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If I were really part of the Alliance, I would have used a different method. The time bomb would have been hidden in a sack of rice, moved to the enemy’s warehouse, and then set off to cause an explosion and fire. The poison would have been evenly distributed into various foods.

That’s probably what the Alliance wanted from me. To cause damage to the stationed troops or transport units. To instill fear and distrust.

Just looking at the types of explosives they gave me, it was clear. Time bombs, bombs that explode when opened, and even poison to mix into food.

The bombs were designed to cause delayed damage.

“First, take out the bombs.”

We took out all the bombs and laid them on the floor. There were a lot of very crude-looking bombs.

Butane gas bombs with electrical components and electronic clocks at the end of wires, duct-taped together. Neatly packaged delivery boxes or mask boxes. Time bombs for arson, with wires, batteries, and electronic clocks connected to PET bottles filled with gasoline.

Jeondohyeong looked around the bombs once and scratched his head.

“They didn’t give us real bombs.”

“That’s right.”

I sighed regretfully as I looked at the explosives. Honestly, these bombs are insufficient to blow people up. Even Gijeon said so.

Even if you get hit at close range, you probably won’t die immediately. You’ll die slowly. It’s better to think about setting fire to the enemy’s warehouse with a longer time frame.

Jeondohyeong added more.

“From what I’ve seen, the bombs the Alliance uses properly are completely different. They’re not for traps, but for attacks.”

“Did they make grenades?”

“Similar. They use gunpowder obtained from dismantling police ammunition, make pipe bombs with the Hope Community, and make bombs that explode when a button is pressed using a cafe vibration bell, and so on.”

That makes sense. After all, mercenaries are mercenaries, and the main force is the Alliance’s people.

So, I put down the bomb and fell into thought.

‘I need to incapacitate at least half of the squad somehow.’

I have to use these to kill the pillaging squad. Letters flowed through my mind.

Location: Apartment. Objective: Attack the pillaging squad that came to pillage with crude explosives. To capture firearms. Maximize the lethality of these crude explosives, detonate them at the right time.

I casually asked.

“Can we modify the explosives? Like making them explode when a button is pressed or increasing their firepower?”

The companions and mercenaries seemed to gauge the situation, then shook their heads one by one. No one had the expertise.

Instead, Jeondohyeong hesitated and spoke in a low voice.

“I don’t know much about electricity. But I secretly watched the Electric Nomad make something, and he put screws or nails around the explosives.”

“Really?”

Hired. But this alone is not enough. We’ll also use poison. The screws or nails will be coated with poison.

The method to properly detonate this…

It’s the most difficult problem. To accurately strike with time bombs or bombs that explode when opened. I thought deeply and pointed to the top of the delivery box.

“This one explodes when the box is opened. Let’s peel off the tape, flip the box over, and make it explode when the box is moved.”

***

We worked diligently all night. We busily installed explosives on the emergency staircase landing where the painter used to live.

It’s a barricade of explosive boxes stacked upside down on the emergency staircase, as if people live there. Since we’ve already removed the lid tape, it will automatically open and explode all at once when kicked or moved.

We also mixed in boxes filled with fragments coated with poison.

We modified the time bombs appropriately. We put them in bags with fragments so we could throw them.

After that, we went outside the apartment to the commercial district and hid to sleep. In a commercial district already emptied and dirtied by zombies.

And then, a day passed.

“Wake up. There’s a message on the radio.”

“What?”

I slapped my cheeks and came to my senses. The mercenary holding the radio answered immediately.

“They say a squad is coming up this way. There are three teams, and they seem to be armed with rifles or light machine guns. The number is 24.”

“Arrival time?”

“They seem to arrive in about 30 minutes.”

30 minutes. Just enough time to finish preparations.

I jumped up and looked around at my companions and mercenaries. I also checked the stacked time bombs and bags.

A digital clock connected to wires stuck out from the tightly closed bag. The digital clock was set to start a 1-minute countdown as soon as the button was pressed. When the countdown reaches 0, the bomb explodes.

“Everyone, scatter around the windows and hide. Be ready to throw when the soldiers retreat and pass by here.”

“Yes.”

The mercenaries swallowed hard as they packed their bags. The explosives seemed to be a burden.

“Think of them as grenades. Press the countdown button, and when there are 10 seconds left, drop them out the window.”

“…But what if they come up here alive?”

“That’s why we set up booby traps on the stairs. Don’t worry.”

We kill one squad on the apartment stairs, throw time bombs at the two squads retreating, and kill any soldiers who survive and attack us with the booby traps set up in the commercial district.

The mercenaries busily scattered to the second-floor windows of the commercial district, and I looked at my wristwatch and swallowed hard.

‘The scenario is good. Really. There’s no way luck will be bad.’

I avoided setting them up on the streets in case zombies might touch them by bad luck. I installed several at once in case the bombs didn’t explode. Even in the worst situation, there’s nothing to lose.

I crouched by the window and shook my legs. Even thinking like this, the anxious feeling wouldn’t go away.

“Please.”

“Are you nervous?”

Sajihyeok, sitting under the same window as me, glanced at me and laughed. He seemed surprisingly calm. I spoke lightly.

“I’m unlucky. What if I get hit by debris falling from some building.”

“Haha. You’re so scared. But being nervous won’t change anything. Be confident. Everything will be fine.”

“Well. Shouldn’t we prepare for the worst?”

It’s better to prepare for when things go wrong than to have baseless hope.

Thinking like that, Sajihyeok shook his head.

“There’s a saying I always repeat before I scam someone. This is real. It’s a business that will bring real profits. Only then can you create an atmosphere of success and actually attract success.”

Is that so?

I took a deep breath and touched the hammer. Certainly, unnecessary anxiety isn’t helpful, so I muttered like a prayer, following Sajihyeok’s advice.

“They will all die. The soldiers will die. They will explode. They will die without a trace. I will kill them.”

“No.”

“I really feel better now.”

As I was doing this, a sound came from outside the window.

We all held our breath and pressed against the wall. We couldn’t stick our faces out and couldn’t see directly, but the soldiers’ voices were clear.

Thud, thud, the sound of heavy military boots. The clattering of military gear. Voices communicating over the radio.

“The apartment is visible. The 1st team will enter first.”

– Confirmed. The 2nd and 3rd teams will follow from the rear and stay alert. Seeing the drones chasing us for days, be careful. They probably won’t give up a warehouse like the apartment easily.

The soldiers’ presence moved away towards the apartment.

Then, Park Yang-gun, who had disappeared somewhere, came back and whispered.

“One team is approaching from the back. We might need to position people there just in case.”

The three teams are moving through different paths. I nodded.

“Let’s distribute according to the situation.”

Time passed slowly in the tension.

I could hear the ticking of the second hand. Drenched in sweat, I wondered how much time had passed. It was time.

Bang, the sound of an explosion reached the commercial district. The trap in the apartment had been activated. The explosions went off like heartbeats, bang bang bang. All that’s left are the retreating squad members.

And then, hurried footsteps came from afar. Screams or groans. Irregular and chaotic footsteps. They’re using the same path the 1st team took.

“Be careful! We don’t know when the attack will come!”

I immediately set the digital clock’s countdown and stared at the numbers. 60, 50, 40, 30. The approaching footsteps matched the sound and were now right in front of the window.

And then, someone threw something before me, and an explosion was heard outside the window.

Ah, screams. The sound of soldiers shooting and innocent windows breaking.

20 seconds. Sajihyeok threw the bag first. 10 seconds. I followed by dropping the bag out the window. They must have already attacked, I shouted loudly.

“Use all the remaining explosives!”

The 60-second countdown is too long. Even though the digital clock can count down from 1 minute, this is too long.

Screams came from outside the window.

“2nd team! We’re under attack! Support, ah!”

The whole world is filled with screams, gunfire, and explosions. It was as if my ears were going deaf. My mind seemed to be drifting away.

Suddenly, it felt like a shockwave hit my body. No, it wasn’t just a feeling, it was real.

“Ahhh!”

It was a mercenary far to the side. The explosive went off as it passed the window. The mercenary, covered in fragments, rolled on the floor.

The gunfire didn’t stop. It wasn’t as heavy as the initial downpour, but it was still ringing.

 

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