Suwon (3): The Raiders' Reckoning
I watched the real-time footage from the scout drone on the monitor in car 1, swallowing hard. I'd fought all sorts of monsters up until now, but this was my first time witnessing humans clashing in organized groups. My palms were sweating for no reason, and I had to take deep breaths every time I glanced at the screen.
"Don't rush ahead—stick to cover and check the corners."
"Hey, hey, deep breaths."
I'd been worried the two old-timers might run into trouble out there, but surprisingly, they were keeping the excited survivors in check, doing their part to calm things down now and then.
But their opponents were a gang of criminals who'd grown strong through all sorts of atrocities.
"Die!"
A guy leaped out from afar, summoning what looked like a spear in his hand before hurling it with blinding speed. It seemed like he'd combined two skills. Every now and then, these ambushers mixed multiple skills in clever ways.
Still, the survivors pressed on smoothly, dealing with them one by one.
Then, when they'd searched about half the area, the ground in front of the Suwon survivors exploded with a massive boom!
"Argh!"
"My shoulder...! Damn it, hug the building wall!"
One of the three leading the way got hit in the shoulder by flying debris and dove behind cover in agony. The scout drone zoomed straight in on the crater.
"...A bowling ball?"
The culprit behind the earth-shaking blast was none other than a bowling ball. It was shattered, but I could tell from the finger holes and the engraved numbers on the fragments.
"Damn, like it hit a landmine or something...?"
"Th-there! Up there!"
Looking where one survivor pointed, a man stood on the rooftop. Whatever his skill was, he was chucking those heavy bowling balls with scary accuracy. They flew at insane speeds, shattering on impact with the asphalt and spraying chunks like fragmentation grenades—rocks and ball shards everywhere.
"He's a bit far—"
"Hey, don't expose yourself!"
Whoooosh—boom!
They tried returning fire, but he was too distant. Any time they lined up a shot, another ball would crash down, crumbling walls and kicking up blinding dust clouds. The terrain got wrecked, debris flying, trapping Suwon's awakeners in a deadlock where they couldn't even poke their heads out.
That was when it happened.
The golem that had been staunchly guarding the two old men stepped forward. Clank, clunk! It snatched a plummeting bowling ball right out of the air with both feet.
"...Caught it?"
It looked more like it got smashed, but its durability held up fine. Then it started crushing the ball between its feet with a crunch. In seconds, the bowling ball compressed into a small, dense cannon shell, which the golem clunked into the barrel on its back.
The nearby survivors stared at the golem in a daze.
Then—BOOM! The cannon's roar shook the air as it fired. The return shot slammed dead-on into the railing where the guy was hiding.
Kaboom! Rumble rumble—!
The enemy probably didn't even have time to scream. The rooftop collapsed entirely on impact, billowing a massive dust cloud, and the silhouette of the bowling-ball spammer vanished into the rubble.
"...Whoa."
The advancing Suwon survivors gawked at the scene.
"Uh... thanks..."
"I main Protoss, Zerg race."
"Me too, me too."
"Hey, don't pet it there—that's where the shell comes out."
"Eww, gross."
It was a bizarre sight, people awkwardly thanking the golem. Instead of replying, it wiped down its barrel once and returned to the old men's side, scanning for threats.
"Alright, stay vigilant! Advance cover to cover!"
At the two old men's command, the Suwon survivors reignited their fierce glares and hurried deeper into the raiders' lair.
After that, the battle unfolded even smoother than I'd expected—almost anticlimactically, from what I saw on the drone feed. Sure, the raiders had some dangerous weapons and skills, and a few pulled off sharp counterattacks.
But watching it all, one thing hit me:
Skills have their limits.
On screen, a nimble raider with a dagger lunged from a blind spot at a Suwon survivor weaving between cover. It was blindingly fast, like it had skill enhancements.
But the target didn't panic—instead, he twisted his waist on reflex, dodging the blade.
Clang!
His body evaded, but his gun got nicked and clattered to the ground. Unfazed, he dropped low, clenching his fist.
The ambusher didn't let up. "Die!" Slash, whoosh!
The survivor rhythmically slipped the dagger swings like a dance, then drove a short, heavy hook into the raider's exposed ribs.
Crack!
"Gaaah!!"
It looked like a light tap, but the guy crumpled, clutching his shattered ribs. His Suwon buddies nearby cracked lame jokes.
"Yo, is it cool for a pro boxer like you to just beat down randos?"
"These clowns normal?"
"Fair. Keep pounding."
The ex-boxer dusted off his knuckles with a grin. The raider learned the hard way not to rely solely on skills.
And fighting from range? They couldn't ignore gunfire's power.
At this point, one raider chucked his weapon, threw up both hands, and bolted out. "Hah, I surrender! Don't shoot!"
That sparked a domino effect.
"Y-you bastards!"
"Th-then I surrender too!"
"...Me too!"
The rest of the holdouts ditched their weapons and crawled out with hands high, like they'd been waiting for the excuse. No real loyalty among them—no will to die defending the place, no brotherhood to aid bleeding comrades.
The moment the tide turned, surrenders poured in.
Way more came out than expected. If that many had fought to the death, Suwon's crew might've taken real losses. Thanks to the raiders' flimsy bonds, it ended lamely with dozens sprawled face-down in the open lot.
"Can you help us out? Gotta search the buildings too."
"Yes, sir!"
With the area secured, the two old men took a few awakeners to sweep the largest buildings in the safe zone.
"Uh... you watch these guys."
Before entering, the chairman told the golem nearby. It hesitated, then stood guard over the prisoners—figuring that kept the old men safe.
And shortly after...
The chairman stormed out, unleashing curses that made my ears burn.
"You dog-shit scum! Filthy animals!"
He bellowed at the captives, eyes bloodshot. I snuck the drone inside to check.
"Oh..."
Even I wanted to look away from the horrors. One corner overflowed with trophies from gallery-lured victims—torn clothes, bloodied IDs, smartphones piled like trash.
Some rooms had handcuffs, blood-splattered walls.
The chairman, rage nearly blinding him, drew his gun. One prone raider groveled. "P-please spare me! I was forced into it! Just this once!"
At the pathetic plea, the politician beside him sighed heavily. Composed, he gazed down and spoke.
"Fine. If any of you are minors fifteen or under, we'll spare the kids."
"...!"
"At that age, you could say they were coerced."
A heavy silence blanketed the lot. Naturally, no teens or kids under fifteen among the scum.
"No one? Then the rest pay like adults for their crimes."
The politician's icy verdict made one panic-scream.
"I-I have an amazing skill! I can map any dungeon's interior perfectly!"
Damn good skill, for sure.
"Dungeon mapping? ...Valuable talent."
The old man nodded. Hope lit the raider's face—then froze the air with his next words.
"Sorry. I'm too petty for forgiveness."
"...Fuck this!"
"Everyone up!"
Realizing no mercy, they spat curses and sprang up in a last-ditch frenzy.
But Suwon's survivors had anticipated it perfectly.
Rat-tat-tat! Boom! Bang!
Before they could move, encircling guns and attack skills erupted.
"Cover without hitting friendlies!"
At my cue from the cockpit, the combat and sniper drones overhead unleashed merciless fire support.
It ended in a flash. The gunfire didn't drag on.
I shut off the screen. No guilt, but no need for the kids or Haseon to see that.
About two hours later, they returned to the train with satisfied faces, cleanup done.