Chapter 149
It wasn’t a full-blown crisis yet, but compared to the number of survivors, the amount of food being supplied was definitely insufficient.
While each island managed some degree of self-sufficiency through fishing, gathering, and hunting, the problem was with the search teams on Cuisine.
“We might have to go outside the city after all.”
According to Auckland’s survivors, the situation in most regions outside Auckland was dire. For countries of that size, Mutant appearances were frequent.
Unlike Korea, China, and Japan, the main threat in New Zealand and Australia wasn’t ordinary zombies, but Mutants. In reality, more people died to Mutants than to zombies.
Except for large cities, population density wasn’t high, so after the government collapsed, quite a few survivors managed to live scattered across the land, but most ended up as prey for Mutants roaming all over.
“We’ll have to head out to Auckland’s outskirts. What do the Combat Search Division leaders think?”
The four considered it for a moment before Sweeper spoke up as their representative.
“The advance party will be us four, right?”
Yohan nodded.
Whenever they entered unverified regions, Squad 1, consisting of Yohan and Search Team Leaders 1–3, always went. This was to deal with Mutants without casualties.
“If only we could get rid of that damn mosquito out in the Auckland outskirts first.”
“This time, we have to finish it.”
This wasn’t Camp Yohan’s first attempt to venture beyond Auckland.
Well before this food shortage was looming, they’d tried searching the outskirts twice, but failed both times.
The reason for failure: the Mutant Mosquitoes appearing in the mountains surrounding Auckland.
Squad 1 had been battling this unusual type of Mutant for nearly a month.
Yohan assessed its threat level as 8—comparable to David or Shark—but what made it truly dangerous wasn’t combat strength, but its habits.
Unlike other Mutants, it didn’t eat people. It had a long tube like a mosquito’s proboscis attached to its tail, and it would stab it into humans and infect them. Then, leaving the infected person behind, it would go searching for others.
Its main habitat was the old, thick-wooded mountain areas. It never came into major cities, but appeared in the mountains surrounding them.
Finding it required a lot of manpower, and the losses were high, but if left alone, it wouldn’t come into their territory, so they had continued this uneasy stand-off.
“It’s a coward that runs off without even putting up a decent fight.”
“Whenever we go looking for it, we never see a trace, right?”
Hajin and Noah exchanged comments.
“It’s probably because of these Mutant suits.”
“It’s because the Mutant scent on the suits covers the human scent.”
It was an unusual Mutant in many ways. As local chatter started up, Yohan waved his hand to quiet them.
“The last two times, our goal was to get through the mountains, which made things even harder. This time, we focus on finding it and taking it out. We search thoroughly until we find it.”
“The goal’s good, but Yohan, how will we find it?”
“Call Seri. Let’s make it a five-person squad.”
“…That’ll get noisy.”
At Yohan’s words, everyone’s expressions were half laughter, half dismay. He tilted his head, not understanding their looks.
Jae-ho soon brought Seri in.
“You called me?”
Seri entered the conference room with her usual bright face. She nodded to the island administrators she hadn’t seen in a while, and they smiled back.
She smiled broadly, then briefly shot Yohan a look before taking a seat.
“What’s up?”
Her voice was indifferent.
“Squad 1 will be going out on the next search. The target is the Mutant Mosquito. You and Heukgu are coming too.”
“Last time you wouldn’t let me come, no matter what.”
“You were on vacation.”
“If I said I don’t want to rest, why should you care?”
Yohan gave a wry smile at Seri’s grumbling.
“Whatever, I’m in. I’ll do my best.”
Yohan nodded at her words. Though unpredictable, she was a powerful asset.
During the Auckland adaptation period, Seri had doubled down on joint training with Heukgu. First was finding survivors, second was finding zombies and Mutants.
Their teamwork was excellent thanks to the intense training, and after that, they often led the Auckland stabilization operations.
But Squad 1 was always supposed to be made up of immune survivors only. And Seri’s immunity had yet to be proven.
That was one of Yohan’s concerns.
Her role was best suited to the vanguard, but since her immunity wasn’t confirmed, she always had to take a step back.
He’d tried finding other ways, but none of the four immune survivors had any talent for working with search dogs. At best, they’d end up beating the dog and getting mobbed by animal lovers.
It wasn’t just her—he’d tried pairing dogs with many people to form tracking teams, but Seri and Heukgu were the only pair able to reliably distinguish and search for zombies, survivors, and Mutants.
So, half out of necessity, Seri often joined Squad 1, and of course, she was happy about it. Yohan was the exact opposite.
“It’s going to be dangerous.”
“When has it ever not been? It’s fine. If I die, I die.”
She seemed even more prickly after Ji-hye’s death. The team leaders said it was because of them, but Yohan couldn’t understand that reasoning.
Jae-ho wrapped up the eleven-person meeting, and everyone else said their goodbyes and went to their stations.
Left were Jae-ho, Squad 1, and Seri.
“Let’s start the operation briefing right away.”
“Is there even anything to brief? We don’t know a thing about it.”
At Hajin’s question, Jae-ho nodded.
“To be honest, we barely know anything about its capabilities.”
“We’ve never fought it head-on with Squad 1. I’m not even sure it wants to fight us.”
The name—no one knows who came up with it—Mutant Mosquito, really was a perfect fit for the thing. An annoying mosquito-like existence that sucks blood and runs away.
Listening quietly, Yohan opened his eyes wide and spoke.
“If you look at its guerrilla fighting style—avoiding drawn-out battles and hitting and running—it’s hard to say its actual combat power is high. If it were, this would be the toughest fight ever.”
“Agreed.”
Its very existence had become a natural barrier that kept people from leaving Auckland. Anyone trying to leave—or enter—was likely dying because of it, probably even now.
“We’ve never fought it directly, so it’s hard to call anything a strategy.”
Jae-ho scratched his nose awkwardly as he continued.
“For equipment, we’ll just need the regular grenades, NHG-2, and maybe some large Mutant traps and nets.”
The NHG is a special anti-Mutant grenade developed by the lab. Its shrapnel is larger and its blast more powerful than regular grenades. The downside is it can’t be thrown and has to be shoved like a stick into a Mutant’s mouth, but its destructive power is certain.
Model 1 had already been tested and proven highly effective against actual Mutants.
Model 2 was upgraded for greater safety, and after detonation, the reinforced cord attached to the stick part could be used to track or restrain the Mutant’s movements.
It was a weapon designed purely for large Mutants—a product of the fully supported and backed Camp Yohan research lab.
“That’s overkill.”
“Is it?”
“NHG-2 still needs more safety and performance trials. It’s too much to use it on a new, unstudied Mutant. Take Model 1. Bring lots of traps and nets.”
“But boss, the tracking and binding function on Model 2 seems perfect for this Mutant. Why not take at least one instead of so many traps and nets?”
Yohan stared at Jae-ho. He looked confident. He might not have tested it himself, but he seemed sure the safety and power had been thoroughly verified. Yohan nodded.
“Do it.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll do that.”
“How long do you think it’ll take to get ready?”
Yohan looked at the team. After exchanging glances, Sweeper shrugged.
“Well, for us, the only thing we need to prepare is our bodies. How about our only lady?”
“Hmm… I’m fine, but since I just got back from a search, Heukgu could use some rest.”
“All right. We leave in two days. Jae-ho, handle the prep.”
“Yes.”
“Dismissed.”
Yohan clapped his hands twice and stood up. As he got up to leave, Seri tried to follow, but his figure had already disappeared down the hall. Her expression darkened.
—
Cuisine’s dining hall.
Even as everyone finished eating and returned to their stations, Seri remained sitting alone at a table in the middle of the hall.
Her eyes were blank, her focus drifting somewhere far away.
As Sweeper licked his lips over the meager rations, he approached and gave the absent-minded Seri a nudge. Her dull gaze slowly focused on him.
“Oh, hey.”
Sweeper glanced at her plate. Lost in thought, she absentmindedly poked at her food—a chunk of shredded, unidentifiable meat.
“Training?”
“I’m eating.”
“…Looks more like you’re destroying your food. I thought you were image-training against the Mosquito.”
Seri glanced at her plate as if to say what are you talking about, then chuckled when she saw her mangled meal.
‘What am I even thinking?’
“Seri, why so down? That’s not like you. Clinging to a failed romance will only hurt you. It’s as hopeless as a stock market hit by both the subprime mortgage crisis and the IMF crash.”
“Mister, if you’re just going to mess with me, go away.”
Sweeper pulled out a chair and sat next to her, propping up his chin. He knew the situation, but there was nothing he could do except gently tap her on the shoulder.
“Mister.”
“It’s ‘oppa.’”
“Do you think I’m unattractive?”
“Jeez, it’s nice to resemble someone you like, but why did you have to copy his habit of only saying what’s on his mind?”
“Am I unattractive or not?”
“Hmm… not sure what you want from me. As a teammate? Or as a dog owner?”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
Seri frowned and let out a weak laugh, and Sweeper grinned, understanding her worries.
She’d been pursuing Yohan for a long time, but he had always shown zero interest in anything outside of the group’s survival.
Since the squad-level meetings had become the eleven-member meetings, Yohan rarely joined the front lines except when Squad 1 deployed, and her time with him noticeably dwindled.
Still, Sweeper knew that, to Yohan, Seri was an important asset.
‘If only everyone could give up their desires, it’d be a happy ending for all.’
“I think you’re more than attractive. Young, strong, beautiful.”
At Sweeper’s words, Seri looked up, blushing at the unexpected compliment.
“But, you know, everyone has their own taste. You’re strong and attractive, but maybe you put the first button in the wrong hole. Maybe you’re just not Yohan’s type. Sometimes you go a bit overboard.”
“Overboard?”
“Like getting too relaxed in a fight, or putting out too much sex appeal. First, try not doing the things he’d hate.”
“…Mister, ‘sex appeal,’ really?”
“No, not like that. I mean, maybe you lay on the romantic charm too thick. Since you have a high rank, maybe you should show more weight and maturity—show your growth. Yohan is way more old-fashioned than you think. And you know why he never shows interest in romance, right?”
“But still…”
“Sure, casualties are down and everything’s more stable, but he still believes survival could turn on us at any time. He doesn’t want anyone around him to cross their final line and cloud his judgment. He thinks he must have no weaknesses.”
“……”
“It’s his strange sense of responsibility. Still, he doesn’t push you away. He doesn’t chase after other women, and he doesn’t reject you either. If you want him, you have to take responsibility for that choice, Seri. Either give up, or accept it.”
She didn’t seem to be any better, but rather more resolved. Sweeper turned his gaze out the window.
By now, one of them should have given up.
Anyway, both sides are as stubborn as they come.
