---

It’s been a long time since I last visited the Survivor Zone.

Park Yang-gun looked around the Survivor Zone again. Even before entering, it had changed so much he barely recognized it. A sense of life seemed to flow through it.

The alleys and roads were heavily barricaded, and the only way through was the entrance. Beyond the entrance, people from the Alliance were hanging cloth with letters written on their shoulders or arms.

‘Friend-or-Foe identification bands?’

It’s a tool used by the military to distinguish friend from foe. Seems like they prepared countermeasures after being tricked by Kim Da-in once.

Park Yang-gun’s eyes sank as he glanced around.

There’s no gap to sneak in. The only passage is the entrance guarded by police armed with shotguns.

‘I only have two bullets left in my handgun…’

After a brief moment of contemplation, Park Yang-gun sighed and walked straight to the entrance, ignoring the line of people waiting to enter.

People waiting in line to trade in the Survivor Zone frowned and raised their voices.

“Hey, old man! Aren’t you going to line up?”

“Line up?”

Park Yang-gun turned around, pulled out his handgun, and fired into the air. As the police at the entrance aimed their shotguns at him, Park Yang-gun calmly spoke.

“Weren’t you looking for me?”

“…Park Yang-gun? The one under Kim Da-in?”

The police panicked and rang the alarm bells.

“Don’t be fooled! He wouldn’t come alone! It’s a diversion!”

“Emergency! Emergency! Prepare for fire, raids, virus attacks! Be cautious of those already inside!”

Park Yang-gun looked at them in disbelief. How deep must Kim Da-in’s shadow be for them to react like this to someone coming alone?

The survivors in line quickly fled, and the police were busy sounding the alarm.

After a moment of hesitation, Park Yang-gun raised both hands.

“I came alone. You said you captured my family.”

“Do you think I’d believe that?”

“…”

Park Yang-gun was at a loss for words. Even if he spoke honestly, it wouldn’t get through. It was frustrating to the point of death. Why did they spread such rumors in the first place?

Finally, after a drone circled the area and the police went into full combat mode, the conversation began.

The Police Officer Leader, with a shotgun slung over his shoulder, approached and stopped a few steps away.

“Did you really come alone?”

“Of course, I came alone.”

“What makes you so confident?”

His eyes were filled with hostility. The desire to kill him immediately was evident.

Park Yang-gun smiled. They used me as bait, so I can use bait too. Bait they can’t resist.

“Kim Da-in. You brought me here because you want information about him, right? You want to know where he is and what he’s doing?”

Click. He aimed his handgun at his own head.

“Let’s make a deal. Show me my family first, and I’ll tell you honestly. If not, I’ll die here. You’ll never know Kim Da-in’s intentions.”

The Police Officer Leader glared at Park Yang-gun, gritting his teeth. The sound of grinding teeth could be heard through his mask. His voice was a mix of malice and a hint of respect.

“Crazy bastards. Aren’t you afraid of death? How can you all use your lives as tools?”

In the end, the police prioritize the lives of their comrades. Their goal is to survive together. Since survival is the goal, they can’t throw their lives away.

Park Yang-gun smirked.

“If I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t have come here.”

The two exchanged glances for a moment, and finally, the Police Officer Leader roughly kicked the snow piled on the ground and turned away.

“Damn it. Can’t even disarm him. Follow me. Rider Zero, that woman, is waiting.”

***

As Park Yang-gun walked, he observed the Survivor Zone and noticed it had declined significantly. The number of people had decreased, and traces of electricity were hard to find.

Glancing at the rooftop, the solar panels that should have been shining in the sunlight were buried under snow.

“Has the population decreased? Seems like they can’t even use the solar generators.”

“The people!”

The Police Officer Leader suddenly turned and pressed the barrel of his shotgun against Park Yang-gun’s forehead.

The cold barrel pressed firmly against his forehead, and the Police Officer Leader’s hate-filled eyes glared at him.

“It’s because of Kim Da-in, that bastard.”

Park Yang-gun calmly met his gaze. If he’s already given up on life, what is there to fear? Even if he’s scared, he can’t show it.

‘Is it because of the arson attacks and the Pillage Manual?’

The arson attacks caused them to face a zombie wave head-on. Many must have died then. Also, with the spread of the Pillage Manual, police patrolling outside became targets.

Killing one police officer could get you a complete set of equipment, and Kim Da-in even taught efficient hunting methods.

Park Yang-gun voiced a sudden thought.

“If it were Kim Da-in, he’d probably say, ‘You should be thankful I reduced your food consumption.'”

The Police Officer Leader gritted his teeth and turned away.

They stopped in front of a building, and the Police Officer Leader spoke.

“Wait inside. …I don’t want to see that woman, so go in yourself.”

Park Yang-gun entered the room without knocking.

It was a small office-like room, unheated and chilly.

Rider Zero, sitting at the desk with her back to the window, her face shadowed, put down the Pillage Manual she was holding and looked up.

“This really works.”

She looked at Park Yang-gun with dark, sunken eyes.

***

“Where’s my family?”

Park Yang-gun looked around. In the small room, there was only Rider Zero at the desk and a young Rider sitting on the sofa.

As if she didn’t hear him, Rider Zero stroked the documents and muttered.

“If you want to set bait, you need bait that the target can’t ignore, like fire in front of their house.”

“…Where’s my wife and daughter?”

Finally looking directly at Park Yang-gun, Rider Zero glanced at the handgun in his hand and smiled darkly.

“A handgun? The Police Officer Leader still wants me dead, huh. He left you armed. Maybe he wants you to kill me.”

“Last question. Where’s my family?”

Park Yang-gun’s voice sank. In contrast, Rider Zero’s voice carried a light laugh.

“Who knows? It’s just bait. Does the truth matter? You’ve already fallen for it.”

“It matters. If you don’t show me, I won’t tell you about Kim Da-in. That’s why you wanted me here, right?”

“Nope.”

Rider Zero laughed softly.

“I don’t care about someone who’s probably already turned into a zombie. That rumor about the Zombie Lord returning is just propaganda for fools. My interest is…”

She waved the Pillage Manual.

“Uprooting what that man left behind. Killing you, Kim Da-in’s lieutenant.”

At that moment, Park Yang-gun realized.

‘My family isn’t here.’

No, they might not even be in this world. They might be dead. The Alliance probably looked for them to use as bait but couldn’t find them.

Should he escape then? He glanced at the window behind Rider Zero but gave up on escaping.

‘The Alliance couldn’t find them. Maybe they escaped the city. Maybe they’re hiding somewhere in this city, still alive.’

If he stays alive, he becomes the Alliance’s target. They can use him as bait. So, for the sake of his family, who might still be alive, he has to die here to stop the Alliance from chasing them.

But hiding his thoughts, Park Yang-gun smiled brightly.

“Then I have no information to give you. As I said at the entrance, I’ll die here.”

“That won’t do.”

As Park Yang-gun aimed the handgun at his own head, Rider Zero chuckled.

“You can’t die like that. Kid, do as you please.”

“Yes. Haha. Finally. Finally.”

The young Rider stood up, pulling out a knife. A student-like Rider with a face too young for such malice approached. Park Yang-gun’s hand froze.

“Those students?”

“Right. The friends, siblings, and teachers you killed.”

The uniformed students from the market street. Park Yang-gun almost opened his mouth to say he didn’t kill them, that he only guarded the perimeter.

But he quickly shut his mouth. It was meaningless.

As Park Yang-gun hesitated, the avenger from the market street stabbed him in the stomach. Park Yang-gun blinked and aimed the handgun.

“The police vest stopped it. Now, you’re a hostage. Make a wrong move, and I’ll shoot.”

“Die.”

The short stature allowed the knife to slip through the loose vest and into his stomach, churning his insides. The cold blade, frozen by winter’s chill, spread icy pain, followed by searing heat.

Blood dripped. The avenger laughed maniacally, stabbing repeatedly. Park Yang-gun frowned and aimed the handgun at the young student’s forehead.

“Brat’s got no manners.”

Bang. The avenger fell back with a hole in his forehead. Clang, the knife fell into the pool of blood.

Park Yang-gun also collapsed, sitting down. Looking up at Rider Zero, he saw her aiming her handgun at him.

Park Yang-gun forced a laugh.

“Was this kid bait too? Were you planning to shoot me while I was distracted by him?”

“Who knows.”

The room was soaked in blood. Rider Zero’s eyes reflected the crimson light.

Park Yang-gun laughed hollowly, then thought of Kim Da-in’s face. Strangely, he felt he understood the infected Kim Da-in’s motives.

Doubt, distrust, chaos, fear.

‘Kim Da-in probably died alone in a place no one can find.’

Thus, the unfindable man became a legend in people’s hearts. They would doubt his death and fear his return.

In that case, there’s no harm in saying a few more words.

Park Yang-gun coughed up blood and laughed.

“Kim Da-in will return. Leading a horde of zombies, armed with weapons to kill, driven only by malice.”

Rider Zero smiled lightly.

“I hope he does. I’ll kill him myself.”

If he really returns, this time she won’t be fooled like before. Watching Rider Zero’s murderous resolve, Park Yang-gun closed his eyes and lay down.

“It’s cold.”

The cold chill and searing pain mixed, but as his consciousness faded, only the cold remained. Memories flashed in the darkening vision, and the memory of the family he sought replayed.

The time he got married, the birth of his daughter. A sudden warmth seemed to envelop him, and Park Yang-gun smiled as he embraced death.

***

The Police Officer Leader leaned against the corridor wall, eyes closed. He had heard the conversation inside. He frowned deeply and sighed.

“That woman…”

He never liked her from the start. A young woman with delusions out of touch with reality, doing foolish things.

But perhaps that’s why she could rally people.

Because she moved among people, because she kept her humanity and ran towards her goals, the scattered organizations might have united.

‘Maybe I was wrong, and she was right.’

The Police Officer Leader looked at his hand.

He struggled just to take care of his police comrades. He killed citizens to survive, killed enemies threatening the police, and looted to feed them.

He was too busy fighting the harsh reality.

But she was different. She dreamed of a bigger, better future and worked towards it. That’s why she conceived and proposed the Alliance, which actually came to be.

He thought she was a romantic fool out of touch with reality, but reality was different.

The Alliance helped everyone survive. Doctors, electricians, firefighters, scavengers, riders—everyone pooled their strength and lived better than alone.

But now…

Bang. A gunshot echoed. The brief conversation about whether the kid was bait.

“Sigh…”

The Police Officer Leader sighed heavily and stepped away from the wall. He disliked the woman even more now that she had changed.

“We’ll survive the winter.”

With her, who held the Alliance’s atmosphere and center, changed like him, this winter would be easier to endure. Numerous problems, vicious pillagers, arsonist zombies, severed power supplies—they could handle these.

The Police Officer Leader muttered.

“But can we welcome spring with joy?”

He took a step away. He had heard Park Yang-gun’s last words. The nonsense about Kim Da-in returning. The Police Officer Leader muttered darkly.

“Kim Da-in won’t return. He’s already in people’s hearts.”

He ruined the world, hope, and Rider Zero, casting a deep shadow.

 

---