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The comrades brought in a person who was still alive despite being shot. The survivor in the watchtower-like building just kept shouting, unable to bring themselves to attack, fearing the living hostage might get hurt.

A comrade asked, “Should we administer first aid? If we leave the gunshot wound untreated, they’ll die soon.”

“Strip off their outer clothes and use them to apply pressure to the wound,” I replied.

I didn’t want to waste our resources. These people are disposable, after all. Disposable items are meant to be used and discarded, not repaired and cherished.

I smirked and dragged the still-dazed Townhouse representative forward. My voice carried just far enough to avoid the bricks.

“See this? Your leader is now a hostage,” I shouted toward the people gathered in the watchtower-like building, but there was no response.

Was it because their leader was in my grasp? Did they have no one else to command the survivors? Was this an organization that couldn’t function without its head?

I narrowed my eyes and plotted the scenario.

“What will happen if we give them time? Will they split or unite?”

Hostages, threats, persuasion, sowing discord—could I shake them with these tactics?

…No, it’s impossible. I moved too aggressively. I charged with the captured prisoner, using flames as bait to lure them out and kill them. There’s no trust left, so I can’t draw them in.

Then attacking now is the best option. Before they unite, while they’re still panicked.

Just then, the Townhouse representative finally regained consciousness. He groaned incoherently, then with great effort, twisted his neck to look up at the watchtower.

“Run… run,” he gasped.

It seemed he had belatedly decided that running was the best option. Unfortunately, his faint voice didn’t reach them.

“Run? No way.”

I forced him to his knees and struck his skull with a hammer. Anyone with hostility must die. Who knows if they’ll survive and come back for revenge later?

Leaving the corpse behind, I returned to my comrades and said simply, “Let’s attack. If we get hit by bricks, we’ll get hurt, so use the hostages as shields. And let’s quickly modify the cart.”

“Understood.”

***

The preparations were quickly completed. We emptied the transport cart, brought tables from the café or convenience store below the Townhouse, placed them on the cart, and tied the hostages on top.

The comrades crawled under the tables, advancing slowly like ducks.

A tactic to block the mass weapon—bricks.

Bricks rained down sporadically, but their force was weak. They couldn’t bring themselves to attack the hostages, and their numbers were few.

Of course, we couldn’t get too close either. If a refrigerator fell from the window, we’d be dead.

The sporadic attacks continued.

“Let’s see. We’ll go around the side,” I said.

While the comrades fought at the front, I infiltrated the Townhouse with the criminal companions. No matter how many fences they put up, they can’t stop a thief.

We had both an Electric Thief and a real thief.

Park Yang-gun looked around and brought over a few leather clothes from the transport cart.

“I think we can get over the wooden fence with these.”

“Good.”

Even if we couldn’t climb the high construction site soundproof walls, we were confident we could scale the spiky wooden fence with just a blanket.

We quietly slipped away from the group, crossed a road overgrown with weeds, and reached the fence, out of the watchtower’s sight.

The fence, made of logs neither too thick nor too thin, was deeply embedded in the ground, with rusty nails hammered into the top. Climbing it barehanded would mean risking injury.

Park Yang-gun quickly covered the fence with leather clothes, layering them in case of tears.

“This should be safe.”

Park Yang-gun demonstrated by lightly climbing over the fence, and a jingling sound followed. From the other side, he said, “They’ve set up wind chimes or bells? Probably to detect people approaching at night. …There might be traps or alarms inside the Townhouse too. Hurry up.”

I blinked. The top of the fence, even with the nails covered, looked uneven. It seemed impossible. Park Yang-gun and Jeondohyeong, being light, could manage, but Sajihyeok and I, with our bulkier builds, would struggle.

Sajihyeok, who couldn’t move well, hesitated and stepped back.

“I can’t do it. Really, I can’t.”

“Uh… it looks tough for me too.”

Park Yang-gun, shaking the bell, snapped angrily, “So you want me to go in alone?”

“I’ll go with you.”

Jeondohyeong, after a few failed attempts, somehow managed to climb over. As expected of the two thieves. Unlike me or the conman, they could easily overcome such obstacles.

I muttered in slight admiration, “Then I’ll leave it to you two. We’ll go around further.”

“Really not coming? What are two people supposed to do alone?”

Park Yang-gun grumbled.

“You don’t need to get too deep or close to the watchtower. Just gunfire from the rear will shake them.”

“I’ll handle it. I’ll adapt to the situation.”

Good. The criminal comrades are capable enough to do their part even without me.

I walked a bit further along the fence with Sajihyeok. From behind, Sajihyeok’s voice followed.

“I can’t do that kind of thing… I might slip or get hurt by the nails. But…”

He hesitated, then suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “Is it the same for you, Dain? Haha. I can’t control my body well, but surely you’re not scared of climbing that, are you?”

I had to hear this from Sajihyeok? The guy who trips while walking alone? I pursed my lips and sighed.

Honestly, I’m not great with physical tasks either. I’m more on the incapable side. If I fire a handgun, five out of six shots miss. In a fair fight, I’d lose to a zombie.

I’m only good at finishing off enemies, ambushing, or bashing heads.

“Let’s focus, Sajihyeok. We’re in combat now.”

Bang, bang—the occasional gunfire could be heard. This wasn’t the main battlefield at the watchtower, but it was still a warzone.

Sajihyeok awkwardly replied, “Understood.”

As we walked, we soon reached the upper part of the Townhouse.

The rear of the Townhouse, where a landslide had occurred. The fence was broken, and the soil had formed a steep slope, making it hard to climb.

Sajihyeok stepped forward and clicked his tongue.

“We can’t approach from here, can we?”

Are we really going to do nothing? Really? I stared at the fence. They had nailed it shut here too, making it hard to climb.

Just in case, I tapped it a few times with a hammer, but the fence didn’t budge.

“…Let’s go back.”

“Yes. Well, everyone has their strengths. This isn’t our kind of work.”

***

We returned to the entrance of the Townhouse.

There, sporadic skirmishes were still ongoing. The comrades, maintaining a safe distance to avoid getting hit by furniture, fired their guns with difficulty.

The Townhouse survivors, now that most hostages were dead, were fervently throwing bricks.

We were losing momentum.

‘I wonder what Park Yang-gun and Jeondohyeong are up to.’

We need to hit them from the rear to gain an advantage.

Then, gunfire rang out. From the rear, inside the Townhouse. The Townhouse people seemed momentarily stunned, and the brick barrage stopped.

Soon, their movements changed. While fighting, they must have discussed something, as the protruding staff slings moved quickly, as if descending from the rooftop.

“Are they running?”

It didn’t seem like they were just running.

Indeed, the people on the second floor started throwing refrigerators and furniture out the windows. The crashing furniture further blocked the already barricaded road.

Blocking the exit? No, there’s an escape route Sajihyeok and I couldn’t find. They’re blocking the main gate and fleeing through there.

I shouted, “Stop defending and attack!”

I didn’t just say it—I acted. I slung the machine gun from the combat cart over my shoulder and moved forward.

“Yes!”

“Ah, my leg!”

The comrades immediately stood up. Crouching had cut off circulation to their legs, but they limped forward, aiming their guns.

We struggled over the barricade, a mix of a junkyard and a trash heap, and reached the main gate without further hindrance. The closer we got, the more we could sense the people’s presence.

They were escaping through the windows, not the watchtower door, using the building as cover. From the watchtower window, red flames and black smoke billowed.

A rough shout was heard.

“Set it on fire and escape to the mountain path!”

A petty trick to scatter our forces and slow us down.

I pointed to a few limping comrades.

“You, handle the building fire! The machine gun guards the main gate! The rest, follow me! We’re going up to the top of the Townhouse!”

They mentioned a mountain path. In this closed-off Townhouse, the only escape route must lead to the landslide’s soil pile.

While they circled the building, we’ll secure the retreat path first.

‘If we secure the retreat path, they’re all trapped mice. We can kill them all.’

I slung the heavy machine gun over my shoulder and walked briskly. As I did, the front door of a house swung open, and Park Yang-gun and Jeondohyeong poked their heads out, guns in hand.

“Here. We’ve secured the house with the solar generator.”

“Yes! Keep holding it!”

Did they secure the electrical facilities first because of the Electric Thief?

I thought about it but didn’t glance their way. I ran to the top of the Townhouse, where the landslide had swept away a detached house. A few people were fleeing over the soil pile.

We lost them. They were already too far. They must have made their own path, as they moved without hesitation.

I checked the footprints left on the soil pile, caught my breath, and turned around.

“Shoot anyone approaching. Understood?”

 

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