Zombie Apocalypse Whiteout - 26
EP26 Negotiation (4)
“Shit!”
The witch’s face instantly stiffened, realizing what Yu-bin was about to say. He still held up his prosthetic hand and continued coolly.
“My wrist still aches when I think about your building. Our friends were dragged to Yongsan and killed. So why should I hold back?”
“This isn’t PC! You’re supposed to be the good guys! Multiple people physically oppressing one person! A woman, no less?”
The witch clutched her chest, her voice cracking in pain.
“You brought plenty of people yourself, you nasty bitch! Those guys are just weak as hell!”
The sheriff snapped irritably. And he wasn’t wrong , she’d come with four bodyguards, each hiding pistols. Yet only two of them subdued her people. “Cowardly” wasn’t the word here.
“So? What are you gonna do? If a bunch of big guys team up to kill me, that’s a happy ending?”
The witch’s voice trembled, defeated on all fronts.
Yeah...
Yu-bin was asking himself the same question.
How was he supposed to deal with this insane villainess? Or more importantly, what would benefit him the most?
His thoughts grew tangled. Capturing the Witch of Ruin was such an unreal scenario he’d never seriously considered what to do next.
It was the kind of monumental thing that only soldiers storming the Taeyang Group could pull off. Yet here she was, suddenly in his grasp.
“Ouch! You’re really gonna break me, you dumbass!”
Near the table, the witch writhed in pain, clutching herself.
“Thinking about all the people you killed, this pain’s nothing, bitch. Your nerve’s beyond limit… Sigh.”
Still, the sheriff let go and roughly shoved her into a chair. Her pale fingers massaged themselves, lips trembling with rage. When her eyes met the bodyguards’, she erupted in curses.
“Huff… huff… stupid assholes, useless shit!”
Panting, she spat English curses before turning toward Yu-bin.
“Look, murdering me won’t get you anything. But if we negotiate, it’s a win-win. I can forget how badly you treated me. I’m a professional business person, reasonable, too.”
“What the hell are you saying? Speak clearly, bitch! Don’t just babble nonsense only you understand!”
The sheriff scowled at her strange habit of mixing English and Korean. She glared back, gritting her teeth, then spoke slowly.
“Act like an adult. So radio General Kim. Tell your boss I want to contact him. Got it?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. We have nothing to do with this ‘General Kim’.”
Yu-bin stood and stepped closer to her. She didn’t seem to believe him.
“Think I’m stupid? I know the generals who got the blood delivered the bullets to Chungju. That’s General Kim’s territory.”
“That was a gift. We don’t take orders from him. Maybe you thought you had a safety net negotiating with General Kim if things got messy. You’re wrong. That insurance doesn’t exist.”
Yu-bin tapped the table with the barrel of the pistol he’d just confiscated, sending a clear message: he could shoot at any moment. He’d learned from experience that this kind of ruthless pressure worked better on arrogant people than Min-gu’s brutal methods.
“So... then who... huff... who are you under? You must have a boss. Don’t make a serious mistake , let me talk to that person.”
The witch, now a little more scared, couldn’t take her eyes off the gun as she asked. Yu-bin smirked in front of her.
“We’re talking right now.”
“You’re... the man in charge?”
She quickly glanced at the sheriff and Min-gu, then back at Yu-bin. No matter how she looked, this unimpressive, small-framed man didn’t seem like the boss. But…
Neither the big guy with the kukri nor the bulky sheriff showed any resistance or mockery. Their expressions were almost as if this was expected. The witch grew confused.
The four she brought were the Taeyang Group’s elite security detail, and these two men had overpowered them instantly. The man with the prosthetic hand didn’t even look like a soldier. And he was too young to be a leader.
“...No way. That’s a lie.”
The witch shook her head, but Yu-bin replied nonchalantly.
“Believe what you want. Just don’t get your hopes up that someone above me will save you.”
“Hmph...!”
She sighed in disbelief and asked again.
“Then how exactly did you get Terra’s blood? I doubt General Kim would just give away such a valuable resource.”
“Now’s not the time for that question. Don’t you realize how serious this is? I’d be scared if I were you.”
Yu-bin pointed the pistol coldly at the bodyguard still bleeding and struggling on the floor, continuing without a flicker of sympathy.
“There isn’t a single person here who can help you.”
“Ugh…”
The aide playing the role of General Park, who had been knocked out by the sheriff, finally stirred slightly, showing signs of coming to. That sight made the witch realize something.
For the head of Taeyang Group Security’s protection detail to end up like that… their abilities had to be acknowledged. Whether under General Kim or not, these guys clearly had serious power.
“Alright.”
The witch lifted her head with a determined look.
“I’ll make a deal. You wanted forty grand per blood pack, right? I’ll offer double that, eighty grand. Eighty thousand live rounds per pack. Two hundred forty thousand in total. How about that? A deal you can be satisfied with?”
“Don’t get cocky. We set the terms.”
Yu-bin immediately rejected her offer and fired his own question.
“What about General Park? How did you come here?”
The figure of General Park didn’t feel like some imaginary character. Otherwise, the other factions wouldn’t have quietly left their billboard alone. The witch answered fairly straightforwardly.
“I… got an excuse and passed this chance. I promised to cover all the costs and split the blood serum evenly.”
“Good. That chance is gone. Now a different negotiation begins.”
Yu-bin nodded and gestured to call her on the phone.
“Call the helicopter. They’re supposed to come if we radio them, right?”
“Call the chopper? What for?”
“You stay here. These guys go back and deliver our demands to Chairman Hwang.”
“...What? What demands?”
Her voice trembled more with fear when she heard she had to stay. Yu-bin answered matter-of-factly.
“Same as before. Only the trade item changed, from the serum to you. If you free everyone locked up at Taeyang Group, we’ll let you go.”
“No way! Hah…! That’s nonsense!”
The witch burst out laughing and shook her head violently.
“You really think my father would accept that? If you believe that seriously, you’re so naive! Too weak! He probably won’t even respond to this ransom. You don’t know my father at all. That man has no blood or tears! Family? He doesn’t care! Especially about insignificant people like me. He’d just say bye and be done.”
“Well, if that’s how it is, then so be it. Even if that happens, we can kill you. Like I said, we don’t have feelings for you. …Hey, get up!”
Yu-bin’s tone was deadpan as if he were a killer. He kicked the dislocated leg of the collapsed bodyguard with his toe. To succeed in this negotiation, he had to look like a ruthless man with no mercy.
“Ugh!”
The dislocated bodyguard groaned and staggered up, barely supporting himself. Yu-bin aimed the pistol at him and ordered.
“Call the helicopter and get out of here before your friend dies. You heard what I said? Don’t show anything while you radio, and after the helicopter lands, pass along the terms.”
“That plan won’t work! There are plenty inside the group who want me dead! This ransom will never go through!”
The witch scrambled up, frantic, speaking rapidly.
“Listen to me! Okay? I have another plan! It’s way easier! The result is the same anyway…”
Swish!
Min-gu pressed the kukri against her. Finally, the witch fell silent. Min-gu’s kukri was still slick with blood as he gave a short command.
“Sit.”
Instinct warned the witch: this man doesn’t give second warnings. Don’t resist. She obediently sat back down but didn’t stop trying to persuade.
“Haa…! I… I have a much better idea…”
“Shut your mouth.”
Min-gu stabbed the table’s edge with the kukri.
Click!
A deep, sharp scratch scored the wood. Seeing that chilling mark, the witch swallowed hard and bit her thickly lipsticked lips.
“What… what did you say?”
The dislocated bodyguard nervously pulled out the radio. Yu-bin pointed toward the square where the helicopter had landed earlier.
“Do as planned. Tell them to come pick us up. The negotiation’s done. One helicopter will land like before. As soon as it lands, the rotor shuts down.”
“Yes.”
“If you try any nonsense, I’ll shoot immediately. Even if you die, this negotiation isn’t affected.”
Yu-bin warned firmly, keeping the pistol trained on him. He couldn’t afford to give them even the slightest excuse.
“Yes… yes!”
The dislocated bodyguard nodded vigorously, switched on the radio, and pressed transmit.
“Eagle, this is Eagle, respond! NY, negotiation’s done and we’re ready to head back! Once you land, shut down the rotors and get us on board.”
- Click! This is Eagle, copy that. We’ll reach Point Alpha within three minutes. Stay on this frequency. Click!
A routine enough conversation took place, and the dislocated bodyguard released the transmit button. Yu-bin nodded approvingly and repeated his instructions.
“The deadline is four days including today. The release point is the square where the billboard was set up. If everyone isn’t freed within four days, I’ll cut off one of this woman’s arms. And if it still isn’t resolved after an extra day, then she dies. Make sure Chairman Hwang understands. It’s a simple message , no need to repeat it.”
Before the bodyguard could even nod, the witch screamed like a madwoman.
“That warning won’t work! And these people aren’t even at the level to meet my father directly! There are tons of fucking bastards inside the group who’d see my death as a good chance and try to make it happen! Just listen to my idea.”
“Hey! Shut up, you damn woman! Your mouth is disgusting and way too loud!”
The sheriff slammed the table hard, silencing the witch. Yu-bin ignored her and ordered the kneeling bodyguard and the slowly recovering fake General Park to stand.
“If the helicopter circles suspiciously instead of heading back, this woman’s wrist is gone. So keep holding that radio transmit button until you get on the helicopter. We want to hear everything you say. And…”
Yu-bin handed the radio back to them and placed two beer cans on the messy table.
“I’ll show you some magic. When I raise this hand like this…”
Bang! Bang!
At the exact moment he signaled Jin-woo by raising his prosthetic, gunshots rang out, shattering the two beer cans, sending them flying across the table. Yu-bin wiped the spilled beer with the tip of his prosthetic and continued.
“Everything will explode, beer cans, or the head of whoever dares to turn off the radio transmit button. Got it?”
Nod!
The four bodyguards all nodded nervously. Jin-woo’s trick was undeniably effective. The landing zone was out of Jin-woo’s direct sight, but these guys didn’t know that.
Vrrrrrrr! Vwoooosh!
Soon, the helicopter circling somewhere south of the Han River approached again. Yu-bin confirmed the Black Hawk was closing in on the square and signaled the bodyguards to move out.
- Click! Hah…! Hah…!
Heavy breathing came through Yu-bin’s radio. Supporting two wounded men, running under the fear of bullets possibly coming from behind, it was no surprise their breaths were ragged.
Vwoooosh!
The Black Hawk landed as ordered, shutting down the rotors and waiting. The slowing, spinning blades sounded loudly over the radio.
- Click! What the hell happened? Was there a fight? Where’s NY?
As the bodyguards approached, the helicopter crew were shocked to see their blood.
“NY?”
The sheriff turned to Yu-bin, confused. Yu-bin quickly answered, listening carefully to the radio speaker.
“Her name’s Hwang Na-yeon. Must be the same.”
Meanwhile, the kneeling bodyguard controlled by Min-gu spoke through the radio.
“Click! Things got complicated! NY’s been taken hostage and demands have been received!”
- What? …Click! Hostage? Then what about the serum?
“This isn’t the time for serum talk! Hurry back and relay the demands to VIP! NY is in danger!”
- Got it! Calm down! Where is NY now? What about your forces? Click!
The helicopter crew’s voice grew tense, knowing their backs were targeted.
“No! If we don’t comply, both NY and us will get hurt! Click!”
- Alright, answer me! Where exactly is NY? And click! how big are your forces? Do you have the serum?
Click!
“Well…”
The kneeling bodyguard glanced toward the floating café hesitantly.
“Now’s not the time! Hurry and… click!”
- Where? How many? Answer me! Click!
The helicopter crew could be seen slapping the bodyguard several times. Defeated, the kneeling man asked dumbfounded:
“What are you doing? Why? In front of the chief, what the hell…!”
- Shut up and report properly! Click!
The slaps continued until the bodyguard finally spilled the information.
“Hah…! The serum’s at the floating café, and click! NY’s been captured there too! But access is forbidden! There are three guards there… click!”
Before he could add that there was also a sniper team somewhere else, a massive volley of gunfire exploded, nearly blowing out the radio speaker.
Tatatatata-tat! Tatatatadak! Tatatatata!
Three of the four bodyguards who had come with the witch fell to the floor, spraying blood into the air.
“What, what was that?”
Yu-bin, unable to believe what he saw, jumped up instinctively.
“Ugh! What the fuck!”
The witch clutched her head, gasping for breath. After a brief daze, she snapped out of it and shouted at Yu-bin.
“...Did you see that? I was right. Someone tried to kill me!”