4. Preparation

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Kwang Hwi opened the Merit Shop. This time, he didn’t return to that strange white space. Instead, the same holographic display opened up in front of him and hundreds of personal weapons were displayed in a neat array. Judging by everyone else’s lack of reaction, he was the only one who could see the screen.

He scrolled to the bottom of the list and saw several categories with a lock icon next to them.

『<Personal/Combat Gear>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked immediately for 500 MP.』

『<Communication/Reconnaissance>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked immediately for 500 MP.』

『<Support/Crew-Served Weaponry>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked immediately for 1000 MP.』

『<Logistics/Transport>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked immediately for 10,000 MP.』

『<Energy>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked immediately for 50,000 MP.』

『<Armored Vehicles>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked after completing a mission.』

『<Aircraft>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked after completing a mission.』

『<Navy>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked after completing a mission.』

『<Spacecraft>』

『This category is currently locked.』

『This category can be unlocked after completing a mission.』

『<■■■■■>』

『This category is currently unknown.』

『Unlock conditions have not been revealed.』

『<■■■■■>』

『This category is currently unknown.』

『Unlock conditions have not been revealed.』

Personally, Kwang Hwi wanted to buy an armored vehicle right away.

‘Unfortunately, it seems to be locked behind some kind of mission, huh? Well, without a sitrep, accepting a mission would be quite risky.’

For now, Kwang Hwi had to fully arm his crew and assess the situation at hand.

『<Personal/Combat Gear> category has been unlocked.』

『<Communication/Reconnaissance> category has been unlocked.』

Kwang Hwi decided to only unlock the first two categories. After all, he rationalized, he could unlock the other categories later once he understood more about what was going on. This way, even if he miscalculated now, he wouldn’t have wasted all of his MP.

First, he purchased tactical vests and walkie-talkies, one for each member of his team. They simply materialized out of thin air above his empty palm.

The men showed only a brief moment of surprise, but quickly moved to put on the vests.

『M4A1 SOPMOD II purchased.』

『F90 purchased.』

『FN P90 USG purchased.』

『M82A3 purchased.』

Like the vests and walkie-talkies, the guns simply appeared in his hand as he purchased them. Kwang Hwi made sure to hand each of his subordinates a weapon. He spared little expense when it came to arming them, even spending the extra MP to purchase scopes, sights, foregrips, and other accessories that his men were used to having.

“I’ll distribute sidearms to everyone as well.”

『Glock 17 Type C purchased.』

All together, it cost way more MP than the single HK416C he had bought earlier, but Kwang Hwi felt that it was definitely necessary to be as well-equipped as possible.

“Man, it’s been a while since I’ve held one of these, boss!”

“Hey boss, is this the part where I’m supposed to say ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed by my emotions’?” Jackson wore a huge grin has he stroked the barrel of his rifle, a big upgrade from the pistol in his car. The team had disbanded a year ago, and since then, most of them had entered fields unrelated to their previous work as mercenaries — fields that typically didn’t involve handling firearms.

But these were men with nearly 10 years of combat experience drilled into their bodies. A year away wouldn’t be enough to turn these experts of war into amateurs.

After equipping their gear, Kwang Hwi and his subordinates looked like they had returned to their mercenary days. Military-grade walkie-talkies hung around their necks. Tactical vests, filled with fully loaded magazines, were put on over the shirts they had been wearing. A Glock rested in each of their leg holsters.

In unison, they lined up in front of Kwang Hwi. Their movements were perfectly in sync, owing to their decade of camaraderie.

Kwang Hwi checked each of them one by one to make sure their gear was properly equipped. For men with this caliber of experience, it was completely unnecessary, but everyone here was used to it. Not once during their time together had Kwang Hwi ever failed to inspect them. It was practically a ritual for the group at this point.

Satisfied, Kwang Hwi nodded. “Stand by until the fog thins out.”

“Yes, sir!” The men relaxed and sat down in one smooth, rehearsed motion.

One of his subordinates who had been watching the TV called out to everyone. “Hey, it looks like the channels are starting to disconnect.” Indeed, as Kwang Hwi began flipping through the channels, he saw that more and more of them were either completely black or showing an [On Standby] message.

– BREAKING NEWS. Monsters have begun appearing all over the country, attacking people indiscriminately. Their numbers are still unconfirmed.

A video began playing on the TV. It was clearly recorded by phone, you could see the cameraman’s hands shaking. In it, a monster — identical to the one that Kwang Hwi had killed earlier — was roaming the hallway of an apartment building. It appeared to be sniffing the air repeatedly, like it was searching for something.

It suddenly stopped, as if it had found what it was looking for, and began pounding on a door. The loud banging echoed through the hallway.

“Oi! Shut the fuck up! Who the – uwagk-!” A man opened the door, and was immediately grabbed by the monster. It violently dragged the man down the hall, like a ragdoll. For a brief moment, the man’s eyes stared straight into the camera. “S-save me! Please!”

The video ended abruptly as the startled cameraman hid inside his own apartment.

– The lack of aid from both the police and the military has lead to mass civilian protests. Riot police were deployed in some areas, but have proven ineffective in quelling the unrest.

The report, unfortunately, proved to Kwang Hwi that the government could not be relied on for help.

“Boss.” It was Jackson, who was looking outside. “The fog is clearing.”

It was true. As Kwang Hwi looked out the window, he could see the thick gray fog slowly dissipating — turning into a softer, thinner white. The cars, which had previously been totally obscured, were now showing faint outlines.

“Alright. First, we need to secure our immediate surroundings.” Kwang Hwi had chosen to build his home in a secluded area; on a low hill, far from any major urban centers. The only things nearby were a few factories and stores. “The monsters appear to be hostile,” he continued, “so don’t take any risks and terminate them on sight.

“After we secure our surroundings, we’ll move to a nearby supermarket to gather supplies.”

“Roger.”

“Yes sir.”

The fog had almost completely vanished. There was still some pockets left here and there, but it was nothing compared to earlier. The sun could be seen shining brightly for the first time since the fog had descended.

“Soo Min, cover us from the 2nd floor,” Kwang Hwi ordered. He stood up and motioned the others towards the front door.

“Understood,” responded Soo Min as he hurried up the stairs.

One of his subordinates opened the door with a small creak. A slightly warm breeze greeted them. The men quickly exited the house and fanned out.

— “No problem here.”

— “All clear.”

The transmissions came in through Kwang Hwi’s walkie-talkie as his subordinates secured the building’s perimeter. Satisfied, Kwang Hwi spoke into his walkie-talkie.

— “Soo Min, sitrep?”

— “The property itself is clear. But I’ve got 50 and counting in front of the parking lot. They look the same as the one you killed earlier, boss. They probably heard the gunshots.”

Kwang Hwi nodded. His large property was completely fenced off, but the inherent weak point in its defense was the road that led to the parking lot outside. There was an iron gate, with some holes for visibility, that allowed entry into the compound. However, Kwang Hwi felt that, given the monsters’ size, they could easily break through the gate if they tried.

— Kwang Hwi turned to his men. “Let’s move.”

With Kwang Hwi taking point, the group moved towards the parking lot. Rows of cars were visible in the wide, flat lot. As Soo Min had said, dozens of Keku were spread out across the lot as well.

One spotted Kwang Hwi’s team approaching and roared, charging towards them and ramming into the iron gate. As if it didn’t even acknowledge the gates existence, the monster strained and stretched its arms through the narrow opening between the gate doors, swinging its enormous knife futilely.

Kwang Hwi pointed his gun towards it. Following suit, his subordinates raised the stocks of their rifles to their shoulders.

Kwang Hwi spoke a single command. “Fire.”