Chapter 149: Eagle Five Squad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Eagle Five Squad
The Eagle Five Squad were originally players of the game Zombie Apocalypse.
They were part of the tiny minority who clung to the game until the very end, even as they asked themselves, Who on earth still plays this dead game?
As time passed, they got jobs and started families, leaving them with less and less time for hobbies, yet they had consistently kept playing this one game.
At some point, Zombie Apocalypse had become a repository of memories for them.
Back in their youth, when everyone else was playing mainstream RPGs, their niche tastes had led them to search for apocalyptic games, which was how they discovered Zombie Apocalypse.
They still remembered the thrill and the sheer scale of the game when they first started.
It wasn't easy to throw away the experience of dying and restarting tens, hundreds, and thousands of times just to get the hang of it, only to move on to another game.
Above all, Zombie Apocalypse was a place they could comfortably slip into, like a second home.
They could log in whenever they wanted and log out whenever they pleased.
The fatal flaw of not having a multiplayer server actually doubled as an advantage: when they weren't logged in, time in that world stood still.
That was how the five of them came together.
Of course, the biggest factor was that they all lived in the same general area.
Since Zombie Apocalypse didn't support multiplayer, even when they formed a small group and met up, all they could really do was drink and brag about their respective in-game worlds.
Still, bound by the same tastes and hobbies, they grew quite close.
Three men and two women.
Their ages ranged from their early twenties to their mid-thirties.
While their in-game personalities might have been different, in reality, they were all easygoing and got along well, making it easy to keep the group going. And by some stroke of luck—or perhaps fate—they had gathered at one of the members' houses for a regular meetup when the actual apocalypse struck.
"Wow. If a real apocalypse ever hits, we could easily survive a month here."
"Hyung, you never know what's going to happen in this world. The house itself is trash, but I've got an underground bunker stocked with six months' worth of food, and I keep refilling it."
"You're practically praying for the world to end."
"Oppa, if the apocalypse actually happens, you have to let us in, okay?"
"What are you talking about? It's every man for himself. Not a chance, so get lost."
"Aw, why? We have to preserve the human race. You need women for that."
"Are you even a woman? You're a monster who plays dollhouse with zombies."
"Hey, don't insult my tastes, or I won't let it slide."
The apocalypse struck right in the middle of their banter. Coincidentally, they were at the house of the very member who had been practically praying for the world to end. Fortunately, because he had converted the entire basement of his dilapidated house into a bunker, these Zombie Apocalypse players—now dubbed the Eagle Five Squad—were all able to survive together.
After that, nothing was particularly difficult.
"Modes? Looks like we each get a random one. I got a combat-type. The level isn't that high, though."
"Me too."
"Are we all combat modes? That's not great."
"Did anyone get a utility mode? Like cooking or healing?"
"...Nope."
While others were floundering in panic, they assessed and adapted to reality faster than anyone.
They knew their situation wasn't ideal, but these were people with at least a thousand hours each in Zombie Apocalypse.
In Zombie Apocalypse, there were plenty of crazy veterans who would literally break one of their character's limbs at the start of a run just because the game was too easy.
A penalty as minor as all five of them getting combat modes?
That wasn't even a penalty.
They just had to play to their strengths.
In the early stages, having combat modes was actually more advantageous anyway.
As for survival, since they had started in a place with a guaranteed bunker and food supply, it was basically like starting Zombie Apocalypse with a survival mod pre-installed.
A starting scenario where they didn't even have to scavenge for food.
There were even a decent number of weapons inside the bunker.
The Eagle Five Squad decided to focus on building up their stats quickly.
"We can hold out as long as the food lasts, so let's hunker down and raise our stats as much as possible."
Since they had received random modes, others would have received them randomly too.
Once some time passed, they could either join a decent-sized faction or recruit someone with a mode that could manage their base.
From that moment on, their real-life playthrough of Zombie Apocalypse began.
Just like playing an actual game.
In fact, they worked out and hunted zombies even harder than they ever had in the game.
"Phew. First round of grinding done for today."
"Shouldn't we do a bit more?"
"We did plenty earlier. If we push any harder, we'll suffer from fatigue debuffs."
They knew exactly how much effort was required to raise their stats.
Even when resting at their base, they performed repetitive exercises for a set amount of time, and when hunting zombies, they pushed their bodies to the absolute limit.
The harder it was, the faster their stats rose.
And their food supply dwindled just as quickly.
To them, the Zombie Rush was nothing more than an in-game event.
They cleared the 1st Zombie Rush without a hitch, and from then on, it was smooth sailing.
Once they learned about the "Paradise Membership" system, essential utilities like water and electricity were taken care of. They no longer had to live in the underground bunker and could move into the shabby house above.
And just as their food was about to run out, they were able to purchase more using the Coins they had hoarded.
However, the Eagle Five Squad knew that this wasn't a fundamental solution.
"We can't survive long-term on a consumption-based cycle like this."
Killing zombies to earn Coins and using those Coins to buy food.
It looked like a virtuous cycle of consumption, but in reality, it was an abnormal method of food acquisition, not a sustainable one.
Of course, the nature of a zombie apocalypse was to slowly deplete limited resources. Ultimately, if they couldn't secure a continuous supply of food or establish a self-sustaining production system, it would be game over.
In that sense, they had to find another way.
Finding a way wasn't difficult.
"What if we join Paradise?"
This was the best option, one they had been considering for a long time.
They assumed Paradise had its own food production system or a mode that enabled it. Above all, they figured that a system capable of providing remote electricity and water must be powered by a mode of at least Level 8, possessing absolute authority within its base.
But what made them hesitate was, as always, joining another faction.
"Will it be okay?"
The five of them could trust each other because they had known one another for so long.
Due to the nature of Zombie Apocalypse, most players preferred playing solo and struggled to trust others, so it had taken quite a long time for them to get close initially.
They had spent a lot of time together in person, but they had known each other even longer through the online gallery. After that, they had created a private group chat to get closer, and only after a lot of effort did they finally arrange a single meetup, which led to their regular gatherings.
That was why their biggest concern was this:
Could they live alongside other people?
What if the leader had a terrible personality?
Would they be able to tolerate it?
But when the 2nd Zombie Rush began, the Eagle Five Squad had to make a choice.
"They stopped selling food right before the Zombie Rush. That means they knew exactly when the Zombie Rush would start, right?"
"This 'Owner of Paradise' guy... is he the real deal?"
Was there any resource more precious than information in a zombie apocalypse?
If you knew when a Zombie Rush would start and could prepare for it, your chances of survival skyrocketed.
In a game—no, a reality—with limited resources, knowing exactly when those resources would be needed meant you could manage them with maximum efficiency.
And finally, there was the Trimage they had seen on Paradise Streaming.
"Let's go. Please?"
No matter how close they were, they were a mixed-gender group.
Living crammed together in a cramped underground bunker was no easy feat.
They were just lucky they at least had running water to wash themselves.
"But they said that place is for Residents."
"The apartments next to it are fine too. Come on, with our skills, don't you think they might accept us as Residents?"
Either way, it was a decision they would have to make eventually.
In a zombie apocalypse, there was nothing stupider than hesitating and missing out on a great opportunity.
They abandoned the base they had lived in for a little over a month and set out.
Based on their experience with Zombie Apocalypse, they thought they were doing pretty well for the early game, but Paradise was on a whole different level.
They had seen him a few times when they came to buy food, but a man strolling around in a tracksuit during a massive Zombie Rush as if he were taking a casual walk in front of his house?
Strangely, that only increased their trust in him.
From making them duel to his decisive, straightforward choices.
Oddly enough, they felt no resistance; instead, they found themselves wanting to follow him.
So even though they had lost, they didn't feel bad about it.
In fact, it was a relief.
If it was a faction of this caliber...
They wouldn't die easily if they entrusted their lives to it.
Though they would have to wait and see when it came to the most important factor—the people.
"Did you guys play Zombie Apocalypse?"
At those words, their sense of inner intimacy practically exploded.
"Did you play it too, Captain? How many hours..."
"Me? Ten-thousand-ten hours."
Since Zombie Apocalypse was such an old game, and a small but steady minority of dedicated players had logged anywhere from several thousand to over ten thousand hours, they didn't think he was lying.
Especially since he possessed such an overwhelming mode, they felt like... maybe?
"But what is 'ten-thousand-ten' hours? If it's ten thousand, it's ten thousand."
"Maybe he has tens of thousands of hours, but he couldn't be bothered to say the exact number. But then he worried 'ten thousand' would sound like he just rounded up from the thousands, so he added ten hours to ten thousand?"
"What if it's 'one hundred thousand' flipped backward?"
"One hundred thousand hours? Is he even human?"
"No, wait, remember that urban legend floating around the gallery? I think I heard that right before the apocalypse started, a review from someone with a hundred thousand hours popped up."
The Eagle Five Squad didn't dare ask again to confirm with someone who might be an unimaginably ancient senior player.
Instead, the trust shining in their eyes was already fully charged.