Chapter 46. Carelessness

Chapter 46. Carelessness

“—Sir. I scanned Minsu’s building again this morning on my way out. I’m sending this text because it seems there are three survivors again.”

I was pulling the Trolley along the road, heading back home.

My return was a bit delayed today, so lunch would be late, but seeing the fully loaded Trolley made me feel full even without eating.

“Seonyoung. I got a text saying there are three people in Minsu’s building again.”

“Oh, really? When?”

“The text came a little while ago, and the scan was done this morning.”

“What could it be… It doesn’t seem like the scan is consistently wrong. Going from two people to three, there are too many possibilities.”

“Exactly. Since the scan is based on the building, it could be that one person left and came back, or a new person joined. It’s complicated.”

As we talked, we arrived at the intersection where Minsu’s building was located.

Feeling frustrated, I glanced at the building as we passed, but there was nothing to discern from the outside.

I had left the Convenience Store in high spirits, but the news from the text message filled me with a stifling frustration as I continued walking.

The weight of the Looted Supplies must have been immense, as the Trolley I was dragging kept emitting an uneasy creaking sound, a constant backdrop to our journey.

Click, click-click, click-click-click.

We arrived home. I typed in the password and unlocked the Door Lock.

Seonyoung was wiping her pants with a wet wipe, saying blood had splattered on them when she kicked a Zombie during the morning’s fight.

Of course, the wet wipe wouldn’t remove the stain completely, but she said something sticky had gotten on them, making her reluctant to throw them straight into the washing machine.

Mmph, mmph, mmph!

“What the—! Who the hell are you?!”

As I opened the Entrance Door and stepped inside, Gayoung lay sprawled directly in front of me.

Tape covered her mouth, producing those muffled grunts, and her arms were bound behind her, tied to her legs.

Seeing Gayoung writhe in agony on the floor, blood rushed to my head.

A wave of shock hit me at the unexpected situation, but my rage was far greater, and I roared in a harsh voice.

“Team Leader. Welcome back. Please calm down first and put down that bat in your hand.”

Minsu stood on one side of Gayoung, and a man I’d never seen before stood on the other.

The stranger was heavily built, but sunglasses and a mask obscured his face, making it impossible to tell what he looked like.

Minsu held an Iron Pipe, God knows where he found it, lightly pressed against Gayoung’s head.

The Sunglasses Man wielded an enormous Crowbar. It looked at least a meter long; had he scavenged it from a nearby construction site?

Thud. Clatter, clatter, clatter…

Following Minsu’s words, I first put down my Baseball Bat and took a deep breath to calm myself.

*If I got agitated, nothing would go right. They didn’t seem to intend to harm her immediately, so I needed to stay calm.*

“What do you want?”

“What we want is food and this woman here. We have no intention of shedding blood. If you cooperate, no one will get hurt.”

Minsu’s claim of having no intention to shed blood made me let out a hollow laugh.

I wanted to smash his mouth for spouting such brazen, Chuunibyou-like lines he must have picked up somewhere.

I struggled to calm down, but seeing Gayoung’s tear-streaked face and Minsu standing beside her with such a nonchalant expression, my anger kept flaring.

“But how did you know about this place, and how did you get in?”

I spoke, primarily to buy time.

*Calm down. I need to find a breakthrough. If things go their way, Gayoung will never be alright.*

I had been deliberately raising my voice since earlier, hoping to alert Seonyoung outside to the situation.

Of course, at first, I had genuinely yelled, but after that, I intentionally raised my voice so that it would carry through the open Entrance Door.

The problem was that as I raised my voice, seemingly unable to control myself, my emotions kept getting agitated even as I tried to calm down.

So I stopped looking at Gayoung and tried to focus on figuring out what to do.

“Is that important right now, Team Leader? You seem to be overthinking things. Stop with the useless thoughts and just follow my instructions from now on.”

“It’s important if I don’t want to get screwed over by bastards like you again. Is there some reason you can’t tell me?”

I was furious that I had been cornered by that opportunistic bastard and the Sunglasses Man, who was so fat he looked like he could barely hold himself up.

“Hah… Team Leader, let me tell you one thing. In return, I hope you’ll calm down a bit and be cooperative. You were too careless, Team Leader. Did you think this house was safe? Anyone who knows the Door Lock password can target it and break in. I can’t tell you any more details, so now you can put down that bag and leave.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep soundly if I leave? And what makes you think I’ll just go? I’ll leave the food and the house as they are and never return, so release the woman.”

*I can give up the Looted Supplies.*

*If I can just get Gayoung out of here, even if it’s just us, I can settle somewhere else, start over, or plan my revenge for later.*

*But if I leave Gayoung here as they wish, even if her life isn’t immediately threatened, it’ll be the end for her.*

*It’s obvious what fate awaits a young woman left between two men.*

*With abundant supplies, they won’t have to worry about food for a while, and they’ll have plenty of time on their hands with no other entertainment.*

*They aren’t lovers; Gayoung will simply endure hellish days between two beasts.*

“That’s not possible. Why would we be doing this in broad daylight instead of ambushing you while you sleep? We don’t want to harm anyone. This woman will also be safe. So, Team Leader, please cooperate while we’re still asking politely.”

*Is this guy really insane?*

I almost cursed out loud at the ridiculousness of his words.

With Gayoung held hostage, I swallowed my anger, trying not to provoke them further.

*Politely? Absolutely not. Is there no other way?*

“Team Leader. Haven’t you been having fun on your own, swapping out women all this time? You can just go out and find another woman. Of course, it’s a shame to lose what you’ve gathered, but if you just close your eyes and let this go for now, you’ll be able to live well again soon.”

As I stood there, my face hardened, Minsu spoke in a calm, almost chiding voice, as if trying to persuade me.

*So that bastard thought I was just having fun, swapping women as I pleased.*

“That’s not happening. Be satisfied with the food. Even if I leave like this, you’ll still be uneasy, won’t you? I promise. If you let both of us leave safely, I’ll move to another area and never return here.”

“Team Leader. We have means to observe and track you. So stop this and back down. If you keep being stubborn, we’ll have no choice. Neither this woman nor you will be safe. Do you think we’d be doing this without any Safety Measures? Listen to me quickly. This offer is even something I insisted on to repay you, Team Leader.”

*You dog-like bastard.*

*He calls this repayment? I quickly organized my thoughts, trying to glean a hint from Minsu’s words.*

*That bastard’s Ability isn’t just Observation like looking through a telescope; it must be something slightly different.*

*And judging by his mention of Safety Measures, they must have some way to subdue me.*

*If that bastard is telling the truth, it means they have a way to monitor me even if I leave, and they have other tricks up their sleeve if I resist.*

“Big Guy. Listen to Minsu. We weren’t planning on keeping him alive anyway, so let’s just end this.”

As my hesitation dragged on, the Fat Man, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

When I glared at him silently, he leaned his Crowbar against the wall and abruptly stripped off his outer shirt, revealing a body that looked ready to burst with fat.

His forearms were covered in so many tattoos that no skin was visible. But why did he suddenly take off his shirt?

“See this? Guys like you, who’ve lived normal lives as office workers, are easy to deal with. So don’t regret it later; just listen quietly while we’re still letting you live. Oh, and leave your Cell Phone. Don’t even think about secretly contacting anyone. Put everything down and just walk out in your clothes.”

*This guy’s crazy too.*

*He must live in his own world. Threatening me with a fat body and tattoos in this situation…*

*I couldn’t quite grasp his intention.*

*If he had a powerful Ability that I couldn’t resist, he could demonstrate it with force.*

*Or was he making such strange threats to conceal his true Ability?*

*Whatever it was, they seemed to believe I couldn’t possibly harm them and that they held an absolutely advantageous position.*

*Just as I had been careless, thinking my home was safe, they too were being careless now, holding Gayoung hostage and trusting in their Abilities or some other hidden advantage.*

*I had to exploit that opening.*

*I absolutely couldn’t meekly follow the words of these pathetic bastards.*

*Once I started backing down, there would be no end to it. I resolved to see this through to the end, even if it meant dying here today.*

To appear intimidated by the Fat Man, I stared at his forearms and the Crowbar, making a thoughtful expression.

I stalled for a moment, as if calculating something in my head, then let out a sigh, feigning resignation.

“Hmph… Alright. I’ll retreat quietly then, but promise me you’ll treat Gayoung well.”

I uttered Gayoung’s name as if giving up, pleading desperately.

“A wise decision, Team Leader. Even without your words, we’ll take good care of her. Now, slowly put down your Backpack and empty all the belongings from your pockets.”

I took off my Backpack, stepped forward, and lightly tossed it in front of them, as if offering it.

I glanced at them and then at Gayoung, then turned to look at the door, as if truly intending to leave. I noticed a Hand Mirror peeking out from under the Entrance Door.

“There’s nothing much in my pockets. Do I have to take everything out?”

“Yes, take everything out. And take off that Windbreaker you’re wearing.”

*Is he not just a Pig Bastard, but a Beggar Bastard too?*

*He coveted my Windbreaker even in this situation?*

Slowly, I pulled out my Multi-tool, Handkerchief, water bottle, pen, and a spare mask from my pockets. Finally, I took out my Cell Phone, gripped it in my hand, and spoke.

“Can’t I keep my Cell Phone? I just want to check if she’s alright.”

“No. Hand over the Cell Phone too.”

That Pig Bastard, or Beggar Bastard, kept his condescending, informal tone until the very end.

At his demand for the Cell Phone, I lowered my hand, adopting a posture as if to toss it to him.

Seeing the Big Guy extend his hand to catch it, I recalled memories of throwing a ball with an Underhand Throw.

*I wouldn’t be able to fully utilize the rotation of my arm, but I trusted my body, which defied common sense.*

*It wasn’t a familiar stance, and I felt uneasy, but I steeled myself, believing I could do it.*

*The single step I’d taken closer, feigning putting down my bag, was at least a small comfort.*

‘Hmph…’

I took a quick, deep breath, put all my strength into it, and instantly flung the Cell Phone at the Big Guy’s face.

Since I had no idea what that Pig Bastard’s Ability was, I aimed for him rather than Minsu.

Whoosh!

*Please, hit him.*