Chapter 105: Chapter 105

Influence, Fort Roberts (4)

In the center of a rounded formation in two-person teams, the senior instructor, Sergeant Velasquez, raised his voice.

"Mutant infectees are physically strong. But does that give them absolute superiority in close combat? No, it doesn't. These half-dead things don't bother to take care of themselves."

After a brief pause, he continued speaking.

"You might be wondering why that's a weakness. But don't forget, these mutants were once human. Their strength may have increased, but that doesn't mean their vital points have disappeared. Sure, they can probably endure pain better than normal humans. However, unless it's a reinforced type like a ghoul or some other special variety, no one can take a hit to a vital spot and remain unharmed. Look at the footage."

Two projectors displayed videos bright enough even under the lights. The visuals showed edited helmet camera footage, featuring a series of mutant attacks. Many of these scenes, familiar from their reuse in education and publicity, were newly edited to slow down the moments mutants charged and highlight each targetable vital area with special effects. Get full chapters from NovєlFіre.net

"In real combat, the mutants will come at you looking just this dumb. Lunging recklessly with both arms outstretched. Which means all their vital points are completely exposed. It might only be for a few seconds, but if you keep calm, you can freely choose your striking point."

The demonstrations showed a variety of attack techniques—thrusting with a rifle, striking the chin with the palm or elbow, pushing and knocking down, using sidearms like pistols or bayonets, and when the gun was grabbed, headbutting or shoulder-checking.

During the following practical session, Gyeo-ul assisted the alliance members with their stances. It was a rare opportunity to use "instruction".

Level 10 「Close Combat」 represented the upper limit of an unnaturally talented human, so the AR-generated comments were accurate and left nothing out.

"When thrusting with a gun, lift your arm a bit higher. Make it level with your shoulder, and hold the gun lying flat on its side. Think about matching your body to the direction you're applying force. If your body's center line is off or your arm bends awkwardly under pressure, it's easy to get pushed back. You could sprain a ligament. The thrust should be instantaneous—think of pulling back right away and firing immediately."

Whenever Gyeo-ul corrected someone's stance, the improvement was clear. People even seemed more motivated. Carver the corporal, who handled the Korean group, gratefully accepted Gyeo-ul's help.

"You're a great teacher. Being good at something yourself and being good at teaching others are different skills. First lieutenant, you're a natural-born soldier in many ways. It's a pity. You'd make an even better NCO than an officer...... If you kept building your credentials, you'd've surely been the youngest master sergeant ever."

The corporal's pride—the belief that NCOs are the backbone of the military—showed through his words. To some extent, it was true. Master sergeant, the pinnacle of the NCO line, is even rarer than colonel. Gyeo-ul acknowledged that pride.

"Thank you for the compliment. Still, what can you do? There are reasons things get decided the way they do."

Had he followed the usual advancement route, he'd probably be a corporal or sergeant by now. He wouldn't hold his current command, but there were advantages to being an NCO as well.

'Captain is probably my promotion ceiling.'

His problem was that he'd fought too well for too long. Captain is the highest field officer rank that can fight on the front lines. As someone beloved by the Public Relations Office, it would be hard for Gyeo-ul to become a major.

'If something unavoidable happens, some heroic story will circulate that I turned down promotion to stay on the front.'

Not that he was dissatisfied. That was Gyeo-ul's plan, and holding command was important. Also, being an officer made it easier to exercise influence among the refugees.

Promotion wasn't completely impossible. In special forces, even field grade officers can see combat. The downside was being separated from the refugees.

Their private conversation ended quickly—they were still in training after all. Carver, on his first assignment as instructor, tried his best to fulfill his responsibilities.

During practice, a question arose from Jin-seok's squad.

"Captain! Isn't this move kind of dangerous?"

Gyeo-ul gazed at the postures of him and his partner, then requested,

"Could you try the post from the start again?"

Just watching seemed enough to make the questioner tense up. Gyeo-ul was reminded that Jin-seok's squad was particularly disciplined—a fact not often felt day to day.

To use a firearm in close combat, you need at least a minimal pocket of space. The stances for this were divided into three steps based on range and resistance: post, frame, and hook.

'It's the basics of basics—nothing special.'

What matters is proficiency. No matter how simple the move, unless your body's practiced till it's second nature, it's hard to use in real combat. Even Gyeo-ul, who received technique correction, was no exception. No matter how fine-tuned, if he tensed up, his movements could freeze.

Stepping a reasonable distance from his partner, the questioner took a deep breath and signaled Gyeo-ul.

His partner, playing a mutant, rushed in fiercely. The questioner blocked with outstretched hands—this is the post. Block with the left, fire with the right. The gun is pressed close along the inner arm, tucked tight into the body, pulled back fully, and fired at the opponent.

But this was only training. They simulated the situation where the practitioner couldn't handle the speed and mass, so the arm is bent backward. At this closer distance, there's a next stage—the frame. Gyeo-ul pointed out a slip-up and poor transition.

"You moved your hand out too quickly at the start. Then the mutant will just try to bite your hand, right? You need to gauge the distance well. Think more of striking rapidly rather than blocking."

"Forcing yourself to hold out isn't good either. You're not out to match strength with a mutant, are you? If your arm is about to bend, then let it. You should already have it slightly bent with that in mind. That way, when something is charging full-body at you, it's less jarring."

"So, you mean I shouldn't try to block everything and just focus on slowing them down, sir?"

"In situations where it's too much to block, yes. Your name is Doyun, right?"

"The frame isn't simply about holding out—it's an attack in itself. When transitioning from post to frame, you also need to push your upper body forward. Do you know why?"

"To hit harder, sir?"

"Half right. The other half is about center of gravity. When you collide with a mutant, you're going to get pushed back, right? If your center of gravity shifts back, it's hard to push your weight forward and easy to get knocked down."

That afternoon they'd cover what to do if they were knocked down and pinned. The curriculum reflected real combat flow.

"I see what you mean, but to be honest, this stance still feels very dangerous. Getting bitten by a mutant is the end, so having your hand or elbow under its chin... the mutant will try its best to bite you..."

"Close combat is inherently extremely dangerous. You have to accept some risk. But if you do it right, you'll be fine. There's no need to hold out for long. You just need to buy time to shoot. Shall I show you myself?"

Since several people were already watching, Gyeo-ul decided to demonstrate. He assigned Doyun the mutant role. Doyun took some training pads from his previous partner and suited up, standing a few paces from Gyeo-ul. After removing the magazines from both rifle and pistol and confirming they were empty, Gyeo-ul nodded.

"Come at me with everything you've got."

At full speed? Doyun, hesitating for a moment, got permission from the other team and took more distance, then adopted a sprinter's launch pose. Gyeo-ul waited, hands by his side.

Doyun rushed head-on, staying in character as a mutant. Gyeo-ul struck his chest with an open hand. He held firm, but no amount of technique correction can fully handle that speed and weight.

'In real life, I'd have shot by now.'

The muzzle was already aimed at the heart.

But this was training. As soon as he started to lose ground, he bent his arm and elbowed forward while dropping his torso.

A loud thump. His elbow struck the chest pad; with the length of his forearm, he pressed against the neck. Hard to bite . That was another moment to fire—a hollow click as the hammer struck the empty chamber—Doyun's simulated mutant died a second time.

And then Gyeo-ul shoved Doyun away. Rotating his arm around the elbow pivot, he grabbed the side of Doyun's face and flung him hard left.

Thanks to a leg sweep, even if Doyun gripped tight, it was no use.

Aiming his pistol at the fallen Doyun, Gyeo-ul asked,

"Did you see how you lost?"

"Uh, um, yes, I think I get it."

"If you get grabbed, do as I did. Pull the back of the opponent's head through entirely. Don't leave your hands empty. And when that's not enough, just ram into them. Like how post and frame connect—every move Sergeant Velasquez demonstrated is meant to be one continuous flow."

Elsewhere, carver the corporal was also demonstrating.

Gyeo-ul rotated among participants, joining practice with different people.

The morning session ended at 11:30. Lunch was combat rations delivered to the gym. The support personnel sighed. Next time, everyone tried to queue up even faster, desperate to avoid the worst menu options. For example, the cheese-vegetable omelet Gyeo-ul was given.

The supervising instructor suddenly asked,

"... Are you sure you want that? You might want to swap with another menu."

"Someone's got to eat it, right? Is this surplus disposal? Looks like there's a lot left of some specific menu items."

Just as Gyeo-ul pointed out, the rations delivered were wildly unbalanced—only the menus the US military hated piled up. Refugee auxiliaries received this level of treatment. Gyeo-ul was the lone, irregular exception.

'Good thing the Alliance combat team is enlisted as regular troops.'

Even the instructor, obviously bothered, sighed and swapped out his own meal.

Lunch lasted an hour and a half.

The main dish, omelet, only smelled edible. Even Gyeo-ul, used to rough eating, couldn't stomach this. The visual was like chewed-up leftovers, and the taste was worse. Each swallow was an ordeal. Energy packs from before all this would have been better.

Whether out of curiosity or coincidence, Yura had received the same meal. She gagged after her first bite and never touched it again, making do with just dessert and drinks.

After the meal, Gyeo-ul headed toward where Li Ai-ring was. As the young officer approached, the squad members who had been picking uncomfortably at their food quickly rose to their feet.

"Han da-ge, can we help you?"

They were wary of Gyeo-ul and, at the same time, slightly cowed. Gyeo-ul offered a gentle smile.

"Long time no see, kun Tao. Zhe Guang, Kang Chuan—how have you been? Sorry to disturb your meal. I'd like a word with Chief Li. Would you let her know?"

It was a gesture of politeness. Kun Tao looked to the female officer. Sitting just a short distance away, the officer glanced at Gyeo-ul and then nodded with her head to part the squad.

Ai-ring stood to greet Gyeo-ul.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Han. I didn't greet you before—I apologize for the discourtesy."

"No need. If anyone should be asking forgiveness, it's me."

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

As she quietly turned away, Gyeo-ul spoke.

"Really? Hm, that's good then. If you're willing to let it go, so am I."

A moment later, Ai-ring let out a sigh.

"Mr. Han, isn't it a bit late to say anything now?"

Her complaint was that, though the Triad and the Gyeo-ul Alliance were partners, he hadn't warned them in advance about the police crackdown. Gyeo-ul probed her concern.

"Weren't you worried Chinese people would be made political scapegoats? You might have taken some losses due to the police action, but maybe your biggest concern has weighed a little less."

Ai-ring wore a gloomy look. Gyeo-ul continued,

"Crimes are like ticking bombs if they pile up. How long can you embrace them? Just like you feared, if public opinion shifts, the US government will say: 'All Chinese are drug-addicted murderers! Let's wipe them out!'

Would you want to see people cheering for that?"

"Are you saying this was in our best interests?"

"Partly. I don't think every criminal deserves to die. But if something's beyond me, I'll kill if I must."

In other words, a warning not to push him beyond his limits.

"I've mentioned this before, Mr. Han, but it's hard to tell if you're good-natured or not."

Sighing even more deeply than before, she fixed her posture and asked,

"So, what did you want to say?"

"Please tell Master Li Qinzhen I'll call on him this evening."

"Couldn't you just have someone else deliver the message?"

"I wanted to see if you were still worried about that business, and how you've come to terms with it."

Ai-ring frowned at the suggestion he was testing her. Before she could ask any more, Gyeo-ul bid farewell.

"Well, I'll be going. Rest up. Enjoy your afternoon training."

Even if she was curious, Ai-ring didn't stop him.

----------------------- Author's Notes ------------------------

The Naver N Store launch was originally planned for the last week of September, but for some reason, it has been delayed. Thank you for waiting just a little longer.

Q: asa2289: @Has your love faded these days... or is your childhood innocence running dry? It's hard to see you as often...

A: It's half loss of innocence, half loss of stamina. When writing, it's easy to stay up all night. With all the construction sites near my house, they start making noise from 6am. Hahaha. Makes me want to set fires.

Q: Gaonebyeol: @... Writer, I scared you with my accidental comment spam last time, right? ㅠㅜ Me too. I was startled—the page froze, so I kept pressing, and it got out of hand. You can write at your own pace... Hrk.

A: I wasn't startled. Just lost five of my livers, that's all. And thank you. I'll take it slow. S...sl...slowly.

Q: Spinmitt: @Is my nickname related to that second incident with the stomach hole?

A: Not at all. Please ask more wholesome questions in the future. :)

Q: Echi: @Author, I'm curious. Since there are baby corpses, is a half-human half-corpse possible in your world?

A: Even I've never considered that. Hmm... Something similar is possible though...

Q: DodgeballKingCigarette: @When you release the paperback, can you include a 1:1 full-body poster of you in a swimsuit as a special bonus? If I stick one on my front door, no thieves will come, my broken washing machine will fix itself, and I'll grow double eyelids.

A: Call the police for thieves, an appliance repairman for the washer, and visit a plastic surgeon for the eyelids. It's true my pin-up would have indescribably ominous effects, but I can't possibly include that just for the price of a book.

Q: Sowol: @Is this your first commercial work, author? If you have previous works, I'd like to buy them even if they weren't serialized.

A: The Columbarium is my first. I've submitted to publishers before without serialization, but was rejected each time.