Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 87: Urban Warfare

If I were truly loyal to the alliance, I would have used different methods. I would have hidden time bombs in sacks of rice so they'd be moved to enemy storage before exploding and causing fires, and I would have distributed poison evenly throughout various foods.

That's probably what the alliance wanted from me. Damaging their outpost or transport troops. Injecting fear and distrust.

The types of explosives they gave me made this clear. Time bombs, explosives that detonate when opened. Even poisons to mix with food.

The bombs were designed to be passed along and cause delayed damage.

"Let's take out the bombs first."

We removed all the explosives and laid them out on the floor. There was a collection of extremely crude-looking bombs.

Butane gas canisters with electrical components and digital watches attached to the ends of wires, all wrapped in duct tape. Neatly packaged delivery boxes and mask containers. Incendiary time bombs made of plastic bottles filled with gasoline connected to wires, batteries, and digital watches.

Do-hyung looked over the bombs once and scratched his head.

"They didn't give us the real bombs."

"You're right."

I sighed with disappointment as I examined the explosives. Honestly, these bombs were insufficient to kill people with their blast. Gi Jeona had said as much.

Even at close range, they probably wouldn't kill instantly. Death would come slowly. She suggested setting longer timers and focusing on starting fires in enemy storage areas.

Do-hyung added to this:

"From what I've seen, the bombs the alliance is actually using are completely different. Not for traps, but for direct attacks."

"Did they make grenades or something?"

"Something similar. They're using gunpowder extracted from police ammunition, making pipe bombs with Hope Community, creating button-activated bombs using cafe vibration buzzers, that kind of thing."

That made sense. After all, we were just mercenaries, and the main fighting force consisted of alliance members.

With this in mind, I stared at the bombs, deep in thought.

'Somehow we need to neutralize at least half the platoon.'

We had to use these to kill the looting platoon. The text scrolled through my mind.

Location: apartment complex. Objective: attack a looting platoon with crude explosives. Goal: acquire firearms. Tasks: maximize the lethality of these crude explosives, detonate with precise timing.

I asked casually:

"Can we modify these explosives? Make them button-activated or increase their firepower?"

My companions and the mercenaries looked around at each other, then shook their heads one by one. No one had the specialized knowledge.

However, Do-hyung hesitated before speaking in a low voice.

"I don't know much about electricity. But I secretly watched the electricity nomads making these, and they put nails and screws around the explosives."

"Is that so?"

That was useful. But it wasn't enough. We needed to add poison too. Coat the nails and screws with toxins.

But the method for detonating them effectively...

That was the most difficult problem. Using time bombs or pressure-triggered bombs for precise strikes. After thinking carefully, I pointed to the top of a delivery box.

"This one explodes when the box is opened, right? Let's tear off the tape, flip the box upside down, and set it to explode when the box is moved."

***

We worked diligently all night. We carefully installed explosives in the emergency stairwell landing of the line where the painter had lived.

We created a barricade of explosive boxes stacked upside down on the emergency stairs, made to look like someone lived there. We'd already removed the tape from the lids, so they would automatically open and explode all at once when kicked or moved.

We also mixed in boxes containing fragments coated with poison.

We modified the time bombs appropriately. We packed them in bags with fragments so we could throw them.

Afterward, we went out to the shopping area outside the apartment and hid there to sleep. In stores that were empty and filthy, already picked clean by zombies.

A day passed.

"Wake up. We've got a radio message."

"What is it?"

I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up. The mercenary holding the radio answered immediately.

"They say a platoon is heading this way. Three squads, armed with rifles and light machine guns. They count twenty-four men."

"When will they arrive?"

"Looks like they'll be here in 30 minutes."

Thirty minutes. Just enough time to finish preparations.

I jumped up and looked around at my companions and the mercenaries. I also checked the piled time bombs and bags.

Digital watches connected by wires stuck out from the tightly closed bags. The watches were set to start a one-minute countdown with the push of a button. When the countdown reached zero, the bomb would explode.

"Everyone spread out and hide near the windows. Be ready to throw when the soldiers pass by here on their retreat."

"Yes."

The mercenaries swallowed nervously as they gathered their bags. The explosives clearly made them uncomfortable.

"Think of them as grenades. Press the countdown button, and when there are 10 seconds left, drop them out the window."

"...But what if they survive and come up here?"

"That's why we set booby traps on the stairs too. Don't worry."

Kill one squad on the apartment stairs, throw time bombs at the two retreating squads, and kill any surviving soldiers who attack us with booby traps set in the shopping area.

The mercenaries diligently spread out around the second-floor windows of the shopping area, and I checked my wristwatch, swallowing hard.

'The plan is solid. Really. Nothing should go wrong.'

We avoided setting traps on the street in case zombies accidentally triggered them. We installed multiple bombs at once in case some failed to detonate. Even in the worst-case scenario, we wouldn't lose.

I crouched under a window, my legs trembling. Despite all my reasoning, the anxiety wouldn't fade.

"Please."

"Nervous?"

Sa Gi-hyeok, sitting under the same window, glanced at me with a smile. He seemed surprisingly calm. I spoke lightly:

"I've had bad luck lately. Got hit by falling debris and all."

"Haha. You're quite afraid. But nothing changes by being anxious. Have confidence. Everything will go well."

"I'm not sure. Shouldn't we prepare for the worst?"

Isn't it better to prepare for failure than to hold groundless optimistic hope?

When I said this, Sa Gi-hyeok shook his head.

"I have a phrase I always repeat before running a con. 'This is real. This is a business that will generate real profit.' That creates an atmosphere of success, and actually draws success to you."

Is that so?

I exhaled deeply and fiddled with my hammer. Pointless anxiety certainly wasn't helpful, so following Sa Gi-hyeok's advice, I muttered like a prayer:

"They'll all die. The soldiers will die. Blown to pieces. Die without a trace. I'll kill them."

"No, not like that."

"Actually, I do feel better."

Just then, we heard movement outside the window.

We all held our breath and pressed tightly against the wall. Unable to stick our heads out, we couldn't see directly, but the soldiers' sounds came through clearly.

Thump, thump, thump—heavy boot sounds. The rattling of military gear. Voices communicating over radio.

"Apartment in sight. First squad moving in."

Roger. Second and third squads follow behind and maintain vigilance. Seeing drones following us for days, be careful. They won't give up a storage place like this apartment without a fight.

The soldiers' presence moved away toward the apartment.

At that moment, Park Yang-gun, who had disappeared somewhere, returned and whispered:

"One squad is approaching from the back. We should position some people there just in case."

The three squads were moving through different routes. I nodded. freewebnøvel.com

"Let's distribute people based on the situation."

Time passed slowly under the tension.

I could almost hear the ticking of a second hand. Drenched in sweat, I wondered how much time had passed. Finally, the moment arrived.

Bang! An explosion sound reached the shopping area. The trap in the apartment had been triggered. Explosions pounded like heartbeats: bang, bang, bang! All that remained were the retreating squad members.

Then, urgent movements could be heard from a distance. Something like screams or groans. Irregular, chaotic footsteps. They were using the exact same path the first squad had taken earlier.

"Be careful! They could attack at any moment!"

I immediately set the countdown on the digital watch and stared intently at the numbers. 60, 50, 40, 30. Matching those sounds, the approaching movements eventually reached just outside our window.

Then, someone must have thrown their bomb before me, as an explosion sounded outside.

Argh! Screams. The sound of soldiers firing their guns and innocent windows shattering.

20 seconds. Sa Gi-hyeok threw his bag first. 10 seconds. I followed, dropping my bag out the window. Assuming the attack was already underway, I shouted loudly:

"Use all the remaining explosives!"

The 60-second countdown was frustratingly long. The digital watch could only count down from one minute, which was too much time.

Screams erupted from outside.

"Second squad! We're under attack! Need support, argh!"

The whole world filled with screams, gunfire, and explosions. It was almost deafening. My mind felt distant and hazy.

Suddenly, it felt like a shockwave hit my body. No, it wasn't just a feeling—it was real.

"Aaaagh!"

It was a mercenary positioned far to the side. One of the explosives had detonated the moment it passed through the window. The mercenary, covered in shrapnel, rolled across the floor.

The gunfire didn't stop. It wasn't as intense as the initial downpour, but it still continued to ring out.