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Fire is dangerous. Especially in an era where the fire department can’t do its job. If a spark flies the wrong way and the fire spreads, it becomes uncontrollable.

That’s why we prepared fire extinguishers before starting the fire. Heavy fire extinguishers aren’t essential resources, so they’re scattered around buildings and not hard to find.

Crackle, crackle.

The flames flicker.

“It burns well.”

I muttered blankly as I watched the flames engulf the pile of corpses. Since we gathered trash from the streets and broke branches from fallen trees, it burns really well.

Watching the swaying flames puts my mind at ease. The red glow and the gentle movement. This is…

“Is this the camping vibe?”

Jeondohyeong would have freaked out and argued, but Jeondohyeong is sleeping on Villa Street.

The people gathered here are all pillagers with questionable humanity. The mercenaries giggled and cracked jokes.

“Our boss is really kind. In times like these, he even arranges funerals.”

“Isn’t this cremation? These guys are living the high life even in death.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. I grinned. They have a similar style to mine. Even though we formed this group by chance, I think it was a really good idea.

“They’re good friends who hand over precious resources to us. We should at least do this much for them.”

In that warm atmosphere, I glanced up at the villa building.

We’re making such a racket, and still no reaction? I’d expect them to be nervous and maybe even shoot.

It’s time to provoke them.

I cleared my throat. It’s not yet time to use Sajihyeok, our speaker. Glancing to the side, I saw our member, Dad, stiff among the mercenaries. I casually slung my arm over his shoulder and raised my voice.

“Are you listening? This guy here offered resources and asked us to kill you.”

“Huh? What?”

Dad, the member, trembled and looked at me. I pulled his neck closer with my arm, and a cheerful voice came out.

“But no matter how I think about it, the cost-benefit doesn’t add up. I don’t want to waste more precious bullets. I don’t want to crawl in and get shot either.”

I pushed Dad toward the mercenaries and snapped my fingers.

“So, let’s make it simple. Give us more than what this guy offered. Then we’ll kill him here and leave.”

“That’s not what you said! What did we even offer in the first place!”

Dad’s face turned pale, and he looked furious. I gestured lightly, and the mercenary slammed the butt of his rifle into Dad’s head.

“Ah!”

“Shut up. If you say one more word, you’re dead.”

Click, click, a few mercenaries aimed at the fallen member. The member lay face down, twitching and letting out incoherent groans.

The mercenaries follow orders well. Probably because it doesn’t conflict with their interests. Sajihyeok, as if saying this is bad for business, twitched his hand but stayed still.

I looked around and then up again. Still no reaction.

“I’ll give you three minutes. If there’s no answer in three minutes, we’ll set the building on fire.”

It’s a lie. Arson would destroy precious food. It’s just a bluff. Of course, if you don’t follow through, it’s just empty threats, but I was confident I could sell it.

Like threatening to make their last three minutes painful before they die.

Then a mercenary muttered.

“I brought cup noodles. Should we boil water? There’s fire here, and it takes three minutes to cook cup noodles.”

He said this while looking at the fire burning the pile of corpses. I stared at him in disbelief. Is this for real? I finally opened my mouth to scold him.

“Adding the time to boil water, it’s more than three minutes.”

Cup noodles aren’t a three-minute meal. It’s three minutes after pouring water. The timing isn’t accurate.

The mercenary awkwardly fidgeted with the transport cart. It was filled with supplies in case we couldn’t return to Villa Street immediately.

“If we eat it crunchy…”

Just as I was about to sigh in disbelief, a voice came from above. A man’s voice.

“You crazy bastards. Uncle, are you insane? No matter how rough we acted, bringing these lunatics here!”

He was criticizing our member.

I craned my neck to look up and saw a head sticking out of a third-floor window. A sharp-faced man wearing a mask.

I immediately drew my handgun and fired at him. Bang, the gunshot echoed, and the villa’s exterior was scratched.

The man’s head ducked back in. Angry, frustrated screams followed.

“What the hell! Weren’t we supposed to talk? We need to know how much to give!”

“No. I don’t like people looking down on me.”

It’s a small prank. With a bit of purpose.

“Come out here and talk.”

“Kill that uncle first! Then we’ll talk!”

I glanced at my wristwatch.

“Tick tock. Time’s running out. And how much should you give? Of course, almost everything you have. It’s the price of your lives.”

“Damn it! Fine, we’ll give it! Wait!”

The moment the other side agreed to negotiate, the member who was lying down tried to run but was caught by the mercenaries. Two mercenaries held him down and forced him to his knees.

“Stay still.”

“I’ll give up the incentive! I’ll withdraw the tip! Please!”

We ignored the member’s screams, and soon someone came out of the front door.

A tall woman, carrying a box. The guy I talked to must have sent her out instead. He’s probably hiding somewhere safe, assessing the situation.

I fiddled with my handgun and looked at the woman, who was taller than me. I aimed the handgun at her thigh.

“I said I don’t like people looking down on me.”

“Crazy…”

The woman crouched awkwardly as she spoke. Naturally, the contents of the box became visible. Not many resources. Canned food and cup noodles. At a glance, items with expiration dates nearing.

“Is this leftovers? Why is there nothing new? And the quantity is small?”

The woman looked up at me in an ambiguous posture, seeming frustrated.

“Where do you expect to find new stuff in times like these!”

“…True.”

I tapped my helmet with the hand holding the gun. Maybe it’s because of the mercenary who mentioned cup noodles earlier. I feel like I’ve become stupid too.

All the food left in the world has expiration dates nearing.

I quickly waved the handgun.

“Put that on the ground. Bring more. It’s still not enough.”

“This is all… You don’t believe me, do you?”

“Should I?”

The woman sighed and turned around. This repeated a few times. Surprisingly, there was no obsession with resources. Maybe it’s a pillager’s trait.

Easily obtained resources. As long as you have your body and a gun, you can get as much as you want. Saving your life comes first.

The woman finally put the box down.

“This is it. Really, there’s nothing more.”

Her voice was full of sincerity. As one mercenary poured the box into the transport cart, sighs erupted from all around. This operation was a real failure. These guys were poorer than the elderly.

There were only three boxes at most, and the resources inside were meager. No matter how you look at it, the cost-performance is terrible.

Probably because there are eight people, they couldn’t stockpile much. Or maybe they’re real pillagers and didn’t care about stockpiling.

The woman glared at the swollen-faced member with eyes full of hatred.

“Now kill him for us.”

The arrow of hatred was aimed in the wrong direction. It was aimed at the weaker member who attacked them, rather than us. A voice came from above.

“Deals should be clean, right? Throw him into the fire, that’d be even better.”

“Ah, that.”

Glancing up, the man was only sticking his handgun out. I spoke in a pitiful tone and slowly backed away, pulling the combat cart. The mercenaries followed suit.

As the burning pile of corpses grew distant, an idea flashed through my mind. Fire. We can use it.

“Why would I kill the guest? Of course, it’s a lie. The fire extinguisher is here, so you put out the fire. If you leave it, it’ll spread and burn you to death.”

“I knew you’d do that! Kill him, my ass! Just go!”

Amidst the shouting, we left for the time being.

***

A little away from their hideout, in an alley. I stopped the mercenaries.

“They must have more resources, right?”

“Probably. Who acts honestly and straightforwardly these days?”

They must. I lied too, after all. This makes things very simple. I turned the cart around. If we go back now, the timing should be right.

“Shall we go back and kill them?”

“They’re holed up in the building.”

“No. They’ll come out to put out the fire.”

To control a campfire-like blaze, they have to come out. If left alone, the fire will spread everywhere. We’ll use that.

Without saying more, I immediately pushed the cart and ran excitedly. The cart rattled as it ran over the rough road.

And in no time, we arrived at the road where their hideout was visible.

The moment I put my finger on the trigger, the figures of two people became clear in the distance.

“So this is how they died.”

“This is a good death. Last time, that guy died from diarrhea after getting sick.”

The humans sighing as they spray the fire extinguisher. White powder falls like a shroud over the charred corpses. The flames die down.

Maybe because I ran without hesitation. Even though they’re far away, they sense my presence and turn, but it’s meaningless. Our weapons are different, and so is our range.

Rat-tat-tat, gunshots rang out in quick succession. The two fell over their friends, becoming corpses.

“Haha.”

I grinned and confirmed the kill with a hammer. Then, I took the fire extinguisher and painted their corpses white like their friends, digesting the idea.

‘Camouflage, lure, trap.’

Leave as if done, lure with fire, shoot when they come out. It was an improvised scenario, but effective, and with some refinement, it could become my weapon.

 

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