RE: Survival - Chapter 65

The term “relationship” was a stretch—it was closer to a one-night stand demand. When she refused, he began sending fewer supplies, using various excuses.

This camp was already wary of the search team, and Seri was one of the few people approachable enough to confide in, which is why the woman had hesitantly brought it up.

“Did he really say that?”

The woman nodded, and Seri’s anger boiled over.

She didn’t care if people dated, hooked up, or did whatever they wanted as long as it was consensual. It wasn’t her business.

Granted, she was irritated that the guy throwing advances her way happened to be a workaholic who was so emotionally tone-deaf that their “relationship” had gone nowhere. But meddling in others’ love lives wasn’t her style.

If people wanted to exchange something for a one-night stand, she didn’t care—her free-spirited personality allowed for that. It wasn’t her problem as long as both parties were willing.

However, coercing someone by abusing the power of the search team? That was different. That was no better than violence.

Seri stormed into the supply warehouse and kicked the door open with a loud ‘bang!’

“Whoa! What the—?”

Everyone turned to stare at her in shock. Hajin asked, “What’s going on?” to which Jung-hwan replied, “Not sure, but she looks pissed.”

Seri marched over to Jin-su with a disturbingly sweet smile, grabbing him by the collar.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

“Jin-su.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you want me to cut your balls off?”

Her smile was chilling.

“W-what are you talking about, noona?”

“Don’t play dumb, you—”

Before Seri could finish her sentence, Yohan’s urgent voice came through her radio.

“-All search team members, return to the camp immediately.”

It was an unprecedentedly urgent tone, signaling that something serious had happened.

“We’ll settle this later,” Seri said, releasing Jin-su’s collar with a scoff. She exhaled sharply before responding to Yohan.

“Oppa, it’s Seri. We haven’t finished distributing supplies yet. Should we still return?”

“Leave it to the assistants. All squad leaders must return immediately.”

“Got it. Search Team 1 is returning now.”

Seri, along with Dong-seok and Jung-hwan, hurried back to the camp.

—

In the first-floor meeting room of the camp, all the senior members of the search team, except Hyuk, had gathered. The atmosphere was grim, and Seri quietly took a seat, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

“Now that everyone’s here, we’ll begin the emergency meeting,” Yohan announced briskly.

“Hyuk and Search Team 2 have been captured.”

“Captured? By who?”

Hajin blurted out, clearly shaken. He had been spending a lot of time with Hyuk lately, their personalities a perfect match.

“The group’s camp is located near Gulpocheon Station at Eoullim Church. Their numbers are estimated to be between 20 and 30. Their exact capabilities and intentions are unknown. Two members of Team 2 returned and reported that the remaining four, including Hyuk, are being held hostage. The captors released two of them.”

“They just let them go? Were they trying to find out about our camp? Did they tail them back here?”

“We immediately checked the area, but there were no suspicious movements. However, there’s always a chance.”

The group’s actions were difficult to understand. Releasing survivors was as good as advertising their camp’s location to the enemy.

It could be a trap or a strategy to locate their camp. The returned members claimed they weren’t followed, but there was still a possibility that the captors had secretly tracked them to find the camp’s location and returned unnoticed.

“Idiots… They just came straight back here after being released?”

“They had no choice. From their perspective, they probably thought they needed to save Hyuk as quickly as possible.”

The junior members of the search team weren’t expected to act with much foresight. It was impressive enough that they managed to avoid zombies and make it back safely.

“So, they’re alive for now. But how did they get captured? Are their captors that strong?”

“They mistook them for just another group of survivors. The camp seemed well-managed, and the people gave off a hopeful vibe, so they let their guard down. They were welcomed warmly, had some conversations, and then passed out. When they woke up, they were tied up. The captors must have spiked the drinking water.”

The group let out a collective sigh of frustration.

It was Hyuk’s kind-heartedness that had backfired. He must have been overjoyed to encounter a seemingly decent group.

“One more thing—the returned members mentioned that the captors’ leader is referred to as the ‘Messiah.’”

“Oh great, now we’ve got a cult,” Sweeper remarked sarcastically.

He was likely correct. Before Yohan’s regression, cults that preyed on fear and hope were rampant. Religion was an effective tool for controlling people.

“Their belief is said to be fanatical.”

“That’s troublesome.”

In desperate times like these, religion could be a powerful means of control. But for a group to have blind faith required more than just doctrine; it needed strong charisma and leadership.

If the returned survivors’ accounts were accurate, the leader of this group was exceptionally skilled at manipulation.

Fear, faith, or hope—whatever the source, dealing with a fanatical group was always a challenge.

“So, boss, what now?” Sweeper asked.

Yohan scanned the senior members of the search team.

“Let’s hear your opinions. What do you think we should do?”

The room fell silent. It was rare for Yohan to ask for others’ opinions—he usually made the decisions himself, and the team followed his lead.

Seri was the first to raise her hand.

“Of course, we should rescue them.”

“I agree,” Jung-hwan said, backing her up. Ha-jin also nodded in agreement, raising his hand.

“And Sweeper?”

“It’s not an opinion, more of a concern. Doesn’t this feel like an obvious trap? It seems too risky. Not saying we shouldn’t rescue them, but sending people to save a few might not be worth the risk…”

Sweeper glanced at Yohan before continuing.
“I figured this wouldn’t be the direction you’d want to go, boss.”

Most of the senior members nodded at his words.

Yohan had often said it was better to bite one’s tongue and die than to be taken hostage. Rescuing hostages endangered the entire camp, a risk he had repeatedly emphasized they must avoid.

Even if Yohan decided against a rescue, no one could fault him for it under the circumstances.

“One more thing to share. Per your orders, I checked out Gulpocheon. The water there is completely contaminated—it’s sewage at this point. Not only undrinkable but unusable even for irrigation.”

“How bad is it?”

“There are zombie corpses floating in the water, and unidentified clumps of filth—guts, waste, who knows what. It feels like you’d get infected just by touching it. We secured water from Wonmi Fire Station before, but that won’t last long. We need to move somewhere with access to water, and since the enemy already knows our location, the sooner we decide, the better.”

His words leaned toward abandoning Hyuk and relocating. Hajin challenged him with a stern tone.

“So, we’re just going to abandon Hyuk?”

“It’s not a suggestion. Just sharing the situation. I’ll follow the boss’s orders, as always. When have we ever told him what to do? He gives the command, and we execute.”

Yohan stared at Sweeper for a moment before shifting his gaze. Among the group, Sweeper had the clearest understanding of the situation.

“What about Sergeant Ong and Dong-seok?”

“I’m not sure, sir.”

“I’ll follow the leader’s decision.”

“Wait a second.”

As the group seemed to settle on Sweeper’s perspective, Hajin interjected.

“What about the two members from Hyuk’s team? Their teammates are hostages. If we ignore this, who knows what kind of rumors will spread within the camp? For morale’s sake, we have to rescue them.”

Hajin’s words hung in the air, followed by a heavy silence. Everyone knew the final decision would ultimately rest with Yohan, and whatever he chose, they would follow.

After a few moments of quiet, Yohan finally spoke.
“Any other comments?”

His face remained calm, unaffected by the gravity of the situation—a serene expression, like still water.

“If not, I’ll make my decision.”

Someone gulped audibly.

“We’re going to Gulpocheon Station.”

A flicker of relief appeared on some faces. There was no significant opposition, just a few nods of acknowledgment.

“But keep this in mind: our primary objective isn’t rescuing Team 2.”

“Then what is it?”

“Our top priority is retaliation for threatening the camp. Rescuing Team 2 comes second. If the hostages are used as bargaining chips, we’ll prioritize eliminating the enemy—even if it means sacrificing the hostages. If everyone agrees to this, we proceed. If even one person objects, we stay.”

If the situation were purely about rescuing hostages, Yohan might have hesitated to act.

But with their camp exposed, it was crucial to strike first before the enemy could pose a threat.

While his approach might seem cold, it was a rational decision. Prioritizing the hostages’ safety over the camp’s well-being could jeopardize everyone.

For a rescue to succeed, they needed unwavering resolve.

“Anyone opposed?”

No hands went up.

“Good. We’ll decide on relocation later. For now, Dong-seok will stay behind with two rookies to guard the camp.”

“Understood.”

“Wait a second,” Seri cut in.

“The rookies can’t stay. There was an incident at Park Town today.”

“What kind of incident?”

“Jin-su abused his authority as part of the search team and tried to coerce Su-hee into sleeping with him. Leaving him here could lead to more trouble. He needs to be punished.”

Yohan pressed his fingers to his temple, feeling a headache coming on. The camp couldn’t go a single day without drama.

If Jin-su’s actions had been blatantly criminal, it would’ve been easy to make an example of him. But the incident fell into a gray area, making it all the more frustrating.

His patience was wearing thin.

He seriously considered overturning the entire camp hierarchy.

“Did Su-hee report it herself?”

“Yes.”

“Do we have proof or witnesses?”

“No, but why would she lie? She has no reason to.”

“Hmm…” Yohan lightly tapped his cheek in thought. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions based on appearances, but neither Jin-su nor Su-hee seemed like the type to make things up.

Jin-su was one of the first notable figures to emerge from Park Town Camp and join the search team, making this incident feel even more out of place.