Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 113: Arson
Sa Gi-hyeok and Jeon Do-hyung dropped hints to our members. Saying things like, couldn't you intimidate the alliance by just entering the gas station with cigarettes and a lighter?
I also secretly sold several pistols loaded with non-lethal ammunition. To survivors who seemed smart, those filled with rage, and those who gave me a vibe similar to my own.
'I can't move directly, and I can't order anyone. I have to create the right circumstances.'
I quietly watched the backs of the survivors walking away with pistols hidden inside their clothes.
I had no actors who would follow my scenario according to my directions. Doing so would put me in the spotlight. I could only set up props, stages, and situations to guide anyone into becoming an actor.
'Someone will move according to my intentions.'
The survivors who had once gathered to attack our villa district. I'd given them the idea of the gas station and fire threat, and distributed pistols to deal with the riders standing guard.
Probably some of them would take action.
Though I wasn't sure when they'd move...
I glanced at my armed companions and spoke briefly.
"For the next few days, go about your business without me. I have matters to attend to at the alliance."
"Yes, understood."
My companions nodded without suspicion. They probably thought I was going to build connections with the police. After all, I had brought back guns and ammunition.
And so, I headed toward the survival zone with my criminal companions.
***
Several days passed. Today, too, I went to the survival zone like it was my workplace. Since I couldn't predict when the hungry survivors would attack, I had no choice but to visit daily and wait.
With my frequent visits, the police captain was starting to show signs of annoyance.
"Does our friend have nothing to do? Since you don't seem to produce anything, shouldn't you be out hustling?"
"I have companions who move on my behalf."
At those words, the police captain tilted his head. A voice full of doubt reached me.
"You have companions you trust? You?"
I stared at the police captain incredulously. I wasn't some paranoid patient. Well, I was similar, but still had companions I could trust with minor tasks.
"Even if we're not as tight-knit as the police, they're my companions."
"You seem like someone who wouldn't trust even your closest aides... Don't take this the wrong way. I've been a cop for a long time, so I trust my instincts."
He went on to explain that there's a type of criminal who trusts no one. They leave evidence to betray others at any time, hide truths even from their closest aides, and never open their hearts.
"Why are you treating me like a criminal?"
I continued to show my disbelief. I wasn't really a criminal, was I? I hadn't been found guilty in a court of law.
The police captain awkwardly avoided my gaze and changed the subject.
"I've found someone who'll set fire to the gas station. One of our police family."
"Can they be trusted?"
I asked somewhat grumpily. The police captain hugged his shotgun to his chest.
"They can be trusted. Honestly, among all the organizations in the alliance, we have the strongest unity."
That made sense. In the early days of the apocalypse, the police had bonded together while being attacked by citizens targeting their guns. Since then, they'd consistently moved as a single group, with a hierarchy more rigid than the riders or scavengers.
Perhaps for them, their own people took priority over the alliance.
'They probably joined the alliance for medical services and electricity. For a better life.'
That's the difference between me and the police. While I move solely for my own dreams, the police live for their family-like colleagues and actual families.
Curiosity suddenly struck me. This police captain. How would he change if his organization collapsed? What kind of person would he become if he lost the colleagues and family who supported him—someone who lived only for the present, just like me?
Whether he knew about my natural screenwriter's imagination or not, the police captain continued.
"Still, they won't move unless the situation is clean. We need to avoid anything that could be used against us or put our family in danger."
"Yes, I understand."
I snapped back to reality and tapped the desk with my finger.
"I don't plan to set a dangerous fire either. If things go wrong, I'd become an enemy of the alliance."
"The archers, doctors, and those who make explosives all have particularly nasty temperaments. It's best to avoid getting on their bad side, even if I don't care about the others."
As we continued our conversation, praising people similar to ourselves and badmouthing those we disliked behind their backs—
Suddenly the door burst open and a police officer rushed in breathlessly. After glancing at me, the officer reported to the police captain.
"Sir. The gas station is under attack. A group of violent criminals armed with pistols. The riders are fighting back, but they seem to need support."
"Is that so? Let's take our waiting friends along. ...Will our friend here be joining us?"
"Yes."
I stood up quickly. So it finally happened after several days. At last I could see RiderZero suffering.
***
The gas station we rushed to was filled with noise. People watching from a distance, police who had come running from patrol, firefighters running around in safety suits. Their voices pierced the air from all directions.
"These guys are really insane. Doing this here?"
"Sir, should we enter?"
"Wait a moment. Since they've occupied the gas station and seem to have lighters, standard procedure is to negotiate first."
"Bring all the fire extinguishers just in case! The ones for oil fires! And evacuate everyone from the surrounding buildings!"
It was as noisy as a marketplace.
"Move aside!"
The police captain skillfully pushed through the crowd, moving forward. The police following him efficiently blocked onlookers.
"Please stay back, it's dangerous."
"Don't watch. No, what's with the phone? It's not like you have anywhere to post footage. Please move away."
I casually followed them, entering the area where the gas pumps were lined up. Looking around, I saw several riders gathered.
Since it was daytime, most seemed to be out somewhere, leaving their numbers few.
They hurriedly moved their hastily parked motorcycles farther away, muttering with worried voices.
"Those bastards won't actually set a fire, right?"
"So what if they do? We've stored fuel elsewhere too, and we've acquired plenty of electric bicycles."
"The chicks are in there! Do you know how hard it was to get and raise them!"
I grabbed the wrist of a passing rider. The rider stumbled toward me.
"The chick—no, who?"
"Is RiderZero inside?"
"Probably? I think she's trying to resolve this through dialogue. Wait, why are you here?"
The rider recognized my face and frowned deeply. I responded with a smile.
"Your pain is my pleasure."
"..."
The rider silently glared at me. The emotional rift between the Delivery Vigilantes and me had already deepened. We were at a point where open hostility was expected.
Just then, the police captain approached and spoke.
"That woman is inside? Anyone else?"
"Officer. This guy is an outsider. Aren't you going to kick him out?"
The rider grumbled. The police captain responded professionally. Hiding all malice and killing intent, he approached with a businesslike attitude.
"That's not important right now. Is there anyone who knows what's going on inside? How many attackers, what weapons they have, what their purpose is, if there are hostages. Start with useful information."
Textbook approach. The rider awkwardly scratched his head and answered.
"I don't know exactly either. I arrived later. Some guys who were maintaining motorcycles outside got shot, but they've been taken to the hospital."
"What about the friends who were on guard duty inside?"
"I haven't seen them come out..."
Not a helpful response at all.
The police captain angrily shook his shotgun.
"You call that a testimony? We're in a hurry, and you're just wasting time!"
"Well, these people just came for food, so they probably won't cause a real accident."
What an optimistic person. Why would they think only hungry survivors want to cause accidents, want to push them off a cliff?
I looked up at the second floor of the gas station. Where RiderZero would be. What was she doing right now?
Under police control, the onlookers backed away and the noise receded. The sound of police and firefighters skillfully working together.
"Since there might be hostages, let's wait. Firefighters, evacuate everyone nearby."
"Almost everyone in the surrounding buildings has been evacuated. We're also preparing to prevent the fire from spreading."
"Good, thanks. It would be disastrous if a fire spread out of control."
That's when it happened.
As if gunshots rang out inside the gas station, a glimpse of red light flickered through the windows. Not electric lighting. The color of flames.
'A fire? Why? Now?'
In that moment, the police captain and I looked at each other. We seemed to share the same thought, with identical expressions. Wondering if the other had done something.
And then, a few seconds later.
With a crash, a second-floor window shattered as someone leaped out into the air. A woman in a helmet and rider suit. RiderZero.
"Move out of the way!"
Holding something to her chest with one hand, she fell while skillfully positioning herself for a safe landing.
Without thinking, I threw myself forward. As if to catch RiderZero's fall. In reality, to block her landing technique and injure her.
Our bodies tangled with a thud. My vision spun as I felt the impact throughout my body. Peep, squawk, strange bird cries reached my ears, followed by RiderZero's short scream.
"The chicks!"
I quickly got up and looked down at RiderZero who had collapsed on the ground. Due to our collision, the chicks she had been holding to her chest had died. Red blood stained her body.
I grinned as I looked back at the gas station.
I didn't know who had set the fire, but it had happened. Behind me, I heard the police stopping the firefighters.
"Stop! There are armed terrorists inside. Don't enter."