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The townhouse started bustling with activity. The escape preparations were in full swing. The survival backpacks, initially packed for fleeing, were now transformed into proper moving luggage, and some people gathered to fiercely strategize.

“There’s a decent property on the outskirts of the city.”

The Real Estate Uncle smiled warmly and pointed to a spot on the map.

It wasn’t the usual city map we looked at, but a national one. The spot he pointed to was near the border of another city.

A somewhat mountainous area.

“Originally, people avoided this place. There’s a livestock farm on this mountain, so the smell is no joke. But if you’re lucky, you might find some surviving livestock, and the terrain is good—backed by mountains and facing water.”

The Real Estate Uncle seemed to have abandoned modern real estate thinking and was speaking from a purely survivalist perspective.

“If I remember correctly, there were shops nearby selling farming tools and seeds, and a few houses with solar panels installed. There were also underground water facilities.”

Of course, I wasn’t interested. I waved my hand and pushed the map away.

“Then I’ll leave the escape route to you. I need to focus on how to strike the Alliance.”

The enemy is the Alliance. No matter how much we polished our attack scenarios, it was never enough, and anticipating unexpected situations was also challenging.

I looked down at the city map and tapped it with a pen.

‘A simple fire won’t be enough.’

The Alliance knows about the city arson plan. I might have let it slip, so they could have prepared for it to some extent.

But the Alliance has limits to the areas they can cover, and there must be something I can do outside that range.

For example, luring zombies. Unlike the Alliance, who clumsily provoke zombies, I could guide their movements with flames, as if pushing them out with a gun to their heads. Or maybe push survivors into the Survivor Zone.

Since it’s a city we’re going to burn anyway, why not make full use of the flames?

As I was examining potential arson points around the zombie habitats, Jeondohyeong approached with a rifle.

“I’m ready to go catch the townhouse survivors and the riders.”

His voice sounded oddly weak. Jeondohyeong had a listless expression, his arms hanging limply. It seemed like he felt powerless, unable to act on the small amount of goodwill he had left.

Or maybe he felt some guilt towards the Hope Community.

After all, didn’t Jeondohyeong play a part in the pastor’s murder? He suddenly appeared and drew the pastor’s aggro.

I watched Jeondohyeong carefully for a moment, then stood up.

“Let’s go.”

Is there a chance Jeondohyeong might betray us? Of course, there is. In this world, there’s no one you can completely trust. Park Yang-gun, Sajihyeok, and other companions—all of them could betray us at any moment, and Jeondohyeong is no exception.

Moreover, the current situation isn’t in Jeondohyeong’s favor.

For the other companions, this attack is a necessary means for survival, but for Jeondohyeong, it’s about harming the Hope Community where his girlfriend is.

Jeondohyeong silently turned and walked ahead, and I quietly raised my rifle, aiming the barrel at his leg.

If I pull the trigger now, I could take him out…

‘No, I can’t. If I do this now, we won’t be able to attack the Alliance.’

If I suddenly kill a companion right before attacking the Alliance, would the others still trust me? Probably not.

I decided to just keep an eye on Jeondohyeong. After all, we’re attacking tomorrow. Even if he wants to betray us, he won’t have enough time, and if he acts hastily, we’ll notice and stop him.

***

According to the information the Fly brought, today was the day to contact the riders. The day they receive some food or handgun ammunition from the Alliance. Naturally, they also provided the location and time, so we could go ahead and set up an ambush.

A street with no signs of human presence.

A few of my companions and I entered the first floor of a nearby building and crouched down. We waited for people to arrive, keeping our presence hidden.

As I watched Jeondohyeong and scanned the other companions, no one seemed particularly tense. Since the opponents were just a Fly and two riders, it wasn’t much different from the usual pillaging.

“The first move is a threat. Point your guns and tell them to surrender. If they try to run, shoot them immediately. No need to take prisoners.”

“Yes. …But if we attack the Alliance, some of us will die. What if…”

One of the companions trailed off, hesitated, and then spoke up.

“If I die, will you take care of my family?”

A statement prepared for death.

Even as pillagers, we weren’t oblivious to danger. It’s just that if we didn’t take risks, we’d die soon. As survivors of this era, we always had death by our side, challenging the Alliance to fight.

I nodded seriously, regardless of my true feelings.

“We won’t abandon them. As long as I’m alive, I’ll take care of them like I did with other families.”

I had already shown this through actions. When we cleared out the survivors in the River Area, some companions died, but we didn’t abandon their families.

It wasn’t out of morality or ethics, but purely for the organization’s survival. Still, such actions would earn their trust.

Jeondohyeong seemed to bow his head slightly. His expression looked troubled, as if lost in deep thought.

‘Has the chance of betrayal decreased a bit?’

It’s just a small amount of goodwill. In this survival competition, there’s no room for even a small amount of goodwill.

No, rather, because there’s only a small amount of goodwill, Jeondohyeong can’t make a choice.

If he had an abundance of goodwill, he would have killed me already. If he had none, he would have betrayed me and run to his girlfriend’s side.

‘He’s just an ordinary human, neither here nor there.’

As I made that judgment, I started hearing signs of movement.

The voice of the Fly I had seen before.

“How much resources will they give us today…”

“It’s been decreasing. The Alliance’s situation doesn’t look good either. Maybe we should just fully side with those lunatics.”

“How can we trust lunatics? Didn’t you see that guy last time? He looked completely insane.”

…Are they calling me a lunatic? What a treacherous double agent. True to their nature as a cunning human who can’t belong anywhere and uses people, they’re badmouthing me behind my back.

Such a sly human should be dealt with.

I placed my finger on the trigger and held my breath. Then I gestured to my companions to wait.

Outside the window, the Fly’s voice continued.

“Why aren’t they coming yet?”

“There they are.”

Vroom, the sound of motorcycles approaching, and screech, the sound of brakes. From the sound, there were two motorcycles.

“Here are the resources for today.”

“That’s it? Just one plastic bag? We can’t work like this. You need to give us enough food.”

The rustling of plastic. Voices full of complaints.

“Did I ever ask you to gather people?”

“We helped you with passion, and this is what we get? A few of us died doing what you asked! Even the people we gathered died! We’re getting cursed by the surrounding survivors!”

“Well… that was the deal. Of course, it’s sad about the dead people…”

The rider muttered in a slightly flustered voice, then sighed deeply and started to persuade.

“In return, we promised to help you reclaim your residence. Just wait a little longer. We’re starting to move properly now.”

So they’re planning to mess with us after all.

For a moment, a chilling aura rose on the faces of my silent companions. It was the aura of pillagers who had fallen beyond the line, and the aura of beasts whose lives and families were threatened.

Perhaps clouds passed overhead, blocking the sun, as the room darkened.

Fortunately, all of us were skilled pillagers, so we didn’t make mistakes like sighing that would reveal our presence. The rider continued speaking.

“So we need information. How are those guys doing?”

“Not sure, but they seem to be living well. Their faces look different from ours. Well, considering the food we left there…”

“So when are you going to attack? We want to help too.”

The rider hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“The attack is confirmed, but the date and method haven’t been decided yet. Those guys aren’t easy to deal with. If we fight head-on, we’ll suffer heavy losses… Do you have any weaknesses you’ve found while provoking them? Besides the information you gave last time.”

How clumsy. They’re just starting to move now? We’re already moving.

I smirked and gestured. Step forward. Then I stood up first and pointed my gun out the window.

“The weakness is here. Kill me now. That’ll do it.”

“What?”

The riders and the Fly trembled and turned their gaze to me, but it was too late. My companions, filled with killing intent, stepped forward and aimed their guns.

I chuckled and shouldered my gun.

“But I think I’ll kill you faster. What do you want to do? Die, or be captured quietly as prisoners?”

The riders were wearing helmets, so it was hard to see their reactions, but the Fly’s intentions were clear. Their eyes rolled, and they quickly raised their hands, smiling friendly.

“We’re on the same side. We’ve been giving you information. We’ll stay out of this.”

“Ah, our informants. Right, no need to get involved here. …Kill them.”

There’s no reason to keep them alive when we no longer need their information and resources. In fact, they’re potential liabilities who might side with the Alliance, so it’s only right to eliminate them.

In an instant, gunshots rang out, and the Fly fell to the ground. I glanced at the corpses and looked straight at the riders’ helmets.

“Surrender, and I’ll spare you. We need prisoners to stop the Alliance’s attack.”

To be precise, we need information. The location of the Alliance’s food warehouses, whether the firefighters are doing disaster prevention work, the areas the Alliance covers, and so on.

Of course, the riders’ equipment is also useful. If we take their fully-covered clothes, infiltration will be easier.

“…”

“…”

The two riders stood frozen like statues, then briefly cursed and threw the knives in their hands to the ground. And so, the two riders were captured as prisoners.

 

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