28: Did I...do something wrong?

Outside the ruins.

Click, click, click!

“Change…”

“I’m out of ammo…”

“Beep…beep…beep…”

“…The electromagnetic rifle is out of power!”

The same scene unfolded for most of the advance team members.

Even without their primary weapons, their eyes remained resolute, not retreating a single step.

Drawing their pistols, they conserved bullets as much as possible, aiming for headshots, each bullet taking down a zombie.

But without sufficient suppressive fire, the tide of corpses was visibly closing in on them.

Fear? Scared?

Of course.

They were facing a group of inhuman monsters.

Their appearance was terrifying and disgusting, and they were fearless in the face of death.

Their numbers were overwhelmingly vast!

But compared to their own lives, they clearly held a belief in their hearts that was more worth dying for.

Out of ammunition and supplies, bodies lay everywhere.

Yet, the tide of corpses showed no significant decrease.

“…I’m sorry…I can’t go back…Take good care of the children…”

The advance team members whispered their final goodbyes into the hidden cameras on their bodies.

Then they discarded their empty pistols.

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty!”

Thirty-two advance team members roared, drawing their last weapons…daggers.

Just as they were about to launch their final charge into the tide of corpses.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A whooshing sound echoed, from far to near.

In the blink of an eye.

Three leviathan fighters hovered not far behind them.

The Leviathan, suspended in mid-air, tilted at a forty-five-degree angle towards the ground.

The explosive machine guns mounted on its fuselage began to wildly strafe the tide of corpses rushing towards the advance team.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

The scene of the explosive bullets from the machine guns falling into the tide of corpses was like continuously throwing grenades into calm Water.

Countless zombies were blown to pieces, flesh and blood splattering.

“Bombing will commence shortly! Ground forces, please retreat 200 meters.”

“Repeat!”

“Bombing will commence shortly! Ground forces, please retreat 200 meters.”

Hearing the voice from their earpieces, the advance team members looked up at the Leviathan strafing the tide of corpses with its explosive machine guns.

The three Instructors were the first to recover from the emotion of surviving a disaster.

They quickly issued commands.

“The Boss has sent reinforcements!”

Although they had heard the news of Joa sending reinforcements earlier.

But at that time, the tide of corpses before them was too terrifying, and their numbers too vast.

They had no expectation that their thirty-odd people could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Clearly, they had underestimated the flight speed of the leviathan fighter.

“Quick! Retreat 200 meters!”

Hearing the Instructor’s roar, the thirty-two advance team members turned without hesitation and rushed into the dense forest behind them.

After confirming that all members had retreated into the dense forest without falling behind.

One of the Instructors pressed his earpiece and spoke.

“All personnel have evacuated to a safe position, over!”

“Received, bombing will commence shortly, over!”

From the moment the leviathan fighter arrived on the battlefield and began to resist the tide of corpses, only a little over a minute had passed.

The tide of corpses had already been pushed back to the entrance of the ruins.

The speed at which they surged out from the entrance was far outpaced by the rate at which they were being eliminated.

Beep…beep beep beep.

The leviathan fighter’s explosive machine guns briefly ceased Fire for a few seconds, then guided missiles locked onto the ruins entrance, which was still spewing out the tide of corpses.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Boom! Boom, boom!

The continuous bombardment lasted for several minutes.

The battlefield was filled with thick smoke from the explosions.

“Ammunition cleared, the area is covered in smoke, unable to confirm target status, requesting return to base, over!”

“Received, second aerial support unit will arrive shortly, permission to return to base, over!”

Listening to the communication between the fighter pilot and the Commander of the camp’s signal vehicle in his earpiece.

Joa looked at the smoke-filled battlefield not far ahead, and the armed helicopters and troop transport helicopters behind him.

‘These…are…my subordinates!’

Compared to robbing banks.

Joa felt that fighting with fully armed mercenaries, complete with various high-tech military equipment, was more captivating and addictive.

‘I must focus on cultivating them; these people will be my foundation for plundering all the Worlds!’

“Lorna! I’m speeding up!”

With that, Joa twisted the throttle to the max and shot forward with a whoosh.

However, the next moment, Polaris’s Mark Two zipped past him at an even faster speed.

“No way! How can You cheat with your abilities?”

“Hahaha! Joa! I’m going on ahead!”

Looking at the speed of 132 miles on the speedometer, Joa shook his head helplessly.

Soon after, when Joa arrived.

Much of the smoke had already dissipated.

After landing beside Polaris, Joa looked around.

“Where are those advance team members?”

Upon hearing this, Polaris pointed towards the entrance of the ruins.

As the thick smoke gradually dispersed completely, Joa saw his loyal mercenaries.

At this moment, the advance team members were finishing off the few remaining zombies.

Piles of corpses covered the ruins, like small mountains.

Fortunately, after the fighter jets had cleared the way with bombardment, the steps leading to the entrance of the ruins were barely cleared.

“It looks like the zombies have been wiped out.”

After muttering softly, Joa pressed his earpiece and issued a command.

“Upon arrival of the support force, clear the surrounding trees and environment to ensure a safe landing area for helicopters.”

“Received! Over!”

Turning to Polaris, Joa said.

“Let’s go, it’s time to go in and find what I need.”

“Mm.”

Taking a few steps forward, Polaris firmly shielded Joa behind her, advancing steadily with a vigilant expression.

Holding several coins in her hand, Polaris was ready to respond to any sudden crisis at any moment.

‘I’m not so fragile that I can’t even handle zombies, am I?’

‘Is she worrying a bit too much?’

Seeing Polaris’s appearance, Joa inwardly grumbled helplessly, but his irrepressible smile still showed that he was very much enjoying the feeling.

They hadn’t walked far when Polaris suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Joa turned his head to look forward.

Immediately, his expression froze.

Ahead, not far away, was the only member of the advance team who had been overwhelmed by the tide of corpses.

His upper body was now lying on the ground, his face contorted in a grotesque manner, letting out faint growls at his former comrades surrounding him.

His lower body, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this scene, Joa’s heart felt heavy.

He stepped forward.

“Boss…”

“Boss…”

Under the gaze of the advance team members, Joa walked step by step to the special zombie, knelt down, and said in a low voice.

“Sorry…I’m late.”

“I should have sent the fighters earlier.”

“Hoo-hoo!!”

Seeing this mercenary who had sacrificed his life for his goal, reduced to an irrational zombie.

Joa felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.

‘Perhaps if I hadn’t come to this World, he wouldn’t have died, his wife wouldn’t have lost her husband, his children wouldn’t have lost their father, and his parents wouldn’t have lost their son.’

‘Did I…do something wrong?’

‘…No! I’m not wrong!’

He extended his hand and clenched it in the air, taking a pistol from the System space and pressing it against the other’s forehead.

‘If I don’t do this!’

‘In the dangerous Marvel Universe, not only will I die, but he might also die in some unknown corner!’

‘If he dies fighting for me! At least his family will receive a large sum of money and the company’s care!’

“Your family will receive a generous pension, and your children will receive the best education.”

“I promise You, no one will bully your family…”

“You…rest in peace…”

Closing his eyes, Joa pulled the trigger.

Everyone turned their heads away, unable to watch.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

The faint growl ceased abruptly.