Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: James's Proposal
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"During that time, James made us a proposal."
I had a pretty good idea what it was, but I asked innocently anyway.
"What kind of proposal?"
"He suggested we team up to drive out Johnson and take control of Shelter A. I know James is a slimy opportunist. But I still think he's way better than Johnson."
Hmm... I had to agree with that. I disliked both James and Johnson, but if forced to choose one, I'd pick James too.
That said, James's proposal—to join him in ruling Shelter A—was straight out of the game, but with the added condition of "driving out Johnson" upfront.
James must have been seriously annoyed by Johnson. Makes sense, given they shared the same ambitions. I shook my head and turned to Alicia.
"You've already accepted his proposal, haven't you, Alicia?"
If she hadn't, there'd be no reason to bring it up with me. As expected, she nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah, I had no choice. My party members—well, it's just two others besides me—were backed into a corner... and above all, we didn't know when that bastard Johnson might strike first."
"...I see."
"If you helped, it'd be a lot easier to kick Johnson out..."
She glanced at me sidelong. It was a look hard to refuse. At least, if I were my real-world self. But the me here in this world was different.
I had no reason to get involved in their faction war. I shook my head without hesitation.
"Sorry."
Alicia nodded coolly.
"I get it. Can't be helped."
"Just one bit of advice... Don't get too attached to Shelter A."
Accepting James's offer and swallowing up Shelter A was fine. It was a common play for veterans.
But they only stripped it for supplies—the real meat—not to hole up there long-term.
Shelter A wasn't suited to fend off variant zombies in the first place.
If Defenders that Emily's anti-materiel rifle couldn't pierce showed up, or Jumpers that could easily hop the truck barricade, Shelter A was doomed to fall.
Even if players held it off, stronger zombies would eventually breach it. That much was inevitable.
In short, it was the Titanic, already destined to sink. I saw no reason to cling to a sinking ship like that.
Of course, to a newbie like Alicia, it was different.
"It's not attachment—it's about our survival. Fine, I'll take that as a no. ...What did you want to say?"
She licked her lips and asked.
"What's your level, Alicia?"
"Seven."
Higher than expected. If she was 7, her party members probably were too. They must have been leveling up with James's help.
I figured she didn't need my assistance after all. I'd thought she was level 3, maybe 4 at best. Then again, newbie or not, she was a full-fledged psychic.
With the right supplies, leveling up would be a breeze for her.
"That's all you wanted to ask?"
She looked at me curiously as I stayed silent. I'd meant to carry her, but since her level was higher than I thought, she didn't need it...
I couldn't exactly say that outright.
"No, I was going to suggest a leveling route that fits your level."
I gave her advice on a route suited for quick levels. Johnson's group had more numbers, but with James's support, this should be enough.
Alicia listened attentively to my advice.
After parting with her, I met Zixuan. I borrowed Emily's help to do it discreetly. Going straight to the Grand Hotel would catch Johnson's eye.
"Why drag me out here using even Emily? What if Johnson spots us..."
"I'm leaving this city. Want to come with?"
Her eyes lit up.
"You got a plan?"
"Anything's better than sticking around here."
Of course, I couldn't guarantee an easy life. Staying in Shelter A or heading to Shelter D carried similar risks. But if we succeeded, I could build an android robot.
Once I had android robots, it'd be smooth sailing. I'd set up a mech factory and mass-produce them. Create a "true" shelter no variant zombie could touch.
And finally, the spaceship route...
It might take months or even years in real time, but it was a surefire way to clear the game. Purify the world with the spaceship, Radian.
'Clearing the game might let me return to reality.'
Just my guess, though. No guarantee clearing it would send me back.
Meanwhile, Zixuan spoke up.
"Then... I'll go with you."
Zixuan thankfully accepted. Honestly, if she hadn't, I'd have had to recruit another healer—Olivia—but her odds were even lower.
"Where are we headed now?"
"We'll stay where I'm holed up for the time being."
Until Scenario 1 ended and we moved to Shelter D, I'd use Houseplus as our shelter.
"The facilities okay?"
Facilities? Better than here. Power was still on, and we'd have all those supplies to ourselves. But I nodded ambiguously.
No guarantee she'd see it my way. She seemed to take my vague nod as a no—her eyes flickered with unease.
Zixuan agreed to wait quietly here until I returned. We didn't want Johnson or his lackey Goyle throwing a fit if they saw us together.
Next, I bartered with James.
Truth be told, I didn't really need to trade anymore. Houseplus had plenty of supplies, and I could always farm more nearby.
But there was something I wanted from him: his "collection," the broken android robot.
It wouldn't let me churn out androids right away.
But it'd boost my understanding and success rate. Of course, since he treasured it, prying it loose wouldn't be easy.
"How'd you know I have a robot ornament?"
"Alicia told me."
Teamwork's great. I threw her name under the bus.
"Did I tell her about my collection? Well, black folks do have loose lips."
The black folks in Shelter A would riot if they heard that.
He eyed me suspiciously but soon nodded.
"Don't know why you want it, but it's my prized possession. Still, if you help me out, I could part with it."
"What kind of help?"
"You met Alicia, so she might've told you. I plan to drive out Johnson and his crew."
I nodded readily.
"I'll help."
I'd be leaving for Shelter D soon anyway, so empty words cost nothing. Plus, I just said I'd help—didn't specify how or how much.
"Really?"
James eyed me suspiciously again at how quick I was. Should've pretended to hesitate?
To fill the awkward silence, I made an excuse.
"As you know, Johnson and I don't get along. We're both itching to kill each other."
This time I sold out Johnson. He'd flip if he heard, but it wasn't entirely wrong. Our relationship was rocky, after all.
Just that I no longer cared much about him.
"...Huh."
James stared at me again. I met his gaze. Finally, he nodded.
"Good. We'll talk details later. It's just a broken android robot anyway."
James probably thought he was getting the better deal again. Fair enough—he couldn't do much with a busted android.
「Acquired Mysterious Scrap Heap x1.」
With my increased load, I headed out to meet Zixuan, who was waiting. She eyed the scrap heap curiously but didn't ask.
"How are we getting around?"
"Was thinking motorcycle... but no dice now."
The bike Emily loaned me—practically mine at this point. But it wasn't big enough for her plus the broken android.
Borrow a car from Emily? Or snag one off the street? Metal Transformation would make it easy...
We were lost in thought atop the truck barricade when a horde of zombies appeared in the distance. Bang! A powerful gunshot rang out as Emily's anti-materiel rifle fired.
The zombie it hit flew backward in an unreal spin.
A scene showing just how devastating her rifle was. I'd killed Emily in-game once and looted that rifle.
Its max attack power was a whopping 200. Slow fire rate aside. But Emily's face was grim.
"These bastards must be suicidal coming at us in a pack."
She muttered with a scowl.
The zombies swarming Shelter A weren't just one group. The horde stretched endlessly—at least a few hundred strong.
Zombie wave.
For some reason, a zombie wave was hitting Shelter A. It was sudden and confusing, but honestly, I wasn't worried.
Regular zombies couldn't breach the truck barricade, loaded heavy as it was. They wouldn't budge it.
'Johnson's doing?'
If someone mindlessly lured them while wandering, this could happen. Survivors from Shelter A soon climbed atop the trucks.