Chapter 16:The White Zone

Jiwook sat at his worn-out table, his tent in ruins from the last battle.

He sighed, flipping open a cigarette box—only to find one last stick left.

"Tch. Just my luck."

He twirled the cigarette in his fingers, debating whether to save it or smoke it now.

Then—

BZZZT.

His walkie-talkie crackled to life.

Jiwook grabbed it.

"Yeah?"

A familiar voice came through.

"Hey, Jiwook."

Jiwook smirked.

"Kid, what's up? Where've you been?"

Kai's voice was steady, but distant.

"I need to take care of something. I won't be at the camp for a while."

Jiwook's fingers tightened around the walkie-talkie.

"That so…?"

A long pause.

Then—

"Yeah."

A second later—CRACK!

The last thing Jiwook heard was the walkie-talkie hitting the ground.

He sighed, resting his forehead against his palm.

"Damn kid…"

Outside the tent, Yuna stood still.

She had overheard everything.

Her fingers clenched, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Kai…"

Her voice was barely a whisper.

She wiped her eyes and turned away, walking out of the tent area.

Her footsteps faded into the distance.

A few steps away, a young awakened man was passing by, his eyes flickering toward Yuna.

"Damn… she's beautiful…" he muttered to himself.

Then, a smirk spread across his face.

"Wonder if she has a boyfriend—"

THUD!

His foot caught on a rock, and he stumbled forward, face-first into the dirt.

"Damn it! That totally killed my vibe!"

He groaned, dusting himself off—only to freeze.

Jiwook was standing right in front of him.

The young man straightened instantly.

"B-Boss!"

He snapped into a salute.

"I'm Park Jaesu, here to report something!"

Jiwook's sharp gaze locked onto him.

Jaesu felt a chill crawl up his spine.

He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself.

Jiwook sighed.

"What report?"

Jaesu gulped.

"O-Our men found a dead awakened near the resource area. But…"

Jiwook's eyes narrowed.

"But?"

Jaesu hesitated, then spoke.

"The dead body… belongs to Mr. Baek Jung."

Jiwook's entire body stiffened.

Baek…? That stubborn bastard was dead?

Jaesu continued, hesitantly.

"The cause of death is… unknown. We couldn't determine if it was a monster or another awakened. But on his chest, there was a—"

"Enough. I understand." Jiwook cut him off.

Jaesu saluted again, sweat on his forehead.

"Y-Yes, Boss! Thank you!"

He quickly walked away.

Jiwook collapsed into his chair, running a hand over his face.

His eyes drifted to the marked map on his desk.

The white circle marked something important.

"The Chosen, huh…?"

He exhaled.

"Damn it, Baek. You really threw your life away like it was nothing."

His fist clenched, flickering with rage-fueled energy.

Then—he exhaled, releasing it.

The power faded from his hand.

"Tch. This world keeps messing with me."

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Then a thought hit him.

"Wait… didn't I have one last instant ramen left?"

His eyes lit up with a bit of hope.

He rummaged through his desk cabinet—

And froze.

The ramen was gone.

"What the hell—?! Where's my noodles?!"

His eyes flicked to a small note.

He snatched it up.

As he read it, his entire face darkened.

"Thanks for the food, dumbass. – P.S. Baek"

Jiwook's eye twitched.

His fist crumpled the paper.

"You damn dead bastard!" he roared.

The entire tent shook.

Outside, a few awakened flinched, exchanging glances.

"Uh… should we check on the boss?"

"Nope. Not getting involved."

And with that, they walked away.

Jiwook, meanwhile, sat in his chair, fuming.

"Damn you, Baek… even in death, you piss me off."

"i bet in afterlife he was smirking off me,that damn baek"

His anger faded into a chuckle.

Then, into a sigh.

He closed his eyes.

then,

Somewhere far away, a storm was brewing.

Minho ran.

His breath was heavy, his mind sharp.

The White Zone was no joke.

With him—the First Division squad: SilverFang.

A group of elite awakened soldiers, known for their mission to protect humanity from calamity.

All of them were warriors.

And Minho—a B-rank awakened—was part of this mission.

Their leader?

David Greyhad.

A Korean-born soldier with the discipline of an American veteran.

With his fit physique and commanding presence, he led the squad through the hostile terrain.

The team moved tactically, their weapons at the ready.

David raised a fist.

"Cease all movement!"

The squad halted.

"Take a cover!"

They lowered themselves, taking cover behind large rocks.

David made a hand signal.

A sniper, positioned at high ground, saw it.

His fingers hovered over the trigger.

His rifle was no ordinary gun—it was enhanced with awakened power

A single shot to the head would kill a monster instantly.

"Weapon ready!"

The team gripped their weapons.

David's hand remained raised.

They waited

Then—

From the distance, a massive creature began to emerge.

A giant worm-like monster crawled out from a hole in the ground.

It didn't attack them—it rushed toward a smaller monster instead.

David's voice was steady.

"Stay sharp."

He lowered his hand.

The sniper fired.

BANG!

The bullet pierced the monster's skull, exploding its head instantly.

The sniper's voice came through the radio.

"Roger, Beta to Alpha. Objective cleared. Over."

"Roger, Alpha to Beta here. Ready for next command. Over."

The giant worm twitched, then collapsed.

"Captain, what's the next command?"

But David didn't answer.

His gaze hardened.

Something felt wrong.

DING!

A system window appeared before all of them.

[WARNING: DANGER HORDE APPROACHING]

The squad froze.

Their eyes widened in shock.

"Captain?!"

Still—David was silent.

Then—the ground shook.

"BREAK CONTACT!"

The squad immediately ran.

But before they could escape—

BOOM!

A second worm-like monster erupted from the ground, blocking their path.

"Commence firing!"

Gunfire roared, bullets ripping into the creature.

The monster screeched, then retreated underground.

David's eyes narrowed.

"Get in position!"

The team held their weapons tight, keeping their focus.

Then—silence.

The battlefield went still.

Too still.

David grabbed his radio.

"Roger, Alpha to Beta. Establish perimeter. Over."

The sniper responded.

Using his Thermal Eye skill, he scanned the underground movements of the worm monster.

"Roger, Beta to Alpha. Objective secure. Over."

He smirked.

"Damn worm, you think you're smart—"

Then—

The ground beneath him shifted.

His eyes widened.

"What the—"

CHOMP!

A massive mouth snapped shut around him.

His radio cut off.

The sniper was gone.

David saw it.

The sniper's high-ground position collapsed.

He gritted his teeth.

"The sniper's dead! Stay sharp!"

The team tightened their grip on their weapons.

Minho's breath was shaky.

But he steeled himself.

They moved step by step toward a safer area—

Then—

RUMBLE!

David shouted.

"READY, SOLDIERS!"

A monster erupted from the ground.

The squad dodged—

But then—

BOOM!

A second monster emerged from the spot they just dodged to.

"DAMN IT!"

Two soldiers didn't make it.

Their screams were cut off as the worms swallowed them whole.

The monsters burrowed back underground.

Silence.

Only three remained.

David.

Minho.

And one last soldier.

Minho's hands trembled.

David's face darkened.

The last soldier kept his aim steady.

Then—the ground shook again.

A worm burst out.

But—it stopped.

As if confused.

Then—

A flash.

A clean slash severed its head.

The monster collapsed.

Minho's eyes widened.

David stood there—his dagger dripping with blood.

"…Captain?"

Then—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Seven more monsters erupted from the ground.

Their screeches echoed.

Minho's fear returned.

David's voice cut through the noise.

"PREPARE FOR BATTLE, SOLDIERS!"

Minho took a deep breath.

His hands ignited with fire.

The last soldier drew his weapon.

David glared at the monsters.

His voice was filled with fury.

"Now COME and DIE, YOU DAMN BASTARDS!!"

The monsters rushed forward.