Hiding a House in the Apocalypse

Chapter 11: Chaebol (2)

The biggest damage caused by the war was not a nuclear attack but the stealthy underwater ambushes happening beneath the cold waters.

South Korea, heavily dependent on foreign imports for almost all resources, would face destruction if its maritime routes were cut off.

When China's submarines attacked the trade routes, South Korea's sea lanes were paralyzed, and its economy received a death sentence.

Even the Chaebols couldn't escape their fate.

However, there was a slightly higher chance of survival compared to other groups.

Among their subsidiaries were construction, distribution, and even shipbuilding companies, as well as defence industry companies.

So, why?

The equipment deployed in the operation zone was more impressive than one could imagine.

Armed with flamethrowers and 20mm autocannons, there were five unknown new armoured vehicles, three 40kg-class quadcopter drones capable of air support, a platoon of foreign mercenaries who seemed to have a military background, and around two hundred support troops armed with various personal weapons.

There weren't many young people among them.

The youngest were in their late thirties, while most were in their forties and fifties.

The person in charge of the operation was a man named Choi Yisa, who held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the army, but had no prior experience in large-scale monster operations.

There was one hunter among them, but he was not a familiar face to me, and he wasn't a proper hunter either.

By "proper hunter," I mean someone who has graduated from an internationally recognized "school," received systematic education and training, accumulated more than a year of real-world experience under the guidance of a verified supervisor, spent more than a year in combat in front of a gate located in a crack zone, and obtained a C-level or higher rating.

Like my mentor, John Nenon, who dropped out of school, those who left midway were considered D-level and were excluded from major monster battles.

However, these D-level individuals had once held the reins of power in South Korea.

"I'm Park Sangmin, a sitting member of the National Assembly and a hunter. Please take care of me."

This man, with his handsome looks, was a member of the National Assembly.

From what I heard, he entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative by emphasizing his background as a hunter.

I didn't know why someone who wasn't a proper hunter had the qualifications to represent the entire hunter group, but the national emblem badge attached to his similar military uniform looked quite impressive.

Although the nominal commander was Choi Yisa, the actual leader of the operation was Park Sangmin.

"There has been a large outbreak of zombies in this industrial complex, but according to research, the lifespan of zombies is one month. After a month, the zombies starve to death. The reason for delaying this operation is to avoid unnecessary combat with the zombies."

With his good looks, a soothing voice, and an air of trustworthiness, he seemed convincing even when speaking nonsense from the perspective of someone who didn't know better.

"What do you think, Hunter sent by the National Crisis Management Committee?"

For some reason, he kept asking for my opinion on everything, and his intentions were too obvious.

He was trying to discredit me.

Because I was a hunter sent by theNational Crisis Management Committee.

At this point in time, the National Assembly had no real power, while the National Crisis Management Committee held actual authority.

That resentment had turned into mockery towards me.

I could laugh it off to some extent.

At most, it's three years. That's his lifespan.

The problem is the possibility that Park Sangmin might shift the blame for the upcoming operation failure onto me.

That's not what I want.

I'm someone who needs to live quietly, alone, and cut off all contact with others when the time comes.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"No, Congressman, you are mistaken."

"I completely disagree."

So, I tackled him at every turn.

It was hard not to tackle him.

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After all, he was just talking nonsense.

"I see it differently."

Even a worm wriggles when stepped on, and Park Sangmin had retaliated several times after being stepped on by me.

"Do you want to see it in live?"

This is his counterattack.

Since he has nothing in his head, he tries to discredit my words with sarcasm and nonsense.

I continued to ignore him and speak my mind.

"If zombies are going to starve to death, they shut down. They enter a state of hibernation and drastically reduce their metabolism. It's true that zombies will starve to death if they can't find nutrients after a month of activity, but we should consider differently when it comes to zombies that have established a base in the city where they can avoid the sun."

"Oh, come on. Turn off Zombie Wiki."

Park Sang-min was extremely rude, but the expressions of the middle-ranking members of our group who were observing our conversation did not look pleased.

Especially the chairman's change was noticeable.

Even if you just look at the context of the conversation, it's clear who is speaking more sensibly.

The climax of the argument was about the method of entering the industrial complex, our destination.

Park Sangmin insisted on leading with armoured vehicles, while I argued the opposite.

"No, Congressman. Have you ever seen zombies being shot at? Have you heard of it? Zombies are sensitive to sound and smell. If you take an armoured vehicle with the smell of oil and the engine noise echoing, you're just advertising our presence."

"Enough!"

Park Sangmin waved his hand.

His fierce assistant tried to block me and silence me.

I continued to speak, pushing them aside.

"First, deploy an experienced reconnaissance team to scout the formation and then decide on the entry method accordingly. Fighting is 90% planning. The remaining 10% is individual skill. If the plan is flawed, can we win?"

"This guy keeps talking. Damn it."

Park Sangmin's patience had run out.

"Does this little prick think he can show off because he's a member of the National Crisis Management Committee? Huh? Where does he get the nerve to keep arguing with me?"

The group members separated me from Park Sangmin.

Fortunately, the person who took me away had the same purpose as my visit here.

"You're Chairman Ji Changsu, right?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"I got asked for a favour from your daughter."

"You mean Younghee?"

Younghee.

It was a respectable name. That woman.

I briefly explained the danger of this operation to Ji Changsu, accompanied by the knowledge and experience I possessed.

As a person who had managed a company with over 3,000 employees, Ji Changsu was careful in receiving my words.

I delivered the decisive blow to dispel his doubts.

"In truth, I'm not a D-rank. It's not something to brag about, but I'm a different level from a bottom feeder."

But invisible strings were holding onto his heart.

"But Chairman, what's the problem? Honestly, isn't it all over for the group? Are there even any deals to be made? Or do you have any deals left?"

I tilted my head at Ji Changsu.

I tilted my head, but he stared into the void with a deep and serious look that older people often put on when giving lectures to juniors.

"What I mean... is that human relationships are not easily formed or broken. Especially for people like us who have shared the same time and experiences..."

"..."

I think I know what he means.

I've had similar concerns.

"Besides, what can we do if we leave this collapsing group? Aren't we just ordinary refugees then, to put it bluntly?"

"Chairman has a family waiting for him."

"..."

"I don't have a family waiting for me."

I left first.

"When I give the signal, run without looking back."

"But Chairman!"

"Don't worry. I will catch up."

The outcome of the operation was as clear as day.

The armoured vehicles took the lead, and the zombies swarmed towards them.

They had momentum.

While building a wall of corpses with flamethrowers and machine guns, we continued to advance towards the centre. However, we soon reached our limits. Zombies surrounded us from all sides, blocking our escape routes, and to make matters worse, the entity I had feared the most appeared before me.

It was a 3-meter tall creature with a surface that lacked any lustre, floating in the air and glaring down at humans. It emitted shockwaves that made the surroundings ripple every time it exhaled, as if it were breathing.

It resembled more of a statue than a living being. No, perhaps it could be called an avatar.

All the humans at the scene were captivated by their own fears and awe, gazing up at this presence in silence. In the midst of this silence, I grabbed Ji Changsu's wrist and said, "Let's retreat."

It was humanity's enemy, a monster. Humanity cannot defeat monsters.

***

The results of the battle were grim. Most of our equipment was destroyed, and we lost all of our mercenaries. Colonel Choa also perished. Out of the 200 employees who came as reinforcement, only half returned alive. Park Sangmin survived, but the blame was placed on Director Choa's incompetence and the lack of preparation by the paranoid Group.

It was probably for the best. Ji Changsu had survived.

"This should have broken the Chairman's stubbornness. Thank you for your cooperation," Kim Daram greeted me with a smile, but her smile didn't seem genuinely happy.

She, too, had no choice but to arrange this incident.

I understood. In a world where everything had crumbled, it was difficult to ignore the assertions of influential individuals.

"It wasn't a pleasant experience. But why did you do such a thing? I can guess the general idea, but..."

"There were two playgrounds, and one of them failed. The best kid from the failed playground came to the other one, but they didn't accept him."

"A metaphor fitting for a child."

"Anyway, be happy. I won't bother you anymore."

Kim Daram sent me an unexpected gift along with her congratulations. That gift was a personal identification number. Now, I held a special status in the world of military frequencies.

"But what about the Chairman? He wants to meet you again."

"Do I have to?"

"Meeting or not is your choice, senior. Now that he's also exhausted. Besides, there's no longer any resources left for him to exert influence."

What had made me agree to meet Jepung Ho again? In hindsight, it was probably curiosity. What was the end of the fallen conglomerate like? Wouldn't every Korean want to see that at least once?

I met Jepung Ho on the 3rd floor of his headquarters building.

The construction elevator that used to lift me to the 55th floor had stopped working. The luxurious restroom still emitted a metallic smell.

Jepung Ho had prepared a meal for me and was waiting. The main course was steak with porcini mushrooms, accompanied by a bottle of top-tier wine.

The mushrooms and wine were excellent, but his meat was clearly inferior to what I had stored in my air-raid shelter.

"Hunter Park."

He greeted me with a bright smile.

His face wasn't much different from when I saw him at the cafeteria.

"I looked into your career. Did some background check. You were quite a big shot."

"I'm a has-been now."

"Just like me."

Jepung Ho's eyes twinkled.

"You said something about not being worth as much as Joo Inhoon, right? You were on a team with legends like Kang Hanmin and Na Hyein."

"..."

The taste of the alcohol suddenly turned bitter. I had almost successfully erased that name from my memory.

"Why did you call me here?"

"Looks like you're planning to refuse no matter what I say, right?"

"You know me well."

"Let's be direct. I'm planning to challenge that industrial complex again."

"It won't work. You've seen it, haven't you?"

"I know it won't work, but sometimes you have to do what you must."

Jepung Ho's half-closed his eyes and stared intently at the wine glass filled with red wine, as if he were back in his childhood. I thought his gaze had become more intense, or perhaps it was the reflection of the dim light on the ceiling that made it seem that way, but I felt like his gaze had grown stronger.

"I was a bastard child of a mistress."

"..."

"My mother is recorded as Jang Misuk, but she wasn't my real mother. I don't even know her real name. When I was born, the chance of me inheriting the group was 0%. But I made it happen."

Jepung Ho's eyes became more intense. Or rather, he widened his eyes while staring at the dim light on the ceiling, but I mistakenly thought his gaze had intensified.

"I crushed and trampled everyone who stood in my way and made my father choose me."

He had the talent for it.

"Sixty-nine years old. It's time for me to challenge again."

"I won't do it."

"Just tell me the method. The method to defeat that monster!"

I couldn't refuse his request either. Well, he had given me a warm meal and a glass of soju in return.

"...He's called a Necromancer. As you've seen, he raises the dead and mutates them into zombies. When attacked, he creates a repulsive force field around him, but it doesn't reflect organic matter like living creatures. It's extremely difficult to approach him, but if you can get close somehow... There's one place without a force field, about the size of a coin..."

Jepung Ho diligently wrote down my information in his notepad, as if he had returned to his childhood and was studying hard.

After the conversation ended, I asked him, "Why are you so obsessed with this? With your wealth and connections, you can easily prepare for any eventuality, can't you? You could find a suitable place, protect your family and the people around you."

"How can I do that?"

He asked with a trembling voice.

"When I have thousands, tens of thousands of employees who believe in me and follow me?"

The reason for his strangely intense gaze was now clear to me. He was a boss through and through, someone who led and was followed by people. No, perhaps he had equated himself with the the Group.

***

Jepung Ho's final venture ended in failure.

The fact that the father of the woman who had spoken to me was not on the list of casualties brought me some small satisfaction.

The cafeteria that Jepung Ho had ambitiously set up had turned into a den of drug addicts and was now abandoned, a despicable place that no one cared to visit.

This was the end of the conglomerate that I had known.

Thanks to that, I was able to transform from a perennially unpopular user to one with some influence, writing a popular post.

But it seems that Jepungho's story is not yet over.

About a year and ten months after the outbreak of the war, a photo appeared on the community.

gijayangban: This is a photo I found on the net. Doesn't someone look familiar?

In the photo, there was a horde of zombies.

It seemed like they were operating in a rural area and formed a massive group numbering in the thousands.

But the zombie at the forefront, with a familiar face, was unmistakable.

No doubt about it.

The zombie in a tattered suit was Jepung Ho, the chairman of the Pafung Group.

While most conglomerates had abandoned their groups and settled in the fortresses of their few remaining family members, this influential entrepreneur was still leading thousands of followers, wandering through the abandoned ruins.

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