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The silence felt as if time had stopped.

The survivors, who had been murmuring, looked at me with shadowed faces, and Rider Zero on the podium seemed to have figured out my identity, glaring at me with dilated pupils.

Amidst this, gunfire echoed from afar. It was the sound of my companions raiding the alliance, but to these survivors, it must have sounded like the alliance attacking them.

“You!”

As Rider Zero shouted in an agitated voice, the survivors began to react one by one. Especially the survivor near me who had fired a gun moved the fastest.

“Die!”

The survivor next to me suddenly pulled out a kitchen knife and thrust it into the gap between my helmet and suit. I immediately stepped back, twisted my wrist, and shot them with my handgun, but there was more than one survivor gathered here.

Threatened with their lives, the survivors moved instinctively.

“A handgun in this street?”

“Kill this guy first!”

Weapons swung from all directions. Some pulled out handguns, while others wielded knives or iron pipes.

They didn’t run away at the sound of gunfire but instead tried to kill me first. Ruthless humans.

‘As expected, these are humans with survival experience equal to mine.’

They couldn’t lack malice or venom. But their armaments were insufficient.

Bang, bang, bang—gunfire rang out repeatedly, and the people attacking me fell. It was covering fire from my criminal companions. One bullet grazed my suit, likely fired by Sajihyeok, but more bullets hit the survivors scattered around.

In an instant, a pile of corpses formed around me, becoming obstacles that hindered my movement.

I quickly stepped back, continuing to fire my handgun. When I ran out of bullets, I discarded it and pulled out a fresh, loaded handgun.

A quick glance around showed the world descending into chaos.

“Has the alliance gone mad? No, let’s move! Loot the restaurant first!”

“Damn it. Let’s run. There’s no hope here.”

“No, something’s off. You guys on the podium. What the hell are you? Explain the situation properly….”

Survivors driven by looting instincts, those trying to flee quickly, and those demanding a proper announcement from the alliance—all kinds of people were shouting and causing chaos.

And then, the alliance members trying to control the crowd clashed with the survivors trying to loot.

“Stop! That’s not an alliance member! No, that’s the arsonist! Get him first!”

“I don’t care!”

“If you come any closer…!”

“Even if we survive the fire, we’ll starve to death! Let’s loot the warehouse now!”

Screams and shouts filled the air.

Having sufficiently stirred up the chaos, it was time to escape.

“Everyone, now….”

I quickly turned to look for my criminal companions behind me but trailed off.

My companions had already turned to flee, but they weren’t running. Instead, they were frozen, staring down the street.

I also looked down the street and stopped speaking.

Flames were approaching, and smoke and a red glow blurred the road. At the corner of a building, a head peeked out, staring in our direction.

As the flames flickered, the face became visible—a zombie without a mask. The zombie bared its teeth, seemingly smiling, then suddenly opened its mouth wide and let out a chilling cry.

A sound that was both like laughter and weeping echoed.

“Kreeeeek!”

“Kreeeeek!”

Zombies poured out of the alley. A zombie wave. Zombies fleeing the flames seized the opportunity and charged. Like a tidal wave, they filled the road.

‘Did the lure work?’

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment. I hadn’t expected them to be lured so effectively, and at this timing.

Could the zombies have followed the fleeing survivors? Thinking the survivors were escaping to safety? And now, seeing the chaos, they’re attacking?

But there was no time to dwell on this.

“Zombies behind us! Run!”

Jeondohyeong shouted as he rushed past me. Park Yang-gun moved faster than Jeondohyeong, weaving through the crowd. Sajihyeok stumbled over, but got trapped in the crowd.

Now the survivors also realized zombies were closing in from behind. Those trying to loot, those trying to escape the survivor zone, and the alliance members trying to control the crowd—all knew there was only one path left.

Forward. They had to run ahead to escape.

“Run!”

“Don’t block me!”

People pushed, fell, and fought as they ran.

Meanwhile, the countless footsteps and eerie cries from behind grew closer. Since I was at the back of the crowd, I was closest to the zombies.

I had to run fast. Even if I died, it had to be by human hands, not zombies.

I aimed my handgun at the legs of those around me and fired.

“Move!”

***

With my natural physique, pushing through the crowd wasn’t difficult. Once I passed the people, those left behind would become zombie food, buying me time to escape.

I crossed the chaotic survivor zone, glancing around.

Screams, gunfire, and eerie cries echoed from all directions. Survivors fleeing the zombies and those responding to my companions’ raid clashed, creating utter chaos.

People looting a butcher shop, others swinging weapons to clear the path, and alliance members desperately trying to maintain control.

Amidst the chaos, I lit Molotov cocktails and threw them at buildings while running, but I suddenly felt something was off.

‘Why are there so few alliance members?’

This was an emergency. Yet, in their stronghold, the survivor zone, alliance members were scarce. It didn’t seem like they were just hidden among the crowd.

“Police.”

I scanned the area. Not a single police officer in sight. Those controlling the crowd weren’t police either—they were from Rider, Hope Community, or scavenger groups.

The most crucial force, the police, wasn’t in their stronghold? No, it seemed like the alliance’s numbers were just low.

At that moment, explosions began erupting everywhere.

“Ahhh! These bastards set booby traps in the warehouse!”

“My arm!”

That wasn’t all. Boom—a second-floor window exploded, flames mushrooming upward. Glass shards rained down, and the shockwave swept through.

It felt like an ammunition depot or gas explosion.

I finally realized.

‘Did they abandon the survivor zone? No, they split into two.’

One group, led by Rider Zero, tried to unite the survivors to fend off the fire and attacks. The other, realizing the attack, abandoned the survivor zone and fled.

Watching the explosions erupt around me, I brushed glass shards off my helmet and let out a hollow laugh.

“Using the survivor zone as bait? Ruthless.”

They didn’t just abandon it. They set traps to kill as many looters as possible.

The police or snipers had a clear plan.

If they could hold the survivor zone, great. If not, the looters and troublesome members would die. They had nothing to lose.

Frowning, I looked at the rooftops. Some of the many solar panels seemed to be missing.

‘Did they prepare a shelter somewhere?’

If they had prepared a shelter in advance, they had even less to lose. Even if they failed, their competitors would die.

I shook my head and quickened my pace.

Even if most of the alliance survived, there was little more I could do. I’d caused this much chaos, even setting fires, and if they still didn’t die, there was no way to kill them.

Suddenly, I thought of my criminal companions and looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen. They must have fled on their own.

Alone, I leisurely slipped into an alley and headed to the rendezvous point. Villa Street. The place where I’d first killed someone.

***

Returning to Villa Street, I found those who hadn’t joined the battle waiting. The elderly and children. They immediately asked about their companions.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Don’t know.”

I took off my stifling helmet and sat on a car by the roadside.

“Was I the first back?”

“Yeah. Was it dangerous out there? I’m worried about my son.”

“Moderately dangerous.”

I gave a vague answer and looked at the city glowing red like sunset. The fire continued to spread, lighting up the night.

The smell of gunpowder seemed to seep through my mask.

‘It’s fun, but the results aren’t great.’

About half the alliance had evacuated. Many from the survivor zone would likely survive too, since they’d flee immediately if their plan to hold the line failed.

Their survival instincts were truly vicious. Despite all the chaos I’d caused, the most I’d achieved was forcing them to abandon the survivor zone.

‘Fire isn’t ideal for ambushes.’

It’s a shame. Unlike missiles, fires give off smoke and light, allowing people to escape from a distance.

Even if they burned wood, for the alliance with solar panels, it wasn’t a huge loss. If they had induction stoves and radiators, they didn’t need wood.

All I could hope for was that the fire spread widely.

As I pondered, people began returning one by one. Companions helping bleeding family members, those walking alone, and families of companions staggering in tears.

No one could even greet properly, all looking like they’d lost their minds.

The Cup Noodles Mercenary hugged his son in relief, while an elderly man anxiously waited for his child who hadn’t returned.

The Deceptive Mercenary reported calmly, as if he hadn’t suffered much.

“There were no police, so no one in the combat team was seriously injured. But the families who went in first were caught in IEDs while trying to loot.”

“I see.”

Indeed, the companions with rifles returned mostly unscathed. But many families didn’t make it back.

“We didn’t get any resources.”

“Right. I observed quietly, and every building had IEDs. Even the refrigerators storing meat exploded when opened, and the building doors were all the same.”

Of course. The police had turned the survivor zone into a death trap for looters.

“It seems they used the survivor zone as bait. I didn’t expect that.”

I looked around.

‘If these companions are back, the criminal companions should be here too.’

Surprisingly, they hadn’t arrived yet. I checked my watch and waited for a while, and soon they returned.

“Am I late?”

“You arrived before Sajihyeok.”

“Of course I’d arrive before that guy.”

Park Yang-gun, having removed his helmet, returned first, followed by Sajihyeok, panting heavily. After a long wait, Jeondohyeong finally arrived, head down.

Jeondohyeong looked at me with a gloomy expression.

“Am I the last?”

“Yeah. Let’s escape now.”

 

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