Chapter 93
Uijeongbu Defensive Sector, 7th Forward Command Post.
Through thick yellow dust blowing across the area, dozens of 6×6 military trucks and five-ton trucks drove in one after another.
The cargo beds carried more than just supplies.
Packed like freight were new recruits, their packs stuffed so full they looked ready to burst.
“Get down! Move it, you idiots!”
At the senior NCOs’ shouting, the recruits spilled out in a rush.
But instead of the fear one might expect from men dragged to the battlefield, their faces showed a strange mixture of relief and grim determination.
“Wow… I smell food. Looks like they really feed us.”
“They say three meals a day of army rations—and even meat.”
“Well, mutants are the one thing the Northern Front has in abundance.”
Ten years after the Collapse.
The outside world was hell.
Either torn apart by mutants, hunted by raiders, or starved to death.
Compared to that, the army was heaven.
At least they handed you a gun and kept you fed.
That was why the soldiers here were not conscripts but volunteers who had walked in on their own just to survive.
Watching the chaotic scene from a distance stood a man.
Captain Kim Hyeongjun, commander of the 3rd Company.
“…That’s a lot of recruits.”
He muttered bitterly.
Reinforcements were welcome—but it also meant the outside world had become even harder to live in.
“Captain! Orders came down to collect supplies! The amount is enormous!”
The administrative supply sergeant came running over, breathless and excited.
Before the Collapse, a supply NCO would have been a veteran with ten or twenty years of service.
In the post-collapse world, things were different.
“I have eyes too. But why the sudden resupply?”
“Well… Colonel Park Jinseop, the operations staff officer, personally stepped in and scraped together these supplies. If we don’t go now, we won’t get anything!”
Captain Kim narrowed his eyes.
Park Jinseop personally involved in supply?
Something felt wrong.
“…Let’s go.”
He adjusted his boots and headed toward the supply depot.
The depot was like a marketplace.
Company commanders from the so-called “Park Jinseop line,” the favored units, had already taken the best spots.
“Hey, look at this! Beautiful finish!”
The 1st Company commander lifted a K-2 rifle from a newly opened wooden crate and admired it.
When the oil paper was peeled away, the glossy black barrel gleamed in the sunlight.
“Brand new! Completely new! Looks like something that sat untouched in a pre-collapse warehouse.”
“They even have mortars. Look how smooth that barrel is. Wow… Colonel Park really does have the connections. I thought he’d get demoted after falling out with the Supreme Commander, but he pulled off a big one.”
“He’s always been obsessed with promotion. Anyway, at least we can breathe a little easier now.”
Excited, they tore open ammunition crates and loaded mortars onto trucks.
Watching the scene twisted Captain Kim’s stomach.
His unit had held the front line while it was collapsing—yet the well-connected units who stayed behind were taking all the supplies.
Even worse, arguing wouldn’t change anything.
“Hey, Captain Kim! You’re late.”
The 1st Company commander swaggered over when he spotted him.
A new rifle hung from his shoulder, a polished pistol at his waist.
“Colonel Park personally secured the latest production models.”
“…From Guro Foundry?”
Captain Kim glanced at the rifle.
At first glance, it was flawless.
No scratches. Perfect finish.
Like a plastic model kit straight from a factory.
But he didn’t trust it.
“Couldn’t it be defective? Last time—”
The 1st Company commander cut him off.
“Oh come on. Does this look defective? They already caused that mess once—do you think they’d screw up again? One accident is bad luck. Two means you’re an idiot.”
The logic had some merit.
The defective batch last time had been visibly flawed.
“Well? Aren’t you collecting supplies? Though since you came late, I doubt there’s anything good left.”
Captain Kim had come immediately after receiving orders.
Yet he was still last in line.
The favoritism was obvious.
Looks like the Park line got tipped off first.
Even the idea of first-come-first-served supplies was ridiculous.
Ignoring the 1st Company commander’s sneer, Kim walked to the desk.
Staff Sergeant Choi, the supply officer he knew, was sweating awkwardly.
“Staff Sergeant Choi.”
Choi glanced around and lowered his voice.
“The A-grade supplies were all taken by Colonel Park’s people. Orders came from above—there was nothing I could do.”
“I know. You don’t have that kind of authority.”
“But I did set aside something for you. Look here.”
Choi pointed to a box hidden in the corner.
Inside were ten rifles stamped with the Guro Foundry mark, along with ammunition boxes.
“These are the best of what came in. No visible damage, good finish… Looks like Colonel Park really went all-in gathering them.”
Choi proudly opened the crate.
Sleek rifles lay inside.
But Captain Kim didn’t reach for them.
Instead, he pointed to another crate shoved in a corner.
“What about that one?”
“Huh? Oh… that?”
Choi scratched his head awkwardly.
“Those are supplies sent by Lieutenant Colonel Kang Cheolmin. The transport unit dumped them and left. But the quantity is tiny—nothing compared to Colonel Park’s shipment.”
“Show me.”
“Captain, those are refurbished weapons. Just look at the finish. Colonel Park’s batch is brand new, so why bother—”
“I said show me.”
At Kim’s firm tone, Choi reluctantly dragged the crate over.
The difference was obvious.
The finish looked like worn paint patched over rough spots.
Anyone could tell they were battlefield-used weapons refurbished for service.
Kim picked up one K-2 rifle.
It felt heavy.
The grip settled into his palm—cold and solid.
He pulled the bolt.
“…!”
Kim’s eyes widened.
The bolt slid so smoothly it barely made a sound.
No resistance. It moved like it was gliding across oil.
Instinctively, he grabbed one of the gleaming Guro rifles Choi had set aside.
He pulled its bolt too.
Clack—scrape.
Nothing obviously wrong, but there was a subtle difference.
Then he remembered the last battle.
A rocket launcher labeled “brand new” that exploded in the chamber instead of firing.
It had carried the Guro Foundry mark.
“Staff Sergeant Choi.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll take only these.”
Choi waved his hands in alarm.
“Captain! Why? Why take junk when you have good ones? Those are refurbished!”
“So what? As long as the gun fires properly.”
“But still—”
“It’s fine.”
Kim set the shiny Guro rifle down.
His instincts were screaming.
These polished weapons would cause trouble.
Choi looked baffled but knew he couldn’t change Kim’s mind.
“…Fine. But don’t complain later. You refused the good ones.”
“Thanks.”
“Seriously, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t.”
Watching the 3rd Company load only refurbished weapons onto their truck, the 1st Company commander clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. Captain Kim, why are you so twisted? Staff Sergeant Choi was helping you and you rejected it for scrap.”
Kim didn’t reply.
Instead he sneered inwardly.
Go ahead and laugh. Let’s see who’s laughing when the real battle starts.
At the operations board hung with tactical maps, two groups of officers glared at each other.
The air was sharp like a drawn blade.
Yet beneath it burned a strange excitement.
Battle achievements meant promotion.
Better supplies.
And possibly a ticket out of this hellish front line.
“Captain Kim. Looks like our company is taking the forward sector this time. Tough luck.”
The 1st Company commander spoke with fake sympathy.
But he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips.
Colonel Park Jinseop had been blatant.
Units aligned with him were assigned the chokepoints where mutant waves would flood in.
Dangerous—but perfect for earning achievements.
Meanwhile, Captain Kim’s unit and a few others who received supplies from Kang Cheolmin were placed on the battlefield’s edges.
Cleaning up mutant leftovers.
In other words, sidelined.
When supplies were scarce, the situation had been the opposite.
But now the favoritism was blatant.
“Work hard. Assuming your guns don’t break.”
Kim threw out a barbed remark.
The 1st Company commander’s expression twisted.
“What?”
Kim turned and walked away without answering.
At the base firing range.
Captain Kim lay prone with the refurbished K-2 rifle.
It came from a place he had never even heard of.
Atlas.
I need to confirm.
Ten years of battlefield experience had taught him one truth.
Your rank insignia doesn’t save your life.
Your gun does.
Taking an unreliable weapon into battle was suicide.
“One round loaded.”
The bolt moved back and forward.
Still perfectly smooth.
Feels good.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three-round burst.
Kim checked the target and blinked.
All three shots landed inside a coin-sized group.
“…This is a refurbished rifle?”
He couldn’t believe it.
The grouping was better than pre-collapse factory-grade weapons.
Next he aimed at targets at 250 meters and 400 meters.
Bang!
The target plate snapped backward.
Even beyond effective range, the bullet trajectory remained straight.
“Supply officer! Bring that one here.”
A soldier hesitantly brought over a Guro Foundry rifle.
Choi had secretly sent one along through the supply officer.
Kim picked it up and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“…Ha.”
The grouping spread out to the size of a fist.
Still usable—but incomparable to the Atlas rifle.
And worse—
After only one magazine, a harsh metallic smell rose from the weapon.
A sign the metal itself couldn’t withstand the heat.
Kim gritted his teeth and switched to full auto.
Ratatatat!
On the third magazine—
Click.
The bolt jammed halfway.
A malfunction.
The overheated chamber refused to release the casing.
“Ha. Just as I thought. And we’re supposed to stop a mutant wave with this?”
His suspicion had become reality.
He stood up.
No matter how unlucky those bastards were, they were still comrades wearing the same uniform.
He couldn’t watch them die like dogs.
In front of the 1st Company barracks.
The 1st Company commander smoked with his men.
“Captain.”
“Oh? Captain Kim. What, you shot that scrap rifle and came begging to switch?”
He laughed.
Kim handed him the Guro rifle.
“Don’t use this. At the very least, avoid automatic fire.”
“What?”
“I tested it. After three magazines it malfunctioned. This batch is defective too.”
Kim’s serious warning turned the commander’s face cold.
He didn’t even look at the rifle.
Instead he spat on the ground.
“Hey, Kim Hyeongjun.”
“….”
“If you’re jealous, just say so. Don’t act pathetic. And don’t ruin morale before a battle.”
The platoon leaders nearby snickered.
Kim’s fists trembled.
But he turned away.
He had done what he could.
Now the only thing left was preparing to survive.
Kim headed straight to the mortar position of the heavy weapons company.
Lieutenant Choi, one of Kang Cheolmin’s officers, was installing the baseplate of an Atlas mortar.
“Lieutenant Choi.”
“Sir! Captain, you’re here.”
Lieutenant Choi looked ecstatic.
He was stroking the mortar barrel like it was his girlfriend.
“This thing is incredible, sir. Absolutely insane.”
Kim had come to confirm it—and Lieutenant Choi had already conducted a test firing.
“It’s completely different. Even the way the baseplate bites into the ground feels different. The level gauge deviation is less than 0.01 degrees. And the smoothness when loading shells… wow.”
Choi raised a thumb.
“With Guro mortars the baseplate twists every shot and we have to correct it. But this one doesn’t budge. I guarantee it—every shot will hit.”
Kim sighed in relief.
At least their supporting firepower was solid.
He gripped Choi’s shoulder seriously.
“Lieutenant Choi. I need a favor.”
“Yes, sir.”
“In this battle… the center sector. The 1st Company’s area.”
“Yes?”
“There’s going to be a problem there.”
“But they’re fully equipped with new gear.”
“It’s all shiny trash. I checked. Something will go wrong.”
Kim pointed to the 1st Company sector on the map.
“If the central defense line shows any sign of breaking, don’t wait for orders. Fire support immediately.”
“But leaving the assigned sector could get me court-martialed.”
“I’ll take responsibility. If the center collapses, we’ll be completely isolated on this ridge. Do you want your men dead, or do you want a stint in the brig?”
Choi swallowed hard.
“…Understood. I’ll mark the coordinates in advance. With this mortar, I can drop shells within a leaf’s width of their heads.”
Kim wondered at his confidence.
If the central line collapsed, the group filling that gap would be—
Mutants.
‘I should look into Atlas more closely.’
Above Captain Kim’s head as he walked toward his vehicle—
A faint distortion shimmered among the pale clouds.
A tiny refraction of light invisible to the naked eye.
Even radar would dismiss it as a flock of birds.
At the center of the distortion, Shadow hovered silently.
[TARGET LOCK ON]
A green frame locked onto Captain Kim Hyeongjun’s face on the HUD.
—A human with good judgment.
Shadow had recorded everything.
Kim Hyeongjun choosing Atlas equipment.
He would report the footage to Kang Sinhyeok.
Then—
A red warning light blinked in the corner of Shadow’s vision.
[Warning: Battery Level Low (5%)]
Long-duration high-altitude reconnaissance and stealth field maintenance had drained the energy.
For a normal drone, this would mean aborting the mission.
But Shadow didn’t move.
Instead, the battery slot beneath its chassis opened with a metallic click.
Crackle—
Blue sparks burst behind the drone.
Space crumpled like paper.
From the tear emerged a heavy object.
A fully charged mutant acidic battery Kang Sinhyeok had produced and stored earlier.
Clang!
The new battery locked into place.
At the same time, the depleted one was sucked back into the spatial rift.
A supply capability that ignored distance itself.
The authority of Spatial Tethering.
[Battery Status: 100%]
Fully restored in one second, Shadow increased the output of its stealth field again.
—Commencing reconnaissance of the Northern Front.