Mindset
'......'
The first option was out. Yeah, information was always necessary. But dragging this guy with me came with two major problems. Ashes Veil and the potential presence of other enemies.
Ashes Veil wouldn't activate for another hour. It was an essential skill that guaranteed my safety no matter what, so I couldn't move without it. On top of that, even though I'd killed these two, I had no idea how many more enemies might be lurking in Northdong Station. That's why I couldn't head outside right now. There was a good reason I was holed up in Lee Euna's room, covered in blood and gore.
So, I had to wait for Ashes Veil. But that was another problem. The man I'd beaten might not last that long. If I needed to take him alive and he croaked in the next hour, that would be a disaster.
Which makes the first option too uncertain.
What about killing him and heading straight to Southdong? That had the same two issues. Leaving without waiting for Ashes Veil was way too risky. I'd just pointed out the possibility of someone using Stealth inside Northdong Station, and even if I made it to Southdong blindly, one bullet from anyone who spotted me would end me.
Waiting for Ashes Veil meant a straight-up fight instead of an ambush. Fine, let's say I didn't care about a head-on clash. The real problem was I had no clue where their base was. Could be a Southdong apartment, a mart, Yuseong University, or some random small building. I'd have to sweep the streets and structures, and if someone else had Stealth and a gun like this guy, an indoor ambush would fuck me up bad.
Haa...
So the second option sucked too. But no matter how I racked my brain, there wasn't a third. I agonized over it for a while. Then I faced reality. Neither was great, but one thing was clear: I had to wait out Ashes Veil's cooldown no matter what. Whether I took him prisoner or launched an attack, I'd decide after that.
In the end, I put off the decision. I stood, grabbed some of Lee Euna's clothes, and bound the man's hands, feet, and mouth.
The muffled bastard groaned and grunted at first, but he shut up once he saw what I was doing. His face twisted with injustice, rage, despair—all of it. I smirked at him. I'd been pissed earlier, but smashing his buddy with the bat—or maybe the hot blood spray—had cleared my head.
While tying him up, I spotted the name tag pinned to his reserve soldier uniform.
[Bae Sungkwan]
A classy name, sure. His actions? Not so much.
This...
I snapped it off with a click, ready to toss it on the blood-soaked floor, but then I noticed the small text below: Liberation. That confirmed it—they were the Liberation Army.
I dragged a chair over, sat down, and positioned him underneath. One cramped room with two live guys and two corpses. In the heavy silence, with an hour to kill, I mulled over this Liberation Army bullshit.
Northdong Liberation Army. I didn't know much. The reserve uniforms suggested they weren't real military. Probably some apocalypse edgelord cosplay group. Their gear was too outdated for proper army, too brutal for warlords. Just raiders. Plain and simple. Bandits borrowing a military name.
They had ruthless tactics, an obsession with snatching women, guns. Classic post-apoc villain shit. Impossible to gauge their numbers. But they had skills. Jeong Suhyun said sixteen of them wiped out a camp. Trading with those black guys? Nah. Unless they had dozens and real abilities, they wouldn't have survived the second Ruin Remnant, let alone the seventh at Rocket Mart.
Just having a Stealth user—and ambushing me after watching—meant I couldn't underestimate them.
Hoo...
I rubbed my temples, recalling my chat with Jeong Suhyun. After talking and threatening, if they didn't comply, we'd attack. Looking back, that was stupid.
I remembered his words.
> "The ones to watch aren't normal assholes like them. It's the crazies—like those Our Love Church fucks or the black guys who raided us... y'know, primal types. That's the default in a collapsed world. We'll run into more. Count on it."
Jeong Suhyun knew. Shit like this could happen anytime. That's why he pulled all-nighters guarding Our Love Church, why he wanted to shoot any outsider on sight—a total lockdown. Adding people? Only after vetting my pickups himself. Anyone I didn't bring? Dead. Why? He knew the threat of skills and status windows better than anyone. He knew what happened if we let in the wrong ones.
How? By watching me.
He was always on edge. Smirking, sure, but never dropping his guard. He'd seen how dangerous the world—and people—were while sticking with me.
But not me. Even after seeing that kid killed at Our Love Church, I played cool and efficient, oversimplifying everything. Thought talk could fix it all. Northdong Office, Our Love Church, Northdong Station—I figured words, persuasion, a little threat would handle it. So I blew off the Liberation Army. Just do what worked before.
Result? Northdong Station.
These fuckers didn't think normal. Looting, murder, rape. Three weeks in, and they were full throttle. Pure self-interest.
Realizing this now...
Maybe no harm done before. Wouldn't happen to me or mine. I'd sworn it. But I slipped anyway. People who'd shown me kindness died. I nearly did too. Without Ashes Veil, or if I hadn't chickened out over zombie bites and picked differently, I was dead.
Mindset. I still hadn't fully adjusted to the apocalypse.
So what now? Act efficient and cold like always? No. Not cold. Ruthless. Ignore everything but the goal. Crush anything in the way with force.
Right.
Let's think.
How do I wipe these bastards out completely? Numbers didn't matter. The problem was status windows. Skills.
I knew jack about theirs. Two Stealth users down here—the first I'd seen. Bae Sungkwan had full invisibility. The headless one? Weaker, space-wavy with sound, but still deadly.
Groups of them? My worst nightmare. I nudged the bound man with my foot. One-on-one or even against a group, I dominated if they couldn't ambush. My Ice Spears and shields would crack skulls. But if Stealth was common? Fucked.
Worst combo: Stealth plus guns. Killing the second guy? Luck. Quiet basement, perfect timing. But dozens? After Ashes Veil's six seconds? I'm meat. If I thought them cleared and leftovers Stealth-killed my Our Love Church crew? Or Ashes Veil on cooldown during an ambush?
I hated "ifs." I sighed, rethinking.
How to counter Stealth? Information needs torture.
Take him alive? Yeah. Kim Yunjin keeps his mouth working, Kim Jungshik pumps him with narcotic painkillers via Drug Summon. Done.
Skills? No torture needed.
Jeong Suhyun sees them. Watcher class, Clairvoyance skill. Views others' status windows. His eyes go red every time—must be D-rank now. If not, soon. From him: Stealth's specs, rarity, upgrades. Job? Extras? Pros, cons.
Liberation Army base. Nail that, I'm golden. Ice Spear and shield barrage from afar. Torture gets it later.
But snag: Multiple Stealth users? Need Jeong Suhyun or Lee Yoon for detection. Both useless outside—Lee Yoon's Animal Tamer is meh, Jeong Suhyun's Clairvoyance worthless. Both vital at base. Pulling them out? Risky. Our Love Church defense relies on their skills. Especially Jeong Suhyun—defense plus more. Dumping Shadow Servant? Because Clairvoyance vets abilities for trusting newcomers.
If he died? Huge loss.
Tsk.
Too hasty. Not now. Priority: Learn about Stealth first. No Stealth besides these two? Easy. Detection, surveillance, gas, fire—my ranged bombing crushes them.
I tapped Lee Euna's bloodied desk.
Could I squeeze those two intel points from this guy? Time to test.
"Any more Stealth users like you? Nod if yes."
I prodded Bae Sungkwan with my foot. But his reaction...
"...Kuh... hng... hngh!"
Sneering through the blood. Eyes laughing. Head still. No intent to answer. Mouth wrecked, but ears fine—he heard and refused.
"Heh."
Beaten to shit, still won't talk. He knew more meant death. And that's what he wanted.
But I wouldn't give him that.
That instant. A low male voice crackled from the walkie-talkie I'd pocketed.
Screen still dark. But the voice proved it wasn't broken. Staring at him, I knew how it worked.
A skill.
Telepathic comms. Coded, no names. Explained how they infiltrated Northdong Station and slaughtered people.
I ground Bae Sungkwan's face under my boot, listening silently. The downed one lay still, eyes shut. The radio kept calling Shrike, then:
Then silence. Back to dead screen, no sound.
......
I narrowed my eyes. The busted-looking walkie-talkie sparked an idea. One I'd normally dismiss as an "if."
This might work.
Worst case, no harm. All upside, zero risk. I played dumb, casually placing the walkies on the table.