Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 43
43. Location Exposed (1)
‘I can’t see much from here.’
The house sat deep in the alley, making it impossible to gauge the situation outside.
Still, after Lee Gang-hyeok did his best to survey the alley, his brow furrowed involuntarily.
The people who’d entered the alley seemed to have discovered something, pointing upward and rushing in that direction—directly toward where his hideout was located.
Had they spotted Seo Hwa-rin on the roof? Was that why they were pointing up?
He couldn’t be sure.
They might have found something else entirely instead of her.
Perhaps the coded signals or contact methods used by the group Yim Jae-beom belonged to, or else a large stockpile of provisions.
‘Please.’
Please let the hideout not be exposed…….
Lee Gang-hyeok went outside with that prayer on his lips.
Looking through the window limited his field of vision too much to determine their actual destination.
So he slipped outside and crouched behind the railing, watching their movements from hiding.
The moment he confirmed they were heading toward a different building nearby rather than his hideout, he let out a sigh of relief.
The people he’d heard talking in the alley earlier must have been pointing upward to find the highest building in the vicinity as an assembly point, not because they’d spotted Seo Hwa-rin on the roof.
‘Let’s go.’
Now was the opportunity. If he circled toward Dobong Mountain while they were all gathered in one place, he could return to the hideout.
Just as he was about to flee before they spotted him—
‘What is that?’
Lee Gang-hyeok tilted his head in confusion upon spotting a mark drawn on the roof of the building where they’d assembled.
Lightning bolts with “ICE” written above them—a mark he’d never seen before, which puzzled him until he realized it represented the Attributes of Electric and Yim Jae-beom, and suddenly understood this was how those he’d been searching for communicated.
They were assembling at a building with a mark drawn on it?
Which meant…….
‘Those guys down there must belong to the same organization as him.’
They’d drawn marks on the most conspicuous buildings nearby and were sharing information among themselves at those locations.
‘The lightning bolt was probably left when Electric was still alive, and the ICE was left by Yim Jae-beom as a rendezvous signal. Then when Electric didn’t show up, they had to search for another high building, and it just happened to roll all the way to my location.’
The moment he saw the mark, Lee Gang-hyeok understood how Yim Jae-beom had found him, and he exhaled sharply in exasperation.
At the same time…….
People gathered below buildings, following the same pattern as Yim Jae-beom, would likely end up converging on his hideout the same way.
If they were individuals like Electric or Yim Jae-beom, that would be manageable.
But if dozens came rushing in, there’d be no way to stop them.
Of course…….
It wasn’t as if there was no way to stop them at all.
There was one option.
Alert the Jungrang-gu Union.
The downside was his location would be exposed to them as well, but compared to dealing with an unknown group, asking the Union for help was far better.
Or else relocate somewhere else entirely.
‘Let me return first.’
Worrying alone would only waste time.
Lee Gang-hyeok decided it was better to return to the hideout first, hear what Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin had to say, and then decide. He headed toward Dobong Mountain.
But his pace was terribly slow.
It was because of Yim Jae-beom, now a Zombie.
During the journey, the wounds Lee Gang-hyeok had inflicted on him seemed to have reopened; even under the effect of the Command Domain, Yim Jae-beom moved far more slowly than the other Zombies.
On the way there, Lee Gang-hyeok had moved slowly while carefully observing his surroundings and hadn’t noticed anything.
In fact, he hadn’t even been aware of it at all. Had he known, he would have left Yim Jae-beom at the hideout and brought only the intact ones.
“Grrrhhh…….”
Shuffle-shuffle.
Through the Command Domain, Yim Jae-beom felt Lee Gang-hyeok’s will and moved his legs with all his might, but it was still slow.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
In a situation where he needed to return to the hideout as quickly as possible, watching Yim Jae-beom’s sluggish gait made him want to scream in frustration.
And on top of that, if it was like this in the alley, what about the mountain path?
‘This won’t work at this rate…….’
Continuing at this speed felt like they’d be discovered.
But he couldn’t very well abandon Yim Jae-beom, his Water Attribute Zombie with special properties.
‘Maybe I should carry him.’
If he carried Yim Jae-beom on his back, they could move faster than this.
But the problem was…….
‘The Zombies don’t have the strength to carry him…… Damn, am I really the one who has to carry him?’
The Zombies lacked the physical strength to carry Yim Jae-beom.
The thought that he’d have to do it himself made Lee Gang-hyeok’s face harden.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve held back…….’
Seeing the body riddled with holes, Lee Gang-hyeok felt a pang of regret, sighed, and entered an abandoned house.
He needed to find new clothes and a Raincoat for Yim Jae-beom before carrying him.
Fortunately, Lee Gang-hyeok was lucky enough to find clothes and a Raincoat in the first house he checked, and he was about to congratulate himself when he saw Yim Jae-beom standing there blankly and shook his head.
He’d realized Zombies didn’t have the intelligence to dress themselves.
“Ugh, how did I end up like this…… Raise your arms, you bastard.”
“Grrrhhh…….”
He then dressed the compliant Yim Jae-beom in leather clothes and a Raincoat to prevent the smell of blood from leaking out.
‘This should do.’
He had to avoid not only the people gathered at the building with the mark, but also any Zombies that might be drawn by the scent of blood.
Normally, he would’ve simply killed the Zombies while passing through.
But if the sound of fighting reached them, he could end up surrounded, so he had to be careful.
After wrapping Yim Jae-beom up thoroughly in clothes, Lee Gang-hyeok stationed the other Zombies on standby and climbed to the roof to survey the route.
‘They’re not moving. Are they exchanging information?’
Fortunately, the people gathered at the building with the mark remained stationary.
Did that mean they had a lot of information to exchange among themselves?
Or were they waiting for Yim Jae-beom to arrive?
‘Whatever it is, the sun’s about to set, so they’re probably planning to stay there.’
Lee Gang-hyeok, thinking it was fortunate, descended from the roof and set out toward Dobong Mountain with Yim Jae-beom on his back and the Zombies in tow.
* * *
“Did you confirm it?”
At Park Mu-jin’s question, Kim Se-jin, who had just descended from the roof where he’d checked the mark, nodded.
“It’s the mark used by the Raiders of Chungmuro.”
At Kim Se-jin’s words—he who’d belonged to the Chungmuro Alliance before joining the Jungrang-gu Union—Park Mu-jin’s brow furrowed.
“Can you identify whose it is?”
“Yes. The lightning bolt mark belongs to someone named Lee Jae-hyeok, an Awakener with the Electric Attribute. And the ICE belongs to Yim Jae-beom. It seems they were trying to meet here. It’s possible they already made their rendezvous and moved to another area.”
Raiders trying to rendezvous here?
‘Lee Gang-hyeok—was he not being scouted, but rather targeted for raiding?’
It made sense, certainly.
Given the supplies Lee Gang-hyeok possessed, it was natural he’d be a target for Raiders.
In a way, weren’t they themselves trying to secure supplies by winning him over?
‘I hope we’re not too late.’
Park Mu-jin’s mind grew complicated. He hoped the Raiders hadn’t found Lee Gang-hyeok and asked Kim Se-jin about the markers.
“Hmm, is there a way to verify that?”
“Before moving to another location, they’re supposed to leave a mark on the lowest building nearby, centered on the building with the symbol. I’ve already confirmed the approximate location while up there.”
“If they did move to another area…….”
“Then both their marks would be left there, which would mean their business here is complete.”
“We’d better hope there’s no mark. Take the lead.”
“Yes!”
Park Mu-jin desperately hoped the Raiders hadn’t found Lee Gang-hyeok.
Just as Park Mu-jin was about to move out, a man standing guard approached him.
“Commander!”
“What is it?”
“An unknown group has just entered Dobong Mountain. Should we pursue immediately?”
“Dobong Mountain?”
At the sudden report, Park Mu-jin looked toward Kim Se-jin.
He was asking silently whether the unknown group might be Raiders from the Chungmuro Alliance.
Understanding the meaning in his gaze, Kim Se-jin shook his head decisively.
“They’re not from Chungmuro if they’re a group. It seems there’s another unidentified organization in this area.”
“……I see.”
The moment he heard those words, Park Mu-jin had a feeling the unknown group was somehow related to Lee Gang-hyeok.
Of course…….
He had no concrete evidence to support this.
It was just an instinct that had surfaced in his mind.
To verify it, he’d need to apprehend them.
“Sang-ho!”
“Yes!”
“Take Team 3 and check whether there’s a mark on that building. If there is one, don’t join us—search the surrounding area instead. Eliminate any Raider you find. The rest of you come with me to Dobong Mountain. Move quickly before we lose them!”
“Yes!”
Having given his orders, Park Mu-jin led his men and quickly rushed toward Dobong Mountain.
* * *
[The people who were nearby have disappeared. Be careful. I’ll search right away!]
As Lee Gang-hyeok climbed the mountain with Yim Jae-beom on his back, he read the note Seo Hwa-rin had sent, and an inexplicable unease made him furrow his brow as he hurried forward.
‘Should I have just rested inside instead?’
With a Zombie on his back and having to avoid people he didn’t even know, climbing the mountain made him regret coming outside without rest.
But that feeling didn’t last long…….
‘No, that’s not it. I was able to spot them because I came outside.’
Lee Gang-hyeok shook off the weakness that regret had planted in his mind.
After all, he’d been able to discover them precisely because he’d come outside without resting.
If he’d stayed inside and continued resting, he wouldn’t have even known they were in the area.
He might have lost his life without ever realizing it.
‘Anyway, I need to get back quickly.’
His body was exhausted and fatigued, but he could rest once he was back.
Besides, his stamina and mana were both sufficient thanks to his recent level increase.
Just as he thought this would be enough to cross the mountain and return—
[Those people just entered Dobong Mountain! Gang-hyeok, where are you right now? You have to get off the mountain immediately!]
“!!”
The moment he read Seo Hwa-rin’s note, Lee Gang-hyeok’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
Why would the people gathered at the building with the mark suddenly come to Dobong Mountain?
‘Was I spotted?’
There was no reason for them to come here.
But if they were coming this way regardless, it meant they’d discovered him and were chasing him.
‘It’s dangerous to climb while carrying him. I’ll do as Hwa-rin says and descend…….’
The moment he thought about descending and hiding in an abandoned house until things calmed down, figures with bows appeared ahead of him.
“Stop! Don’t move any further. If you do, we’ll consider you hostile and attack.”
“…….”
As soon as Lee Gang-hyeok saw them, he assessed their weaponry to gauge whether victory was possible, but hearing sounds from behind him as well, he decided to cooperate. He set Yim Jae-beom down and raised both hands.
If only those in front of him were present, it might be different, but with reinforcements coming from behind, he was at a severe disadvantage.
So he chose to cooperate as much as possible.
If they had any sense, they wouldn’t try to kill him here and would instead try to learn the location of his hideout where he’d stockpiled supplies. He could appear to comply and escape the moment an opportunity arose.
That way, his chances of survival were highest.
Though he chose to cooperate, he remained cautious. The woman at the center, seeing this, reassured him and revealed her affiliation.
“We’re from Jungrang-gu. We have a few questions to ask you, so please wait a moment.”
At the mention of being from Jungrang-gu, Lee Gang-hyeok involuntarily glanced at Yim Jae-beom beside him.
‘Jungrang-gu? Then they weren’t his comrades?’
He’d assumed they were Yim Jae-beom’s allies because they were gathering at a building with a mark, but it seemed he’d been mistaken.
He felt relieved.
If they were the Jungrang-gu Union, they wouldn’t harm him.
But the moment he thought that, he suddenly realized she’d only said they were from Jungrang-gu, without actually mentioning the Union, and he questioned her suspiciously.
“The Jungrang-gu Union?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Jung A-ram, of the Jungrang-gu Union and affiliated with the Myeonmok-dong Shelter.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“In this situation, I’d have no reason to deceive you, would I? We don’t intend to harm you. We simply need you to answer a few questions.”
“……Go ahead.”
Asking more would only make her irritated, and if that happened, he’d be at a disadvantage. Rather than press further, he nodded, and Jung A-ram answered with some embarrassment.
“Ah! That’s not really my place to say…… The Vanguard Strike Team Commander from my organization will be coming, and you can answer when they arrive. I’d appreciate your cooperation then.”
The Vanguard Strike Team?
‘It must be because of what I said on the community forum.’
Hearing Jung A-ram speak, Lee Gang-hyeok began to understand why they were here.
His location must have been exposed because of the Jungrang-gu Union, and they’d sent people here to honor his request for protection.
How they’d come to find him here.
Why they’d been at the building with the mark.
As they had questions for him, he too had questions for the Vanguard Strike Team Commander. He nodded, deciding to ask when they arrived.
“Understood. Then let’s wait a moment.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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