Chapter 150
Five motorcycles left headquarters. The route up to the edge of the mountain was clean and clear, so the vanguard sped through the city without hindrance. Search Team 4 and Elder Yong saw them off.
Since the camp leader and three team leaders were all leaving at once, Elder Yong’s expression was grim.
It wasn’t so much worry as irritation.
Of course, no one in Squad 1 was worried about those staying behind. As a sergeant major, he was more than capable. If anything, everyone was sure the group would shape up under Elder Yong’s discipline in their absence.
“Take care. Don’t get yourselves killed.”
“Please look after everyone while we’re gone, sir.”
“Yeah. Everyone’s gotten lazy lately, so I’ll use this chance to drill some sense into these rotten punks.”
The vanguard laughed at the old man’s words, while the team members behind him looked on with long faces.
At Yohan’s brief instructions, the vanguard straightened their faces and headed into the foothills.
Inside the mountains, Yohan’s group followed a roughly drawn map, searching from the northeast to the southwest.
The operation itself wasn’t anything special. They were all capable in combat, and Mutant hunts were routine. If they spotted their quarry, they were confident it wouldn’t escape.
Noah, skilled at tracking and spotting signs, took the lead on the left. Seri and Heukgu were on the right. Heukgu, though not yet two years old, was a large and courageous dog by breed—which was probably how he’d survived in a field full of zombies.
Suddenly realizing something, Yohan called out to Seri up ahead.
“Seri.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Come here for a second.”
Seri hesitated, but came over to Yohan, who took off his Mutant suit and handed it to her.
Without the suit, she’d become a target for the Mosquito. He couldn’t risk their most vulnerable member.
When Seri hesitated, Yohan opened the suit and slipped it over her head.
“Arms up.”
“Huh? Oh….”
While she fumbled, the dull suit settled around her. It was a bit long and dragged on the ground, but it wasn’t enough to hamper her movement.
“Ugh, this is heavy.”
“Still, keep it on. It’s dangerous without it.”
“Okay.”
She answered obediently. There was the faintest trace of a smile on Seri’s face. The suit was warm.
The five-person vanguard began their mountain search.
If they could just take down the Mutant guarding this nameless mountain, all the routes within the 40 km vertical and 30 km horizontal range of Auckland’s greater urban area would open. There were still plenty of live livestock in the Auckland hinterlands.
Squad 1 could already travel back and forth, but for a full-scale search and resource collection, they had to eliminate all local threats.
Heukgu was quiet. He would react if the Mutant got close. For now, Noah led the search, thoroughly combing the mountains for tracks.
It wasn’t a large range, but with caves and undergrowth to check, time slipped by.
“Noah, let’s stop for today and set up camp.”
Having searched about a third, Yohan looked at the setting sun and called Noah over.
“Okay. I saw a cave over there. Sweeper, Hajin. Can you help set tripwires on the searched lines?”
“Sure.”
“No problem.”
As Noah skillfully prepared gear, Yohan turned to Seri.
“Let’s get our camp and meal ready.”
“Okay!”
The three left to secure the search lines.
Yohan and Seri entered the small cave Noah had found earlier.
While Yohan gathered dry branches to start a fire, Seri pulled out two large rectangular cans of food, gloves, chopsticks, and paper cups from her pack.
Once the fire was going, she expertly set the cans to heat. As the meat inside simmered, bubbles frothed in the broth.
The two watched the boiling canned meat in silence, a heavy quiet between them.
It was strange for Yohan. It had been a long time since they were alone together. Outside of combat, Seri was usually always chatty, wherever they were.
“Something wrong?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Seri just blinked back at Yohan’s question.
Was it just his imagination? Yohan shrugged.
“Nothing, just seemed like you were a little down.”
“Not really. Maybe I’m just tense after being back on the front line for the first time in a while.”
“You? That’s unusual.”
Seri let out a small laugh at his reaction.
“What’s with that? I get nervous too, you know.”
“Really.”
“…Oppa, everything’s almost ready.”
“All right. Take a break. I’ll stand guard.”
“No, I’ll just stay with you.”
Yohan stood at the cave entrance, and Seri came over and leaned against the wall nearby.
It was a trivial, ordinary conversation, but it felt nice. She was starved for his affection. Even just being given his suit was enough to make her giddy.
She didn’t want to force anything or be a burden. She didn’t want to get hurt by being rejected, so she hid her feelings.
Her heart was aching, but she couldn’t let go. Just being near him still made her heart race, gave her strength, made her feel loved.
Lonely, and loving him.
She knew it was selfish, but she couldn’t let go.
Letting go—she honestly wanted to. At the same time, she didn’t. One-sided love was exhausting and painful, but she still wanted to hold his hand, hold him, and wake up beside him in the morning.
“Are you crying?”
Oh no, some useless tears must have slipped out without her realizing. Seri hurriedly turned away from his gaze.
Yohan’s deep, quiet voice pierced her like a knife—cold, but paradoxically endlessly gentle.
“Why?”
Seri couldn’t answer.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just a yawn…”
She quickly wiped her eyes. Yohan’s mouth twitched up in a faint smile.
“Take a rest.”
“I’m… fine.”
Yohan looked outside, and Seri’s gaze followed him.
After a short while, the three returned, dusted with dirt.
“Wow, that smells good.”
Noah greeted them with a friendly smile. At that moment, two shadows flashed past on either side of him.
“Huh?”
Before he knew it, Sweeper’s and Hajin’s chopsticks were making a beeline for the canned food—like bees swarming to honey.
Noah let out an exasperated laugh, but everyone except him was locked in a silent chopstick battle.
Even Seri batted away Hajin’s chopsticks with her own, guarding her share.
“What are you doing? If you’re late, there won’t be any left.”
“……”
At Yohan’s firm words, Noah hurried to his seat.
“From the outside, it’ll be Noah, Hajin, Sweeper, me, then Seri. We’ll rotate watch every 90 minutes.”
“Roger.”
After dinner, they finished setting up the night watch and did a bit of light exercise before settling in for sleep. The mountain sun set quickly. Soon, the only light in Auckland was the faint yellow glow of their campfire.
“I’m going to sleep first.”
Seri went to bed early. She needed plenty of rest to keep up, since she didn’t have the stamina of the others.
Compared to other search team members, she could hold her own against the men—but these four were exceptions. They were monsters who didn’t seem to tire.
Getting to bed early and waking up late, fully recharging her strength, was how she managed not to be a burden to the squad.
Heukgu burrowed into her arms, warmth and a musty dog smell mingling together.
Crackling fire and the low murmur of Noah and Yohan chatting by the fire sounded like a lullaby.
The sleeping arrangements weren’t as uncomfortable as she’d expected. Suddenly, Seri noticed there were four blankets at her spot.
It was Yohan. He was the one who set her up in the corner, put her on the last watch, and gave her extra blankets.
Small, unnoticed acts of consideration.
Normally, she might have kicked him for treating her like she needed special care, but this time, Seri just hugged two blankets tight to her chest.
It wasn’t that she liked the kindness—she liked kindness that came from him.
It was a night when even shallow breaths felt vivid.
Of course, Seri had no idea that everyone had been given two blankets each, including Heukgu.
As Yohan lay down, Seri inched closer bit by bit.
Pretending it was just how she slept, she stretched her hand until it brushed his arm.
Feeling his warmth, Seri drifted into sleep.
The next day, the team resumed their search.
For about three hours they searched non-stop, until Noah finally found traces of their target—a dragging tail mark.
“These tracks are less than six hours old. Everyone should stay alert.”
Everyone’s eyes followed his, but there was nothing to see. Maybe it was something only he could spot.
Instead of doubting him, the group shifted into full alert. Noah’s senses were sometimes sharper than an animal’s.
Following his lead, they found more and more signs even a layman could recognize.
Now, it was Heukgu’s turn to shine.
“This looks like the thing’s bodily fluid.”
“Heukgu.”
Woof!
At Noah’s words, Seri immediately called Heukgu.
Heukgu came to where Seri pointed and sniffed around a tree, circling it.
“Find this scent.”
Woof woof!
Heukgu wagged his tail and started sniffing his way forward. The five followed at a slight distance.
After about thirty minutes, Heukgu suddenly stopped and started barking. Tension rippled through the group.
“It must be close.”
“Stop. Defensive circle.”
At Seri’s words, Yohan ordered everyone to form a ring. The five stood back-to-back, watching for any opening.
The only sounds were the wind rustling through grass and leaves, insects chirping, and Heukgu’s fierce barking.
Silence. And tension.
They’d fought and beaten countless Mutants, but every fight left their muscles drawn so tight it felt like their flesh was being cut.
That peculiar sense of crisis wasn’t there—maybe this one wasn’t as dangerous as some of the others.
Still, they couldn’t afford to be careless. The tension helped keep their guard up.
Rustle, rustle.
A strange sound intruded.
At that moment—
Screeee—
The sound of something slicing the air, and Yohan’s perfectly honed machete swung at almost the same time.
He instinctively knew the thing would come for him, and as soon as the sound hit, his weapon struck.
It was like a scene from a martial arts movie—a flash.
In an instant, with a sharp sound, black blood sprayed.
Kiiiiieeeek!—
The Mutant, hit by a surprise attack, spun through the air and bounced across the ground.
Just as witnesses had said: short, thin legs, a tail nearly twice its body length, and crocodile-like teeth.
The Mutant Mosquito.
Sweeper’s hand axe followed like a thunderbolt.
Thunk!
The axe struck dirt.
The thing coiled its tail and wriggled away into the undergrowth like an eel.
“Sweeper! After it!”
“Roger!”
Sweeper quickly retrieved his axe and dove into the brush. The Mutant’s body darted and twisted like a squirrel.
“Damn, it’s fast.”
Thud! Thud! Rustle—the sound of trampling dirt and leaves on clothes. Hajin, Yohan, and Noah moved to surround it.
Sweeper spun his hand axe and slung it onto his back, then pulled a bazooka-like cylindrical launcher from his left side.
A giant Mutant net gun, reinforced with fishing line. Including Hajin’s, they only had two shots. They’d have to be precise.
“Behind the red-flowered tree! Cutting at an angle!”
With Sweeper’s call, the three men moved fast, trying to keep the thing from escaping.
Just then, the Mutant vanished from sight.
“It’s gone—”
But at that exact moment, it charged the rearmost member—Seri.
It reacted to Heukgu’s barking, lashing its tail and charging right for them.
Heukgu bravely lunged, but the Mosquito immediately lashed out with its tail. Heukgu was sent flying, crashing into a tree.
“Seri!”
All four men turned and ran toward her, but the Mutant was faster, stabbing its tail straight at Seri.
She gripped her Gerber Broadcut machete tightly. But the moment she saw the Mutant’s sharp stinger, her instincts kicked in and she raised both arms to guard, just as the attack struck.
“Seri!!”
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(T/N: Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)
