Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 73: Expert

Once you understood a fixed routine, you could prepare an appropriate ambush. The path between the electricity nomads' residence and streetlight district alone had perfect spots for an ambush.

Even electricity nomads couldn't set up and maintain traps along their commute route.

On the other hand, both their streetlight district and residence were full of dangerous traps and hard to approach.

Park Yang-gun and I observed the electricity nomads' residence from afar, having tracked them to find it. We watched from the window of an empty commercial building.

"Approaching their residence looks difficult."

"What's with all these wires? They're not spiders."

We stared at the bizarre residential street with a sense of helplessness.

Wires and cables stretched everywhere in complex patterns. Some extended from solar-powered houses, others from car hoods, creating an intricate web of traps.

We wondered if it was just for show, if there was no actual current flowing, but...

Dead bodies littered the street - electrocuted birds, dogs, cats, and creatures that might have been zombies or humans.

"Someone's coming. Hide."

"Right."

I quickly crouched down, peeking out with just my eyes.

An electricity nomad wearing insulated gloves and safety boots casually walked out, navigating through the complex web of wires.

They collected the animal carcasses. They were using electrified wires as traps to catch animals for food.

'Looking at where the bodies fell, electricity probably isn't flowing through all these wires.'

But some wires definitely carried current. Lethal current at that.

I sat down completely, leaning against the cool concrete wall. Looking up at Park Yang-gun, I caught a glint in his eyes - the look of someone eager to tackle a difficult challenge.

"This is just security against animals. Won't stop a real thief. We can break through."

"That's good news."

Park Yang-gun's eyes darted around as if tracing invisible lines. He seemed to be planning infiltration routes.

I fiddled with my mask, thinking briefly before asking Park Yang-gun:

"Can you destroy just the solar panels on the roof? A slingshot from a distance would work."

"Definitely possible."

That gave us another option. I made a fist, then held up two fingers.

'Target their commute route. Make them move by destroying the solar panels. Want to prepare a few more options...'

The more ways to manipulate the enemy, the better. It meant I could control the situation. And with control of the situation came many attack options.

I gripped my hammer with its paracord-wrapped handle, lost in thought. Scenarios branched chaotically in my mind.

'If we're not discovered, create a chance to just steal masks. If we're discovered, we'll have to kill them all. Let's start by reducing their numbers.'

The apocalyptic world, especially as it progressed, was full of dangers. Zombies that learned from humans, humans who'd lost their morals, inhuman natural disasters.

It meant there were plenty of blades to draw blood on my behalf, even without direct action.

I quietly walked the streets full of garbage, mud and animal waste, placing alarm clocks in various spots. They were set to go off when the electricity nomads headed home.

'Since zombies are human, they get more agitated by sounds humans find annoying.'

Alarm clocks hidden along the electricity nomads' commute route between their residence and the streetlight district. I spread out all my stockpiled alarm clocks widely.

This should trigger a decent zombie wave. Individual force could harm the physically weak electricity nomads.

After tossing the last alarm clock into a car with broken windows, it was almost time for the electricity nomads to head home.

I quickly entered a nearby empty building, climbed to a high floor, and hid.

"Should be coming soon."

I poked just my head above the windowsill littered with glass shards, looking down at the street.

Late night on a dark street without power. As I blinked while waiting for the electricity nomads to emerge from the darkness, each blink felt like the tick of a clock. The alarm time approached second by second.

I frequently checked my digital watch while tapping tap-tap-tap on the windowsill. The glass dust crunched under my gloved fingers.

"They need to get deep into the street before the alarms go off. Why aren't they coming?"

No sign of the electricity nomads yet. They should have already left work and entered this street by now.

Just as my head filled with doubts - had information leaked, had something made them change route, were drones watching me - the electricity nomads finally entered the street.

Several beams of light approached, from flashlights or headlamps.

I unnecessarily shifted to a corner of the window, observing them carefully.

"Got plenty of food."

"Batteries are the real prize. I don't know much, but apparently they can make weapons with them."

"Oh, did they succeed in researching the dismantled taser?"

"Can't make an actual gun, but something similar jerry-rigged."

With the city so quiet, their loud voices carried clearly. I eavesdropped silently on their conversation.

Was there a real expert among them?

From what I'd heard from police friends, taser batteries used two thick cells. If they had an electricity expert, they might be able to weaponize batteries similarly.

Just imagination, but things like spears that electrocuted on contact, or shields made of electrified wire mesh.

'They definitely need to be dealt with...'

I glanced at my wrist watch. It was time.

Ear-splitting alarms started blaring throughout the street. Not just in the street I watched - I'd spread them widely to draw zombies from far away.

The alarms similar to emergency sirens blanketed the dark street. The electricity nomads stopped walking, their beams of light swaying frantically. Shouts rang out.

"...It's a trap! Run!"

"What about the bags? All our food and batteries!"

"Just grab the batteries and run!"

The electricity nomads made quick decisions. They threw down their backpacks, keeping only small handbags as they ran like mad.

But it was too late. I slowly stood from my crouch, grinning.

The zombies approached through shadows and sound. The gradually fading alarms from the outside, the growing sounds of crashing and breaking, zombie screams, shadows rippling like waves in the darkness.

That too was a form of encirclement. The electricity nomads were surrounded. Zombies were converging on them from all sides.

"What kind of psycho would do this!"

"Aaaah!"

"Krreeek!"

Contact. Some fast zombies caught up and fought the electricity nomads. The battle was more pathetic than expected.

They had no guns like police, couldn't fight well like firefighters, weren't armored in steel like Hope Community members.

They jabbed spears clumsily before being devoured one by one by the wave of zombies.

Their direct combat ability really was weak.

But as survivors with experience equal to mine, they found ways to survive.

"Turn off lights and scatter! Get back to base quietly!"

"Kieeek!"

They turned off or threw away their headlamps and flashlights, hiding in darkness. In the vision-limited darkness, they seemed to either imitate zombies or move stealthily like thieves.

Though my night vision wasn't as good as Park Yang-gun's so I couldn't tell exactly, but it seemed some managed to escape safely.

A rolling flashlight illuminated zombies and bags.

Well-trained zombies rummaged through bloody bags for food, fighting each other over the supplies they found.

I slowly backed away from the window.

'This is just the beginning. My companions must be moving too.'

I wasn't acting alone. While I did this, Park Yang-gun would have destroyed solar panels with his slingshot, Sa Gi-hyeok would have spread strange rumors, and Do-hyung would be tampering with the streetlight district facilities.

The electricity nomads' paths were now narrowed to two choices.

Either huddle in their powerless residence, or move in search of electricity.

Word of mouth was fastest, they said.

***

When I visited the streetlight district the next day, the atmosphere was grim. Murderous electricity nomads glared at people, while visitors scrutinized the nomads in return.

"Heard you were attacked yesterday. Looks like the streetlights here are broken too."

"Yes. Someone attacked us."

An electricity nomad gripped their spear with bloodshot eyes. But the spear was quite unusual, haphazardly wrapped with multiple batteries and wires.

The electricity nomad pressed a switch in the middle and stabbed some weeds with the nail-tipped spear point. The weeds and wooden shaft crackled and burned.

"Honestly, I don't care about people dying. The world's like this now, people can die. But messing with machines that produce electricity?"

I silently met their eyes. They seemed to flash with electric sparks.

"We're taking reports. Terrorists destroying electrical facilities. We'll reward information generously."

They chose revenge here? ...Did they figure they'd keep getting attacked even if they moved without dealing with the attackers first?

After adjusting my mask briefly, I raised my hand and asked:

"Can I get masks as a reward for information? How many masks do you have?"

"Lots. Give us solid info and we'll give you plenty."

Having lots of masks was all I needed.