Chapter 91

Having concluded his final transaction with the mercenaries, Yohan ordered his team to move. Seri and the rest of the team, having overheard the deal, looked at Yohan with conflicted expressions.

But Yohan had no intention of reconsidering. It was a long-planned operation—one that had to be executed.

Even after dealing with a substantial number of zombies along the way, the dead continued pouring into the streets. The recon team, dragging their exhausted bodies, made their way toward the Seoul Survival Union camp.

Everyone was worn out from the prolonged battle. For their sake, this fight had to end here.

Yohan’s group removed the barbed wire at the perimeter and infiltrated the camp. The inside of the perimeter was already familiar territory. They knew every blind spot and every hidden route.

Just as Yohan had anticipated, the Seoul Survival Union scum had barricaded themselves inside the recon camp.

“Two on the rooftop, one at the second-floor window.”

Yohan spoke into his radio, relaying orders to Sergeant Ong. From a vantage point overlooking the recon building, Sergeant Ong took position and eliminated three enemy sentries. The bodies of those guarding the rooftop and the window fell silently.

By now, the enemy had likely realized they were surrounded.

Yohan dispersed his team to encircle the building and waited. The enemy made sporadic attempts to fight back, but each time, Sergeant Ong’s near-supernatural sniping capabilities kept them at bay.

After the fourth man fell, no one dared to show their face at the rooftop or windows again.

A tense standoff ensued. The attackers and the defenders had switched places—an ironic role reversal.

The air was thick with the threat of an imminent clash. Neither side dared to make the first move. Both stood their ground, maintaining a wary distance.

Time dragged on. It was about time for Jeanie to act. As if on cue, Gae Baek-jeong’s voice crackled through the radio. His voice, though somewhat calmer than before, was still dripping with rage.

“I’ve been in a lot of fights, but this is the most infuriating one yet, you son of a bitch. Do you even realize how many hostages I have? And you still dared to attack us?”

A predictable, clichéd threat. Yohan pressed the transmit button, his voice slow and deliberate.

“Drop your weapons and surrender. I’ll spare your lives.”

Laughter, loud and guttural, exploded from the other end. Yohan grimaced and pulled the receiver away from his ear slightly.

“You think this is funny?”

“I won’t say it again.”

“Tch. You must have me mistaken for some kind of idiot. I don’t know how you know about me, but if you came here thinking you could just talk big and get away with it, you’re dead wrong. Here’s my counteroffer: Drop your weapons, strip down to your underwear, and gather at the front door. You seem like a useful guy—I’ll let you work under me. Get down on your knees and start sucking. Maybe then I’ll let you live.”

Yohan chuckled. Even in this situation, Baek-jeong’s signature vulgarity remained unchanged.

“Oh? You’re laughing?”

“Kill them.”

“What?!”

“Just kill them all. You can slaughter every last one of them, but none of you will leave here alive. Every night, I’ll come for you. You’ll never sleep again. The moment you close your eyes, I’ll be there to kill you.”

“You arrogant little—”

“I’ll always be watching. Until you rot and die. Just like your men. Oh, but don’t take it too hard. I promise you—when your time comes, I’ll make sure your death is the most painful and excruciating of them all.”

Without waiting for a response, Yohan ended the transmission.

On the other end, Gae Baek-jeong slammed his radio down with a furious roar.

“AGHHHH!”

Bang! He smashed the radio against the ground.

Bang, bang! He stomped on it repeatedly until the device was reduced to a pile of shattered plastic and circuitry.

Even after completely destroying it, his fury remained unquenched. He grabbed the FM transceiver and hurled it across the room. It skidded across the floor, the pitiful sound echoing in the silence.

The surrounding Seoul Survival Union fighters stood stiff, their faces hard with tension.

“You son of a—”

Baek-jeong let out a ragged breath, nostrils flaring, before storming toward the basement.

Bang!

The basement door swung open with a violent kick, startling the hostages inside.

On the floor, the corpse of Lieutenant Ahn, his skull shattered, lay lifeless. Beside him, Seo-jun was collapsed, unmoving. A yellow plastic bin in the corner held the confiscated gear of the hostages.

The air reeked of urine—someone had wet themselves in fear.

Baek-jeong glared at the survivors, his eyes burning with barely restrained fury. His predatory gaze sent shivers down their spines.

At that moment, Seo-jun’s body twitched slightly. But Baek-jeong, too consumed with rage, failed to notice. (T/N: Yes! He is alive!)

“Looks like you weren’t exactly loved, huh? If your leader is begging me to kill all of you.”

A gasp of despair rippled through the survivors.

Baek-jeong turned to one of his subordinates.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“Slit the throats of ten hostages and toss their heads over the terrace. Show them exactly who they’re dealing with.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate answered curtly, loading his weapon with a clack.

As he aimed at a group of cowering hostages, their screams filled the cramped basement. Panic ensued as they scrambled to push themselves further back.

The gunman flicked the selector to full-auto, ready to open fire—

Only for Jeanie to step forward, placing a hand on the barrel of the rifle.

“Wait, honey.”

“What?”

“There’s no need for this.”

Baek-jeong, still seething, looked as though he was ready to kill even his own men. Jeanie, sweating nervously, quickly handed him a document—one retrieved from Yohan’s office. It contained information about the zombie wave.

Baek-jeong frowned as he read it.

“This? We’ve already seen all this before.”

“But if this report is accurate…” Jeanie pointed toward the hostages. “Look at how many people are gathered here. That means a zombie wave is coming. And unlike us, those bastards don’t have doors. When the wave hits, they’ll be the first to get overwhelmed. We just have to wait it out. No need to rush things.”

“You think it’ll be any better for us if the zombie wave triggers a mutation? And how do we even know this is true?”

“Honey, that doesn’t matter.”

Gae Baek-jeong fumed, unable to understand Jeanie’s logic. His breath came in short, angry bursts, but then, as if shedding a mask, his furious expression melted away. A chilling grin stretched across his face.

Jeanie returned his smile and elaborated, “What matters is that they believe it. Whether they like it or not, they’ll have to make the first move. There’s no point in wasting energy picking fights with too many dogs.”

She chuckled. Their combat team had taken losses. If they didn’t secure enough spoils, the operation wouldn’t be worth it.

Now calm, Baek-jeong adopted his usual ambiguous expression—somewhere between amusement and rage. Without warning, he grabbed a woman by her hair.

“Aagh!”

“Still, I have to set an example for the mutts who don’t recognize their master.”

With that, Baek-jeong dragged the woman across the floor and up the stairs.

On the second-floor terrace, he partially slit her throat.

Blood gushed from the wound, staining her clothes crimson. Then, with a final kick, he sent her stumbling toward the railing.

“Uhh… uh…”

She clutched at her bleeding throat, staggering toward the terrace railing. Eyes wide in shock, she turned toward the unseen figures beyond the camp, trying to cry for help.

“Sa… save me—”

But her voice failed. Blood filled her mouth, reducing her plea to a sickly, gurgling sound.

Clinging to the railing, she struggled in vain before her body gave out.

With a dull thud, she hit the ground below. Her frail body twisted grotesquely upon impact.

“That bastard…!”

From their hiding spots, the recon team watched in horror. One of them, Hyuk, trembled violently, barely holding back his rage.

He nearly bolted from cover, but Sweeper grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Hey, calm down. Yohan’s orders will come. And stop biting your lip so hard. Unless you want to turn into a zombie from an infection.”

“Ugh… ughhh…!”

Hyuk seethed, furious and helpless.

But he held back. He couldn’t afford to ruin everything because of his emotions.

Sure enough, Yohan’s voice soon crackled over the radio, issuing a simple command: “Hold your positions.”

Yohan remained composed, waiting.

If they had read the documents properly, the enemy should now understand the zombie wave—and what that meant for them. They should realize that the balance of power was shifting, forcing their hand.

Yes… Just wait. Stay put. I’ll come to you soon enough.

The recon team remained still.

The situation was brutal, but they had been prepared for this. No one acted rashly. Now was the time to wait.

Then, a transmission came through on the recon team’s private channel.

“Hyung, are you listening?”

It was Jung-hwan.

Recognizing the voice, Yohan immediately grabbed his radio.

“You’re alive.”

“Yeah, hyung. Where are you?”

“Meet me at S-Zone parking lot.”

“On my way!”

Jung-hwan’s voice carried a surprising brightness. Yohan exhaled, relieved—one of his biggest worries was gone.

The rest of the recon team had also been anxious about Jung-hwan. When they heard his voice, the previously tense and grim faces eased, if only slightly.

Moments later, Jung-hwan arrived. He rushed toward Yohan, looking excited—an unusual sight given the circumstances.

Behind him, a familiar-looking female student lurked, half-hidden behind his back.

The cause of all this trouble.

The moment Yohan saw her, he understood—this girl was one of the key reasons everything had spiraled into chaos.

But he didn’t let his irritation show. What was done was done.

In fact, perhaps she had even been the reason Jung-hwan survived.

Jung-hwan, still high on adrenaline, started ranting.

“Hyung, that woman, Suhee—she’s completely insane!”

“Lower your voice. Speak slowly.”

“Ah… yeah, okay.”

With Yohan’s firm reprimand, Jung-hwan took a breath before recounting what he had heard from Ah-young.

Everything finally started to make sense.

Suhee—the real power behind Park Town Camp.

She had been controlling everything from the shadows. The now-expelled Michael, the current leader Marco, and most of the men from Park Town Camp had all been her bed partners.

From behind the scenes, she had manipulated them, skillfully consolidating her influence.

For Yohan, who rarely interacted with anyone outside of the camp leaders and recon team, her actions had been nearly impossible to detect.

More importantly, Marco—the so-called leader—had been nothing more than her puppet.

Suhee had been careful. To those who might have posed a threat, she feigned loyalty. If someone was too strong-willed or difficult to control, she avoided them entirely.

Instead, she preyed on the weak—recruiting those who were emotionally unstable or easily manipulated.

Ah-young had been one of her targets.

She had subtly pressured Ah-young into sexual encounters, using veiled threats to ensure compliance.

Fearing for her safety, Ah-young had spent her days hiding, avoiding interactions, and seeking out secluded places.

After hearing everything, Yohan patted Jung-hwan’s back.

“You did well. Get settled. We’ve got a battle to finish.”