RE: Survival - Chapter 83

Fifteen minutes.

That was all the time Jung-hwan allowed himself to search before returning.

If Ah-young was captured due to his own miscalculation, it wouldn’t pose a major threat to the camp.

She probably didn’t even know the exact location of the search team’s camp.

His decision to search for her was equally split between following Yohan’s orders and the responsibility of saving a fragile student. But if he put himself in danger, that would be a far bigger problem.

Now, more than ever, he had to stay rational. That was why Yohan had sent him in the first place.

Panting, Jung-hwan circled the apartment complex one last time. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted a figure crouched at the far edge of a pavilion.

The moment he recognized her, his legs nearly gave out.

“Ah-young?”

She flinched and turned her head.

A group of cats meowed as they ate from opened cans of tuna, their metal lids discarded nearby.

“Uh… Who are you…?”

Seeing her up close, Jung-hwan finally remembered who she was.

A quiet girl. Always huddled in corners.

She wore a school uniform over sweatpants, with her hair in twin pigtails and oversized glasses framing her small face.

Her cheeks were dusted with clumsily applied blush, her lips tinted a soft red—an attempt at makeup in the apocalypse.

She had always blended into the background. Seri had been the one primarily responsible for caring for the female survivors, so Jung-hwan hadn’t paid much attention to her.

For a moment, he was speechless.

‘What the hell are you doing out here? Who gave you permission to leave the camp?’

‘Do you even realize we don’t have enough food for people, and you’re wasting canned goods on cats?!’

So many things he wanted to yell at her. But instead, he took a deep breath and softened his tone.

“Come on, Ah-young. It’s dangerous out here.”

Her dark eyes met his—clear, untainted, and innocent.

At that moment, Jung-hwan felt foolish for even considering the possibility that she was a traitor.

“…I don’t want to go back to Park Town.”

Something had driven this small girl out of the camp.

He didn’t have time to ask.

When he reached for her wrist, she jerked away, startled.

“Ah—! I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault.”

Her wary expression struck something in him. Jung-hwan awkwardly rubbed the back of his hand, then tried again—this time with more patience.

“Listen, Ah-young. There are dangerous people coming. You’ll die if you stay here. I won’t take you back to Park Town, but you have to come with me.”

She blinked, then hesitated before nodding slightly.

Jung-hwan extended his hand.

Instead of taking it, she grasped the hem of his sleeve.

At that moment, a motorcycle engine roared in the distance.

—

— Claymore installation complete.

Hyuk’s voice crackled over the radio.

2:05 PM.

Exactly one hour since Yohan had issued his orders, the Claymores had been set, and the ambush was in place.

Yohan and the search team had taken positions inside two high-rise buildings near the city entrance.

Yohan had personally chosen the optimal locations for each team member.

Hyuk had planted Claymores on both sides of the road, covering them with dried grass and zombie corpses for concealment.

Now, he lay hidden beneath an abandoned bus, waiting.

Meanwhile, Yohan was stationed on the first floor, ready to leap into action at any moment. He meticulously scanned the site for any weaknesses.

The ambush was flawless.

Satisfied, he picked up his PRC-999K military radio and contacted Team 2.

“Sweeper.”

— “Yes, sir.”

“Status?”

— “All clear.”

They had cleared out zombies, ensuring no fresh corpses lay around to signal recent activity.

An observant enemy could easily tell if a fight had happened recently based on the way bodies decayed. Maintaining a natural scene was crucial.

Hyuk was assigned to detonate the Claymores. It was the most dangerous job, but he had volunteered without hesitation.

Heat waves shimmered above the scorched asphalt.

The midday sun bore down, turning the city into an oven.

The only relief was a brief downpour earlier.

For a moment, Yohan had worried. Sudden summer storms could throw everything into chaos—especially during monsoon season. If the rain had fallen just a little later, their CA landmines might have been rendered useless.

But fate had been on their side.

The rain had stopped just in time, leaving the battlefield dry.

“Mercenary Camp, do you copy?”

— “Loud and clear.”

They had reprogrammed the frequencies on three military radios—one for the mercenary camp, one for Team 1, and one for Team 2.

Having secured extra radios at the perfect time, their communication was now fully coordinated.

Even if an unexpected variable arose, they could adapt immediately.

Battery life was limited, but the mission wouldn’t last more than two days.

The mercenary leader had initially been frustrated about another fight, but when Yohan pointed out that the enemy would have targeted them next regardless, he reluctantly agreed.

After all, their auto repair shop base was closer to enemy territory than Yohan’s camp.

If Yohan’s team hadn’t intervened, the mercenaries would have been wiped out first—enslaved or slaughtered.

That was why Yohan felt no guilt about using them as bait.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

Jung-hwan had been sent to secure the survivors. If everything went according to plan, they should already be in hiding.

Jung-hwan had his weaknesses, but he had never once failed a mission.

Sweeper, always scheming to outsmart others.

Hajin, incapable of scheming at all—solving everything with brute force.

And Hyuk, whose excessive sense of justice sometimes ruined plans.

Compared to them, Jung-hwan wasn’t the strongest. But when it came to reliability in executing missions, he was unmatched.

Even if an unexpected variable arose, he would handle it well.

The city was silent, except for the occasional crackle of radio static and the thick tension hanging in the air.

Then, at last, the distant roar of motorcycle engines echoed through the streets.

The Seoul Survival Union survivors were approaching—with a long trail of zombies following behind.

— “Twelve o’clock direction. Enemy incoming.”

Kyung-wook’s voice came through the radio. He had the best vantage point, watching through binoculars from a rooftop.

— “Around fifteen to twenty riders. The last bike has a supply cart attached.”

All according to plan.

Still, no word from Team 2—which meant the enemy hadn’t sent their supplies ahead.

That also meant a separate guerrilla unit might have arrived before them.

Yohan glanced at his watch. Not even two hours had passed.

They were ahead of schedule.

The intruders, once a scattered formation, were now fully visible.

They halted 500 meters from the Claymores, just before entering the city.

Sweat formed on Yohan’s palms. A cold drop ran down his spine.

— “Team 1, switch to private channel. Team 2, heighten alert.”

Yohan gave the command and shifted his gaze.

A tall, wiry man dismounted from the lead bike.

Through his scope, Yohan identified him immediately.

“Cola Bear.”

Despite the cute nickname, this archer had been a high-ranking officer in the Seoul Survival Union for a long time.

No one knew what he did before the outbreak, but he carried a massive compound bow on his back, firing deadly accurate arrows with frightening force.

He was more suited for fighting zombies than tactical battles.

Cola Bear scanned the surroundings, then knelt to rub his boot against a dried bloodstain.

He had sensed something was off.

After a hushed conversation, he gestured for two men to move forward.

Scouts.

They had noticed:

1. The unusually low number of zombies at the city entrance.
2. The fresh bloodstains.

Lowering his voice, Yohan whispered into the radio.

“Two men approaching. Mute your radios. Do not reveal yourselves until my signal.”

He immediately turned down his own radio volume.

If the ambush was exposed now, everything would be ruined.

Moments later, faint footsteps echoed through the silent mall where he hid.

Step. Step.

The sound grew closer.

Then, one of the scouts entered the store.

“Shit, what the hell are we even looking for?”

The man muttered in frustration.

His footsteps approached Yohan’s hiding spot—a ventilation shaft.

But Yohan was wedged deep inside the vent, only peering through the fan blades.

There was no chance he would be spotted.

The rest of his team was equally secure.

Even if the Seoul Survival Union had sent scouts, Yohan had personally ensured their hiding spots were foolproof.

There was only one weak link—

Hyuk, hiding under the bus.

BANG!

Yohan tensed.

…But it was just the scout kicking over a pile of debris in frustration.

“Nothing here,” the man grumbled.

Yohan let out a silent breath.

After thoroughly searching, the two scouts returned to their group and shook their heads.

“No one’s here.”

Cola Bear frowned. Then, he signaled the group to advance.

Yohan waited.

His binoculars followed them, watching as they stepped closer and closer—

Then.

The instant they reached the designated mark—

Yohan kicked the vent open and fired a shot into the air.

BANG!

The sharp gunshot echoed across the city.

The detonation signal.

As soon as the shot rang out, Yohan cranked up his radio and sprinted out of the building.

Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.

By now, the rest of the team was switching their radios back on, moving into attack positions.

Then—

— DETONATE!

A few seconds later, Hyuk’s voice burst through the radio.

BOOM! BOOM!

The Claymores exploded, their shrapnel tearing through the enemy ranks.

Blood splattered. Motorcycles burst into flames.

The supply cart must have carried explosives—because it detonated in a chain reaction.

Limbs and flesh flew into the air, scattering like burning flower petals.

The Seoul Survival Union fell into chaos.

Yohan emerged from the building, rifle at the ready.

His eyes locked onto a man crawling across the ground, desperately reaching for his radio transmitter.

BANG!

Yohan fired without hesitation.

The man collapsed, never touching the radio.

Gripping his own transmitter, Yohan gave the final command.

“OPEN FIRE!”