Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Department Store Raid
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I built four more Sentry Guns and mounted them on the roof of the munitions factory. They were noisy as hell, but the Sentry Guns steadily mowed down the zombies surrounding us, and all that EXP piled up straight into my account.
「Occupation EXP has increased. (2-person party bonus +160%) (Massacre bonus +250%)」
「Your occupation level has risen to 22.」
「Your occupation level has risen to 23.」
「Metal Generation level has risen to 2.」
Two levels up in just one day. And that was me—if Zixuan's gains were anything to go by, she didn't need to say a word. Her level had shot up to a whopping 18. She'd been at 15 before, so that was three whole levels.
All her existing skills had been strengthened, and she'd picked up a new buff skill called 'Strength Enhancement.' Watching her get stronger by the minute filled me with satisfaction.
The ammo consumption was insane in proportion, but the munitions factory had plenty of stock, so we were still sitting pretty on bullets.
In any case, we'd successfully wiped out every last zombie that had swarmed the munitions factory—'every single one.' Piles of zombie corpses formed actual mountains. More would gather in time, but for now, the coast was clear.
The next day, just as I'd planned, I loaded up a small military truck from right next to the factory and rolled out to scrounge for food and drinking water.
Before leaving the munitions factory, I set Queen to target not just zombies, but any survivors who showed 'hostility' toward us.
If any survivors from Shelter D or scavengers tried to barge into the munitions factory without permission or attack us, the Sentry Guns would rain machine-gun fire on them without a second thought.
The moment I left the factory district, zombies latched on as expected. Mostly regulars, but no shortage of variants mixed in.
「Used Metal Reinforcement (Lv. 4) to reinforce the TR1000.」
「TR1000」
Speed: 10
Stability: 15
Ramming Power: 50
Durability: 150/150
Description: Military truck reinforced by the Mechanic's Metal Reinforcement. Durability and ramming power have increased dramatically compared to before.
I floored the accelerator. The reinforced truck plowed into the zombies milling around in front.
Thud! It was a variant zombie, but there was no way it could withstand a truck dozens of times its body weight slamming into it.
The variant's body went flying and splattered against the wall. If a variant went down that easy, the regulars didn't even need mentioning.
My destination was Shelter E in the heart of the city. Of course, I had no intention of going inside Shelter E itself. The reason I picked it was simple: as a bustling commercial district, it was prime territory for farming food and water.
That said, at this point, I couldn't exactly expect a stocked Houseplus like the one at Shelter A. Still, it should be enough to cram the truck bed full.
Yeon Department Store.
Zombies had swarmed my target destination. The moment they spotted the truck, they let out wails and charged. No variants—just regulars—but I had no reason to bother with them.
I ignored the zombies and headed for the underground parking garage. The entrance gate was shut, but when I touched it, it rumbled open.
I parked the truck in the underground garage and got out. No zombies in sight, thankfully. Just to be sure, I checked every car inside, but not a single one.
I took the emergency stairs up. Touched the door. It was locked, but the lock released easily. I stepped inside and locked it again.
The regular zombies pounded on the door, but it was bulletproof glass, so all they managed were dull thuds. I turned my gaze to the department store interior. It was shrouded in darkness.
I shone my flashlight into the gloom. Zombies inside spotted the beam and started shambling toward me. And wouldn't you know it—the one in the lead was a variant.
Not just any variant, either. It was a Night Witch, the same kind I'd fought in the subway before.
A stripped-down man with a blank expression charged at me.
Bang! Bang!
Even firing from close range, the bastard was so damn nimble that both shots missed. Wonder if Zixuan's accuracy buff would've landed them?
While I was thinking that, I scanned the surroundings. Spotted a steel pipe. Used Metal Transformation to turn it into a sword.
In that moment, tentacles burst from the Night Witch's back right in front of me. I swung the sword.
The blade sliced through the tentacles. But new ones sprouted from the stumps and wrapped the sword tight. I poured strength into it, but it didn't budge.
I ditched the sword and backpedaled, aiming my rifle at its head. The man opened his mouth. A razor-sharp tentacle shot out.
Bang! I pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing the tentacle and blowing straight through its mouth. But I didn't let my guard down. Night Witches were tough sons of bitches when it came to vitality.
Thinking about it, I'd been taking variants down too easily lately and gotten sloppy. I calmly aimed at its back—where it had frozen—and squeezed the trigger.
That was when its true body emerged from the back. But my rifle was already locked on. The rounds fired. Its core exploded.
「Occupation EXP has increased. (1-person party bonus +150%)」
Only after the EXP message popped up did I fully disengage. Uwooooh. By then, other regular zombies had closed in and grabbed at me with their hands.
I swatted the hands away and swung my fist. Thud! The zombie flew backward. I kicked another off and fired my rifle. Bang! Bang! Bang!
The zombies in the department store started pouring down like a wave. Even the ones from the second floor. I tossed my empty rifle and picked up the sword I'd dropped earlier.
The half-bent blade transformed into a sharp spear. I gripped it and started stabbing zombie heads. Stab.
With my strength plus the spear's sharpness, their skulls pierced too easily.
Every thrust dropped one without fail. Of course, there were so many that it barely made a dent.
As the zombies clustered again, I fell back. I repeated the process dozens of times until nothing was left in the department store but zombie corpses.
Just to be safe, I didn't forget to poke each body with the spear. Too many to check via EXP messages one by one.
The department store—at least the first floor—was now fully under my control. I looked over the first-floor goods. Women's cosmetics and jewelry. Nothing worth taking.
Except one diamond ring caught my eye. 9,990,000 won. Sparkling brilliantly. I pocketed the diamond ring.
Shiny things appeal to basic human instinct. And it didn't take up much space. I rummaged in a corner of the first floor, found a cart, grabbed it, and headed to the second floor.
The second floor was the food section. I shoved canned goods into the cart indiscriminately. Not sure if survivors had swept through or if it happened before the apocalypse.
Not a ton of cans left. But enough to fill the cart. Next up: drinking water. I loaded every bottle on the shelves.
With the cart full, I hauled everything down to the underground garage, loaded the truck, then went back up to the second floor. I poked around for anything edible, but most of it was spoiled.
Soon, I opened the warehouse door at the back of the food section. A zombie that had been lying doggo inside stirred. I speared it.
Thankfully, the warehouse still had a decent haul. Not many cans, but plenty of drinking water left—which was what I wanted.
Worried about contamination, I meticulously checked each item's info before loading the cart. After three or four round trips, I'd cleared out every last bit from the warehouse.
Yeon Department Store went up to nine floors, but since I was only after food and water, no need to climb that high. I hopped back in the truck, opened the garage gate, and headed out.
I rammed through the endless zombie swarm and was en route to the next stop—a nearby big-box mart—when ting! A gunshot, and the ground sparked.
I slammed the brakes and scanned around.
Right then, ting! Another shot. That's when I spotted where the bullets were coming from. Some figure—man or woman, couldn't tell—holding a sniper rifle aimed at me.
'Who the hell?' Scavenger? Nah, no scavengers in Shelter E. Psycho? Or...
Hard to pin down the attacker's identity.
I hit the gas again. Stopping the truck in front of a sniper was suicide. Ting! Sparks flew every which way.
Screeech. Tire hit—truck started shaking wildly. But I wrestled it under control and kept driving. Managed to break line of sight.
Screeech. The dragging tire was annoying... but damn, now I was curious about the bastard. Wanted to see that mug.
'Next time I see you, you're dead.'
Might not come back here anytime soon, though. The food and water I'd grabbed today would last months at least.
And in those months, the world would change again.
Hallelujah.
* * *
The sniper watched the truck flee and smacked his lips. He lowered the rifle and stood. The man who'd been watching beside him clicked his tongue.
"You fucking idiot, can't you hit that?"
"Easy there, Goyle. God just sent him back, is all. Like how you got your salvation."
"Spare me the drowning-in-the-river bullshit. If God existed, he'd have smited that Park Si-hyun fucker with lightning first."
The man called Goyle had no idea. The sniper next to him had nearly 'truly' called down lightning on Park Si-hyun.
If he'd known, his faith might've deepened—or not. Naturally, he remained blissfully ignorant.
Hell, if he did know, given his personality, he might've suggested chasing the truck right then. By then, Park Si-hyun's truck had vanished from their sight.
Zombies drawn by the gunfire climbed up to their rooftop. But their expressions were relaxed.
The zombies floated up. Goyle lowered his hand, and they slammed into the ground. They never moved again.
"Almighty God."
"Bullshit."