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The Delivery Vigilante Group led by Rider Zero was closer to a Survivor Organization that didn’t accumulate karma. Fair trade, a business that didn’t unnecessarily create grudges.

Even though I killed the kids they sponsored first, they didn’t immediately create conflict, just waited for my downfall. A diplomatic skill that stepped out of the cycle of revenge.

But that didn’t mean they were clumsy survivors.

“Doesn’t seem like a trap… But there’s no proof the uncle isn’t lying.”

“Seeing the corpse’s clothes changed, it’s either a person or a zombie. The motorcycle’s fine, so it’s not a traffic accident. Looks like they were attacked after getting off the bike. Did the uncle see that?”

The voices of the two distrustful Riders continued.

As expected of Riders in charge of investigations, they reasoned quite logically. Maybe they were assigned to investigate the missing because their brains worked that well.

Park Yang-gun spat out his words bluntly.

“If you don’t want to trade, just leave. Why so much talk?”

His voice was irritated, as if he’d wasted time. Park Yang-gun naturally complained like a truly ordinary survivor.

“I’m the idiot who wasted time trying to trade with this. I could’ve scavenged something by now.”

I was impressed internally. How does he lie so easily?

There was no awkwardness in his demeanor. No signs of anxiety, wariness, or nervousness.

The Riders seemed fooled too, falling silent for a moment before asking a question.

“Uncle. Just tell us who killed them. Zombie or person?”

“Person.”

Park Yang-gun told the truth, but his attitude was the same as when he lied. The Riders lowered their voices and whispered among themselves.

Meanwhile, we crouched, gripping our firearms tightly. They had to come closer. That way, we could shoot them at close range and kill them for sure.

I constantly wrote scenarios in my head, assuming situations, which is why I calmly reacted to the Riders’ wary approach.

“Alright. Write the info on paper, make a paper plane, and throw it. We’ll leave food here on the road.”

Basic distance for safety.

If they got closer to the building, they could throw furniture from the windows. If they entered the building, there might be traps. These Riders knew that well and suggested trading from a distance.

Park Yang-gun clicked his tongue.

“No paper or pen. And if I just get a paper plane and you run, I get nothing.”

“Then let’s trade up close? Inside the building? That’s a no-go.”

After some back-and-forth, they finally compromised.

The amount of food was enough for one person to eat twice if rationed. The trade location was the front entrance on the first floor. The Rider would throw the food in front of the entrance and wait across the street. Park Yang-gun would check the food and speak from inside the entrance.

The Rider gave a final warning.

“Don’t think about taking the food with some nonsense lie. We’re on motorcycles. You can’t run. And even a plausible lie won’t work. We’ll cross-check with other survivors.”

“So much talk. Let’s just finish the trade. I’m hungry.”

Park Yang-gun, who had been lying until the end, turned his body and grumbled.

“Too much caution. Can’t lure them inside.”

“No, this much is enough.”

“Well, that’s good. …But why are those brats using informal speech? No manners.”

Seemingly bothered by the informal speech, Park Yang-gun pulled down his bucket hat and picked up the rifle he’d thrown on the ground earlier.

I chimed in to back up Park Yang-gun, who had done a decent job.

“No manners. If you have no manners, your head gets smashed. I’ll avenge you.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse. They’re going to die anyway, why use me as a reason?”

Why does he act like this even when I side with him?

Then, a Rider’s voice came from outside the window.

“Threw it! Your turn, uncle!”

“Coming down, wait!”

Yes, our turn. They gave us food, now it’s time to repay them with bullets. Park Yang-gun held his gun at an angle where it couldn’t be seen from outside and spoke. He glanced out the window.

“What now? They’ve taken cover. They went across the street on their motorcycles and hid behind abandoned cars. …They’ve even drawn their handguns. It’s awkward to fight if we go down.”

“It’s fine. We couldn’t lure them inside, but the situation isn’t bad.”

Not the best situation, but not the worst either. More like a second-best option.

Anyway, aren’t we at an advantage in terms of terrain and distance? The second floor is a relative high ground, and the distance favors rifles over handguns.

I quickly whispered the priorities.

“Killing is the first priority. Motorcycles are second, fuel is third.”

The best option is to kill them without damaging the motorcycles. Even if we shoot the motorcycles, as long as the fuel tanks are intact, we can use the fuel.

Sajihyeok confidently whispered.

“Time to show off my shooting skills.”

“….”

Can I trust that confidence?

But there’s no more time to waste. We need to shoot before they sense something’s wrong.

“Everyone, take a window and shoot. Now, immediately.”

***

The Criminal Companions moved instantly. They rushed to the windows, aimed their guns, and pulled the triggers.

I did the same. Aiming at where the voices came from, I pulled the trigger repeatedly. In the short bursts of gunfire, I pinpointed their locations.

‘Two. Behind the car. A bit of their heads and upper bodies are visible.’

The Riders seemed startled by the sudden rifle fire but crouched down. Their exposed area shrank even more.

“Rifles? It’s them! Run!”

“Scatter!”

They reflexively fired their handguns in suppression and got on their motorcycles. They seemed to have some combat tactics, as the two motorcycles went in opposite directions. One forward, one backward. Preparing to scatter in opposite directions if they couldn’t handle the attack.

‘Need to kill them before they move.’

Spraying bullets randomly isn’t enough.

I held my breath and aligned the sights perfectly. My hands trembled with excitement, but the shaking soon stopped.

Relaxing my grip, I pulled the trigger gently. Bang, the gunshot hit my eardrums, and the bullet grazed the helmet.

From the side, I faintly heard Sajihyeok’s panicked muttering.

“Why isn’t the gun firing? Ah, I didn’t change the magazine last time! Magazine exchange….”

Damn it. I sighed and just held the trigger, emptying the remaining bullets. Brrr, some of the bullets tracing the accelerating motorcycle and the crouching Rider hit their mark.

A motorcycle fell to the side, and the Rider groaned in pain.

“One down!”

Now, one left.

Turning my gaze, the other motorcycle had already started moving. Moving targets are much harder to hit than stationary ones.

Are we going to let this one go? Not good.

But then, two gunshots rang out with a split-second gap.

Bang, the first bullet hit the shoulder, causing the Rider’s upper body to jerk. The second bullet pierced the center of the helmet, creating a hole in the head.

Sajihyeok’s confident voice rang out.

“Headshot! I got him!”

“….”

I looked at Sajihyeok in disbelief. He triumphantly raised his gun, his eyes sparkling with confidence.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m good at shooting now. I accurately hit a moving target’s head.”

No… The first bullet hit the body, causing the jerk, and luckily, the head was hit.

Jeondohyeong sighed and lowered his gun.

“It’s because I hit him first that you got lucky. And you didn’t even check your magazine.”

“No, I didn’t know the magazine was empty, so I couldn’t shoot. But my shooting skills are accurate.”

It was thanks to Jeondohyeong, the murder supporter. But I didn’t feel like scolding Sajihyeok. I swapped my magazine to avoid making his mistake and pointed outside the window.

“Let’s go down and clean up.”

***

The aftermath of the gunfight was felt in my ears. The constant gunfire left my ears ringing. Beep, it felt like tinnitus.

“My ears hurt.”

“A few more shots and I’ll go deaf.”

“But we can’t wear earplugs. We wouldn’t be able to communicate.”

Park Yang-gun and I flicked our fingers near our ears as we casually crossed the road. One of them might still be alive, so we kept our guns aimed.

Sure enough, the one I shot wasn’t dead. Lying on the ground, bleeding, groaning in pain. Probably didn’t hit a vital spot.

The Rider barely lifted his head, his hand gripping the handgun twitching.

“You…”

“No.”

I stomped on his hand to stop him from firing and crouched down.

“Why are you speaking informally to an elder? If you can’t show manners, your head gets smashed, right?”

“Nonsense. You… planned this from the start…”

Not really. We just moved here, and the original residents were the Riders’ trade partners. The Riders who came were the avengers.

Of course, a Survivor Organization capable of farming would naturally be connected to the Delivery Vigilante Group, and a kid surviving in the market district would belong to the Delivery Vigilante Group, but I didn’t think that far.

Jeondohyeong and Park Yang-gun sighed behind me.

“Talking nonsense again… I’ll check the motorcycles.”

“I’ll check the food first.”

Jeondohyeong went to recover the fallen motorcycle with its engine still running, Park Yang-gun eyed the resources, and Sajihyeok approached me.

“If we’re planning to fight to the end, gathering intel would be better, right?”

“Maybe. But he doesn’t seem like he’ll talk.”

I took out a hammer and lightly tapped the helmet. The Rider answered with a voice full of malice.

“With wounds like these, I’ll die anyway. I have nothing to say to scum like you.”

“Then curse us. Who’s coming for revenge, who’ll come looking in a few days, how they’ll attack.”

That’s all intel too.

But the Rider didn’t open his mouth.

“Is he dead?”

Knocking on the helmet like a door, I heard a pained groan. He seemed determined not to answer.

Well, the gunshot wounds and bleeding are severe. He probably doesn’t think I’ll save him. I don’t have the medical skills anyway.

Survivors in this era can easily gauge the distance to death, and if they’re going to die anyway, they’d have the resolve not to comply with the enemy’s wishes.

“Well, we’ll make good use of the motorcycle. The knife and handgun too.”

I removed the helmet and struck his head. Sajihyeok turned his head away, disgusted, and muttered softly.

“Will this be the end? If the investigators don’t return, they’ll react differently.”

They’ll know they were attacked. They won’t just roam around lightly like when looking for missing Riders. They’ll investigate thoroughly.

They’ll get info from nearby survivors first. Anything unusual around here?

‘Other survivors must’ve heard the gunfire too. And there are survivors in the Townhouse.’

The scattered karma might gather into one. Even if we don’t run around, the loot will come to us. It’s efficient automatic hunting, so to speak.

I grinned.

“Nothing will change.”

 

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