RE - Chapter 331: A Wise Man Knows When to Yield (Patreon)

“Damn it!”

There was no way Leon could miss the sound of the vehicles behind the convoy driving away. Only then did he realize he’d been played.

The men from the two vehicles in front had already gotten out and were pouring fire into Leon’s position, pinning him down. There was no way he could give chase.

Bullets punched through the mud wall, sending chunks of earth crashing to the ground.

Seeing the situation turn against him, Leon quickly abandoned his cover and fell back.

“That guy probably got away. Should we chase him?”

“Ask the boss. Boss... Where’s the boss?”

At that, the two squad leaders hiding farther back turned around.

There was nothing behind them but a cloud of yellow dust.

Not even a trace of the man remained.

Going on a mission?

Bullshit. He was obviously running for his life.

“Fuck, he just left us here?”

“Come on, man. This kind of thing happens all the time. We should worry about what we’re going to do now. Anyone who can scare the boss into running probably isn’t someone we want to mess with.”

“What else can we do? Our tires are blown.”

“...Let’s surrender.”

“Surrender? Sur... What did you just say?”

“Surrender.”

“Are you out of your mind? We clearly have more firepower. Why the hell would we surrender? Just kill them.”

“Kill them, and then what? Don’t forget, if they’re already inside the city, that means Sibia is gone. Those zombies will only follow their original orders now.”

“You mean stopping anyone from entering the city?”

“Exactly. Even if we win, where are we supposed to go? Back to Irving? Keep dreaming. He abandoned us. There’s no way he’ll take us back after this.”

“...You’re right. Let’s surrender.”

Before he had even finished speaking, a bullet came from behind them and struck the squad leader who had first suggested surrendering, killing him instantly.

Blood splattered across the car window.

The other squad leader started trembling so badly he nearly lost his footing.

“DON’T SHOOT!! WE SURRENDER!!”

“...What? Boss, have you lost your mind?”

“You’re the fucking idiot! Am I the boss, or are you? I said surrender, so surrender! You want to die too?!”

Alan heard the shouting and thought he must have misheard.

What did he just say?

Surrender?

I seriously can’t figure out how these guys think.

On the other side, Leon had just finished changing positions and was preparing to launch a surprise attack when their decision caught him completely off guard as well.

It was the first time he’d ever seen someone surrender while holding the advantage.

“Put them down! Hurry up and put your guns down!”

“But...”

“You dumb bastard! I said put it down, so put it down!”

The squad leader somehow managed to say it as though he were above everyone else.

Once the man who had objected was dealt with, the rest finally put down their weapons as well.

“They’re seriously surrendering?”

Alan was almost speechless. With no other choice, he put away the nail bomb in his hand.

The familiar birdcall sounded again.

Leon stepped out of cover first while Alan remained hidden, covering him.

“Just you?”

“If you’d prefer, we can have plenty of snipers.”

Cold sweat broke out across the squad leader’s forehead.

Now, everywhere he looked, he felt like there was a sniper rifle trained directly on him.

“Friends! We’re friends! I love America!”

“Oh, you do?”

“Yes, yes! America is my home! It’s incredibly free and peaceful!”

“...What if I’m European?”

“...I like Europe too.”

Leon was speechless.

Then his expression suddenly sharpened as his eyes snapped toward one of the nearby soldiers.

The man had barely started raising his weapon when a gunshot rang out.

He dropped dead on the spot.

Alan had instantly shot the soldier who tried to launch a sneak attack, shocking the members of both squads into complete stillness.

Anyone else who had been considering fighting back immediately abandoned the idea, terrified that the hidden “sniper” would be the next to put a bullet through them.

“Your men don’t seem very obedient.”

“I’m obedient. Very obedient.”

“...I can tell.”

Leon almost laughed, but managed to hold it back.

Then he remembered how many families these men might have torn apart, and his expression darkened again.

“Turn around. Hands behind your backs. Don’t make me say it twice.”

“Yes, yes... You heard him! You too! What are you standing around for?”

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded.

A group of Black mercenaries crouched on the ground with their hands behind their backs, their AKs and grenades lying at their feet, while a blond-haired, blue-eyed man stood in front of them and tied them up one by one.

“You really need to tie our ankles too?”

“What do you do for a living? You sure talk a lot.”

“I’m a mercenary, sir.”

“...”

Leon stopped talking and securely tied every last one of them in place.

Once that was done, Alan stepped out of the shadows as well, looking curiously at the men sitting on the ground.

“You guys really think differently. What made you surrender?”

“You... You’re the sniper?”

Alan raised an eyebrow and showed him the ordinary AK he was carrying.

It even looked a little worn.

“Where’s the sniper?”

“There isn’t one.”

“...You lied to me!”

“I only said we could have snipers if you wanted.”

Leon had no interest in arguing with someone whose thought process worked like that.

Instead, he and Alan searched through the vehicles for any intelligence they could find.

“Nothing useful here.”

“Same on my end.”

As soon as they finished speaking, both men turned toward the squad leader, who was crouched nearby muttering nonstop under his breath.

Alan walked over and kicked him twice.

“Hey. You’re the squad leader?”

“So what if I am?!”

“Nothing. Come with me. I’ve got some questions.”

“...Wh-What are you going to do?”

“Just ask you a few things. Relax.”

Alan bent down, hoisted the man over his shoulder, and started walking toward a house in the distance.

Everyone present knew exactly what was about to happen.

They immediately lowered their heads and pretended they couldn’t see a thing.

No matter how loudly their squad leader screamed and begged for help, not one of them even looked up.

Before long, agonized screams echoed from the distant house.

Every time another scream rang out, the mercenaries visibly flinched.

Leon could only shake his head as he watched them.

And these guys call themselves mercenaries.

“All right. None of you are stupid. So if there’s something you want to tell me, say it now. Otherwise, you can wait until we make you talk.”

That was all it took.

Almost none of them could hold back.

They immediately began shuffling and jostling their way toward Leon, all speaking at once in a mess of different accents and dialects that quickly gave him a headache.

“One at a time!”

The noise stopped almost immediately.

Leon looked up and found the soldiers had actually formed a long line.

“...You guys catch on pretty fast. Fine. Start talking. And don’t lie. If your stories don’t match up, you’ll all end up the same way.”

Meanwhile, inside the mud-brick house, Alan looked almost impressed at the man in front of him, who was screaming entirely on his own.

“All right, all right. You can stop yelling.”

“...Got it, got it.”

The squad leader’s voice had already gone hoarse from all the shouting. He licked his lips and glanced at the canteen hanging from Alan’s waist.

“Want some?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Tell me everything you know first. Then I’ll think about it.”

“My employer is Irving. He’s nothing but a filthy virus dealer. He spends all day ruining cities, grabbing residents from all over the place for experiments just so he can demonstrate the results to his clients...

I’m telling you, that guy isn’t human. And the Team Two captain who just got shot wasn’t human either. He actually made Sibia control infected women so he could use them for...”

“Stop, stop, stop...”

Alan felt like his ears had just been assaulted.

He took the canteen from his waist and gave the man a few quick gulps.

“Stick to the important stuff.”

“...Ah, that hit the spot. All right, I’ll stick to the important stuff.”