Chapter 291
Thomas’s voice was barely above a whisper. Only the man pinned against the wall could hear him.
"I ask. You answer. If you lie... You already know what happens."
He slowly removed the hand covering the man’s mouth. The lookout sucked in a shaky breath, his cheek still pressed against the icy brick wall.
"W-Who are you people? I... I don’t know anything..."
Thomas didn’t waste time arguing. He grabbed the man by the collar, spun him around, and forced him to face him.
"Who sent you?"
The man’s eyes darted away. He refused to meet Thomas’s gaze.
Thomas tightened his grip. A sharp crack echoed from the man’s shoulder joint. He cried out in pain, his face turning ghostly white.
"It... it was our boss, Ray... He ordered us to watch this building... See how many of you there are... What you’ve been doing..."
Besides Chris’s group, Ray had secretly stationed additional scouts around Building Eight.
Unfortunately for this one... He’d walked straight into Thomas.
"How many people are in your organization?"
"W-What?" The man stammered, trembling uncontrollably.
Thomas repeated himself. "How many members?"
"...Two hundred...Thirty-six."
Satisfied that the answer was honest, Thomas loosened his grip slightly.
He continued asking questions.
Every one was concise. Every one targeted something important.
Within only a few minutes, he had pieced together a rough picture of the organization. Their headquarters occupied the apartment building in the farthest corner of the residential complex.
Ray lived there.
The scout didn’t know the exact floor as security around the building was exceptionally tight. Guards patrolled it day and night. Outsiders weren’t allowed anywhere near it.
The building’s original residents had all been driven out. Now every apartment belonged to the organization.
Thomas had heard enough. Looking down at the trembling man, he calmly lifted the dagger in his hand.
One swift motion, and the blade flashed across the man’s throat.
The lookout’s eyes flew open in horror. Before he could utter another word, blood poured from the wound as his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
He was dead.
Thomas had everything he needed.
Leonard arrived just in time to witness the end. He watched Thomas casually toss the corpse aside as though discarding a trash bag.
"...You really don’t hesitate. I barely processed what happened."
Thomas calmly wiped the blood from his blade. "Let’s go."
Leonard blinked. "We’re leaving already?"
He instinctively glanced toward another nearby building.
For a split second... He thought he’d seen movement.
"You wanna do something else?" Thomas sheathed the knife. "We already got the information we came for."
Leonard thought about it for a moment.
"...Fair enough."
The two quickly headed back. Before long, they returned to Liam’s apartment.
Everyone looked surprised to see them back so soon.
By now, dawn had fully broken. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating every face inside the room.
Only then did everyone notice the scattered flecks of blood staining Thomas’s clothes.
Judging by the amount... He’d clearly encountered trouble.
Suzy’s senses were far sharper than anyone else’s. She immediately caught the heavy metallic scent clinging to him. There was considerably more blood on Thomas than on Leonard.
Concern flashed across her face.
"Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
Thomas turned toward her, the icy calm in his eyes melted instantly into warmth.
He gently shook his head.
"I’m fine. Don’t worry."
Suzy carefully looked him over. Only after confirming he truly wasn’t injured did she finally relax.
Thomas then relayed everything he’d learned.
The organization had over two hundred members. Almost the entire residential complex belonged to them now. Compared to everyone else... Their group had become the outsiders.
Originally, the organization hadn’t paid much attention to Building Eight.
Most apartments there had still been under renovation before the apocalypse, leaving the building largely unoccupied.
But once they realized survivors had settled inside... They naturally intended to recruit them.
Or eliminate them.
The organization maintained a structured hierarchy.
Ray rarely involved himself in daily operations. He almost never appeared in public, remaining inside headquarters most of the time.
The headquarters occupied the building in the farthest corner of the complex.
Ray lived somewhere inside.
Which floor... No one knew. The scout had been nothing more than a low-ranking member. He had no access to confidential information.
Still, one fact was certain––security around headquarters was extremely tight. Armed patrols constantly circled the building. Guards controlled the entrances. No unauthorized person was permitted inside.
As for the building’s original residents... They had all been forcibly relocated elsewhere.
Thomas summarized everything in only a few sentences.
Silence settled over the room.
The situation was... Far from encouraging.
Their enemy numbered over two hundred people.
On their side? Not even ten combatants.
And Suzy couldn’t even be counted anymore while recovering from a gunshot wound.
Less than ten people... Against an organization hundreds strong.
The odds were grim.
Aaron’s group looked visibly troubled. Yet everyone understood the same reality: there was no avoiding this fight.
Thomas asked Leonard for a sheet of paper and a pen. He quickly began sketching a rough map of the residential complex. As he drew, he explained his thoughts:
"We eliminate the leader. Go straight to headquarters." He tapped the building in the corner of the map. "The others aren’t necessarily loyal. If we remove the head... the body might fall apart."
Another tap. "We storm this building. Fast. Finish it before they can group together."
Lucas frowned.
"I understand what you’re thinking... But even if we reach headquarters... That doesn’t mean we can win."
None of them were special forces. None of them could fight ten enemies at once. They had all just survived a brutal battle, so even minor injuries affected their performance.
What if the enemy possessed even stronger weapons?
Charging straight in... Could easily become a suicide mission.
Thomas understood the concern––tt wasn’t unreasonable.
Although everyone here was stronger than ordinary survivors... None of them had received formal military training.
Once they were badly outnumbered... The disadvantage became obvious. And if someone else pulled out another pistol like Chris had... Things would become even worse.
Instead of answering immediately, Thomas looked toward Suzy.
He knew something no one else did––she had firearms, too.
Meeting his eyes, Suzy gave a small nod.
She did. A lot of them. Along with more ammunition than she’d probably ever need. The reason she’d never used them wasn’t because she lacked weapons. It was because she’d been cautious.
Guns offered overwhelming power. But they also attracted overwhelming trouble.
Whenever possible... She preferred solving problems with something simpler. Firearms had always been one of her final trump cards.
Besides... Using knives allowed her to keep improving her close-quarters combat skills.
As a result, the rifles and pistols she’d collected had remained untouched inside her storage space.
Her philosophy had always been simple: better to have them and not need them... Than need them and not have them.
She had never expected Chris to possess a handgun. His ambush had caught everyone completely off guard. Only then had Leonard been forced to reveal the pistol she’d entrusted to him beforehand.
Things were different now. Their numbers were simply too small. If they intended to break into headquarters and eliminate Ray... Firearms might be their only realistic option.
Suzy looked around the room.
"What if... We had weapons?"
Lucas arched a brow. "What kind of weapons? Even with better weapons, we’re still facing over two hundred people. Besides... They probably have guns too. If Chris carried one... Would Ray have fewer?"
His anxiety deepened. His brows drew tightly together. One finger unconsciously tapped against his knee over and over.
What if the organization didn’t just have one or two guns? What if every guard was armed?
They’d be riddled with bullets before reaching the building.
The more he thought about it... The worse it sounded.
No one else spoke. The expressions around the room were equally grim.
Whether they had to fight two hundred people or not... Breaking into headquarters might prove even more dangerous than fighting the entire organization head-on.
Suzy looked calmly at Lucas. Then asked quietly,
"So... What if... We had guns too?"