Ch.151150. Kim Suho’s Guide to Surviving in Seoul (4)

However, despite the major internal confusion, the successful stabilization of the Han River defense line meant that, barring any significant setbacks, the situation was unlikely to deteriorate further.

But to put it differently.

“The moment the Han River defense line collapses, Seoul will be destroyed.”

Yes, the Han River defense line was essentially Gangnam’s last bastion.

If asked whether there was a backup plan in case the Han River defense line fell, Kim Su-ho would proudly declare there wasn’t one. The internal situation was so chaotic that they couldn’t even consider a contingency plan.

There were dozens, even hundreds of factions no longer under Kim Su-ho’s control. They merely received support from him but had no intention of taking initiative.

They were like wolves, watching Kim Su-ho and waiting for his downfall.

Were they still unaware of the apocalypse, or did they pretend not to know while pursuing power?

From Kim Su-ho’s perspective, it was pathetic behavior with no return on investment.

“…But aren’t they forming factions to survive?”

“The problem is that these factions aren’t our forces. If they were forces we could use, I wouldn’t be complaining.”

Frankly speaking, the Han River defense line wasn’t just occupied by Kim Su-ho’s forces—there were numerous factions within his own group.

Kim Su-ho didn’t mind that much.

The problem was that after building up their forces, they disrespected Kim Su-ho’s authority in maintaining the Han River defense line and tried to absorb his forces, which was infuriating.

‘Patience. Yes, patience. Three times patience can even prevent murder.’

Far from helping, they were targeting Kim Su-ho’s forces, making him consider suppressing them dozens of times a day.

“Follow me because I’m a minister or congressman. How comfortable they must be. And those citizens too.”

Kim Su-ho thought about the high-ranking officials who had been hindering him and pondered why citizens believed and followed them.

He keenly felt that people could be made to follow through justification and status.

But if everyone was thinking rationally, wasn’t their behavior extremely irrational in this apocalypse?

Yet citizens readily followed their baseless incitement and firmly believed their statements, making Kim Su-ho feel his common sense gradually crumbling.

‘I’m the one who’s been protecting them all this time. Why do they get the praise? Have I done something wrong to them?’

He was the one who had maintained the Han River defense line and accommodated refugees, yet people followed others just because of their titles.

“Then, what about referring to the Balhut Cult’s policies? Sir.”

“The Balhut Cult?”

If there was any good news for Kim Su-ho, it was that news that would upset the warlords building power within the framework of South Korea had reached Seoul.

“Yes. A provisional government called the Balhut Cult has appeared in Gyeongju.”

It was Gyeongju’s independence.

An organization called the Balhut Cult had appeared, recaptured Gyeongju from the zombies, and instead of returning it to South Korea, boldly declared independence.

This meant they were openly cutting ties with South Korea, and as if to prove their declaration wasn’t just words, they were establishing systems and laws appropriate for the apocalypse under the Balhut Cult’s authority.

It was an attempt to establish a new country by severing ties with existing powers rather than succeeding South Korea, which was absolutely unacceptable to the warlords trying to succeed South Korea.

“Betrayal! Rebellion! What era do they think this is, trying to establish a holy nation?”

“It’s a cult! The Balhut Cult is a cult! It’s evil that will destroy our South Korea!”

“I did not authorize this! The congressman did this without consulting me! This is an insurrection in Gyeongju!”

The self-proclaimed congressman who had Gyeongju as his constituency was particularly outraged, claiming they had acted without his permission and denouncing it as betrayal.

“Well, since the South Korean government isn’t doing anything, it’s an inevitable action for survival.”

However, Kim Su-ho’s reaction was that, except for the Han River defense line and Gangnam, neither Seoul nor the government was doing anything, so a declaration of independence from a local city was a natural choice for survival.

If asked what Seoul had done for local cities, based on what Kim Su-ho had seen during the recent crisis management period, Seoul had never helped local cities and had only caused confusion and trouble.

Rather, Seoul had only made baseless claims that South Korea hadn’t ended, when in fact the government had already collapsed, and this meaningless information had only exacerbated confusion in local cities.

Kim Su-ho was grateful that after declaring independence, they hadn’t declared war on Seoul out of anger at Seoul’s selfishness.

“What’s our public opinion like?”

“The factions in Gangnam are all furious about the emergence of the Balhut Cult. They’re boldly claiming it’s a coup against South Korea, or treason, or insurrection. But their true feelings are more of shock.”

“Is independence a choice that should make them angry or shocked? From their perspective, they’ve just made a decision to survive.”

The National Intelligence Service agent reported that the factions under South Korean authority were unanimously furious or shocked.

In this harsh apocalypse, they were claiming it was an organization that had staged a coup, betrayed South Korea, or instigated an insurrection to destroy South Korea, but in reality, with only the name of South Korea remaining, these claims didn’t mean much.

Kim Su-ho also understood that from Gyeongju’s perspective, forming a provisional government was necessary for survival, as South Korea was essentially on the brink of collapse.

‘The problem is the Balhut Cult. An unknown cult.’

If there was an issue, it was that the organization forming the provisional government was called a cult.

Kim Su-ho was somewhat anxious about the rumors of it being a cult, as it was likely a dangerous organization given over to religious fanaticism.

‘We can’t intervene anyway.’

But he realized that worrying was meaningless as they didn’t have the capacity to do anything right now.

Not only was the distance an issue, but the Han River defense line didn’t have enough resources to dispatch troops from Seoul to a local city.

‘If they lent me troops right now, I could send forces to Gyeongju that declared independence. But…’

Of course, if the warlords under Kim Su-ho’s protection lent him troops, dispatching them would be entirely possible.

Seoul’s power was currently dispersed among various factions, and if that dispersed power united, sending troops to the city wouldn’t be difficult.

‘That’s not going to happen. They’re just paying lip service.’

But he thought grimly that they would never do that.

Kim Su-ho sighed at this reality where he could do nothing.

“From their perspective, isn’t this a serious matter, sir?”

“What’s so serious about it?”

The National Intelligence Service agent advised that this matter was more serious than expected.

Kim Su-ho looked at the agent with a desperate expression and demanded an explanation.

“From the establishment process to the founding of the Balhut Cult… it all means breaking away from the existing South Korean powers. Conversely, it means that South Korean authority no longer has any influence over them.”

“Is that such a serious matter?”

“Yes, it is serious. Especially for congressmen or ministers who based their support on South Korean authority, they’ve lost their foundation of support overnight.”

Breaking away from South Korea meant breaking away from South Korean authority.

This meant that administrative orders from South Korea to Gyeongju or the authority of the National Assembly would have no effect, and the congressmen and ministers who had formed factions based on this support in this apocalypse had their prestige diminished overnight.

If this news spread throughout Seoul, people would question the ministers and congressmen about why Gyeongju had declared independence.

“And the logic that only South Korea can overcome the apocalypse that has hit the Korean Peninsula no longer holds.”

“Indeed. From the perspective of local cities, South Korea is of no help. It’s advantageous for them to declare independence.”

“That’s what they don’t like. The more local cities declare independence, the more South Korea’s prestige diminishes.”

That wasn’t all.

Many people living on the Korean Peninsula could now recognize that South Korea wasn’t the only way to overcome the apocalypse.

With the emergence of the new Balhut Cult, other local cities might follow their example and abandon South Korea to declare independence, and since the Balhut Cult had already set the precedent, they would declare independence without hesitation given the opportunity.

Naturally, for those who had been smiling at the thought of recapturing Seoul and ruling an empty South Korea, the declaration of independence by local cities would feel like their imagined world crumbling in an instant.

“If there’s another way to survive, they would form their own provisional government rather than sticking with South Korea, which has been a great disappointment. Moreover, it’s relatively easy and simple to declare a provisional government now without Seoul’s interference.”

“So that’s why they’re angry. I understand completely.”

That’s why they had to deny the Balhut Cult more than anyone else.

Otherwise, as time passed, their reason for ruling citizens or holding power would disappear, and their charisma as leaders would gradually crumble.

They had become congressmen only through the authority of the old South Korea and their abilities at that time, not by proving their abilities in this apocalypse like Kim Su-ho had.

And if they were asked to prove those abilities right now…

“That’s not a problem for me.”

“Of course. You’ve already proven your abilities. This might even be good news for you, sir.”

It was questionable whether anyone except Kim Su-ho could prove their abilities to the citizens.

So they had already started appealing to their supporters in local areas through community platforms while simultaneously trying to discredit the achievements of the Balhut Cult.

There were still many people in local cities who followed the pre-apocalypse parties, and it was very easy for them to incite these people to demonize the Balhut Cult or label them as terrorists.

Weren’t they the ones who had gained power and authority by manipulating public opinion?

They knew better than anyone how to misuse that public opinion.

“But what kind of organization is this Balhut Cult that appeared in Gyeongju?”

“According to community news, it’s known as a religious organization, but it’s essentially a coalition government formed by various survivor camps. They’ve already completed legal and organizational systems suitable for the apocalypse, and they’ve reached a level where they can properly be called a provisional government.”

“The evaluation is better than I thought.”

The National Intelligence Service’s evaluation was better than Kim Su-ho had expected.

“Well, they’re the first to recapture a city on the Korean Peninsula. Even if South Korea, which hasn’t proven anything yet, wants to ignore them, they can’t help but pay attention. After all, the Balhut Cult is a clear success case of surviving the apocalypse.”

“A success case…”

Yes, a success case.

Though it might be difficult to notice from community posts alone, they had recaptured a city and formed a provisional government, making them proper victors.

This meant that if their methods were copied and used, there was a good chance of success here as well.

“…What do you think if we were to use the methods employed by the Balhut Cult?”

Kim Su-ho, seemingly not much different, asked if they could use the Balhut Cult’s methods.

“It would be very difficult. Just as the Balhut Cult experienced civil war with opposing factions, Gangnam would inevitably be swept into the tragedy of civil war.”

“…I’d like to know more details. Can we dispatch agents to gather information?”

“As it happens, a National Intelligence Service agent who was in Gyeongju is still alive. If we can connect with the agent, we might be able to find out about the internal situation somehow.”

Fortunately, the agent dispatched to Gyeongju was still alive, allowing Kim Su-ho to receive a detailed report on the Balhut Cult’s activities from its beginning until now.

After thoroughly analyzing the Balhut Cult, Kim Su-ho’s conclusion was:

“So if we use the Balhut Cult’s methods, we essentially can’t avoid civil war.”

The Balhut Cult’s methods were clearly radical, but they also showed a realistic approach.

Since they were already suffering from internal conflicts, removing those elements of conflict and starting anew would be beneficial for everyone.

In essence, the Balhut Cult’s methods pointed out the chronic problems of the current Han River defense line while simultaneously offering solutions, but Kim Su-ho didn’t miss the fact that this was decided through internal discussions before the cult was launched.

If Kim Su-ho had recognized this fact during the initial crisis management and succeeded in managing it quickly, things might not have turned out so tragically.

“Is it all my fault?”

So Kim Su-ho cleanly admitted his failure.

And having failed, the solution to this side effect was:

“Like the Balhut Cult, to sever all connections between the Han River defense line and Gangnam with South Korea and start completely anew.”

And they needed new laws tailored for the apocalypse, not existing ones.

Since South Korea was already in a state of collapse, they should officially acknowledge that collapse.

Kim Su-ho realized that while this might lead to much bloodshed in Gangnam, only definitive internal reform could overcome this crisis.

“I know we need to abandon South Korea!”

But at this crucial moment, Kim Su-ho found he couldn’t choose that path.

Above all, it was already too late.

Even if he declared now that South Korea had perished, would those who had already established themselves as powers allow it?

Rather, they would be more furious than anyone else and form an alliance against Kim Su-ho, making him their enemy.

“But can I do that?”

Moreover, Kim Su-ho, a citizen of South Korea, would have to close the door on South Korea.

Imagining the terrible consequences this would cause, Kim Su-ho’s face turned pale, and this psychological pressure was gradually constricting his heart.