Ch.249249. The Fall of Seoul (1)

As the civilian sector of Seorabeol enjoyed an unprecedented boom, the situation in Seoul was nothing short of bleak.

In Gangnam, which Kim Su-ho had left behind, no one was willing to stand up and fight against the undead. Only those who coveted what little power remained stayed behind.

The power struggle between the authorities and guilds was gradually turning Gangnam—which had been somewhat livable under Kim Su-ho’s rule—into ruins.

“The undead are coming!”

“What the hell?! What about the defense line? The Han River defense line that bastard Kim Su-ho built!”

The signal of doom had finally arrived.

If they had shown even the slightest will to fight, Seoul’s fall might have been delayed. But those who pursued only their own interests ignored the fact that the Han River defense line was collapsing. Until their final moments, they called out Kim Su-ho’s name—the very person they had abandoned—and blamed him.

But what could be done? With the collapse of the defense line, they were simply reaping what they had sown.

“Sir!”

“Yes. So the defense line has finally collapsed. I warned them the undead would attack. Did they listen?”

“Well…”

After a long silence, the legion of death that transcended death itself had finally begun crossing from Gangbuk to Gangnam. The command and communication network Kim Su-ho had established to defend against this advance had long been neutralized by the collusion between Seoul’s authorities and guilds.

This meant that even if they wanted to contact the defense forces stationed at the line, there was no means to do so. Moreover, those defense forces were no longer national troops with a duty to protect the Han River line, but had long since transformed into private soldiers of various power holders or guilds.

Even in this crisis, the guilds managing the defense line chose to simply observe the situation rather than join the dangerous front line to defend it. No matter how excellent Kim Su-ho’s defense line was, without troops to defend it, it was just a scarecrow blocking the way.

Seoul’s defense had effectively been non-existent since Kim Su-ho’s departure, and the result was…

“Gangnam has fallen.”

Gangnam had fallen. The district that had protected Seoul’s citizens for a year had finally fallen to the undead.

Upon hearing this report, Kim Su-ho closed his eyes momentarily, feeling dizzy. He went outside the command post he had established at Namhansanseong. What he saw were columns of black smoke beginning to rise across Seoul, confirming that Gangnam had indeed fallen.

“Yes. I thought this might happen, but seeing it with my own eyes is quite sobering.”

Kim Su-ho had known this all along.

Nevertheless, in a corner of his heart, he had thought that if they valued their lives, they would defend the Han River line at all costs. But Kim Su-ho had failed to properly understand human greed.

Human greed is such that people will sell even their own blood for wealth, power, and money.

‘They’re no better than beasts.’

Kim Su-ho had believed in human goodness, never imagining that so many interest groups would self-destruct in pursuit of their own greed.

But the price of that belief was Seoul’s destruction, and now Kim Su-ho would face the aftermath of that destruction.

The one fortunate thing was that the destruction had only just begun. The Han River defense line had been breached, but refugees fleeing Gangnam hadn’t yet been massacred and turned into undead.

“Now it’s our turn to handle the refugees coming from Gangnam.”

“Sir…”

Yes, from now on, the citizens of Gangnam would be Kim Su-ho’s responsibility—people who had lost their homes.

If Gangnam still stood, they could have relied on the Han River defense line and accommodated refugees. But having lost Gangnam, they now had to save the refugees pouring out with only their current resources.

It was an impossibly difficult fight forced upon them, but…

“Seoul is now a lawless zone belonging to no one. At the very least, we must secure the remaining supplies in Seoul.”

Having governed Gangnam and been responsible for defending the Han River line before being driven out, Kim Su-ho knew exactly where the supplies used by the defense line and Gangnam were stored.

Of course, there was a possibility that after driving Kim Su-ho out, they had moved the infrastructure elsewhere out of fear of his retaliation. But those who were too stingy to spend resources wouldn’t have used supplies to relocate infrastructure.

Moreover, since his expulsion, Kim Su-ho hadn’t retaliated against Gangnam at all, being too busy reclaiming other areas. This made it highly likely that the facilities remained exactly as they were when he used them.

Kim Su-ho planned to recover these and inherit all the legacy left by the Republic of Korea.

“This would give us the highest chance of success. Prepare to escort refugees to Namhansanseong. The rest should prepare to transport the infrastructure from Gangnam.”

“Yes, sir.”

He thought this would give them the highest chance of success.

Kim Su-ho divided his forces in half: one to guide refugees to Namhansanseong, and the other to recover the infrastructure remaining in Gangnam.

As for Kim Su-ho himself…

“I will personally join the recovery of supplies from Gangnam. The command of the troops guiding refugees to Namhansanseong will be delegated to Team Liquid.”

He declared that he would personally lead the mission to Gangnam.

Since Kim Su-ho was the most powerful Awakened in Seoul, his personal involvement wasn’t particularly problematic.

“Is that alright, sir?”

“Yes. Escorting refugees is something others can handle. Moreover, the supply transport operation is likely to result in physical confrontation with guilds remaining in Gangnam.”

Above all, Gangnam was now in chaos under undead occupation, and guilds that hadn’t participated in the fight would be taking advantage of this chaos to seize supplies.

In other words, it would be a hellscape where a normal approach would likely result in annihilation. That’s why Kim Su-ho himself needed to go.

“But the refugees are coming because they trust in your prowess, sir. Without you, they might cause chaos.”

The problem was that this would cause anxiety among refugees who were fleeing based solely on their trust in Kim Su-ho.

If Kim Su-ho remained at headquarters simply giving commands, refugees would believe he would step in to protect them in a crisis. But the moment they confirmed that Kim Su-ho himself was away on a mission and not at headquarters, they might fall into anxiety and cause chaos.

The aide warned of this concern, and Kim Su-ho nodded, acknowledging the point.

“Then we’ll use a stand-in.”

“A stand-in?”

Yes, if people were anxious because Kim Su-ho wasn’t there, they could simply use someone to stand in for him.

One of the Awakened under Kim Su-ho’s command could serve as his stand-in for the refugee escort. This could be an effective strategy initially, but the problem was that whoever took on the role would need to have combat abilities comparable to Kim Su-ho’s… But there were dozens of warriors under Kim Su-ho’s command who had easily surpassed level 15, so finding a suitable candidate among them wouldn’t be difficult.

“As it happens, Team Liquid’s captain shares my name. He’s similar in age and height, making him quite suitable as a stand-in, don’t you think?”

Conveniently, the captain of Team Liquid, one of the units following Kim Su-ho, shared his name.

Moreover, with pre-apocalypse ID cards, even if there was a risk of being discovered, they could use personal information to deceive others.

But this would only work in urgent situations. Once things calmed down even slightly, refugees would question the identity of the stand-in Kim Su-ho.

“Will they really be fooled by that?”

The aide also seemed concerned about this, wondering if citizens could be deceived by such a flimsy disguise.

“It would be problematic in an era with functioning internet. But now, internet access is a luxury for the public, and even then, my personal information is classified, so it’s not recorded in detail. Even if someone expresses doubt, a single ID card with the name Kim Su-ho issued during the Republic of Korea era would be enough to deceive them.”

While it would be difficult to deceive people in pre-apocalyptic times when personal information of famous individuals was easily accessible online, in an apocalypse where internet access was rare, a single ID card could be enough to fool people.

Kim Su-ho’s personal information was classified as top secret to prevent magical curses, and even the photos taken during his governance of Gangnam mostly showed him looking disheveled due to battle wounds.

From the refugees’ perspective, when meeting the stand-in, most would only care about his strength. Even if asked for proof, a Republic of Korea era ID card would be enough to deceive them.

“That’s true.”

“Moreover, when the operation begins, I’ll instruct the soldiers to treat the stand-in as they would me. With the soldiers’ support, it will be easy to deceive people. If we create an environment where everyone treats my stand-in as me, people will be deceived whether they want to be or not. And if they still doubt…”

In this apocalypse, suspicion was a necessary tool for survival.

If you didn’t suspect others, you might find yourself dead the next day. This was the bitter reality of Seoul’s situation.

However, Kim Su-ho didn’t blame people for this. If suspicion helped survival…

“As it happens, the person taking my place is already well past level 15 in strength. For those unfamiliar with Awakened power levels, even the most suspicious person wouldn’t find grounds for doubt.”

He would use even that suspicion to his advantage.

If Kim Su-ho’s entire unit treated the stand-in as Kim Su-ho, who would dare express doubt? Rather, suspicious people would likely feel reassured by the authority displayed by the stand-in Kim Su-ho and trust him deeply.

“The question is your resolve. What do you say? Will you be my stand-in?”

“It’s an honor to be entrusted with such an important task by you, sir. I will fulfill your role faithfully, even at the cost of my life.”

The issue was the heavy burden of carrying the name Kim Su-ho, but Team Liquid’s captain, who shared the same name, claimed he would take on the role without hesitation.

Pleased with his determination to deceive Seoul’s citizens for their own sake, even at the cost of his life, Kim Su-ho nodded slightly and turned to his aide, speaking loudly.

“Thank you. But as everyone knows, neither task will be easy. Conflict with people is expected in this operation. Still, our final duty to Seoul is to save as many as possible and evacuate them through Namhansanseong to Gwangju!”

This was the final service that Kim Su-ho and his followers could provide to Seoul.

After this, the city of Seoul would fall, so his statement wasn’t strange at all.

“I’ll say it again! Our operation is simple! The first objective is to deploy all forces to secure a foothold in Gangnam and accommodate refugees.”

He then began explaining in detail the operation they would undertake.

The first task was to secure a bridgehead for entering Gangnam.

If they entered recklessly without securing one, the refugee escort would have no unified destination, and depending on the direction of advance, they might move in the wrong direction or risk conflicts between units. Securing a bridgehead was the first step in any war.

“The second objective: Team Liquid’s unit will evacuate refugees to Namhansanseong, while my unit will recover supplies and facilities remaining in Seoul! If we fail to recover these, Seoul is truly finished, so this is our most important task!”

After securing the bridgehead, they would reorganize the units. One would escort refugees to Namhansanseong, while the other would recover supplies and facilities remaining in Seoul.

This was both a necessary and important task—retrieving the final legacy left by the Republic of Korea from the occupied Seoul.

News of this final legacy would attract hyenas who would attack fiercely, but as always, battles led by Kim Su-ho were believed to be certain victories.

“The final objective is to search for survivors remaining in Seoul and rally resistance forces until my return! Those stubborn bastards should realize by now that things have gone wrong! Get their cooperation even if you have to threaten them! If they don’t listen, decisively drive them out! That’s all!”

The final order was unusually harsh for Kim Su-ho, who always prioritized human life.

But one thing Kim Su-ho had learned from long experience was that a certain amount of discipline was necessary to earn respect.

It was because Kim Su-ho had always taken a submissive stance when trying to cooperate with Seoul’s authorities that they all looked down on him and didn’t respect him. He had learned from this failure.

Even if this action earned him a bad reputation, it showed Kim Su-ho’s strong determination to save everyone he could. As if to demonstrate this resolve, Kim Su-ho placed his hand on the tactical map and spoke in a quiet tone.

“Seoul has fallen, but the citizens who lived in Seoul are still alive. We too were citizens of Seoul.”

Everyone fell silent at his words.

This wasn’t an operation with a high chance of success.

“We will reclaim this city once more. By the hands of those who remember Seoul! Even if that path leads to the destruction of my homeland, the Republic of Korea!”

It was a kind of declaration of war against the world.

In this moment, Kim Su-ho’s eyes had returned to those of the unparalleled commander who had defended the Han River line and the hero of Seoul.