Red Dot - 147

Chapter 147

“Is it really true?!”

Gyeong-oh, who wiped away tears, hurriedly ran to Hanseo’s side.

The large-built man, whom Gyeong-oh’s drone contacted, and the intermediary person did not even think about showing courtesy to each other and casually spoke informally. Judging from this point, one could assume no hierarchical difference existed between the two.

Unless they insisted on a complicated structure where they reported to superiors and then to higher-ups, narrowing down the scope of investigation was quite easy. They likely placed more low-ranking members simply because the radio transmission range did not reach far enough.

Changmin also agreed on this point.

In such a dangerous disaster situation, the organization’s hierarchy exerted even greater influence. The higher the rank, the more likely one stayed in a safe zone, while the closer to the bottom, the more likely one took on tough and strenuous tasks. Thus, those assigned to surveillance or message delivery were surely low-ranking members.

The radio’s transmission range was about 2.5 km.

Assuming they caught a low-ranking member of one team, they extended the margin of error by 500 meters and calculated twice for 3 km each, setting the investigation range up to 6 km.

Conversely, the maximum transmission range of the first team, reduced by the 500-meter margin of error, suggested no hostage team existed within 2 km.

Based on the location of the large-built man they directly contacted, they investigated from 2 km to 6 km away.

Ki-hyuk and the hostage team were within this 4 km donut-shaped area.

The problem was that, even though they narrowed the investigation range from 6 km to 4 km, they lacked a suitable vehicle for the search, and the streets were full of zombies that rushed to bite any human without hesitation. Investigating 4 km in such conditions was nearly impossible.

If only they had some kind of hint.

“I don’t know the hostages’ location, but I knew what kind of building Ki-hyuk was in.”

At Hanseo’s well-timed words, Changmin and Gyeong-oh showed surprised faces again.

Hanseo relayed Ki-hyuk’s message, left at the subway shelter, to them. This was a message Junseong hid to avoid unnecessarily increasing worry and anxiety, something the two did not know about.

[Kang Chaeyi will stay with me for a while.]

[Come to that factory they cherished on the seventh night.]

[If you don’t come, I’ll bring your sister’s head and come for you myself.]

That factory they cherished.

Around midnight on the seventh night, about three hours before the radio communication, Ki-hyuk was 100% at a ‘factory’ somewhere in Inhansi.

From midnight until now, it was an utterly dark dawn where almost nothing was visible. Not even starlight, let alone moonlight, shone through.

Even with several night vision goggles, no fool would dare move with multiple hostages in such a dark dawn.

Even if Ki-hyuk moved as soon as day broke, he wouldn’t likely take all the hostages, who would clearly be a burden.

Whether Ki-hyuk was there or not, if they secured a safe zone large enough to hold the hostages, they wouldn’t easily abandon it.

‘It’s troublesome.’

Junseong knew best where Ki-hyuk was.

If they directly asked him the factory’s location, it would be easily resolved, but Hanseo didn’t want to do that.

Explaining the reason logically was difficult.

He just didn’t want Junseong to think of Ki-hyuk.

He also didn’t want to be dragged around by him.

So, he came directly to Gyeong-oh, whom he wouldn’t care about even if he killed and discarded, to help rescue the hostages.

Even if Junseong liked Gyeong-oh, he wouldn’t overlook him putting the group in danger. As long as Ki-hyuk held hostages, Gyeong-oh, unable to let his mother die, would inevitably betray the group.

Even trusted allies and liked people didn’t carry the same weight.

Junseong knew this best.

For him, his sister Chaeyi’s weight differed from other allies, just as everyone, including Gyeong-oh, had their own priorities in their hearts.

So, it was natural for Junseong to cast Gyeong-oh aside.

But he couldn’t cleanly ignore that the family of someone he liked was held hostage by Ki-hyuk. Even though it was brief in reality, in dreams, Junseong saw Taeju, with whom he had some connection, among the hostages.

Moreover, Yuseul, recently accepted as a comrade, and her sibling added more weight.

Ultimately, Junseong would consider ‘hostage rescue,’ one of the many nets Ki-hyuk cast.

If so, Hanseo would tear apart that annoying net with his own hands.

‘Before Ki-hyuk bothers Junseong, I’ll handle it.’

If all the hostages disappeared, Junseong wouldn’t need to worry about being swayed by Ki-hyuk.

‘I want to kill all the hostages.’

Though he knew that was the surest way, he couldn’t do it.

To kill a living human, not a zombie, he had to wield the sword in line with the tacit agreement and legitimacy with Junseong.

Those who tried to kill Junseong.

Those who would let Junseong die.

Only by killing them would the legitimacy Junseong ‘bestowed’ be upheld.

Thus, killing the hostages to neatly dispose of them was, regrettably, not an option.

Swallowing his regret, Hanseo held up Junseong’s phone and showed the screen.

“The place where Ki-hyuk waited for Junseong is a ‘factory.’”

The phone screen displayed the center of Inhansi’s map.

“Within the 4 km investigation range, only one factory exists.”

Hanseo’s finger pointed to a spot on the map.

[Daesung Steel Inhan Factory (Closed)]

“Ki-hyuk and the hostages are there.”

Changmin and Gyeong-oh couldn’t take their eyes off the spot Hanseo pointed to.

At the time when the group, split into two teams under Junseong’s orders, was about to leave the motel.

Gyeong-oh prepared a note, as Hanseo instructed in the morning, detailing the safe route Junseong devised. It also included information that Junseong’s goal was ‘the shelter on Inhansi’s outskirts.’

Hanseo instructed Gyeong-oh to clearly write the information because the opponent was Ki-hyuk.

If they wrote a nonsensical route and goal to someone like Junseong, who had dream information, he would likely notice immediately.

As Gyeong-oh hoped, the hostages needed to be safe first. For that, they needed to provide reasonable and reliable information.

Ki-hyuk’s side wouldn’t fully trust the note but would scrutinize Gyeong-oh based on it.

Was the safe route Junseong devised correct? Was the stated goal reasonable? Was Gyeong-oh actually up to some trick?

As evidence, a tail followed them all the way to this tunnel. Except for the three who expected it, no one noticed the small drone chasing from high above.

Avoiding the drone’s eyes in the wide, unobstructed sky was not easy. Even weaving through buildings, the drone wouldn’t miss their movements.

In that sense, the tunnel was very useful.

While floating high, it could monitor safely, but entering a quiet, narrow tunnel behind a bus risked exposure.

Moreover, the tunnel was closed off to the other exit, offering nothing but pitch-black darkness.

Relying only on the bus’s headlights to deploy a drone was too limited due to the lack of light. At midnight, with night vision goggles, tracking inside the tunnel might have been possible, but in broad daylight, such devices would ruin visibility.

Thus, Hanseo thought entering this tunnel was the only timing to naturally evade surveillance.

Additionally, another reason made this tunnel significant.

“Ki-hyuk and the hostages’ factory is only about 300 meters from here.”

At Changmin’s words, everyone in the bus widened their eyes.

“Since Hanseo said he’ll draw Ki-hyuk out, this is the chance while the most dangerous guy is gone.”

Though unsure of the method, Changmin decided to trust Hanseo. He said drawing Ki-hyuk out of the factory was very easy.

As Gyeong-oh and Changmin revealed the facts, the group’s faces changed moment by moment.

Some among them voiced complaints.

“Then the bastards know our entire route? How could you tell them!”

“Even if we didn’t tell, they’d monitor our destination with drones. Even now, a drone is tracking us.”

The group, unaware of this, was startled.

Seeing the group’s agitated mood, Changmin continued speaking.

“That drone isn’t just tracking our route but also checking if Gyeong-oh betrayed us or not. If the note’s contents were fake and we took another route, the hostages…”

“As that bastard said, their bodies would be torn to pieces.”

At Yuseul’s cold words, everyone swallowed hard. From brief, direct or indirect experiences, Ki-hyuk seemed entirely capable of that.

While listening, Yuseul, who remained cold, raised the corner of her mouth and smirked.

“I’ll join that team. It’s a chance to save my sibling held by Ki-hyuk, so there’s no reason to refuse.”

Yuseul approached Changmin and extended her hand for a handshake, as if to say, “Please take care of me.” Changmin smiled and took her hand, forming a team.

“But do you know?”

Yuseul turned her eyes to Gyeong-oh. Perhaps due to crying heavily and wiping roughly, his eyes were quite red.

“That there’s a spy among us, Junseong already knew.”