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If you figure out a fixed living pattern, you can prepare a proper ambush. Even the route the Electric Nomad takes between his residence and the streetlights was a perfect spot for an ambush.

No matter how much of an Electric Nomad he is, he couldn’t set up and manage traps on his commute route.

On the other hand, the streetlight area and his residence were filled with dangerous traps, making them hard to approach.

Park Yang-gun and I observed the Electric Nomad’s residence from afar, after tailing him. We watched from the window of a deserted commercial building overlooking his home.

“It’ll be tough to approach the residence.”

“What’s with all these wires? It’s not like he’s a spider.”

We stared at the bizarre residential area with a sense of hopelessness.

Wires and cables sprawled in all directions. Some lines stretched from solar-powered houses, others started from the hoods of electric cars, creating a complex web of traps.

I wondered if it was all a bluff, or if the electricity wasn’t even flowing…

There were electrocuted corpses on the road. Birds, dogs, cats, and unidentifiable creatures—maybe zombies, maybe humans.

“Someone’s coming. Hide.”

“Got it.”

I quickly crouched down, peeking out just enough to see.

An Electric Nomad, armed with insulated gloves and safety boots, wandered out, carefully avoiding the tangled wires as he moved through the area.

He picked up an animal corpse. He was using the electrified wires as traps to catch animals for food.

‘Judging by where the corpses fell, it doesn’t seem like all the wires are live.’

But there were definitely live wires—deadly ones.

I fully crouched down, leaning against the cool concrete wall. When I glanced at Park Yang-gun, I could see a spark of determination in his eyes, as if he relished the challenge.

“It’s just a security system for catching animals. It won’t stop a real thief. We can break through.”

“That’s a relief.”

Park Yang-gun’s eyes darted around, as if tracing some invisible line. He seemed to be planning an infiltration route.

I fiddled with my mask, pondering for a moment before asking Park Yang-gun a question.

“Can we just destroy the solar panels on the roof? Even from a distance with a slingshot?”

“Totally possible.”

That added another option. I clenched my fist, then extended two fingers.

‘Ambush the commute route. Destroy the solar panels to force them to move. I want to prepare a few more options.’

The more ways I have to manipulate the enemy, the better. It gives me control over the situation. And with control, there are plenty of ways to attack.

I gripped the hammer with paracord wrapped around its handle, lost in thought. Scenarios sprawled chaotically in my mind.

‘If we don’t get caught, we can just steal the masks. If we do get caught, it’s a fight to the death. Let’s start by reducing their numbers.’

***

The world after the Apocalypse, and the world where the Apocalypse had fully taken hold, was filled with danger. Zombies that learned from humans, humans with shattered morals, and inhuman natural disasters.

There were plenty of knives that could get blood on their hands for me without me having to lift a finger.

I quietly moved through the streets, littered with trash, mud, and animal feces, placing alarm clocks everywhere. The alarms were set to go off when the Electric Nomad would be returning home.

‘Zombies are like people—they get more agitated when they hear sounds they hate.’

Alarm clocks hidden along the Electric Nomad’s route between his residence and the streetlights. I scattered all the alarm clocks I had stockpiled.

This should create a decent zombie wave. The weak Electric Nomad could be overwhelmed by individual attacks.

I tossed the last alarm clock into a car with a shattered window. It was almost time for the Electric Nomad to return.

I quickly slipped into a nearby deserted building, climbed to a higher floor, and hid.

“It’s about time.”

I peeked my head out over the windowsill, littered with glass shards, and looked down at the street.

Late at night, the street was dark, the electricity cut off. As I blinked in the darkness, waiting for the Electric Nomad to arrive, each blink felt like the ticking of a second hand. The time for the alarms to go off was approaching, second by second.

I kept glancing at my wristwatch, tapping the windowsill. The glass dust left on the sill crunched under my gloved fingers.

“They should’ve come deeper in before the alarms go off. Why aren’t they here yet?”

The Electric Nomad was nowhere to be seen. He should’ve been back by now.

Had the information leaked? Had something happened to change his route? Was a drone watching me? All sorts of suspicions filled my head when, finally, the Electric Nomad entered the street.

Multiple beams of light approached—flashlights or headlamps, I couldn’t tell.

I shifted to the corner of the window, watching them carefully.

“We got plenty of food.”

“The batteries are the big prize. I don’t know much, but I heard you can make some kind of weapon with these.”

“Oh, did they succeed in dismantling the taser?”

“They can’t make it into a gun, but they can make something similar, I heard.”

In the city where all noise had vanished, their loud voices were surprisingly clear. I eavesdropped on their conversation.

Was there really an expert among them?

From what I heard from my Police Friend, tasers use two fat batteries. If they had an electricity expert, they could probably turn batteries into weapons.

Just imagining it—a spear that electrocutes on contact, or a shield made of electrified wire mesh.

‘We definitely need to counter them…’

I glanced at my wristwatch. It was time.

Deafening alarms began ringing all over the street. Not just where I was—I had spread them out to lure zombies from afar.

The alarms, similar to emergency sirens, filled the dark street. The Electric Nomad’s steps halted, and the beams of light shook frantically. Shouts erupted.

“It’s a trap! Run!”

“What about the bags? They’ve got all the food and batteries!”

“Just grab the batteries and run!”

The Electric Nomads made quick decisions. They threw their backpacks aside, clutching only small handbags as they ran like mad.

But it was too late. I slowly stood up, grinning.

The zombies came in waves, drawn by the shadows and sounds. The alarms gradually faded from the outside, replaced by the sound of things being smashed, zombie growls, and the dark, undulating mass of figures.

It was a siege. The Electric Nomads were surrounded. Zombies were closing in on them.

“What kind of lunatic would do this?!”

“Ahhh!”

“Kreeeek!”

The encounter. A few fast zombies clashed with the Electric Nomads. The fight was more pathetic than I expected.

They had no firearms like the Police, couldn’t fight well like the Firefighters, and weren’t armored like the Hope Community members.

They flailed their spears weakly, one by one being swallowed by the zombie horde.

They really were weak in direct combat.

But they were survivors with as much experience as me, so they found a way to survive.

“Turn off the lights and scatter! Get back to the residence quietly!”

“Kreeeek!”

They turned off their headlamps and flashlights, throwing them away and hiding in the darkness. In the limited visibility, they either mimicked zombies or moved stealthily like thieves.

I couldn’t see as well in the dark as Park Yang-gun, but it seemed like a few of them managed to escape.

The light from a rolling flashlight illuminated zombies and bags.

A fairly intelligent zombie rummaged through a bloodied bag, pulling out food and eating it. Zombies even fought over the food.

I slowly backed away from the window.

‘This is just the beginning. My companions are probably hard at work too.’

I wasn’t the only one moving. While I was doing this, Park Yang-gun was probably destroying solar panels with his slingshot, Sajihyeok was spreading strange rumors, and Jeondohyeong was tampering with the streetlight facilities.

The Electric Nomad’s path was now narrowed down to two options.

Either hunker down in their powerless residence, or move to find electricity.

***

They say word of mouth travels fast.

The next day, the streetlight area was filled with a tense atmosphere. The Electric Nomads glared at people, and visitors scrutinized them as if searching for something.

“I heard you were attacked yesterday. The streetlights here seem damaged too.”

“Yeah. Someone attacked us.”

The Electric Nomad’s eyes were bloodshot as he gripped his spear. But the spear was unusual—several batteries and wires were haphazardly tangled around it.

The Electric Nomad pressed a switch in the middle, and the spear’s tip, fitted with nails, stabbed into some weeds. Zzzzt—the weeds and wooden shaft burned.

“Honestly, I don’t care about people dying. The world’s like this now—people die. But messing with machines that can produce electricity?”

I quietly met their gaze. Their eyes seemed to spark like electric currents.

“We’re taking tips. Terrorists destroying electrical facilities. We’ll reward you well for information.”

Are they choosing revenge? …Did they decide that if they don’t deal with the attackers, they’ll keep getting attacked no matter where they move?

After fiddling with my mask for a moment, I raised my hand and asked a question.

“Can I get masks for the tip? How many masks do you have?”

“Plenty. If the info’s solid, we’ll give you a bunch.”

That’s all I needed—lots of masks.

 

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