—Crash!
A window on the second floor of the shopping center shattered from the inside, exploding into fragments with a sharp, jarring sound. Immediately, a rope was thrown out—its length just right, landing perfectly on the ground floor.
Two figures climbed out through the broken window, grabbed the rope, and in just a few seconds, slid down safely to the ground.
Once on the ground, they turned, scanned their surroundings, confirmed their bearings, and then ran toward Brian's position. Moonlight illuminated their faces—it was Wade and Mike.
They stopped behind Brian, ignoring the corpses around them, and spoke in unison:
"Captain, everyone inside has been dealt with."
"Good."
Brian nodded, turned around, hands clasped behind his back, and said with quiet satisfaction:
"Well done. Excellent work."
Mike stepped forward, a faint, almost hidden smile on his lips.
"But there's some 'bad news'—the two new recruits were hit by enemy gunfire. They took multiple shots… and didn't make it."
"What a tragic loss."
Brian shook his head solemnly, letting out a heavy sigh. He raised his arm.
"This survivor group attacked our quarantine zone convoy without cause. Judging by their actions, they've likely done this before. Their very existence is a threat. We must eliminate them—immediately."
Then he turned to Elton.
"Ask Kim where he is. When will he return?"
"Yeah, I'll—"
"I'm back!"
Before Elton could finish, a voice called out from the distance. Everyone turned. A figure was sprinting toward them.
Kim Seong-min arrived, dropped the man he was carrying onto the ground, and stood with hands on his hips, slightly out of breath.
"Look what I brought—our big prize! Confirmed identity: the leader of this survivor group!"
"Oh?"
Brian looked at the unconscious middle-aged man on the ground, then at the two kneeling survivors.
"He's your leader?"
"…"
The two on their knees were still dazed, not fully recovered from the terror. They sat frozen, trembling.
Finally, the thin young man snapped out of it. He swallowed hard, glanced at the man on the ground.
"Y-yes… he's our new leader."
"New leader?"
Brian raised an eyebrow. A thought clicked in his mind.
"Yes," the young man explained. "This guy only became leader by accident. Our real leader was Miles. He was sharp, strong, capable."
He looked up at Brian, hesitated, then clenched his jaw and said:
"If he were still alive, he'd have seen through your tricks. Who'd win today? No one knows."
"Hah… you've got guts," Brian said, studying him with amusement. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you for saying that?"
The young man flinched, tightened his fists, lowered his head—but didn't take it back.
"Alright. Elton, Wade—go find Norman. Bring the trucks. We've got more work tonight."
Brian wasn't overly surprised. In this world, there were no "what ifs." Win or lose. Survive or die. That was all.
Now he understood why the victory had been so easy. Weak leader, divided group. If they had lost to a team like this, it'd be a miracle.
He had no interest in interrogating this man. He turned to Kim.
"He's yours. Use whatever method you want. Get everything he knows."
After Elton and Wade left, a few minutes later, lights appeared down the street. They grew brighter, approaching slowly, and finally stopped beside Brian's group.
"Load them up. Let's move."
Brian grabbed the thin young man still kneeling, lifted him onto the lead military truck.
"You'll ride up front. You're our guide."
With a single command of "Move out," the convoy began rolling forward, heading southwest toward the golf course in Peachtree City.
Rich Golf Club, Southwest Peachtree City
On the rooftop of a five-story building, Andrea had gathered all the combat-ready members of her group.
"Alright. We'll wait here."
Then she turned to a burly man in the group.
"Coben, how's it looking back at the school? Any problems?"
"Hall's there. With him, we're safe."
Coben gripped his hunting rifle tightly, staring at the brightly lit golf course in the distance.
"Andrea… are you sure those quarantine zone soldiers will help us rescue our people?"
Andrea couldn't be certain. But seeing the look in Coben's eyes—full of hope, of longing—she knew why. Among the captives was his wife.
She nodded firmly.
"They will. They have to help us."
"Sister, look! There's fire over there!"
Suddenly, Hannah, standing behind them, pointed toward the north, shouting.
Both turned. Following her finger, they saw a flicker of light far to the north. If not for the low buildings and their high vantage point, they might have missed it.
"That place… that's the shopping center."
Andrea whispered, remembering the words of the soldier named Brian. A thought clicked in her mind.
She looked at Leo and Hannah. They were already looking at her. Three minds, one realization.
"Darcey, check the golf course. Are there fewer people inside?"
Andrea called to a middle-aged white man in the group.
Darcey nodded, raised the binoculars around his neck, and moved to the edge of the roof. Though night limited visibility, the golf course was lit by fires—enough to spot what he needed.
He slowly panned the binoculars, muttering numbers under his breath, counting like a census. Minutes later, he lowered them.
"There are definitely fewer people. Most of the missing are armed men. Now, it looks like only children, elders, women… and maybe five or six guards remain."
"Yes!"
Coben jumped with excitement.
"No wonder we got here so easily! Most of them are gone. They must be fighting the soldiers right now!"
He racked the slide of his rifle, chambering a round, and looked at Andrea urgently.
"What are we waiting for? This is their weakest moment. The ones who left won't return soon. Let's go in and rescue them now!"
"But…"
Andrea frowned, hesitating.
"I promised that man we'd wait for his order."
"What's wrong with you, Andrea?"
Coben clearly disagreed.
"Have you forgotten our main goal—saving them? Is there a better chance than this? If we wait, who knows who'll win? If they lose, the main group returns, and we're still here, wasting time!"
He turned back to the golf course, fists clenched tightly.
"And this might be our only chance!"
"…Sigh."
Andrea saw the determination in Coben's eyes. She knew she couldn't stop him. She exhaled.
"Alright… if that's how you feel, then…"
But before she could finish, a static buzz crackled from her pocket.
Andrea stiffened. She pulled out the object—the radio Brian had given her.
And from it, a familiar voice echoed through the night:
—Zzz… Zzz… Andrea… are you there?