Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 94: End of Summer

The shadowy figures moved frantically. I heard the heavy thud of water containers being abandoned, followed by the quick patter of retreating footsteps.

Not wanting to lose our business prospects, I quickly whispered, "Lower your voices. I'm human too."

"...What?"

The people hesitated, but the footsteps didn't stop. Those weren't their footsteps. My companions and mercenaries were stealthily moving to surround them.

The water collectors swallowed nervously. Then they tried unconvincingly to mimic zombie sounds.

"Kraaaah?"

"Stop pretending to be zombies. We're not bad people. Actually, this isn't the right place to talk. Let's get out of here first."

Something wasn't right behind us. The zombies that had come to drink seemed to have taken interest; howl-like cries echoed through the darkness, and I could hear them rustling through the undergrowth.

Our first business targets must have picked up their water containers again; I heard water sloshing.

"You look unfamiliar with the area. We can guide you out. We know the best escape routes."

"No. We'll handle it ourselves," I refused firmly.

This was a world without trust. These people might lead us into a trap.

It was best to reject offers from strangers by default. Unless it was an offer you couldn't refuse.

So we dragged our business targets away into the darkness.

***

In the darkness, you can't distinguish between zombies and humans. If you just move quietly, masking your presence, nothing can follow you.

Occasionally we'd encounter something—zombie or human, impossible to tell—but they quickly retreated when they sensed our overwhelming numbers.

"This should be far enough."

After entering a relatively quiet building, I turned around. My companions moved efficiently. Do-hyung switched on a lantern, while Park Yang-gun dragged over scattered furniture to block the windows.

The lantern's yellow light spread softly through the space.

Only then could I properly meet the gaze of our business targets.

'Four of them? A family?'

A middle-aged couple, a young daughter, and a son. They all looked unkempt from lack of bathing, their masks frayed from excessive reuse. They appeared malnourished. Skinny, with unhealthy skin tones.

At least they were properly armed. Bloodstained metal pipes and rusted kitchen knives. They gripped these weapons ready to swing, their eyes darting between us, the room, and potential escape routes.

Perfect targets for our business proposition.

"Soldiers? Deserters? No, that's not it..."

While I was assessing them, they were doing the same to us. They backed away cautiously but then spotted the mercenaries standing behind them and lowered their weapons.

They must have realized the futility of resistance after seeing our proper firearms and military gear.

"So what do you want? What is this about?" the mother asked calmly.

I sat down on the floor and set up the light machine gun. The barrel pointed at our targets. The mercenaries standing near them flinched and scattered, allowing the family to inch backward into the gap.

I placed my finger on the trigger and grinned.

"Can you run faster than bullets? If so, I'll genuinely be impressed and let you go right now."

Our targets froze. They fixed their gaze on me, as if ready to listen. Their nervous eyes focused on the gun barrel.

"Just tell us what you want. Water? Food? Women?"

I didn't need any of that. I had enough water and food, and women were too much of a cliché weakness for a raider. Infections, assassinations, and so on.

The only trustworthy things were corpses. A corpse with a confirmed kill shot wouldn't betray me.

"That's no fun. We're here to share greater enjoyment, bigger thrills. Here."

I nodded to Sa Gi-hyeok. Your turn.

Sa Gi-hyeok adjusted his clothes. His awkward, bland demeanor transformed completely. His eyes sparkled with confidence and trustworthiness.

"Haha. Don't be so tense. We're all just people struggling to survive, aren't we? By the way, is the water safe? We haven't used the stream yet—won't you get infected sharing water with zombies?"

Even his voice changed. Clear and distinct. His voice had a strange charm that drew people in.

Our targets relaxed slightly and nodded. The mother answered.

"We can't be sure. We're not scientists, and we haven't run experiments. But someone who drank from the same water as zombies turned into one after three weeks."

"I see. And are there conflicts over the water?"

Sa Gi-hyeok's tone suggested we were planning to move to the neighborhood. Like checking the infrastructure before relocating.

The family members exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up strangely. The father spoke up.

"There are some. Wherever people gather, conflict is inevitable."

"For instance?"

"There's a landlord claiming the area is his property and trying to charge for water. And occasionally raiders show up. Every time that happens, it's really..."

The daughter quickly added, "But they wouldn't be a threat to you guys. Some people have handguns, but nobody's armed like you are."

"Handguns, you say."

Sa Gi-hyeok dragged out the word, appearing lost in thought.

I quietly observed them. Their angle was obvious. Since we seemed reasonable, they wanted to use us to eliminate their competition.

Not a bad idea. I gave Sa Gi-hyeok a slight nod. Sell it.

"Haha. Perfect timing. We're looking to start a business, and this is ideal. Everyone, I have a proposal for you."

"Business? Proposal?"

The father's eyes twitched. His guard went up again at the sudden offer, but there was nothing he could do in our presence.

Sa Gi-hyeok spread all ten fingers.

"Tell us about people you want dead. We'll kill them for you. And of course, you'll be compensated."

Sa Gi-hyeok's fingers folded down one by one.

"Report one, get 10 percent. Report two, get 15 percent. Report three, get 20 percent. We offer incentives."

"..."

The family stared blankly at Sa Gi-hyeok's waving fingers. The lantern's warm light cast a reddish glow on their faces without wavering.

Our first business targets didn't hesitate.

"We'll do it. Actually..."

"So if we report 19 people, we get 100 percent?" the son blurted out.

He must have done the math quickly.

Sa Gi-hyeok shook his head.

"Not 19 people—19 reports. For example, if you want a family of four dead, that counts as one report. If you make 19 such reports..."

Suddenly Sa Gi-hyeok looked at me, seemingly uncertain whether he should continue making these decisions without consulting me.

I nodded lightly. He wasn't trying to betray me or cause me losses.

There was no reason not to trust him completely. After all, he was the expert.

Sa Gi-hyeok smiled.

"When you reach 100 percent, you become a Challenger-grade member of our organization and part of our family."

"With you people?"

The mercenaries displayed their weapons with metallic clicks. It was overwhelming firepower that no average survival group could resist.

The family's expressions were strange. They seemed to have completely dropped their guard, looking like lottery winners.

Getting someone to kill people they disliked was already beneficial, but getting paid for it too? And the opportunity to join an armed group with military weapons? From their perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

But they were essentially throwing themselves off a cliff.

'They say 19 reports, but that means destroying 19 small survivor groups.'

Not a small number at all. Survivors were already hard to find. If we recruited more members like this and made them compete, it would be even worse. As rumors spread, they'd become isolated from local networks.

Of course, in a world like this, immediate benefits were important.

"Alright. Let's do it."

"Honey, we should think about this a bit more."

"No. We need to protect the kids from those people who are after us."

The brief family discussion ended. The father and mother calmly provided personal information about their targets. The words flowed eloquently, suggesting how badly they'd wanted these people dead.

"There's an old man who calls himself a landlord. Lives alone but carries a shotgun from somewhere."

"We also know a place where some nasty types gather. They cause trouble, walking around with handguns."

At that point, the daughter's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands.

"The landlord first, then those thugs."

"We'll handle it."

They pushed the larger group to later reports since the percentage increased with each report. Not that it really mattered.

Sa Gi-hyeok held up his palm to calm the excited family, then explained some precautions.

"There are some small rules, like terms and conditions. Simple reporting isn't enough—you need to provide information. Where they live, how many there are, what weapons they have. We might ignore reports based on that information."

Sa Gi-hyeok glanced out the window.

"We can't take on military, police, or groups like that, you understand."

"We know that much."

The family nodded as if this were obvious. Sa Gi-hyeok smiled happily and spread his hands.

"Well then, our first member! You've made two reports, so you're Under-grade members. After we complete these reports, one more report will promote you to Iron-grade."

"Is Bronze grade after Iron?" the son suddenly asked.

Sa Gi-hyeok waved his hand lightly.

"Premium, Diamond, VIP—those sound like scams, don't they?"

He was saying he just borrowed the terms from games. The son fidgeted with his hands, and the father sighed with disappointment. Then he suddenly looked up.

"What's your organization called?"

"That's..."

Sa Gi-hyeok turned to me. It was a clear expression that naming wasn't his domain. Everyone from our first member to the mercenaries and companions looked at me.

A name. We hadn't had any special name until now. We just gathered, raided, and survived.

'It was fine to operate small-scale without one. But now we need a name.'

I thought briefly, then finished thinking. Why make it complicated? There was already a good name we could use.

I pulled the trigger with a clunk. The selector was on safe, so the gun didn't fire, but everyone jumped with fright.

I smiled and said, "Immortal."

Immortal. The name of our chairman's company, imbued with the romanticism of creating an immortal virus. I too once aspired to create immortal masterpieces as a screenwriter.

The reaction was immediate. From Do-hyung and Sa Gi-hyeok to the mercenaries, everyone looked disgusted.

"Why would you use that name? That insane company's name."

"I'm sorry to say this, but that's not a good name. The image is seriously negative."

"Immortal is just..."

Opposition everywhere. I tapped the light machine gun and tried to make it sound plausible.

"It has a good meaning. We will be immortal. We will survive even in this world. Is there a better name than that?"

People backed off as if they had no choice.

"Do as you please..."