RE: Survival - Chapter 84

Bang! Bang!
Search team members suddenly emerged from hiding and opened fire, forming a barrage like an impenetrable fence.

Tat-tat! Bang! Bang!
Rifles fired relentlessly. The team members shot bullets over the heads of the fallen survivors. Those already bloodied and collapsed writhed helplessly before their lives were snuffed out.

Cola Bear, who had used his motorcycle as cover, quickly got up and aimed his compound bow at Yohan, who was firing nearby. But Yohan’s rifle was faster. The bullet from Yohan’s gun pierced Cola Bear’s torso.

“Urgh!”

Even after being shot, he refused to let go of his bow and arrow, blood spilling from his mouth as he stubbornly tried to draw the bowstring. However, the arrow barely traveled a few centimeters before dropping weakly to the ground. In the next instant, a concentrated hail of bullets tore through his body, reducing him to a bloody mess.

“Aagh!”

“Graaah!”

Screams filled the air. Bullets rained down indiscriminately on those still standing, those who had collapsed, and even those who were already motionless on the ground.

It took less than three minutes for sixteen survivors to be reduced to shredded corpses.

When Yohan signaled, the gunfire finally ceased, even though there were no longer any signs of movement. The search team members shifted their gaze beyond the pile of bodies, toward the approaching swarm of zombies.

The zombies that had been trailing behind had finally arrived and began devouring the corpses. They feasted greedily as if making up for a long period of starvation, their hands and mouths smeared with thick, crimson blood. They tore apart the already mangled remains, digging through the flesh with grotesque enthusiasm. Watching the scene in a daze, Hyuk hurriedly slipped into the bus through the emergency hatch at the bottom.

Seeing that he had safely taken cover, Yohan blew the smoke from his gun barrel and reported through the radio. Before him lay only the butchered flesh of the looters and pools of blood. A victory so thorough that even the bodies had been obliterated.

“Squad 1, mission complete. Cease fire. Sixteen eliminated. No casualties. Switch to the common channel immediately.”

—

After Yohan’s final radio transmission instructing them to switch to the common channel, there was no further communication from Squad 1. It seemed the battle had begun.

Sweeper mentally reviewed the operation as he went over the situation in his mind. The ambush positions, personnel, variables—there were so many moving pieces in the captain’s orders that if they weren’t thoroughly memorized, it would be difficult to react to unexpected situations.

The ambush site for Squad 2, including Sweeper, wasn’t technically within the city. They were stationed on Beolmal-ro, a road leading from Gulpo Stream down to Bucheon. This road was a direct path to Yohan’s camp. Sweeper had questioned Yohan’s decision to guard this location.

‘Yohan, this route is quite a detour from Yongsan, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, but there’s no urban area along this path. If they take the Olympic Bridge or the Gangbyeon Expressway and then enter Beolmal-ro, aside from the roadside, it’s all farmland, gas stations, and truck stops. Most zombies will be trapped inside vehicles. It’s not a major route, but it’s convenient and well-known. They’ll definitely come this way, no need to take the outer ring road.’

The fastest route was the Gyeongin Expressway; the easiest was Beolmal-ro. That was Yohan’s reasoning. If the enemy really was taking this route, they were in for a nasty surprise. No one would expect an ambush here after taking such a roundabout path.

‘If they actually show up here, I should lay out a mat and have my fortune read for the year.’
Sweeper smirked at his own joke as he lit a cigarette.

He exhaled smoke while rubbing his chin, gazing at the four-lane road stretched out before him. Usually exuding an air of confidence, his expression was unusually serious—perhaps a result of the intense battle earlier that morning.

Squad 2’s basic battle plan was the same as Squad 1’s: lure the enemy in, detonate the Claymore mines, then unleash a barrage of gunfire. That was Plan A.

Plan B was in place in case the enemy moved separately instead of staying grouped or if their ambush was discovered. There were also additional contingencies for various unexpected situations.

For example, if the two groups arrived at different times, alternative strategies were in place. Sweeper picked up his radio and called Sergeant Ong.

“Ong, you see anything?”

– Nothing yet.

“They should be here soon.”

Yohan wouldn’t have chosen an ambush location without factoring in the travel distances between both camps.

If the enemy had left Soul Survivor Union’s base, Yohan would have calculated a location where both groups could be hit simultaneously.

Of course, factors like zombie traffic, available resources, and personnel numbers could throw off the timing, but those were elements they couldn’t control.

The scent of withering grass mixed with the cigarette smoke, tingling Sweeper’s nose. He was currently positioned in the middle of a closed-down flower nursery.

The neglected flower beds, overgrown weeds, and tall reeds concealed him completely.

Two team members were positioned behind him for cover. Across from them, on top of the Resource Recycling Center, Sergeant Ong was on rooftop watch while three other team members lay in wait on the first floor.

The responsibility for triggering the Claymore mines fell to Hajin. With only one hand, long-range shooting was difficult for him, and he was the only one daring enough to hide right in the middle of the enemy’s path.

“They’re late.”

As Sweeper lit another cigarette and took a drag, the distant hum of motors reached his ears.

“Figures,” he muttered, putting out the cigarette.

“Bike engines incoming. Ong, you see anything?”

– Y-Yes. Motorcycles approaching! There are… more than ten of them!

“The target?”

– Can’t say for sure… but I don’t see anyone close to two meters tall.

They were here.

Sweeper licked his lips with a sly grin.

Raising his binoculars, he scanned the approaching enemies. If he was lucky, maybe the so-called “Gae Baek-jeong” was among them.

Yohan had assigned experienced fighters to Squad 2, likely because it was a leaderless unit. Perhaps Yohan felt uneasy about them.

But Sweeper, in turn, was more worried about Yohan.

He wasn’t Superman or some kind of superhuman.

Unfortunately, contrary to his hopes, Gae Baek-jeong wasn’t among them.

Recalling Yohan’s briefing based on the intel from Kim Seol-hwa, Sweeper identified the enemies.

“No sign of the dwarf either…”

Soul Survivor Union’s leadership consisted of eight members.

Two had already been eliminated, leaving six.

Soul Survivor Union’s survivors were known for their strong individual personalities, with fierce internal competition and hierarchical struggles among the leaders. Instead of sticking together, their combat signature involved guerrilla tactics and simultaneous attacks from multiple directions.

Yohan had pointed out that in a situation like this, it was wiser to train camp survivors through guerrilla warfare rather than marching together and dragging a horde of zombies to their deaths.

‘If you spot all eight, proceed with caution, but aim to subdue them if possible. The top-priority kill target is, of course, the boss, Gae Baek-jeong. Close to 2 meters tall, primary weapon is a K-2 rifle. His combat skills are decent, but he’s ruthless and excels at psychological warfare—stay alert.’

Behind the attentive listeners, Yohan had continued his briefing.

‘Let’s move past the scout leader and Kim Seol-hwa, who are already dead. Next, Gae Baek-jeong’s primary partner and right-hand man, the brains of Soul Survivor Union—Jinny. He’s a thinker, but not much of a fighter. I’ll be handling him, so don’t worry too much about it.’

‘Wait, his primary partner? But you said “he”?’

‘That’s because he doesn’t discriminate.’

Sweeper shuddered as he recalled Gae Baek-jeong’s radio transmission about taking Yohan from behind. It hadn’t been a joke.

‘There are two specialists in anti-zombie combat. Cola Bear, the guy who sticks to a compound bow—just be wary of his silent arrows, and he won’t be a major threat. Then there’s Gaeko, Kim Won-jin, who’s great at tracking and pursuit, but as long as you fight cautiously, you can take him down.’

‘A bow? In modern combat? That’s… unique.’

‘I told you, they all have strong individual traits. The ones you really need to watch out for are Mad Dog Jung Kwang and the Dwarf. Jung Kwang wears full-body ballistic gear and fights exclusively with a Japanese sword. He’s obsessed with close-quarters combat, and he’s strong.’

Avoid melee combat if possible, Yohan had emphasized.

‘The Dwarf, as the name suggests, is under 160 cm tall, so he’ll stand out the moment he appears. Take him out immediately or retreat if assassination isn’t an option. He carries an absurdly large grenade launcher and straps grenades all over his back like some kind of freak. If he goes wild, it’s a nightmare to handle. If he starts rampaging, don’t engage—go with Plan B.’

Sweeper recalled the absurdity of someone preferring to pack grenades instead of food in their backpack and had chuckled at the time.

While engraving Soul Survivor Union’s key figures in his mind, Sweeper kept his eyes locked on the approaching enemies.

They were still too far away to identify individually, but they were drawing closer.

Alright, come on.

Just as Sweeper was loosening his hands in anticipation, a distant explosion echoed. The sound was faint but unmistakable to his keen ears in this otherwise silent world.

It was clear that Squad 1’s battle had begun. That must have been a Claymore mine detonating. The distance was about 4 kilometers. Did Yohan account for this noise?

The thought was fleeting as he noticed something—
The enemy had stopped moving.

Sensing something was off, Sergeant Ong quickly radioed in.

– They’ve stopped. What should we do?

“That’s odd. I thought the engine noise would drown it out for them.”

They probably hadn’t actually heard the explosion. Even to Sweeper, it had barely been audible. It was more likely that one of the survivors from Squad 1’s attack had radioed a warning.

Sweeper attempted to report the situation to Yohan, but there was no response. The battle was likely still ongoing, and he must have muted his radio.

“For now, switch all radios to Squad 2’s private channel and prepare for combat.”

Well, there was no choice. They’d have to handle this on their own. Even if the enemy had greater numbers, Squad 2 had the geographical advantage.

– They’re scattering!

– Sweeper, what should we do?

Sergeant Ong’s urgent report came almost simultaneously with Hajin’s question.

The ambush had been discovered. The enemies abandoned their bikes and spread out, moving deeper in as if they were conducting a search.

“We don’t have a choice. The moment even one of them steps into Claymore range, detonate it.”

– What’s the plan?

“We hold our ground. You’re in a vulnerable position, so stay hidden.”

The sound of the Claymore detonation would lure zombies in, forcing the enemy to take shelter inside a building. There weren’t many structures nearby for them to hide in—inevitably, they would have to come inside.

It was always better to defend than to charge in. And most importantly, Sweeper excelled at chaotic brawls.

Taking two team members with him, Sweeper quickly moved into the store.

As he settled into position and prepared for battle, he reached for his FM radio to turn it off—only to hear a transmission from Yohan.

– Sweeper, it’s me.

“Oh, big boss! You’re alive? How’s the fight?”

– Wrapped up cleanly. Sixteen dead. No casualties. How’s your side?

“We haven’t started yet. By the way, did anyone escape from your fight? The enemy realized we were lying in wait.”

– Escape? No. I killed them all before grabbing my radio.

“Really? That’s weird.”

A brief silence followed before Yohan’s voice returned.

– What about Gae Baek-jeong?

“He’s not here. Is he not on your end either?”