Shaaahhh....

Listening to the rain, Junho sipped his tea made from a teabag.

Enjoying tea while listening to rainfall in the middle of a horrific apocalypse.

It really was luxury beyond luxury.

Creeeak, thunk.

“Damn, it’s pouring out there.”

Kim Jimin stepped into the container and hung the camouflage waterproof tarp he’d been wearing by the entrance.

“Have some tea. I boiled water not long ago, so it’s still warm.”

“Ah, thanks.”

“How’s the river level?”

“Ah, I think we’re okay. The bike path might flood, but not here. The wetlands around the bike trail absorb a ton of water.”

In case the river suddenly swelled further, Kim Jimin had first checked the area by drone before personally making a full circuit around the surroundings.

Having spent much of his childhood staying at his grandparents’ rural home, he knew this sort of thing well.

“What about those UDT guys? They’re not trying to track us down or anything, right?”

At Kim Jimin’s question, Junho turned the laptop screen toward him.

“They recovered the bodies and went back. They stopped briefly near the Nanji Campground survivors too, but judging from the fact there’s been no movement over there either, I don’t think anything’s going to happen.”

You could never be completely certain about anything.

And there was no way he could fully trust soldiers he had met only today.

Still, Junho doubted Moon Younghoon had told the Nanji Campground survivors anything about him.

A professional soldier of that caliber wouldn’t casually spread information about someone connected to an operation.

“Is Manager Yoon asleep?”

“She’s resting. Don’t know if she’s actually sleeping, though.”

Yoon Seolhee had taken the first two-hour watch.

Unlike Junho, who had returned to camp without incident after meeting Moon Younghoon, she had been forced to kill zombies during the trip back.

On top of that, while Junho had been speaking with Moon Younghoon, Yoon Seolhee had been operating the A2 drone.

It had been a precaution in case a firefight broke out, though no actual combat occurred.

Even so, she had remained on edge while using the A2 drone to eliminate several approaching zombies, so it was no surprise the fatigue was catching up to her.

“Whew... seriously, every possible kind of shit happened in a single day. Seoul really is Seoul.”

Kim Jimin shook his head with a drained expression.

They had been chased by looters on motorboats.

They had witnessed survivors traveling on duck boats getting killed by zombies falling from a bridge.

People trying to ambush them in the middle of the night had been torn apart by zombies instead.

And then they had encountered special operations soldiers and nearly gotten killed themselves.

All of that had happened in a single day.

Compared to the relatively peaceful(?) environment around Kangho Resort, the shelter, and Gahyeon-ri, Kim Jimin could only feel exhausted by the madness of it all.

“At least nothing worse than expected happened. Honestly, this counts as relatively quiet. This is Seoul, after all.”

“I guess that’s true....”

If they had traveled overland from Namyangju, they probably wouldn’t even have made it past Guri by now.

Even using riverside highways or bike trails along the Han River wouldn’t have changed much.

After seeing things firsthand, it was obvious that countless survivors were crowded around the riverbanks and nearby areas.

And if they had been detected and chased even while traveling by boat—

What would’ve happened if they’d used vehicles or moved on foot?

“Using the Han River by boat really was a god-tier move. Seriously impressive.”

Kim Jimin couldn’t help admiring him sincerely.

Kang Baekho’s words—My little brother Junho already has a plan for everything—really had been true.

“More than a god-tier move, it was the only option. Anyway, I’m glad things worked out with the UDT operators.”

“Right. Ah, but...”

“......?”

“I was wondering why you told the UDT guys about the zombie migration. The Wave thing.”

Junho’s objective was to rescue the acquaintance supposedly in Bucheon and stop the zombie Wave that might otherwise surge toward Gwangju and Namyangju.

Meaning that if Junho succeeded, the zombie Wave he’d warned the UDT soldiers about would likely never happen.

And yet he had deliberately contacted them and shared that information anyway.

“Ah, that.”

Junho poured the remaining hot water into his teacup and continued.

“It’s better to be certain about things. If we fail for any reason, the military steps in and bombs them. That’s the most reliable solution.”

“That’s true. But if we succeed, won’t that create problems?”

“Maybe. But so what? If the military starts paying more attention to the south side of the Han River, that helps us far more than it hurts us.”

“...Huh?”

Seeing Kim Jimin’s confusion, Junho took a sip of tea after finishing with the teabag.

“Think about where those motorboat assholes who chased us today came from.”

“Those guys... Jamsil, wasn’t it? Ah!”

As realization dawned on Kim Jimin, Junho nodded.

“Right. Jamsil—meaning Gangnam. And one of the Republic of Korea military’s highest priorities is reclaiming the Gyeongbu rail line and the Gyeongbu Expressway. But it’s much easier to start from Jamsil than push straight into central Gangnam. Lower difficulty too. Because...”

Junho pulled up a satellite map on the tablet.

“Tancheon runs through Jamsil.”

Tancheon was also a tributary of the Han River, meaning the water level had risen considerably there as well.

There were weirs here and there, but inflatable boats could still pass through without much trouble.

In other words, if the military secured the Jamsil Sports Complex area, they could advance all the way toward Bundang by following Tancheon or the nearby SRT rail line.

Of course there would still be zombies.

But it was nothing compared to breaking through dense urban districts and apartment complexes.

From Junho’s experience, rivers were the safest routes left for human movement during the apocalypse.

And by now, military leadership had probably realized that too.

“So if the military focuses more on the south side of the Han River, riverside looters like the ones we saw today will naturally get wiped out to some extent. At minimum they’ll try establishing bridgeheads there, which means they’ll deploy troops like those UDT operators we met earlier. In the end, there’s absolutely no downside for us.”

It was a classic case of making one force deal with another.

Not that the Republic of Korea military were barbarians.

“Daaamn....”

Kim Jimin stared at Junho with genuine admiration.

He’d wondered why Junho had not only contacted an armed military force directly but also handed over valuable information.

Turns out he’d already thought several steps ahead.

“Nothing else you’re curious about, right? Then get some sleep. I’ll wake you in two hours.”

“Understood. Then I’ll shamelessly get some rest first.”

Smiling awkwardly, Kim Jimin removed his tactical vest and lay down on an old mattress in the corner.

He must have been seriously tired, because only minutes later soft snoring filled the container.

Junho returned his focus to the laptop and tablet screens.

He still had to monitor the thermal cameras they had reinstalled nearby.

And he needed to constantly review routes related to this operation plan.

It was mentally exhausting work that demanded intense concentration.

But even now, countless people outside were probably spending the night soaked in rain, trembling at every tiny sound.

Compared to that, the current situation of Junho’s group—surrounded by advanced equipment—could practically be called glamping.

“This is exactly why I prepared all of this....”

In some ways, they were living comfortably.

But that didn’t change the reality that this was still an apocalypse.

Especially here—

A global megacity where even traveling along the Han River alone led to one unexpected disaster after another.

That was Seoul.

And tomorrow, they would finally enter Bucheon itself.

***

The rain that had continued throughout the night gradually weakened near dawn before finally stopping around sunrise.

But because the floodgates of Paldang Dam had been opened, the river level kept rising until the water stood only several meters from the container.

“At this rate, this whole place is going to end up submerged beneath the Han River within a few years.”

“Probably. This used to be an island, after all. Still, good thing the rain stopped. Let’s eat quickly and get to work.”

The sky, still overcast around sunrise, completely cleared by around nine in the morning.

After setting up portable solar panels, Junho began charging operations.

Top priority went to the boat’s electric motor battery.

Next came the drones, then the batteries for their other equipment.

“Motor battery’s charged to fifty percent.”

“All drones fully charged. Power tanks are still around sixty percent.”

By around four in the afternoon, charging was mostly complete.

Junho carried the electric motor to the boat hidden in the wetlands, mounted it, then brought the boat over near the small hauling facility beside the traditional archery grounds.

“From here to the entrance of the Ara Waterway is roughly six kilometers. Then another ten or so following the canal until the point where we enter Gulpo Stream.”

“And from there it’s another four or five kilometers to the final destination? So about fifteen total.”

The electric motor could travel around forty-five kilometers on eighty percent charge if they maintained a cruising speed between ten and fifteen kilometers per hour.

Yesterday, however, they had burned through power quickly by repeatedly hitting maximum speed, which was why they had only managed a little over thirty kilometers.

“So battery won’t be an issue.”

“Right. That’s why we spent an extra day here.”

There was always the possibility of another emergency requiring maximum speed.

Still, with fifty percent charge, they had more than enough power to reach the destination.

Whiiiiing....

As always, the reconnaissance drone launched first before the boat slowly began moving.

Learning from yesterday’s incidents, they had camouflaged the boat more thoroughly with grass and branches over the tarp.

Kim Jimin, controlling the drone, stared at the tablet with intense focus.

Yesterday had taught him that relying solely on the tiny controller screen was dangerous.

Junho also operated the boat carefully, making it appear as much as possible like a drifting floating object.

Meanwhile, Yoon Seolhee watched the surroundings through her scope with icy eyes, never relaxing her vigilance for even a second.

The inflatable boat traveled slowly for around thirty minutes before reaching the Ara Waterway locks.

Probably because so many boat owners had attempted to escape through the Han River, both lock gates stood wide open.

The boat carrying the three of them slowly entered the waterway.

***

From this point onward, they had to be extremely careful.

The three barely even swallowed their saliva loudly as they focused on their respective tasks.

Eventually the boat passed through the inner lock and slowly drifted beneath an overpass.

“Some zombies visible near the boat parking area. Same around the marina, clubhouse, and passenger terminal. No unusual movement from any of them.”

Listening to Kim Jimin’s whisper-soft report, Junho focused even more carefully on steering.

There were numerous motionless boats floating throughout the canal.

Some were luxurious vessels over twenty meters long.

Others were tiny fishing boats.

There were even smashed jet skis drifting aimlessly, probably damaged during desperate escape attempts.

“How does our route look?”

“No issues. Right down the center.”

A zombie’s visual range was roughly one hundred to one hundred fifty meters.

That was why Junho deliberately kept the boat in the exact center of the waterway.

If even one slave zombie under an Alpha’s control spotted them—

They could easily end up like the survivors on the duck boat yesterday.

Whiiiiiing....

The boat, disguised to resemble nothing more than a large drifting object and producing barely audible noise unless someone was extremely close, continued slowly down the middle of the waterway.

Soon Hana Bridge and Ara Bridge appeared ahead in the distance.

And lined across their railings stood rows of zombies, just like what they had seen yesterday at Hangang Bridge near Nodeul Island.

“Alpha....”

Those were definitely slave zombies sent by a nearby Alpha.

An Alpha smart enough to understand that prey sometimes moved beneath the bridge—or traveled by boat.

“This is bad... the zombies on the bridge seem to be watching us.”

About three hundred meters away from Hana Bridge, Kim Jimin whispered tensely.

At this distance, ordinary zombies shouldn’t even be able to see them yet.

Which meant the Alpha had already recognized the boat.

Whiiii....

Junho completely cut the motor output.

At the moment, theirs was the only boat drifting through the Ara Waterway.

Unlike the many long bridges crossing the Han River, Hana Bridge and Ara Bridge were short—barely one hundred meters long—and stood less than twenty meters above the water.

They had to pass beneath them as naturally as possible without drawing attention.

Killing zombies that dropped down wouldn’t be difficult.

But if that happened, every Alpha in the surrounding area would almost certainly track the boat afterward.

“...Huh?”

“......?”

Turning his head, Junho saw Kim Jimin quickly hold out the tablet and whisper urgently.

“That rooftop over there. The blue-roofed building by the fire station.”

Junho narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the rooftop of the two-story building shared by the fire station, police station, and rescue unit.

Several zombies stood scattered along the rooftop railing.

But one of them—and only one—was staring directly at the waterway.

More precisely, it was staring at the boat drifting forward on inertia alone.

And there was only one kind of zombie that behaved like that.

'Alpha!'

The moment Junho realized it was the Alpha controlling this area, his mind started racing.

There was a high chance they would use this same route when leaving Bucheon.

So what if they eliminated that massive threat now?

“Manager.”

“...?”

Without taking his eyes off the same direction through her scope, Yoon Seolhee answered.

“Can you snipe that thing?”

She flinched slightly, but as a former Special Forces NCO she immediately understood his intention.

Watching through the scope, she moved her lips.

“Distance: one hundred thirty-seven meters. I can do it.”

“Then please.”

Without another word, Yoon Seolhee steadied her breathing.

The rain from yesterday had increased the current considerably, but compared to the Han River itself, the Ara Waterway was practically calm.

Still, the inflatable boat carrying three people constantly bobbed with the water, making accurate aiming difficult.

Even so—

Paang...!

The muffled crack unique to the modified air rifle rang out once.

Watching the tablet screen, Junho clenched his fist.

“Clean shot.”

A tungsten round had punched directly through the center of the Alpha’s forehead, sending it collapsing backward onto the rooftop.

“The zombies on the bridge are dispersing. We’re good.”

A moment later, Kim Jimin whispered excitedly.

“Whew... excellent work, Manager.”

Only then did Junho finally relax slightly.

“It was nothing.”

Seeing Yoon Seolhee’s modest reaction, Junho thought once again how lucky he was to have brought her along.

Aside from his younger brother Junhyeok, she was probably the person he trusted most in combat.

The boat safely passed beneath the bridge, now largely cleared of zombies, and continued calmly along the Ara Waterway, surrounded mostly by empty rice fields and farmland.

About thirty minutes later, the boat entered Gulpo Stream.

There were weirs along the way, but the high water level allowed the boat to pass without difficulty.

Just like the Ara Waterway, Gulpo Stream was lined mostly with fields and small factories, allowing them to continue without major threats.

And eventually—

“We’re here.”

The inflatable boat arrived beneath the bridge supporting the Gyeongin Expressway.

They had finally reached Bucheon.