Chapter 1204: Visitors, A Sudden Invitation to the Central Section

Day 381 - 11:49 PM - East Section, Yeongdo Walled City, Yeongdo District, Busan

"Any news about Tae-Hoon?"

A deep voice echoed within the largest building in the East Section of Yeongdo Walled City.

Sitting at the center of the hall, the man who sat on a throne-like seat panned his eyes over the people standing silently around him.

The people lowered their heads, afraid of making eye contact with the man on the throne.

"Tsk."

Seeing the people filled with fear, the man clicked his tongue. He seemed annoyed, angry even. However, his expression remained calm. The only thing changing was the temperature in the surroundings, which seemed to slowly freeze from the pressure he was emitting.

"All of you are useless," The man grumbled. "Tae-Hoon blabbered every arrogant thing he could for this mission, but he can’t even return in time. In the end, he is just another useless thing."

"Just how many resources did we invest in this mission?" The man continued. "Just one of those sniper rifles is worth far more than any of your lives. We only managed to get three. And now, there is not even a single piece of news about them."

Just like before, no one tried to reply to the man’s grumbling, which annoyed him even more.

The man on the throne, Bloodfang, was the leader of the East Section. No one knew his real name or anything about him before the apocalypse began. Although there were rumours about him being someone expelled from the military or being a notorious criminal, no one could confirm them, and the person himself had no intention of doing so.

Still, Bloodfang was one of the most feared people in Yeongdo Walled City. It was not because of his personal strength, but because the territory he governed had the largest number of combatants in the City.

Furthermore, the East Section was the largest of the so-called "Red Sections" of Yeongdo Walled City. A place where only strength and violence mattered. A den for lawless criminals and those who abandoned their humanity for carnal pleasures.

In other settlements, such a place wouldn’t be allowed to exist. But in Yeongdo Walled City, the owners did not care as long as these people living within the "Red Sections" proved themselves useful.

Of course, even the people of the "Red Sections" could not just go and cause trouble in other sections outside their control. That was a rule strictly imposed by the owners. Nonetheless, very few would provoke these people even in other sections, for fear of being retaliated against the moment they stepped out of Yeongdo Walled City.

As for Bloodfang, due to certain events in the past, he viewed Kang Ye-Jun very negatively. He had long wanted to eliminate this adversary. However, not only was Kang Ye-Jun as slippery as an eel, but the people around him were capable enough to fight most dangers that came their way.

Furthermore, there was one thing that not only Bloodfang but other groups wanted from Kang Ye-Jun’s group. It was their electric truck. It was the only vehicle in Yeongdo Walled City that could still run properly and was not owned by the Chaebol families who owned the place.

The scarcity of fuel and vehicle parts rendered most vehicles in Yeongdo Walled City unusable. Thus, the group of Kang Ye-Jun who prioritized securing an electric vehicle and solar panels before everything went downhill became the center of envy.

Thus, it was not just Bloodfang but many others who were targeting the Northwest Section, employing every means they could just to get rid of them.

But everything has failed so far.

Despite bribing the distributors of the relief food to stop the distribution of food for the Northwest Section, forcing Kang Ye-Jun’s group to go out en masse and bringing them into an unfavorable situation, they returned safely, and the ambush group Bloodfang sent had lost contact with them.

Even the spy they managed to finally pull to their side failed them too.

It was frustrating.

It was as if the heavens were on Kang Ye-Jun’s side.

While Bloodfang was in deep thought, a man entered the hall.

"Sir, I have something to report."

The man bowed and spoke.

"What is it, Byung-Chul? Did you find Tae-Hoon’s group?"

Bloodfang asked.

"My apologies, Sir. We located the ambush point in Tae-Hoon’s plan, but we had to retreat before we could investigate."

The messenger, Byung-Chul, reported the unfortunate news.

"What happened?"

Bloodfang asked with a frown. While he was quite a tyrant, he was not foolish. His men might be afraid of him, but they were still fearless towards other things. They would not easily retreat unless there was a strong reason why they had to.

"The ambush point is currently surrounded by a horde of [Infected]," Byung-Chul answered. "Our scouts estimated around a thousand of them wandering the area. All the routes to the entire northern area have been cut off by the horde."

The report made everyone in the hall stare at Byung-Chul with wide eyes.

An [Infected] horde at least a thousand strong would be more than enough of a threat even to Yeongdo Walled City, considering the current ratio of [Mutated Infected] compared to normal ones.

If Tae-Hoon’s group encountered such a force, their sudden disappearance made sense.

Bloodfang’s frown went deeper.

The report answered questions about the fate of Tae-Hoon’s group. But it created another question in Bloodfang’s mind.

"Kang Ye-Jun’s group returned safely," Bloodfang said. "How did they manage to get through if the routes were cut off?"

At that question, even the messenger had no answer.

As such, Bloodfang thought of something.

"Byung-Chul, send someone to the Central. See if Kang Ye-Jun sent someone to report the horde. If not, report it."

Bloodfang began giving orders. He might not be a good person, but he would not let the place he was governing get overrun by a horde of undead.

"Yes, Sir."

Byung-Chul immediately left after his response.

From there, silence enveloped the hall. No one wanted to disturb Bloodfang, who was currently in deep thought.

And what Bloodfang had in mind was the first part of his order.

Considering the threat of a horde that large, there was no way Kang Ye-Jun’s group would not report it. But if they did not, it either meant that their group did not encounter the horde, or they had something to do with it and were sure the horde would not end up going south.

And if the latter was the truth, it had to be investigated thoroughly and reported directly to the owners.

***

Day 382 - 12:15 AM - Northwest Section, Yeongdo Walled City, Yeongdo District, Busan

It was already past midnight, but the Northwest Section was still filled with activity.

After finally getting their stomachs full for the first time in a long while, the children were sent to sleep, while the adults focused on the cleanup and preparations for processing the meat brought home by the scavenging group.

Meat from evolved and mutated animals might have a longer shelf life, but leaving it unprocessed for too long would also make it easier for the processed product to spoil faster. They needed to process everything as fast as possible.

Fortunately, none of the workers were complaining about the work. They were just happy to finally get some food. The amount brought back would last them a while, especially if rationed properly.

At the central plaza, Mark could be seen sitting on the bench outside the shacks his group were using. Since it was already late, he sent everyone into the shacks to rest for the night while he stood guard outside.

Of course, the girls told him to take turns on guard duty so he could also rest, but he declined, saying he was not guarding against nearby threats, but further ones. And as the only one who could monitor a wide area, he could only be the one put on guard.

Fortunately, Mark did not have to be alone. On both sides, Miracle and Azra sat beside him. Unlike the others, sleep was not a necessity for these two. Well, Melfiss and Snow were the same, but the former preferred to stay beside Amisha while the latter was best left inside, away from prying eyes.

While Mark was playing with the two, he sensed a group of unfamiliar people enter his detection area. By the speed they were moving and their positioning, the group should be arriving by vehicle.

Mark did nothing. While he could sense that the people were not allies, they were not enemies either.

It did not take long, and the sound of a vehicle echoed as a Humvee drove into the central plaza, alarming the people of the Northwest Section.

But it seemed that Kang Ye-Jun and his entourage expected the arrival of these people since they appeared before the group inside the Humvee could even step outside their vehicle.

"Sir Park."

Kang Ye-Jun greeted the leader of the visitors after they alighted from their Humvee.

The leader, Park Sang-Hoon, looked like a stern man in his late forties. He had a slightly muscular build, although it was a bit hidden by the loose army-like uniform he was wearing. This man was the leader of the private army under the Shin family, one of the four owners of Yeongdo Walled City.

"Mr. Kang," Park Sang-Hoon also greeted in response. "We investigated the report you sent us. Thanks to you, we could set up defenses in case the horde begins moving south."

"I just did my duty. There’s no need for gratitude," Kang Ye-Jun said with a smile. "I just don’t want to lose our current home to the [Infected]."

"I see," Park Sang-Hoon nodded. "However, I would need to hear the full account of what happened."

And from there, Mark listened to the conversation between the two, where Kang Ye-Jun spun the whole mess to be the fault of the people who ambushed them, while also leaving out any detail of the involvement of Mark’s group in the process.

"So, that’s their plan, huh?" Mark smiled as he saw Kang Ye-Jun’s cunning side. "But it was a little late."

Mark looked at the visitors. The woman beside the man called Mr. Park was looking at him. It did not take long, and the woman whispered something to her leader.

Of course, Kang Ye-Jun also noticed that and could not help but frown as he turned to Mark.

Mark, however, responded with a slight shake of his head, telling Kang Ye-Jun it was fine.

All of a sudden, Park Sang-Hoon excused himself from his conversation with Kang Ye-Jun and made his strides, walking towards Mark.

Arriving in front of Mark, Park Sang-Hoon suddenly made a respectful bow, to the surprise of everyone, including his own members.

Even Kang Ye-Jun’s entourage stared wide-eyed at the scene.

"I’m Park Sang-Hoon, leader of the security under the Shin Family," Park Sang-Hoon introduced himself to Mark. "Sir, may I know your name?"

"It’s Mark," Mark replied while patting Miracle’s head as she sat on his lap, without looking at the man at all. "Just Mark, nothing else."

The nonchalant reply looked disrespectful, but Mark had barely any idea of Korean etiquette in the first place. Well, it was more like he did not care in this regard. After all, he was minding his own business, and it was these people who intruded on his leisure time.

"You!" Of course, not everyone would ignore the blatant disregard as one of Park Sang-Hoon’s men suddenly shouted. "How dare you disrespect Mr. Park!"

But before anyone else could add fuel to the spark, Park Sang-Hoon glared at his subordinates, shutting them up immediately.

"Lady Seolhee gave me a warning. It’s also the reason I came here personally," Park Sang-Hoon suddenly spoke in all seriousness. "A visitor with the same stature as Lady Seolhee arrived here in the Northwest Section. Do not provoke him at any cost unless we want the entire Yeongdo to be leveled to the ground. Those were Lady Seolhee’s words."

Park Sang-Hoon turned back to Mark, ignoring everyone’s shock.

"I would like to invite Sir Mark and his entourage to the Central Section to receive proper hospitality for their visit."

Those words further shook everyone.

The Central Section was where the Owners of Yeongdo Walled City lived. It was a strictly no-outsider zone, where only members of the Chaebol Families and their trusted subordinates could enter.

"Looks like I underestimated the [Frostbearer], huh?"

Mark suddenly said. While his words confused the others, Park Sang-Hoon and the woman beside him were shaken to their core.

Only a few people knew of the title recently given to Lady Seolhee. It was the title of [Frostbearer], given by one of the guardians of this world. The bestowal of the title was witnessed by the top members of the Chaebol families, along with their trusted subordinates.

Park Sang-Hoon and his daughter and assistant, Park Yeon-A, were among the lucky ones to witness it.

But for the visitor to know about it, it only meant one thing.

"Yeah, I’m one of them," Mark suddenly said as if he knew what the two were thinking. "I’m given the title [Chaosbringer]. So not provoking me is quite the good call."

Park Sang-Hoon and Park Yeon-A were now sweating bullets. The titles given were not random. It was a representation of the person’s abilities and personality. Lady Seolhee, the [Frostbearer], had a cold but graceful personality while bearing the power of [Absolute Frost].

Then, if the person before them had such a title as [Chaosbringer], it was not hard to imagine what it implied.

Still, Park Sang-Hoon had his mission.

"Sir Mark, about the invitation..."

"Sorry, but I’ll decline." Mark smiled, now feeling fond of the two before him. "It would be one thing if the invitation came from the [Frostbearer], but it’s not, right? I’m not really fond of becoming someone’s spectacle, especially when they’re looking down on us."

Mark’s eyes fell on the noisy soldier earlier before turning away, finally looking at Park Sang-Hoon.

"This place feels better despite the lack of that so-called hospitality. Besides, we all have other important things to do. The next event is about to come, after all. You guys have been preparing, right?"

Park Sang-Hoon nodded slightly, knowing what Mark was talking about.

"I’ve been feeling a bit annoyed because of some fat bastard looking at my family with his indecent eyes earlier," Mark suddenly said, giving a hint to Park Sang-Hoon, who immediately realized who it was. "But I’m feeling a little better because of your actions. Tell the [Frostbearer] that she can concentrate on blocking the danger coming from the sea. I’ll deal with the ones coming from the land."

Those words made the father and daughter pair look at Mark in surprise. But the surprise immediately turned into gratitude.

After all, Mark’s words had just guaranteed another layer of safety to the Yeongdo Walled City in the incoming catastrophe.