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Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Hunting the Tank

​Dohyun watched the two women—one his terrified former medic, the other his subdued, hostile scout—sleep under the effect of the System's painkillers. Six hours had passed, and the silence in the basement loading dock was total. His Perception 17 confirmed that the immediate area was clear of both Infected and humans.

​It was time to move. He couldn't risk waking Soo-min and Seo-yeon; their terror and animosity would only complicate the precise operation ahead.

​His next target: Jae-wan, the Tank. Jae-wan was a massive former weightlifter whose brute strength made him nearly unstoppable in close quarters—the perfect muscle for Hyuk-jin, or the perfect battering ram for Dohyun.

​Dohyun had no Throwing Knives and only a few \text{SC} remaining. He had to rely purely on tactical intelligence and his enhanced stats (\text{STR } 13, \text{AGI } 13).

​Seo-yeon, before falling asleep, had given up the intelligence: Jae-wan's last known safe house was a low-security gym near a university district, a place he frequented for the squat racks even in the old world.

​The Gym Trap

​Dohyun drove the van toward the university district. The area was a slaughterhouse, filled with the loud, confused moans of student-aged Infected. The gym itself was dark, its glass storefront smashed.

​Dohyun parked and accessed the gym through a utility entrance he knew from his past life. He moved through the locker rooms, stepping silently over discarded clothes and backpacks. He didn't hear the Infected; he heard heavy metal music and the rhythmic clang of iron.

​Jae-wan was inside.

​Dohyun found him in the main weight room. Jae-wan hadn't just survived; he was thriving in the chaos. He was massive, drenched in sweat, using a heavy chrome barbell to brutally smash the heads of the few Infected that stumbled into the gym. The scene was primal: a human tank battling monsters, oblivious to the world outside, maintaining his regimen.

​Dohyun needed to stop him without a fight that would draw the entire district's horde.

​He crept along the ceiling ductwork, his Perception 17 tracking Jae-wan's every move. Jae-wan's Endurance was frightening; he didn't seem to tire, using the Infected for a brutal warm-up.

​Dohyun's plan was simple: Exploit the Tank's focus.

​He found the circuit breaker panel hidden behind a promotional poster. He flipped the main switch.

​The music died. The room plunged into absolute darkness, broken only by the dim, sickly light filtering through the shattered storefront.

​Jae-wan roared in frustration, dropping the barbell with a deafening CRASH that rattled the building.

​The Blind Fight

​"Who is there?!" Jae-wan bellowed, drawing a large, rusty machete from his gym bag—a relic of his prepper paranoia.

​Dohyun did not answer. He used his Agility 13 to drop silently from the duct onto a high-stack machine. He moved across the equipment, utilizing the complex terrain to maximize his advantage in the pitch black.

​Jae-wan was terrifying in the dark. He swung the machete wildly, relying on his massive strength and the knowledge that nothing living could survive a direct hit. He was a force, not a fighter.

​Dohyun waited, relying on Perception 17 to pinpoint the exact micro-movements and air displacement caused by the swings. Jae-wan's strength was a weakness; his momentum was predictable.

​When Jae-wan committed to a massive, overhead chop, Dohyun exploded from the darkness. He ducked under the swing and, using his Melee Combat (Lvl 2) training, drove his fist—powered by \text{STR } 13—into the point just behind Jae-wan's knee.

​The strike was precise, designed to incapacitate the leg without breaking the bone. Jae-wan roared in pain and surprise, the pain shattering his focus. He stumbled, but his sheer mass kept him upright.

​Before Jae-wan could recover, Dohyun moved to the Tank's chest. He didn't try to wrestle; he didn't try to stab. He focused on leverage. He used his entire body weight, fueled by his enhanced Endurance 11, and executed a perfect, specialized takedown taught only to elite operatives in his future life.

​Dohyun slammed Jae-wan face-first onto a flat workout bench. The impact drove the air from the giant's lungs. Jae-wan thrashed, his muscles too large to move effectively in the confined space.

​Dohyun pulled heavy metal chains—the type used for deadlifts—from the rack beside them and quickly secured Jae-wan's wrists and ankles to the bench, locking the muscle-bound giant down. The entire confrontation lasted less than twenty seconds.

​Jae-wan stared up at Dohyun, his eyes wild, confusion battling raw hatred. "You... you skinny little bastard! How?"

​Dohyun pointed the Silent Pistol directly between Jae-wan's eyes. "I got a lot stronger in the six months since you betrayed me, Jae-wan. Now, you're coming with me. You're my battering ram against Hyuk-jin."

​"Decisive Combat Engagement Initiated. Hostile Target Subdued (Non-Lethal). +800 XP Awarded. Current XP: 1350/2000. Level Up Imminent. The Revenant has secured the Tank."

​Dohyun had his muscle. He had his medic and his scout. His team was gathering. Now, with the Tank secured, it was time to move them all to the safety of the fortress before launching the final, inevitable strike on the Aurora Club. The price of vengeance was steep, but the pieces were finally in place.

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