Canned Bonds
A short while later.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the army barracks.
Everyone from the group except Minyoung was there, along with Jeong I-jin, the division commander, military medical officers, the KEPCO employee, and the doctor—a total of more than ten people.
The soldiers demonstrated weapons using nets, adhesive foam, and beads.
The nets were surprisingly light, but to use them effectively, you needed to be in a position higher than the target.
The beads seemed like they could be deployed anytime on the spot, depending on the situation.
The problem was the adhesive foam.
This particular foam was double-sided, meaning once you stepped in it, you couldn't get free unless you took off your shoes entirely.
It stuck completely to the ground too.
And peeling it off bit by bit was a hassle.
Anna, watching the demo, wrinkled her nose.
"When the hell are you supposed to lay that shit down?"
"Right? It's not like we can text the zombies beforehand."
Hyun-soo sighed in agreement.
Then Youngman stepped in to explain.
"It'll have its uses in various ways. Could set it up as a trap to block them in advance when they swarm."
"Well... better than nothing, I guess."
Anna nodded reluctantly.
Once the demo ended and the soldiers dispersed, the doctor approached the group.
"Anna, Lee Hyun-soo, and Lee Beom-sik."
The three named individuals met the doctor's eyes.
"I'll be direct. Please take charge of this operation. Of course, if you refuse, we have no other options. The choice is yours—please consider it carefully."
The three exchanged glances for a moment.
Beom-sik's gaze drifted to Gaon, clinging to his side.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't leave the child behind.
He couldn't abandon her the same way she'd lost her father.
Anna, watching him, spoke first.
"Me? Well... if you old guys and bro are going, I'll tag along. Can't do it solo."
"Anyway, I'm the only one who knows the sewers inside out, so once the team's set, no choice but to go."
Hyun-soo, grasping the situation, accepted the proposal.
At that moment, Beom-sik, gripping Gaon's hand tightly, turned to Jaejeong and Youngman.
"It won't make a difference if I'm not there, right?"
"That so?"
Jaejeong scratched his head, glancing at Youngman.
As if it wouldn't.
They just couldn't say it with Gaon right there.
Jaejeong had learned one thing through all the life-and-death struggles they'd shared.
Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and moving together let them cover for each other.
So naturally, sticking as a group was best.
But he couldn't voice it.
Gaon's eyes were starting to waver with anxiety, just like when they'd first met.
The doctor, watching her with a distant, reminiscent look, approached Beom-sik.
"I have a child too. I know it's a tough call. Simply put: nothing else matters. This place is her future home. Without light, what will protect her? Winter's coming soon, and hardships will multiply."
Beom-sik hesitated for a split second.
Had Gaon's father wrestled with the same dilemma?
Risked his life to secure a safer haven, a better life for his daughter?
But Beom-sik couldn't.
He'd seen that ending with his own eyes.
If something happened to him, the child would despair again.
He didn't want to leave another precious person behind.
Because if he didn't return... it felt like no one would be waiting.
"Uncle, where you going?"
Gaon tugged at Beom-sik's pant leg, her big, sparkling eyes trembling with unease.
Beom-sik crouched down to her level.
"Gaon-ah."
"Yeah?"
"Uncle's... no. Uncle's not going anywhere. I'll stay right by your side."
"Yeah. You have to."
Beom-sik stood with a gentle smile.
Then he steeled himself toward the doctor.
"I can't go. Won't change a thing without me, so trust those guys and send 'em."
All eyes turned to Beom-sik.
First time they'd seen him speak politely to anyone, or wear such a soft expression.
The doctor scanned the group.
Everyone was nodding.
The mood affirmed Beom-sik's choice.
Fine, no helping it. Can't force the impossible.
The doctor acquiesced.
"Well, everyone has their duties now. Then I'll take the rest's agreement as given and proceed. Sir, that alright?"
"Yes. Let us know the schedule. We'll prep on our end."
"Understood. Oh, and..."
The doctor, turning to leave, added,
"Once this op ends, we'll expand the safe zone to the mart and commercial district cluster. Be our signal flare, please."
That wrapped the conversation.
The doctor headed back to the Tower, and the group returned to the barracks with Jeong I-jin and the KEPCO employee.
They needed introductions and to swap mission intel.
As discussions heated up,
"Pardon the intrusion."
Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Ha-sa entered the barracks.
"At ease."
"At ease."
Like parrots, they echoed the same phrase as they stepped inside.
Spotting Jeong I-jin immediately, they gasped and saluted.
"Whoa! Sir!"
"Oh, you guys. See you around a lot?"
"Yes, sir."
Jaejeong eyed Chan-yeol curiously.
"What's up?"
"Well... we're tagging along too."
Chan-yeol beamed.
Heading into zombie central didn't faze him apparently.
"Suddenly?"
"Yes. Like Choi Sergeant—no, Choi Ha-sa said. We're the only ones with close-quarters combat experience. Right, Choi Ha-sa?"
But Choi Ha-sa wore a shit-eating grimace, unlike Chan-yeol.
Face screaming he'd sigh any second about some last-minute op screwing his retirement.
Not even retirement anymore.
"Don't know, don't ask. Ha... why's my luck like this?"
"What's that in your hand?"
Jaejeong pointed to the paper clutched in Chan-yeol's fist.
"This is a map. Since we're not moving on the surface, figured we'd mark rough routes on it."
Chan-yeol spread it on the table, revealing Yeongdeungpo and the area south of the Han River at a glance.
Everyone praised the idea, Youngman especially thrilled.
"Smart lad, that. Hyun-soo, mark what you remember here."
"Eh, I've been around plenty, but not enough to draw from a map alone. Where's the destination?"
"Here."
The KEPCO employee circled and shaded it with a ballpoint.
Hyun-soo stared intently for a while, then started drawing lines.
"Man, this is tough. Not certain. But roughly like this."
"Whoa, you remember all that? This makes it a cakewalk. Just follow and we're there."
"No. We surface a few blocks away, not right at the target. From there... gotta nail it."
Chan-yeol panicked at Hyun-soo's words.
Choi Ha-sa's face went pale too.
"H-how we crossing blocks? C'mon, joke's over."
"No joke. Dead serious."
"Hyung-nim?"
Chan-yeol looked to Jaejeong.
But Jaejeong had no magic fix.
"Yeah, on foot. We'll use firecrackers from here. Shake zombies off as far as possible, then move. Best way, from our experience."
"Don't sweat it too much. Won't let you die on us. We've got a crack shot, remember?"
Youngman chimed in, glancing at Anna.
Anna puffed up proudly, as if to say damn right.
"Psh, no biggie. Depends on my mood a bit... but should be fine."
"We'll pack rifles this time. Everyone except Anna. You did your service, right?"
Jaejeong asked the KEPCO employee.
"Yep, sure did."
"Why rifles? One stray shot and we're pinned down."
Choi Ha-sa looked baffled.
He vividly recalled erecting outer walls on retreat.
Every shot drew zombies like waves.
Infected poured from shops and apartments in hordes.
Without those comrades holding the first line, the safe zone might not exist.
"If things go like I think, we'll clear building interiors with guns. No need to complicate. Seal the entrance, lay adhesive foam out front."
"Then how we exit? Gunfire pulls every zombie in the hood. Suicide."
"Like I said, we got firecracker arrows."
"Ah, firecracker arrows. Got it. Sounds solid."
"You?"
Jaejeong asked Jeong I-jin.
Curious since he'd been silent, just listening.
"Use this as base, adapt on the fly. Map's nothing like the real deal."
"Right, Captain. On-site, target might pop up right after surfacing—unlike the map?"
Chan-yeol and Choi Ha-sa leaned in eagerly, but Jeong I-jin tilted his head.
"Eh, positions and distances match the map pretty well. Not what I mean."
"Haha... right."
"Finding out on-site without expectations? That's the thrill. Go in easy, plan easy—you crumble at the first snag. Lives on the line. If you can't stay sharp, better bail. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
Their puffed cheeks deflated instantly.
Unlike with others, they folded completely before Jeong I-jin.
Probably 'cause he was active duty.
"Pardon."
A familiar voice entered the barracks.
The doctor.
Alone, cradling a large box.
Silence fell briefly; he tried breaking the heavy air.
"Doesn't seem like I walked into a no-go zone."
"Ah, come in."
Jaejeong, frozen in surprise, beckoned him.
"Not for any other reason. Checking if you're set for morning departure."
"We're good. No point delaying."
"Got it. And this..."
The doctor set the large cardboard box on the table and flung it open.
Inside: a hefty stash of canned goods.
Canned food...
Weeks of nothing but porridge, and now this.
Some looked shocked it even existed.
"Hard to come by. You deserve it. Fill up before the op. Tired of that slop, I bet. Alright, I'm out."
"Hold up."
Jaejeong stopped the doctor heading out.
Turning, he reflexively snatched something flying at him.
A can Jaejeong tossed.
"Commander's gotta eat too? Thanks, we'll dig in."
The doctor stared at the can in his hand.
"Same here. Come back alive, all of you."
As he left, everyone tore into the cans.
Enough to stuff themselves silly and still pack for tomorrow.
Infected People