Chapter 310
Chapter 310
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 310
Chapter Title: 124. The Play (4)
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The armored vehicle advanced.
It moved slowly.
Scouting ahead of it were soldiers armed with rifles.
There were five of them.
They spread out in a line at regular intervals, advancing in sync with matching strides—a textbook search formation.
Up in the sky, their drones had taken flight once more.
It was a stark reminder that the man named Maxwell still didn't trust us one bit.
During the wait, I pondered their intentions.
Maxwell probably had a rough idea of me and my group's information.
I'd told Rebecca that unlike my lone wolf days, I was now part of a small group.
I hadn't given exact numbers, but after nearly three years together, she'd know I wasn't the type to take in a crowd.
The companions lined up beside me were enough for Maxwell to assume they made up our entire group.
"What kind of guy is he?"
Cheon Young-jae asked me.
"That Rebecca woman. She's U.S. military, right?"
"She hates Koreans."
"Strong personality."
"But she's fun sometimes. Pure soul. Even as a mom, she's more of a kid than her own child."
"A kid mom, huh?"
"Nothing bad about it. Rebecca and her daughter are crack shots."
"I'm all for it. Beats the pepper field anyway."
Hmm.
I thought the pepper field was better.
Excluding male-female relations alone eliminates one major source of human drama.
The natural hierarchy in a same-sex group would also make running things smoother.
Even DSRA started out leading an all-male crew in the early days.
For someone as ruthlessly efficiency-obsessed as DSRA to choose that setup meant there was solid reason behind it.
I despise DSRA, but I don't deny his overall rationality.
"Why'd you go quiet all of a sudden?"
Cheon Young-jae stared at me and asked.
"What?"
"You like the pepper field idea?"
"Can't I?"
When I voiced my honest thought, everyone eyed me suspiciously.
"?"
I met their puzzled gazes.
But the moment didn't last.
"SKELTON who loves pepper fields. Armored vehicle incoming. It'll be in sight soon."
Dajeong announced over the comms.
Before the APC entered view, a U.S. soldier appeared first.
Their gear, posture, and habits matched the deepfake footage I'd fabricated almost perfectly.
"Hey. Hunter."
One soldier waved.
A white guy in sunglasses.
Shorter than me, but solidly built.
If my guess was right, that was Captain Maxwell.
Right after he waved, the APC rolled into sight.
A late-model one by pre-war standards.
Instead of the anti-tank missile I remembered, it mounted a 12.7mm heavy machine gun—likely remotely operated from inside.
I'd stake my life on it.
If that gun swept over us, few would survive.
We stared at the slowly approaching Americans and APC in the machine gun's line of fire.
Weeeeng—
The whine of their tiny U.S. military drones reached us.
Sure enough, something smaller than a phone buzzed around us, rotors whirring like a helicopter.
"Jeez."
Defender muttered.
"Paranoid much."
Pot calling the kettle black.
"They've taken some hits, sounds like."
Ha Tae-hoon gave a wry smile.
"Honestly, after the war started, soldier-hunting was all the rage, right?"
True enough.
Korea wasn't like America with guns everywhere for civilians.
The most a regular person could own was a hunting shotgun, kept at the station.
No need to explain how crucial guns are in human-vs-human fights.
Even the toughest guy dies or wails like a baby from one bullet.
Just having guns lets you dominate the unarmed.
As the Aztecs called it, guns are the staff of omnipotence.
As the world edged toward doom, guns became more than weapons—they symbolized survival itself.
People scrambled for them any way they could.
In Korea, armed groups meant military or police, and the military had the better rifles.
Theft, robbery, and terror hit bases front and rear alike.
Isolated outposts like emergency runways, anti-air sites, or radar stations made prime targets.
They got wiped out overnight by intruders, guns stolen left and right.
Small patrols fell to looters too.
The Americans probably faced the same raids.
Even the comms Defender gave me were U.S. military issue. He had a few of their guns too.
I didn't ask, but he'd probably sent a few to the afterlife.
Maxwell might've had similar run-ins.
"Who's Rebecca's friend? Raise your hand again?"
The radio crackled.
I did as told.
The presumed Maxwell halted, lifting tactical binoculars to peer at me.
"Heard you took down monsters solo. True?"
"True."
"I'm no hunter, but even I know individuals can't handle monsters."
"If you're close enough to an unprepared monster, with the skill and guts to jam a hunter-grade weapon in right, anyone can."
A scoff came over the radio.
Maxwell advanced again.
The APC drew nearer.
The ant-sized soldiers grew thumb-sized.
Maxwell raised a hand.
Soldiers and vehicle halted.
About 400 meters.
The radio crackled after a silence.
"You there. Hunter."
I nodded without replying, glaring.
"One more question."
"What?"
"Purpose in calling for Private Rebecca."
"I already said."
"No. You didn't."
As Maxwell finished, the APC's gun swiveled on its own.
Aimed right at us.
"Be honest. One gesture from me, and you're all ground beef."
"What answer do you want?"
"Your true Korean intentions."
Predictable.
A bit cliché.
Maxwell knew his hand was obvious too.
Still pushing meant he believed his overwhelming advantage.
I met his gaze.
"Javelin’s locked on you."
Maxwell snorted.
Time to reveal the truth.
"Bang Jae-hyeok."
"Got it."
Beep—
A faint lock-on tone filtered through the comms.
With U.S. gear, they'd know it.
Someone vaulted from behind the APC.
Rebecca.
She yelled at Maxwell.
He turned, flustered for the first time.
He bellowed back.
Too far and wrong language to translate, but even an outsider could tell he was harshly chewing her out.
Probably something like, Why'd you give that to those guys?
Maxwell returned to the radio while still fuming.
"...Javelins have a surprisingly high dud rate. Four years into the war now."
"Where'd you learn Korean?"
"What?"
"Where? You're damn good."
Maxwell chuckled, pointing at the ground.
Learned it here.
"No plans to fight. Just want to save my neighbors Rebecca and Su."
"Save them."
"Let me talk to Rebecca."
Maxwell turned and said something.
Then.
"...SKELTON."
Rebecca's voice came through.
Unusually subdued.
Laced with undeniable disappointment.
I pictured her somewhere by the APC, voice steady as if she were right there.
"Sorry for the lie. It was all my doing."
"...Why?"
"Su. You there?"
Before I finished, Su's voice rang out beside me.
"SKELTON! I called them. I asked!"
Short exchange, but it showed Su's thoughtfulness.
English default between mom and daughter, but Korean for me.
Soon, the mother-daughter duo emerged from the APC.
Su did the talking.
"Stay there, and you're all dead! Planes aren't coming—you know that! Why pretend?"
"Su..."
Rebecca stared silently.
Her eyes flickered looking at her child, but she bit her lip and continued.
"But Su. SKELTON lied. No planes here. Wasted trip. And Dad can't come."
"You know, Mom."
Su glanced at me.
"SKELTON did it all for us."
"SKELTON...?"
"Yeah. All those weird account tricks—for us."
Rebecca's eyes widened.
"Really...?"
Classic Rebecca.
Su was Su.
"And now SKELTON might die, standing there waiting for us? Who for?"
I flashed a thumbs-up to Su, who looked to me expectantly.
Rebecca covered her mouth.
I bowed my head to her.
Finally getting through?
No, she'd known.
Just didn't want to admit it.
"..."
That was enough.
My turn.
I lowered my gun, hands up, and advanced toward the Americans.
"Park Gyu?!"
"Boss?"
I answered without looking back.
"Talks like this need face-to-face."
Into the radio: "Want to chat up close. Permission?"
Maxwell nodded from afar.
His sunglasses flashed in the sun with each movement.
Halfway there, Maxwell moved.
Handed his gun off like me, approached unarmed.
Wonder what he wants.
Curious, but clear he had business with me.
Soon, we faced off.
He silently stared at the lone hill rising nearby for a long beat.
Static crackled from his earpiece comms.
He replied in English, affirmative.
Next, he eyed the U.S. base across the stream in my territory.
Muttered an impressed English exclamation, then spoke.
"Deliberate, right? Bunker placement."
I nodded.
"Salvaged anything from the base?"
"Guns and ammo."
"Differs from the report. Said you pulled out without a single casing."
Maxwell glanced back.
"Pretty tight with Rebecca and her girl. For real."
Then stared at me.
Dark-tinted sunglasses reflected light straight on—eyes invisible.
"But I don't trust Koreans."
Maxwell removed his shades.
One eye blinded, fitted with a crude prosthetic.
As my gaze went there, he smirked bitterly.
"Happened here."
"..."
"One question."
Maxwell pointed at the base.
"People there?"
"No."
"Facility status?"
"Bunker seems intact, but internals won't work. Scavengers swept it multiple times."
"Other forces around? Armed groups? Especially Chinese military."
"No Chinese. No raiders. No refugees. Just us."
"I see."
Maxwell grinned.
"Got what I needed."
Suddenly, his true aim clicked.
He wasn't here for Rebecca.
Just scouting the base—another U.S. foothold.
Checking fallback sites if Fort Segnor fell.
Made sense for this paranoid guy's long trek.
One thing left.
Maxwell drew a dagger.
Its blade gleamed in the noon sun as he eyed it.
"Heard East Asian pro hunters use cold weapons. Especially one Korean axe master. Can't recall the name, but our hunters raved about his feats."
His remaining eye fixed on the axe pair slung behind me.
"Fancy that—you've got axes too."
He twirled his greatsword.
Flashy moves.
The kind to intimidate big guys in bars.
Challenging glare: "Show me your skills?"
"Could get hurt."
"Fine by me. Fair duel."
"Alright?"
Shring.
I drew my axes.
Maxwell grinned white.
Outcome was set from the start.
Clang!
One clash—his greatsword spun like a propeller skyward.
My left axe blade hovered at his throat.
He rolled his eye down to it, whistling.
"Good grab!"
As expected.
This wasn't soldier fighting.
They excelled in coordinated gear and teamwork takedowns.
Old-school duels were our turf.
We treated cold weapons as prime tools on missions anyway.
I sheathed my axe; he picked up his sword and scabbarded it.
"Heard Korea had a legendary hunter."
Maxwell looked up.
"Wielded twin axes."
His eye gleamed sharply.
Said something in English into his comms, then grinned at me.
"Handing over Rebecca and her daughter."
Rebecca looked baffled, but Su waved wildly our way.
"SKELTON!"
Su's voice lit the autumn plain.
I shoved down surging emotion, eyed the lonely man's profile.
"Just letting Rebecca go?"
No answer.
Instead, he slowly donned his shades, hid his good eye and dead prosthetic, straightened his uniform, sighed shallowly.
"...Heard you started a new group."
"Yeah."
"Fun times ahead."
Maxwell smiled.
"We had that phase. Gathered soldiers and civilians scattered across Korea. Danger, thrills, adventure, rewards."
The smile faded fast.
"Not anymore."
Maxwell turned.
"...More people means bigger tragedies."
He watched Rebecca and Su approaching.
"See you later, Hunter. Stay alive till then."
The captain strode off, fist raised in salute.
Rebecca eyed him warily as they passed; Su bolted straight to me.
"SKELTON!"
I watched Su.
That U.S. officer called Su a tragedy.
No denying it.
Human life is finite.
Anyone can die, mostly tragically.
But that's fixating on one slice of life's long play.
I don't see only tragedy in our bond.
A short middle slice? Pure comedy, no doubt.
Rebecca stood before me with Su.
"SKELTON. Liar."
I smiled at the duo.
No happy endings expected.
Too much to ask of a crumbling world.
Just more good days.
"Let's head back."
My modest greed.