Ch.152151. Kim Suho’s Survival in Seoul (5)

After much deliberation, Kim Su-ho came to a remarkably simple conclusion.

“In the end, what we need is a decisive victory that will silence all complaints… a great achievement.”

With such an achievement, he could either end South Korea or save it—do something, at least.

If things continued as they were, Kim Su-ho’s Han River defense line would only end up drowning in the very river they were defending. So, gathering the maximum forces at his disposal, he declared, “We’re going on an expedition.”

He planned an expedition to Gangbuk.

Since Gangnam had been recaptured through the combined efforts of various factions, Kim Su-ho thought he could complete the recapture of Seoul by taking Gangbuk.

This would essentially declare the revival of South Korea, which was what those who depended on South Korea wanted.

He believed they couldn’t possibly refuse, and indeed, the higher-ups couldn’t bring themselves to reject Kim Su-ho’s Seoul recapture operation, reluctantly declaring their support.

In reality, only those who followed Kim Su-ho were actually providing troops.

“Finally, the moment has come.”

“Yes. If we can recapture Gangbuk and take Seoul, we can move forward from there.”

Kim Su-ho was overflowing with confidence that there would be no defeat.

Believing that recapturing Seoul would allow him to do something more afterward, he began devoting all his efforts to the Seoul recapture operation.

First, he gathered his followers and declared his plan to launch an expedition to Gangbuk. Except for the defensive forces left to guard the Han River defense line, everyone else advanced to Gangbuk with Kim Su-ho.

The advance went more smoothly than expected. Kim Su-ho successfully recaptured Yongsan, and even managed to advance beyond Seoul Station all the way to Myeongdong.

With this unstoppable momentum, Kim Su-ho and his forces proved their valor across the Korean Peninsula, confirming that he was indeed the superhuman on a white horse who had appeared at the end of the world.

“Of course, we’ve only scouted as far as Myeongdong, with our base camp in Yongsan. But we can definitely advertise that we’ve crossed beyond Seoul Station.”

Although he had advanced to Myeongdong, the only place where Kim Su-ho had properly established a stronghold was the Yongsan area, where the former Presidential Office had been located.

However, reaching Myeongdong meant he had reached Seoul Station, the heart of Seoul, and gone beyond it. It meant he had advanced with momentum through numerous battles without a single defeat.

He had shown the possibility of truly recapturing Seoul, and public opinion in Gangnam, which had been wavering for a while, gradually became favorable toward Kim Su-ho.

“Now no one can deny us.”

“That’s right. There are still many powerful named entities around, and we haven’t finished clearing the surroundings, but we can recapture Seoul if we gradually clean things up.”

However, readers of this text already know.

Kim Su-ho, who had advanced as far as Myeongdong, was ultimately defeated and retreated to the Han River defense line.

That truth began with the discovery of horrific, beastly actions.

“Sir, we have an emergency!”

“What’s happening? Don’t tell me our base camp has been attacked…”

“We’ve detected suspicious movements at the Han River defense line. They became restless after you advanced to Myeongdong!”

Yes, it was betrayal.

The moment they judged that Kim Su-ho might actually recapture Seoul, the forces established in Gangnam betrayed him.

They betrayed Kim Su-ho’s goodwill and were preparing to stab him in the back when he was exhausted. The National Intelligence Service had detected their movements and informed Kim Su-ho of this fact.

But for Kim Su-ho who received this report…

“What did you say?”

“They might betray us, sir.”

It was news so shocking that his mind went blank.

He looked at the NIS agent with an expression of disbelief, but the agent confirmed that he had heard correctly and informed Kim Su-ho of the cruel truth—that they really might betray him.

Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal, betrayal.

Kim Su-ho felt something snap in his mind.

“That’s impossible. Surely people wouldn’t stab in the back the very person who saved them, would they?”

At first, he denied the report.

He would want to deny it.

Despite all his efforts, what came back was betrayal once again.

Even if Kim Su-ho was a pushover, this was an act of betrayal that could never be forgiven.

After all, they had betrayed even the most important holy war in South Korea.

“I worked so hard! I endured so much! Why do they always betray me!”

But that feeling soon turned to anger.

They might not have been satisfied.

So in this apocalypse, compromise was necessary, and Kim Su-ho, who had reluctantly learned politics, had learned this compromise and satisfied their desires through it.

Above all, Kim Su-ho had compromised on many things and made efforts, even allowing the policy of strengthening other factions—essentially cutting off his own flesh to feed others—but… betrayal.

It was at this moment that Kim Su-ho developed murderous intent toward them.

“If the Han River defense line falls under their control, we’ll be annihilated!”

But the moment he developed murderous intent, what Kim Su-ho felt was not killing intent but fear.

Sure, it would be good to eliminate all the traitors.

But that would mean the Han River defense line they managed would become Kim Su-ho’s enemy, and Kim Su-ho would have to break through the very defense line he had designed.

Of course, their ragtag forces couldn’t defend against Kim Su-ho’s army.

Kim Su-ho was confident he could break through the Han River defense line alone, but at that moment the defense line would collapse, and the organization established in Gangnam would face destruction.

“What on earth do they want! I suppose they want something from me again. Tell me what demands they’ve made!”

“Sir…”

So the next emotion Kim Su-ho felt was a desire to negotiate—he wanted to beg them not to betray him, saying he would give them what they wanted.

His brilliant mind had already realized that the Han River defense line was half-collapsed due to these beasts’ foolish choice, but he was still trying to find a way to prevent that collapse through negotiation.

“Haha. Is it true? Did they really show signs of betraying me?”

But in the end, he resigned himself.

He didn’t want to believe the information reported by the NIS.

But all the circumstances and his experience told him it was true, and what Kim Su-ho could do was…

“…Let’s accept it. I have no choice but to accept it. Denying the situation at this point would be crossing a line. They’re definitely the type to do this.”

Finally, he acknowledged that they were not humans but beasts.

“What should we do now?”

“Even if you ask us…”

“We don’t know.”

Even the NIS seemed bewildered by the actions of these subhuman beasts, as they all expressed with gloomy expressions that they had no idea how to proceed.

After all, who would have thought that as humans… no, because they were humans, they would forget all the kindness shown to them and stab him in the back?

No matter how dissatisfied they were, recapturing Seoul should have been everyone’s wish, but no one ever dreamed they would choose betrayal and shoot him in the back.

If the NIS hadn’t secretly deployed agents to defend the Han River, Kim Su-ho’s forces would have been annihilated on two fronts.

‘What should I do politically in this situation? What even is politics? Damn it! If only I had a staff member who could give me political advice!’

The problem was that Kim Su-ho had no one in his ranks who could provide political advice.

Such people had either formed their own factions or stabbed Kim Su-ho in the back.

“Damn those beasts.”

“Watch your language.”

“But sir, considering what those guys are doing, they’re essentially extremists! No, they’re just qualified beasts!”

In the end, even the NIS reached the limit of their patience after witnessing the reality of these people and expressed their anger.

They said they wanted to eliminate the traitors—no, the beasts—who had established themselves at the Han River defense line right now, essentially not even treating them as humans.

“Think about the conspiracy theories they’ve told you! It’s truly ridiculous how they spew such low-quality posts in communities, ignorant of the grim reality!”

They were people without faith, merely pursuing their desires.

Even if this apocalypse was an era where justice and morality had fallen… no, precisely because it was such an era, shouldn’t one at least keep one’s word?

“…We’re at an impasse.”

Above all, they betrayed him when he spared them, betrayed him when he let them go, betrayed him when he treated them well, betrayed him when he allied with them. There were only people who couldn’t be trusted or given confidence.

Kim Su-ho thought the situation was completely blocked and judged that even if they returned now, they couldn’t go back to the situation before the expedition.

After all, Kim Su-ho’s forces had already decided to abandon South Korea, while they had declared they would protect the tattered signboard called South Korea.

Civil war was essentially confirmed.

‘We can’t continue the expedition like this. We’ve recaptured as far as Myeongdong, but without support from Gangnam, we have no means to maintain this front.’

Kim Su-ho also thought he couldn’t maintain the Myeongdong front and considered immediately ending the expedition and returning.

‘Was it an unreasonable expedition from the start?’

At the same time, thinking about the current state of Gangnam, he wondered if he had undertaken an unreasonable expedition.

‘The problem is that I can’t leave my home base. This limits us to maintaining the status quo!’

Now he realized that, considering the betrayal of the Han River defense line and Gangnam, the force called Kim Su-ho always had to be at the Han River defense line.

The problem was that Kim Su-ho was the strongest Awakened in Seoul, and this strongest Awakened had to be used to prepare for civil war.

It was truly a frustrating situation, and Kim Su-ho recognized that maintaining the status quo was the limit.

“Would it be too much to recapture all of Gangbuk at once?”

“It would be too much. The undead are resisting fiercely.”

“And our numbers are too few.”

“I see.”

He had also considered riding the momentum to annihilate the undead in Gangbuk and make it his base.

But the answer he received was a lack of forces.

The unit led by Kim Su-ho was elite, but their numbers were very small.

They were sufficient soldiers for a normal decapitation operation, but not enough to gain territory and establish firm control.

‘The answer was already there.’

In fact, the solution to this situation had already been presented.

‘The Balhut Cult. Others call them a pseudo-religious cult and traitors. All the forces in Gangnam, no longer South Korea, have drawn a line, but conversely, only the Balhut Cult has cleanly acknowledged the current apocalypse and recognized that South Korea has collapsed.’

That alone could solve half the problem.

‘If we recognize that South Korea has collapsed and disappeared, we can recognize that the authority they speak of and their pre-apocalypse positions are meaningless. And the law! The existing laws have no meaning in this apocalypse. Rather, there’s almost nothing we can do using them as justification. We need new laws suited to the apocalypse. And we need people who are loyal to me, like the NIS.’

And only after completing all the reforms he was now thinking of could they move forward.

‘I should have finished internal discussions and organization like the Balhut Cult did! Because I accepted just anyone in my haste, this mess happened! But if I return to the expedition now, can I simply copy the correct answer that the Balhut Cult provided? In this already established situation, wouldn’t it just cause more backlash?’

In the end, Kim Su-ho’s conclusion was…

“It’s regrettable, but we’re abandoning the expedition.”

“Sir, is that alright? Those damn people will surely criticize you for abandoning the expedition.”

“And they will certainly step forward as representatives of the Han River defense line. Even if we return, maintaining the expedition force would be…”

To abandon the expedition and return to the Han River defense line.

Kim Su-ho’s loyal subordinates all showed concern at his decision and advised that he might lose control of the Han River defense line.

“I know. Because I know, I’m retreating. Advancing further would only hurt our soldiers. Recapturing Seoul is ruined. If that’s the case, all we can do is show them reality.”

Kim Su-ho knew that too.

Perhaps losing control of the Han River defense line was Kim Su-ho’s aim.

“We’ll target a city to use as a refuge in case Seoul falls back. Let’s hand over control of the Han River defense line to them.”

From now on, he would pass all the responsibility for the Han River defense line to them, hoping they would realize the reality Kim Su-ho faced, and he decided to devise a sub-plan he hadn’t considered until now.

“Is that alright? What about Gangbuk?”

“I’m giving it up. But South Korea isn’t over yet. Even if South Korea comes to an end, I’ll prove that it’s not for those beast-qualified ones to decide.”

South Korea was over.

No one could deny that, and even Kim Su-ho, who had greatly benefited from it, didn’t deny it.

However, Kim Su-ho swore that those who would end South Korea, which was now just a signboard, would not be those beast-qualified ones.

“You’ll be stabbed in the back. They’ve already betrayed us.”

The NIS warned that his life would be in danger, but…

“I’ll be stabbed in the back? Well, let them try! If that guy can protect Seoul and save the citizens instead of me, that’s what I want! This Seoul will not be a sinking ship slowly going down due to his political games or clinging to authority, but will stand up proudly and go down in a blaze of glory!”

He just laughed heartily, saying he would welcome them gladly.

Yes, if someone could defeat Kim Su-ho, they would be an Awakened stronger than him, and with that power, they could surely crush those beast-qualified ones, protect Seoul, and protect the citizens.

So he said that Seoul would not perish from the chronic disease that South Korea had, but would stand up on its own two feet and go down in a blaze of glory.

“For that, I’ll release everything I’ve been suppressing until now. It’s a time of chaos! Now it’s time for the beast-qualified heroes I’ve been suppressing to step forward!”

For that, Kim Su-ho was willing to release all the isolation he had suppressed with his own capacity and let it run wild.

He declared that he would lift all restrictions on influence in the provinces, announcing that an endless era of chaos had begun on the Korean Peninsula.

“I pray that a hero who can defeat all those beast-qualified ones and end this country will be born.”

“Sir, we will follow you.”

And he sincerely prayed for the birth of a great hero in the midst of that chaos.