to her and noticed that she was taking her jacket off.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make you mine.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for jokes. Put your clothes back on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I need someone on my side. To save my sister. To protect me. After seeing you fight earlier I decided that you¡¯re my best bet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not the type of person that would save or protect someone. Killing, on the other hand, is a different story. Why don¡¯t you go after Gunn?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t do. He¡¯s too soft.¡±

    Yohan¡¯s throat felt dry. He rubbed his face, feeling some blood rushing into his cheeks.

    ¡°We can take the romance bit slow,¡± Saeri continued, ¡°though I will admit that I¡¯ve taken a liking to you. I¡¯m not a bad catch either, right?¡±

    She was clearly confident in her looks. Yohan didn¡¯t expect such a shameless show of pride. However, her actions weren¡¯t that strange or suspicious, given the circumstances. In a zombie apocalypse, a woman¡¯s appeal was her strongest weapon. But it was also a great weakness that attracted danger.

    Yohan had seen it happen a few times, the act of securing the camp¡¯s strongest fighter through seduction. It was natural survival instincts and it happened more frequently as time passed. It could be that Saeri had already figured this out.

    For Yohan, as long as the person approaching him was not dangerous, he had not outright rejected any women who approached him with sexual favours. Even though sex wasn¡¯t as important as eating or sleeping, it did help to improve morale and relieve stress. Of course, something like love is unnecessary. Still, despite her words, there could be some negative consequences given the current situation.

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t protect you or save your sister. I¡¯ll pretend you never said any of this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate¡­ I wanted to do it too.¡± Saeri pulled her leather pants back up, but not before flashing him an extremely provocative smile.

    ¡®What a wicked temptress.¡¯ Yohan felt like he was going crazy. Still, he really hated being in debt. He scratched his head several times before speaking.

    ¡°One for one. Every time we do it, I¡¯ll save your life that many times. That¡¯s how people usually make these kind of deals,¡± Yohan said, as nonchalant as possible. Saeri¡¯s face brightened. That was all she wanted to hear.

    ¡°Great, that¡¯s enough for me. Then, shall we get started?¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Yohan smiled back at her.

    ¡°¡­How come?¡±

    Yohan took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. It wasn¡¯t that he was feeling embarrassed but, rather, he disliked the fact that she felt compelled to offer herself this way due to the circumstances.

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m not stupid enough to simply accept a random girl in the middle of all this chaos. Secondly, I¡¯m not some trash that would touch someone when they¡¯re shaking.¡±

    Yohan stared pointedly at Saeri¡¯s finger. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly. Other people might not have noticed it, but Yohan definitely did. No matter how daring she was, Saeri was still young. It was obvious that she was putting on airs and it took a lot of effort to wear that mask.

    ¡°Lastly, you¡¯re not my type. I¡¯m not attracted to kids. We still have work to do, so put your clothes back on.¡±

    Saeri¡¯s bright smile instantly turned into a frown. Yohan puffed on his cigarette.

    ¡®Jeez, how ridiculous.¡¯ Yohan wasn¡¯t expecting to have this kind of conversation when Saeri first approached him. More importantly, he still hadn¡¯t decided yet if he was going to settle down here.

    As he looked around at the camp, he noticed Saeri smiling brightly at him. He gave her a forced smile in return. It seemed that she was satisfied with the outcome of their conversation. He could now tell that she was openly ogling him with her eyes and thought that maybe she really just wanted him.

    ¡®I don¡¯t remember being this popular before. Oh well, doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Yohan extinguished his cigarette.

    ¡°Why do you look so annoyed? Is it me?¡±

    ¡°No. There are just some things that I need to think about,¡± Yohan replied, waving his hand. He blew out the rest of the cigarette smoke in his mouth. Saeri clicked her tongue dejectedly. She finished putting on her jacket and stared at Yohan once more.

    ¡°Is that a bulletproof vest?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re prepared.¡± Saeri¡¯s eyes widened. It was an understandable reaction. Yohan dressed as if he was a soldier going to war. A bandana covered his mouth and neck and he was wearing leather gloves, a bulletproof vest, and combat boots. Her eyes would bulge out more if she could see all the weapons hidden underneath. He wore knives as if they were a garter belt, strapped to the outside of his thighs. He had a small razor blade wrapped in tape near his groin, which would have drawn a comment or two if anyone saw it. He even had lockpicks and other tools inside his boots in case of an emergency.

    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to save my sister?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. I can¡¯t give you a straight answer right now. I might help if I decide to stay at this camp and those guys keep bothering us, but have they killed anyone? How many of them are there?¡±

    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t hurt anyone. There were six of them. Well, Gunn and Hyuk got hurt a little. They were trying to take some people and Gunn tried to stop them. Hyuk got angry after his brother got hurt and they hit him.¡±

    ¡°Only six people with no weapons and they still got their way? Was everyone else just sitting down?¡±

    ¡°They had a hammer, dripping with blood. Everyone was busy crying¡­¡± Saeri hesitated before continuing, ¡°¡­including me.¡±

    Yohan cleared his throat loudly to clear the awkward atmosphere.

    ¡°Go help clean up. If we don¡¯t secure this place, we won¡¯t last long.¡±

    ¡°I thought we made a deal. Are you going to save my sister or not?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. If things get bad here, I¡¯m just going to leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you scared of those gangsters too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared. I¡¯m actually contemplating killing them all, but I¡¯m still not sure about something.¡±

    ¡°Not sure of what?¡±

    ¡°Not sure if this camp or their camp is more qualified to survive.¡±

    ¡°What? I told you. Those are bad people that kidnapped my sister.¡±

    ¡°But they haven¡¯t killed anyone. Of course, I¡¯m not saying that what they did is right. If they become a threat to me, I could kill them anytime,¡± Yohan said, casually, ¡°However, aside from the Kang brothers, you, and maybe Jung Hwan¡­ I feel like the others are useless. If necessary, I might just take a few people with me. Getting out of here would be a lot easier than securing the mall. On my way here, I already noted a few places where a small group could start a camp.¡±

    Gunn¡¯s camp had survived mostly due to sheer luck and the efforts of a few people. Yohan wanted to establish a fortified primary base that had great protection and support. However, Gunn¡¯s camp didn¡¯t meet these standards. He wasn¡¯t blaming anyone, it was normal for people to be scared of dying. However, they were running out of time. Objectively speaking, the people in the camp had drastically low life expectancy scores in Yohan¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re a scary person, Yohan¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Excuse me, I¡¯m going to talk to Gunn.¡± Yohan was done trying to convince people. This camp couldn¡¯t handle six humans, let alone zombies. He already had another plan prepared precisely for this kind of scenario. He needed to use Gunn¡¯s influence. It was still too early for him to exert his will on the survivors here. Additionally, Gunn had to remain as the camp¡¯s leader.

    Yohan found Gunn, who gave him a meaningful smile. Yohan scratched his head.

    ¡®Did he hear my conversation with Saeri?¡¯

    ¡°How¡¯d it go? Did you talk with everyone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was hard not to tell them all off.¡±

    Gunn laughed out loud. It was an honest laugh. Yohan frowned. He was starting to lose interest in helping the group. When he encountered Gunn¡¯s group in the previous timeline, they weren¡¯t like this. Yohan wondered if the survivors here were even the same people.

    ¡®Is it because of my timing?¡¯

    After experiencing some danger and hardship, the group would become more reliable survivors, but unfortunately they haven¡¯t had those experiences yet.

    ¡°Gunn.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to throw away this camp, do you?¡±

    ¡°Throw away?¡±

    ¡°Like I said. If we don¡¯t secure the whole mall, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll last long. What do you think about leaving this place and starting a new camp somewhere else with me? We¡¯ll only take a few people with us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± Gunn chuckled. Seeing his bright smile, Yohan couldn¡¯t bring himself to say that he wasn¡¯t joking at all. He thought about simply leaving the camp entirely, but it would be a waste to leave Gunn behind.

    ¡°There¡¯s too many people. Do we really need to keep everyone?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Yohan groaned inwardly.

    ¡°Then here¡¯s what we need to do.¡± Yohan calmly detailed his plan. When he was done, Gunn looked gloomy.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­ a bit much?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Wake up. You¡¯re not their mother. You¡¯re not responsible for these people. In this situation, we can¡¯t save everyone. They need to learn to protect themselves.¡±

    Gunn didn¡¯t argue further. He knew Yohan was right. Gunn reluctantly decided to take action and turned his head to call Hyuk over.

    ¡°Hyuk, tell everyone to gather around.¡±

    Moments later, all the survivors in the camp gathered. With everyone present, Gunn stepped forward to speak. Yohan was standing behind him, but disappeared once Gunn started to speak.

    ¡®There is definitely too many people here.¡¯

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Everyone, I need to tell you all about our future plans.¡± The crowd quieted down as soon as Gunn spoke. Once he had everyone¡¯s attention, he continued.

    ¡°According to Yohan, who came from outside, the government and military aren¡¯t able to do their jobs. I don¡¯t think we can keep waiting for them like this. We need a long-term plan. The water we have right now will run out soon and the supplies will last no longer than a month.¡±

    ¡°So what do you want us to do about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about barricading the main entrance on the first floor and killing all the zombies inside the mall.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± The crowd got noisy as people talked amongst themselves.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for volunteers. When this is over¡­¡± Gunn paused. It was difficult for him to say the next part. ¡°When this is over, any additional water and supplies acquired will only be distributed among the volunteers from now on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfair!¡± The crowd got louder and some people were screaming at him. Gunn was shocked. He had never been yelled at like this before.

    ¡°Gunn, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fair. Are you saying that those that cannot fight should just die?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If things don¡¯t work this way then no one will volunteer and everyone will die. Those that cannot volunteer can offer to pay those who do for a share of their supplies.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± The room went silent.

    ¡°If we run out of supplies¡ªor if another group invades us and kicks us out of the mall¡ªwe won¡¯t be able to take non-volunteers.¡±

    The crowd erupted once more. Their jeers hurt Gunn emotionally.

    ¡®I put my life on the line and fought for them¡­¡¯

    He was only asking them to do the same in return and, yet, they responded with cold words and stares.

 Chapter 9

    For some reason, Yohan¡¯s cynical expression came to mind in that moment. When Yohan made his suggestion, Gunn felt a glimmer of hope that he could get what he had originally wanted and people would cooperate.

    ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting that we throw our lives away. As you know, Yohan has survived outside for six months. He¡¯s agreed to teach us how to fight zombies. Yohan¡­ huh?¡± Gunn turned around and finally noticed that Yohan was no longer behind him.

    ¡°Where did¡ª¡± Gunn was interrupted by the sound of the emergency exit door being kicked open. Some of the people in the crowd started screaming.

    ¡°Raaaauuuughhhh¡­¡± A horrific looking zombie was thrown to the ground, causing more screams to erupt from the crowd.

    ¡°What is that!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a zombie!¡±

    Yohan came in behind it. He grabbed the zombie by the scruff of the neck and pulled it up.

    ¡°I went and found some teaching materials so that we can start the lessons right away. Who would like to go first?¡±

    No one volunteered. All they did was stare at Yohan as if he had transformed into a giant cockroach. Everyone began privately questioning his sanity.

    ¡°Seriously? No one?¡± Yohan spat. ¡°Scaredy cats.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. What do I need to do?¡± Saeri stood up.

    ¡°You¡¯re putting the men here to shame. I¡¯ll finish preparing here. Go put those on.¡± Yohan motioned towards a pile of clothes with his chin.

    ¡°What¡­ is this?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re questioning me too? I¡¯ll list it out for you. There¡¯s some leather gloves, a wrist band, forearm guards, elbow pads, and arm pads.¡± Yohan grabbed a monkey wrench and smashed the zombie¡¯s lower jaw. Its chin broke off and blood started flowing out.

    ¡°Tear off some cardboard and put it on top of the protection gear. Use the packaging tape to keep it in place. This way, the zombie won¡¯t be able to bite through. We¡¯ll refer to the area from your fingertips to your elbows as the ¡®forearm¡¯ and the area from your elbows to your shoulders as the ¡®upper arm¡¯. You¡¯re right-handed, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Put everything on your left side. You have to wear this at all times when you fight. Right now, our teaching material doesn¡¯t have teeth anymore so you don¡¯t have to worry about it biting you.¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m wearing a cast,¡± Saeri complained.

    ¡°An actual cast would be better. If you get in a bad situation, you could just bash its head in with the cast.¡±

    ¡°No thanks, my hands will smell like feet if they¡¯re in a cast all day.¡±

    ¡°Anyways, you want to stand diagonal to the zombie and turn your body so that your left arm is always in between you and the zombie.¡±

    ¡°Like this?¡± Saeri¡¯s stance looked awkward. Yohan smirked. It looked ridiculous enough that he thought about correcting it immediately, but he then decided to just move on.

    ¡°Good enough, the stance doesn¡¯t have to be perfect. I¡¯m going to give you a knife and you¡¯ll need to hold it in a reverse grip like this. The rest of this lesson is simple¡ªuse your protected arm to block the zombie from getting closer to you¡­¡± Yohan hooked his own protective arm pad under the zombie¡¯s chin and pulled it up to its feet. The zombie was still struggling.

    ¡°Always keep one foot back so that you don¡¯t get overpowered and fall. If you lose your balance, you¡¯re dead.¡±

    When fighting a zombie, it was better to crouch down a bit and lower your center of gravity. If you stood up tall, it was easier to lose your balance when a zombie got too close.

    ¡°The zombie¡¯s weakness is its head and heart. It¡¯s easier to stab the heart with a knife, but you need to find the gaps between the ribs, which gives them a chance to counterattack. Also, it takes a while for them to die after being stabbed in the heart, so we should always aim for the head instead. Stab them in the eyes, the temple, or the nape. The best thing to do when fighting straight on is¡­¡± Yohan stabbed the zombie in the eye with his knife. He then kicked the zombie and it fell down.

    ¡°¡­gouging its eyes out. If you¡¯re attacking them from behind, pull the zombie¡¯s head, so that it¡¯s looking upwards, and then slice the bottom of its neck lengthwise.¡± As Yohan demonstrated, the fallen zombie¡¯s body shuddered and then became still. Several people in the crowd vomited. Yohan tossed his knife to Saeri, who reacted hastily to catch it.

    ¡°Since you courageously volunteered, you get to demonstrate next. I¡¯ll go get some more teaching materials.¡± Yohan got up and made his way to the emergency exit, moving as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. People started murmuring behind his back as they watched him go.

    Yohan went through the emergency exit and walked up to the first floor. He took a look around. He was just here a moment ago, but the number of zombies had already increased. At a glance, there were easily over 100 undead. The zombies were gathering, an early sign of a zombie wave.

    ¡®We don¡¯t have much time left.¡¯ Yohan really wanted to help Gunn¡¯s group build up experience, but the circumstances didn¡¯t let him.

    ¡°Raaaauuuughhhh¡­¡± A zombie approached him. Yohan easily sidestepped the zombie¡¯s attack and got behind it so that he could push it into the emergency exit. He was about to go in as well, but then noticed a zombie wearing a police uniform.

    ¡®Today is my lucky day.¡¯

    Yohan closed the emergency exit door. He killed a zombie directly in front of him and then took out three more as he made his way towards his quarry. Nearby zombies howled as soon as they saw a potential meal, attracting more zombies.

    Yohan stabbed the police zombie with his knife and pulled out his crossbow. He got down on one knee and held the crossbow up with one hand while the other rummaged through the uniform.

    ¡®Found it.¡¯ Yohan¡¯s fingers wrapped around a pistol. He put the gun into his back pocket and began searching the zombie¡¯s pouches for extra bullets.

    A crossbow bolt flew through a zombie that got too close. Yohan only needed to fire his crossbow once before he was back at the emergency exit. He opened the door and took a step back, expecting the zombie that he had shoved inside earlier to charge at him. When it did, he kicked it in the stomach. The zombie crumpled to the floor, hitting its head on the ground.

    Ah, I hope I didn¡¯t kill it.¡¯

    Thankfully, the zombie survived the blow. Yohan stepped down on its neck and inspected his new pistol. It was a M-10, a .38 caliber revolver. Two shots had been fired from the cylinder. Yohan took out the empty shells in the gun and reloaded it with fresh bullets. Even though it was small, the pistol had some weight to it. Yohan put the revolver into the cargo pocket on his thigh. Now both sides of his pants felt balanced.

    * * *

    ¡°Great. Good job.¡± Yohan complimented. Min Seo¡¯s hands were still shaking. Simply volunteering took a lot of courage. Even though her stance and actions were sloppy, just having the courage to fight a zombie was enough for him to compliment her.

    Including Gunn and Hyuk, there was a total of seven volunteers. Yohan had hoped for at least 10 people, but he was thankful that they managed to even get seven. If it weren¡¯t for the new policy that Gunn imposed, they wouldn¡¯t have even gotten this many.

    Yohan worked hard to catch lots of ¡®teaching materials¡¯ for the volunteers. At first, some of them would only approach the zombies if he was directly supervising them, but now, they could all comfortably stalk the zombies by themselves, like a predator hunting its prey. Yohan did two things to help alleviate their fears. He broke the zombies¡¯ jaws and also demonstrated with his own padded arms in the zombie¡¯s mouth to show everyone that it was safe.

    There were quite a few people who did not volunteer, but instead watched from afar, staring at the participants as if they were crazy. However, this was also fine as they could still learn just from watching.

    Yohan rushed them through the practice. Gunn wanted everyone to get more training, but they were out of time. Yohan had already seen the signs that a zombie wave was coming. If they took any more time, they would be caught unprepared.

    ¡°Stop. Everyone, gather around.¡± Yohan tore down a map of the mall that was hanging on the wall and laid it out on the floor. The seven volunteers gathered around him.

    ¡°I can get bossy during a fight. I hope you¡¯ll all understand.¡± Yohan began. The volunteers nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ll split into two groups of four. The first group will be me, Saeri, Jung Hwang, and Elder Park,¡± Yohan said. Elder Park was the last to volunteer. He told Yohan that he was there to represent the elderly survivors. He hoped his sacrifice would be enough to absolve the elderly of responsibility and wanted his share of the supplies to be distributed among the elderly if he died. Yohan nodded his head at Elder Park.

    ¡°Gunn, Hyuk, Min Seo, and Byung Jin will be the second group,¡± Yohan continued. Min Seo and Byung Jin were newlyweds that had ventured out with Gunn previously in an attempt to reach the loading dock. They were clearly scared, but Gunn had somehow managed to convince them.

    Yohan knew the reason why they were compelled to follow Gunn. One of the women kidnapped by the gangsters was Min Seo¡¯s younger sister, Byung Jin¡¯s sister-in-law, and they would do anything for Gunn and Yohan¡¯s help. Apparently, Gunn had told them that they would help rescue their sister. Yohan lamented that they had to go to such extremes in order to get volunteers.

    ¡°Think of yourselves as watchguards. Each person is responsible for a direction¡ªnorth, south, east, and west. Group one will enter first and group two will follow. I¡¯ll lead group one and Jung Hwan will cover the rear. Hyuk will lead group two with Gunn in the back.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m in the far back,¡± said Gunn.

    ¡°The front and back positions are the most dangerous. If any of us are going to die, it¡¯ll probably be you,¡± replied Yohan.

    ¡°How could you say something like that so casually?¡± asked Gunn. Yohan simply smirked. He traced his finger from the emergency exit to the edge of the mall.

    ¡°Both groups will move together until we reach the cosmetics store. Follow closely and watch your respective directions carefully. Don¡¯t look away just because someone says a zombie is coming. Remember, you could die the moment you look away. Always watch your direction.¡± Yohan said it twice for emphasis.

    ¡°Once we reach the cosmetics store, the groups will split up and go to their respective entrance,¡± Yohan¡¯s fingers traced the route from the store to the entrances, ¡°if we succeed in barricading the entrances, rotate around and rendez-vous at the cosmetics store. Eventually we¡¯ll open up a narrow entryway and create a combat zone where we can practice fighting the zombies that trickle in.¡±

    ¡°When you get to the entrance, the group leader will protect the rear guard as they seal the entrance. The two people on the side will have to watch all the directions during this time. This will be the most dangerous moment, especially for the person closing the door. Hyuk, make sure you guard your brother well. If he dies, then we¡¯ll all die.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Hyuk nodded nervously. Yohan patted his back.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, since you¡¯re so good at barricading, I don¡¯t have to worry, right?¡±

    ¡°Jeez, Yohan!¡± Jung Hwan exclaimed. The tension in the air loosened up a bit as the volunteers laughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much Jung Hwan. And the same goes for all of you. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anyone die.¡±

    It was a well-laid plan and Yohan felt confident. In fact, if he was willing to take the risk, he could have carried out the plan by himself. However, there were other reasons why he worked so hard to get volunteers. First, he wanted to boost the group¡¯s confidence by successfully clearing out the zombies and capturing the mall. Second, he wanted to minimize casualties, which would help him earn the group¡¯s trust. Most importantly, he wanted the fighters of the group to gain experience.

    ¡°How many zombies have you guys killed so far?¡±

    ¡°Hm, maybe around three.¡±

    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s head out.¡± Yohan declared. Nervousness washed over the group.

    ¡°Yohan, I¡¯m scared that I might wet myself during the mission. What should I do?¡± Saeri whispered.

    ¡°What do you mean, silly? Go to the restroom now.¡± Yohan replied. He watched her rush to the restroom as he buttoned up his leather gloves and performed his ritual clothing inspection. After he was satisfied with that, he wrapped his fingers around the grip of his 60cm knife and twirled it with a flourish.

    The volunteers stared for a moment before getting up, one by one, and falling in line behind him. Yohan grabbed his backpack as Saeri returned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t lower your guard just because a zombie is lying down on the floor. Make sure you test them before walking past them. You¡¯ll die if you¡¯re careless,¡± Yohan issued warnings non-stop. All the volunteers nodded. Once they climbed the stairs up to the emergency exit door for the first floor, Yohan pulled something out of his backpack.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Gunn asked, frowning.

    ¡°A grenade,¡± replied Yohan, holding two dog plushies.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ready? Let¡¯s go. Three, two, one. FIRE IN THE HOLE.¡±

    Yohan flung open the door and kicked over some zombies that were gathered nearby. He then assumed a pitcher¡¯s stance and threw the plushies as far as he could in opposite directions. The dog plushies emitted loud barking sounds as they flew through the air.

 Chapter 10

    The ¡®grenades¡¯ were super effective. They would hold the zombies attention for as long as their batteries lasted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yohan said, moving forward as quickly and quietly as possible. They couldn¡¯t go too fast, but shouldn¡¯t be too slow either. With nervous expressions, the rest of the volunteers followed him.

    ¡°Raaaauuuughhhh!¡± A zombie that was originally chasing after the puppy plushie howled once it noticed the group, causing several other zombies to turn around as well. The group froze under the weight of the zombie¡¯s stares.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look away from your assigned direction.¡± Yohan said, as he casually crushed the howling zombie¡¯s head.

    ¡®Does this guy have eyes on the back of his head or something?¡¯

    Everyone in the group got goosebumps. They hastily obeyed Yohan¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Call out if there are two or more zombies approaching your side. Hey, Jung Hwan, you¡¯re too close to Saeri. Stick together, but not that close.¡±

    The group calmly moved forward. The group maintained a steady advance even when zombies noticed the group and approach from a distance. If there were two or more zombies approaching, Yohan would shoot some with his crossbow in order to prevent them from grouping up.

    ¡°Two on the left!¡± shouted Elder Park. Yohan quickly turned and aimed. However, the two zombies were lined up such that Elder Park¡¯s head was blocking his line of sight.

    ¡°Get down!¡± shouted Yohan, but Elder Park didn¡¯t seem to hear him. He was too busy pushing back the zombies with his padded left arm. Yohan bit his lip. If he moved over to help, he would expose their front and no one would be watching for zombies approaching from that direction. However, it would be even more dangerous if one of the side guards was breached.

    As Yohan contemplated his actions, Elder Park managed to use the butcher knife in his right hand to stab one of the zombies in the heart. The sharp edge easily pierced through the zombie. Shortly after that, the other zombie behind the first one got stabbed in the heart as well. The two zombies struggled for a bit before they stopped moving entirely. In that scenario, it was impossible to stab both zombies in the head with just one hand free. The old man had demonstrated some quick thinking and responded appropriately.

    ¡°Good move,¡± Yohan remarked, giving Elder Park a thumbs up.

    ¡°Whew. That was difficult.¡±

    Yohan continued forward and saw another group of zombies ahead of them. There were too many for them to force their way through. There was still another 50 meters before they were supposed to split up and retreating at this point wasn¡¯t an option. Yohan quickly swung his backpack around so that he could pull out a cellphone from the side pocket. He started playing some music on the phone and slid it across the floor to lure the zombies away.

    Undead eyes followed the music-playing phone and the zombies began moving towards it. However, despite the lure, there were still a number of zombies following the volunteers and that number continued to grow as the group reached the split-off point. Several group members were already short on breath.

    ¡°Yohan, I think it¡¯s dangerous to keep going. Let¡¯s rest here for a bit and take out a few zombies before moving on.¡± Gunn suggested, still standing in the back of the group. Yohan shook his head.

    ¡°Zombies are still entering the building right now. It¡¯s a great idea if you have Zombie Blood or if you want to just fight here forever.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, okay.¡±

    Stamina was an issue, but the general fatigue endured due to nervousness was a bigger problem. The entire time they were moving, everyone was tense, as a single mistake could end their lives. It took a lot of energy to maintain that level of focus and intensity, but they couldn¡¯t afford to loosen up yet. They had to overcome that fatigue and keep their guard up, or else they would all die.

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s Zombie Blood?¡± Saeri asked.

    ¡°A mod item,¡± Yohan answered, jokingly.

    ¡°What the heck is a mod item?¡± Saeri tilted her head.

    ¡°Time to split up. Remember, don¡¯t be afraid, but don¡¯t get careless either. As long as everyone stays calm, no one will die.¡±

    The group nodded and Yohan began moving once more. From here on out, they had to move faster. The entrance where zombies were swarming in from was right in front of them. Yohan repeatedly stabbed them in the brains and push kicked them away. He didn¡¯t bother blocking the zombies with his padded left arm, nor did he step back like he usually did after his stab & kick combo. Even if it was more dangerous, it was necessary in order to move faster. Yohan set a quick pace and the other volunteers kept up. They were off to a good start.

    ¡°Six zombies behind!¡±

    ¡®Shit,¡¯ Yohan cursed inwardly. As soon as he thought things were going well, they were instantly thrown into a dangerous situation. To make matters worse, there were also three zombies ahead of them. Yohan felt his entire body shudder as it warned him of impending danger.

    In the previous timeline, and even in the past six months of the current timeline, Yohan would always feel like his body would send out a danger signal whenever he was in a life-threatening situation. It was as if his body, after experiencing many life-threatening situations, could recognize when he was in danger and would scream out a warning.

    Jung Hwan was trying to block all six zombies, but it was difficult for him to hold against the weight of that many zombies. He looked like he was going to fall over at any moment.

    ¡°Drop down and get away!¡± Yohan shouted. As soon as he heard Yohan¡¯s voice, Jung Hwan pushed away from the zombies and fell on his butt. Yohan pulled the revolver out, took off the safety, aimed quickly, and shot the zombies moving towards Jung Hwan. Gunfire rang in everyone¡¯s ears. Six bullets were fired in quick succession and, soon, only empty clicking could be heard. White smoke trailed out of the muzzle of the revolver as if it was a cigarette.

    Five zombies fell. One bullet had missed. Yohan quickly pulled out a small knife from his waist and threw it. The knife sunk in 20 centimeters deep inside the last zombie¡¯s forehead. Then, Yohan spun around and quickly fired crossbow bolts at the zombies ahead of him. Finally, he turned once more and shot the last zombie behind him. This all happened in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°Keep moving. Also, pick up my knife for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy. That was awesome,¡± mumbled Saeri, her mouth agape.

    ¡°Stop spewing nonsense and focus on your side.¡± Yohan lick his lips. They had become dry in that nerve-wracking moment. After that, they only encountered zombies in groups of two, which were easy for the volunteers to handle. They moved forward and finally saw the entrance.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, the door.¡± Yohan called out. Jung Hwan moved to the front while Saeri and Elder Park rotated to cover the southeast and southwest directions, exactly how they had practiced a few times before.

    Yohan took a step outside of the mall to create some space for Jung Hwan to grab the door handle of the door that had swung open outwardly. He immediately ran into a zombie and had to use his padded left arm on its chest to keep it away. The zombie snapped its teeth at him. Yohan gritted his teeth and focused his strength into his legs. The veins on his forehead bulged and his eyes became bloodshot.

    ¡°Hup!¡± Yohan shoved the zombie back and out of the doorway, causing a domino effect as the zombies behind it toppled over. Yohan then retreated, falling backwards has he swung his crossbow over to shoot an approaching zombie. The zombie cried foul incoherently as it fell to the floor.

    ¡°Close the door!¡±

    The moment before Jung Hwan closed the door seemed to last a lifetime. Saeri and Elder Park were fighting off two zombies behind them. From the floor, Yohan slashed the hands off of the zombie that was about to push Saeri over.

    ¡°Th¡ªthanks.¡±

    ¡°Hang in there. We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    ¡°Yohan! I locked the door!¡± Jung Hwan shouted. Yohan turned his head and saw a firmly closed door. Countless zombies were on the other side of the door, pressed up against the reinforced glass. Yohan saw that Jung Hwan had already secured the inner doors as well.

    ¡°Great work. You¡¯re pretty good at this. You¡¯re definitely a door closing specialist. We should give you a nickname, like ¡®Shutter Man¡¯ or ¡®The Closer¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is this the right time to be joking around?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±

    Yohan looked across to the other group. Similar to their own situation, there were a good number of zombies swarming around. For a moment Yohan was concerned, but then he shook his head. Gunn and Hyuk were skilled survivors. With the puppy plushies and cell phone distracting most of the zombies, only a few would approach the group and they were more than capable of handling them. Yohan put his crossbow back over his shoulder. He dismissed his concerns, he had to believe in them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the cosmetics store.¡±

    * * *

    Thanks to the gunshots, most of the zombies had moved towards Group One. Even though it wasn¡¯t smooth sailing for Group Two, they were able to move forward without encountering too much danger. However, Gunn was already over exhausted. The problem was Min Seo, who was to his right. Whenever a zombie approached Min Seo, she was unable to finish it off and only pushed them away, forcing Gunn to cover both directions. He was so tired that he felt like he could die.

    Somehow they made it to the entrance. Hyuk covered Gunn as he quickly reached out to close the door. However, a zombie managed to stick its arm through, making it impossible to close the door. Gunn flipped over his knife and stabbed at the hand, but more hands started reaching through the gap.

    ¡°Brother, hurry!¡± Hyuk cried out urgently.

    ¡°Hold on¡­I¡¯m trying to hurry¡­¡± replied Gunn. He gripped the door handle in one hand and tried to push the zombies away with the other. However, the door was slowly being pried open by the zombies. One of the hands grabbed Gunn¡¯s right wrist. Appalled, Gunn tried to shake it off. Unfortunately, his movement caused him to drop his knife.

    ¡°B-brother!¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Gunn swore and grabbed the door handle with both hands and began pulled with all his might.

    ¡°Arrrggghhh!¡± The sound of hand and finger bones cracking and getting crushed filled the air as Gunn forced the door shut. Blood flowed down the door. Gunn took off his leather glove so that he could properly turn the lock near the ground. As he moved to put the glove back on, something caused him to flinch and pause. After hesitating for a moment, he put the glove back on.

    ¡°Ack!¡± The others were still fighting, so he picked up his knife from the floor and charged in to help. He rapidly stabbed a zombie in the head four times and turned to help Min Seo stand up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    * * *

    Group One arrived at the rendez-vous point first and were clearing out the area. They used the store¡¯s entrance as a chokepoint and three people took turns fighting the zombies while Yohan covered them from atop a shelf on the other side of the store.

    ¡°Yohan!¡±

    ¡°The other group is coming. Everyone come to the front and cover them.¡±

    Group One walked out of the cosmetic store and shoved the zombies aside. Once Group Two got close enough, Yohan to fire his crossbow at the zombies harassing them. With the extra support, all the volunteers were able to quickly rejoin together. Yohan entered the store last and closed the door as everyone gathered around him.

    ¡°Anyone injured?¡±

    ¡°¡­ No,¡± replied Gunn. Everyone smiled. They had managed to complete a big operation and no one got infected. They still had to clear out all the zombies inside, but Yohan didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood. They should celebrate this victory.

    ¡°Great. Good job. Now we can hunt.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I have something to say, Yohan,¡± Gunn spoke up. Yohan turned to look at him. Gunn took off his glove. It was covered in blood. Yohan frowned immediately.

    ¡®No way, no way¡­¡¯ Yohan took out some water and a clean cloth from his backpack and used them to wipe Gunn¡¯s arm. Gunn¡¯s wrist had been scratched. Yohan felt a sudden chill run through his body.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hyuk cried out.

    ¡°You dumbass¡­.¡±

    ¡°Brother! Brotherrr!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this.¡±

    ¡°Brother!!¡±

    ¡°Shut up Hyuk. My ears are falling off.¡± Yohan scolded as he searched the cosmetic store and found a blanket. He took out some clean wet wipes form his backpack and, after cleaning Gunn¡¯s arm, he made him lie face down on the blanket with Yohan¡¯s backpack supporting his head.

    ¡°Hold him down.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do¡ª¡± Gunn¡¯s question was cut off as Yohan shoved some fabric into his mouth.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Saeri, Min Seo, Elder Park. Please watch the doors. If you think the zombies are going to break through the glass and get in here, go out and fight them. Byung Jin, Jung Hwan. Hold Gunn.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡ªmmph?¡±

    ¡°Bite down on the cloth. I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll survive this, but it¡¯s better than simply letting you die to the virus.¡± Yohan unsheathed his kukri from his thigh straps. It wasn¡¯t the best tool to use to cut through bone. A regular steel knife or butcher¡¯s knife would have been ideal. However, he had no choice right now.

    This was the only clean knife he had. All of his other blades were stained with zombie blood. Yohan took out a lighter and used the flame to disinfect the knife. As he worked busily, he could see his hands shaking. He was in a race against the clock.

    ¡°Hyuk, stop crying. Go to the corner and shove your fist in your mouth or something. You¡¯re just in the way right now.¡± Yohan tried to ignore Hyuk¡¯s agonizing screams of despair, but it was very annoying.

    Yohan tied a rope tight around Gunn¡¯s bicep and then inspected the arm. He had a hard time figuring out where to cut since he didn¡¯t know how far the virus had spread already. He wanted to cut off the entire arm just to be safe, but in order to prevent rapid blood loss, he had to at least keep the elbow. Ultimately, Yohan decided to cut about half a handspan below the elbow.

    ¡®You idiot. I came here because of you. What am I going to do if you die now? How could you let your guard down like this? Don¡¯t you die on me. If you do, I¡¯ll ditch your brother and the others.¡¯ Yohan¡¯s pragmatic thoughts helped to calm his racing heart.

    He clenched and unclenched his fist several times to further ease the nervousness he felt. He had done this several times, but it never got easier. Yohan wished they had some anesthetic right now.

    ¡®Don¡¯t go easy on him. It might cause more harm in the long run.¡¯ Yohan reminded himself. He had to cut everything, including the bone, in one chop. If he needed a second swing, Gunn could die of shock and the virus wouldn¡¯t even matter.

    Yohan raised his hand in the air. The two volunteers holding down Gunn closed their eyes. With a loud crack, the shiny reflective blade flashed through the air as he brought his hand back down. The kukri passed through Gunn¡¯s arm and hit the ground on the other side.

    ¡°Mmmmm!¡± Gunn¡¯s body twitched violently as he let out a muffled scream. Fresh crimson blood splattered on Yohan¡¯s face. He marvelled at his own ability. The amputation was clean.

    Everyone watched on with a mixture of shock and fear. Hyuk¡¯s expression convulsed in pain, as if it was his arm that had just been chopped off. A shocked silence lingered in the air. Gunn had fainted. Yohan quickly wrapped the amputated limb with some fabric and held the wound above Gunn¡¯s heart.

    ¡°With this¡­will he live?¡± Jung Hwan asked.

    ¡°If he¡¯s lucky.¡± Yohan replied quietly. Jung Hwan and Byung Jin looked as if they were on the verge of tears.

    ¡°He might die if the virus already spread past the arm. Even if that didn¡¯t happen, he could die from the shock of the amputation. And if he survives the shock, he could die from excessive blood loss. Nine times out of ten, he¡¯ll die.¡±

    Silence loomed once more. Nine out of ten. The odds weren¡¯t in his favor.

    However, the biggest issue wasn¡¯t shock, blood loss, or your run-of-the-mill infection. Many survivors believed that, as long as they didn¡¯t get scratched or bitten by a zombie, they wouldn¡¯t become zombies. However, this was wrong. If biting or scratching was required to spread the disease, then where did the first infected come from? Yohan was convinced that there was a more insidious way that one could become infected. This was why, in order to increase his chances of survival, he came up with a second golden rule.

    The second golden rule for survival: Always disinfect and bandage injuries.

    The zombie virus was airborne and could enter the body through open wounds. Even if someone was not bitten or scratched by a zombie, if they had an open wound exposed for a long time, there was a danger that they could contract the virus through ¡®Atmospheric Exposure Infection.¡¯ This terrifying fact meant that the likelihood of becoming infected increased just by having an injury. Even the smallest cut could be a threat if left untreated. Whenever Yohan encountered an injury, he would disinfect it with alcohol and bandage it.

    Of course, there were people that managed to survive despite sporting big, infection-risky injuries. Some people might just hope for the best, but there had been cases where entire camps would disband or even tear itself apart due to this hope. Wishfully thinking like that could lead to a person turning undead and attacking their friends or family. At the same time, people might get overzealous and end up slaughtering someone just because they had a serious injury.

    It was hard to pinpoint the exact chances of getting an Atmospheric Exposure Infection. If Yohan had to guess, he would probably say 1 in 10. If ten people had non-zombie related injuries, one of them would get infected through that injury and become a zombie.

    Ten percent.

    That 10% risk was enough to sow uncertainty and anxiety. This was the real reason why fighting with other humans was dangerous. Major fights would no doubt lead to injuries for everyone involved. If the fighting went on for a long time, both sides would see more members become infected. It was a war with no winner. Yohan glanced over at Gunn.

    ¡®If you die here, then it¡¯s simply your destiny. Or, perhaps, your fate was exchanged with Hyuk¡¯s when I saved him.¡¯

    ¡°Yohan¡­ it won¡¯t stop bleeding. Should we cauterize it with fire?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to kill him? Apply pressure on it and, when he wakes up, feed him this.¡± Yohan handed over some antibiotics.

    ¡°How many do I give him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not a doctor. Feed it to him until he throws up. Elder Park, are there any doctors or nurses among the survivors?

    ¡°Not that I know of.¡±

    ¡°Is there a first aid room?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s by the Customer Service Station.¡± Saeri interjected, as Elder Park was still thinking.

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go. Hyuk, carry your brother on your back.¡± They had to do a blood transfusion and further disinfect the wound. Acquiring blood coagulant was vitally important right now.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back down to the camp first. Min Seo, keep applying pressure on Gunn¡¯s arm. I¡¯ll lead. Hyuk and Min Seo stay close behind me. Saeri take the right and Elder Park take the left. Jung Hwan and Byung Jin watch our backs. Don¡¯t fall behind.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The group replied meekly.

    Yohan quietly opened the door and took down a nearby zombie without blinking twice. Hyuk and the rest followed closely behind. After experiencing the hell that was the entrance sealing mission, the journey back was relatively lowkey. The decreased number of zombies definitely helped.

    Before long, the group reached the emergency exit door leading to the camp. Yohan turned the door handle and heard a click, but the door didn¡¯t open. It was locked.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hyuk looked bewildered.

    Yohan knocked on the door, but nothing could be heard on the other side. Did a zombie appear in the camp? Yohan placed his ear on the door and heard some muffled voices.

    ¡°Someone locked the door from the inside,¡± he said.

    ¡°What? Those crazy bastards! Open the door!¡± Hyuk screamed, his voice filled with rage. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!? Open the door you bastards!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re still carrying Gunn,¡± Yohan moved Hyuk aside. ¡°Listen everyone, if you don¡¯t open the door, we¡¯ll break it down.¡±

    ¡°Are there any infected or zombies nearby?¡± After a moment, a man¡¯s voice could be heard through the door.

    ¡°Hurry up and open the door!¡± Hyuk demanded.

    ¡°There are no zombies around. Please open the door.¡± Yohan was being polite but the door still didn¡¯t open. Yohan could feel his ire rising. They had to move quickly for Gunn¡¯s sake.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to count to three. If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll break it and then you¡¯ll have to deal with the consequences afterwards. I won¡¯t forgive this.¡±

    ¡°One.¡± After a pause, the door opened with a click. The man behind the door peered out at the group timidly. The other survivors at the camp looked aghast when they saw the volunteer¡¯s condition. It was understandable, since the entire group were covered in blood. The stench of death was so strong that some people had to cover their noses.

    Byung Jin was the last to enter. He slammed the door close loudly. Yohan looked at the man who opened the door. He was probably the same person who locked it in the first place. Hyuk¡¯s glared at him as if he was going to attack the man at any moment, but Yohan raised a hand to stop him. Right now, giving first aid to Gunn was top priority. Hyuk spat on the floor and followed Saeri to the first aid room.

    ¡°Were you the one that locked the door?¡± Yohan asked. The man did not respond.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Yohan¡¯s words seemed to have triggered Byung Jin. Min Seo¡¯s husband leapt out in front and punched the man square in the face, causing him to fall.

    ¡°I¡ªI had no choice.¡±

    ¡°If there were zombies behind us, we could have all died because of you!¡± Byung Jin shouted.

    ¡°Drop it. If that was the scenario, then locking us out was the correct procedure.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡± Byungjin frowned, surprised that Yohan agreed with the man.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone here that would be able to fight and zombies are swarming everywhere beyond this door. If an infected did get in here, the situation would have gotten out of control. Locking the door and checking to see if the coast was clear before opening it is a smart decision.¡± Yohan approached the man, who was massaging his bruise.

    ¡°Continue to guard the door from now on.¡± Yohan told him, loud enough for everyone to hear. He then knelt down next to the man, looked him straight in the eye, and grabbed his hair so that he could pull his head to the side and put his mouth close to his ear.

    Yohan whispered, ¡°Personally, I think you deserved to get punched. But for everyone else¡¯s sake, your actions deserves some praise. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Seo¡ªSeo Jun.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it. And you should remember for next time. If you hear my voice, open the door right away. If you delay like this again¡­¡± Yohan¡¯s voice lowered into a growl, ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart and feed you to the zombies.¡±

    Yohan released Seo Jun¡¯s hair. The man sunk down as if he had lost all the strength in his legs. Yohan turned and made his way to the first aid room.

    Unfortunately, the room didn¡¯t have any medical equipment. There was a basic first aid kit, like the kind you could buy at a convenience store. Thankfully, there was disinfecting alcohol. Yohan grabbed the bottle and was about to pour it over Gunn¡¯s arm when Elder Park grabbed his hand to stop him.

    The older man had rummaged through the cabinets and found some antiseptic cotton. He dabbed some alcohol on the cotton and used it to disinfect the amputation wound.

    ¡°You¡¯re skilled.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned many things in my years. Now, since Gunn still hasn¡¯t woken up yet, I think we best force feed him some antibiotics. Can you open some capsules?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Elder Park.¡± Yohan poured out a handful of pills. Elder Park smirked.

    ¡°I think six is enough.¡±

    Embarrassed, Yohan put some pills back into the container. He had survived through hell for three years, but first aid was always performed by a doctor in his group. Yohan only learned by watching from afar. He had accumulated some medical books in his home shelter, but they were useless to him.

    They finished disinfecting Gunn¡¯s arm. Yohan wished they had a blood coagulant and a transfusion pack, but they were unlikely to raid a hospital successfully with the people they had at the moment. For now, they had to leave it up to luck. Yohan took Gunn¡¯s good arm and tied it to the bed frame with a cable tie.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay too close Elder Park.¡± Yohan cautioned, as he handed Hyuk a knife.

    ¡°If your brother turns into a zombie, you finish him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Gunn would have wanted it that way.¡±

    Hyuk didn¡¯t reply, but Yohan stood up and left the room anyways. He had something else to do. He had to discipline those that were disobedient.

    ¡°Byung Jin, Jung Hwan. Follow me.¡± The pair followed Yohan¡¯s orders obediently, they had become accustomed to following his commands without complaint. Yohan looked around for a secure room for his purposes and found a room that looked like a break room for female employees. There were already three women occupying the room, lying down in opposite corners. They frowned and complained as Yohan entered the room.

    ¡°What the heck¡ª¡±

    ¡°Get out.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said get out.¡±

    The three women frowned some more, but after eyeing the weapons strapped to Yohan¡¯s waist, they left the room grumbling. Yohan searched the room and found the key to the room on top of a cabinet. With the key in his pocket, he had everything he needed for what he had in mind.

    ¡°Yohan?¡± Jung Hwan asked, watching him from behind.

    ¡°You two, start moving all the food and supplies in here.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to control the supplies. No one touches anything without my permission.¡±

 Chapter 12

    ¡°Yohan, I don¡¯t think this is right. These supplies don¡¯t belong to us. What gives us the right¡­¡± Byung Jin finally spoke up, troubled by Yohan¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Byung Jin.¡± Yohan took one of the keys for the room and put it in Byung Jin¡¯s breast pocket and patted it in place.

    ¡°Nobody here is entitled to the supplies. Besides,¡± Yohan gave him a pointed look, ¡°I don¡¯t intend on being nice to those who have already jilted us once.¡±

    Byung Jin and Jung Hwan yielded to Yohan¡¯s firm resolve and made their way towards the food storage with heavy footsteps. Yohan watched them as he placed a cigarette in his mouth.

    ¡®Rather than using the old carrot and stick method. It¡¯s better to discipline with the stick first and then eventually offer the carrot.¡¯

    * * *

    The two men began moving supplies to the new storage room, the women¡¯s break room. Some of the camp members noticed the activity and were staring at them. They suspected something was going on. The pair ignored the crowd as they focused on their task. While they were hard at work, Yohan found Saeri and Min Seo resting and brought them along to help. With five people dedicated to the task, the old storage room was quickly emptied out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the daily comfort and luxury items. We¡¯ll be getting more from the loading dock later anyways. Focus on the necessities for now. Water, rice, ramen, canned food, and snacks. Anything that¡¯s compact and has a lot of calories.¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± A high pitched voice interrupted Yohan¡¯s instructions. The group turned to look at the speaker.

    The majority of the survivors in the camp had gathered around them. Everyone was there, minus the children and a few adults. At first, the survivors thought that Yohan¡¯s group was getting some food to eat. However, once they soon realized that the group was taking all the supplies, they gathered to confront them.

    ¡°We¡¯re moving the supplies into a new storage room,¡± Yohan replied.

    ¡°Everyone is sharing the supplies. You shouldn¡¯t move them without getting consent from the whole camp first. Doing something like this¡­ people might misunderstand¡­¡±

    ¡°Misunderstand? In what way?¡±

    ¡°Misunderstand and think that you guys are hoarding the supplies for yourselves!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yohan smacked his palm with his fist, as if he only just understood the person¡¯s meaning. ¡°It¡¯s not a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll be keeping the supplies safe. After we take inventory, we¡¯ll begin rationing it out periodically. It¡¯ll be at the same time every day, so don¡¯t complain if you¡¯re late and miss out. You will probably be a bit hungrier and more uncomfortable than you are now, but this is important for everyone¡¯s survival.¡±

    ¡°Who gave you the right to do this!?¡± A man in his 40s was pointing a finger at Yohan. All the survivors were getting noisy. Some began to shout.

    ¡°This is what we get for taking in an outsider!¡± A woman yelled, with a squeaky voice. The crowd was starting to get rowdy. Yohan had expected to encounter some resistance. His expression was unaffected, but the group members moving the supplies under his command looked surprised. They felt as if they were walking on eggshells.

    ¡°Oh, I forgot to say something important,¡± Yohan added, ¡°People who don¡¯t follow my rules and orders will no longer receive any supplies. If you don¡¯t like the way I do things, you can go out and get your own supplies.¡±

    ¡°Y¡ªyou!¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be cleaning up the ground floor soon and everyone will need to participate. I¡¯m not asking everyone to fight with us, just clean up afterwards. Everyone except children will have to help out.¡±

    The crowd¡¯s animosity was reaching a peak. Somebody threw a used diaper at Yohan. It landed just in front of his feet.

    ¡°Who gave you the right to pull this crap!?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need your help. If you¡¯re going to act this way, then get out!¡± A few men approached them, looking like they were ready to evict the group at any moment. Yohan burst out laughing.

    ¡®They¡¯re scared of a few zombies, but they¡¯re not scared of the people who can actually kill those zombies?¡¯

    Yohan reached into one of his pockets, pulled out his other revolver, the one that he had before coming to the mall, and pointed it at the approaching figures. They stopped in their tracks. Gasps could be heard from the crowd.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, Byung Jin. Say something. Don¡¯t you think Yohan is being unfair?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Jung Hwan. You know I have pneumonia¡­¡±

    ¡°Min Seo!¡±

    ¡°I have a slipped disc in my back¡­¡± The survivors immediately began appealing to the other members of the group once they realized that threatening and reasoning with Yohan was out of the question. To their chagrin, the group members did not respond. The memory of the locked emergency exit door greeting them when they returned was still on their minds. Yohan lowered his gun to watch this development. However, as the stalemate continued, the men started getting aggressive once more.

    ¡°We heard six shots not that long ago. He probably doesn¡¯t have any more ammo.¡±

    ¡®Impressive. Someone actually counted the shots? I guess they¡¯re not completely clueless.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s kick him out. We can¡¯t let him boss us around like this.¡± Under the assumption that he was out of ammo, mob mentality started taking over. People moved towards Yohan with venom in their eyes. Yohan pointed the gun just in front of the closest person and shot at the ground. A loud gunshot filled the entire floor, followed by a deathly silence. The forwardmost person stared at the bullet embedded in the floor, his jaw dangling.

    ¡°All of you must be delusional. I¡¯m not here to play. I¡¯m not a volunteer worker, nor am I a refugee that fled here asking for help.¡± Yohan was more like an invader. However, he didn¡¯t say that aloud. Instead, he put on a savage smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me waste good ammo. I¡¯ll be nice as long as everyone shuts up and follows my orders.¡±

    After Yohan finished speaking, the crowd was silent. It was the end of the conversation. Byung Jin was put in charge of the supplies. He nervously followed Yohan¡¯s orders and began counting up the food and water.

    All of the volunteers were given a specific amount of supplies. Supporters would be given half that amount and dissenters would get nothing. The amount of supplies given to volunteers was more than enough for one meal, but not enough for two full meals. For example, a bag of ramen, one can of food, and two biscuits.

    After organizing the supplies, Yohan started the first distribution. People begrudgingly got in a line. The mood of the camp was heavy and many people gave Yohan dirty looks, but Yohan knew that this wouldn¡¯t last long. He wasn¡¯t planning on being this harsh all the time. Once he established order, he would focus on improving living conditions.

    First, it was important to give people access to sunlight and fresh air. They had already spent six months underground. Spending that much time in a dark, cramped place was bound to make people languid. Additionally, he needed to address the hopeless atmosphere. Many people had already given up on life. They needed some comfort.

    Once the mall was secured and additional supplies were acquired, the camp would be much safer and people would become more loyal. Yohan knew that people would gladly offer their kidneys as long as you could guarantee safety and supplies. Unfortunately, for now, Yohan had drawn their ire.

    ¡°Seo Jun Hwang will be part of the management team. Give him the same amount of supplies that volunteers get.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªwhat?¡±

    Along with those who volunteered to fight zombies, Yohan included Seo Jun in the management team. When the group headed out, he locked the door behind them in order to keep the camp safe. Even if the underlying motive was selfish, as long as the action was beneficial to the camp, Yohan would reward it.

    Seo Jun accepted his rations with a surprised look on his face. All the camp survivors were watching the exchange. Seo Jun had previously complained and gossiped about Yohan with the other camp members, but now he was approaching Jung Hwan and Byung Jin to see if they needed help with anything. Yohan smiled to himself. It was difficult to sway an entire crowd, but changing the mind of one person was really simple.

    * * *

    Not too long after the first distribution, some people approached Yohan saying that they wanted to learn how to kill zombies. Yohan had already anticipated that a few people would volunteer. Even though everyone got their rations, there were still luxury items such as chocolate, cigarettes, and alcohol. Additionally, as supplies start to thin out, more people would be pressured to ¡®volunteer¡¯.

    Yohan happily welcomed those that stepped up earlier and assigned them to Min Seo and Byung Jin. He could have taught them himself, but he wanted the newlyweds to gain some more confidence. Despite their courage and determination, confidence was still something they lacked. The couple had already survived two deadly missions. If they gain this experience, they would become stronger.

    Yohan took out both of his guns, placed them on the table, and rubbed his chin. He wasn¡¯t concerned about people management. Instead, there was a more troubling issue.

    ¡®If things went according to plan, I would have given Gunn the revolver and make him the camp leader¡­¡¯ Yohan didn¡¯t know if Gunn was going to ever wake up. Even if he did, his ability to contribute was dampened by the loss of his right hand. In all honesty, the chances that Gunn could become a long-distance fighter was almost nil. A leader with no fighting power was pretty much useless.

    ¡°Sigh, damn it. I think I¡¯m in trouble.¡± He needed a new plan. Yohan thought about other leader candidates.

    ¡®Elder Park is too old. Min Seo and Byung Jin are brave, but indecisive. Jung Hwan has the initiative, but isn¡¯t reliable enough for me to trust my back to him. Hyuk is Gunn¡¯s brother, so I can rely on him, but he¡¯s too dependent on his brother.¡¯

    ¡®This camp really doesn¡¯t have any good candidates. There¡¯s no one I can trust.¡¯

    ¡®Saeri?¡¯ Yohan shook his head immediately, dismissing the thought.

    ¡°I must be losing my mind thinking about this.¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s too unpredictable. There¡¯s no way.¡¯

    After pondering for a long time to no result, Yohan stood up. He decided that the issue wasn¡¯t immediately pressing. There were other things that he needed to do anyways. He made his way towards the emergency exit.

    ¡°Yohan, where are you going?¡± Jung Hwan and Saeri saw him heading out and approached him.

    ¡°Hunting. I¡¯m going to clean up some zombies.¡±

    ¡°Right now? By yourself?¡±

    ¡°No point just lazing around here.¡± Yohan replied. Saeri and Jung Hwan shared a look before speaking up at the same time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too, Yohan.¡±

    ¡°I want to come too.¡± Before their first mission, Saeri had to use the restroom. Now she already seemed like she was used to fighting.

    ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s enough that you¡¯re offering to come. You guys should rest, you need a break.¡±

    ¡°What about you? You¡¯re not a machine. I think you¡¯re probably the most exhausted out of all of us.¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m hunting zombies, I don¡¯t need to think about anything. I¡¯m not going too far. I¡¯m just shooting them with my crossbow, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I mean, I don¡¯t like it when people talk shit about me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°Just rest! You really don¡¯t listen.¡± Saeri pleaded. Yohan frowned.

    ¡®I said I¡¯m fine. Why are they acting like this?¡¯

    ¡°If you listen to me, I¡¯ll let you do something fun.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Jung Hwan, hearing Saeri¡¯s bold statement, became red in the face. Saeri simply smiled.

    Yohan laughed out loud. He had already said no to her before. This was borderline sexual harassment.

 Chapter 13

    Of course, Yohan knew that Saeri was half-joking and was actually just worried about him.

    ¡°You said to rest. Would that be resting?¡± Yohan flicked Saeri on the forehead, causing her to let out a soft whimper.

    ¡°What? You would enjoy it. So don¡¯t go, okay?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling the urge, deal with it yourself. You have hands right? You mischievous brat.¡± Yohan said. Saeri scowled fiercely, it was actually quite an intimidating look. Yohan shook his head and continued.

    ¡°Even though the entrances are sealed, if we don¡¯t do the next step soon, then all our efforts will be meaningless. That mission might have costed Gunn his life, so we can¡¯t let it go to waste.¡±

    ¡°When you say next step¡­¡±

    ¡°Glass doors are not ideal. We have to cover them so that zombies can¡¯t see inside. They react to movement so, if they see other zombies inside the mall, those stupid zombies will keep coming. We have to clear out the trash on the first floor quickly before the glass breaks from all the zombies pushing on it.¡± Yohan quickly turned away to leave, but then suddenly spun around again as if he had forgotten something.

    ¡°Oh, Saeri. Do you have neat handwriting?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Um¡­¡± Saeri stammered, but Yohan didn¡¯t wait for her answer. He pulled out some letter-sized sheets of paper and a plastic page protector.

    ¡°Write this down. ¡®Come to the parking lot if you have business with us. If you break the glass or cause a ruckus, you will be shot.¡¯¡± Yohan dictated.

    ¡°If you have business¡­you will be shot¡­¡± Saeri muttered as she scribbled down Yohan¡¯s words. As Yohan watched her work, his eyebrows furrowed.

    ¡°Saeri, I don¡¯t want to be rude but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up Yohan, I know.¡±

    ¡°A five-year old probably has better handwriting than you. It¡¯s like you¡¯re writing with your feet,¡± Yohan complained. Saeri punched him in the shoulder, but ended up hurting her hand instead.

    ¡®Why are you hurting yourself? Don¡¯t you know how many layers I¡¯m wearing?¡¯

    ¡°Yohan, what are you going to do with this message?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stick this on the glass doors at the entrance. We don¡¯t want people to break through after we worked so hard to seal it. It¡¯s also a warning.¡±

    ¡°A warning?¡± Saeri asked.

    ¡°That we have guns and aren¡¯t scared of other guns. If someone is looking for trouble, it might convince them to go look for it somewhere else.¡± Yohan replied. Of course, revealing the fact that they had guns might attract a different kind of trouble if people came looking to steal their weapons. However, it was typically better to flaunt this kind of power rather than conceal it, especially in their current situation with the camp integrity being unstable.

    It was a bluff. No one would suspect that a 30-person camp occupying a huge mall would only have two guns. Unless the invaders were really brave or stupid, they would most likely want to avoid a confrontation. In this period of time post-outbreak, no one would be at that state of desperation yet. It was too early.

    The bigger problem was¡­what if they can¡¯t decipher Saeri¡¯s handwriting and think the message is some sort of secret code? Yohan contemplated this as he stared at the writing on the warning sign.

    * * *

    Ultimately, Saeri and Jung Hwan managed to persuade Yohan to stay. He instead went over to the furniture section in B1F. As he got there, he noticed a young man and woman vacating the area. He was being shunned.

    Yohan grabbed some bed sheets and a pillow and found a storage room with a lock. Just as Saeri and Jung Hwan had suggested, he was going to rest. Even though he still had some energy left, the time wasn¡¯t great. It was going to get dark soon.

    In the afternoon, the sun provided light. However, in a zombie apocalypse scenario, the evenings were pitch black in the truest sense. While Yohan¡¯s home shelter had solar power, the camp at the mall had candles and similar equipment that provided some relief from the darkness. However, when night fell, the majority of the survivors simply cowered away prayed for morning to come soon. As Yohan pondered these idle thoughts, he eventually fell asleep.

    He slept lightly, however, and was awoken by someone pounding at the locked iron door of the storage room he was in. Yohan rubbed his eyes, wondering how much sleep he managed to get.

    ¡°Yohan! Are you in there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, coming.¡± Yohan replied. He opened the door to see Saeri standing in front of him.

    ¡°What? Did something happen?¡± Yohan aked.

    ¡°They said the water isn¡¯t coming out.¡±

    ¡°The water?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. They said the water hasn¡¯t been coming out since this morning. I checked both the men¡¯s and women¡¯s restroom and there¡¯s no water.¡±

    ¡°The water tank must be empty.¡±

    Yohan checked the restrooms himself. He turned the faucet. Nothing. He tried flushing a toilet. Still nothing. He stared at the toilet lid in destitution.

    ¡®The good days are behind us now.¡¯

    People would soon realize that they had been living a life of luxury and had taken it for granted. Yohan joining their camp was probably the only positive development in their post-apocalyptic lives, even if they would never admit that to themselves.

    ¡°Tell everyone to gather ¡®round.¡±

    Saeri brought all the camp members in for a meeting. The survivors had gloomy expressions on their faces as they muttered amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. Yohan did a quick headcount and noticed that five people were missing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Hyuk?¡±

    ¡°He refuses to leave Gunn¡¯s side.¡±

    Yohan sighed to himself. That makes two fighters who were currently useless.

    ¡°Should I go get him?¡±

    ¡°Leave them. It¡¯s probably better to have someone at Gunn¡¯s side.¡± Yohan patted Saeri on the head twice, praising her for a job well done before gesturing for her to join the crowd. Yohan turned to address the camp and everyone became silent.

    ¡°As you all know, the water tank has run dry. I was going to go check to see how much water was left, but there¡¯s no need for that now. Until we resolve this issue, we can¡¯t waste water. Don¡¯t flush the toilet, just do your business. Wash yourselves with a wet wipe or pour some water on a napkin.¡±

    The camp members had looks of discontentment. Yohan didn¡¯t know if they were reacting to the water situation or to their general dislike of him. There was no way for him to know.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being unreasonable?¡± Yohan continued, carefully, ¡°Think about it. If you guys had properly assessed the situation and were frugal with your water right from the beginning six months ago, everyone would still have clean water. Right now, even though we¡¯re rationing food and it sucks, we¡¯ll still run out of supplies eventually. However, even if we exhaust all the supplies in this mall, I¡¯m still going to help everyone survive.¡±

    Yohan decided to make protection the key focus in his speech.

    ¡°I¡¯ll prove it to everyone, one step at a time. First, I¡¯ll secure the mall and make it so that we can see the sun again. After we take care of zombies, I hope to come back to the warm smiles of a supportive camp. Jung Hwan, if you guys are ready, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yohan marched with a group of fighters towards the emergency exit doors leading to the first floor. He made Elder Park and Hyuk stay behind and watch over the supplies. Even then, this time he had eleven volunteers.

    Once again, Yohan split the party into two teams of five, separating them by experience. He himself would be a solo operative, covering the teams from high ground. When forming a team of five, Yohan¡¯s system still had four people watch over each cardinal direction and the fifth member would simply stand in the center and support whichever side had the most zombies.

    Teams of five were much safer than teams of four. Additionally, they would be operating in a safe area and would have long-range support from Yohan. This mission carried minimal danger. Even if they ran into an unforeseeable and dangerous scenario, they would still be close to the emergency exit door and would have that option available as a safeguard. This way, even the new volunteers, who were nervous at the start, would be able to build confidence and gain experience killing zombies.

    ¡°Raaauuugggh!¡±

    ¡°Two on the right!¡± It was Sung Bae¡¯s first time fighting a zombie. Jung Hwan quickly took out the other zombie that was approaching them.

    ¡°Got it. It¡¯s down!¡±

    There really wasn¡¯t a need for Yohan to provide support. He began shooting down zombies further away. The clean up mission proceeded smoothly. The teams fought for nearly three hours, throughout which zombies only approached intermittently and never en masse. They killed so many that the pile of corpses were starting to impede their vision. Finally, zombies stopped appearing and the sound of undead growling in the mall went silent.

    ¡°Is it over?¡± asked one of the new volunteers. Yohan shrugged and tossed a knife at a metal door handle. The loud clang would surely draw out any nearby zombies, if there were any. However, everything was quiet.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s over?¡±

    ¡°Just wait a bit.¡± Yohan made more noise. Finally, they could hear the growls of a far away zombie. Moments later, an arrow through the head silenced it. Yohan continued making loud noises. As the noise got louder, they could see the zombies outside the glass doors turn to look at them and push up against the glass. However, there were no movement to be seen within the mall itself.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re pretty much done,¡± Yohan said. The volunteers rejoiced. ¡°Good job everyone. Especially the newbies, you guys did well even though it was your first time. Why were you hiding like scaredy cats before?¡±

    ¡°Seriously. No idea it would be this easy¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because of Yohan, idiot. Stop showing off,¡± Saeri criticized the newbie. It really wasn¡¯t necessary, but it did bring a smile to Yohan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, check to see if anyone got injured. Saeri, you check the girls. Even if there is a tiny scratch, let me know,¡± he instructed, ¡°I¡¯m going to go check out the parking lot real quick.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yohan went up the emergency stairwell to the second floor and exited into the parking lot. Beyond the door, which was slightly open, there were cars in all directions. There were also still a lot of zombies and plenty of hiding places for them, making the area dangerous.

    There was only one way to go from the ground floor to the parking lot, which was a relief. If the parking lot had separate entrances and exits, they would need to do another two entrance blockade mission. Yohan made a rough measure of the car entrance. It was wide enough that they would need a 2.5 ton truck and another 1 ton truck to block it. After making his calculations, Yohan quietly closed the emergency exit door.

    The volunteers were resting when he rejoined them. When they saw him, they immediately moved to stand up, but Yohan motioned with his hand that they could stay resting.

    ¡°Anyone injured?¡± he asked Jung Hwan.

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the parking lot?¡±

    ¡°Not bad, but not good either.¡±

    There were a lot of hoops to jump through before they could use a vehicle to block the car entrance. First, they had to find a vehicle that still had its key and then check to see if the car battery was working. If not, they would need to see if it could be recharged or replaced.

    The mission wasn¡¯t exactly clear cut, but the longer they waited, the more difficult it would be to complete it. It might even turn out to be more dangerous than the double entrance blockade mission.

    ¡®However, if we can do this, I think things will be okay.¡¯

    Yohan pulled out large black curtains from his backpack while thinking. He moved to cover the glass doors. Of course, he put the warning sign up first, and then covered it with the black cloth. It wasn¡¯t necessary to cover everything. In the end, Yohan only covered three-quarters of the glass. The gap at the top would give guards some visibility of the outside and, in order to keep the area bright, the gap would let light come in. It was enough just to block the zombie¡¯s line of sight. Once he was done, Yohan turned back to the volunteers.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re already here, I want to clean out the parking lot too. You guys are still good to go, right?¡± Yohan asked calmly. The group stared at him.

    ¡°Stop being such babies. Oh, by the way, does anyone know how to fix a car?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my major.¡±

    ¡°Automotive Engineering major?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. One less thing to worry about. When did you go to school?¡±

    ¡°I started in ¡®08.¡±

    ¡°And how much work experience?¡±

    ¡°Four years.¡± Ki Moon Kim was tall and handsome. He was a bit timid and he didn¡¯t have much of a presence, but him being here washed away many of Yohan¡¯s problems. He had to restrain himself from giving the guy a high five.

    ¡°Great. Hey Mr. Diploma, do you know how to hotwire a car?¡±

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Call me Ki Moon, Yohan. I know how to hotwire a car in theory, but I¡¯ve never done it before¡­ modern cars have security systems that prevent it, but I might be able to do it on an older car. Like, a car from the early 2000s.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was the first time Yohan met someone that majored in automotive engineering and he had high expectations. Instead, he couldn¡¯t stop the disappointment from showing on his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s something you only see in the movies.¡± Ki Moon added, embarrassed.

    ¡°At least you know how to charge or change a car battery, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. However, in order to charge it, we would need another car or a power supply¡­ what do you want to do with a car?¡±

    ¡°We need to move a 2.5 ton truck and park it across the car entrance to block it. We¡¯ll fill in any remaining gaps with other trucks and SUVs. We should be able to do it with just a 2.5 ton truck and a midsize vehicle.¡± As Yohan explained his plan, the group started looking worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Now that the world is upside down, everything is dangerous. Anyways, the amount of danger we face will depend on how you guys perform. So, Mr. Diploma.¡±

    ¡°My name is Ki Moon, Yohan.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I keep forgetting your name for some reason. Okay, Ki Moon. For this plan, your role is the most important.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± After fighting for three hours straight, the volunteers realized that they would be fighting again and started feeling anxious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this plan will let us release some of that built-up stress. Ki Moon, head back down to the camp and see if there is a car battery charging kit in the automotive supplies section.¡±

    Unfortunately, Ki Moon returned empty-handed. Yohan revised his plan in his head and began explaining it to the group.

    * * *

    Eight people ran through the parking lot. Jung Hwan was in the front, pushing zombies away to open a path. The team headed towards the nearest truck. Jung Hwan grabbed the edge of the cargo container and pulled himself on top of the vehicle. The others followed suit. After everyone was safely onboard, they started swearing at the zombies.

    ¡°Over here, you fucking zombies. Over here!¡±

    ¡°You bastards! Look over here, you dumbasses!¡±

    The collective cursing of seven people attracted many zombies. The undead immediately reached out their arms and sauntered towards them. The team flinched once they realized exactly how many zombies they had pulled.

    ¡®First, everyone, minus me, Ki Moon, and Sung Bae, will be bait. Once you enter the parking lot, there will be a truck around 30 meters away. Run there and lure the zombies.¡¯

    ¡®Lure them?¡¯

    ¡®Just shout. Swear at them if you want.¡¯

    Jung Hwan¡¯s bait team didn¡¯t attack the zombies. All they did was scream and draw their attention.

    ¡®The zombies won¡¯t be able to get on top of the truck. They¡¯ll just wave their hands at you. Don¡¯t attack them until I give the signal. Otherwise, the dead bodies will pile up and they¡¯ll be able to reach you.¡¯

    Yohan watched from the other side of the door. The bait was successful. While the zombies were focused on the people on top of the truck, he nodded at the pair next to him.

    ¡°Great. Our turn to go.¡± Yohan stalked around the truck with its crowd of zombies and moved towards where the big semis were parked.

    ¡®The car team¡¯s goal will be to acquire a car and use it to block the road. We¡¯ll look for a truck that has a key in it and use it to block the parking lot¡¯s entrance.¡¯

    ¡°Raaauuugggh!¡± A zombie sitting in the driver¡¯s seat greeted Yohan as soon as he opened the door of the first truck. Yohan instinctively stepped back and the zombie fell to the floor, flailing. Yohan stomped down on the zombie¡¯s head with his combat boots and was rewarded with a satisfying crack. Still, he stabbed it through the temple with a knife and, after confirming that it was dead, he began looting the corpse.

    No keys. Yohan clicked his tongue dejectedly and looked into the truck to check its ignition and saw keys dangling there.

    ¡®Lucky.¡¯

    ¡°Sung Bae, get in. Once we find another good vehicle, I¡¯ll honk two or three times. That¡¯s the signal for you to start driving. Once you¡¯ve parked across the entrance, I¡¯ll park next to you. Don¡¯t open the door. We¡¯ll open it for you once the coast is clear. Also, don¡¯t worry about scratching the truck. Drive right up to the wall so that there are no gaps.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Ki Moon, how is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s enough juice in the battery to start the truck.¡±

    ¡°Great. So far so good.¡± Things were working out far better than Yohan had anticipated. He didn¡¯t expect to find a usable truck on the first try.

    Originally, he had thought the camp was fortunate to still be alive, but maybe lady luck was favoring this camp? Sung Bae boarded the truck and Yohan began looking at the other vehicles. Unfortunately, the next two that they checked didn¡¯t have keys. It was as if lady luck was taunting them, getting their hopes up with the first success and then leaving them high and dry afterwards.

    ¡°Are there any here that we can hotwire?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any cars that are old enough¡­¡± The pair checked all the trucks in the area but could not find one that came with a key.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the SUVs, they¡¯re about the same size.¡± Yohan pointed at another section of the parking lot that was around 100 meters away. The pair ventured forward. There were plenty of cars parked here, but none had keys and every car door was closed and locked anyways.

    They were getting further away from the bait team. Yohan tried to quash the uneasy feeling that was building up inside him. Just then, he noticed an SUV with four zombies inside. Yohan tried the driver side door and it opened. He quickly stabbed the zombie in the driver¡¯s seat, closed the door, and then moved over to the passenger side to repeat the action. He dragged the passenger zombie out and reached in to grab the car keys from the driver zombie.

    Yohan then moved towards the back doors and opened the door, ready to stab. However, he froze for a moment. The zombies in the back seats were little kids. They looked like they were kindergarteners.

    ¡°Raaauuugggh!¡± A zombie let out a high-pitched groan as it pounced Yohan. Its tiny fingers grabbed at Yohan¡¯s protective gear and it tried to bite him, but to no avail. After a moment of hesitation, Yohan stabbed the zombie through the eye and watched as its body stopped trembling.

    ¡°How¡¯s the battery?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dead¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a car here that has the same kind of battery?¡±

    ¡°All cars of the same type use the same battery¡­¡±

    ¡°Never mind, tell me later. Just pick a car.¡± Yohan walked over to the car that Ki Moon was pointing at and wedged his knife between the hood and radiator. With a great deal of effort, the hood pried open with a loud snap.

    ¡°How¡¯s this one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­also dead.¡±

    ¡°Try to find a new car.¡±

    ¡°That black car.¡± Ki Moon pointed and Yohan pried open another hood. Ki Moon rejoiced as soon as he checked the battery.

    ¡°Yohan, this will do. It¡¯s working.¡±

    ¡°Take it out and let¡¯s go back.¡± The pair walked back to the SUV that they had the keys for. Yohan got into the driver¡¯s seat to pop the hood while Ki Moon prepared his tools.

    ¡°Yohan, zombies! Zombies!¡±

    Yohan cursed as he scrambled out of the vehicle. Things were going so well too. He took a look at the zombies approaching them.

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot. It¡¯ll be hard for me to handle them alone. How much time do you need?¡±

    ¡°Five minutes¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too long dumbass!¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªthree minutes then!¡±

    Yohan stepped in front of Ki Moon and intercepted the first zombie with a kick. As he did this, more zombies approached with a growl. He had to watch all sides. On top of that, he had to protect Ki Moon.

    ¡®I¡¯ll use the gun if I have to.¡¯

    The zombies kept on coming. Yohan furiously stabbed and killed them whenever he could, but he was more focused on pushing them away. Ki Moon¡¯s hands were shaking as he worked to replace the battery. Although it was something that he had done many, many times, his hands were shaking so much that he couldn¡¯t hold onto his hex wrench.

    ¡°Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°Done!¡± Ki Moon got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the SUV. The roar of the engine igniting was like a sound of salvation. Yohan zigzagged through the zombies, bowling them over with his shoulders, and reached the driver side door.

    ¡°Move over. I¡¯ll drive.¡± As soon as Yohan could sit down, he honked the horn twice. Zombies started to surround the vehicle on all sides.

    Sung Bae¡¯s truck had been waiting for them from afar. It immediately began to roll, moving quickly up the ramp and, without slowly down, stopping at the perfect spot. It was a smooth drift.

    ¡°Whoa, Sung Bae¡¯s really good at driving.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s the best at driving. Now hold on tight. I¡¯ll show you my awesome Tetris skills.¡±

    ¡°Not your driving skills?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Put on your seat belt.¡±

    Ki Moon looked confused when Yohan told him to wear his seatbelt, but quickly understood why. As soon as he started the engine, Yohan began running over zombies with the SUV. They could see dents forming all over the vehicle as zombies bounced off the SUV with loud crunches. Yohan drove towards the car entrance, but suddenly did a 180 turn and started driving in reverse. The SUV scraped along the wall as they moved in reverse and the sound filled the parking lot. The parking assist signals inside the car beeped loudly.

    ¡°Yohan, you¡¯re going to crash! You¡¯re going to crash!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know! Hold on! The airbags probably won¡¯t go off!¡±

    ¡°Yohaaaaannnnn!¡±

    Loud screeches echoed throughout the parking lot, followed by a thunderous crash. Everyone in the area could feel the shock of the impact. They weren¡¯t moving that fast, but it was enough that the rear bumper was completely bent into the shape of an L-block. The back of Sung Bae¡¯s truck was also destroyed but, together, the two vehicles formed a perfect blockade.

    Ki Moon opened the door and practically oozed out. Yohan stumbled out afterwards, clutching his neck and moaning.

    ¡°Yohan, that was too rough¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I got a bit excited.¡±

    More zombies appeared, attracted by the sound of the crash. Thankfully, most of the zombies were still by the bait team, far away. Yohan shook his head and opened the door for Sung Bae, who greeted him with a thumbs up.

    ¡°Yohan, you¡¯re seriously a beast¡­it¡¯s the first time my heart fluttered for a man.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ okay. I hope it¡¯s the last time too.¡± Yohan turned to wave his hands Jung Hwan, signalling that the preparations were complete and that they could begin killing the zombies.

    Yohan, Sung Bae, and Ki Moon moved to support from behind the zombie crowd and they all fought together. Countless hours passed. Finally, zombies stopped appearing and the group collapsed to the ground, relieved. Saeri laid down flat on top of the bait truck.

    ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t even lift a finger.¡±

    ¡°Whew. How many zombies did we kill?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Too tired to count.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there would be this many.¡±

    The bait team was extremely talkative. The car team walked up to their truck and, one by one, the group got down by stepping on the pile of zombies. Byung Jin stumbled as he came down, but Yohan caught him and held him up.

    ¡°Thanks. You were pretty cool earlier,¡± Byung Jin remarked.

    ¡°He¡¯s right. You don¡¯t¡­ seem human, Yohan,¡± Saeri agreed. Jung Hwan also chimed in.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, Yohan. What did you do before the outbreak? Were you in the special forces or something?¡±

    ¡°I was just a normal salaryman, ¡° Yohan replied. He could tell from Jung Hwan¡¯s expression that they didn¡¯t believe him, but he ignored them and helped the rest of the group descend from the truck.

    ¡°When are we going to clear out the zombies from the upper floors?¡±

    ¡°There probably aren¡¯t a lot upstairs. We made quite a ruckus, so I¡¯m sure most of them already came down.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re really done.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We just have to tie up a few loose ends. You guys did well.¡± Yohan praised them, the group felt as if his words swept away all their tiredness and nervousness. They looked inspired, motivated by the fact that they had achieved something that previously seemed impossible.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if everyone from the camp participated.¡± Ki Moon mumbled. He was no longer as timid as before and voiced his thoughts clearly. Yohan nodded his head regretfully. If everyone had participated, they would have all grown a bit from the experience. However, it was best to let people grow at their own pace. There would be more opportunities in the future.

    ¡°Gather everyone. Time to clean up.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Jung Hwan.

 Chapter 15

    While Yohan and the volunteers were clearing out zombies upstairs, three figures were standing in front of the door to the food storage. They tried opening the door several times, but it was locked tight. The figures whispered amongst themselves. One of them had a hammer and positioned himself to hit the doorknob with it. The three exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Stop it.¡± Hyuk¡¯s voice interrupted them just before they struck the handle. The three turned to look at Hyuk and jeered at him.

    ¡°What? Are you going to boss us around too?¡±

    ¡°You should just go take care of your brother.¡±

    ¡°If you put it down now, I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Hyuk said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any pride?¡±

    Hyuk frowned. He honestly didn¡¯t need to hear this from these lowlives. Seeing Hyuk deep in thought, the three continued.

    ¡°Honestly, whose fault is it that your brother got hurt? It¡¯s that bastard¡ªwhat¡¯s his name¡ªYohan that made him that way.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right. Gunn could have kept living normally if Yohan hadn¡¯t taken you all into a zombie filled area. Why are you even following him around still? Don¡¯t you have any pride?¡±

    Hyuk could see flickers of madness behind their eyes. There was no point in reasoning with them. Even if they managed to break open the door and steal the supplies, they lacked the ability to survive if they leave the camp and wouldn¡¯t be able to resist Yohan¡¯s wrath when he returned. All they had was a shortsighted plan that was motivated by hunger. Hyuk was being merciful in giving them a way out.

    ¡°Please leave while I¡¯m being nice,¡± Hyuk repeated. Even though it was a three-against-one advantage for the trio, they didn¡¯t seem confident that they could fight Hyuk. At the same time, they didn¡¯t back down. They just stood there. Feeling impatient, Hyuk pulled out a kitchen knife from his waist.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to fight, don¡¯t waste my time.¡±

    ¡°Y¡ªyou!¡± If the trio had any inclination to fight, they wouldn¡¯t just be standing there idly. Finally, the three slowly walked away. Hyuk watched them leave with a dark expression on his face. Their earlier comments still lingering in his mind.

    * * *

    The non-fighting members of the camp went up to the ground floor after getting the news that all of the zombies there were taken care of. They were met with such a putrid hellscape that some people began throwing up.

    ¡°Clean up the mess that you made,¡± Yohan quietly remarked.

    ¡°How can you say that?¡±

    ¡°What? We¡¯re not going to have one cleaning group for zombies and another one for vomit. At least go and make sure that girl is ok.¡± Yohan indicated at a female student who was still throwing up. Saeri went over and patted her on the back.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, take Ki Moon and a few more people to the loading dock and grab a dolly and a rolltainer.¡±

    ¡°Rolltainer?¡±

    ¡°You know, the cart with wheels. It¡¯s square and tall. You guys put the boxes of ramen on it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean a rolling cart? Got it.¡±

    ¡°Okay everyone. We¡¯re going to load the zombies onto these carts and burn them on the rooftop. Before you touch them, make sure that they¡¯re actually dead.¡± As Yohan shouted out his instructions, Hyuk appeared with three men in tow. With some prodding from Hyuk, the three started helping out, but wore sulky expressions on their faces. Yohan surmised that there was some conflict between them earlier. He approached Hyuk.

    ¡°How¡¯s Gunn?¡±

    ¡°Still the same.¡±

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry to hear that. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself mentally. Try to keep your head straight at all times.¡± Yohan patted Hyuk on the back a couple of times. Hyuk didn¡¯t say anything until Yohan turned around to leave.

    ¡°Yohan,¡± Hyuk whispered. Yohan turned around once more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Hyuk and Yohan¡¯s eyes met.

    ¡®Is there something bothering him?¡¯ Yohan pondered for a moment, but then conceded with a nod.

    ¡°If you need someone to blame, you can blame me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Gunn is either going to die or will have to live on with just one arm. Neither scenario is ideal and I¡¯ll always feel guilty about that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You remember the people from your previous excursion group that died? What were their names again? Oh yeah, Sung Hyun, Sae Hwa, and¡­ I can¡¯t remember the other person¡¯s name. Anyways, the memory of them is haunting you, right? Like a nightmare. They keep appearing in your dreams, right?¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll only get worse. You¡¯re not the kind of guy that forgets people easily. That¡¯s your burden to bear.¡± Yohan patted Hyuk on the shoulder again. ¡°When you¡¯re ready to take responsibility and bear that burden¡­ that¡¯s when you¡¯re ready to lead people in this messed up world.¡±

    People were responsible for their own actions and decisions. This was true whether they were willingly volunteering, reluctantly persuaded, or forcefully coerced. Once somebody decides to do something, you can¡¯t blame the consequences of that decision or action on someone else.

    Still, it was impossible to shake the guilt that comes with the death of a comrade, whether it was because you failed to protect them or because your decisions led to their death. As guilt built up, Yohan had seen many people break under its weight.

    However, Yohan had built up tolerance against it. In the previous timeline he had already experienced a lifetime¡¯s worth of guilt and did not let it get to him. As he walked away, Hyuk stared at his back with a blank expression on his face.

    Yohan watched as the camp survivors filled the carts with corpses, making sure no one wandered off. Once the carts were full, he gave instructions to start moving them. The scene of people pushing the carts around reminded him of mall employees getting ready for a grand opening. However, there was an element of morbidness to it as the carts were filled with corpses and blood was trickling down the metal cages.

    The cart pushers stopped at the loading dock. There were still quite a lot of supplies here. Like fresh snow, no one had touched it yet. The supplies were still covered in clear plastic wrap, making everything look radiant as it reflected the sunlight.

    ¡°Even if half of this stuff is expired and would need to be tossed, there should still be enough to last us around three months,¡± Yohan commented. All the camp survivors gave him a hopeful look. Suddenly, pushing these corpse-filled carts didn¡¯t seem so bad. The fact that the zombies were cleared out and additional supplies were obtained made the future look bright. There was hope that they would be able to live longer now.

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s beer. I guess we¡¯re having a party.¡±

    ¡°I wished we had some fried chicken to go with it¡­ But Yohan, how will we move these¡­¡±

    ¡°Jung Hwan, you see the wooden frame on the bottom?¡± Yohan pointed at the base of the boxes.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pallet. And that orange device over there is a pallet jack. Insert the pallet jack into the pallet, pump the lever a few times, and you¡¯ll be able to move the whole stack. However, the problem is we don¡¯t have a good place to store everything. Once we get back to camp, we¡¯ll need to find a bigger storage room.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Everyone was still staring at the supplies with a dumbfounded look on their faces as Yohan started to move on.

    ¡°The supplies won¡¯t run away, so let¡¯s just leave it for now.¡±

    The group left the loading dock and climbed two floors up to the rooftop garden. Along the way, they group encountered only two zombies, but they were dispatched easily.

    ¡°Wow!¡± The camp survivors yelled in excitement. The bright sun was blinding, but the early summer breeze was warm and felt nice against their faces. It had been six months since any of them had left the underground floors and they all breathed deeply as if they were enjoying the fresh air at the top of a mountain. The air probably wasn¡¯t that clean, but Yohan decided to let them have their moment. With no cars generating air pollution, the air quality was probably better than it was six months ago anyways.

    People gathered by the railings and looked out. Even the volunteers, who had been fighting alongside him with intense ferocity a few hours ago, were relaxing by the railings. Yohan was the only person who was still tense. The gray cityscape before them was in desolation. Black smoke was trailing out from various parts of the city and only the undead could be seen crowding the streets.

    The city stank of death. It was also quiet, proof that it had become a ghost town. It felt as if any sound they made on the rooftop would echo endlessly throughout the city, so all the camp survivors remained silent.

    While everyone was lost in thought, staring at the cityscape of a ruined world, Yohan was focused on one place. S university hospital. They definitely needed a doctor or a nurse. If it wasn¡¯t already too late, getting one could save Gunn.

    ¡®Even if there aren¡¯t any medical professionals, if we could at least find some medicine¡­ or blood transfusion bags, it would help Gunn a lot.¡¯

    ¡°To think there were this many zombies¡­¡± Jung Hwan felt a loss for words when he saw the endless crowds of zombies.

    ¡°We made a lot of noise, so zombies nearby started gathering around the mall. They¡¯ll thin out again over time.¡±

    ¡°I guess it really is the apocalypse.¡±

    ¡°The world as we knew it before is gone, but it¡¯s not the end of humanity.¡±

    ¡°I think the human race is already done for,¡± Saeri remarked, disagreeing with Yohan.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of survivors like us. More than you think. Big cities are dangerous because there are a lot of zombies but, in remote places, there might be people who haven¡¯t even seen a zombie yet.¡±

    Just then, as if right on cue, they heard far away gunshots from the direction of Bupyeong. Yohan shrugged his shoulders at the coincidence.

    ¡°See? Military bases still exist as well. Anyways, let¡¯s get back to work. Stack the corpses.¡±

    Yohan grabbed the gasoline that Sung Bae provided and made sure that the surrounding area was clear of flammable material before he started pouring it on the pile of corpses. Once he lit the pile on fire, flames and a foul odor arose.

    ¡°Do we have to burn them like this?¡± Saeri covered her nose.

    ¡°An infectious disease can spread in the summer if we just let the corpses rot. Burning them is the most effective way to get rid of them.¡±

    ¡°But the smoke is too noticeable.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s noticeable.¡±

    ¡°What do we do if people find us?¡±

    ¡°Well, if someone can get past all the zombies around the mall and enter the camp, they¡¯re sure to be useful to have around.¡±

    ¡°What if they come with bad intentions?¡±

    ¡°Then we kill them,¡± Yohan replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Saeri kept her mouth closed after that.

    It took a long time for the corpses to burn away, but the camp survivors seemed pretty energetic. A single hard day of work was more meaningful than the dull six months that they had endured. Hope was growing stronger and was reflected in their eyes as they watched the flames.

    ¡°We still have to do three more trips, so grab the carts and let¡¯s hurry. Jung Hwan, stay here and keep an eye on the fire. Be careful and let it burn slowly. If you add too much fuel, it¡¯ll get too big and spread.¡±

    ¡°Okay. What are you going to do Yohan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go check that out real quick.¡± Yohan pointed at the water tank. It no longer provided water, but Yohan still wanted to examine it just in case. There were actually two water tanks. He examined both tanks and then looked back at the camp survivors and smiled.

    ¡°This camp really is lucky.¡±

    There was still water in one of the tanks.

 Chapter 16

    That night, the mood around the camp was better than usual. The survivors even lit up some of the candles, not worrying about saving them. The large candles reflected the bright atmosphere.

    They had brought out all of the beer they found at the loading docks and were drinking it. It was fine to consume it all, since alcohol wasn¡¯t considered a necessity. The gangsters from H Mall had previously stolen all their booze so, when they managed to secure some more from the loading docks, it improved morale.

    ¡°Anyways, what do we do about the water tank?¡± They had discovered that one of the water tanks still had water in it, but they didn¡¯t know how to hook it up. For now, they left it alone, but they would need to find a way to use it soon.

    ¡°Yohan.¡± Elder Park approached Yohan, who was also drinking beer.

    ¡°Oh, Elder Park¡­¡±

    ¡°Gunn woke up.¡±

    Yohan and Hyuk stood up at the same time and sprinted to the infirmary. When they entered, they saw that Gunn wasn¡¯t in great condition. He was now sitting on the side of the bed and his face was pale and drenched with sweat.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± Gunn¡¯s voice was weak. It was low and hoarse and made the pair feel uneasy.

    ¡°You have a high fever.¡±

    Thankfully, it looked like he didn¡¯t get infected by the zombie virus. If he had, he would have already turned. He definitely wasn¡¯t infected, but his condition wasn¡¯t great. He had lost a lot of blood and, since they couldn¡¯t treat the amputation wound properly, it was festering. That fact that he was still living was already a miracle. However, Gunn was exhausted and could pass out at any moment.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m done for. I keep falling unconscious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Gunn was barely able to shake his head. Hyuk liberally shed the tears that he had been holding back until now.

    ¡°Yohan, I apologize. I¡¯m going to have to ask for another favor from you,¡± Gunn took several labored breaths before continuing, ¡°take care of Hyuk for me.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yohan answered without any hesitation. A small smile appeared on Gunn¡¯s face.

    ¡°For some reason, it feels like we¡¯ve been friends for a long time, even though we only just met recently.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Yohan didn¡¯t think that Gunn had memories from the previous timeline. There was also no way that he knew that Yohan came back to the past. Gunn was probably sensing something from the way Yohan treated him. Did he unknowingly treat him as if he was an old friend?

    ¡°Hyuk,¡± Gunn turned towards Hyuk.

    ¡°Brother, *sniff*, Gunn¡­¡±

    ¡°I love you little bro.¡±

    Hyuk¡¯s only response was to continue sobbing.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t lose hope,¡± Gunn¡¯s voice was starting to fade. He mustered up all his energy and spoke a bit louder, ¡°Survive. Man, stop crying like a baby. Your dick is going to fall off. I know it¡¯s clich¨¦d, but now you have to live for me too.¡±

    ¡°Hyuk¡­ no matter how hard things get, don¡¯t lose your humanity. Don¡¯t just focus on surviving. Live to help others, that¡¯s what makes us human. Remember these words, Hyuk.¡± Gunn¡¯s words were met with silence, intermittently interrupted by Hyuk¡¯s sobbing. Gunn grabbed Hyuk¡¯s hand and held it tightly.

    ¡°Yohan. Let me use one bullet. I¡¯m really tired. I¡¯m cold and dizzy. My arm feels like it¡¯s on fire.¡±

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s a waste of ammo.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re joking right?¡±

    ¡°Dude, you just told Hyuk not to lose hope,¡± Yohan couldn¡¯t say any more. He couldn¡¯t tell him that it was too early to give up; that he should hold on until his last breath. Gunn had a grim expression on his face which made all of Yohan¡¯s words get caught in his throat. It was the look one had once they realized that death was coming and was unavoidable. With a heavy heart, Yohan let out a reluctant sigh. He had no right to deny Gunn a peaceful send off.

    ¡°Let me go comfortably.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Want me to do it?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you carry that burden. I¡¯ll do it, but¡­ let me have a moment to myself¡­¡± Gunn trailed off. Yohan nodded and handed him a revolver.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yohan pried Hyuk away.

    ¡°Gunn¡­ Gunn!¡± Hyuk fought back frantically. Gunn gave his little brother a small smile as he was dragged out. A moment after they left the room, they heard a loud gunshot.

    * * *

    3. Zombie Wave

    March 2017

    Three months after the zombie outbreak

    Three months prior to Yohan joining Gunn¡¯s camp

    Yohan surveyed the area outside his first shelter from the rooftop. He was holding a pigeon that was skewered by an arrow. It was still bleeding.

    He threw the pigeon towards the largest gathering of zombies. From far away, zombies approached and joined the growing crowd near Yohan¡¯s shelter. This was exactly what he wanted. Having zombies gathered near the shelter was a boon as it would deter intruders. Unless someone was courageous and had serious skills, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get through this many zombies and ransack the shelter.

    Yohan had set up a zipline between two rooftops. He tugged on the cable a couple of times. Even though he had already used it a few times, he still doubled checked to make sure that it was still sturdy. The zipline was the only safe way to get into the shelter from the outside.

    Even if someone managed to get past all the zombies and enter the building, there were traps installed near the entrance and ground floor windows that would prevent them from advancing further. Needles were embedded on windows, door handles, and steps. They were coated with zombie blood. If someone managed to get into the building, they would most likely succumb to the infection. Even though he was the one who set up the traps, Yohan hoped that they would never be needed.

    ¡®Well, who would risk their lives to enter an ordinary-looking place anyways? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a mall or convenience store.¡¯

    Yohan turned his thoughts towards a more important issue¡ªobtaining a gun. He had already prepared a few weapons with which to fight zombies, but he needed a gun for a different reason. While guns were generally useful against zombies, pistols and shotguns¡ªwhich were the most common weapons found in a gun store or police station¡ªwere cumbersome to reload. When you had to take care of a big group of zombies, they were less than ideal. Additionally, they made a lot of noise, which was a huge problem.

    This was why he had spent so much effort procuring a crossbow. The weapon barely made a sound and bolts were easy to craft and use. However, a big battle was a different story. The side that had more guns typically had more power and resources. Additionally, guns were directly correlated with protecting lives and were recognized as a symbol of power.

    To Yohan, the most dangerous opponent was a human with a gun. To Yohan, a gun was a weapon used to kill other humans.

    With that in mind, Yohan had to decide when to venture out for a gun. There was a large firearms dealership and a police station all the way back near Bucheon City Hall. However, if he ventured out too early, the place would be packed with survivors and the undead. It would be too chaotic and there was a good chance that he would get roped into something with the survivors. On the other hand, if he went out too late, someone else would loot the buildings and he would be left with guns, but no ammo.

    Yohan had decided that three months was the sweet spot, and so he bunkered down in his shelter until then. As he walked away from the zipline, his footsteps felt heavy. The future seemed overwhelming. There was a limit to how many guns he could acquire. Transporting them would be difficult as well. He knew this would be a difficult mission. As he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, Yohan let out a sigh.

    * * *

    Yohan crossed the boundary into the Wonmisan mountain region. His duffle bag was light, but was also large and often got in his way. Getting to his destination was going to be easy, but going back would be cumbersome, since he would have to carry a bag full of guns and ammo up the mountain range.

    As the roads were packed with zombies, Yohan decided to take less populated routes. While this took longer, he didn¡¯t encounter anyone along the way. He only had to take care of a few zombies.

    Yohan sat down on a rock near the boundary and chewed on some beef jerky. If he took his time, it would take roughly four days to complete the round trip. This was the amount of time he gave himself to secure guns.

    Yohan heard a growl behind him. Instead of turning around, Yohan simple whipped out a knife and stabbed behind him. He felt a familiar sensation as the growling guttered out.

    Pulling out a map, he checked his location again. Gyeonggi Firearm Store¡­ Bucheon Police Station¡­ it would take around 20-30 minutes by foot. The firearm dealership was his first choice and the police station was the backup plan. This was an obvious choice, as the police station would inevitably contain either survivors or zombies.

    After walking for a few minutes, Yohan went from a four-way intersection to a T-intersection. After taking a few more steps, he stopped and looked around. There weren¡¯t any zombies. In an instant, he dashed off of the street and disappeared.

    The people that were watching his progress from the rooftops were shocked. Chatter erupted from their walkie-talkie.

    ¡°Rainbow here. Rainbow. Lost visual on the target. Over.¡± A hooded figure with a sniper rifle had been following Yohan from on top of a library. The figure quickly stood up and looked down from the building, but could not see their prey anywhere. The sniper looked disappointed.

    ¡°A crossbow and a duffle bag. Seemed like he would be good to mug, but he hid like a rat.¡± The figure went back to the lookout. Suddenly, the sniper felt something cold and sharp pressed against their head.

    ¡°Quiet. If you move even a little bit, I¡¯ll shoot.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you three seconds for each of the following actions. First, put down the gun and take two steps back.¡±

    The sniper did not hesitate. Even though the person giving orders was behind them, there was an overbearing killing intent that was almost palpable. The figure took two steps back.

    ¡°Next, get on your knees, lock your fingers together, and put your hands on top of your head.¡± As the figure followed his instructions, Yohan stuffed the gun into his duffle bag and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

    ¡°How did you know we were here?¡±

    ¡°Quieter,¡± Yohan growled. The figure obeyed and lowered their voice.

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a big street, but there weren¡¯t any zombies.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me that you figured us out just from that? How did you know that I was on top of the library?¡±

    ¡°The fact that there isn¡¯t a single zombie on this big road meant that someone was monitoring this area. I took a look at a few dead zombies and noticed that they were shot accurately in the head. Also, this is the tallest building in the area.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± said the sniper. Yohan pulled out some fishing line from his shoe and started tying up the sniper¡¯s hands and feet.

    ¡°Oh gross, do always keep stuff like that in your shoes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have athlete¡¯s foot, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡±

    ¡°How many of you are there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t rat out my friends,¡± the figure stared at Yohan and smirked.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Yohan didn¡¯t bother asking again. He searched the sniper¡¯s body and took everything useful.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find you and kill you,¡± the hooded figure spoke just as Yohan started to leave. Yohan stopped for a moment and then turned around.

    ¡°I see. Then I should just kill dangerous people like that so that they don¡¯t kill me in the future.¡±

    ¡°Wa¡ªwait! I was just joking!¡± The sniper tried to take back what they said, but Yohan¡¯s crossbow was already aimed at their forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just not the type that leaves trouble lying around,¡± Yohan unloaded the crossbow bolt. It flew and pierced the sniper¡¯s forehead. The figure¡¯s hood fell down and revealed the face of a woman. Yohan turned around once more to leave, clearly not bothered at all by this revelation.

    He looked at his new gun, noticed its tag, and walked away. It seemed like the gun shop had already been looted and those that looted the store were nearby.

    Yohan had a decision to make. Hunt down all the looters and commandeer their weapons, or change direction and go to the police station instead.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to decide.

 Chapter 17

    Six months after the zombie outbreak

    Yohan noticed a shadowy figure creeping around the grocery section on B2F.

    ¡®But there¡¯s nothing valuable there.¡¯

    The figure turned out to be a middle-aged woman in her late 30s or early 40s. When Yohan was admonishing the camp survivors earlier, she was holding a baby and threw a soiled diaper at him. Currently, the woman was hastily grabbing baby formula.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yohan asked. The woman gasped and dropped the formula. It rolled to Yohan¡¯s feet. Yohan bent over to pick it up and handed it to the woman.

    ¡°I ran out of baby formula¡­¡±

    When the volunteers tried to organize the storage room, they found that they didn¡¯t have enough space for everything, so they left the formula outside with the intention of bringing it back in when there was more room. They also chose not to ration the formula because they knew that there was a baby in the camp.

    ¡°Baby formula isn¡¯t something that we¡¯re currently rationing.¡±

    ¡°A¡ªare you saying that I can just take it?¡±

    ¡°If we didn¡¯t have any food, it would be different. However, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone here that¡¯s planning on surviving on formula. Don¡¯t worry about it and just take it.¡± Despite Yohan¡¯s words, the woman¡¯s eyes were still filled with fear.

    ¡®Why is she so scared?¡¯ Yohan reflected on his actions just now, but didn¡¯t think that he did anything intimidating. In fact, he thought he was being quite the gentleman right now.

    ¡°Oh, there was a pallet of baby formula at the loading docks. If you need more, I¡¯ll get it for you. Or you can ask Jung Hwan to get it for you.¡±

    ¡°Th¡ªthank you.¡±

    Yohan shrugged and walked away. There were people acting as sentries at the first floor main entrance. There wasn¡¯t much to look at, they had simply placed a metal ladder there so that they could look over the paper-covered windows and see outside the mall.

    Aside from the main entrance, there were sentries at the parking lot entrance and on the rooftop. A total of three. Each spot had two people so that if something happened, one person could race over and report to Yohan immediately. It was an old-fashioned strategy, but it was the best they could do currently.

    ¡°Yohan, what are we supposed to be looking at anyways?¡± asked Ki Moon, who was currently on guard, ¡°No matter where I look, all I see are zombies.¡±

    ¡°Look out for other survivors, if there¡¯s a sudden increase in the number of zombies, or if the glass looks like it¡¯s about to break.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look outside constantly, it¡¯ll just wear you out. If something happens, you¡¯ll hear it first.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    It was nice to have sentries to help better defend the camp, but it was more important to give the survivors something to do to keep them from being lethargic. While Yohan conversed, another woman approached him. Her name was Ji Hye Sohn. She was a 24 year old college student that didn¡¯t stand out much.

    Yohan recalled that she was the one that was vomiting uncontrollably after seeing the undead corpses on the first floor. Yohan briefly entertained calling her ¡°puker¡±, but shook his head. It was too harsh of a nickname to give to a young college girl.

    ¡°Yohan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I made this with some of the newer canned food, wanna try it?¡± Ji Hye handed him some sort of fish dish. It was rare to be able to enjoy a properly cooked meal. They usually had processed food, canned food, or ramen.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s good,¡± Yohan spoke honestly. The food was really good. Even if you ignored the fact that it had been a long time since he had a decent meal, Ji Hye¡¯s cooking skills were exceptional.

    ¡°Hehe, really?¡±

    ¡°You must be a good cook.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my major. Culinary Arts.¡±

    Yohan mentally crossed off the ¡°puker¡± nickname he had in mind and replaced it with ¡°cooker¡±. Of course, a chef was extremely valuable. Yohan finished the dish in a flash and handed back the empty plate, making sure that he thanked Ji Hye for treating him to such fine delicacy. She looked as if she was walking on air as she headed back to the camp. Ki Moon and Sang Min watched the scene and started grumbling.

    ¡°We have mouths too, but I guess she only has eyes for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! The world is too cruel to us!¡±

    ¡°Just keep watch, Mr. Diploma,¡± Yohan smiled, as the pair grumbled harmlessly.

    ¡°My name is Ki Moon, Yohan!¡±

    ¡°Until you figure out how to hotwire a car, I won¡¯t acknowledge your name.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    It had been four days since they reclaimed the entire mall. The camp was buzzing with life. Everyone had gotten used to working and rationing food.

    After Gunn died, Hyuk asked to leave the camp temporarily. He wanted to bury his brother with their parents. Yohan contemplated going with Hyuk, but simply nodded his head and approved the request. He could see vigor and determination in Hyuk¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t need his help.

    Those who were brave volunteered to hunt zombies in the parking lot. Those who didn¡¯t have such confidence where given random jobs within the camp. Skilled workers contributed their abilities towards improving the camp while non-skilled workers were tasked with cleaning and other menial labor. Thus, four days passed. By the fourth day, since everyone was contributing, no one was denied rations.

    The signs of an incoming zombie wave disappeared. Before, there were zombies that looked like they were going to storm the camp at any time, but now they were quiet. Yohan felt some regret that he had rushed the camp into action, but rescinded that feeling quickly. If there was something that needed to be done, it was better to do it immediately.

    He watched two kids run around. They were bickering about something, but then started a race with each other, which ended with them running into Yohan.

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    ¡°Hey kids, you¡¯ll get hurt if you run around like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that guy!¡± The younger boy yelled as he hid behind his brother.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my little brother!¡± The older boy was holding a small paring knife.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Yohan sighed gently. Even though they were kids, they were now living in a world where they had to fend for themselves. ¡°So you¡¯re the older brother.¡±

    The boy nodded. Yohan approached the boy slowly and gently took the knife in order to teach him how to wield it.

    ¡°Hold the knife like this. That way it¡¯s easier to stab with two hands and it won¡¯t slip from your grasp easily.¡± Yohan smiled as the boy nodded. He patted him on the head.

    ¡°Protect your brother.¡±

    ¡°Mom said that you might be a bad guy.¡±

    ¡°I am a bad guy.¡±

    ¡°She said that it¡¯s hard to feed the baby because of you.¡±

    There was only one baby in the camp that drank formula. Yohan immediately thought of the soiled diaper thrower. She had three kids. Even a super human would struggle to take care of all three kids and herself. Yohan finally understood why she was so hostile to him.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re a good person,¡± chimed the boy.

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    These were the peaceful days at the mall.

    * * *

    That night, Jung Hwan called him. Yohan entered the meeting room in front of the storage room on B1F and saw that many people had gathered. It seemed like something had happened. This worked out for Yohan, as he was going to call for all the staff anyways.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°We need your¡­ opinion on something,¡± Jung Hwan replied.

    ¡°Ah, nice timing. I also have something to discuss.¡±

    Now that the camp had settled into a nice routine, they needed to start preparing a few new things. First, they needed to group people up in preparation for a zombie wave. Currently, they had almost 30 camp members, which was more than what was dictated in Yohan¡¯s golden rule. In order to reduce the camp size to under 20, he had to expand their territory.

    Second, they were still lacking a medical professional. In order to prevent deaths like Gunn¡¯s, it was absolutely necessary to find medical personnel to join the camp. Finally, they had to prepare for the gangsters that were occupying H Mall across the street. Regardless of what the camp survivors wanted, Yohan didn¡¯t plan on sitting idly by when there was danger right next door.

    As Yohan entered the meeting room, everyone looked at him. Seo Jun, Elder Park, Byung Jin, Jung Hwan, and Min Seo were present. They made up the group of leaders that Yohan appointed.

    ¡°You seem pretty happy to be here.¡± Byung Jin chatted with Seo Jun, who now fitted in well with the group.

    ¡°Oh, ahem. Well, I realized that Yohan didn¡¯t actually have any bad intentions. So, I began cooperating.¡±

    ¡°You made the right decision.¡±

    Yohan sat down and nodded his head at Elder Park, who began speaking.

    ¡°The reason why we called for a meeting was because we encountered two problems.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°First¡­ Soo In has been infected.¡± Soo In was someone that participated in a recent hunt.

    ¡°Oh no, how did that happen?¡±

    ¡°While she was killing zombies in the parking lot, she lost her balance and fell.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Death was normal and infections couldn¡¯t always be avoided. However, this particular case was a senseless death. It had been six months since the outbreak, people should not be dying because of a mistake or lack of skills.

    ¡°Because of that, the fighting group¡¯s morale is low. I was thinking you could go and help them.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°And the second problem has to do with order within the camp¡­¡± Elder Park paused, seeming to have trouble finding his words. He cleared his throat several times before continuing, ¡°Three people tried to rape Ji Hye not too long ago¡­¡±

    A frown appeared on Yohan¡¯s face.

    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡±

    ¡°Please continue.¡±

    ¡°Saeri was nearby and heard her scream, so she ran into the scene. However, the three tried to throw themselves on her and rape her too. And then¡­¡± Elder Park paused again, ¡°Saeri stabbed one of them in the groin with a knife.¡±

    Yohan couldn¡¯t hold in his laughter, but he quickly got control of himself. After all, the whole scenario wasn¡¯t a joke.

    ¡°Is he dead?¡±

    ¡°His life is in danger. However, we need to decide what to do with the three men, as well as Saeri.¡±

    While the others discussed amongst themselves, Yohan was silent. He didn¡¯t have to think about it for too long. The answer was quite obvious, but there was an issue with the timing of it. Seo Jun and Byung Jin were in a heated debate, but Elder Park interrupted them with his own opinion.

    ¡°How about a majority vote? Anyone can propose an answer and we¡¯ll vote on it. Since there are six people here, if any idea gets more than four votes, that will be the course of action we take. Alternatively, we can add another person to this group.¡±

    It was a reasonable and civilized suggestion. Seo Jun and Byung Jin had stopped arguing and were looking at Yohan. Yohan immediately shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Elder Park. Democracy will not work in this world.¡±

    ¡°But Yohan¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be making all the decisions. If I¡¯m not here, I¡¯ll appoint someone to be the leader and they¡¯ll make the decisions. The rest of you just have to follow them. In an emergency, we won¡¯t have time to do majority voting.¡± Yohan spoke firmly, leaving no room for dissent. However, nobody seemed to want to argue with him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll create a few general rules and make decisions whenever something comes up that is outside of those rules. However, I don¡¯t expect there to be that many exceptional scenarios¡­¡± Yohan wanted to collect his thoughts for a moment, but ended up speaking off the top of his mind.

    ¡°We kill the infected. Rape, violence, murder, or any other acts of violence towards a fellow survivor are prohibited. That is unless someone puts you in danger, in which case it would be considered self-defense. We¡¯ll manage essential supplies as a group. Those that don¡¯t contribute will receive no supplies. Those with better skills or performances will get bigger rations. For that last point, we can discuss further and figure it out exactly.¡±

 Chapter 18

    ¡°It¡¯s an extremely dangerous system.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Given our current circumstances, it would be hard to gather evidence and witnesses. If we don¡¯t provide proof before doling out punishment, people might feel victimized.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Yohan nodded. It was a reasonable concern. ¡°But Elder Park, do you know why an autocracy is so frighteningly effective?¡±

    Elder Park did not answer. Yohan felt a bit uncomfortable lecturing someone that was much older than himself, but he the senior when it came to surviving in the apocalypse.

    ¡°It¡¯s because one person has absolute control. All my decisions will result in one of three possibilities: forgiveness, execution, or expulsion. Oh, and when I say forgiveness, I don¡¯t mean forgiving someone¡¯s actions. That¡¯s up to the victim to decide. I¡¯m talking about pardoning someone for breaking the rules of our camp.¡±

    In the apocalypse, an expulsion was the same as a death sentence. It wasn¡¯t an immediate execution, but anyone abandoned by their group would find that they were more likely to squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle than survive. Yohan looked around to see if there were any more questions. No one said anything but, after a moment, Seo Jun raised his hand.

    ¡°If acts of violence are only prohibited against fellow survivors¡­ are you saying that acts of violence are allowed when directed at someone outside of our group?¡±

    ¡°Any acts of violence towards people who are not a part of our camp will be considered self-defense.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I like to nip problems in the bud before they come back to haunt us.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s okay to beat a child, murder the elderly, and rape women, as long as they¡¯re not a part of our camp? Are you trying to turn us into a gang or something?¡± Seo Jun asked pointedly, his words as sharp as a knife. There was clearly aggression in his tone, which made everyone else silent. They looked over to Yohan, but he seemed unaffected. It was as if they were looking at an android, which disturbed them.

    ¡°The wording of this rule may cause trouble for us in the future, but we can¡¯t help it. I have killed people before and I¡¯ll probably kill a lot more in the future. This is who I am, so what right do I have to stop others from doing the same? We can¡¯t say yes to murder and no to violent acts. It would be a double standard.¡±

    ¡°We can either try to talk it out or, if we meet malicious people outside our camp, can¡¯t we just scare them away?¡±

    ¡°A friend of mine was trying to help a group of kids and was killed by those kids. They were only 11 years old. Thinking that we can immediately tell if people are malicious or not is naive and dangerous,¡± Yohan firmly shook his head.

    ¡°However, there are some things I deem unnecessary because they do more harm than good. For example, people beating on the elderly or raping women in order to fulfill their desires. Even if they were outsiders that wronged us, I wouldn¡¯t abuse them and would just kill them quietly. I think that would help us avoid any future problems. I can¡¯t tell you if that¡¯s better or worse, that¡¯s something you guys will have to decide for yourselves.¡±

    Yohan elaborated further, mentioning that he didn¡¯t want to waste time on people that didn¡¯t have common sense. Not punishing a behavior was different than condoning it. It was just hypocritical of Yohan, who didn¡¯t have exactly the greatest moral code, to confront such people.

    ¡°Then the three men and Saeri¡­¡±

    ¡°Saeri¡¯s actions were in self-defense. However, the three men should be punished.¡±

    ¡°Punished?¡±

    ¡°Elder Park, how are the three doing?¡±

    ¡°The one that was injured is currently receiving medical help, not that there¡¯s anything left to treat¡­ but anyways, it seemed like they should be isolated, so that¡¯s what we did.¡±

    If the injury was deep, then it was possible that the eunuch would turn into a zombie. If that happened in that small room, it was pretty obvious what would happen to the other two men.

    ¡°Let¡¯s banish them from the camp. That is, if they¡¯re still alive.¡± These were cowards that had never fought zombies before. On top of that, one of them was injured. Banishment was no different than a death sentence for them. Seo Jun voiced his disapproval of the decision, saying it was cruel, but Yohan was firm.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said this a few times before. If there¡¯s something that could cause trouble for us in the future, it¡¯s better to deal with them now. Those three also tried to break into the storage room earlier when we were fighting zombies.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°I heard it from Hyuk.¡±

    Jung Hwan and Byung Jin frowned. This was new information for them. While they were out there fighting and risking their lives, those three were trying to steal food. Their impressions of the three men were getting worse by the minute.

    ¡°If you guys are done, I also have something to say. We have to split up the camp. It¡¯s dangerous to have so many people in one camp.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous?¡±

    ¡°A zombie wave is coming. I¡¯m sure some of you have heard about this.¡±

    Only Jung Hwan nodded his head, so Yohan explained again about zombie waves. As the group listened, their expressions turned to that of fear and concern.

    ¡®If a lot of people stay in one place for a long time, then a zombie wave will come.¡¯

    A zombie wave starts when a group of zombies begin to howl. Thousands of zombies will howl at the same time and the streets will be filled with their hideous screeching. Once this happens, the zombies will target an area and they will become different from ordinary zombies. Their movements will be a bit faster¡ªif an ordinary zombie¡¯s speed is a slow walk, then a zombie wave¡¯s speed is like a jog.

    The zombies in a wave had an appetite for flesh that was more ravenous than normal. This determination was extremely deadly. It meant that the zombies wouldn¡¯t just wave their hands around if something blocks their way. No, they would even step and climb over other zombies in order to chase down their prey. They would break through eventually, no matter how big and strong the obstacle.

    There were two ways to end a zombie wave. Either all the people in the area disappear, or the mutant zombie that initiated the zombie wave is eliminated.

    ¡°Mu¡ªmutant zombie?¡± Seo Jun asked. Yohan gulped involuntarily, the memories of mutant zombies made his knees weak, even now. Up until now, all the fights were cakewalk for Yohan. In order to guarantee survival, he took many precautions. However, when compared to the battles he experienced in the previous timeline, the fights so far felt like child¡¯s play.

    Yohan recalled the third golden rule that he came up with during the zombie apocalypse. Third rule: If you see a red-skinned zombie, immediately run as fast as you can or, if possible, kill it immediately.

    The red-skinned zombies, or mutant zombies, were very rare. Yohan referred to them as mutant zombies and advanced zombies interchangeably. Dealing with them was different than dealing with ordinary zombies. Although they were rare, the consequences of their presence was shocking.

    At Yohan¡¯s sixth camp in the previous timeline, there was a mutant zombie that was three meters tall. The image of it smashing down an iron door and opening the floodgates for the zombie wave to wipe out almost 1,000 soldiers was still fresh in his head. The soldiers looked like toys in front of the mutant zombie.

    The 974 Amphibious Vehicle Platoon. Its soldiers were strong and the commander was wise. Out of all the remaining military bases, it handled the apocalypse the best. However, four days was all it took to bring the base down. Mutant zombies either had some intelligence, or were fast and strong. There was always some new variation. There were probably types that Yohan hadn¡¯t encountered yet. Their arrival was always met with great fear and consequence.

    Mutant zombies weren¡¯t like necromancers or some other mythical being. They didn¡¯t conquer humans using some devious plan. However, they could have trace amounts of intelligence. Yohan had seen mutant zombies howl at a certain area where there were a lot of survivors and zombies would move in that direction. That was how zombie waves came to be.

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible¡­¡±

    ¡°It is possible. I didn¡¯t believe it myself until I saw it with my own eyes.¡±

    Elder Park sighed. The ideas and concepts from science that he knew and studied for years were being thrown out the window. Then again, probably half of scientific knowledge became meaningless once the apocalypse started.

    ¡°The good thing is that it¡¯s rare. We still have time to prepare. First, we need to split up the camp like I said earlier.¡± Yohan¡¯s first golden rule was to maintain a camp with less than 20 people in it. This was because mutant zombies targeted areas with more survivors first. The other group members nodded their heads.

    ¡°This is also why I¡¯ve been thinking about going outside for a bit. I¡¯ll check out the area around the mall, see if there are any survivors at the general hospital nearby, and check to see if there are any places where we can start a second camp. While I¡¯m gone, the person that will be in charge is¡­¡±

    Everyone looked at him nervously. Even though it was a small group, having absolute power was a sweet fruit and they couldn¡¯t mask their anticipation.

    ¡°Jung Hwan.¡± Yohan announced the name that he had decided on earlier. He had mixed feelings about the decision still. Jung Hwan was obviously the best choice remaining. His growth wasn¡¯t fast, but he was steadfast and often did the tasks that other people didn¡¯t want to do. He participated in the majority of the fights. He wasn¡¯t too soft, but he also wasn¡¯t totally heartless. It also helped that he followed Yohan as if he were his older brother. Yohan definitely favored those that followed him. Additionally, Jung Hwan managed to get on Yohan¡¯s good side with his quiet personality.

    Yohan wrapped up the meeting so quickly that no one had the chance to offer a rebuttal. Yohan took Jung Hwan with him and they walked towards the room where the three men were being kept. No one was guarding the room, but the door was locked from the outside with a chain and padlock. As he turned the handle, Yohan heard noise inside. He stepped back a step and pulled out his knife.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, open the door.¡±

    Jung Hwan unlocked the padlock with a key. The door creaked open and three zombies charged at Yohan. Yohan kicked the first zombie that approached him and stabbed the second one in the temple. The zombie waved its arms around, trying to grab him, but he ducked and avoided it. The zombie¡¯s arms groped at the air instead.

    From his lowered position, Yohan leveraged his arm between the zombie¡¯s legs and tossed it to the ground. The first zombie that was kicked away came back and ended up getting stabbed in the eye. Meanwhile, Jung Hwan took care of the third zombie.

    Yohan was relieved. If they weren¡¯t infected, Yohan was going to take care of them himself. The banishment was just for show. Yohan was planning to hunt them down after they left and murder them. People that were kicked out of a camp usually came back with a vengeance. He wanted to avoid future headaches. He reminded himself of this several times. It was better that he didn¡¯t have to deal with them anymore.

    Jung Hwan quietly removed the three corpses from the room. Up until now, they were fellow camp members. However, they became zombies and the two of them killed them without any hesitation. Jung Hwan could feel his heart freezing.

    ¡°Jung Hwan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Yohan?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been in the military, right?¡±

    ¡°I produced and developed materials for the military.¡±

    ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve done your military service. You received basic military training, right?¡± Yohan clarified.

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like the military teaches people how to use a pistol.¡¯ Yohan pushed away his doubts and handed Jung Hwan the .36 caliber revolver, fully loaded with six bullets.

    ¡°Why¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask and just take it. Oh, the gun isn¡¯t meant for zombies.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it meant for then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s meant for human use,¡± Yohan said cryptically. Jung Hwan accepted the firearm, stood staring at it for a while, and then placed it inside his pants.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Saeri?¡±

    ¡°She was isolated in a different room.¡±

    ¡°Why are you isolating the victim?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ she made a big scene, saying that she wanted to castrate all three of them¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Yohan was at a loss for words for a moment. He then placed his hand on Jung Hwan¡¯s shoulder and walked out. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should visit Saeri.¡±

    When they reached Saeri¡¯s room, Yohan knocked on the door before opening it. Saeri was sitting on a chair but, when she saw Yohan, she jumped up and walked up to him.

    ¡°Saeri,¡± Yohan said her name gently. Saeri quietly mumbled a response.

    ¡°I did what I had to do.¡±

 Chapter 19

    ¡°What about Ji Hye? And those guys?¡± Saeri asked, while looking around.

    ¡°Ji Hye is recovering and those guys are dead.¡±

    ¡°D¡ªdead?¡±

    ¡°One of them turned into a zombie. Do you remember the second golden rule that I taught you?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t disinfect and bandage your wounds, you¡¯ll get infected.¡±

    ¡°Correct. One person got infected and turned and then the other two that were trapped in the room with him got infected too. That¡¯s how they died,¡± Yohan watched as Saeri¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°How does it feel to kill a human being for the first time?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°Not directly, but you can¡¯t deny that he became a zombie because you stabbed him in the groin.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You still think you did the right thing?¡±

    Saeri didn¡¯t respond immediately, but eventually nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You were right.¡± Yohan patted her on the head and then began explaining his new plan, since Saeri wasn¡¯t present during the meeting due to her isolation. Naturally, Saeri made a big fuss about going along with him.

    ¡°Me too, I¡¯ll go too!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I told you, I need to save my sister!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a reason for why you shouldn¡¯t go. You¡¯ll be a distraction.¡±

    Saeri huffed and stared at Yohan as if she was going to tackle him at any moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too, Yohan,¡± Jung Hwan spoke up, making things even worse.

    ¡°Did you not hear what I just said? You need to be the leader while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°But Yohan!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Jung Hwan Kim! You stay out of it. Go work, I¡¯ll go with Yohan.¡±

    ¡°Both of you shut up. You¡¯re too loud,¡± Yohan¡¯s stern voice made the pair close their mouths. Yohan reiterated his decision firmly, ¡°I¡¯m going by myself.¡±

    * * *

    Yohan quickly exited the camp. While the zombies were being distracted by the parking lot entrance, Yohan went out the alternate side door exit. The warm breeze brushed his cheeks as he ran quickly to his destination.

    He ran back to the Kkachiul Complex and got onto the roof of a nearby building. From there, he used the zipline to get back into his first shelter. There were still zombies lingering around. Yohan assumed that some wannabe looters got caught in his traps and became zombies as a result. These people were simply unlucky for targeting a place that was prepared. Yohan honestly felt bad for the victims of his traps. He had put up a sign at the entrance of the complex that said ¡°Danger Zone¡±, but it probably wasn¡¯t enough.

    He reacclimated himself with his shelter, soaked his body in some warm water, ate a nutritious meal, and relieved some stress by playing video games. He could feel all of the built up tension in his mind and body wash away.

    He took the whole day off and did not worry about anything, focusing only on rest and relaxation. As his stress decreased, the knots in his muscles loosened up as well. When he woke up the next day, his whole body felt refreshed.

    Yohan started preparing for his next outing. He put the revolver that was on his waist in the gun locker and took out a Glock and a silencer. He put them in his pocket and then put a jacket on over it.

    He had resolutely taken the revolver with him on his first outing because it was easy to carry. It was also the easiest gun to find ammo for, from places such as the police station. Now, however, there was a good chance that there was going to be a big fight. He needed a silenced weapon that used easy-to-reload magazines. He obtained the Glock three months ago from a battle with some gunmen. It was an indispensable weapon.

    Yohan added two magazines to the pocket that held the silencer and put on a utility belt to use instead of a backpack. He needed to keep his load as light as possible. He packed some beef jerky and binoculars. Finally, he slung his crossbow on his back.

    Yohan headed back to the Bucheon City Hall district again. He walked for 30 minutes before he arrived at the H Mall. The main entrance was littered with zombies. Unlike his mall, the H Mall had several entrances. It was connected to the general shopping center next to it and that place had all sorts of entrances. The main entrance doors were closed, but Yohan couldn¡¯t tell if they were locked.

    Without any hesitation, he headed for the parking lot. There were dozens of zombies there. They growled when they saw Yohan and approached him. Yohan pulled out his crossbow, shot the three zombies nearest to him, and then ran to the emergency exit as fast as he could. The zombies couldn¡¯t catch up to him. Slowly, he opened the emergency exit door.

    ¡°Oh, who¡­¡± There was a guard. He noticed Yohan but, before he knew what was happening, Yohan was behind him. Once he came to his senses, he tried to scream and reach for his weapon, but Yohan already had wrapped his arm around his neck.

    A loud cracking sound filled the hallway. The guard frothed at the mouth and fell to the floor as Yohan released him. Yohan quickly ran up the stairs to the top floor. Unlike his mall, the center court was wide open. Yohan could see people on the floors below him. He watched them using his binoculars.

    The first floor was still filled with zombies and, just like his mall, there were people in the basement floors where the supplies were. As Yohan surveyed the scene, he felt a sense of deja vu. However, their actions and movements were strange. It was as if¡­

    ¡®Are they high?¡¯

    Most of the people looked lethargic and their eyes were red and hooded. Yohan frowned. In the previous timeline, he had run into a group that was addicted to drugs. This group reminded him of them.

    ¡®Society did crumble, but how did they get their hands on such a large amount of drugs? To get to this point, someone must be enabling them.¡¯

    Just then, Yohan noticed a group moving up from the basement floors and walking across to the general shopping center through the sky bridge on the second floor. Yohan followed them, but made sure to keep his distance. He was careful to be stealthy. While he was confident that he would be able to escape if he got caught, there was no reason not to be careful anyways.

    There were piles of corpses all over the general shopping center. Yohan wasn¡¯t sure when they started to rot, but the entire place reeked.

    ¡®Diseases are going to spread once summer gets here.¡¯

    It was basic common sense. If dead bodies are not dealt with, disease will flourish. This group seemed capable of hunting zombies, but, as could be seen here, lacked an understanding of cleanliness.

    Yohan tried to keep tailing the group from afar, but ran into a dead end. He looked around, but the path forward was getting narrower. He didn¡¯t want to charge in, so it was dangerous to advance from this point on. After contemplating it for a moment, Yohan removed the vent grate on the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t difficult to locate the gangsters. The shopping center was quiet and the ventilation systems had long been out of operation. Yohan crawled through the maze-like vents and, by following different voices, reached a room that seemed to be the shopping center¡¯s office.

    There were about 10 people in the office. A young, sharp-looking man sat pretentiously at the head of the table. Yohan could immediately tell that he was the leader. In front of him was a woman on her knees, her face covered in tears. In one of the corners of the room was a large, muscular man, tied up and covered in blood. Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± the man at the head of the table spoke with a low, deep voice. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    The group that entered looked strong, but Yohan was focused on the restrained man in the corner.

    ¡®Seems like he got beat up pretty bad.¡¯

    Even after entering the room, the group stood in a row near the door. This was because the man, who definitely seemed like the leader now, had walked forward, towards the man tied up in the corner. He lifted the man¡¯s chin with his index finger.

    ¡°See? If you weren¡¯t so stubborn and just obeyed me, things would¡¯ve been a lot better.¡±

    The man spat at him. The leader wiped the spit off his face with his leather glove and then slapped the man.

    ¡°This is why martial artists are bothersome. They¡¯re so stubborn. Hey you, report.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Director. Here¡¯s the results of today¡¯s hunt. We killed about 109 zombies. We lost two people in the process.¡±

    ¡°Who died?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to remember their names. They were some new members that joined recently¡­¡±

    ¡°Bunch of trash. Whatever, just keep sending them out. Weak bastards don¡¯t deserve to live. It would be great if a useful guy like him would change his mind, right?¡± The director looked at the martial artist.

    ¡°Yes, of course sir.¡±

    ¡°If you wanted, I would even let you have all the women,¡± the director shrugged, ¡°Even the drugs. Oh, maybe you wouldn¡¯t want drugs since all your friends died from overdose.¡±

    The martial artist growled and struggled against his bindings. The men rushed to hold him down, but he was so strong that all of them fell over. The director clicked his tongue and kicked the man in the stomach. The martial artist¡¯s head hit the floor and he laid there, gasping.

    ¡°Take this girl away. Bring Sae Young.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a bitch as delicious as Sae Young, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Um, excuse me, Director.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Sae Young. She said she¡¯s not feeling well.¡±

    ¡°Haha, really? No choice then.¡± The director immediately punched the man he was speaking with across the chin. While he was reeling from the blow, the director grabbed the ashtray next to him and bash him over the head with it. He then stomped and kicked the man repeatedly in the head and stomach.

    ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡±

    ¡°Did you think I was just going to leave it at that?¡±

    ¡°Uuuggh, director¡­¡±

    ¡°What? You piece of shit.¡± The director grabbed a golf club. Everyone watched him in shock, unable to stop him. The director twirled the golf club a couple of times and then hit the man with all the force he could muster. The man¡¯s body shuddered violently and then went still.

    ¡°Clean it up,¡± ordered the director, waving his hand in the air. His men moved in quickly.

    ¡°H¡ªhe¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Throw him away. Bring Sae Young Yun on your way back.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Oh right,¡± the director walked back towards his chair, but spun around again, causing his men to flinch. ¡°When will the meat shield be ready?¡±

    ¡°W¡ªwe are going to need more time. There aren¡¯t a lot of decent ones in the trash¡­¡±

    ¡°Keep sending them outside. Until they are useful. Once the shield is complete, we need to visit the mall and the S Zone across the street and get our payment. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve visited them, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take more people this time and bring them all back. This process is getting pretty old.¡±

    Yohan clicked his tongue. These people were pieces of shit and he didn¡¯t want to associate with them. The gangsters were taking advantage of the apocalypse to distribute drugs, kidnap people, and perform random acts of violence. He could already guess how the kidnapped people were being treated without seeing them. He wouldn¡¯t want to join these bastards even if they offered it. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to break apart a well-organized group or force a change in leadership.

    Yohan already knew that if they didn¡¯t do anything and tried to talk things out, there would be conflict between the two camps. He had to get rid of them. Yohan started formulating a plan in his head. Even though it was going to be a big fight, it was less dangerous for him to do it by himself. Yohan was confident in this fact. The unskilled members of his camp would only get in the way.

    Yohan carefully scooted backward in the vents, making sure to memorize every face in the group. Yohan only saw one gun, which was the pistol possessed by the director. Since it seemed like they had access to guns, he had to assume that other gangsters might have guns as well.

    After leaving the office area, Yohan slowly explored the rest of the mall. He wanted to see how much fighting power they had¡ªhow many people were in the camp and how much supplies they had. As the camp was fairly large, there were a lot of people. Thus, they also had a lot of supplies. However, it seemed like the abundant supplies weren¡¯t being distributed evenly, as many people looked like they were sick and starving.

    It was a tragic scene that reflected how wicked the camp¡¯s management system was. It was also a reflection of how corrupt a human could be.

    In order to leave the camp, Yohan had to go to the third floor. Just then, he was distracted by a disturbance on the basement floor. It was the sound of a woman screaming.

    Then, Yohan heard someone speaking to him.

    ¡°Hey man, do you have some business in this camp?¡±

 Chapter 20

    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Yohan could feel the hairs on his skin standing on their ends as a shiver ran through his body.

    He hadn¡¯t felt this person¡¯s presence at all. Yohan¡¯s senses were more sensitive than those of a normal person. He was always watching his surroundings to ensure that no one would catch him unaware, no matter how carefully they moved.

    Yohan grabbed his crossbow as he turned around and took aim at the person who spoke to him. At the same time, the speaker kicked at his hands. Pain coursed through Yohan¡¯s fingers as his crossbow was sent flying into the air.

    ¡°What the heck?¡± It was the first time he failed to suppress someone in this timeline. Yohan moved to grab his gun from his utility belt. In response, the man threw a roundhouse kick at him. The force of the kick slicing through the air made an intimidating sound. Yohan ducked his head and managed to avoid the blow.

    Yohan followed up his dodge with a low kick aimed at his opponent¡¯s legs. The man stumbled and Yohan took advantage of the moment to tackle him to the ground and pin him. As he got into the full mount position, the man threw a fist that hit Yohan clean. Yohan lost his control of the position and the man kicked at him and rolled out of the pin. Yohan felt something in his mouth and spat it out. It was blood.

    ¡®Injury.¡¯ Yohan¡¯s stress level spiked as soon as he saw the blood. Even though it wasn¡¯t an exposed external injury, just having an injury was dangerous. At the same time, his opponent¡¯s mere existence was dangerous. The opponent knew how to fight and wasn¡¯t scared of Yohan¡¯s weapons.

    Yohan ducked under another strike, but the man tried to meet his duck with a knee up the middle. Yohan moved both of his hands to block the attack. Then, he headbutted his opponent, causing the man¡¯s head to snap back violently. Yohan tried to follow up with a big punch, but the man tripped him, causing him to stumble. The man followed up with another kick, which Yohan took and rolled with. Yohan kept rolling away, using the opportunity to get some distance. The man started charging in to chase down Yohan, but then stopped and raised both his hands as Yohan pointed his Glock right at him.

    ¡°Woah, woah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll shoot if you move even one step.¡±

    ¡°Calm down bro, why did you attack a human all of a sudden? I just wanted to talk.¡±

    Yohan made sure his gun was fully loaded and stood a good distance apart from his opponent. He allowed himself to take a deep breath now, knowing that he had the upper hand. A conversation was great, but the safest thing to do was fully suppress his opponent first.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that sneaked up on me first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I apologize for that. It¡¯s a habit of mine to walk around without making any noise.¡± The man smiled brightly. It was a strange expression to be wearing, considering the two of them were brawling just a moment ago. ¡°Both of us will be in danger if you fire that gun. There¡¯s a lot of gangsters down there.¡±

    Yohan quietly took out his silencer from one of his pockets and deftly attached it to his glock. The man frowned.

    ¡°I just want to talk, that¡¯s all. Don¡¯t be so cold.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I was watching you earlier and noticed you were checking every nook and cranny in this mall. You have business here, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°I have beef with them too. Let¡¯s work together.¡±

    ¡°Are you alone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been living by myself. How about it? I¡¯m Sweeper.¡±

    ¡°Sweeper?¡± Yohan asked, after reflecting on the name for a moment. It didn¡¯t seem like the name of a group and the man didn¡¯t look like a foreigner. The man noticed Yohan¡¯s confusion and smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s my nickname.¡±

    ¡°Who gave you a cheesy name like that?¡±

    ¡°I did, why?¡±

    ¡®This guy is mental. It¡¯s a serious case of eighth-grader syndrome.¡¯ Yohan shook his head. Looking at him, it didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. Based on his fighting abilities and reflexes, he was definitely a Grade A survivor, especially considering he had the guts to be roaming around here by himself. He would probably be useful if they stuck together, but there was something suspicious about him.

    While still keeping the Glock aimed at the man, Yohan slowly moved towards his crossbow. The man continued to smile while holding his hands up in the air. Yohan grabbed the crossbow, trained it at the man, and then holstered his pistol.

    ¡°Any last words?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just assume that¡¯s all you have to say,¡± Yohan¡¯s finger started to squeeze the trigger of his crossbow. At the exact moment that he decided to pull the trigger, Sweeper bolted for the railing. Yohan instinctively tried to follow his movement with the crossbow as he fired, but his movement was too sudden and he missed.

    Yohan adjusted his aim as best as he could for the second shot. The sound of his crossbow firing filled the air. He had adjusted his aim to account for the speed of a normal human, but the man moved as fast as a mutant zombie. His unnatural movements allowed him to avoid every shot. Soon, the man reached the railings. He grabbed the handrails and jumped over it. Yohan¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡®How did I miss at point blank range?¡¯

    ¡°Damn it! Why did you start shooting all of a sudden!?¡± Sweeper yelled from the floor below.

    ¡°I was trying to kill you, you bastard!¡± Yohan cursed. They were now making a lot of noise and he was worried that the zombies and people in the mall could hear him shouting.

    ¡°Intruder! An intruder is on the third floor with a gun! Third floor in front of the beauty products store!¡± Sweeper screamed out as loud as he could.

    Yohan could hear footsteps approaching from every direction. With his location called out clearly, the enemy¡¯s movements were quick and precise. Yohan cursed under his breath constantly as he sprinted towards the emergency exit. However, he stopped once he heard footsteps coming from below and changed directions to run the other way. His breathing was starting to get strained.

    All the while, zombies were approaching. It was impossible for him to move quickly, as he had to deal with the zombies near him. Yohan raced towards the escalators that went down to the second floor, but then changed his mind again once he saw people coming up from the other side. As soon as he turned around, he could see that even the escalator further away was swarming with people.

    Yohan looked down. The floor below him was filled with zombies that were attracted to the noise they were making. The drop from the third floor to the first was huge. Jumping to the second floor wasn¡¯t a problem, but there were too many zombies to deal with after he landed. They would tear him apart before he could recover from the jump. Was fighting the only choice?

    Yohan pulled out his gun, but reconsidered after seeing that his enemies had guns too. He was confident in his ability to fight a large group, but that was only when he was the one on the offensive. Yohan racked his brain. If he fought, he had a high chance of winning, but against a large group, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid getting injured.

    Just then, Yohan recalled something that the director had said.

    ¡®It would be great if a useful guy like him would change his mind, right? If you wanted, I would even let you have all the women. Even the drugs.¡¯

    He most likely wouldn¡¯t be killed if he was caught. As long as he was alive, he would be able to escape anytime. This had a higher chance for survival than fighting. Yohan quickly devised a plan and then slowly raised his hands. Moments later, he was captured.

    * * *

    A heavy door swung open and Yohan was thrown into a large room. His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were bound together. They had taken his crossbow, gun, two knives, and his utility belt. It was a heavy blow to his gear. Additionally, the recent events were disturbing. He had unexpectedly ran into a Grade A survivor that he couldn¡¯t suppress.

    ¡®That bastard.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t going easy on him, nor was he handicapping himself by trying to keep his opponent alive. Yohan simply could not kill him at all. If he could, he would have already done so without a second thought. Yet, despite knowing how dangerous this person was, he was unable to kill him.

    On top of that, his opponent showcased his quick thinking and reactions as Yohan was trapped moments later. Even though Yohan had his guard up the entire time and confident that he had taken every precautious, he was still caught somehow.

    ¡®Oh well, what¡¯s past is past.¡¯ Yohan stopped dwelling on what happened and focused on the present. He was correct in thinking that they wouldn¡¯t kill him if he didn¡¯t resist when they captured him.

    Maybe it was because he surrendered so obediently, but his captors didn¡¯t blindfold or gag him. Yohan took the opportunity to memorize the route and his surroundings. His eyes examined every part of the room. There wasn¡¯t anything sharp that he could use. There were also no windows. Thankfully, there was a vent in the ceiling.

    The steel door noisily swung open again and Sweeper was thrown in, also tied up. Yohan smirked. Sweeper had gotten him into this difficult situation, but was captured as well. Yohan gave him a contemptuous look, but Sweeper simply greeted him with a smile.

    ¡°Hey bro, have we met before?¡± Yohan joked.

    ¡°Shut up, you bastard.¡±

    ¡°Jeez, you have a dirty mouth. I got caught because of you. Don¡¯t you feel bad?¡±

    ¡°Why did you attack me all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t a guarantee that you weren¡¯t one of them.¡±

    ¡°You have poor judgement, bro. Don¡¯t mix me with those gangsters. I¡¯m a really good person.¡±

    Yohan was at a loss for words. Sweeper was beyond ridiculous. Before Yohan could reply, the door opened once more and some men wearing black clothing entered. In the middle of the pack was the man that Yohan saw earlier. It was the director.

    ¡®He looks tough.¡¯ Yohan had not expected to encounter him so soon. He continued looking around the room to assess the situation. The director pulled up a chair and sat down before addressing Sweeper.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s our cleaning friend. It¡¯s been a while. Didn¡¯t I tell you that I would kill you if you came back?¡±

    ¡°If you just give back to me what¡¯s mine when I asked nicely, I wouldn¡¯t have to come back.¡±

    The director laughed out loud and then slapped Sweeper across the cheek. The sound of the slap filled the entire room. Sweeper spat out some saliva mixed with blood.

    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely have a lot of fun this time, so look forward to that my friend. You might even start thinking that death is the better option.¡± The director smiled and pinched Sweeper¡¯s cheeks. Then, he turned his chair to look at Yohan. The director had cold eyes, like a predator. Yohan felt a sense of disgust when he noticed the gold tooth behind the director¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Who the hell are you and what are you doing in our camp without our permission?¡±

    Yohan studied the director¡¯s eyes. They were calm and full of confidence. At the same time, the director didn¡¯t seem to be looking down on him.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a refugee wandering nearby. I came in to see if there were any useful supplies. I didn¡¯t know this place was already claim, so I apologize for trespassing.¡± Yohan replied politely. As always, survival was the priority. He wasn¡¯t going to beg for his life, but also wasn¡¯t going to be overtly hostile to them, especially since they were already known to be violent.

    In times like the apocalypse, a leader would always value a talented person. Since Yohan was fully armed when he was captured, it was more than enough to make them curious. Yohan knew that they weren¡¯t going to kill him until they squeeze every bit of information from him first.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty clean for a refugee.¡±

    ¡°Luckily, I found a home nearby where I was able to wash up.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great for you. Why not, right? You need to take care of yourself. It¡¯s great to be clean.¡± The director spoke as if he admired what Yohan had said. However, in an instant, his demeanor changed and he leaned closer to Yohan. Yohan stared back, wide-eyed.

    ¡°You had a gun.¡±

    Yohan gulped.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you resisting?¡±

 Chapter 21

    ¡°From what I can see, there are over 50 of you and I only have 36 bullets. Also, four of you had guns. There¡¯s no way that I could win and, if I killed some of you, it would be impossible to negotiate.¡±

    ¡°What if you had over 50 bullets?¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve shot my way through the spot with the least amount of people and run for it.¡±

    The director laughed out loud and clapped his hands.

    ¡°Where did you get the gun?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a gun shop near Bucheon station.¡±

    ¡°Are there still guns there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been four days since I was there. So, unless someone else emptied out the place, I¡¯m pretty sure there are still plenty of guns left.¡±

    ¡®This guy is way too honest.¡¯ The director stroked his chin and thought deeply. ¡®He¡¯s not even afraid of me. Additionally, he was someone that obtained a gun by himself and survived until now. I shouldn¡¯t trust him so easily, but it would be a waste to just kill him or kick him out.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to work for me.¡± The director smiled. Yohan made a show of thinking about it before answering.

    ¡°I would like to at least be your right hand man.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re a really gutsy bastard. That¡¯s surprising.¡±

    ¡°If you give me some people who are quick on their feet, I can go out to get the guns and prove my worth.¡±

    ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll send out others. First, I need to check to see if you¡¯re telling the truth. Tell me the exact location.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re planning something, I¡¯ll kill you. Understand?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Yohan replied. The director seemed satisfied with that response. He patted Yohan on the shoulder. The force of the pat was enough to shake Yohan¡¯s whole body.

    Yohan was planning to escape at the first opportunity, but the director wasn¡¯t falling for it so easily. The director seemed to be well-suited for the turbulent time they were living in.

    Yohan¡¯s story was a mix of truths and lies. The location of the gun shop was true, but there were no guns left. He hadn¡¯t been there for three months. However, even if there were no guns left at the shop, they couldn¡¯t blame him for it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back later. You stay,¡± the director pointed at one of his henchmen, ¡°and the rest of you grab your tools and follow me.¡±

    ¡°Should we call up the guys currently on guard duty as well?¡±

    ¡°No, let them keep guarding.¡±

    After Yohan divulged the location of the gun shop, the director laughed joyfully and exited the room. The rest of the men were noisy as they streamed out of the room like the tide washing out. The henchman that was assigned to watch Yohan and Sweeper bowed his head until the director was completely out of sight. As soon as the director was gone, the guard sat down near the door and put a cigarette in his mouth. Once everyone had left, Yohan released a small sigh.

    ¡°Bro, watching you spin that tale of shit was like a work of art,¡± Sweeper remarked sarcastically. He sighed inwardly, noting how Yohan¡¯s demeanor could change in an instant. The way Yohan acted towards the director and Sweeper was totally different.

    ¡°Try to read the situation.¡±

    Sweeper clicked his tongue at him. He tried speaking with him some more, but Yohan ignored him. He was waiting quietly, trying to find an opening. Two hours later, their guard went outside. Yohan could hear the door being locked from the outside.

    ¡®There will always be an opening if there¡¯s only one guard.¡¯ Yohan always assigned two guards for a reason. Everyone needed to eat and they would need to use the bathroom afterwards.

    Now was his chance. Yohan struggled against his bindings to remove his shoes. He had purposefully tied one of his combat boots loosely and it was slowly coming off.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Sweeper asked. Yohan continued to ignore him as he focused on removing his shoe. He wasn¡¯t in a rush, but he still wanted to move quickly.

    The director had left and the group only had four guns. The director probably wouldn¡¯t just send his underlings to handle such an important mission, so it was likely that he also went to the gun shop with them. Yohan estimated that, even if they moved fast, it would still take at least six hours. That was enough time for him to go back to his home shelter, restock on supplies, and install traps.

    Once the shoe came off, Yohan could see the razor blade in his sock. He flopped around like a fish on dryland, trying to reach his feet with his hand. He looked like an idiot, but he succeeded in grabbing the razor. After that, he progressed quickly. Yohan cut the rope around his hands and feet and stood up to brush himself off.

    ¡°Oh, huh?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so surprised? Is this the first time you saw someone escape?¡±

    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think that someone would prepare something like that.¡±

    ¡°In this world, nothing is weird anymore.¡± Yohan pressed his finger to his lips and Sweeper shut his mouth. Yohan then tore off a strip of fabric and wrapped it around his hands. From his other shoe, he pulled out some fishing line. Soon, he could hear footsteps approaching. When the guard opened the door, Yohan moved lightning quick and wrapped the fishing line around the man¡¯s neck and yanked him down.

    ¡°Ack¡­¡±

    Yohan strengthened his grip. The guard¡¯s face turned blue and, after struggling for a while, he stopped moving. Yohan checked for breathing. He found a knife in the guard¡¯s breast pocket and used it to stab him in the head. After that, he searched his entire body and found a walkie-talkie.

    ¡°Did you have to kill him?¡±

    ¡°I considered it self-defense the moment he touched my body,¡± Yohan replied. He pulled open the vent grate from the ceiling. It was narrow, but there was enough room for him to crawl. However, Yohan only wanted them to think he was in the ventilation shaft. After leaving the grate on the floor, he moved to walk out the door.

    ¡°Forgetting something?¡± A voice remarked behind him, with a hint of urgency.

    ¡°Huh? Nope.¡±

    ¡°What about me? You¡¯re not going to help me?¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Why should I help you?¡± Yohan looked at Sweeper quizzically, as if he was spouting nonsense.

    ¡°Damn, why do you gotta be so cold? Come on, man. Please help me. Bro¡ªno, big bro¡­ sir! If you leave me here, I¡¯ll die. You heard it earlier!¡±

    ¡°Why are you talking to me so formally all of a sudden?¡± Yohan frowned at how quickly Sweeper¡¯s attitude changed.

    ¡°Big bro, please don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    ¡°Be thankful that I¡¯m not killing you outright. I¡¯m keeping you alive because I want you to do something for me.¡±

    ¡°Do something¡­?¡±

    ¡°When they ask where I ran off to, say that I went through the ventilation shaft towards the rooftop. If you¡¯re still alive by the time I¡¯m done with them, I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Big bro!¡±

    Yohan quickly exited through the open door.

    * * *

    The director and his gang reached the gun shop. The store was indeed where Yohan had mentioned it, but everything inside was taken. There wasn¡¯t even a speck of dust. There were undead corpses and also corpses of those that died before turning into a zombie, still wearing their military vests. They all had several bullet wounds. There were signs of gun fight all over the gun shop.

    ¡°Um¡­director, there aren¡¯t any guns here, right?¡± One of the henchmen asked, with a troubled expression on his face.

    ¡°I have eyes too,¡± growled the director. The henchman immediately shut his mouth. Their journey here had already cost them two talented members and now they had to return empty-handed. The director¡¯s eyes were filled with rage. It was possible that other people had taken the guns, but the director had an uneasy feeling that this wasn¡¯t the case here. He checked the corpses and examined a bullet-ridden box. There were equal amounts of dust inside and outside the box. This didn¡¯t happen recently.

    ¡°We should hurry back.¡± The director grabbed a walkie-talkie out of the hands of one of his henchmen and radioed the guard he had assigned.

    ¡°Hey, is everything okay over there with the two intruders?¡± There was static on the comms. It could be because they were quite far away, but the amount of static bothered him.

    ¡°Repeat. Are you keeping a close watch on those two guys?¡±

    ¡°No issue here.¡± The voice coming out of the walkie-talkie sounded calm, but there definitely felt like something was out of place. The director angrily threw the walkie-talkie at one of his underlings. Something, something was off.

    ¡°We need to hurry back.¡±

    Three hours later, the director returned with his group. They bee-lined for the room that held the two intruders and found it empty save for a corpse. The director searched the corpse and found that the walkie-talkie was missing.

    ¡°Director! It seems like Min Gu and Min Seok were attacked!¡± A henchman quickly ran in to report while trying to catch his breath. The intruders had murdered their guard and then went on to murder two more men. The director knew that he couldn¡¯t just let this go.

    There were signs of strangulation on the corpse¡¯s neck. After being choked by something thin and strong, the guard was stabbed. The choke marks were solid and the knife went through a vital point in a single stab. This wasn¡¯t the work of an amateur.

    ¡®No issue here.¡¯

    Was that the voice of the intruder? The director thought back on the man that they captured today. He was strange from the beginning. Even though he was in a dangerous situation, his eyes didn¡¯t show signs of fear or anxiety. Thanks to the static, he couldn¡¯t tell if the voice was strange. To be fair, the guard wasn¡¯t someone important and the director had difficulty remembering his voice anyways.

    The director¡¯s face started turning red. Veins bulged out of his forehead. Sweeper came back to get his object, but what did the other intruder want? Did he have a grudge against them? The director tried to remember, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he was certain that this was the first time he met Yohan.

    He was captured on the third floor, which meant that he was watching them already before getting captured. He was up to something. The director could feel the angry fire inside him start to cool down as he continued to think. His thoughts were more clear now. Before, his judgement was clouded for a bit due to the happiness he felt from catching Sweeper. If Yohan was here for a purpose, there was only one thing. He was most likely here to find someone.

    There was already someone guarding the trash survivors. The person in charge was Chief Shin. He was a talented man. Before the apocalypse, he did many different odd jobs. He also had a gun, which meant no one would be able to fight him with just their bare hands. The director hadn¡¯t heard anything from Chief Shin yet. He grabbed the walkie-talkie once more.

    ¡°Chief Shin, can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, director.¡± A reply came after the walkie-talkie beeped and warbled for a bit.

    ¡°Ah, Chief Shin, has anything happened at the trash can?¡±

    ¡°Nothing unusual, director.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Is there something going on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. An intruder escaped. He¡¯ll probably head to where you are. I¡¯ll send some people. Be on your guard.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir¡±

    ¡®So you haven¡¯t gotten what you wanted yet, huh?¡¯ A creepy smile formed on the director¡¯s face. He knew that the bastard was still inside the mall. Just then, the walkie-talkie came alive again.

    ¡°Director, the bastard is on the rooftop!¡± The voice was unfamiliar. The director squinted his eyes. There were only four walkie-talkies in the group. It was highly probable that the unfamiliar voice came from the walkie-talkie that was stolen by the intruder.

    ¡°Who are you, you bastard?¡± The director asked through the walkie-talkie, but there was no reply. The director frowned and repeated the question several times, but the black device in his hand remained silent.

    Rage filled the director once more and he kicked over a chair.

    ¡°What should I do to this cocky bastard?¡±

 Chapter 22

    The director was clearly annoyed. Hearing it in his voice, his underling could only stammer out a response.

    ¡°W¡ªwhat should we do?¡±

    ¡®Stupid bastard.¡¯ The director slapped his underling and then turned to the henchman on his right, who was holding an M16.

    ¡°Chief Kim,¡± he ordered.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Take five or six people with you and support those guarding the trash.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°The rest of you, follow me. We¡¯re going to the roof.¡± The director couldn¡¯t figure out what the intruders were up to. However, he was still feeling confident. There were only two of them. Additionally, they weren¡¯t even armed.

    ¡®I¡¯ll make them regret not running away when they had the chance.¡¯ The director took his men and rushed to the rooftops.

    They made their way to the metal door leading to the rooftop, which was firmly closed. The director gestured at one of his armed men with his chin. The henchman had a nervous expression on his face as he carefully opened the door. As the door was tightly shut, it creaked when it opened to reveal the desolate scenery of the rooftop.

    There was no one on the rooftop.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no one here.¡±

    ¡®Was the rooftop a diversion?¡¯ The director lowered his pistol. The intruders seemed to have lured them to the roof in order to have an easier time rescuing the trash. Thankfully, he had already sent plenty of reinforcements there. The bastards were dancing on the palm of his hand.

    Just as the director was thinking that, a buzzing sound could be heard near the edge of the roof, where the safety railings were. Someone had left a walkie-talkie there. The director could feel his face turning red with rage at the thought that the bastards were playing around with him instead. However, he took a few deep breaths and calmed down. He gestured again with his chin, motioning for his men to enter the rooftop. He stood inside with one of his henchmen as the rest walked slowly towards the walkie-talkie, taking great care to mind their surroundings. As they suspected, there was no one around. Once they reached the edge of the roof, one of the senior underlings walked over to the walkie-talkie. He picked it up and started shouting into it.

    ¡°Hey, you piece of shit! The moment we catch you, you¡¯re dead. You go that?¡± He yelled and vented his anger into the device, but there was still no reply. Just an eerie silence.

    Just then, a soft metallic sound could be heard behind them. The senior underling¡¯s eyes grew wide. All the gangster¡¯s heads spun around simultaneously.

    Yohan was standing on the fixture above the entrance to the rooftop, next to the antenna installation. He was holding a rifle aimed right at them. In an instant, gunfire erupted from Yohan¡¯s gun. As if time slowed down, the director could see that his men were going to get shot down and tried to warn them, but the words barely left his mouth before loud gunfire assailed their ears and men started falling onto the ground. Yohan fired his rifle at the men below him, aiming at those holding guns first. A henchmen with a rifle fell before he could even start to aim his weapon.

    The director hurriedly stepped through the rooftop entrance and tried to aim his pistol at Yohan. However, a stray bullet brushed by his shoulder, sending him crawling back into the building on all fours.

    ¡°Uuuaaak!¡±

    Bullets pierced the gangsters¡¯ bodies and blood splattered out from their brains and intestines. The underlings were scared out of their wits and tried to avoid the hail of bullets. However, Yohan was disciplined with his shots and there was no escape.

    At this point, it wasn¡¯t a battle. They were being hunted. It was more of a one-sided massacre.

    Even as their pain-filled screams reached his ear, Yohan fired his gun non-stop. Each shot echoed loudly on the rooftop until he had to duck behind the antennas to change magazines. The director recognized the opportunity immediately and shouted at his surviving underlings.

    ¡°The shooting stopped! Hurry up and get back inside!¡±

    ¡°Director¡­ aack!¡± The men rushed back towards the entrance at the director¡¯s behest, but this just made it easier for Yohan, who simply noticed that his targets were running closer to him on their own. The director watched his men fall with a blank look on his face, but quickly recovered and started running back down the stairs to escape.

    Yohan kept firing until there was no one left standing. Bullet-ridden corpses were still twitching on the ground and those wounded were moaning painfully. The muzzle of Yohan¡¯s rifle was smoking.

    Yohan jumped nimbly off the fixture above the rooftop entrance and carefully assessed the situation near the stairwell. He noticed that there was a trail of blood going down the stairs. The director had escaped, but he was not unscathed. Yohan could hunt him down later at his leisure.

    Yohan trudged through the sea of bodies strewn about the rooftop. The gray asphalt of the area was now stained red with blood. Yohan slung his M16 A1 rifle diagonally across his back so that it sat comfortably between his left shoulder and right hip. He found his crossbow in the hands of one of the corpses and slung it over his right shoulder. Now his body felt heavy, as if he was wearing a giant turtle shell.

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like I can leave my weapons behind.¡¯

    The gangsters turned out to be more naive and stupid than he could hope for. This was probably because they had yet to experience the true horrors of the apocalypse. Everything went according to plan. The gangsters moved exactly as Yohan had predicted.

    Three hours ago, when Yohan freed himself from his restraints, he had gone back to his home shelter to retrieve his assault rifle. He then returned quickly to the H Mall using the motorbike that he had previously stored away.

    Since the gangsters didn¡¯t know what Yohan¡¯s goals were, they probably thought that he was there to find someone. If that was true, they would have incorrectly assumed that he lured them to the roof as a diversion in order to rescue people. Unfortunately for them, Yohan¡¯s real objective was to ambush them on the rooftop and wipe them out.

    They had misjudged his intent and became careless as a result, which led to their deaths. They arrogantly thought they were the hunters, never dreaming that they were the prey. As a result, Yohan succeeded in splitting the enemy forces and luring high-value targets to an ideal killing zone. They conveniently grouped up together by the roof¡¯s edge, practically begging to be massacred.

    However, the fact that the director survived bothered Yohan. He didn¡¯t expect the director to be cowardly enough to send his men out to the rooftop while staying inside the building himself. The death toll was around thirty people. While Yohan didn¡¯t mind it too much if some random henchmen got away, he knew that the director had to be found and eliminated. Yohan organized his thoughts and turned to leave.

    ¡°Uuugh¡­ save me¡­¡± A groan could be heard from the pile of corpses. It seemed like someone was lucky enough to avoid getting shot in a vital spot. Yohan shoved a knife into the man¡¯s head and waited for his body to stop twitching. He glanced over the railings and saw that a large number of zombies had been attracted by the sound of gunfire and now surrounded the entire building. The bastards were trapped like rats in a jar.

    Just as Yohan was thinking that things would end easily, he heard a shrill howl from the zombies below. One by one, additional zombies added their shrieks to that horrible din until the whole city echoed with multiple simultaneous howling. It got so bad that Yohan had to cover his ears.

    ¡®It¡¯s a zombie wave.¡¯

    The howling signified the start of a zombie wave. It was a vicious cycle of zombies shrieking and attracting more zombies. In a blink of an eye, the streets in their district were filled with the undead. The scene was the same no matter which direction Yohan looked. It was a monster parade with zombies all gathering to one place. And all these zombies were focused on one place.

    ¡®Where is the mutant?¡¯ Yohan¡¯s eyes darted over the spectacle as a drop of cold sweat formed on his brow. A zombie wave could only start if a mutant was somewhere nearby. Yohan scanned the streets quickly, but couldn¡¯t find what he was looking for. It could be hiding among the crowd.

    Yohan gave up looking for it for now. A mutant was eye-catching enough to be spotted later. Other than finding the mutant, the zombie wave¡¯s target needed to be identified. The mutant probably didn¡¯t make an appearance yet because of the nearby military camps.

    They had heard howling and gunfire in the past few weeks. These were not the sound of a small scale battle. Most likely, the zombie wave¡¯s previous target was the Bucheon Army Base. The fact that the zombie wave was now on public roads meant that all the military troops in the vicinity had been destroyed and the mutant had started targeting civilian camps.

    In either case, this was a problem and Yohan knew he needed to leave the area urgently. He had to get as far away from the target as possible. He forced down his rising anxiety with much effort and tried to figure out where the zombies were going.

    ¡®The target is¡­¡¯

    H Mall.

    It was the building that Yohan was standing on. Yohan¡¯s whole body tensed up. This was the first wave that he encountered in the current timeline. He could feel the hairs on his body bristled up.

    Zombie waves never failed to surprise him, no matter how many times he experienced it. The sight of hundreds, thousands of zombies rushing to one place was truly a horrible spectacle to behold. It was clear now that they were targeting H Mall, but Yohan¡¯s heart was filled with worry for Gunn¡¯s camp. There were more than thirty survivors there. It was natural that H Mall was targeted first, since there were nearly one hundred survivors here, but there was no guarantee that this fire wouldn¡¯t spread to the other.

    ¡®I can only pray.¡¯

    If the flames of zombie wave spread to the other camp, the survivors there will be virtually annihilated. There was nothing that could be done about it. Yohan pictured the worst-case scenario. Although he had experienced it countless times before, the feeling of loss and helplessness was as strong as ever. After all, it was a camp that they had painstakingly built together.

    ¡®Endure and pray.¡¯

    All he could do was hope that the mutant zombie would be satisfied with just H Mall. Yohan scanned the area again, this time looking for an escape route. Now was not the time to worry about the other camp. He had his own life to fret about.

    ¡®Where¡¯s the escape route¡­?¡¯ Yohan¡¯s eyes darted around. There were a total of eight exits if you considered the department store and shopping mall as one interconnected building. Zombies were congesting the streets everywhere. He needed to find a gap so that he could get out.

    Not only did he have to worry about escape, but he also had to decide if he should deal with the director before leaving. The prey that he was hunting was still breathing, but he was already wounded. The chances of the director surviving this mess seemed slim, but he seemed to be the kind of person that was as tenacious as a cockroach and would reappear at the worst moments.

    Yohan didn¡¯t have to think too long. He would quickly check a few places where the director might hide. If he couldn¡¯t find him, then he would just give up and get out. Having made up his mind, Yohan moved quickly.

    As soon as he re-entered the building, Yohan could look down and see zombies filling up the ground floor. The glass door at the entrance had shattered, unable to handle the immense weight and pressure of the zombie wave trying to get in.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡± A shrill scream attracted Yohan¡¯s attention. The area in front of the escalator between the ground floor and the basement was noisy. There was a group in front of the food store trying to block out the zombies. There were sporadic gunshots, indicating to Yohan that the situation wasn¡¯t good. Right as that thought crossed his mind, someone got torn to shreds and the blockade collapsed. As the number of victims increased, the number of deserters also increased. Unfortunately for the escapees, they were blocked by the swarm. A series of screams echoed throughout the courtyard.

    Yohan found and followed a trail of blood leading away from the rooftop entrance. The bloodstains led him towards the 2nd floor of the shopping mall. As he followed the trail, Yohan noted that the bleeding was irregular.

    There was a crowd of zombies nearby when he got to the airbridge. These zombies probably gathered here after the director had passed by. Yohan turned around and went up to the 3rd floor to avoid attracting more attention. There were two other places that he thought of checking, the infirmary and the general office.

    Since Yohan didn¡¯t know the exact location of the infirmary, he headed to the general office first. He noticed more zombies piling in on the ground floor and quickened his pace.

 Chapter 23

    Yohan made his way to the office on the second floor of the shopping complex, kicked in the door, and entered. He scoured the interior of the room thoroughly while maintaining his firing stance. However, the director wasn¡¯t in the office. Instead, there was an unconscious man tied up in the corner. It was the martial artist that Yohan saw earlier when he was spying on the director from the vents.

    ¡®Did he not come here?¡¯ Yohan¡¯s eyes shifted over to the conference room, which was a part of the office. There was a good amount of supplies piled up there. Knowing this, Yohan had thought that the director would flee to this office.

    ¡®Would he go to the infirmary first?¡¯ There was only so much that one could do in a mall¡¯s first aid room when there is no medical personnel. Normally a person wouldn¡¯t know about the risks of open air infections and would bunker down with their supplies instead.

    Yohan decided not to dwell on it too much. Predictions can be wrong. Instead, he directed his attention and interest at the man before him. The martial artist had a prominent, muscular build that was apparent even though he was tied up and unconscious on the floor. Yohan thought back to when he first saw the man.

    ¡®See? If you weren¡¯t so stubborn and just obeyed me, things would¡¯ve been a lot better.¡¯

    The martial artist was being held captive for some reason. Maybe he was hostile to the director, but couldn¡¯t beat him. Since then, he had been cajoled by the director but, presumably, remained stubborn and incapacitated. Yohan was taking the time to assess the man because he would inevitably encounter a large number of zombies while trying to escape the zombie wave. To get through the horde safely, he would need at least one person to watch his back.

    Here was a potential ally. However, there was always the possibility that he could catch Yohan unaware and stab him in the back. Once again, Yohan was at an important decision crossroad. Should he untie the man and have him watch his back or should he try to break through the horde alone? In emergency situations like this, it was better to rely on your survival instincts than to try and think strategically. Yohan had to trust his instincts, which had helped him survive for three years in the previous timeline.

    This situation was different from the earlier one with Sweeper. Back then, he had no reason to help the other man. He was still suspicious of how Sweeper had initially approached him. Additionally, the previous situation required him to move around stealthily, which was better served alone. Now, there was plenty of reasons to untie the martial artist. Additionally, Yohan liked what he had overheard in the conversation between the man and the director.

    ¡°Wake up.¡± Yohan shook the man. He decided to talk to him first before untying him.

    ¡°Uugghh¡­ who are you?¡± The man opened his eyes. As his voice wasn¡¯t very hoarse, Yohan realized that he probably fell asleep rather than faint from the beating he got.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yohan. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have tell to explain the situation. There¡¯s a lot of zombies in the camp right now. Can you stand up and fight?¡±

    ¡°¡­ What happened to the Gold Moon guys?¡± The man¡¯s primary concern was the gangsters.

    ¡®Were they called the Gold Moon? That¡¯s novel.¡¯ Yohan laughed. ¡°Many of them are dead. A few are still alive, but it¡¯ll be hard for them to get out of here. You can say that they¡¯re in a disorganized mess right now.¡±

    The man reflected on Yohan¡¯s words. However, they didn¡¯t have much time and the current situation was difficult to grasp.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time, so I¡¯ll just ask you a few questions. Who are you? Why were you captured and held captive here?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please answer the question. I can¡¯t help you if you¡¯re not honest with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Ha Jin Kang from the Bucheon Business Taekwondo team. After those monsters appeared, my colleagues and I went to the grocery store to get some food. We got ambushed there.¡±

    ¡®So he¡¯s an athlete.¡¯ Yohan nodded, appreciating the man¡¯s well-trained body. ¡°Where is your group?¡±

    Ha Jin shook his head. His group members had become addicted to the drugs given to them by the gangsters and were thrown at the zombies. He didn¡¯t want to share this shameful fact with a stranger. It was enough to just imply that they were dead. Yohan understood what Ha Jin was hinting at.

    ¡°If I let you go, will you cooperate with me in escaping?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice, do I?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m asking out of common courtesy. Also, I want to feel safe during our escape. Do you promise to cooperate?¡±

    The man nodded silently. A man of few words was more trustworthy than a man of a hundred words. Or, perhaps Yohan just wanted to believe that because he really didn¡¯t have a choice. Yohan cut the bindings around Ha Jin¡¯s hands and feet with his knife. The martial artist stumbled for a moment when he stood up, but quickly found his balance.

    ¡°How long were you held captive for?¡±

    ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s been around four days.¡±

    If a person was tied up in such an uncomfortable position for four days, they would definitely feel dizzy. It seemed like Ha Jin had a lot of mental fortitude. Yohan felt admiration for the man¡¯s constitution. He took out a canteen from his waist pocket and handed it over to his new partner.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Take this as well.¡± Yohan twirled the knife he used to cut the rope bindings and gave it to Ha Jin handle first. The martial artist accepted the knife, but gave him a puzzled look.

    ¡°You have two guns. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to split them between us equally?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not generous enough to hand over a gun to someone I just met.¡±

    Ha Jin stared at Yohan. He didn¡¯t look unhappy, but rather confused. So Yohan elaborated. ¡°To be honest, I normally would not be freeing people randomly. However, the situation is urgent.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand. So, what should I do now?¡± Ha Jin asked.

    Yohan took a moment to organize his thoughts before answering. Zombies were already pouring in through the broken glass doors on the ground floor, making the four exits on the ground floor useless. The entrance and exit to the parking lot were on opposite sides of the building. If they wanted an easy place to get through, it would be the underground parking lot.

    It was a difficult decision to make. It was easy to defend a large concrete building like this most of the time but, during a zombie wave, it was better to have a place that was more open so that it was easier to run away. Being in this building during a zombie wave was akin to being on a sinking ship. Zombies were gushing from everywhere like tides. The longer he thought about it, the more difficult the situation became. Yohan finished gathering his thoughts and opened his mouth to reply.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head towards the underground parking lot through the emergency exit and clear our way to either the entrance or the exit of the parking lot so that we can escape. I¡¯ll take the lead. Please cover me.¡±

    Yohan stuffed his pockets with what he felt was just the right amount of food and water and opened the office door to leave. There were already three zombies there to greet him. Yohan shoved the zombies with his left arm and pierced their heads one after another.

    He was about to advance through the zombies that were stabbed in the brain when, suddenly, he felt a sense of uneasiness around his left foot. Yohan quickly retracted his foot. A zombie, who was missing the lower half of its body, snapped its jaws at the air. Yohan promptly dismembered the zombie¡¯s lower jaw with a brutal kick.

    Yohan avoided using his gun as much as possible as they advanced. Instead, he attached a bayonet to the gun barrel and wielded the weapon like a spear. It was much heavier and took more strength to wield than a knife, but it was safer in that he could still use the gun in an emergency. He just had to make sure that blood and guts weren¡¯t clogging the gun barrel before firing it.

    Every time Yohan heard a zombie approaching from behind, he would also hear Ha Jin swinging his knife. Ha Jin was so strong that the knife went through the entire skull and popped back out on the other side. Normally a zombie would struggle for 3-5 seconds after being stabbed in the brain. However, with Ha Jin¡¯s attack, the zombies died instantaneously. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to move. Yohan silently praised himself for making a good decision in freeing him and focused on the front, trusting his back to Ha Jin.

    They crossed the sky bridge and could see the emergency exit, still tightly closed. Yohan¡¯s eyes honed in on the zombies near the exit. They were about 50 meters away from the exit and there were around 40 zombies nearby. This was an issue. The sky bridge has a wide variety of objects, such as mannequins and display boards, that served as barriers. However, the second floor of the department store was a wide, open area. They could get surrounded in an instant if they were stalled for even a second.

    Yohan concentrated harder, plotting out the route to the emergency exit, which zombies he needed to eliminate, and the most efficient method of doing so. One by one, he envisioned himself taking out the zombies. There were a total of eight along the route to the exit. They had to eliminate them with eight swift strikes. Yohan¡¯s concentration was a great asset for crisis situations like this.

    However, Yohan¡¯s concentration was responsible for a different kind of crisis. He was too focused on the zombies and the exit to notice the director aiming his gun at him from across the courtyard on the third floor.

    A loud gunshot echoed throughout the department store as muzzle fire erupted from the director¡¯s handgun. Yohan tried to return fire at the source of the sound, but a bullet decisively lodged itself inside him, causing immediate and intense pain.

    Yohan let out a guttural groan as the impact forced him back a few steps before his legs gave out and he collapsed. Dark crimson blood trickled down from his mouth. He had a shocked expression on his face as he tried to see where he was shot, but his vision was becoming increasingly blurry as the wound throbbed with pain.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ha Jin called out to Yohan, flustered. He was still covering Yohan from behind. Yohan did not reply. He was silent and still as if he had passed out. A second shot rang out. Ha Jin lowered his head and covered his head with his hands. Thankfully, the second bullet went astray. However, they were still in a crisis situation.

    Zombies were slowly approaching the pair. Ha Jin dragged Yohan¡¯s limp body towards a nearby office door and kicked it open. Inside, two zombies greeted them. As if they were eager to demonstrate how hungry they were, the two infected flew at their prey with blatant bloodlust.

    * * *

    While Yohan was in a life or death situation, Jung Hwan was still at their camp, reinforcing the security of the parking lot entrance. It was barricaded by a truck and SUV. Four of the younger men had climbed on top of the truck, aided by an iron ladder they had brought with them. The four were busy knocking down zombies with a weapon they referred to as ¡®zombie harpoons¡¯.

    It was a close-to-mid range weapon made by securing a blade to a burlap bag with some zip ties and duct tape. Although it was a bit difficult to use, due to its weight and poor accuracy, it had the advantage of being able to knock down zombies without putting its wielder at risk.

    Defending the parking lot was simply a matter of killing zombies as they appeared. Zombie hunting had become a tedious, everyday chore. However, recently the number of zombies had been increasing.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, there seems to be more and more zombies.¡± Ki Moon said, shuddering. He was zombie hunting with Jung Hwan. A gross amount of zombies was slowly piling up.

    ¡°Yeah, it seems like it.¡± What was even more terrifying were the zombies outside the parking lot. A seemingly endless number of zombies were moving towards the H mall across the street. However, with so many zombies crowding together, some eventually ended up in their building. These zombies screeched and attracted more zombies, causing the horde outside their building to gradually increase.

    It was a precarious situation and they weren¡¯t sure if the truck and SUV barricade could withstand this many zombies. The side with the SUV included various items stacked on top of the vehicle to supplement its height. It wasn¡¯t the best blockade.

    Jung Hwan and the other men continuously stabbed at the zombies without rest. If the barricade collapsed now, the loading dock that they fought to secure would be useless again. There were still a lot of stuff that had not been moved yet. They had conquered the area with much effort and couldn¡¯t let it go down so easily. However, no matter how many zombies they killed, the horde was only getting larger.

    ¡®If only Yohan was here.¡¯ Jung Hwan was keenly aware of Yohan¡¯s absence.

    Zombies started stepping on their fallen brethren and were able to reach higher. The higher they reached, the more the group¡¯s anxiety level rose.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Suddenly, a shrill scream could be heard.

    ¡°Sang Joon!¡±

    In the end, a zombie stepped on a fellow zombie and climbed up the barricade from the side. It headed towards the group and bit Sang Joon in the neck. The instant the group was distracted by this misfortune, the zombies below seemed to swarm even more.

    ¡°Go down! We can¡¯t hold out. Let¡¯s get inside the building for now!¡± Even as Jung Hwan was speaking, zombies were overrunning the barrier. By the time they climbed down the ladder, they would be surrounded by zombies.

    Two men hesitated, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Jung Hwan pushed the two onwards as he turned around to buy them some time.

    ¡°Go down first, quickly!¡±

 Chapter 24

    While Jung Hwan swung his zombie harpoon around to draw the zombie¡¯s attention, the other two men climbed down the ladder. They ran safely to the emergency exit and called out to Jung Hwan.

    ¡°Jung Hwan!¡±

    The barricade had been reduced to a mere springboard for zombies to jump over. Jung Hwan knew he couldn¡¯t hold out anymore and lept off of the truck. He landed with a roll, but still felt pain in his knees and palms. However, he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it. He ran through the gaps in the horde and rushed towards the metal door.

    Sung Bae and Ki Moon, who had gotten off the truck ahead of him, had reached the emergency door and were fighting desperately against the zombies there. Jung Hwan ran a few more steps and then stopped. There were too many zombies between him and the exit. At this rate, neither he nor the two ahead of him would be safe.

    ¡°Close the door!¡± Jung Hwan shouted. They could no longer see him through the crowd of zombies. Sung Bae knew they could no longer hold out and closed the door. They could hear zombies pounding on the other side of the metal door. Ki Moon started to yell.

    ¡°Hey! Jung Hwan is still¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many zombies are in front of the door right now?¡±

    Ki Moon tried desperately to open the door, but Sung Bae stopped him. The thunderous sound of the zombies banging on the door was terrifying. Just how many zombies were there on the other side, dying to sink their teeth into them? Ki Moon could feel the strength drain from his body.

    However, the crisis wasn¡¯t over yet.

    There was a sound of something shattering. Ki Moon and Sung Bae¡¯s eyes both simultaneously snapped to the glass door on the first floor. It had broken and zombies were rushing in through the jagged passage. At first, the passage was barely accessible, but the glass broke more and the passage expanded as zombies pushed their way through despite having their flesh shredded by the glass.

    With a terrible ruckus, tens and hundreds of the infected squeezed through the narrow glass doors. Some zombies had their guts dangling around, mixed with broken pieces of glass. Other zombies had half of their face ripped off.

    Shock filled the eyes of the camp members who were guarding that entrance, as well as those who were visiting the first floor to enjoy some sunlight. The expression on their faces showed that they didn¡¯t know what was going on. As realization slowly dawned on them, their expressions became grim as blood drained from their faces. Zombies began biting and tearing through the camp members¡¯ flesh.

    The ray of hope that Yohan had sparked before leaving was fading fast.

    The first to grasp the situation was Byung Jin. He and Min Seo were dealing the zombies that were pushing in through the glass. He shouted at the camp members who were still frozen in place with fear.

    ¡°Hurry and get up! The zombies are coming! Get away from here!¡±

    ¡®If a zombie wave or something similar occurs when I¡¯m not here, go down to the basement levels and hold out. Stay there until you run out of food completely. Don¡¯t come out no matter what.¡¯

    These were the last words that Yohan left them on his way out. He also had some advice.

    ¡®Don¡¯t ever try to block a zombie wave. It¡¯s not a number you can block.¡¯

    When the glass doors were initially breached, Byung Jin and the guards tried to barricade the area. Even though they were breached, there was only one entrance. Byung Jin was no longer the coward he was a few months ago. He no longer panicked and trembled with fear at a mere zombie.

    However, there were too many of them. If they continued to try and hold out, there would be more victims. He knew that he couldn¡¯t endanger his wife like this. Byung Jin saw that Min Seo was sweating profusely as she struggled beside him. He decided to switch tactics and follow the advice of their absentee leader.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down into the basement!¡± Byung Jin shouted. The camp members followed his instructions and retreated. At first, Byung Jin thought that they would be able to evacuate safely as long as everyone stayed calm. However, he soon changed his mind.

    ¡®The zombies are too fast.¡¯ These zombies moved at a speed that he was unfamiliar with. They moved as fast as an adult man, even though they were hobbling and limping after their prey. Some of the camp members got anxious and ran into each other as they tried to move faster. Soon, there was another victim. Zombies descended upon the fallen victim like hyenas. A shrill scream rang out and the camp members who witnessed the death began running frantically. Byung Jin grabbed Min Seo¡¯s hand and ran. He couldn¡¯t worry about the camp, he focused on saving his wife first.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Min Seo let out a shrill scream of her own.

    ¡°Min Seo!¡± Byung Jin looked back at her with a startled expression. Min Seo was holding onto her arm. They were traversing through a narrow passageway and a piece of furniture that was jutting out had cut her on the elbow. Byung Jin was grateful that it wasn¡¯t the worst case scenario. Still, he looked concerned as he tore his undershirt and bandaged her arm with it.

    There were zombies approaching them. Byung Jin kicked a zombie in the solar plexus as he finished tightening the knot around Min Seo¡¯s arm. The zombie let out a horrible shriek as it fell backwards. It got right back up and approached them once more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Min Seo said. Byung Jin nodded and they bee-lined for the exit. Sung Bae and Ki Moon were the last to go through the emergency exit and they closed the door behind them. Once again, they could hear zombies on the other side. This time, it was the screech of them clawing at the door. There were also horrible shrieks as well as the zombies tried to break through the iron door. Fear filled the camp member¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What is going on Byung Jin? Where¡¯s Jung Hwan?¡± An old man asked.

    ¡°There are countless zombies drawing closer. The glass on the first floor broke. No matter how I think about it¡­we¡¯ll have to give up the first floor again. Don¡¯t worry though. The zombies won¡¯t be able to get through this metal door.¡± Byung Jin tried to ease everyone¡¯s worries, but he could see that they were still anxious. As he tried to catch his breath, Byung Jin looked at Ki Moon and Sung Bae.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jung Hwan?¡±

    ¡°The parking lot was also breached. There were so many zombies that, no matter how many you kill, more would just step over the corpses¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ but where¡¯s Jung Hwan?¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t able to make it in¡­¡±

    ¡°He died?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t die. He probably ran to the other side,¡± said Ki Moon. Byung Jin¡¯s face darkened as he listened. It was fortunate that Jung Hwan didn¡¯t die, but if he couldn¡¯t escape back to the camp, he was as good as dead. Yohan was gone and Jung Hwan, who was Yohan¡¯s assigned proxy, was MIA. There was no leader. The predicted zombie wave has arrived and there was no one to see them through it safely.

    Min Seo disinfected herself and changed into clean clothes. She thought that people would get more anxious if they saw her in bloody clothes. Even without anyone directing them, the survivors instinctively gathered in the middle of B1F. Even those who normally went about their day alone joined them, as if they couldn¡¯t stand to be alone anymore.

    ¡°What about Saeri?¡± Byung Jin asked, taking head count. If they exclude the victims in the parking lot and first floor breaches, only Jung Hwan and Saeri were missing. Jung Hwan was last seen in the parking lot, but no one had seen Saeri.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not sure. Maybe she¡¯s on the roof?¡± The rooftop was one of Saeri¡¯s favorite places. Her latest hobby was going to roof and looking out for Yohan¡¯s return.

    The survivors exchanged worried looks. If you were trapped on the roof, food would be the first of many problems you faced. Fear reflected in their eyes as their ears were assailed by the loud banging and horrible shrieks of the zombies. Some of the infected rushed at the barricade around the escalator, intent on tearing it down.

    The lives of their two senior members were important, but the failing escalator barricade was something that needed to be addressed immediately. As the furniture were stacked tightly, the barricade wouldn¡¯t fall easily. However, the howling of the zombies ate away at their morale. Min Seo trembled. Byung Jin drew her into his arms to comfort her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you no matter what.¡±

    ¡°I feel a bit dizzy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re scared. Lean on me and rest.¡±

    Min Seo nodded her head. Her husband was someone that she had trusted and relied upon for many years. It was hard to believe that someone who was just as easily frightened and timid as her could make her feel so secure in his arms. Byung Jin gazed into Min Seo¡¯s eyes and stroked her head softly.

    ¡°This can¡¯t go on. Byung Jin, how about we stack some more stuff on top of the barricade so that people feel safer?¡± Elder Park suggested.

    ¡°That sounds good. Will you guys help me out?¡± Byung Jin stood up. The camp members were starting to follow Byung Jin¡¯s lead now that Yohan and Jung Hwan weren¡¯t around. Some people were already piling furniture onto the barricade when they joined them. Together, they doubled and then tripled up on the defenses.

    The sounds from the zombies on the other side got a bit more muted with each addition to the barricade. Soon, they could no longer hear them at all. Only then did the pounding of their hearts in their chest subside.

    How much time passed? After a while, everyone managed to calm down as they acclimated to the situation. The heavy panting and wheezing of the group faded. They felt as if the danger had passed. Even the crying children had stopped wailing.

    The mother of three children embraced her kids tightly, whispering words of reassurance. The children tightly clung onto the hem of their mother¡¯s clothes. The older folks were holding each other¡¯s hands. Byung Jin held Min Seo in his arms soothingly. Everyone distracted their hearts and minds with each other. They hoped that this commotion would pass by quickly.

    Ki Moon was still feeling anxious. He played with his knife, folding and unfolding it repeatedly. Then, as that wasn¡¯t helping, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. There was an emblem of a horse with its front hooves in the air. The car was spoils he had obtained from dealing with a zombie on the 4th floor parking lot. He looked at the keys to cheer himself up. He had yet to take the car out for a test drive.

    ¡°I was going to take the Ferrari and drive it around when things calmed down. This situation sucks, right?¡±

    The foreign car cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and he wanted to see what he could do with it. Ki Moon noticed that his words fell flat with the group. He turned to look at Sung Bae, from whom he had expected a reply. Sung Bae looked tired. He had his legs pulled up towards his body and his face was buried in his knees.

    ¡®Is he tired?¡¯ Ki Moon tilted his head slightly. Sung Bae didn¡¯t move for more than ten minutes. Finally, Ki Moon tapped him.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing? If you¡¯re tired, go lie down.¡±

    Sung Bae didn¡¯t respond to the prodding. Ki Moon tilted his head again.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Finally, Sung Bae lifted his head. There were no pupils in his eyes, only milky gray irises that bulged outwards grotesquely, as if the eyes would pop out of the socket at any moment.

    ¡°Sung Bae?¡±

    It was at that moment that Sung Bae lunged at Ki Moon. Ki Moon¡¯s mind knew that he had to fight back immediately, but his body still hesitated. He was unable to immediately stab his friend with whom he had shared many talks and laughs. Sung Bae bit and tore through Ki Moon¡¯s neck as he tackled him to the ground. Blood splattered in the air.

    In an instant, the hallway was filled with screams. As if reacting to the screams, Sung Bae switched targets to a nearby elderly man and bit him in the arm.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡±

    Pandemonium filled the room. One zombie had already infected two people. It was only now that Byung Jin noticed a wound on Sung Bae¡¯s leg. There were teeth marks on his leg.

    Byung Jin quickly intercepted Sung Bae. However, the newly infected Ki Moon stood up and started to approach him. It was difficult to deal with two zombies at the same time, so Byung Jin kicked Ki Moon in the stomach. All the while, the number of victims were increasing exponentially.

    ¡°Everyone, inside! You too, Min Seo!¡± Byung Jin shouted urgently, pushing Min Seo with his hand.

    Sung Bae and Ki Moon seemed to benefit from the influence of the zombie wave, as they were moving with uncanny speed. Still, Byung Jin prioritized protecting Min Seo.

 Chapter 25

    The time it took for people to turn into a zombie varied. If you were unlucky, it would take just a few seconds before you became part of the horde. It was too dangerous to deal with the zombies with Min Seo by his side, so Byung Jin pushed her into an empty office and stared down the zombies while brandishing his knife. Even though they had been long-time friends just moments ago, he had to eliminate them here and now. Byung Jin¡¯s grip on his knife tightened until his hands started to shake. He knew he could not delay any more, or else there would be severe consequences.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Byung Jin yelled loudly as he stabbed Sung Bae through the eye socket. The knife went in deep. He pulled it out and embedded the knife in Ki Moon¡¯s head. After dealing with his fallen comrades, Byung Jin needed to kill the people who were bitten, not giving them the chance to turn into zombies.

    ¡°Sa¡ªsave me!¡±

    However, the problem was that these people hadn¡¯t become zombies yet. Sung Bae was the first one to turn and had already infected eight people by himself. Even though they hadn¡¯t turned yet, there was no hope for them once they were bitten.

    ¡°Please!¡±

    Still, Byung Jin¡¯s resolve wavered once he saw the desperation in their eyes.

    ¡°Everyone who was bitten, please gather together in one area.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about!? We have to kill them!¡± Seo Jun scolded Byung Jin¡¯s decision. Byung Jin shook his head. Even if this was something that had to be done, it was too much for him to kill people when they were still alive.

    ¡°Once they turn¡­ that¡¯s when¡­¡± Byung Jin was interrupted by the loud creak of a steel door opening. Everyone turned towards the sound.

    ¡°Mi¡ªMin Seo?¡± Byung Jin saw the person, but questioned what he saw. Min Seo was walking out of the office, but her eyes had a blank look on them. She looked as though she was instinctively searching for her husband, as she was making her way towards Byung Jin, who also happened to be the closest person. Byung Jin dropped his knife.

    ¡°No¡­no way. This is a joke, right?¡±

    ¡°Byung Jin!¡± Elder Park shouted.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Seo Jun warned.

    However, no one could stop Byung Jin as he walked over to his wife. With shaking hands, he caressed her cheeks. Min Seo¡¯s stared back at him blankly. Her once clean and pure eyes were gone, replaced with white pupils and strained red blood vessels. Byung Jin felt his whole body go numb as he looked at her.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Min Seo opened her mouth wide and soon it was all Byung Jin could see.

    * * *

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Yohan woke up feeling severe pain in his abdomen. He struggled to open his eyes, so all he could see was darkness. He tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head and instinctively groped around for his gun. Instead of finding the gun, his hands landed on a knife handle.

    His bleary vision revealed a shadowy figure nearby. Yohan fumbled with the knife for a moment before grabbing onto it properly and waving it around.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± The man in front of Yohan avoided the dangerous attack simply by tilting his head back.

    ¡®It¡¯s not a zombie.¡¯ Yohan shook his head again and looked around. The man turned out to be Ha Jin, the muscular unemployed athlete.

    As his vision came back, so did his memories. Before they could escape, the director shot him from across the courtyard in the mall. Despite bearing three gunshot wounds, the director still attacked him. Yohan knew this was going to happen, which was why he wanted to finish what he started before leaving the mall.

    It was strange that his enemies always managed to survive so tenaciously. Even when Yohan was certain they had died, they would pop up out of nowhere and hinder him again.

    ¡°Sorry. I thought you were a zombie.¡± Once his vision returned completely, Yohan looked over at Ha Jin and apologized.

    ¡°Your attacks are so precise, even though you just woke up. I almost got a hole in my head,¡± Ha Jin replied, ¡°I really thought you died. I didn¡¯t think you were wearing a bulletproof vest.¡±

    Yohan didn¡¯t reply, but instead tried moving his body. If the director was closer, he could have broken Yohan¡¯s bones or caused severe damage to his internal organs. Thankfully, there was a good amount of distance between them and Yohan was able to avoid the worst of it. However, his body still ached and throbbed every time he moved.

    ¡°How long was I out for?¡±

    ¡°Not that long. Maybe 30 minutes?¡±

    Yohan nodded.

    ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ He took a few deep breaths and tried moving again. He felt a cough coming and let it out without hesitation. There was blood mixed in with his saliva.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ rest for 10 minutes and then move out. My body won¡¯t listen to me.¡±

    ¡°We can rest longer. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to get any worse.¡± Ha Jin replied. Yohan stared at him. Unwillingly, he now owed him his life. The insurance that he had invested in was already paying off. There was a gun and some food, just laying there, on the table. An odd look crossed Yohan¡¯s face.

    At a certain point, Ha Jin was no longer just being nice. He was being stupid. One could pay dearly if they judged someone solely based on their appearance, but Ha Jin behaved exactly the way he looked. He had the mindset of a martial artist. His body just screamed the notion that he was going to do things his own way. That was it. Even if it was a life and death situation, he was the type of person that would want to fight their enemy fair and square.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t leave me behind.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like being in debt. Also, it¡¯s dangerous for me to leave by myself.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yohan lifted up his shirt. There was a black bruise in the middle of his hard abs.

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Ha Jin asked. Yohan thought about it for a while. The zombies were a problem, but, as long as the director was alive, it was difficult to try and escape through the emergency exit. Of course, the director could have already been eaten by the zombies after the racket he made, but Yohan wasn¡¯t willing to risk it again after experiencing the consequences once.

    ¡°We have to find a new path. It doesn¡¯t matter where. There¡¯s got to be somewhere where we can escape.¡±

    ¡°I know a place.¡±

    Yohan looked at Ha Jin, but Ha Jin shrugged. He wasn¡¯t the one that just spoke. It was a voice from above. The ventilation grate above them started rattling and then fell to the ground. The grate cover hit the ground with a loud clang and started spinning on the spot. Two feet dangled from the vent shaft. Yohan quickly reached for the gun on the table.

    ¡°Let me in on the action. This escape plan of yours.¡± A familiar face appeared from the vent. The man held onto the vent shaft in the ceiling and stretched his body out as far as he could before dropping to the floor. It was the man responsible for Yohan¡¯s capture, Sweeper.

    Sweeper extended his hand out for a handshake while shaking out his flowy hair as if he was in a shampoo commercial.

    ¡°Hey bro. We meet again.¡± There was a smile on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re still alive.¡± Yohan returned the smile brightly, but he was still holding his gun tightly in his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to a certain someone who totally destroyed the Gold Moon bastards.¡± Sweeper gave Yohan a thumbs up, his broad smile revealing a set of perfect, pearly white teeth. Yohan recalled that Sweeper had business here. It seemed like his fight with the Gold Moon gang had helped in some way.

    ¡°If you¡¯re done with your business, why didn¡¯t you just escape? What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I was planning to escape. But, when I was about to leave, a huge group of zombies appeared. I do know a way out though, I can guide the way if you include me in your plans.¡±

    ¡°First, tell me the way out.¡±

    ¡°Only if you promise to include¡­ no, wait, before that¡­ why are you so rude to me? You speak so respectfully to that bro over there.¡±

    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Yohan tilted his head.

    ¡°Well, whatever. Anyways, instead of the upper exit, if you go to B2F, there¡¯s a small passageway there that connects to the subway. There¡¯s a good chance that we can escape that way, but there¡¯s too many zombies for me to get through by myself. I need a gun.¡± Sweeper¡¯s tone made it seem like he didn¡¯t need people, but a gun instead.

    ¡°If you needed a gun, you could have taken it while I was passed out.¡± Yohan commented.

    ¡°That scary man over there was guarding it. On top of that¡­¡± Sweeper squirmed uncomfortably, like a young school girl confessing a crush. Both Yohan and Ha Jin frowned simultaneously. No matter how handsome you were, there was no excuse for behaving like that.

    ¡°I like you bro.¡±

    Yohan frowned again.

    ¡°That cold-heartedness. The gun skills. Man¡­ so cool, right? How many people in this world could take on those Gold Moon bastards single-handedly? Hm?¡± Sweeper¡¯s easy-going personality made their faces turn sour. It was as if they were witnessing something that they shouldn¡¯t have seen. Yohan rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

    ¡°Why not just shoot him?¡± Ha Jin asked, carefully.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡± Yohan raised his gun. As soon as he aimed it at Sweeper¡¯s body, Sweeper jumped and put his hands up.

    ¡°It¡¯s a joke! I¡¯m kidding! As you can see, I¡¯m a law-abiding citizen. I don¡¯t steal other people¡¯s things.¡±

    ¡°You should be saying ¡®Even though I look like this¡¯ instead of ¡®as you can see¡¯. You look like someone that wouldn¡¯t even follow the law normally.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s going too far!¡± Sweeper protested, but Yohan ignored him. Despite what he said, Yohan thought it through in his head and nodded.

    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be so bad to work with him.¡¯

    Based on what had happened, he knew that Sweeper wasn¡¯t part of the Gold Moon gang and they were all otherwise trapped here. It wouldn¡¯t benefit Sweeper in any way if he betrayed Yohan and stabbed him in the back. Looking at him, Sweeper didn¡¯t seem like the type that would slow him down either. Rather, he could be a big help.

    ¡°You said you knew the way. Have you thought about how we¡¯re going to get underground?¡±

    ¡°No, but I know the location roughly. From here, we need to take the escalator and go down.¡± Sweeper¡¯s plan was to get to the square-shaped area on the opposite side of the courtyard. In their current situation, it was very far.

    ¡°Since the director is alive, charging head first would be dangerous. We¡¯ll be helpless if he ambushes us while we¡¯re fighting zombies,¡± Sweeper continued, ¡°Also, you said your name is Ha Jin, right? I¡¯ll talk informally to make things more comfortable.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. I was about to die from the awkwardness.¡± Ha Jin replied, with a straight face.

    ¡°First, we¡¯ll head down to the second floor. The second floor is different than this one. All the stores there have huge glass walls so we can pinpoint the location of the Gold Moon bastards and zombies. So, we¡¯ll go down a floor and make our way to the escalator while confirming the location of our enemies and the zombies.¡± As Yohan outlined his plan, the other two group members stared at him dumbly. Yohan gave them a look as if to ask, ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure if I understand what you¡¯re saying. Don¡¯t we have to go out in order to get to the second floor? Wouldn¡¯t that put us at risk of the director? And what did you mean by confirming the location of the zombies?¡±

    ¡°Okay, below us are clothing stores. If we were to split the mall¡¯s second floor in half¡­¡± Yohan drew a rectangle in the air and cut it in half with his finger. ¡°On this side, all the stores have glass doors. It¡¯s a great place to lure them to us because they¡¯ll chase after us once they see us.¡±

    ¡°Am I stupid, because I don¡¯t understand at all. How are we going to get to the second floor?¡±

    The two couldn¡¯t figure it out. Instead of answering, Yohan simply stood up and walked over to the window.

    ¡°Oh¡­ no way¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you guys have rock climbed before, but,¡± Yohan¡¯s face was expressionless, but there was a hint of something sinister in his voice, ¡°I¡¯m planning on climbing there from the outside.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 26

    ¡°How are we supposed to get down from here?¡± Sweeper asked. Yohan responded by patting a pipe that ran along the outside wall. It was conveniently close to the window.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to slide down this.¡±

    Sweeper anxious jiggled the pipe. It seemed secure, but he still looked worried.

    ¡°¡­I think it¡¯ll be easier if we just leave the office normally and go through the mall. The two of us can deal with the zombies while you look out for the director. Or, we can use the vents to get to another office and leave from there.¡±

    ¡°And ignore this easy path? I think the racket earlier probably attracted all the zombies to this place. Trust me, this is the best way to avoid encountering zombies.¡±

    Sweeper wanted to debate the definition of ¡®easy¡¯, but kept his mouth shut after seeing Yohan¡¯s firm resolve. He nudged Ha Jin to see if he would say something, but Ha Jin simply shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first and clear some space. Follow me immediately so that you can cover me,¡± Yohan said. With that, he grabbed the pipe and slid down slowly. He placed his feet against the wall to support himself and let his hands slide freely. It was obvious that this wasn¡¯t his first time doing this. Whenever he felt like he was going too fast, he would slow himself down using the large bolts that affixed the pipe to the wall.

    Sweeper frowned as he watched Yohan slide down, but followed him regardless. It was terrifying seeing the zombies below. They must have spotted the group, as they were gathering around the pipe.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if I was this popular when everyone was alive. Stop looking at me. No matter how much you guys drool, I¡¯m not that easy¡­¡±

    ¡®There¡¯s a zombie cushion below if we fall, so it won¡¯t be instant death. But ours bodies would be instantly torn to pieces.¡¯ Sweeper thought. The method that Yohan demonstrated was extremely safe. Their boots provided enough friction to control the speed of the slide and the pipe itself was sturdy and not as slippery as it looked.

    Yohan got to the second floor first and knocked on the tinted window. He could hear noises from the inside, indicating that zombies were there. He tried opening the window, but it was locked. He stood on the safety rail and grabbed onto the window frame with hand and shot his gun with the other. The glass broke with a loud shatter and his hand reeled back from the recoil. The broken glass littered the floor and the zombies inside looked at him.

    Yohan immediately corrected his posture and fired his semi-automatic at the zombies¡¯ heads. He killed the eight zombies closest to him and was about to put away the gun when he heard Sweeper¡¯s voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m cominggggg! Don¡¯t waste ammo!¡± Sweeper quickly jumped through the broken window and entered the mall. He was wielding a one-handed axe. Unlike Yohan¡¯s knife, which required the user to strike the zombie¡¯s weak points with pinpoint accuracy in order to get to the brain, Sweeper¡¯s hand axe could cut through thick skulls. It wasn¡¯t just brute force, Sweeper was using his weapon in a very deliberate way. Yohan could tell that he was very skilled.

    ¡°That weapon doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my treasure, I¡¯ve grown attached to it. I find knives tend to get dull easily.¡±

    ¡°What did you do before this?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Sweeper chopped a zombie¡¯s head in half with his axe and then placed a foot on its stomach so that he could pull the axe back out. He turned to Yohan and smiled. ¡°I sold insurance.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking your jokes too far.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. Our company would go out of business if we had to pay insurance for all the damage caused by the apocalypse. Well, the company is probably gone now anyways!¡± Sweeper laughed at his own joke while he killed the zombies.

    Ha Jin joined shortly after. He looked even more ridiculous. Despite having a large body, he was wielding a small knife to fight the zombies. His hand was so big that sometimes it looked like he was crushing their heads with his fist instead of the knife. Yohan smirked, thinking that the weapons and wielders had been accidentally swapped. Once Yohan joined in, the number of zombies they felled far outpaced the number that was coming in. If they weren¡¯t surrounded, the three of them could probably take on 40-50 zombies at the same time. Despite the number of combatants, their explosive might was greater than any Yohan experienced in the previous timeline.

    ¡°Whew, that¡¯s seriously a lot of zombies. You guys are good at fighting.¡±

    ¡°Hold on Sweeper. Wait.¡± Yohan stopped Sweeper from going outside. He closed the store¡¯s glass door instead. Sweeper tilted his head.

    ¡°What are you doing? The number of zombies are increasing. Shouldn¡¯t we leave?¡± Zombies had heard the loud fighting and were still streaming in. Yohan started jumping up and down near the glass door, as if he was trying to attract the zombies¡¯ attention.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s going to break soon.¡±

    ¡°If we leave them be, it¡¯ll break. But it won¡¯t break anytime soon.¡± Yohan continued jumping up and down. More zombies gathered in front of the store that they were in. It seemed like all the zombies nearby had been lured to the store.

    ¡°Alright bro, so now there¡¯s a bunch of zombies in front of the entrance. What are you going to do now? Do you have a bomb or something?¡±

    ¡°Our exit isn¡¯t over there.¡±

    Sweeper raised his eyebrows. It was the only way in or out of the store. Yohan grabbed his rifle and the pair¡¯s eyes widened once they saw what he was about to do. Yohan started shooting at the glass wall between stores. Once again, the sound of glass shattering filled the area.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a path. Follow me and don¡¯t get left behind. Be careful not to get cut by the glass.¡±

    The pair now understood Yohan¡¯s plan. After luring the zombies to one side, they broke the glass wall between stores and ran out the other side. This way, they could avoid fighting zombies, no matter how fast the undead moved.

    Yohan used the selective fire function of his gun. Everytime he fired, cracks would appear on the glass wall and Yohan would break it with a kick. They made several glass passages this way. The zombies tried to follow their prey, but it was too crowded and they hindered each other¡¯s movement. They couldn¡¯t catch up to the three men moving through the spacious stores.

    Yohan made one more hole into the final store and they exited through the store¡¯s front door. An empty escalator greeted the group. Sweeper looked back to admire the holes they made. It looked like someone had played an insane game of whack-a-mole. Yohan quietly inserted a fresh magazine into his rifle.

    ¡°You¡¯re like a villain bro.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worse than a villain.¡±

    ¡°And I think you¡¯re smart.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I just have a lot of experience. Where¡¯s the entrance to the subway?¡±

    ¡°Great, it¡¯s my turn! I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± Sweeper fleet-footedly guided the group. His axe glinted in the air as he used it to crack open the heads of zombies that appeared from time to time. Yohan and Ha Jin didn¡¯t even get the chance to fight. When they arrived, they could see that the subway entrance was a narrow passageway occupied by roughly ten zombies. The glass doors leading into the subway itself was closed. The three men stopped running.

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a few. How about we just shoot them?¡± Sweeper suggested. Yohan shook his head.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know how many there are beyond the door. I want to try and keep the door intact.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? No choice then. Hey, big guy, think you can keep going?¡± Sweeper asked Ha Jin, who was trying to catch his breath. He was understandably tired since they ran a long distance non-stop. The more agile people were tired, so Ha Jin, who had a bigger frame, was no doubt even more so. However, Ha Jin smirked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind.¡±

    ¡°Wow, tough guy.¡±

    While the two were talking, Yohan pulled out his crossbow and started shooting at the zombies. He wanted to disperse the crowd of zombies that had grouped up by the entrance. His arrows flew as fast as lightning and hit the zombies in the body, causing them to either fall or stumble. As gaps were made in the crowd, the three men advanced carefully.

    Sweeper and Ha Jin took turns killing the zombies. Each zombie died with a loud groan. As Yohan reloaded his crossbow, he felt a presence behind him. With the crossbow bolt still in his hand, he spun around and stabbed it through a zombie¡¯s head. The would be stalker fell weakly to the ground.

    The three continued without any problems. A handful of zombies weren¡¯t enough to hinder their teamwork. While Sweeper was agile, Ha Jin was tall and able to attack with his knife before the zombies could reach him. And even if multiple zombies approached the pair at the same time, they couldn¡¯t avoid Yohan¡¯s sniping.

    ¡°Go to the turnstile!¡± Yohan barked out an order. Sweeper followed the command and carved a path. He jumped up high and kicked at the zombies, causing them to stumble back and crash into the ones behind them. Yohan frowned at Sweeper¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Do you really have to act so silly?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®silly¡¯? That¡¯s rude. Do you know what¡¯s the most important thing when you¡¯re fighting?¡±

    ¡°I really dont¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s looking cool!¡±

    ¡®This guy¡­ how in the world did he manage to survive so long?¡¯ Yohan sighed as Sweeper continued talking about how ¡®fighting while looking cool is the best!¡¯ As he was thinking this, Ha Jin chimed in with a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to how he survived this whole time.¡±

    ¡°Same here.¡±

    ¡®You and I think alike.¡¯ Yohan agreed with Ha Jin¡¯s mentality. He hoped that Sweeper would refrain from yelling out the names of his attacks while fighting.

    As soon as they passed through the turnstile, the distance between them and the zombies increased. No matter how low an obstacle was, it would still take some time for the zombies to recognize it and get over it. After escaping the zombies, they relaxed. The group had better chemistry than Yohan could imagine, which helped him conserve ammo.

    ¡®What a shame.¡¯ This group was too good. Even though Sweeper was annoying, Yohan couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge his fighting skills. Even if he combined the power of everyone back at Gunn¡¯s camp, it wouldn¡¯t even begin to compare to these two.

    The three followed the subway all the way to Jung-dong Station. After leaving Bucheon City Hall Station, where the bulk of the zombie wave was, Yohan thought about re-entering the mall to avoid the horde outside. There wasn¡¯t any light inside the subway. Yohan had to rely on the two flashlights that he brought, which forced them to move slowly.

    ¡°Hey bro.¡± Sweeper, who was in the lead, stopped and called over to Yohan. Yohan took Ha Jin¡¯s flashlight and went up to Sweeper. There was an odd figure in the middle of the subway track. It was humanoid in shape, but it had a lanky body and was completely red, as if its skin was peeled off. Its kidneys were exposed and dragged on the floor two meters away. It was a mutant zombie.

    ¡®No matter how hard I looked, I couldn¡¯t find it above ground. Is it controlling the wave from underground?¡¯ The mutant made a wailing sound not unlike what you would hear from a ghost child in a Japanese horror film. Its pale eyes were staring up into the air but, as soon as it discovered them, they turned red. Sweeper shuddered.

    ¡°Eww, what is that disgusting thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Gremlin.¡±

    ¡°Gremlin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a nickname that I came up with. That¡­ is a mutant zombie and it¡¯s the one behind this mess. I can¡¯t tell if we¡¯re lucky or not.¡±

    ¡°Are they really that different from regular zombies?¡±

    ¡°Very much so.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Mutant: Gremlin.

    A zombie with a lengthy body that walked on all fours during a fight. It looked like a creature from a fantasy novel, which was how Yohan came up with the nickname.

    Although this mutant could have been the one causing the zombie wave that had destroyed the military base nearby, there was a high chance that a different mutant had attacked the base. If not, then it would have meant that the firepower at the military base was extremely low. As long as people knew what to do against this type of mutant, it was possible to deal with them.

    If he was to give this mutant a danger rating from one to ten, it would be around a five. At least an eight or nine would be required to destroy an army base. The Korean ground forces had more fighting power than the navy or air force. They had high morale and were armed with heavy weapons. It was a faction that wouldn¡¯t go down easily.

    Of all the mutant variants that Yohan remembered, the one that he was most afraid of was ¡®David¡¯. He could remember fighting a battle on two fronts as fellow soldiers turned in the middle of the battle while the zombie wave battered against the barbed wire barricade. Many army bases crumbled like this.

    If mutants didn¡¯t exist, then the Korean army would have never fallen. No, they could have survived if only they knew how to deal with the mutants. The appearance of these unexpected variants was what led to the end of the world.

    ¡°That thing is creepy,¡± said Ha Jin. Yohan took a step back and switched his rifle to fully automatic.

    ¡°I have one piece of bad news, one piece of good news, and one piece of extremely good news. Which one do you want to hear first?¡±

    ¡°The extremely good news.¡±

    ¡°Good news.¡±

    The two answered almost at the same time. Yohan nodded his head.

    ¡°The bad news first. This zombie is ten times stronger and trickier than a regular zombie.¡±

    ¡°Wait, why did you even bother asking what we wanted to hear first?¡± Sweeper complained.

    ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± Ha Jin pressed Yohan. They were joking around, but the atmosphere was tense. The mutant zombie was exuding an extremely threatening aura.

    ¡°If we kill it, the zombie wave will end and the horde will disperse.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and the extremely good news?¡±

    ¡°I know how to deal with it.¡± Yohan replied, raising his rifle to take aim at the mutant¡¯s head.

    ¡°Oh? How?¡± Sweeper asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s too long to explain it step by step, but I can tell you that this mutant variation isn¡¯t that dangerous. It always uses the same attack pattern. Watch carefully.¡± Despite Yohan¡¯s words, the two still felt uneasy. Even while they were talking, the mutant was staring at them with its red eyes. However, it did not move.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it moving?¡± Ha Jin asked, tilting his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re not in aggro range.¡± Yohan replied, tossing the flashlight back to Ha Jin. ¡°You two, back up a bit, like ten steps. Ha Jin, cover our backs. Sweeper, train your light at the mutant. It¡¯s fast, so try to keep up.¡±

    The pair nodded at Yohan¡¯s instructions and backed up. They had no choice but to rely on him. As soon as they stepped back, Yohan pulled the trigger. Gun fire echoed throughout the subway tunnel.

    With a roar, the first bullet hit the mutant zombie square in the head. However, the follow up shots only grazed it due to the rifle¡¯s recoil. The zombie shrieked. The sound made them feel like their ears were being ripped off. Another bullet struck the monster in the mouth. Its face originally looked human, but now became doughy as blood flowed freely from the gunshot wounds. If it had been an ordinary zombie, it would have already died. The monster stumbled, but did not fall. In that instant, the zombie¡¯s body disappeared into the darkness.

    ¡°Wh¡ªwhat the hell!¡± Sweeper panicked and started waving the flashlight around, trying to find the zombie again. The faint light was all over the place, making it difficult to see.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shake the flashlight! Left ceiling! Corner! It¡¯s circling counterclockwise!¡± Yohan snapped at him and Sweeper was able to lock the light on the monster. The mutant was crawling along the ceiling of the underground tunnel and was circling above Yohan. It¡¯s sharp claws dug into the cement walls every time it moved its limbs. With his target illuminated once more, Yohan began firing again.

    The mutant prowled around Yohan, crawling along the ceiling. It jumped down to the ground for a few seconds before jumping up to the ceiling on the opposite side. It was like a hunter, stalking its prey.

    The sound of gunfire continued to fill the area. Yohan tracked the zombie relentlessly, but it wasn¡¯t easy to hit due to its sprinter-like speed. Yohan¡¯s rifle clicked empty and he immediately stopped shooting in order to change the magazine. His movements were smooth, minimizing the pause in shooting.

    ¡®Three¡­ four¡­¡¯ Yohan followed the zombie with gun while counting the number of times it circled him. Sweeper lost track of the zombie, but Yohan heard it landing behind him. ¡®¡­Five.¡¯

    Yohan lowered his gun, placing the hand guard and gunstock close to his body to avoid touching the hot barrel, and rolled to the side. As soon as he rolled, he heard a loud crash as the mutant pounced at Yohan¡¯s previous position with a lightning quick attack. When its attack missed, the zombie jumped back to the ceiling and started repeating the pattern.

    Yohan stood up quickly and got into a firing stance once more. He couldn¡¯t aim for a fatal shot, but he was getting used to the mutant¡¯s speed. Yohan predicted the zombie¡¯s speed and movement and led his shots, using a predictive shooting technique. As shots landed on the mutant, he could see and hear its flesh being ripped apart.

    The battle was going smoothly, but ammo was an issue. He had two magazines left. He had to neutralize the zombie before he ran out completely. He could engage in close-quarter combat, but the danger would increase tremendously. Yohan was starting to feel a bit antsy.

    ¡®Calmly. A little more calmly.¡¯ Yohan reminded himself, as he normally did every time he got nervous and his body started to get stiff. Every time the flashlight illuminated the zombie, Yohan could feel goosebumps all over his body. Even though Sweeper was doing his best, the monster kept appearing in and out of the light, disappearing like a magician on stage. Yohan was aiming at the zombie¡¯s center mass and a lucky shot struck its arm, ripping off the limb completely. The mutant gave a loud, painful shriek.

    ¡°Ha Jin! The zombie is coming!¡± Yohan yelled as soon as the mutant screamed, reminding Ha Jin to guard the rear. Ha Jin, who was captivated by the fight, snapped to attention and looked behind them. The zombie wasn¡¯t there, but there was an uneasy atmosphere in the subway tunnel.

    After about three minutes, Ha Jin could see zombies approaching from the end of the dark tunnel. It was too dark to tell exactly how many there were. Ha Jin gulped.

    Sweeper had to help Yohan by keeping the flashlight trained on the mutant zombie. This meant that he had to fight the zombies in the dark by himself. If a zombie got past him, the duo would be in danger.

    Ha Jin collected his thoughts and gripped his knife tightly as the zombies arrived. He started moving to intercept the horde. It was better to engage them further away in order to prevent them from attacking the others. Ha Jin yelled out a battlecry. He was determined to not let any zombies pass.

    Yohan changed his magazine again. He was down to the last one. He did have another gun on his back, but he didn¡¯t have a lot of ammo. The mutant got hit a few times, but none of the shots were fatal. Yohan stretched his sore arm and switched the rifle back to semi-automatic fire.

    He had used automatic fire earlier in order to have a better chance of hitting a fast moving target. However, he now had no choice but to land precise shots.

    ¡°Bro! There¡¯s something coming from the front!¡±

    Things were going from bad to worse, as zombies were now approaching from the front as well. Sweeper shined his flashlight to the front for a brief moment before moving it to follow the mutant again. In that moment, Yohan could see how far the horde was. They were about three to five minutes away. Yohan silently praised Sweeper¡¯s decision to light the front for the moment, as it helped him figure out the threat level. Sweeper had a pretty good head for combat.

    After the mutant circled him five times again, Yohan rolled once more. However, this time he started the motion a bit late. He had rolled after the mutant pounced and didn¡¯t clear the area in time. Dust kicked up and covered his face. The suffocating feeling caused him to cough and some of the dust got in his eyes, blinding him. If he got attacked now, it would be the end of him.

    He could feel the hairs on his body standing on ends. Fortunately, the mutant must have thought that it missed again, as it jumped back to the wall again. Yohan stumbled as he stood up and assumed his firing stance. His eyes were still stinging. He rubbed them a few times and tried to follow the zombie.

    ¡°Hey bro! It¡¯s soon! Fifth lap!¡± Sweeper¡¯s voice was loud and clear. He must have figured out the attack pattern after two cycles. With his help, Yohan knew that the attack was coming, but it was too late to dodge.

    Yohan whispered a quiet thanks and gripped the hand guard and gun stock tightly as he raised the rifle in front of him. He could hear the sound of the mutant¡¯s body cutting through the wind like an arrow. Yohan blocked its pounce with his gun. The weight of the attack caused him to stumble back a bit, but he had braced himself and endured it.

    The mutant tried to push away Yohan¡¯s gun with its remaining arm and snapped its teeth at him. It was a terrifying sight to behold. Every time the zombie opened it mouth, Yohan could see thick, thread-like saliva and smell its terrible breath.

    ¡°Sweeper! Throw the axe to my feet!¡±

    Sweeper kept one hand on the flashlight illuminating the mutant and bent down to toss the axe. It sailed low to the ground, practically sliding along the floor. The spinning hand axe landed exactly next to Yohan¡¯s feet. Yohan lowered his body to grab the axe. As soon as he let go of one hand from the rifle, the balance of power shifted. Yohan grabbed the hand axe as he fell backwards and the mutant¡¯s teeth snapped right next to his ear. Yohan moved as fast as lightning. The axe separated the zombie¡¯s head from its neck. Dark red blood flowed out like a fountain.

    Even though its head was removed, the zombie continued attacking. Yohan rolled to dodge its claws and then cut one of its legs off.

    ¡°Raaauuughhh!¡± A regular zombie reached out and grabbed Yohan¡¯s shoulder while he was busy dealing with the mutant. Yohan was caught off guard, but he still instinctively punched the zombie across the chin. With a loud crack, the strike caused the zombie to stumble back, giving Yohan the opportunity to chop off the mutant¡¯s other leg. The monster collapsed to the ground.

    The mutant wriggled around with its remaining arm and upper torso. Yohan quickly turned around and fired his gun. He couldn¡¯t see the regular zombies in the darkness, so he swept his gun across in a wide burst. The nearby zombies either fell down or had their approached slowed by the bullets. Immediately after he shot his gun, Sweeper¡¯s flashlight lit up the zombies.

    ¡°Group up!¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you to say that!¡±

    Yohan flipped the axe so that he was holding the handle out. As Sweeper ran by, he switched the flashlight to his off hand, grabbed the axe with his dominant hand, and took care of the remaining zombies.

    While Sweeper was taking care of the zombies, Yohan was exhausted. He had used all of his energy to fight the mutant zombie. He switched guns as he caught his breath. Yohan checked on his remaining ammo.

    ¡®11 shots.¡¯

    It was enough. Yohan emptied the remaining bullets into the mutant¡¯s head and body. He didn¡¯t stop shooting until it stopped moving entirely.

 Chapter 28

    As the battle was just about over, Yohan started reviewing the events that had just taken place. The fact that he shot off one of the mutant¡¯s arms earlier was a major factor in the outcome of their close-quarter combat. If the mutant had been in good condition during its third attack, it would have been difficult to block both claws. Even though this variant wasn¡¯t very dangerous, it was still a difficult fight. Gremlins typically appeared in dark narrow tunnels and didn¡¯t have a lot of fighting prowess.

    Despite all of that, he still struggled. Yohan let out a soft sigh. He really wanted to avoid any fights that involved mutants. The military should be the ones that dealt with them, not him. Just thinking that the mutant that destroyed the nearby army base was probably still alive made his teeth chatter.

    ¡°Hey bro, you okay? You¡¯re all covered in blood.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the zombies?¡±

    ¡°I killed all the ones that I saw. There weren¡¯t a lot.¡±

    ¡°And Ha Jin?¡± Yohan asked. Sweeper shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡®Did he get killed?¡¯ Yohan strained his ears, but couldn¡¯t hear anything behind him.

    ¡°Hey! Are you alive?¡± Sweeper called out. After a moment of silence, they heard Ha Jin reply. He looked as if he had just gone through a tough fight. Similar to Yohan, he was covered in sweat and zombie blood. He must have been swinging his arms around a lot, as one of them looked quite swollen. It was too early to feel comradeship, but, at this moment, Yohan thought that Ha Jin was a very reliable partner.

    ¡°The back is clear too.¡± Ha Jin said, in a low voice.

    ¡°No one got bitten or scratched, right?¡±

    The duo nodded their heads at the same time. Yohan wanted to check them over to make sure, but getting to a place with more light was a higher priority.

    ¡°Great. Good job.¡± Yohan let out another sigh, this time it was one of relief. The battle was officially over. He took the lead once more and started moving. All they had to do now was to sing a sweet song to lure away the zombies from the camp that he had worked so hard on.

    * * *

    ¡°What was that grotesque looking thing?¡± Ha Jin asked. They were still walking through the subway tunnel. Ha Jin didn¡¯t get to watch the end of Yohan¡¯s fight with the mutant, so he had a lot of questions.

    ¡°A mutant zombie. It¡¯s the reason why the military bases and government fell.¡± Yohan replied, offering no new information. Ha Jin tried a different question.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the zombies caused by some sort of virus? Like, humans would turn into zombies if they get bitten or scratched.¡±

    ¡°Maybe?¡±

    ¡°Then that¡­ thing¡­ you can¡¯t scientifically explain it. How can a monster like that be created?¡±

    ¡°Can you scientifically explain zombies?¡± Yohan smirked.

    ¡°Not really.¡± Ha Jin didn¡¯t really seem to like Yohan¡¯s answer, so Yohan elaborated.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what kind of answer you were expecting from me, but I¡¯m curious about it too. I don¡¯t know where or how these damn zombies came to be. As for the mutant zombies, I don¡¯t know why or how they were created.¡±

    If he combined both timelines, he would have had survived for a total of three years and six months, but he had learned nothing about the outbreak itself. All he could do each day was endure and survive.

    ¡°It could be the result of a private company or the government working on a biochemical weapon that went horribly wrong. Or mother nature could have devised it to purge the humans that were destroying the Earth. If not that, then maybe it¡¯s the apocalypse prophesied in the Bible. However, what¡¯s important is¡­¡± Yohan paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°no matter what caused this shitty apocalypse, it¡¯s not our job to find the cause and solve it. It¡¯s up to the higher-ups to figure it out. Of course, that¡¯s only if they¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Ha Jin and Sweeper leaned in, fully engrossed in Yohan¡¯s explanation.

    ¡°Our job is to survive in this damn world, no matter what. Live. That¡¯s it. Just like what we were doing before the apocalypse.¡± Yohan¡¯s words made the duo contemplative. A heavy silence settled on the group.

    In silence, the three arrived in Sinjung-dong Station. They entered a convenience store in front of the station and acquired some supplies. Yohan sighed before asking the two a question.

    ¡°I believe our time together ends here¡­ so, what are you two going to do?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Sweeper was the first to answer, ¡°I¡¯ll probably go back to roaming around by myself. Nothing to it.¡±

    ¡°Ha Jin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to find a place to stay. I guess you¡¯re asking this question for a reason.¡±

    Yohan nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to offer a place at my camp. Come with me. It¡¯ll benefit you more than me since you¡¯ll survive longer with me.¡±

    The duo didn¡¯t seem bothered by the brazen nature of Yohan¡¯s statement. They probably believe it as well. They could feel that Yohan¡¯s leadership and their teamwork would increase their overall chances of survival.

    Truthfully, there was no reason to think twice about the offer. They were just surprised by Yohan¡¯s sudden proposal, given how reserved he was so far. However, Sweeper needed to confirm something before he could agree.

    ¡°Who exactly are you, bro?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we exchange names?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for your name. I survived six months in this apocalypse, same as you. But, in my opinion, you¡¯re definitely not an ordinary survivor. It¡¯ll be bad if you think that I¡¯m an idiot. Who are you? How do you know so much about that mutant? Are you involved with this mess?¡± Sweeper asked some very specific questions, but they weren¡¯t anything that Yohan could answer straightforwardly. He didn¡¯t trust them completely yet, so there was no reason to tell them his secret. Even if he did answer truthfully, he was unsure if they would believe him or not.

    ¡°I have nothing to say. You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you. Would you believe me if I said I came back from the dead?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Or that I am a prophet sent by god? Or an oracle that could look into the future?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    ¡°Or maybe a government official from a biochemical laboratory? Maybe that¡¯s more believable?¡±

    ¡°Re¡ªreally?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m kidding. You¡¯re so naive. I¡¯m just an ordinary survivor. I simply experienced a lot in a short amount of time. If you¡¯re curious about my experience, then join me. You¡¯ll learn what I know even if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Sweeper looked like he had made up his mind. Yohan turned to face Ha Jin.

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join.¡± Ha Jin replied without hesitation. He already believed that he owed his life to Yohan anyways. From the beginning, he was planning to stay by his side until Yohan kicked him out.

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan now? Do you have a plan? I don¡¯t think you intend to spend every day like this.¡± Ha Jin asked. Yohan was impressed with their questions. They were definitely Grade A survivors. Ordinary people were surprised by Yohan¡¯s ability and experience and would follow him without question. However, not a lot of people would notice that Yohan was preparing for the future. The question surprised Yohan, but he decided to answer honestly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to create a wide district organization.¡± Yohan said. Ha Jin frowned, the answer was still too vague.

    ¡°Can you explain it to me simply?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to gather survivors and, after training them to be pros, I¡¯m going to create different camps, like an organization, in Bucheon City. The organization will have three goals. First, be safe from the zombies. Second, create a sustainable system where people can obtain supplies and survive on their own. Third, gather enough power to protect the organization from malicious outsiders.¡±

    Yohan planned on creating several small camps, each consisting of around 20 people. They would all work together as part of one large organization. This organization would last around two years. After that, he had something else planned.

    ¡°Malicious outsiders? Like Gold Moon?¡± Ha Jin asked. Yohan sneered.

    ¡°No need to worry about dumb, third-rate villains like them.¡± To Yohan, Gold Moon was a shitty low-tier gang that barely qualified as a group. They were lacking organization and quality members. Sure, they managed to catch him and put him in danger, but that was more bad luck due to the encounter with Sweeper and the mutant causing the zombie wave.

    The real enemy on Yohan¡¯s mind was on an entirely different level. These enemies wouldn¡¯t rely on low-key, shallow violence to control their camp members. They used religion. After members become blindly loyal to them, they could drive them to their deaths or rouse them into a frenzy and turn them against groups outside of their organization.

    These enemies would also create a hierarchical structure and, in exchange for their safety, people would accept violence and exploitation into their lives as if it was just. Still, no matter the method, creating a tight knit group was the basis of an organization. Once united, they could shock and awe their enemies. Battles with these kinds of groups were inevitable and inscrutable. They will definitely clash, but it¡¯s difficult to deal with them without any consequences.

    ¡°You¡¯ll eventually meet people who have thrown away their humanity, such as cannibals that hunt people for meat, and they¡¯ll make the Gold Moon bastards look third-rate.¡± Yohan spoke with a smile on his face. The other two kept their mouths shut tight.

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that both of you are joining me. I¡¯ll explain more as we go. Oh yeah, one more thing to keep in mind. From now on, I¡¯ll think of you two as comrades. I expect you guys to have my back. But, if you betray or sellout a comrade, I¡¯ll kill you without hesitation. If you don¡¯t like it, you can leave now.¡± Yohan spoke, with brutal honesty. The two men suddenly felt like they were in the presence of a savage beast. Yohan was blunt and nonchalant about killing them, which gave them chills.

    Still, neither backed out. Yohan took the lead and the two followed. The group moved from Sinjung-dong Station to Bucheon City Hall Station. The road was fairly empty and quiet now. It was as if all the zombies headed to H Mall, as not a single zombie could be seen outside.

    The first thing they had to do right now was to get rid of the zombies near their camp. The easiest way to do that was to lure them with sound. Zombies responded to sound, so if they create some loud noises, they would gather here. The trio got closer to Bucheon City Station and picked out a suitable car.

    Since the streets were quiet, a car alarm was enough to lure zombies away. Yohan smashed the window of a fancy import car with the butt of his rifle. Soon, loud beeping echoed throughout the streets. The trio found two more import cars, broke their windows as well, and then quickly ran into an alleyway.

    It would have been great if they could lure the zombies even further away from the camp. However, in order to do that, they would need sound equipment. But that was a pipe dream. All Yohan could do was with simply drawing the zombies away from the entrance of the camp and he had to be satisfied with that.

    As the zombies chased after the sound, Yohan entered the mall parking lot. There was a bunch of zombie corpses at the entrance. Some zombies from the zombie wave must have came this way. Yohan¡¯s expression turned grim.

    There was a pile of zombie corpses on the outer side of the truck barricade. On the inner side, a handful of zombies were roaming around. On top of the truck, Yohan saw a zombie that was howling sadly. It was unable to move as one of its arms and legs were bitten off.

    The face of the zombie was familiar to Yohan.

 Chapter 29

    It was Sang Joon Kim, one of the camp members. Yohan stabbed him in the head to let him rest in peace. He looked over to the entrance and saw that it was sealed shut. This meant that there was one victim, but they didn¡¯t let the zombies in.

    The trio opened the parking lot gate while clearing out the zombies. Yohan organized his thoughts. The zombies were on the first floor again. They had managed to lure a bunch of zombies away with a loud sound, but the remaining zombies and broken glass hinted at the chaos that enveloped this area not too long ago.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Sweeper and Ha Jin were mindful of their words. Yohan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t give much away, but there was no hiding the heavy feeling in the air.

    ¡°Cover me while I block the entrance.¡± Yohan requested quietly. He brought over an iron partition and used it to cover the broken glass door. It wouldn¡¯t block out humans, but they could at least avoid attracting the attention of ordinary zombies.

    The trio spent little time clearing out the zombies on the first floor and headed straight to the B1F emergency exit. There were a lot of zombies in front of the door. One of them spotted Yohan, but he kicked it over and began killing the zombies one by one. He was feeling anxious, imagining the worst case scenario.

    Slowly, he turned the door handle. The door was locked. He knocked and yelled, but there was no answer.

    ¡°Sweeper, your axe.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Yohan broke the door handle with Sweeper¡¯s axe. The noise caught the attention of the zombies waiting for them on the other side of the door. Just yesterday, these were camp members.

    The first thing that Yohan saw was Min Seo eating Byung Jin. Yohan¡¯s expression turned cold. Memories of his time with the happy couple flashed before his eyes.

    ¡°Hey bro¡­¡± Sweeper started to call out to Yohan, but Ha Jin stopped him. Slowly, Yohan walked over and stabbed Min Seo and Byung Jin in the temple. After that, he stabbed the heads of the two elders that loved to play chess every day. Finally, he stabbed the mother and her three children, who had all turned to zombies. He could still remember when the eldest boy threatened him with a fruit knife and his mom threw soiled diapers at him.

    Yohan turned his attention to Ki Moon and Sung Bae¡¯s corpses. He was about to stab Ki Moon in the head, but saw that there was already a hole.

    ¡®Yohan, my name is Ki Moon, not Mr. Diploma!¡¯

    He was a friendly and bright person. On top of that, he had a very valuable skill in automotive engineering. Yohan looked over to Sung Bae, who laid on the ground next to Ki Moon.

    ¡®Yohan, you¡¯re seriously a beast¡­ it¡¯s the first time my heart fluttered for a man.¡¯

    He was Ki Moon¡¯s partner in crime. His ability to drift cars was a work of art.

    Yohan let out a weak sigh. The grief he was feeling wasn¡¯t tremendous. It was more that he had almost forgotten the emotional turmoil that came with losing a comrade. The tingling spread over every inch of his body. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he had come to like these survivors in a short period of time or if it was because a camp that he had built from the ground up had collapsed.

    Just then, Yohan realized that he almost missed something. There was a shortage of corpses. In total, there were nineteen dead bodies. Jung Hwan and Saeri were missing, as were Elder Park, Seo Jun, and Ji Hye. Even if they included Sang Joon, who they encountered in the parking lot, there were still ten people not accounted for.

    Yohan¡¯s footsteps fell fast as he raced to open the storage room door.

    ¡°Yohan?¡±

    ¡°Elder Park.¡±

    Behind the steel door was Elder Park and seven other camp members. The faces of the survivors lit up when they saw Yohan. They were like baby birds, desperately waiting for their mother to give them food. They looked at him as if he was their savior.

    ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡± Yohan turned on a lamp and helped people stand up. They had been trembling in fear in the dark storage room. The majority of them were support staff, not fighters.

    ¡°The zombies outside have been taken care of, so you can come out now.¡± Yohan began filling the empty lamps with oil and lit them all up. The dark basement of the mall was now filled with the flickering light of their flames.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yohan asked. Elder Park started describing how the zombies outside started screaming and a large number of them attacked the mall. The survivors abandoned the first floor and parking lot and fled to the basement, but Sung Bae and Min Seo were infected. Despite getting bitten by Min Seo, Byung Jin was able to hold off the infected, buying time for the other camp members to escape to the storage room.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Saeri and Jung Hwan?¡±

    ¡°Jung Hwan couldn¡¯t escape from the parking lot and told us to close the door. I don¡¯t know where Saeri is, we assumed that she¡¯s on the roof.¡± Elder Park replied. Yohan nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the roof now. I know it¡¯s asking a lot from all of you, but please clean up the corpses again. Sweeper, follow me. Ha Jin, protect them.¡±

    ¡°Who are these¡­?¡± Elder Park asked, pointing at the two men.

    ¡°They¡¯re our new comrades.¡± Yohan replied, nonchalantly. Sweeper and Ha Jin acknowledged Yohan¡¯s instructions in their own way.

    There were no zombies encountered on the way to the roof. Instead, a group of them were gathered just before the roof¡¯s steel door. There was already a pile of zombie corpses with holes in their heads, but there were still more behind them that were active. Yohan fired a shot with his crossbow and undead eyes turned to face them. Yohan fired repeatedly at the zombies.

    ¡°Hey bro, it¡¯s probably not my place to say this, but¡­¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any useful people at this camp?¡± Yohan finished the sentence for him. Sweeped nodded.

    ¡°There were a few in the group, but they died.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find more people. Still, the people here have something important, especially the ones that managed to survive this disaster.¡±

    ¡°Something important?¡±

    ¡°Luck.¡± Yohan smirked as he said it. The camp had incredibly good luck. Sweeper frowned while Yohan fired one more crossbow bolt through the head of the last zombie. He moved the corpses out of the way and knocked on the steel door twice. There was no response.

    ¡°I got a bad feeling about this too.¡± Sweeper commented, implying that Saeri was probably dead. Yohan shrugged and knocked harder. Moments later, the door opened and Saeri and Jung Hwan peeked out. As soon as Saeri saw Yohan, she ran towards him and hugged him. Sweeper¡¯s lips formed into a large ¡®O¡¯. He raised his pinky finger and wiggled it at Yohan, but Yohan shook his head. Saeri turned her head to yell at Jung Hwan.

    ¡°I told you, idiot. What kind of zombie knocks?¡±

    ¡°Who said it was a zombie? I said it could be an enemy. Yohan, you¡¯re late.¡±

    ¡°We had some trouble. Anyways, you guys owe me your lives.¡± Yohan replied calmly. A dumbfounded expression crossed Saeri¡¯s face.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve starved to death.¡±

    ¡°Is this the right time to joke around?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you should pay me back. And I don¡¯t mean ¡®that thing¡¯. Something else. Something that I¡¯ll actually like.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of yourself.¡± Saeri mumbled, as she walked past Yohan.

    ¡°Pay back? That thing? What are you talking about?¡± Jung Hwan asked.

    ¡°Kids don¡¯t need to know!¡± Saeri scolded. The 27 year old Jung Hwan looked victimized as the 23 year old Saeri yelled at him.

    Saeri stomped her way to the exit. Just then, a zombie on the floor wriggled, struggling to get at her. It had an arrow through its nose, barely missing its windpipe. Saeri cursed at the undead and stomped on its head until it exploded. Then things were quiet.

    Sweeper let out a low whistle, watching Saeri.

    ¡°Bro, let me rephrase what I just said. There¡¯s a really beautiful female warrior here. A sexy and tough one.¡±

    Yohan tried to hold in his laughter. He couldn¡¯t agree with the sexy part, but she was definitely tough.

    ¡°Jung Hwan, give me your report before you leave.¡±

    Jung Hwan didn¡¯t have much of a report. He was abandoned at the parking lot and gave up on getting through the basement emergency exit door. Instead, he headed up to the roof, where there was drinking water, and encountered Saeri, who was on her way down after hearing the noise. Jung Hwan grabbed her and they both camped out on the roof.

    Yohan applauded Jung Hwan¡¯s decision to stay where there was drinking water. Since the water tank was here, they could survive at least four days on water alone.

    ¡°As expected of a zombie otaku. You¡¯re definitely living the life of a successful otaku.¡±

    ¡°Stop joking around Yohan. I thought we were going to die. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°I know. Good job. Let¡¯s go down and eat.¡± Yohan patted Jung Hwan on the shoulder and sent him down.

    It took half a day for the camp to settle down and clean up the corpses. Yohan introduced Sweeper and Ha Jin as the combat team and the camp members looked relieved. This was because the camp had lost a number of young men in the recent incident. Yohan knew there wasn¡¯t much they could have done about it. Before the zombie wave, there were too many people in the camp. Because of that, it was necessary to split the camp, but the people were too comfortable here and wouldn¡¯t agree to move so easily. It may seem a bit harsh, but it was a good thing for the remaining survivors that their numbers had dwindled.

    After seeing the stacks of supplies in the storage room and the loading dock, Sweeper and Ha Jin started to understand why Yohan had said that the camp was lucky. It had been over six months since the start of the apocalypse and they still had a large amount of supplies left. The fact that the mall and the streets outside were filled with zombies deterred scavengers, which helped. Additionally, the camp¡¯s previous leader, Gunn, had thoughtfully managed the supplies.

    There were less people now, which meant it was easier to maintain the camp. Yohan split the remaining 13 survivors into two teams: eight people formed the combat team while five formed the support team. From this point on, anyone that knew medicine, cooking, engineering, electricity, or similar skills would be added to the support team. Anyone else would be tossed into the combat team without exception. They will receive combat training and be expected to perform.

    ¡°A weak comrade that can¡¯t even kill one zombie is bound to become a zombie at any time and put the rest of us in danger.¡±

    ¡®If they can¡¯t fight or support those who are fighting, then they¡¯re useless to the camp. This isn¡¯t a merciful place where we can afford to take care of useless people.¡¯

    Yohan¡¯s explanation made sense and no one argued against him. One reason for this was that the people who didn¡¯t like Yohan were already dead. The other reason was that the camp was saved by Yohan twice and no longer felt like they had the right to go against him. After Yohan freed them from the dark storage room, his words were like gospel.

    Yohan appointed Jung Hwan, Elder Park, and Seo Jun as managers of the combat and support teams. Even though some of his previous managers had died, he didn¡¯t appoint new ones to replace them. He, Sweeper, and Ha Jin, formed a third team, the recon team.

    ¡°The recon team will frequently patrol the streets to look for survivors and supplies. We¡¯ll first go back to H Mall and see if there are any survivors. We¡¯re also hoping to obtain the gangster¡¯s guns, walkie talkies, and supplies. If there are any of them left, we¡¯ll probably eliminate them.¡±

    ¡°I want to be part of the recon team too. I want to see if my sister is alive. Also, it¡¯s suffocating being inside all the time.¡± Saeri interjected. Yohan shook his head immediately.

    ¡®Who knows what can happen if an inexperienced person goes out into the streets?¡¯

    ¡°Why not? Let¡¯s take her with us.¡± Sweeper seconded Saeri¡¯s proposal, causing her expression to light up. ¡°It¡¯s better than just having three guys roaming around. Hey sweetie, you know how to fight, right?¡±

    ¡°She can barely do one person¡¯s job.¡± Yohan said, firmly.

    ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too harsh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± Yohan had all but made up his mind, but Ha Jin also cut in. He reasoned that having a female in the group would help to reassure any female survivors they encountered. Yohan¡¯s felt like his head was throbbing. He conceded to the pair and included Saeri in the recon team.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this,¡± Elder park said, laughing, ¡°but the group has a better vibe around it with Saeri there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you guys looked like a bunch of thieves before,¡± said Saeri.

    The trio awkwardly realized that she was right.

 Chapter 30 - . Camp Expansion

    Yohan went back to his home shelter to restock on ammunition. When he returned, the group asked him where he went. However, Yohan only offered a vague story about getting more ammo from a gun store.

    The two rifles were left at the camp. One for the main entrance and the other for the parking lot guards. Yohan instructed them to check the ammo each time they changed shifts. Each gun had only three bullets. The live ammunition was intended for human intruders that might try to barge in. Having too much ammo was dangerous, but having no ammo was even worse. Since the number of zombies outside had thinned out, it was possible that scavengers might stumble across the mall.

    ¡°If someone tries to enter through the main entrance despite our warning signs, shoot them without hesitation. If people arrive at the parking lot, disarm them and check their entire body for injuries before letting them into the camp. You can give them food, but keep them quarantined. Explain our reasons for doing this as much as possible. If they still refuse to cooperate, just shoot them.¡± Yohan instructed. Jung Hwan trembled, but he nodded his head.

    After leaving instructions with his proxy, Yohan led the recon team to the H Mall. Similar to their mall, the majority of the zombies that were there before had left for the major roads. However, there were still a good number of zombies inside the mall. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t much of a threat now that the influence of the zombie wave was over.

    Similar to the entrance blocking mission from before, the recon team moved in a diamond formation. Yohan was in the front, Ha Jin was in the back, and Saeri and Sweeper were on the sides. Saeri was performing much better than Yohan had expected. The recon team looked for two dolly carts inside the H mall before heading towards the general office.

    Yohan knocked on the door to the office a few times and waited for a response. Hearing no answer, the four kicked open the door and entered the office simultaneously. The office was empty, but the supplies were still there. Yohan holstered his gun and started moving the supplies to the carts.

    ¡°Did the director die?¡± Ha Jin asked. Yohan didn¡¯t know the answer. In light of the situation, it was likely that Ha Jin¡¯s assumption was correct. If the director was still alive, they would see signs of it in the mall.

    The group moved all the supplies onto the carts and then made their way to the roof to grab the two walkie-talkies there. Saeri frowned when she saw the corpses on the roof. They had been killed by gunshots. She peeked over at Yohan. He turned to meet her eyes once he felt her staring, but Saeri turned away without saying anything.

    Afterwards, the recon team went underground. The basement area housed a mixture of freshly turned zombies and zombies that had been rotting for a while. The group killed zombies without hesitation. However, as Yohan was about to kill a female zombie, he heard Saeri¡¯s exclaim.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Saeri¡¯s eyes were trembling as she slowly walked towards the zombie.

    ¡°Sis?¡±

    It turned out the zombie was Saeri¡¯s older sister. Yohan sighed. He reached out with one hand and pulled Saeri into a tight embrace just as she was about to run to her sister. Saeri looked devastated.

    ¡°Calm down. Or else you¡¯ll get bitten.¡±

    The zombie howled and charged repeatedly at the pair, but every time it did, Yohan shoved it back. Saeri was frozen in his arms. Yohan was afraid that she was going to cry and make a fuss, but instead she simply collapsed to the floor. Yohan looked over to her and saw that she wasn¡¯t crying. She had probably assumed this would happen. Still, she was in a daze.

    ¡°Leave that zombie and kill the rest.¡± Yohan instructed. Sweeper and Ha Jin move to opposite sides of the area and took care of the zombies there. Yohan pinned the zombie that used to be Saeri¡¯s sister.

    ¡°She¡¯s already dead. You take care of it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your family.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just kill her. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to make me feel guilty for killing somebody else¡¯s family member?¡± Yohan was resolute before Saeri¡¯s hoarse, pleading voice. Hearing Yohan¡¯s words, Saeri stood up, looking exhausted. She rubbed her face and stabbed the zombie through the head with all her strength.

    ¡°Honestly, I was watching the zombies storm into the mall.¡± Saeri whispered.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I gave up¡­ I thought¡­¡±

    ¡°Never give up until you see the corpse with your own eyes.¡±

    It was the death of a loved one. Yohan would never consider bringing a zombie along just because it was once a family member, but he also wouldn¡¯t give up hope that someone was alive until he saw otherwise.

    For now, Yohan knew that they had to mourn for those that died. In the zombie apocalypse, the best way to mourn for a loved one was to ensure that they had the chance to rest in peace with your own hands.

    Saeri stood up with a determined look on her face. As if he was waiting for her, Yohan assigned a new task to Saeri as soon as she stood up. It looked like he didn¡¯t even care that she had just lost a family member.

    ¡°You really use people without any sympathy. You¡¯re cold.¡±

    ¡°If you know that already, do your part.¡±

    ¡®Working hard will take your mind off of it and help you get over this tragedy.¡¯

    ¡°Canned food, dry food, canned drinks, and water are our priorities.¡±

    ¡°What about ramen? Most of them are expired.¡±

    ¡°Take it. If people get hungry, they¡¯ll even eat trash.¡±

    Ramen was usually good for six month, but following expiration and ¡®best before¡¯ dates was a luxury in the apocalypse. If it won¡¯t kill you, you should always take the food.

    Moving the carts up and down stairs was hard work, but they managed to get all the supplies to the mall entrance. Yohan left Saeri and Sweeper there to guard it while he and Ha Jin searched the rest of the mall to see if any Gold Moon members were still alive. Even though they were already exhausted from fighting zombies and searching the entire mall was cumbersome, it was something that must be done. The pair searched every floor and did not find a single survivor. However, they did find the remaining two walkie-talkies and now had four in total.

    ¡°Yohan,¡± Ha Jin called out as he rejoined the group at the entrance, ¡°it¡¯s really weird¡­¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°The director¡¯s corpse isn¡¯t here. If he died, he should have been a zombie or left a corpse somewhere. I looked everywhere, but didn¡¯t see him.¡±

    ¡®He had a long life for a third-rate villain.¡¯ Yohan frowned.

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ we¡¯ll just keep that in mind. I would have liked to take care of him once and for all, but we can¡¯t force it. We¡¯ll need to tighten up our camp¡¯s security and take turns patrolling the area. He probably didn¡¯t get too far.¡±

    The recon team brought all the supplies from the H Mall back to their camp. Afterwards, they visited two other convenience stores. The zombies that were once part of the zombie wave were now spread out and weren¡¯t much of a threat. Still, there was enough of them on the streets that it deterred other scavengers. This was a good thing, as the supplies inside the convenience stores were untouched. The recon team made several trips. Soon, there was a lot more supplies in both the storage room and loading dock.

    ¡°Whew, I think we¡¯re good on supplies for a while.¡± Sweeper commented. Yohan shook his head. He was planning on making their camp the main supply center that would support other camps. Even if they gathered all the supplies in the city, they still wouldn¡¯t have enough for his purposes.

    ¡°We still need an efficient way to burn the corpses.¡±

    The more they fought, the more corpses there would be. They couldn¡¯t ignore the corpses, but they also couldn¡¯t waste precious fuel burning them every time. Yohan traced his finger around Bucheon city on a large map, deep in thought. He had a lot to do. He still had to expand the camp, obtain more weapons, and block all the pathways that zombies in nearby cities could enter from.

    And before all that, he had to gather all the survivors in the city. He had a solid plan, but there were a lot of variables. In the apocalypse, six months was a really long time. It was difficult to imagine what might have happened within the city in that time frame.

    ¡°Yohan, take a look at this.¡± One of his managers, Seo Jun, called him over. Yohan recalled how, when they conquered the first floor of the mall, Seo Jun locked the door behind them for safety and Yohan ended up promoting him to manager. Seo Jun had since adopted his role well.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a slingshot.¡± Seo Jun showed Yohan a Y-shaped slingshot made from wood and along rubber band. ¡°You know how there are a lot of nuts and bolts in the mall¡¯s hardware store? Since we have to save ammo and arrows require us to recollect them after use, I figure we could use this to guard the parking lot. Wouldn¡¯t that be easier?¡±

    ¡°Could you give me a demonstration?¡±

    Seo Jun led Yohan to the parking lot with a confident expression on his face. A bolt flew through the air. Seo Jun looked embarrassed as he missed a few more shots before one went deep into a zombie¡¯s head. The zombie didn¡¯t seem to realize what had happened and looked around with a bolt sticking out of their head before falling down dead.

    ¡°Zombie skulls are weaker than a normal human¡¯s, so this is more than enough to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s amazing.¡± Yohan said, honestly. As Seo Jun noted, this new weapon was light and easy to use. It could be useful in many situations. Of course, in a big battle between humans, where anything could happen, it would be less useful as a weapon. But it was good enough for guarding the parking lot.

    Seo Jun tried to hide his smile as Yohan complimented him. His expression seemed to say ¡®I didn¡¯t do it to get compliments from you!¡¯. He handed the slingshot to Yohan with one hand while scratching his head with the other.

    ¡°Anyways, keep this weapon in mind when planning. I¡¯m going to make around ten more.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I think it would be good if one person had a gun while the other had a slingshot during guard duty.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well you don¡¯t have to make changes right away. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± Seo Jun walked off. Yohan smiled as he looked at the manager¡¯s back.

    Yohan decided to rest for a few days, focusing on cleaning up the inside of the camp, which was light work since it was secure from zombies for a while. Between the combat, support, and recon team, there were less than 20 people. Additionally, the recon team didn¡¯t stay at the camp most of the time, so usually there were just over ten people there. It wasn¡¯t ideal, as some support team members had to participate with guard duty as well, but, all-in-all, the camp was becoming safer.

    There were five people in the support team. Yohan chose them after interviewing each and every camp member. Ji Hye¡¯s role was easy to decide, as her exceptional cooking skills helped raise morale. Seo Jun was also working hard as a manager and showed that he was capable of handling the role.

    They had no choice but to include Elder Jung in the support team, designating her as a repair person. While she wasn¡¯t technically adept, she was the only person that knew how to use a sewing machine, so she took on the entire role of repair person.

    ¡®Lastly, there was also someone with an unexpected talent¡­¡¯ Yohan¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by a loud sound that reverberated throughout the mall. He went to investigate.

    ¡°What is this sound? Are you trying to attract a zombie army or something?¡±

    ¡°Jeez Yohan, don¡¯t say scary things like that. Take a look.¡± Jung Hwan pointed at the steel door. A steel plate had been welded between the door¡¯s hinge and the gap.

    There was a welding technician among the camp members. Excluding the main entrance and parking lot emergency exit, they were planning on welding shut all the other entrances. Before, anyone could get through the side doors or emergency exit simply by breaking the handle. However, it was a different story if they broke the handle themselves and weld the doors shut. This would allow them to almost completely block out intruders.

    Jung Hwan already knew the specialties of all the survivors and kickstarted the effort to secure the camp once he overheard that there was a chance that the director was still alive.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s great.¡± Yohan complimented them both. The pair were responded excitedly to Yohan¡¯s compliments. They looked as if they had just received some sort of certificate.

    ¡®A cook, a manager, a repair person, and a welder. And the final member of the support team is Elder Park, whose specialty is¡­¡¯

 Chapter 32

    * * *

    The recon team arrived at Soon Chun Hyang Hospital. The foursome explored the outside before going in. They kept an eye out for other groups of survivors that might put them in danger.

    There weren¡¯t any lights on inside the hospital and the broken windows hinted at the chaos that had ensued here during the past six months. This place had probably been filled with sick patients and those who swore the Hippocratic Oath to help those patients. Now, there were only curtains fluttering eerily by the broken windows, creating a somber scene.

    ¡°Do you see anything?¡± Yohan asked Sweeper, who was looking around with his binoculars.

    ¡°No, I think we¡¯re going to have to go in.¡±

    ¡°Any people?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell whether they¡¯re humans or zombies, but I think the majority of them are zombies.¡±

    Sweeper handed the binoculars to Yohan, who peered through them into the hospital. As Sweeper said, most of the figures they could see were zombies. From the outside, it seemed like the building was filled with undead.

    ¡°Not much we can do, other than confronting them.¡±

    ¡°Where should we enter?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in from the back door.¡± Yohan replied without hesitation. Going in with the sun behind them was the safest. The deeper they went into the building, the darker it would get, so they had to target the part of the building with the most visibility.

    The foursome slowly entered the hospital. Broken furniture and glass were everywhere, creating a foreboding setting, not unlike those in a horror movie. This was especially true with the sunlight only reaching certain spots, leaving other areas dark. This slowed their pace, as they had to discern between living zombies and zombie corpses. However, as the hallway was narrow, it wasn¡¯t that dangerous. And yet, Yohan felt like something was off.

    There was a difference between the undead corpses and still animated zombies. The corpses had holes in their heads and were decaying, indicating that they had been around for a while. On the flip side, the living zombies had little decay.

    ¡°There were survivors.¡± Yohan declared, intentionally using the past tense. There were obvious signs that at least one survivor came through here. It was unknown if these survivors were still alive.

    ¡°I think we just need to check the cafeteria and the convenience store on the first floor. Sweeper, watch out. Two zombies next to the left escalator.¡± Yohan was the first to sense the zombies¡¯ presence and called them out.

    As they passed by the escalators, the zombies emerged from the blind spot baring their teeth. However, Sweeper was prepared for them and twisted one zombie aside while he smashed in the head of the other. A moment later, the one that he had manhandled fell as well.

    ¡°Seriously, how can you tell? I didn¡¯t even hear anything.¡±

    Yohan tapped his lips with his index finger twice, indicating silence, as he stepped around Sweeper. Sweeper sulked.

    The convenience store was almost empty. There were no signs of humans taking refuge here. Instead, there were plenty of zombie corpses inside and around the store with holes in their heads.Yohan inspected the storage capacity of the store, trying to figure out how much supplies it would have stocked. He didn¡¯t know how much food the cafeteria would have, but if a single group had looted everything in both of these locations, they would have had enough to last them six months.

    Yohan started hand signalling at the other members of the recon team and they exited from the convenience store. Ever since they left camp, Yohan rarely talked and instead used hand signs to issue commands. If any team members talked, Yohan would reprimand them. Talking was not allowed until Yohan gave the ¡®all clear¡¯ signal.

    The staff cafeteria was on the same floor as the convenience store and wasn¡¯t too far away. Yohan tried the handle of the cafeteria door, but it was locked tight. After glancing at the other members of the recon team, he slowly knocked on the door.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± His tone wasn¡¯t formal, but wasn¡¯t too informal either. Yohan tried to use his calmest voice and called out to the potential survivors.

    However, there was no answer. Yohan raised his voice and tried again. His voice and knocking was loud enough to attract some nearby zombies, but there still wasn¡¯t any response from behind the door. They waited calmly, long enough that Saeri could no longer endure and felt compelled to voice her frustration.

    ¡°Yohan, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone here¡­¡±

    ¡°No. There¡¯s a survivor inside.¡± Yohan replied. Saeri¡¯s eyes widened, asking for an explanation.

    ¡°The door is locked from the inside. That means someone went inside and locked the door. If that person had become a zombie, they would have reacted when I knocked on the door.¡±

    ¡°It could have been locked from the beginning¡­or someone could have locked it with a key from the outside, right?¡±

    ¡°They looted the convenience store. There¡¯s no way they would have ignored the cafeteria. If there is only one survivor, they probably wouldn¡¯t come out until they had run out of supplies. If they have run out of supplies, then there would be no reason for them to lock the door.¡±

    ¡°What if there is more than one survivor?¡± Saeri tilted her head to side, still unconvinced.

    ¡°Then they would have had a guard instead of locking the door. Survivors have a tendency to stay near supplies. Staying inside the cafeteria is more ideal, since it¡¯s bigger than the convenience store.¡± Yohan concluded. He then knocked on the door again.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re in there. We¡¯ll share some of our supplies, so please open the door.¡±

    Again, there was no response.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t open the door, I¡¯ll assume there are no survivors in there and will break down the door.¡± Yohan said, looking as if he really was going to break the door handle as he grabbed Sweeper¡¯s axe and struck the handle with the back of the axe head. Of course, he wasn¡¯t really going to break the door handle. The door itself was made out of strong iron and it didn¡¯t look like the door handle would break easily either. Still, his threat worked.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need your supplies, so go away.¡± The voice of a woman spoke quietly from behind the door. Yohan glanced back at his comrades and handed the axe back to Sweeper.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave some food by the door for you.¡± Yohan took out some dry food from his bag and placed it on the ground. He then gave the signal to hide. They all stepped away from the door and hid.

    A long while later, the door opened slightly and a woman peeked out. She checked to make sure that nothing was around before bending down to pick up the food. Yohan popped out from behind the door and blocked it from closing. There was a sharp yell and the woman tried to swing at Yohan with the steel pipe that she was holding. Yohan blocked the pipe with his padded arm and smoothly wrapped his hand around it to disarm the woman.

    The woman struggled initially, but stopped as soon as she saw that Yohan was holding a gun and trembled instead. For a moment, Yohan felt bad as the cause of her reaction, but he still restrained her immediately and walked her into the hospital cafeteria. The cafeteria was fairly large. There were no other survivors or zombies inside.

    ¡°Are you alone?¡±

    The woman kept her mouth shut, pretending to be mute. As the other fully armed members of the recon team entered and closed the door, she began to look worried. Yohan casually looked around and came up with his own answer.

    ¡°So there¡¯s around five of you here.¡± He said decisively. The woman¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°And I believe the others went out to find supplies.¡±

    ¡°Who¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on killing you, so don¡¯t be afraid. Shall we talk?¡±

    ¡°Y¡ªyou say that you¡¯re not planning on killing me, but you¡¯re waving your gun around.¡±

    Yohan shrugged. He wasn¡¯t pointing it at her, he was just holding it.

    ¡°If I was planning on killing you, I would¡¯ve shot you as soon as I saw you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that you won¡¯t harass me after you get my guard down!¡±

    ¡°Harass you?¡±

    ¡°You know¡­like¡­my body¡­¡±

    Yohan felt like there was some sort of misunderstanding and that she was being unfair. However, given the situation, he decided to be understanding and let it go. He recalled that Saeri had called him a predator before, even if it was only for a moment.

    ¡®As if I would do anything like that.¡¯

    ¡°I know I don¡¯t have any way of guaranteeing it, but know that I¡¯m not that kind of person, nor do I have that kind of malice. While we wait for your comrades, tell us your story.¡±

    ¡°What story?¡± The woman was still very curt with him. She seemed to be purposely speaking with a harsh tone in order to hide her trembling voice.

    ¡°How you survived, what kind of people your comrades are, etc. Are you a doctor?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Is there a doctor in your group?¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t reply. Yohan stared at her while subconsciously fingering the gun in his hand. He wasn¡¯t trying to threaten her, but seemed to have accomplished it anyways, as the woman¡¯s face turned pale and she answered immediately.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s one doctor. And a nurse.¡±

    Yohan wanted to shout with joy.

    Medical personnel were the rarest talent. His face visibly brightened at the news. It was an amazing find for their first excursion.

    ¡°How long has it been since you guys ran out of supplies?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been over a week. We¡¯ve been searching here and there, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You must be starving. Saeri, give her some food and water.¡±

    Saeri took the food and water that they had left in front of the door previously and handed them to the woman. She patted the woman on the back and tried to reassure her. As a fellow female, Saeri¡¯s efforts seemed to have a more positive effect on the woman and she began to calm down. Internally, Yohan adjusted Saeri¡¯s contribution score from 0.3 to 0.4.

    The woman must have been starving, as she ate quickly. It seemed like she had been near her limit. Her group was probably at the point where they had to move to a different location. Yohan¡¯s team arrived just in time.

    The curtains around the cafeteria were half closed, letting in some light. They were probably closed all the way at the start of the apocalypse, so that people could hide better. There were piles of everyday supplies on top of the tables in the cafeteria. Rather than risk going outside, this group seemed to have decided to stay in a familiar space and wait for rescue. Once they ran out of supplies, they were forced to venture out. The rotting corpses outside of the door were probably remnants of their battles from when they first entered this safe house.

    ¡°How many people were with you when you first escaped to this place?¡± Yohan continued to ask the woman questions, maintaining the tense atmosphere.

    ¡°Over 20 people. Most of them died while coming here.¡± The woman lowered her guard a bit, probably feeling like she owed them a favor for the food. Yohan took the opportunity to ask all his questions.

    He was interested in the chaos that took place in this hospital at the start of the apocalypse. As with any hospital, there were a lot of patients. This meant that the infection would spread quickly, making it the most dangerous place to be in at the start of the outbreak. With smaller hospitals, he might have expected some survivors, but not at a big hospital like this. When they came here, Yohan was more focused on acquiring medicine. He knew they would have to be extremely lucky to find a doctor.

    There were a total of seven survivors remaining. One doctor, one nurse, one dietitian, and a family of four. During the outbreak, they were all in the same room and, thanks largely to the quick thinking of one of the patient¡¯s family members, they managed to get to the cafeteria. The patient unfortunately died on the way, along with the majority of the people that were with them at the start. The woman, who was a dietitian working in the cafeteria, joined the group when they arrived.

    ¡°Is there anyone that can fight zombies?¡±

    ¡°The people who left.¡±

    Yohan was about to ask another question when, suddenly, they heard loud footsteps and an urgent voice at the door.

    ¡°Open the door!¡±

    ¡°People are here!¡±

 Chapter 33

    This six survivors barely made it in. As soon as they closed the door, the sound of zombies running into the door echoed throughout the room. The survivors collapsed to the ground, catching their breaths. They were holding a pair of canned peaches, the modest loot that they acquired from a nearby room. However, once they noticed Yohan¡¯s group, they quickly grabbed their weapons and scrambled to get back up. Yohan cocked his gun as loudly as he could, making the survivors freeze in place.

    ¡°W¡ªwho are you guys¡­¡±

    Yohan gave a brief introduction and then urged the leader to check the survivors for bites. With Yohan¡¯s reminder, the leader realized that he did indeed forget to check the group for injuries.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any malicious intent, so please stop glaring at me. We¡¯re from another camp.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m Gap Soo Shin. Are there¡­a lot of survivors?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a decent number of survivors. Are these all the survivors here?¡±

    Gap Soo was still guarded, but he nodded his head. His eyes were looking over Yohan¡¯s group uneasily. He then spoke first, before Yohan could continue.

    ¡°If you¡¯re from another camp, then the rescue effort¡­¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any rescuers. You¡¯ve been stuck here on your own for six month, so you should know that.¡±

    At the start, the army had led a pretty active rescue effort as they were actively fighting the zombies. However, it had been six months now and there was no way that a rescue squad still existed. Mutant zombies and their zombie waves had targeted large camps first. The more successful the rescue effort was, the more quickly they were targeted and destroyed. People didn¡¯t have Yohan¡¯s experience and didn¡¯t know that grouping up during the apocalypse would lead to death while keeping groups dispersed would lead to survival.

    After hearing Yohan¡¯s response, Gap Soo¡¯s expectations regarding Yohan¡¯s group were dashed and he suddenly became cold towards them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you guys are here, but there¡¯s nothing left here that you can take. Go back.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing to eat here, then it¡¯ll be difficult for you guys to survive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern!¡± Gap Soo yelled angrily, as if he was being chased by something. Yohan tapped his chin nonchalantly. Even though he had a gun, Gap Soo didn¡¯t seem afraid and was treating them with overt hostility. It was pretty strange. Yohan frowned.

    ¡°Something happened to you guys.¡± Yohan said, with a deep voice.

    ¡°Hmph, wouldn¡¯t it be weird if something didn¡¯t happen during all this anarchy?¡±

    ¡°Were there intruders?¡± Yohan asked. The survivors flinched, giving him the answer. As they said, it would be weird if nothing happened in this time of chaos. If they were trapped here, they would have asked for help instead of trying to kick him out.

    ¡°If you tell me the details, I could help you¡­¡±

    ¡°Going away would be helping us!¡±

    ¡°Hey old man, you¡¯re being really rude! We even gave that dietitian lady some food to eat!¡± Saeri yelled angrily. The atmosphere became tense. Yohan raised his hand to stop Saeri from saying any more.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any malicious intent. If we did, we wouldn¡¯t try to talk to you despite being armed. If you just think about that for a second, you¡¯d understand.¡± Yohan said stiffly. The air in the room was now ice cold. Gap Soo shuddered.

    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Yohan. Gap Soo hesitated, still contemplating the situation. One the survivors watching the scene, a man wearing a white t-shirt and wide-brimmed cotton trousers, couldn¡¯t take the silence anymore and spoke up.

    ¡°Hyun Soo¡¯s father, please tell him.¡± The man stood out among the survivors as the one with the tidiest hairstyle and beard.

    ¡°Doctor¡­¡±

    Yohan¡¯s eyes sparkled. This man was a doctor.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re with those guys. Honestly, we need the help.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡± The doctor stepped forward. ¡°It happened¡­four days ago.¡±

    The doctor closed his eyes and his body trembled as he recalled the events that transpired. The doctor walked over to the windows and pulled aside the curtains. He pointed to a spot on the window where the word ¡°here¡± was written in blood, creating an eerie scene. The letter ¡®H¡¯ had the most blood and, just like on horror movie posters, the dark red blood trickled down before it hardened. Curious, Yohan walked over and examined the writing. It was written from outside.

    * * *

    June 2017

    Three Days Before Contact with the Recon Team

    Soon Chun Hyang Hospital

    The hospital survivors were on their last bit of food. The tin can screeched as it was opened. Inside was some tuna, about the size of a fist. It was difficult to feel satisfied from this, as it was shared among seven people. Even though his share was miniscule, Gap Soo still gave it up to the others and drank the leftover tuna oil in the can instead so that everyone else could have a little bit more.

    The slimy, fishy broth filled his mouth. Tiny bits of tuna flowed in along with the oil. He tried to savor it as much as he could by chewing the fish before swallowing it. He licked clean every inch of the can before tossing it. Then, Gap Soo stood up. They had endured long enough, he thought. It had been months since they grouped up. They would often venture out and kill zombies one by one, but progress was slow and now they had nothing left. No water, no food. Not even the hope of rescue.

    ¡°We should go out,¡± Gap Soo said, pleadingly. They had been able to survive this long because they had access to two supply storages and there were only seven of them.

    Many survivors were lost when they escaped to the cafeteria. As a consequence, there weren¡¯t many zombies on the short route from the convenience store located on the first floor of wing A to their cafeteria, which was in the same wing. The fire shutter had come down, blocking their path to wing B, while the route to exit the hospital was littered with zombies. Gap Soo¡¯s group didn¡¯t open their doors to any outsiders, leading to the death of many. This was because he didn¡¯t trust anyone.

    Four months ago, an intruder suddenly barged in. He was able to take advantage of his short stature to slip past the zombies late at night. He made aggressive moves towards the women and Gap Soo had to restrain him. Not long after, he became a zombie. This shocking turn of events made the group even more wary and distrusting of outsiders. Whenever they hear people yelling for help outside and start feeling guilty about ignoring them, they would look at the corpse that had been tossed to one side of the hallway and remember. However, after hiding like a turtle in its shell for so long, they were starting to reach their limits.

    ¡°What are you going to do now, Hyun Soo¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°If we go out, I¡¯m sure there will be a military base or a refuge. Don¡¯t worry so much.¡±

    ¡°But¡­what are we going to do about all those monsters in the lobby?¡± For them, leaving the hospital was the biggest issue. Although the fire shutter was shut tight, they could hear zombies howling and feel the ground tremble from their movements behind the wall. Opening the shutters was not an option.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go out by breaking the window.¡± The cafeteria windows only opened upwards slightly, barely enough space to squeeze one leg through. No matter how hard they tried, it was impossible for an adult to get through. If they wanted to go out the windows, they would either have to take it apart or break it. They wouldn¡¯t be able to escape without the monsters noticing. If this plan failed, they could all die. It wasn¡¯t the best plan, but they were running out of options.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out first and lure the zombies away.¡±

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t.¡±

    Gap Soo had a determined look on his face. However, this plan would surely lead him to death, so the others stopped him, fearing for his life. Suddenly, they heard a faint, but shrill scream from outside the building. Surprised, all seven survivors turned their heads towards the sound. Gap Soo slowly approached the window and lifted the curtain slightly to peek outside. The other survivors mumbled as they gathered behind him.

    There were two adults, a male and female, far away from the hospital. They were running away from something with all their might. There weren¡¯t monsters chasing them. Rather, it was humans. Or demons who had the face of a human. The demons were riding two-wheeled vehicles and they were trying to entrap the two adults. Whenever they got close, they would stop their motorcycles to smoke a cigarette and then start chasing them again.

    This horrifying scene was moving closer and closer to the hospital as they watched. There were around 10 demons riding on motorcycles. They were wearing blood-stained shirts and, similar to football players, they had dark red markings on their faces, making them look more forbidding. They wielded axes, hammers, and saws that were covered in dry blood. The sight of them chasing the two adults while laughing was really disturbing. Behind them, zombies slowly followed.

    It made for a strange scene, as two adults led the chase, followed by 10 motorcyclists, and then hundreds of zombies. The two adults ran with a desperate look on their face, not unlike a prey trying to flee from a predator. They were running towards the hospital.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t come here!¡± Gap Soo yelled out, without realizing it. ¡°Don¡¯t come here, please!¡±

    Despite his desperate shouts, the two adults got close to the hospital. They were around 100 meters away from the cafeteria window. When they saw zombies ahead of them at the hospital, they tried to change directions, but the woman slipped. She gave out a shrill scream. The man stopped and tried to help her up, but the demon bikers sped up and were on them in an instant.

    They swung baseball bats at the man¡¯s head. The sound of his skull cracking could be heard clearly through the windows of the hospital. The man collapsed to the ground. Gap Soo¡¯s wife, who was watching things unfold, covered her mouth to stop herself from making a sound. However, the gruesome spectacle still wasn¡¯t over.

    ¡°Those bastards¡­¡±

    The demon bikers grabbed onto the leg of the unconscious man and started making doughnuts with their bikes. The man¡¯s face dragged on the asphalt, leaving a trail of blood. Suddenly a zombie appeared in front of the cafeteria window.

    Gap Soo and the other survivors reeled back in shock. Gap Soo felt like his heart stopped for a moment. He quickly covered the window with the curtain again, but the zombie started banging loudly on the window.

    ¡°Please, save me! Ahhhh!¡± The woman screamed outside, mixed in with the dull sound of laughter that followed. Gap Soo¡¯s entire body was shaking. Even though he was known to have a lot of guts, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from trembling. He could only pray that the moment would pass harmlessly. He desperately prayed that the zombie would stop banging on their window and just go away.

    His prayers seemed to have worked, as the banging stopped. However, they could still hear the zombie growling outside. It was the only sound they could hear.

    The next moment felt like it lasted for ages as all the survivors held their breaths and didn¡¯t even move a finger. It felt like hours or even years had passed before Gap Soo slowly stood up and approached the window. He seemed to move in slow motion.

    Slowly and carefully, he walked to the window and gently grabbed the edge of the curtain and lifted it up.

    ¡°I told you. There¡¯s people here.¡± There was a smiling face on the other side of the window. Their eyes lit up in anticipation. The demon biker¡¯s smile stretched so far across his face that it seemed like the corners of his mouth would touch his ears.

 Chapter 34

    The doctor was still trembling as he recalled that horrifying scene.

    ¡°Those bastards eventually came into the hospital, but there were too many zombies in front of the fire shutter, so they couldn¡¯t make it to us. They went back to the window and knocked on it, but there were too many zombies nearby, so they left. When I peeked out again later, they had left these letters written in blood.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run away immediately? Staying here is dangerous.¡± Yohan asked. He had been listening quietly up until now.

    ¡°They had cut off the man¡¯s legs and left them in front of the window. Zombies were constantly attracted over. We just¡ªwe just couldn¡¯t go outside¡­breaking the window would just be suicide since the sound would attract all the zombies nearby. However, thankfully, the zombies started leaving yesterday. We were going to prepare today and then leave this place.¡±

    ¡®It was because of the zombie wave.¡¯ Yohan thought. All the zombies here probably ended up at the mall. Yohan looked at the zombie outside the window. Just as the doctor had stated, it was missing its lower torso and had been beaten savagely before turning undead. Two of its fingers were cut off.

    The other members of the recon team had grim looks on their faces after hearing the survivor¡¯s story. Even Sweeper had a disgusted look on his face, despite having already experienced much hardship himself.

    This was probably because this was their first time encountering a true enemy. People often thought that anarchy would reign supreme in an apocalypse, but most people were raised to be civil and cooperative. Truth be told, it was rare for people to become such brutes within the first six months of apocalypse unless they were already criminals or were forced by some extreme circumstances. Their moral constraints were what led people to believe that the military or government was still operational and would someday resolve this calamity. When that faint hope disappeared was when true chaos would ensue.

    Yohan focused, elevating his survival instincts and awareness. The bikers had blood marks under their eyes. He made a mental note to eliminate each and every one of those bastards. Yohan held the doctor¡¯s hand reassuringly before turning to speak to Gap Soo.

    ¡°We¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°But, I do have one condition.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªwhat are you going to help us with? And what condition?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll clear out all the zombies in the hospital and we¡¯ll deliver supplies to you regularly. Additionally, we¡¯ll protect you from those bastards.¡± Yohan deliberately pulled out his rifle and took out a magazine to show it was filled with ammo. He then handed Gap Soo a walkie-talkie. Gap Soo¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°We¡¯re about 15 minutes away from here. We have a lot of supplies and plenty of weapons. You can call us during an emergency and we¡¯ll come right away to help.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Gap Soo¡¯s expression was still doubtful, but he was no longer responding with hostility. Still, he wanted to know why Yohan would help them this much. ¡°First, tell us what you expect from us.¡±

    It was a good attitude to have. There was nothing more suspicious than a good deed done for no reason. Yohan did have a clear reason why he was offering protection.

    ¡°Please partner up with our camp.¡±

    The survivors didn¡¯t quite understand, so Yohan had to explain his idea slowly. Internally, Yohan thought that it might be a good idea to create a pamphlet.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to move away from here, just follow our rules and cooperate with us. For example, you must follow our survival rules and regulations, accept any survivors we might bring to you, and agree to move people around temporarily if their skills would benefit other camps. There¡¯s a few things you must agree to do, but it¡¯s nothing extreme. Our goal is to gather and connect all of the survivor camps and try to keep as many survivors safe as possible.¡±

    What Yohan offered was a sweet deal. An unbelievable deal. Something too good to be true, like a poisoned apple. Even so, it was difficult to resist taking a bite out of a juicy apple when it was dangled in front of them.

    ¡°I understand that you don¡¯t trust me, but you have to.¡±

    Gap Soo didn¡¯t know if Yohan was an angel or a devil. He closed his eyes tightly.

    ¡°What do we need to do?¡±

    Yohan¡¯s eyes lit up. They had taken the bait, now all he had to do was reel them in.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s clear out the zombies together. Once we finished that, as a sign of our partnership, we¡¯ll take one person back to our camp. Doctor?¡± Yohan looked over to the doctor. He was still holding his hand.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The doctor had a troubled look on his face. The other survivors also expressed their disapproval. Gap Soo stepped forward.

    ¡°That¡¯s difficult for us. We¡¯re worried about sending one of our comrades alone to an unknown place. And this person is a doctor. If he¡¯s not here, we¡¯d start feeling anxious.¡±

    ¡°We do regret making you worry, but we have a lot of elders at our camp, among many other people. However, we¡¯ll stop by almost every day. The nurse can help out here in an emergency. If someone here needs a doctor, we¡¯ll make sure they¡¯ll be able to see him right away.¡±

    ¡°Still, we can¡¯t send our comrade to a place we don¡¯t know since we don¡¯t fully know your intentions¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Shin Gap Soo,¡± Yohan interjected coldly, making Gap Soo flinch.¡±If we had any malicious intent and only wanted a doctor, then it would¡¯ve been easier for us to just kill all of you and kidnap the doctor.¡±

    ¡°How could you say such a thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I said it to prove a point. I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but you don¡¯t have to worry. Right now we can afford to have this debate, but eventually we¡¯ll reach a point where you¡¯ll have to make a life-or-death decision.¡± Yohan paused. ¡°Don¡¯t pick incorrectly and regret it when that time comes.¡±

    If they weren¡¯t going to cooperate, then Yohan wasn¡¯t going to help. Gap Soo¡¯s face turned sour, but the doctor stepped up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°D¡ªdoctor!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Hyun Soo¡¯s father. Nurse Jung is a veteran nurse with lots of surgery room experience. Nurse Jung, please take care of them while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes doctor.¡±

    Hearing that the nurse had surgery room experience made Yohan lick his lips. He didn¡¯t know what her expertise was, but nurses were required for a proper surgical procedure. He honestly wanted to take both of them, but knew that proposal would never be accepted.

    ¡°To help foster community between the partnered camps, we¡¯ll exchange people often. This won¡¯t be a permanent parting.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing left here. Couldn¡¯t you just take us back to your camp as well? We won¡¯t be a burden¡­¡± Gap Soo offered an alternative solution. It was an understandable suggestion for someone to make, not knowing anything about zombie waves. Yohan shook his head bitterly. If they could avoid zombie waves, he would take as many people as possible back to their camp.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t accept more people into our camp. We actually have to bring some of our camp members here. We don¡¯t have space because we¡¯ve been collecting supplies.¡± Yohan came up with a reasonable sounding excuse. He decided to explain about zombie waves and his golden survival rules at a later date. The survivors still looked doubtful. Yohan sensed that he needed to do more in order to convince them.

    ¡°Saeri, open the door. It¡¯s noisy outside.¡± He commanded. The survivors looked shocked. They could still hear the zombies on the other side of the door. Before anyone could stop her, Saeri opened the heavy steel door. As soon as the door fully opened, the sound of undead howls filled the cafeteria.

    ¡°Make a circle around the entrance!¡±

    The recon team quickly took their positions. They formed a semicircle around the entrance and started killing off the zombies as they rushed in. The survivors jaws dropped as they watched countless zombies hit the floor.

    ¡°Th¡ªthat¡­¡±

    Even the young and slender Saeri was able to skillfully crush zombie heads. She was better than Gap Soo, who was their best zombie fighter. The horde that they had fled from earlier were soon all dead on the ground. Yohan wiped the blood from his knife and spun around. The survivors flinched.

    ¡°We¡¯ll start clearing out the zombies. If something happens, or if you see someone approaching, use the walkie-talkie and let us know right away. Always keep one person at the window on lookout. Press this button and, after you hear the beep, wait two seconds and then start talking. There will be other people listening, so call out my name so that others won¡¯t get confused.¡±

    Gap Soo nodded his head numbly. He had a blank look on his face, which was understandable. It must have been the first time he¡¯d watched trained survivors fight zombies. In this hellscape where a simple touch could turn people into zombies, people would normally cower, even if they were facing slow moving zombies that only knew how to bite. Training someone to fight instead of cowering seemed like a simple concept, but it was a difficult barrier to overcome.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin. Don¡¯t walk into dark places. It¡¯s okay to take your time.¡±

    Before they began in earnest, Yohan reviewed a map of the hospital that he saw earlier when they first entered.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take every left turn. Close any doors that can be closed. Since there¡¯s a lot of entrances into the hospital, we¡¯ll need to block them from the inside and then take care of the zombies that came in. After that, we¡¯ll assume a defensive formation and lure in the zombies.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing we did at the mall.¡± Saeri mumbled. Yohan was impressed and gave her a proud look. Finally, she was pulling her own weight. In another two weeks or so, she would be able to exceed expectations. Saeri didn¡¯t like the way Yohan was looking at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like a dog you just potty trained!¡± She grumbled.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re pretty sharp sometimes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Before Saeri could talk back, Yohan began outlining his plan.

    ¡°Just like Saeri said, whenever we set out to secure a new shelter in the future, we¡¯ll use the same procedure. Find the entrance and block it. Find a safe place, either somewhere high or somewhere spacious. Assume our cardinal directions defensive formation. Lure in the zombies and kill them. Clean up the corpses after we¡¯ve completely cleared them out. Remember this procedure well. Even if I¡¯m not here, it¡¯ll be the same. And remember, safety before speed.¡±

    The recon team moved through the first floor and locked the door there. After barricading the emergency exits, they lowered the fire shutter and blocked off the annex and the main building.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s locked now!¡±

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s move.¡±

    ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a lot of zombies in the annex.¡± Sweeper noted, looking at the zombies.

    ¡°Leave that place alone. There¡¯s nothing for us there.¡± Yohan pulled Sweeper back and opened the emergency exit that was next to a fire shutter. ¡°I told you to be careful, not play around.¡±

    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re too serious.¡±

    Yohan had confirmed that the annex was unnecessary when reviewing the hospital directory. Before securing a camp, one must memorize the building¡¯s layout first. It was the most basic of basic tactics.