Zombie Apocalypse Whiteout - 24
EP24 Negotiation (2)
- Kzzzt! I’ve got visual. I see five of them moving in.
Jin-woo’s voice came through the receiver just as Yu-bin and his group reached the negotiation table on the third floor. Yu-bin gave a nod.
“Yeah, I see them too. If anything goes down, don’t shoot until I give the signal.”
If a high-ranking army officer died while trying to acquire immune blood, all future deals with the military brass would be dead in the water. Not only would they lose access to the army’s supply of live ammunition and fuel for Chungju, but Lieutenant Kang, currently undercover in Busan, would likely be killed as well.
- Got it. Kzzzt! Just make sure you ID the leader for me. Worst-case scenario, kzzzt! I’ll make sure that one survives. Kzzzt!
Jin-woo replied.
“Will do. Thanks.”
Yu-bin gave a short reply to the man holding their lifeline, then cut the transmission. The five soldiers had already reached the pontoon bridge. From this point on, he had to give the negotiation his full attention.
“There’s a woman?”
The sheriff murmured in surprise. Just as he said, among the five soldiers was a female officer wearing a skirted dress uniform. It was an unusual sight, they hadn’t seen that before.
“Well, there are plenty of female officers. Sheriff, get into position.”
Yu-bin responded distractedly and motioned for the sheriff to fall back. If the soldiers noticed a hulking figure like the sheriff looming nearby, they might overreact.
“We’re coming up! We’re unarmed!”
The lead soldier shouted from below the stairs. Yu-bin leaned over the railing and replied.
“Don’t worry, come on up. Your safety is guaranteed.”
Thud, thud.
Boots echoed on the stairs, and a moment later, the group, including whoever was supposed to be "General Park" or "General Gwak", appeared at the third-floor entrance.
“Welcome, General. Please, take a seat. You know the drill, right? Both hands on the table.”
Yu-bin pointed to the chair across from him at the bulletproof negotiation table.
“Hmph…”
The group glanced briefly at the sheriff and Min-gu, then sat down, frowning slightly. Seemed like they’d decided the opposition wasn’t too threatening.
Ahem, ahem!
The man seated in the center theatrically removed his jacket and puffed out his chest, revealing a name embroidered on his uniform.
'So it is Lieutenant General Park...'
Yu-bin’s eyes flicked toward the name: Park Du-man. He brushed the corner of his mouth, deep in thought. He needed to pick out the real one and signal Jin-woo, but there was still no way to be sure who the real General Park was. In both of their previous negotiations, the military had sent decoys. This man wearing the Park Du-man name tag was probably another fake.
“Things are pretty quiet around here, no zombies in sight. You said you had immune blood?”
The man with the Park Du-man name tag looked around and asked. Yu-bin nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ll get to the details of the deal in a moment, but it must’ve been a long trip, would you like a beer or something to drink first?”
Yu-bin opened a cooler and neatly lined up a few cans of beer and bottles of soda in the designated spot. The man with the name tag raised his hand in refusal.
“No thanks. I didn’t rush over here at the crack of dawn just for a beer. Show me the serum first. Though I have to say… looking at the lot of you, I’m not convinced. Are you sure it’s real immune blood?”
“Of course. Do you really think people like us would joke around with someone in your position? All the previous buyers were satisfied too. …Well, since you’re not drinking, I’ll help myself.”
Putting on a slick, casual front, Yu-bin popped open a juice bottle and took a sip. Buying time like this was a key tactic in any negotiation, he had to stay in control and avoid getting swept up in the other party’s pace.
‘But seriously… I still can’t tell.’
As he swallowed the juice, Yu-bin gave the soldiers another look. Usually, alongside a decoy, there’d be an older man quietly observing in the back, that was the real commanding officer. But this team’s remaining three men were all fairly young and built like tanks.
‘Don’t tell me… General Park didn’t come at all? Or maybe this time, they didn’t bother with a decoy?’
Yu-bin covered his mouth with his prosthetic hand and frowned in thought. No matter how closely he studied them, the only person who could be the real Park Du-man was the one seated at the head with the name tag. But…
‘This is a problem.’
He let out a silent sigh. He needed to figure out who the real one was and signal Jin-woo. That way, if a firefight broke out, they could make sure the real general survived. But right now, he didn’t have the faintest clue.
“Alright, let’s see it.”
The man with the Park Du-man tag tapped the table impatiently.
“This is the blood in question.”
Yu-bin opened the cooler and took out a single blood pouch, giving it a slight shake. The deal had to move forward, regardless.
“It’s enough to cure one person. Recovery rate is 100%. Once it’s processed into serum, inject it into a bitten individual and they’ll recover immediately. I’m assuming you know how to store and prepare it properly.”
“Let me take a look. Hand it over.”
Lieutenant General Park extended his hand arrogantly.
“Heh heh heh, what a strange thing to say. What do you mean, ‘take a look’? On the outside, it’s just an ordinary blood bag. Or do you think it comes with a hologram that says ‘immune’s blood’? And as for taking a look…”
Yu-bin shook his head with a smirk, deliberately playing coy.
“You’re welcome to take a good look, after you’ve paid, General Park.”
“That’s Terra’s blood, isn’t it? Be honest.”
Park’s eyes gleamed as he pointed at the blood pack in Yu-bin’s hand. Still grinning, Yu-bin shot back with another question.
“And what difference does that make, General? Whose blood it is isn’t the point. What matters is that it works.”
“Where is Terra?”
Park asked again, ignoring everything Yu-bin said and pressing on with his own agenda. Yu-bin gave a half-hearted shrug.
“I’m not a private investigator, General. If you’re looking for someone, maybe try somewhere else. You’re here to buy the serum, not interrogate me.”
“So you're admitting you’re protecting her. Somewhere in Chungju, right?”
Yet another one tying Terra to Chungju. It must be a rumor spreading among the army brass, that Terra’s under Brigadier General Kim’s protection.
“Well, you’re free to think what you want. I’m not here to convince you otherwise.”
Yu-bin neither confirmed nor denied it. He knew better than to argue with a man this stubborn, it’d go in one ear and out the other anyway.
“So why is it punks like you doing the negotiating instead of actual soldiers? You look like someone who sells cheap phones in an alley. What are you even supposed to be? With that hair, you sure as hell aren’t military…”
Park leaned forward, glaring at him with open contempt. Trying to assert dominance, but Yu-bin didn’t budge. He never expected this negotiation to end with a handshake and smiles anyway.
“I’m the guy who sells immune blood. If you didn’t know that, maybe you shouldn’t have come.”
Yu-bin leaned back comfortably in his chair, playing it cool. Park’s face twisted in irritation.
“How long do you think you can keep hiding it? One wrong move, and you could be dead. In times like this, you think it’s okay to hoard someone that important? How selfish can you bastards be, huh?”
Park’s voice dropped to a threatening growl. The three soldiers seated around him followed his lead, scowling and glaring at Yu-bin. But Yu-bin had his own muscle, Sheriff and Min-gu.
“General Park… are we going to keep having this off-topic chat, or are you here to make a deal?”
Yu-bin pretended to yawn and glanced at the watch on his wrist. That taunt made veins bulge on Park and his aides’ foreheads.
“You little shit, who the hell do you think you are?”
“You got a death wish? Huh? You arrogant little brat!”
Their growls suggested they were seconds away from lunging at him, but then the sheriff, who had been silently watching, slammed the reinforced table.
Thud!
It wasn’t even that hard a strike, but the large wooden table rattled, and the heavy sound echoed. The soldiers flinched and shut up. The sheriff spoke in a low, calm voice.
“Let’s keep this civil and end it with smiles. No need to piss each other off for nothing.”
“You bastard…”
One of Park’s aides on the right muttered a curse, but his voice was barely a whisper compared to how loudly they had been barking at Yu-bin.
Huh? Interesting…
Yu-bin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. While the sheriff was taking control of the room, he’d noticed something odd, the two aides on Park’s left had both subtly moved to shield the female soldier. Not Park, but her… That was suspicious.
“General Park.”
Still smiling, Yu-bin called out to him.
“As you know, this is our third transaction. General Jeong came first. Then it was General Shin. And judging by their attitudes, they weren’t exactly easygoing, either. Not that I need to tell you that.”
“What’s your point?”
Park frowned, but Yu-bin continued with a shrug.
“I’m just saying, if we were the type to be scared off by threats, we wouldn’t have shown up again. No matter how much you growl, it doesn’t scare me. We allowed up to five people at the table because we’re confident we can handle that many if things go south. So save your energy.”
“Grrr…”
Letting out a dissatisfied groan, Park glanced to his left, then nodded.
“Fine. We’ll do the deal first, like you said. That’s why we’re here. But make no mistake, we will come back to the matter of Terra later. Count on it.”
“You really are persistent. Though I wonder, will there even be a next time, General?”
“We’ll see about that. How much blood did you bring?”
“Three packs.”
Yu-bin gave the same answer he had in the previous two deals.
“Only three?! That’s it? You dragged us all the way out here for just three packs?”
Park raised his voice in frustration. Yu-bin responded with a grin.
“You're criticizing me for bringing too little when you don’t even know the price? Are you that confident you can afford it?”
“What did you just say?”
“Come on. Even if we wrote ‘price negotiable,’ you should at least ask what we’re asking first. How would you know how much I’d charge?”
“You cocky little bastard…”
Lieutenant General Park narrowed his eyes, his face contorting with anger. Yet again, he glanced to his left.
‘What’s this about?’
Yu-bin stared at Park’s face, trying to make sense of the situation.
‘There’s definitely someone in charge sitting to his left… but none of them look like they’re in command. They’re all clearly subordinates. Except the woman…’
Could she really be the one in charge? But no way, there aren’t any female lieutenant generals in the Korean Army, are there? Plus, she looks younger than the rest. Her heavy makeup and thick-rimmed glasses may hide her face, but you can always tell age by the hands.
“…Hmph. Fine then. What’s your price?”
Yu-bin answered calmly.
“Forty thousand rounds of 5.56mm NATO ammo per pack. Practically a giveaway.”
Given that Lieutenant Generals Jeong and Shin had each paid thirty thousand rounds per pack without complaint, a small price hike shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, these guys weren’t likely to share info with one another. There was little risk of being found out.
“What?! Forty thousand?!”
Park’s eyes bulged, his voice rising in disbelief. Then, almost word-for-word, he repeated what the previous generals had said.
“You’ve got to be kidding! Hah! You arrogant little shit, you must have a death wish. You clearly have no idea how valuable four thousand rounds are these days!”
“If you love your bullets that much, I won’t stop you from keeping them. You can sit on your stash while we go make a deal with the next group in line.”
“And you think you’ll walk out of here in one piece after that, you bastard? Do you even know who you’re dealing with? I’m Lieutenant General Park Du-man of the Army! Quit screwing around and name a real price!”
Park looked like he might leap over the table and throttle Yu-bin any second now.
“Oh please, four thousand is the real price. And if you lay a hand on me, it doubles.”
Yu-bin gave him an infuriating smile and raised his gloved prosthetic hand.
“You see this? I’ve been through my share of hell. That kind of threat doesn’t scare me, General.”
Of course, his back was drenched in sweat from the tension. He knew just how easily one misstep here could turn into a full-blown disaster.
“You clueless little punk…”
Park ground his teeth and spat out another insult. Yu-bin gave him a wry smile.
“Yikes, now the price just went up again. Personal attacks? Should we make it forty-five thousand?”
“You think this is a joke, you son of a…!”
Just as Park looked ready to explode, a soft cough interrupted from the left.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
The female officer covered her mouth with her hand and gave a few deliberate coughs. Park turned toward her and exchanged a glance, then let out a frustrated sigh.
“…That flyer you guys spread. What about that? Said the price was negotiable.”
“It still is. If you meet my conditions, I’ll even give it away for free.”
Yu-bin held up one of the blood packs and leaned forward.
“Search every building owned by the Taeyang Group down south. You’ll find tons of people from Seoul locked up in there. Free them all safely, and this is yours, no charge.”
“…You’re out of your damn mind.”
Park cursed under his breath and shook his head in disbelief.
“Quit spreading that kind of bullshit, you lunatic. Like hell the Taeyang Group would do something like that.”
“Then there’s no deal. You either pay the price or walk away. This isn’t charity, we’re running a business, you know?”
Yu-bin twisted his lips in annoyance and pointed at the female officer, tossing her a question. Not that he cared about her answer, this gesture was for Jin-woo, to signal who the real VIP was. He had no doubt now: the young woman was in charge. Why, he didn’t know, but it was clear.
“Hold on. I need to talk to my aide. Major Yu knows more about our current ammo reserves.”
Park turned to the woman on his left and asked her directly.
“What do you think, Major Yu? Can we meet his terms? That’s forty thousand rounds per pack, three packs total.”
“Well… yes, General. Provided he can also provide some information, I think we’re in a condition where we can confirm the deal.”
The woman pushed her thick-rimmed glasses up with her fingertip and finally spoke for the first time.
“Provide… information?”
Yu-bin blinked, caught off guard by the strange, foreign-sounding way she spoke. But the officer showed no sign of embarrassment and kept talking.
“What’s Terra’s current vital condition? Is she staying in a safe environment? Please also provide the ingredients of her daily food intake.”
“…Why are you asking me that? I never said this was Terra’s blood.”
Yu-bin answered flatly. At that moment, Min-gu, who’d been silently standing behind, slowly stepped forward and whisked the officer’s cap off her head.
“…Aren’t you the daughter of Hwang, chairman of Taeyang Group?”