We spent the night at King’s palace.

Rather than quiet, the atmosphere was desolate—evoking a giant tomb.

There were noticeably fewer servants and guards.

Fortunately, there were no assassins creeping in under cover of night.

Whether Ma Ha-min, the one who summoned us here, was an enemy or a loyal subject of King was yet to be seen—but after breakfast, Ma Ha-min took us to see King.

Screeeeech—

King’s room was less a room and more of a vast stone chamber.

Inside, King lay alone in a room cold enough to make one shiver.

He lay with his hands clasped like a royal mummy, without even a blanket, a white cloth covering his face instead of his usual mask.

Through the contours of his sunken lips, the faint flutter of the fabric indicated he was still breathing, but...

Lying motionless on an ice-cold bed, he looked more corpse than man.

Ma Ha-min already knew King’s condition.

“King said this: if he loses consciousness for more than three days, he should be placed in this room, and if he doesn't recover his mind within a week, then it’s okay to kill him and appoint a successor.”

He didn’t use the word zombie, but the escape-proof design of the room and his wording made it clear that King was aware he’d become a variant of a zombie.

I nodded and left.

There was nothing more to see or think about.

The end of a man who had long prepared for this moment was simply approaching.

From behind, Ma Ha-min spoke up.

“But why do you think he set a three-day mark... and then extended it by four more to make it a week?” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

I suppressed a laugh.

Of course, this guy wouldn’t know.

Three days. Then a week.

Among us Korean Viva! Apocalypse! forum friends, this had long been the unspoken rule.

Three days of inactivity meant something had happened. Seven days meant presumed dead.

As I quietly laughed, Ma Ha-min asked another cautious question.

“So... are you both King’s friends?”

His gaze moved between me and Cheon Young-jae.

I shook my head.

I was indeed King’s friend. But Cheon Young-jae wasn’t.

“No. I came alone.”

This was something I had to make clear.

Even if just for the sake of the fading King.

“Hmm. That’s strange. He said he summoned the two people he trusted most...”

I was curious, but didn’t bother asking.

Even if I did, there’s no way that guy would know about the dynamics of our message board.

After some brief prep, we left King’s palace.

There were few to see us off.

Only Ma Ha-min, Song Joon-goo, and Son Myeong-joo—without her mask—stood as witnesses to our departure, vowing to carry on King’s will.

*

IAmJesus the "Zombie King" had once operated in this city.

It was your typical ruined city—except that it had been abandoned mid-construction.

Back during a previous operation, we’d seen tons of building materials scattered about: rebar, H-beams, panels, cement, massive bolts and nuts.

A treasure trove for any scavenger, and those materials probably still lay untouched.

Bang! Bang!

Even before getting close to the city, we heard gunshots.

They were coming from inside the city.

Meanwhile, a small fortress—surrounded by tetrapods—stood some distance from the city.

No clue how they got those tetrapods meant for breakwaters, but they clearly worked.

Hundreds of zombies wailed around the tetrapods, but not a single one breached the walls. They couldn’t even aim their arms at the soldiers stationed atop the container-stacked citadel.

This was King’s forward base.

You had to stop here before entering the Zombie King’s city.

Thankfully, King’s soldiers were in charge of this city.

Just like Son Myeong-joo said, the soldiers of Sejong carried on the traditions of the old South Korean army—maintaining political neutrality.

They didn’t care who was boss; they wouldn’t get involved in infighting. Once someone was in charge, they’d follow orders, plain and simple.

A decision rooted in the Sejong military’s origins as a former anti-government warband—one made from hard-earned lessons.

As we approached, a soldier on the tall watchtower waved a flag.

The gate opened.

What we saw past the gate was a giant net.

“What is that?”

Moon Yang-gyeong voiced the question.

It was understandable. A giant net waiting beyond the towering fortress wasn’t exactly a standard defense.

But it had a purpose.

“Hold tight.”

I stomped the accelerator.

Vrooooooom—

The zombies turned toward us at the sound of the engine, screeching as they rushed in.

The vehicle surged forward.

Speed climbed past 60, 70, 80, then 100, and even 120 km/h.

The horde grew close—close enough to see the whites of their eyes.

Thunk!

The speeding vehicle sent a zombie flying.

But that was just the start.

Thunk! Thump-thump-thump!

The car barreled through dozens of zombies, tossing them aside like ragdolls.

Even the toughest vehicle would lose balance hitting that many zombies at once, but I had prepared a zombie-proof bumper earlier this morning.

Rounded, flexible, tear-resistant—this anti-zombie bumper minimized performance loss and was designed to lightly send zombies flying without dragging or tearing them apart under the wheels.

Honestly, even without it, a 3-ton vehicle moving at 120 km/h could grind through a human without issue.

The real problem was speed.

Sure, it kept us safe from zombies while moving, but if we kept up that speed inside a narrow container fortress, we’d crash through the other side and slam into a tetrapod—instant death.

“Aren’t we going to slow down?”

Moon Yang-gyeong’s concern was understandable.

But that’s what the net was for.

Thunk! Thump!

We sped up even more, plowing through the incoming horde.

The fortress that once seemed distant now loomed like it would devour us, and then—we passed through the gate.

The moment something black engulfed us, I hit the brakes.

Screeeeech!

The tires shrieked as the car jolted violently.

The net had wrapped around the car like a cocoon, absorbing the momentum.

The vehicle bulled forward like it would tear through, but then bounced off the net’s tension, spinning sideways several times.

As we whirled, dizzy and dazed—gunfire rang out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Clack.

I raised my weapon, scanning the surroundings.

The gate was closing.

Soldiers—armed with shields, hammers, and long staves—descended and cleaned up the remaining zombies.

“You’re Hunter Park Gyu, right?”

A man atop the wall spoke through a megaphone.

I nodded as I stepped out of the car.

We were at the threshold of the Zombie King’s city.

*

“As you can see, the Zombie King’s zombies are in a frenzy. For now, we’re drawing aggro here to keep them from descending into the city, but honestly, I don’t know how long we’ll hold. We’re not in danger ourselves, but if their numbers swell or they begin marching in formation, they’ll inevitably push down toward Sejong.”

The outpost commander was a man in early middle age wearing /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a reservist’s patch—the frog emblem—and a lieutenant colonel’s insignia.

His name was Dam Byeong-ho.

Judging by the patch and the weathered look on his face, he’d once served in the military, been discharged, and when war broke out and the world collapsed, dug his uniform out of the closet and returned to the battlefield.

In fact, his soldiers didn’t look like regular troops. They looked like your average neighborhood ajusshis.

Granted, since most South Korean men go through basic training and mandatory service, maybe calling them “ordinary guys” isn’t entirely accurate.

“There’s definitely a battle going on inside the city. But we don’t know the details. We were ordered by King to prevent the zombies from swarming toward the city—not to control the inside of the Zombie King’s city itself.”

Dam Byeong-ho didn’t want to talk beyond the basics, but I had something prepared for that.

Supplies from New Seoul.

I’d brought some liquor.

Bottles stockpiled from our regular supply runs and gifts, stored in the vehicle.

Most of it was cheap soju with an ABV of 25%, but I also had a few bottles of low-tier whiskey.

When I cracked open the box, it was Dam Byeong-ho’s soldiers who cheered.

As their cheers rang out, Dam Byeong-ho’s attitude shifted.

“I’ve never seen any monsters get inside. I mean, maybe at night, sure. But Sejong’s recon net isn’t that sloppy. Plus, there’s Daejeon. Realistically, the only direction monsters could come from is the Jeolla region. And if they do, they’d hit Sejong first before us.”

He began to talk.

It wasn’t that he liked me or was trying to score points.

It was because I’d treated his men well—and won them over.

From the moment I stepped inside the fortress, I’d realized: these troops stationed in the tetrapod-container citadel were less Sejong soldiers and more Dam Byeong-ho’s private army.

His final piece of intel clearly weighed on him. He glanced around before speaking.

“...Some factions have already entered the city.”

“What kind of factions?”

“I can’t say. Probably powerful ones. Everyone wants the throne. What I can tell you is that they’re heavily armed. Probably Awakened. Yeah—likely accompanied by several Awakened.”

Cheon Young-jae clicked his tongue.

“This is a hell of a mess.”

Zombies, monsters, fanatics—and now hostile armed groups.

Not exactly a walk in the park.

Especially for someone like me, an ordinary human—trained soldiers, well-positioned and prepared, are far deadlier opponents than monsters.

Even with Cheon Young-jae around, most war gear used by humans comes from outside his detection range.

“That’s all I can say. Ah, one more thing. Good luck.”

Before we left, I asked Moon Yang-gyeong one more time about her intentions.

“This time, you could really die.”

She wasn’t part of my team.

She was just a runaway—someone who didn’t like where she was and fled.

Pushing a younger person into certain death never sits right.

Sure, I could’ve checked back at King’s palace, but to truly confirm a person’s heart, there’s no better place than the edge of a cliff.

“It’s fine.”

Moon Yang-gyeong replied like it was no big deal.

“I’ve been into the Big Hole more than once.”

Looks like I underestimated her.

She’s been in and out of the rift like it’s her backyard, living for months in that sickly grey world.

“Honestly, people scare me more than monsters.”

I gave her a small smile.

“Same here.”

No need to say it out loud—Regular Awakened like Moon Yang-gyeong are the best insurance you can get for human-to-human combat.

“The northeast has the fewest active zombies. There are probably a lot of armed people too, but... well, that’s their problem.”

Before the gate opened, loud music blared from a megaphone on the other side.

It was a trot song that had been popular before the war.

Nobody really knew why, but this kind of music supposedly drew zombies in.

Some said it made them angry.

Whether that was true or not, the zombies that had been listlessly wandering around the tetrapods began crowding toward the megaphone as the twangy music poured out.

Meanwhile, the fortress’s massive steel gates opened, and we floored it through the gap.

By the time the zombies caught on, we were already kicking up dust, tearing across the field.

“Wow.”

Moon Yang-gyeong let out a gasp.

So different from when she was on the train.

Back then, she’d had the vibe of a stoic honor student—but in a broken world, that kind of image shatters easily.

It’s like how Cheon Young-jae, once a school-educated elite with wise-man vibes, had now been reborn as the grotesque internet monster El-Miris of the post-war era.

Very few people manage to pull off what I’ve done—a career that spans both real-world legend and internet myth.

“Aren’t we supposed to be heading northeast?”

Moon Yang-gyeong asked, tilting her head at our direction.

“We’re not going that way.”

I answered.

“Humans are way more dangerous.”

“I can project a reverse field. I could block even anti-tank rockets, you know?”

“You probably could. But still... looks like our main enemy this mission is human.”

Moon Yang-gyeong fell silent.

I went on.

“Humans use deception. Unlike monsters.”

No need to lay all my cards on the table.

A Regular Awakened can always be kept as a hidden ace, if need be.

Screeeeech—

We stashed the vehicle in the forest northwest of the Zombie King’s city.

Plenty of zombies were active.

Only a few were fully triggered, but judging by how alert they looked, the moment something set them off they’d group into a horde and attack every human in sight.

Back in China, the moment we spotted zombie groups of this size, they’d dispatch flamethrower vehicles without hesitation.

“What now?”

Cheon Young-jae asked.

“Let’s send in a drone first.”

“You good at flying them?”

“Not really.”

Both Cheon Young-jae and I looked at Moon Yang-gyeong.

She was from a younger generation—maybe she’d be more tech-savvy?

That hopeful bias, thinking younger people are naturally better with machines.

“I don’t know how.”

Moon Yang-gyeong blinked as she replied.

Expected—but still disappointing.

“...”

The mission hit a wall from the start.

We wanted to scout the area with a drone, but nobody here was good at piloting one.

I mean, I can fly one... but it’s like having a license you haven’t used in years.

“Well, can’t be helped.”

I could manage the basics.

I’d trained before.

But what I really wanted was high-difficulty recon—like weaving through ruins like a water-skimming swallow, hunting for hidden clues scattered across the city.

At this point, I’d just have to accept the risk of losing a drone and go for it.

At the very least, I wanted clear intel on the city’s entrance area.

I reached for the drone control unit set up in the cargo hold.

And that’s when it happened.

Chzzzzk—

Something buzzed in my ear.

The transceiver.

I looked at Cheon Young-jae and Moon Yang-gyeong.

Neither of them had touched it.

Which meant—

VROOOOOMMMM—

A violent engine roar swept across the plain like a tidal wave.

“Skelton, you hear me?”

An unexpected—but incredibly welcome—voice came through.

“It’s me. Where are you?”

It was Defender.

And—

“Skelton~ Why didn’t you call us? Even if we’ve been out of touch lately, come on.”

The most essential person had come with him.