With Bukhansan well behind them, XO circles around the edges of the city, keeping to the forested areas. It slow going with the exosuits and the run-ins with hidden mimics, but they eventually sight the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. As the satellite image indicated, there’s a wide crater near the center. Pieces of nearby buildings and all types of junk have been pushed together around it and on top of half of it, creating the nest.

Kyungsoo touches the ground and closes his eyes, extending his senses far and wide. What he finds underneath the palace grounds is not good. “. It’s a maze down there.”

“Captain?”

“Think of them like ants,” he says surveying the area. “The crater is the point of entry, but the mimics have created tunnels underneath. My guess is the omega sits in the deepest one.”

“Great.” Chen kneels by his side and peeks over the edge. “We go in, you sense the omega, we feed him the bomb, and then get out. What’s the problem?”

There’s no getting out, Kyungsoo thinks. Even if they move fast enough to avoid the blast, the tunnels would collapse on top of them. But that’s not the problem. The problem is the hordes of mimics crawling by and no doubt inside. There’s no way they can make their way in undetected.

“Operation Deliverance started an hour ago, so the majority of the mimics should be away fighting the main army,” Xiumin says.

“There are millions of them. I’m pretty sure they left some behind in case we dropped by,” Chanyeol whispers, voicing Kyungsoo’s own worries. “They’re definitely going to notice the whole lot of us.”

“Then we split up,” Baek says.

Sehun turns his deadpan face towards the smaller man. “Really? You think you and Chanyeol alone can make a stand against the hordes of mimics? That’s very optimistic of you.”

Chanyeol grabs Baek’s collar to prevent him from jumping and smacking the younger.

“Guys, cool it,” Tao hisses. “This is no time to fight.”

Suho shakes his head. “I think we should stick together, too.”

As always, when XO finally calms down, they all turn to look at their captain. At him. It’s a good thing he always has a plan. “All right! This is what we’re going to do.” Kyungsoo outlines his idea carefully, making sure everyone understands. “If someone falls, let Lay handle it and adjust formation accordingly.”

“Sir, what about you and—”