Surviving the Apocalypse as an All-Time Best Overpowered Necromancer - Chapter 59

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

Episode 59
59. Hearts Connected by Rail (1)
“…….”
Even Lee Gang-hyuk, who had believed the Screen Door would keep them safe, found himself frozen in his tracks at the sight of the zombies.
There were far too many.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected such numbers.
“This isn’t even a Transfer Station, so why…….”
Was it because Lee Gang-hyuk had mentioned the Transfer Station moments earlier?
Seo Hwa-rin stared at him with a startled expression, murmuring under her breath.
Her eyes seemed to ask whether he knew the reason for so many zombies here.
Perhaps because he was a resident of this area, she expected him to know.
Lee Gang-hyuk shook his head before offering a theory that had crossed his mind.
“I’m not entirely certain. It’s possible they chased people like us who were trying to use the railway, lost them, and ended up trapped here.”
“You mean there could be a Mutant Zombie among them?”
“If anyone was caught while fleeing from them……. We should hope they managed to escape.”
“…….”
At his uncertain words, the two fell silent and gazed into the station platform.
Could there be one?
If there was a Mutant Zombie in there, the Screen Door breaking would only be a matter of time.
“We have no choice. Let’s proceed on foot from here. There are too many risk factors to simply pass through that.”
“That would be better, honestly.”
“Understood!”
At his words, the two nodded as if remembering the survival rules Lee Gang-hyuk had given them, and gathered their backpacks.
If they hesitated here, they might draw the attention of the zombies on the platform, making things worse.
The three moved back a bit, then divided up the bags and left the railway.
“If we’re going to use the railway, we’ll need to clean out the station eventually.”
Using the railway as it was now would be too dangerous.
If they left it as is, when the Chungmuro Alliance attacked, the Jungnang-gu Alliance coming to help them could run into problems.
The reverse was also true—if they themselves had to flee using the railway, the same risk existed. Of course, keeping it untouched as a contingency in case they fell out with the Jungnang-gu Alliance had merit too.
But since they maintained good relations for now, he decided to plan around clearing the zombies inside Banghak Station.
“Much cleaner this way. Let’s move right away.”
“Looks good.”
Unlike the platform teeming with zombies, the area around Banghak Station had very few of them.
It seemed someone had deliberately herded the surrounding zombies inside the station.
Was there a survivor nearby?
Or had the Jungnang-gu Alliance driven them in?
Whatever the reason, with no zombies around, their return became much easier.
“Corpse Control!”
Lee Gang-hyuk then tamed the zombies around them to make up the numbers, handed over the bags, and hurried on.
“Let’s move quickly.”
“Yes!”
In any case, they just needed to reach Dobong Station.
From Dobong Station to the Hideout.
Because they knew a path without zombies.
And so…….
Just as the three were about to move toward Dobong Station.
“Uwooooooo! Uwooo!”
A howling sound echoed from Banghak Station.
It resembled a wolf’s cry, yet something felt distinctly different.
The moment the three heard it, they realized a Mutant Zombie was present and furrowed their brows.
“……There’s a Mutant Zombie.”
“I’ve never heard of a zombie that makes a sound like that. Could this be another one not on our list?”
“That seems likely. Mutant forms aren’t fixed……. In any case, let’s get out of here fast.”
“Right!”
The fact that the creature, which had blended in among the zombies, suddenly let out such a cry suggested it had sensed their presence.
So before it could emerge outside, the three ran desperately toward the direction of Dobong Station.
Moments later…….
Having reached Dobong Station, the three caught their breath and looked back.
Fortunately, no pursuing zombies followed them.
“Hmm, I think we need to reconsider connecting the railway with the Jungnang-gu Alliance.”
Lee Gang-hyuk, who had resolved to use the railway, withdrew the plan.
If there had been only ordinary zombies, perhaps. But now that they knew an unknown Mutant Zombie existed inside——
They didn’t need to take the initiative.
“You’re right. There’s no need for us to bear the risk just to connect the railway.”
As Seo Hwa-rin nodded in agreement, Seo A-rin stroked her chin and spoke.
“How about we slip some information to the Alliance? That there’s an unknown Mutant Zombie at Banghak Station, so they should be careful if they come to investigate.”
“Not a bad idea, but let’s wait. They should be in touch soon. We should hear how they frame it first, then decide whether to leak the information or not. Either way, losing the Mutant Zombie’s corpse would be a loss for us.”
Directly clearing out the Banghak Station den with its unknown Mutant Zombie was a burden, but asking the Alliance to do it was also costly.
And they couldn’t exactly demand the Mutant Zombie’s corpse in exchange.
When he said he’d hold off for now, both showed absolute trust in his judgment.
“Understood. We’ll leave it entirely to your call. You’re the leader, after all.”
“Me too! When it comes to this, we follow the leader’s judgment!”
At their words, Lee Gang-hyuk smiled in return, then made his way to the Hideout, making maximum use of alleys where zombies didn’t roam.
* * *
Back at the Hideout, the three organized the food they’d secured and decided to return to their respective rooms for rest.
Not only had they fought the Bulldozer the previous day and stayed up late crafting bags, but they’d been moving under constant tension from dawn until their return, pushing their physical fatigue to its limit.
Just as they were about to head to their rooms——
Lee Gang-hyuk’s gaze naturally drifted upward.
“What is it?”
“We obtained food, so I thought we might share some. After all, it wasn’t a trap, and they didn’t deceive us…….”
He seemed to reach his conclusion mid-sentence and continued with a shrug.
“It’s not my place to say this as someone keeping them confined, but offering compensation before discontent builds doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“As you wish, leader.”
At those words, Seo Hwa-rin smiled gently.
And at the same time…….
Lee Gang-hyuk looked at Seo A-rin and spoke.
“Would it be alright to ask your help with that? I think it’s good if that person feels there’s at least someone willing to give something for their sake.”
“Me? Um……. Understood. I’ll go and come back. Everyone rest!”
Caught off guard by the request, Seo A-rin hesitated briefly, then nodded and headed upstairs with the food.
Seo Hwa-rin followed up with a question.
“Hmm. Good cop, bad cop strategy?”
“Yes. Well……. Something like that.”
He didn’t deny her assessment outright.
It was a technique used in criminal interrogations, after all.
In a confined situation, discontent might lead someone to attempt escape. But if one person sided with him, perhaps they’d think twice and remain compliant.
That’s why he’d asked Seo A-rin.
“Well, she’s always been favorable toward A-rin anyway, so it should work out nicely.”
“Let’s hope it does. In any case, you both worked hard today.”
“So did you. Get plenty of rest tonight!”
“I will.”
With that, Lee Gang-hyuk led the zombies to his room.
But once he arrived, the exhaustion vanished and his body felt surprisingly light.
His stamina had recovered in the meantime.
Was that why——
Sleep felt a bit unsatisfying as it stood.
“Hmm.”
He considered streaming for a moment, but when he remembered how Im Jae-beom had found him by watching the broadcast, he decided against it. No point in needlessly provoking the Chungmuro Alliance.
‘No, I should drop streaming altogether. It’s not profitable anymore like it used to be……. Besides, I’m not lonely like I was back then, am I?’
Before Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin joined him, he couldn’t stop streaming because of his loneliness.
He lacked the courage to meet people in person, but he hated being alone either. Back then, it was the best he could do.
But things were different now.
Ever since the two joined him, he never felt lonely anymore.
Especially since the broadcast exposed his location and led to an actual attack, his affection for the people who’d soothed his loneliness had cooled. The reason to stream had simply vanished.
“Focus on reality. After all, I have people I need to take responsibility for now.”
Lee Gang-hyuk, who had completely let go of streaming, clenched his fist and resolved himself.
Survival.
From the day the Disaster struck until now.
Just as he had struggled to stay alive.
He would continue to struggle forward to keep living.
For the sake of his team.
“So let’s craft some items for the team?”
Sleep wouldn’t come anyway.
Having decided to craft equipment for Seo Hwa-rin and Seo A-rin, Lee Gang-hyuk descended to the level where zombie corpses were piled up.
Of course…….
He already had existing gear he’d made, but as his craftsmanship had improved in the meantime, there was bound to be a difference in performance.
“Hm? A note?”
Just as he left to start crafting, a notification of an incoming note appeared.
Checking it, it was from Park Mu-jin.
[I’m not sure if you arrived safely.]
Judging from his inquiry about whether they’d reached the Hideout safely, it seemed he finally had some breathing room.
‘Well, it’s an area with many apartment complexes……. He must have had a hard time managing the situation.’
The explosion wasn’t his fault, but he had some share in it, so with a sigh and a shake of his head, he quickly wrote his reply.

[I see. Since you’ve brought it up first, I’ll say this—we’ve decided to put the Den clearing on hold for now.]
The Den clearing had been put on hold.
Realizing the situation wasn’t fully resolved yet, Lee Gang-hyuk asked to confirm.

[Yes. We won’t be able to move until this situation is resolved. The Chungmuro Alliance might attack when we’re vulnerable, so please take every precaution. We’ll look for ways to help as well.]
Even though they must be swamped with the zombies that had swarmed in.
He appreciated their concern about a potential Chungmuro Alliance attack.
On the other hand, Park Mu-jin’s warning made him think the attack might actually happen.

The reply came within three seconds of proposing the railway route, excluding the Banghak Station complication.
[The railway, indeed a good suggestion. I’ll consult with the Alliance Leader on this and get back to you.]
He’d thought a decision would come immediately, but instead he was asked to wait.
‘Suddenly?’
Seeming to back off as if he had no authority, Lee Gang-hyuk tilted his head in confusion, then nodded as understanding dawned on him.
‘So he’s been acting under the Alliance Leader’s orders all this time.’
The Park Mu-jin he knew would never back off like that.
The fact that he didn’t make an immediate decision upon hearing the proposal but retreated instead——
It meant all his actions so far had been following the Alliance Leader’s directives.
‘Well, it’s only natural that those in a group must follow orders from above.’
It was inevitable to maintain a group.
Lee Gang-hyuk decided to wait for Park Mu-jin’s next note and began crafting items for his team.

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