Chapter 26

At Yohan’s words, the two men looked out the window. While it was labeled as the third floor, the height was equivalent to the sixth floor of a typical apartment building. Falling from there would leave nothing intact, and the area below was essentially a field of zombies. Moreover, there was nothing in the office that could be used as a makeshift rope.

“How are we supposed to get down from here?”

At Sweeper’s question, Yohan tapped on a round pipe tightly attached to the ‘L’-shaped exterior wall beside the window.

“We’ll use this to climb down.”

Sweeper, uneasy, shook the pipe back and forth. While it didn’t seem like it would fall apart immediately, it still didn’t inspire much confidence.

“…It’d probably be easier to just open the door and walk out. Two people could take care of the zombies, and you could keep watch for the executive. Or we could crawl through the ceiling vents to another office.”

“Why take the easy route? With all the noise earlier, the nearby zombies are likely swarming this area. Trust me, this is the route that minimizes zombie encounters.”

Yohan’s firm tone stopped Sweeper from arguing further, though he had been about to retort, “Easy route, huh?” He nudged Hajin’s arm, silently urging him to say something, but Hajin merely shrugged.

“I’ll go down first to secure some space. Follow me right after and cover me.”

Leaving those words behind, Yohan clung to the pipe and began his descent. Placing his feet at the corners of the ‘L’-shaped structure for support, he climbed down with practiced ease. The fixed screws protruding here and there served as shock absorbers whenever his speed threatened to increase.

Watching Yohan descend, Sweeper grimaced but mimicked his actions. The zombies below looked horrifying from above. Noticing them, the zombies began swarming toward the base of the pipe.

“If only I’d been this popular while I was alive. Stop staring, no matter how much you drool, I’m not an easy guy…”

If I fall, at least the cushion of zombies will keep me from dying instantly. Then I’ll promptly be torn apart, of course.

Despite his grumbling, Sweeper’s form was surprisingly stable. The friction from his work gloves slowed his descent, and the pipe was sturdier and less slippery than expected.

Once Yohan reached the ground, he knocked on a window. There was noise coming from inside—it seemed zombies were present. He tried opening the window, but it was sealed tight. Standing on the ledge, he gripped the window frame with one hand and fired a shot.

The loud crash of shattering glass echoed, and the recoil swung his arm back. The glass crumbled and fell. The zombies inside turned their attention to the source of the noise, their gazes locking on Yohan.

He quickly steadied himself and began firing semi-automatic shots at the zombies’ heads. He took down eight nearby zombies before slinging his rifle onto his back. Just as he was about to reload, Sweeper’s voice rang out.

“Here I come! Save your ammo!”

Sweeper leapt in through the broken window. His weapon was a hand axe, about the length of his forearm. With swift movements, he swung the axe, smashing zombie heads with precision. Unlike Yohan’s knife, which required targeting vital points to destroy the brain, Sweeper’s axe shattered both skull and brain with clean, practiced strikes. His technique relied on skill rather than brute force. It was impressive.

“You’re using an unusual weapon.”

“This baby’s my treasure. I’m just more comfortable with it. Knives lose their edge too quickly.”

“What was your job before all this?”

“Me?”

Sweeper, with his axe buried in a zombie’s head, placed a foot on its chest to wrench the weapon free. He turned his head and grinned.

“I sold insurance.”

“That’s a bit much.”

“No joke. If my clients tried to claim their policies now, my company would go bankrupt. Not that there’s much left of the company, anyway!”

Sweeper laughed heartily at his own dark humor, continuing to chop down zombies as he did.

Hajin joined in next, and his performance was something else entirely. Despite his large build, he wielded a small knife to smash zombie heads. His hands were so big that it was hard to tell if he was using the knife or just his fists to crush their skulls. Yohan couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the absurdity of it.

With Yohan joining the fray, the zombies fell faster than they could gather. As long as they weren’t surrounded, the three of them together could likely handle 40 to 50 zombies at once. For a single fight, their combined firepower was among the best Yohan had ever seen, even compared to before his regression.

“Phew, there’s a lot of them. You guys are damn good at fighting.”

“Hold on, Sweeper, wait.”

As Sweeper moved to exit, Yohan stopped him and closed the store’s glass door. Sweeper tilted his head in confusion.

“What are you doing? There are more zombies gathering by the second. Weren’t we heading out?”

Sure enough, the noise was drawing more zombies to the area. Yohan, standing near the glass door, began hopping up and down, seemingly trying to lure them closer.

“That door looks like it’s about to break.”

“It’ll hold for now, but it won’t last forever.”

As Yohan continued his antics, a crowd of zombies swarmed the front of the store, likely drawing in every zombie from the vicinity.

“Alright, so you’ve gathered a horde of zombies at our exit, just like you wanted. What’s the plan? Toss a grenade?”

“That’s not our exit.”

His cryptic remark left them puzzled. There was only one visible entrance to the store.

Yohan raised his rifle. His next action made the other two widen their eyes in surprise. He began shooting at the glass wall separating this store from the neighboring one. The sound of breaking glass filled the air.

“I’ll open the way. Don’t lag behind, and watch out for the broken glass.”

Finally understanding Yohan’s plan, the two nodded. By luring the zombies to one side and breaking through the other, they could escape without a direct confrontation. It was a clever, resourceful strategy.

Ratatatat! The muzzle of the rifle, set to automatic, spat fire. With each burst, cracks formed on the glass until Yohan kicked it, shattering it with a crash. One glass panel after another broke apart.

The zombies tried to follow their prey, but with so many clustered together, movement was difficult. Even if they could move, they couldn’t keep up with those swiftly leaping into the next store.

After breaking through the glass wall of the final store, Yohan swung the front door wide open. An empty escalator stood before them, as if welcoming their arrival.

Looking back at the series of stores now riddled with holes like a mole’s burrow, Sweeper let out an impressed whistle. Yohan, however, silently reloaded his magazine.

“You really seem like a villain.”

“Worse than that.”

“And clever too.”

“Not at all. Just experienced. Where’s the subway entrance?”

“Alright, my turn! I’ll take the lead.”

Sweeper moved ahead with nimble steps, guiding the group. Zombies appeared sporadically, but before Yohan or Hajin could react, Sweeper’s axe flashed, splitting their skulls with ease.

When they reached the subway station entrance, the path narrowed, and about fifty zombies were clustered in front of the closed glass doors. The three paused in their tracks.

“That’s quite a crowd. How about we just shoot them?” Sweeper suggested.

Yohan shook his head. “We don’t know what’s beyond that door, and I’d rather avoid breaking it if possible.”

“Fair enough. Hey, big guy, think you’ve got more in you?” Sweeper asked, glancing at Hajin, who was catching his breath. It was no wonder—running nonstop over such a distance had taken a toll. Even the two lighter men were tired, so for Hajin, hauling his massive frame all this way must have been grueling. But Hajin only scoffed.

“Don’t slow me down.”

“Ooh, tough guy.”

While they bantered, Yohan pulled out his crossbow and began firing at the zombies. The goal was to disrupt the dense horde and scatter them.

The bolts shot straight into the middle of the cluster, causing zombies to topple over and stumble. Their formation broke, and they began approaching in a more scattered manner.

Sweeper and Hajin alternated in mowing them down. With swift, clean strikes, the zombies fell one after another.

As Yohan reloaded a new bolt into the crossbow, he sensed movement behind him. He instinctively swung the bolt backward, striking the head of the approaching zombie. The creature collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

The trio’s advance was unstoppable. No number of zombies could withstand their seamless teamwork.

Hajin’s long reach and powerful knife swipes kept zombies at bay, while Sweeper’s agile movements cut down any that got too close. And Yohan’s pinpoint shooting from the rear left no gaps in their offense.

“Through the turnstile!” Yohan commanded.

Sweeper led the way, leaping high and kicking a zombie with both feet. The knocked-back zombie stumbled into others, creating a pileup of bodies that threw the horde into chaos.

Once through the manual turnstile, they quickly put distance between themselves and the zombies. While the low barrier wouldn’t stop them indefinitely, it would take time for the zombies to figure out how to climb over it.

Yohan frowned as he watched Sweeper’s exaggerated movements.

“Do you really have to act so ridiculous?”

“Ridiculous? That’s harsh. Do you know what’s most important when a man fights?”

“I really don’t want to know…”

“Style!”

How has this guy survived this long?

As Sweeper added, “Fighting with flair is the best!” Yohan sighed deeply. Hajin’s low voice muttered behind him.

“How did he manage to survive?”

“I was wondering the same.”

Glad that they were on the same page, Yohan nodded in agreement. He silently hoped Sweeper wouldn’t start yelling out attack names while fighting.

Having given the zombies the slip, they were finally able to catch their breath. The group’s firepower was unexpectedly strong, allowing them to conserve bullets.

“What a waste.”

Yohan couldn’t help but think this party was a valuable asset. Though Sweeper’s antics were annoying, his combat skills were undeniable. Even if combined, the entire group at the mart camp couldn’t match these two in sheer firepower.

The three made their way through the underground path toward Sinjung-dong Station. Their plan was to move far enough from Bucheon City Hall Station, the origin of the wave, and then sneak back to the mart while avoiding the zombies. The underground passage was pitch black, forcing them to rely on two flashlights Yohan had brought, slowing their pace.

“Hey, man,” Sweeper called out, stopping in his tracks. Yohan handed his flashlight to Hajin and approached Sweeper. In the middle of the subway tracks, something strange caught their attention.

It was humanoid in shape, standing about two meters tall. Its gaunt frame resembled flayed skin, exposing raw, red muscle underneath.

A mutant. No wonder they hadn’t seen it above ground—it had been controlling the zombies from the subway.

The mutant emitted a chilling sound, reminiscent of the eerie noises made by Toshio, the ghost boy from the movie *Ju-on* (The Grudge movie). Its hollow white eyes, which had been staring into the void, turned crimson as it noticed them. Sweeper shuddered.

“Ugh, what the hell is that?”

“It’s a Gollum.”

“Gollum?”

“A nickname I gave it. That’s… a mutant zombie, the main culprit behind all this chaos. Whether we’re lucky or unlucky to encounter it, I can’t say.”

“So, what’s the big deal? Is it that different from regular zombies?”

“It’s very different,” Yohan replied grimly.