—Grrraaah!
A red-eyed Runner flailed its arms wildly inside the chaotic shopping center, excitedly staring at the tall, dark human intruder. It opened its mouth, revealing blood-stained teeth, ready to punish this fool who dared invade its territory.
—Boom!
But before it could get close, the dark-skinned man raised a double-barreled shotgun and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. Buckshot erupted from the barrel, scattering in a wide arc, obliterating half the Runner's skull.
The infected creature, half its head gone, collapsed to its knees like a puppet with cut strings, then fell lifelessly to the ground.
Wade glanced at the fallen infected, then at the dozen or so other Runners lying dead around him. After confirming no more threats were near, he let out a quiet breath of relief, wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, and holstered his shotgun.
His experience on external missions was still short. He'd grown up inside the quarantine zone and had never truly seen infected up close. Facing a horde alone still made him nervous, even fearful.
Wade remembered vividly his first time: the terror of seeing an infected, the tension of killing one, the panic of taking a human life.
If it hadn't been for a good captain who helped him face his fears and process his emotions, in any other team, he probably would've been dead long ago.
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. Now, he needed to focus on completing the task the captain had assigned.
He switched on his radio.
—Kim, I've cleared the upper floor. How's it going on your end?
—I'm done too. Come down.
—Got it.
After receiving the reply, Wade took one last look around before heading down the escalator. Earlier, he'd been too focused on eliminating infected to notice, but now, as he scanned the area, he realized that aside from the curved atrium being converted into a boxy layout and the ground floor filled with clothing racks and hangers, this mall was almost identical to the one they'd come from. Even the decorations were similar.
He stepped into the main hall, carefully stepping over patches of infected-free ground, weaving through obstacles until he reached a convenience store.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Kim Seong-min sat on the floor, carefully filling an empty metal tube with a white powder. To his left sat a collection of bottles and jars; to his right, four or five completed tubes, each with a long fuse protruding from one end.
Wade crouched beside him, picked up one of the finished tubes, and looked at Kim with astonishment.
—So this is what you were doing? What is it? It looks… like a bomb?
—It is a bomb, —Kim said, inserting a fuse into another tube. He glanced at Wade, confirming his guess.
—These are homemade pipe bombs.
—You can make bombs?!
Wade had only suspected it, but hearing Kim admit it shocked him.
—Why have I never seen you make these before?
Kim paused, giving him a puzzled look.
—Because there was never a need. Making these bombs consumes rare materials. Every use depletes the supply, and gathering more is extremely difficult. So as long as we can rely on standard quarantine zone supplies, we don't waste our own.
He gave a self-deprecating smile and added:
—And if I didn't have a unique skill like this, do you really think our captain—with his strict standards—would've invited me into the team?
Wade thought back to past missions: Norman had excellent sniping skills, Elton was small and agile, perfect for scouting, Mike was a master at vehicle repair, and Wade himself could brute-force his way through heavy obstacles. Kim, however, had always seemed average—often just playing a supporting role.
Damn… he was the deepest one all along.
Embarrassed by his past underestimation, Wade scratched his head.
—Yeah… I guess so.
—Alright, I'm done. Let's clear the first floor, set up the area, and call them in.
After finishing the last pipe bomb, Kim carefully sealed all the bottles and jars and packed them into his backpack. Though not a large amount, these materials were extremely precious. He couldn't afford to waste even a speck.
Hearing they were about to set up the battlefield, Wade's expression turned uneasy. Truthfully, he still had deep reservations about killing.
Especially now, after receiving Norman's report: twenty-five enemies. Thinking about what they were about to do tonight, he suddenly fell silent…
Kim noticed the shift in Wade's mood. He glanced over, saw the look on his face, and understood. He placed a hand on Wade's shoulder.
—We're not doing this because we want their lives. They made the first move. This is self-defense.
—Yeah… you're right.
Wade took a deep breath, steadied himself, and nodded firmly. Then he followed Kim toward the first floor.
5:00 PM
—Hurry up! It's getting dark!
The sun dipped below the horizon as the convoy slowly rolled into the shopping center. Cindy jumped down from the cargo truck, pretending to stretch her arms while scanning the area, searching for the missing soldiers.
Today, she'd traveled with the convoy. The four soldiers present seemed like raw recruits—clumsy, panicked, and visibly trembling when facing infected. Though they eliminated the threats, the process looked exhausting and unskilled.
This made Cindy's guard drop sharply. When no one was looking, she quickly scribbled down the intel and tossed the note into a corner. She knew someone from her group would retrieve it soon.
Her main tasks now were: assess the remaining soldiers' strength and poison their dinner with the strong sedative. She hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon.
—Cindy… uh… could you help us with dinner tonight?
Just as Cindy stepped into the mall, she heard Mike's voice. She turned and saw his awkward, embarrassed expression.
She froze for a second. But when she understood, her eyes lit up. She pretended to hesitate, then "reluctantly" agreed.
Following his gesture, she walked through rows of racks and hangers to an open space in the center. She noticed that aside from this central area and the path to the entrance, the rest was blocked by debris. They'd only cleared this one zone.
Near the campfire, a pot of water boiled. She picked up the ingredients and began adding them slowly, but her eyes never stopped scanning.
Soon, she spotted the returning soldiers. All were filthy, disheveled, and exhausted—especially Brian, the one who'd questioned her yesterday. He looked the worst.
If one or two looked like this, she might think they'd fought dozens of infected. But all of them looked the same.
This confirmed her suspicion: they were untrained new recruits. Her suspicion evaporated completely. She no longer saw them as a threat.
—So yesterday was all an act!
With the soldiers now harmless, Cindy remembered her main mission. She pulled out the sedative from her pocket and, when no one was looking, dumped the entire dose into the pot.
After dinner was ready, she handed out bowls of soup, smiling as she watched each person drink it down.
She knew her mission was complete.
Cindy waited in silence, watching them one by one fall into deep sleep.
Thinking of the supplies she'd earn for this success, her heart swelled with joy.
When full darkness fell, she pretended to sleep for an hour. Hearing loud snores and seeing the night guard drowsy, she slowly stood up.
She checked each person carefully. Though they were asleep, some showed signs of stirring.
The sedative must've weakened from storage, she thought. She didn't dare touch them, fearing she'd wake someone. She knew she couldn't delay.
She turned and hurried to a store she'd already picked out, rushed to the window, and pulled out a small flashlight. She flashed it several times into the dark street.
Seconds later, a rustle in the dark grass. A small figure darted out and approached the window.
It was a man with an ugly, twisted face—her partner. Cindy leaned halfway out, urgently whispering:
—They're asleep. The sedative might be weak. Tell them to come quickly. They could wake up any moment.
—O-okay!
Seeing her urgency, the man didn't waste words. He turned and sprinted toward a house in the southwest.
Watching him vanish into the night, Cindy exhaled in relief. After a moment's thought, she decided to return and pretend to sleep. If something went wrong later, she could still act as an inside informant.
She walked slowly toward the store entrance, lost in thought…
and didn't notice that, at the store's doorway, several bright lights had silently appeared in the darkness.