Heading toward the other building was easy, and we took down a few walkers along the way. When we arrived, I greeted Troy.
"What happened, Troy?" I asked.
Troy turned to me, his expression grim. "Our casualties keep increasing. The enemy appeared out of nowhere and ambushed us. I've already ordered everyone to regroup on the first floor. All entrances and exits are blocked and heavily guarded. We also managed to rescue some survivors, but judging by their condition… some of them might not make it."
"We'll deal with that later," I said firmly. "For now, let's focus on the enemy."
He nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Angel was being guarded by the two soldiers near the entrance. With additional troops stationed there, I wasn't worried about her safety.
"Troy, take me to the spot where you were ambushed," I said.
"All right, sir. Follow me," he replied.
We greeted a few soldiers along the way as they saluted me, and soon we reached the area where three Federation soldiers lay lifeless on the ground inside one of the rooms.
"This keeps happening," Troy said grimly. "We don't even know where they're coming from. By the time we arrive with reinforcements, the enemy is already gone—and we end up finding more of our men like this."
I frowned, scanning the area. "Didn't you say you already cleared some of the floors?"
"We did," Troy replied, his tone frustrated.
"Then what about the survivors? Did you secure them?"
"We've already done that," he answered.
I looked around carefully. The room seemed ordinary—nothing seemed out of place at first glance. "Hmm… nothing suspicious…" I muttered, then my eyes landed on a curtain at the far side of the room.
"Wait… that curtain," I whispered to myself. I remembered something from the series—later on, there was a group that used curtains to conceal secret rooms and ambush points.
"So that's how they've been ambushing us," I thought aloud.
Troy followed my gaze. "What is it?" he asked.
I pointed at the curtain. "Troy, over there."
Then I signaled to one of the nearby soldiers. "You—inspect it carefully."
"Yes, sir," the soldier replied, stepping forward cautiously toward the curtain.
The soldier moved cautiously toward the curtain, rifle raised and finger steady on the trigger. Step by step, he approached, pulling the fabric aside just enough to peek through.
"Sir… there's an entrance here," the soldier reported.
"There you go, Troy," I said, glancing at him.
Troy's expression darkened as realization hit him—he hadn't noticed the hidden passage. I left the room, while Troy and the soldier stayed behind, the air thick with tension.
As the seconds passed, anger and frustration built up in Troy's chest. He clenched his fists. "Those motherfuckers!" he growled, slamming a hand against the wall before storming out with the soldier beside him.
What a slip-up, Troy thought bitterly. I should've checked more carefully. I've failed as a leader.
Thanks to my discovery of the secret entrance, the operation restarted—and this time Troy became ruthless. He dealt with the enemy with brutal efficiency, making them suffer before it was over. He even asked my permission, which I gave without hesitation; those people were scum and deserved no mercy. Troy kept blaming himself for not checking carefully, but in a way this felt like a redemption for him. Thanks to that, we're now almost at the top floor. This nightmare will soon be over.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck — you are all useless! They're here! I'm going to die!" Kane shouted. His earlier bravado — the confidence he showed when he killed people — had vanished. Around him only a few remained, at most six, including Kane.
Kane already knew the boss had left. Panic clawed at his mind as he raced for a way out. He even considered pretending to be a captured survivor. Then an idea struck him.
"Hey — there's that little girl in the other room, right?" he asked.
"Yes?" a man said, forced calm in his voice.
"Go get her. We'll use her as a hostage to get out of here."
"Whoa — brilliant, boss," another man said, grinning. "Heh, we'll survive this."
Two of them moved toward the other room to fetch the girl they planned to use as leverage.
Marcus waited on the first floor with Angel and the two soldiers. I was sure Troy could handle the remaining people.
Troy and the soldiers moved up to the final floor of the building. They checked every room; the only one left was the large room on the left. Troy signaled with his hand, and three soldiers entered first.
"Stop! Drop the gun or she dies!" shouted one of the men inside. The rest of the soldiers, with Troy at their head, went in as well.
Inside, six men were pointing guns at them while two others held a hostage. The man with the hostage sneered, "You'd better let us go, or this girl dies," Kane threatened, while Troy stood and stared at him.
Troy looked at him. "You—what's your name?"
Kane sneered. "Kane. You better listen to me, or—" He shoved the gun against the temple of the girl, who looked about fifteen. She didn't flinch.
"What did you do to her?" Troy demanded.
Kane chuckled darkly. "What do you think? It's the apocalypse—what, jealous?"
Troy's face went even darker. The girl's eyes were vacant; she had already given up. She's lost the will to live, he thought. Their hostage was useless.
Are you the leader?" Troy.
"Hahah— I should be! That useless boss ran away the moment this started," Kane sneered. Troy thought to himself that Kane couldn't stop talking—his bluster worked to their advantage, drawing attention. Their real leader had apparently escaped; they must have used this hideout to slip away.
"What should I do? Should I kill the girl along with them?" Troy wondered.
"That won't be possible," Troy said.
"What?" Kane said, surprised. "So you're taking the hard way, huh?" Kane and the others then began to move.
Kane's face tightened. "What? So you're gonna take the hard way, huh?" He motioned to the others, and they began to move, tension coiling in the room.
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