The last sliver of sun vanished, plunging the convenience store into deep twilight. The entirety of them had been here a while day now. Sae Joon Hyun stood by a makeshift table of stacked crates, a hand-drawn map of the sector spread out before them. He looked at the faces gathered around him.

"Did everyone get it?" Sae Joon Hyun's voice was low, gravelly with exhaustion. His eyes, dark and serious, scanned the group, demanding focus. "The plan. Did it sink in?"

Across from him, Hailey met his gaze, her jaw set. She gave a single, sharp nod. "We got it."

Yohan, holding a crumpled packet of chips, a stack of which were used to make the map, said aloud, his voice a nervous murmur in the quiet room. "To sum it up... we are safe at night. And we must lock them up so they can be treated later. Right?"

"Yes. Now we are more than four. Locking them up will be as easy as tearing up a sheet," Jaeyeon remarked, leaning against a shelf.

Next to him, Yuri nodded, her arms crossed. "Strength in numbers. We can do this."

Eunhye let out a soft, breathy chuckle, nudging Yuri with her elbow. "Thank god no more perfumes. I don't think my nose could take it."

Yuri smirked and gave her a light, playful slap on the shoulder. "Nah, don't worry. They'll be there~ waiting for you when this is all over. Or perhaps for back-up."

A contemplative silence fell for a moment. Eugene, who had been quiet, finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. "How on earth did they even fight before? Before we meet them?"

Sae Joon Hyun tapped his finger on the map, right over the central district. He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "So then let's team up. Our goal is clear. We lock up every single one of them. Well, as many as we can. We contain this. Try to."

He straightened up, his voice gaining a commander's edge. "We are eighteen. Here are the teams." He pointed at the groups as he listed them. "Minji, Yon, Eugene, and Minyoung in team one. Me, Yuri Ssaeng, Charyeong, and Jay in team two. Eunhye Noona, Jihoon, Mina, and Yohan as team three. And Jaeyeon, Zera, Yunha, and Hailey as team four. Young," he said, nodding toward Minji's boyfriend, who was looking pale but resolute, "you will stay here with In-ha. Look after her. Anyone with any issues?"

The room was dead silent. The weight of the assignment settled on their shoulders, heavy and terrifying. They looked at each other, a mix of determination and sheer, unadulterated fear in their eyes. There were no issues. There was no other choice.

[TEAM FOUR]

The evening air was cool, carrying a metallic tang that Jaeyeon had come to associate with, unfortunately. He led the way, his footsteps cautious on the cracked pavement. He glanced back at the three girls trailing him—Hailey, Zera, and Yunha. A snort escaped him.

"Heh," he muttered, shaking his head. "I am the only guy in this group. It's weird. That dumb Hyeong... he did this on purpose."

Behind him, Hailey’s fingers were clenched tightly in the fabric of his jacket. "Oppa," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Where are we even going?"

Jaeyeon didn't slow down. "Where? The main road, of course. Where else would they be?"

Before she could protest further, they rounded a corner and stopped dead. The crossroads was teeming with them. Dozens of figures shuffled and snarled in the fading light.

Hailey's breath hitched. "O-oppa..."

Jaeyeon’s smirk was a bravado she didn't expect, or was not quite used to yet. "Well? Shall we?" he asked, his voice dropping to a challenge.

He didn't wait for an answer. He hefted his weapon—a long, metal pipe—and charged. The creatures, hypersensitive to sound, let out a unified, deafening snarl and surged toward them.

"Zera! Now!" Jaeyeon yelled, dodging a grasping hand and driving the pipe hard into a creature's arm. It wasn't a kill shot; it was a disabling move. The thing groaned, a horrifically human sound of pain, as he used its own momentum to shove it toward their waiting jeep.

Zera, behind the wheel, revved the engine. The loud noise was a magnet. "HEY! OVER HERE, YOU UGLY FREAKS!" she screamed, leaning on the horn.

It worked. The horde turned toward the vehicle. As they swarmed it, Jaeyeon ducked into the passenger side and grabbed the rifle from the bag at his feet. He shouldered it, his movements practiced and swift.

Crack. Crack.

He wasn't aiming to kill. He aimed for legs, for arms, for anything that would slow them down. With each shot, a creature would stumble. With each stumble, Jaeyeon or Hailey would rush forward, grab it, and heave it into the open back of the jeep. It was a brutal, efficient assembly line of capture.

Groans and snarls filled the air, mixing with the girls' grunts of effort and Jaeyeon's sharp commands. "Hailey, left! Zera, keep them interested! Yunha, get that gate open!"

Finally, the jeep was full, a squirming, groaning mass of captured infected. Zera slammed her foot on the accelerator, screeching toward the manor gates where Yunha and Hailey were already pushing them open. When they were forming the plan, Sae Joon Hyun had asked for anyone and everyone who could drive or had learnt to drive and she held to be one of them. In a world fine mad, did rules even exist anymore? She didn't stop; she drove straight through, the jeep's bumper sending the few creatures already inside tumbling.

They all piled out, working together to force the writhing bodies out of the jeep and into the grand foyer of the manor. Hailey slammed the heavy gates shut and threw the bolt, her chest heaving.

"Phew..." Yunha gasped, leaning against the wall and wiping her face. Sweat and tears streaked through the grime on her cheeks. "That really was something."

Jaeyeon leaned against the jeep, catching his breath. He looked at the sealed gates, listening to the faint sounds from within. "Yeah," he said, his voice grim. "Well, more to go."

[TEAM ONE]

Chaos was a symphony of gunfire, snarls, and screaming metal. Minji fired her rifle, the crack echoing off the building facades. The recoil, stronger than she anticipated, slammed into her shoulder and sent her flying backward onto the hard ground.

"Ugh! Damn it!" she grunted, gnashing her teeth against the pain. She scrambled for a new magazine, her hands fumbling slightly. "Minyoung! We need a truck! Something to transport them!"

Minyoung's eyes were wide as she scanned the street. "I see one! But... I'm the only one here!"

"And I can't stop fighting either!" Minji snapped back, slamming the magazine home and rising to her knees to fire again.

Nearby, Eugene was a blur of motion, tears streaming openly down his face as he ducked and weaved. He was fast, his figure skater's agility saving him again and again. But one creature moved faster, lurching forward with unexpected speed. Eugene tripped over a curb and fell hard on his back.

The creature was on him in an instant.

"AH!" Eugene's cry was pure terror. He brought a metal rod up just in time, crossways, holding the snapping jaws inches from his face. The creature's weight was immense, pressing down, bending the rod. Eugene's arms shook violently.

"EUGENE, FIGHT IT!" Minji's scream was raw, desperate. She tried to get a clear shot, but they were too entangled.

Eugene, sobbing, could only shake his head, his strength failing. "I can't... I can't..."

Suddenly, Yon was there. He didn't yell. He moved with a silent, deadly grace. Two knives flashed in his hands. He plunged them not into the creature's head, but deep into the muscles of its shoulders. It roared in pain and surprise, its grip on Eugene loosening for a split second.

Yon used that second. He planted a foot on its chest as he skid between them just an inch and kicked it off Eugene, then placed himself squarely between his friend and the threat. What happened next was a whirlwind—a series of precise, brutal strikes with the knives that left the creature incapacitated on the ground, groaning.

Yon collapsed to his knees next to Eugene, breathing in ragged gasps. "Y-Yon," Eugene stammered, reaching a trembling hand out. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Yon gasped, pushing himself up. He offered a hand and pulled Eugene to his feet. "I'm fine. Let's go. Now."

They ran, Minji providing covering fire, blasting the limbs of any creature that got too close. Yon, still holding Eugene's hand, grabbed a spray bottle from his bag. As they passed the downed creatures, he sprayed a fine mist around them. The creatures recoiled, writhing as if in pain.

Minyoung finally got the truck moving, circling around and crashing through the horde to skid to a stop beside them. The next few minutes were a nightmarish frenzy of kicking, shoving, and heaving the disoriented creatures into the truck's cargo bed until it was packed full.

Minyoung sped toward the manor, slamming the brakes so the truck's back doors faced the grand front entrance. Minji jumped out and ran to the door, yanking on the handle.

"It's locked!" she screamed, panic rising in her throat. The banging from inside the truck grew louder. "What do we do now?!"

Without a word, Yon picked up a chunk of broken concrete and hurled it at a nearby window. The glass shattered. He didn't hesitate. He reached through the jagged opening, ignoring the glass that tore into his arm, and fumbled for the latch from the inside.

"Yon, your arm!" Eugene cried out.

Gritting his teeth, Yon unlocked the window, pushed it open, and climbed through, leaving a smear of blood on the frame. A moment later, the front door unlocked from within. Minji yanked it open just as Yon, from inside, rushed out and unbolted the truck's back gate.

The horde spilled out into the manor's foyer. But Yon was still inside, on the wrong side of the door.

"H-Hey! Yon is still in there!" Eugene yelled, clutching at Minji's arm, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"I know, kid! Stop shaking me!" Minji barked, her heart hammering. They heard the distinct click of the main door being locked from inside. A second later, Yon emerged from the broken window, his face pale, his arm bleeding freely.

"Yon, what was that, you idiot?" Minji scolded, her voice a mix of anger and overwhelming relief.

"I'm... I'm fine," he panted, leaning against the truck.

"Yon, please," Eugene pleaded, his eyes wide with fear. "Don't do that again."

Yon managed a weak smile. "Oh, Eugene. Did I startle you?"

"No, I'm fine. Your arm... it's hurting, isn't it?" Eugene's concern was immediate, his hands fluttering nervously.

Yon looked down at the bloody gashes as if noticing them for the first time. "...No, I'm fine... really..." But his voice was distant, his eyes a little unfocused.

Minyoung leaned on the horn, gesturing furiously for them to get in. As they climbed back into the truck, Eugene found a relatively clean cloth and gently, carefully, began wrapping Yon's wounded arm.

"Okay?" Eugene asked softly, his touch hesitant.

Yon looked at the makeshift bandage, then at Eugene's worried face. He squeezed Eugene's hand. "Hm? Are you okay is the question."

"I am sorry. I just... I don't know why I froze..." Eugene mumbled, guilt written all over his face.

"No," Yon said, his voice firm but kind. "It's alright. We are still sane, after all. That's what matters."

"Sane..." Eugene repeated the word quietly, staring out at the blood-smeared streets as they drove away.

Minji watched the exchange in the rearview mirror, sitting next to Minyoung, a thoughtful frown on her face. "There's something about that kid," she murmured to herself glancing at Yon.

[LOCATION: SEOUL CONVENIENCE STORE
SOUTH KOREA.]

The bell on the convenience store door jingled, an absurdly cheerful sound as Eunhye and her team stumbled back in. They were covered in dust and grime, their movements sluggish with exhaustion. In-ha looked up from her notes, a weary smile on her face.

Eunhye sank into a chair next to her with a heavy groan. "I think we are done for now. The first lane is clear... hopefully..." she muttered, leaning her head back against the wall.

Mina dropped her weapon on the counter with a loud clatter. A strange, half-hysterical snicker escaped her. "You know, when they show this in television movies," she began, her voice tired, "the thing that comes to my head is 'how can they take on a hundred men all together?' " She shook her head. "Now I know. They are lethargic, can't see well, afraid of fire as well as suggested by In-Ha ma'am, won't know you're there if there's no sound... they have a number of other weaknesses..."

"Not for too long."

In-ha's voice cut through Mina's relieved monologue. It was quiet, but it carried a weight that silenced the entire room.

Hailey, who was wiping her face with a damp cloth, froze. "What is it, ma'am?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

In-ha looked up, her eyes grave. "I think the evolution is progressing too quickly. Their adaptation rate is... frightening. If we don't clear all of this as soon as possible, we are in for a ride we cannot control."

The grim silence that followed was shattered by the sound of a jeep skidding to a halt outside. The door burst open and Zera stumbled in, her face a mess of tears and dirt. She fell against Yohan, who caught her with a surprised grunt.

"THEY ARE NUTS!" she wailed, her body shaking with sobs. "THEY'RE ALL NUTS!"

Yohan held her awkwardly, patting her back. "Zera Noona, what's wrong? What happened?"

"THAT WAS HELL! I COULDN'T! THEY LOOKED HORRIBLE!! THEIR FACES... THE SOUNDS THEY MAKE..." she cried, her words dissolving into incoherent sobs.

From behind them, Jaeyeon walked in, looking just as tired but far more composed. He ran a hand through his hair. "Hey now," he said, his voice rough. "It was alright. Definitely not a walk in the park, but we handled it. It was nothing compared to what we faced at the airport." He said it like he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

[TEAM TWO]

The roof tiles were cold and gritty under Sae Joon Hyun's hands. The four of them were lying flat on their stomachs, peering over the edge of a dilapidated house's roof. The scene below was not what they expected. It wasn't a horde of mindless, shambling creatures.

It was a slaughterhouse.

The creatures... they weren't just snarling. They were waiting. They stood in loose groups, and they held things. Lead pipes. Kitchen knives. Pieces of rebar. Their grips were crooked, unnatural, but the intent was horrifyingly clear. They were patrolling. They were hunting.

Sae Joon Hyun's voice was a low, venomous whisper that cut through the silent dread. "I feel like whenever I am with you, things go south..."

Next to him, Yuri didn't even look over. She just nudged him hard in the arm. "I wouldn't go that far. Rude." Her retort was automatic, a well-worn path in their casual relationship.

"Oppa. Seonsangnim." Charyeong's voice was a trembling thread from Sae Joon Hyun's other side. She was shaking, tears welling in her wide eyes as she stared down at the nightmare. "This isn't the time for bickering..."

She was right. This was different. This was worse. The creatures below weren't just infected; they were learning. They were becoming soldiers. And they were waiting for any sound, any sign of movement, to pinpoint their next prey. Jay gripped his weapon tighter, lying close to Charyeong. What were they supposed to do now?