'Strange.'
As he made his way back up toward where the drone team had been, Junho tilted his head slightly to himself.
The last group he was tracking—the ones who had pretended to attack Yoon Seolhee while actually herding her toward the summit—were different.
They weren’t like the ones who had engaged KW Cops and then retreated after being sniped by him.
They weren’t like the group that had flanked through the valley and been wiped out after ambushing Yoon Seolhee, either.
—“They’re patient and cautious for gangsters. Their crossfire’s solid, and they rotate two or three men while closing distance. They’re not your typical thugs.”
As if proving Yoon Seolhee’s assessment, the moment they realized something might have happened to the drone team, they immediately stopped attacking her and withdrew to the opposite mountain.
And that wasn’t all.
'They noticed our drone?'
Junho was genuinely surprised. Nothing like this had happened before.
The moment they sensed something was off, they had started checking the sky repeatedly while moving.
And eventually, they spotted his drone—and opened fire on it.
It had pulled out of effective range fast enough to avoid being shot down, but for the first time since the apocalypse began, he had nearly lost a drone.
Even so, Junho wasn’t shaken.
“This is something you probably haven’t seen before.”
He pulled out a mini drone from a pouch on his tactical belt.
It was originally meant for discreet indoor reconnaissance, but there was no rule saying it couldn’t be used in the mountains.
Vrrrr...
Taking into account its weaker camera, Junho only lifted the mini drone about four to five meters and sent it forward.
The feed was black-and-white, not color—but it was more than enough for reconnaissance.
Soon, the mini drone reached the spot where Junho had eliminated the drone team after quickly crossing the ridgeline and began transmitting footage.
'Eight.'
They were wearing old-style combat tops with body armor over them—and every one of them had ballistic goggles on.
More importantly, their posture, the way they scanned their surroundings, even their shooting stances were completely different from the other gangsters.
And most decisively—
'K1A? And MP5s?'
Even the leader had a Glock 17 in his holster.
Unlike the others who used smuggled Chinese weapons, these men were armed with the same firearms used by the military and police special units.
'Who the hell are they?'
Junho watched the drone screen with narrowed eyes.
When the leader pointed at the dead gangsters and said something, his men began collecting weapons, ammunition, and even the drone controller.
But something felt off.
No matter how trashy those gangsters were, the way these men treated the bodies was too rough.
One of them even spat on a corpse and kicked it—and no one stopped him.
'This is really strange.'
They might have been from different lines within the Daeseong syndicate and had bad blood, but it didn’t feel like that.
Because both the leader and the rest of the men looked far too rigid.
Junho guided the mini drone closer. Hidden behind trees, there was no risk of it being spotted.
“Hmm?”
Then his eyes narrowed.
The leader had just taken out a map and was studying it closely—and something on his body armor caught Junho’s attention.
Right in the center of the vest was a black Taegeuk flag patch... and a “POLICE” patch.
The drone’s black-and-white feed, combined with the dark vest and patch, had hidden it until now.
“Police...?”
They could have simply acquired police gear—but Junho felt the odds were high that they were actually police.
Because it wasn’t just the leader. Every one of them wore the same vest.
And more importantly, the patches were removable—but they hadn’t taken them off.
That meant that even in the apocalypse, they hadn’t abandoned their identity.
“I see. So that’s why.”
It immediately explained everything—why even Yoon Seolhee, a former Special Forces NCO, had been surprised by their tactical movement, and why they had treated the gangsters’ bodies so harshly.
At the same time, a thought formed in Junho’s mind.
“Maybe...”
After a brief moment of consideration, he made his decision.
This was worth trying.
***
“....”
Kim Sunwoo studied the map with sharp eyes.
With the plan completely fallen apart, the original route was now dangerous. They needed a new escape path.
“Lieutenant, wouldn’t it be better to just stick to the original plan?”
At the question from the man beside him who was keeping watch, Kim Sunwoo answered without lifting his eyes from the map.
“No. Whoever these bastards are, they’re not normal. And Lee Ujung is missing. He could’ve run, but I think he’s been captured. That means our entire route’s compromised.”
“...Damn it. That idiot’s trouble to the very end. If he had to die, he should’ve just died quietly.”
“That’s gangsters for you. Anyway, Sergeant Oh, it’d be better to swing around this way and break out toward Jeongji-ri. There’s a weir here—we can cross the river.”
“Understood. And you can speak casually. You’re a year older than me.”
“Later.”
Kim Sunwoo didn’t even look at him as he answered, and the man called Sergeant Oh just shrugged.
Kim Sunwoo had gone from violent crimes to riot police to special operations. By any measure, he was an elite officer—yet he remained remarkably humble.
And just as his background suggested, he was highly capable.
Frankly, it was hard to understand why he was even here right now.
'Probably something like the rest of us...'
Sergeant Oh glanced at the others, all visibly exhausted, then clapped his hands lightly.
“Alright, let’s move. Looks like the gangsters are all wiped out. Let’s at least get out of this alive. Anyone injured?”
“No.”
“We’re good.”
“Okay. Lieutenant Kim, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
After committing the route to memory, Kim Sunwoo tucked the map away and took point with his K1A.
That was when—
“Don’t move.”
“...!!!”
At the cold voice, everyone froze.
***
'When the hell did he get this close?'
Kim Sunwoo slowly turned his head toward the direction of the voice, eyes wide.
“Turning your head’s fine. Don’t move your body. Me and my friend are both pretty jumpy—we’ll just shoot. Keep in mind those gangsters over there ended up like that for ignoring warnings.”
“...Understood.”
Feeling cold sweat run down his back, Kim Sunwoo answered calmly.
The opponent was unquestionably a professional.
Not just because he had approached without a sound.
If he had taken out not only the drone team here but all the other gangsters as well, then he was far beyond an ordinary professional.
And if that was the case, there were probably at least four or five more like him hidden somewhere, all aiming at them.
With that thought, Kim Sunwoo slowly looked back at his men.
“No one does anything stupid. Not a single thing.”
At his firm tone—firmer than ever before—the men, all current or former police officers, swallowed dryly and nodded.
Then the voice spoke again.
“You’re police, right?”
“...!”
Kim Sunwoo flinched, then bit his lip.
So Lee Ujung had definitely been captured—and had spilled everything.
“Why are police working with a gang like the Daeseong syndicate? Because they feed you and give you a place to sleep? Or do they throw in women too?”
“That’s not—”
Sergeant Oh started to frown and speak, but Kim Sunwoo cut him off sharply.
“No. It’s not like that. Everyone here has family being held hostage. We’re not doing this by choice.”
“And why should I believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. It’s the truth. But who are you? Someone from Kangho Resort? Or from the golf course?”
Like a proper officer, Kim Sunwoo threw out a question to identify the other party and ease the tension.
It probably wouldn’t work—but if he could buy time and look for an opening—
“Neither. I’m from Namyangju.”
“...What?”
“You heard of Cheongsan Building? The Daeseong syndicate sent their people there. I killed them all.”
“...!!!”
“No way...!”
Kim Sunwoo and the others were stunned.
They had heard of the “Cheongsan Building incident” that had happened late in winter.
Not just the Daeseong syndicate’s direct-line members, but even the local organization there had been wiped out.
The story going around was that it had been caused by a zombie wave of unknown origin.
And now—
That it had been done by a man.
By the very man surrounding them.
'Wait—more importantly, he came all the way here from Namyangju?'
They had only managed to reach Gwangju across the river because of the Daeseong syndicate’s control over southern Guri, Deokso, and Deoksim.
For ordinary survivors, that kind of movement was impossible.
“...How am I supposed to believe that? You could’ve just picked up that story somewhere.”
Kim Sunwoo asked, forcing down his shock.
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. It’s the truth.”
“....”
Hearing his own words thrown back at him verbatim, Kim Sunwoo fell silent.
“Well, it’s not much as proof, but I can give you one thing. I captured one of Daeseong’s section chiefs. Name’s An Juntae. Oh—and I killed Son Jeguk, the Kookje faction boss.”
“...!”
Kim Sunwoo exchanged shaken looks with the other officers.
There was no room for doubt anymore.
This man—whoever he was—had truly wiped out the forces at Cheongsan Building, just like he had done here.
“Anyway. If you /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ really are police—and you’ve had no choice but to follow Daeseong’s orders because of your situation...”
Rustle.
Junho rose from his position, still aiming at Kim Sunwoo.
“...then I think we should talk. What do you say?”
Faced with the overwhelming gear and flawless shooting posture—enough to rival a special operations unit—Kim Sunwoo swallowed and nodded.
***
“...What the—”
Park Deokcheol stopped firing and widened his eyes.
Junho had told him, but the people from Kangho Resort were something else.
In the blink of an eye, they had struck the gangsters from the rear and wiped them out.
“Is that them?”
A person wearing a brown cap appeared, walking slowly toward the building with both hands raised high.
But no warning sounded on the drone-linked tablet.
That meant Junho had designated that person as friendly.
Park Deokcheol slowly stood up from the rooftop and waved.
The person approached the building, removed their cap, and spoke.
“You’re Park Deokcheol, Lee Junho’s associate, correct? I’m Yoon Seolhee.”
“Whoa?”
He hadn’t been told it would be a young woman, so Park Deokcheol blinked in surprise.
Then he quickly nodded.
“Yes. That’s me. You’re from Kangho Resort, right?”
“Yes. Mr. Junho told me to link up with you and wait. For now—”
“Ah, hold on. I’ve got comms from him.”
After a brief exchange over the radio, Park Deokcheol spoke to her, slightly excited.
“He says he’s on his way. And... he’s bringing guests.”
“Guests...?”
Yoon Seolhee’s question was answered in less than ten minutes.
Because Junho appeared—together with the very people who had been harassing her with such precise shooting and tactical movement just moments ago.
“Mr. Junho, these people...”
“Yes. I know. But from now on, they’re on our side.”
Not just allies.
If Major Lee Seokjin’s unit would be the hammer that smashed down on the Daeseong syndicate—
Then Lieutenant Kim Sunwoo would be the sharp spike that pierced their insides.
