Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Valhalla Food Factory Raid
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The number of residents who decided to join the raid on Chapter 58, "Assault on the Valhalla Food Factory," exceeded one hundred.
On top of that, there were Mechanics and Healers, along with Shelter standouts like Emily and Pedro—the main NPCs. It was an overwhelming force that could go toe-to-toe with the Salvation Church's forces.
And considering that the Shelter's level-up had boosted the residents' stats as well...
Of course, even so, there was one variable.
The massive, horrific monster I had encountered at Hansol University: the Tyrant. Even with our current force, I had no confidence in taking it down. At this point in time, the Tyrant was a monster of that caliber.
Though I called it a variable, the odds of actually running into it were low. Since it rarely ventured outside its territory, the chances were high it was still at Hansol University.
But you never know with these things.
To begin with, the emergence of a Tyrant-class monster at Hansol University was something that shouldn't have happened—a variable that didn't exist in the game.
There was no law saying it wouldn't come outside. Plus, there was no guarantee there weren't more monsters like it.
That's why I made my own preparations for the possibility of encountering a Tyrant-level monster. Using blueprints from the munitions factory, I crafted a grenade launcher and bombs.
Not only that, I made a net from the mithril secured at the sewage treatment plant. I didn't think mithril—not adamantium—could fully restrain it, but it could buy us some time.
With preparations complete, we secured large trucks. The plan was to load them up with every can from the Valhalla Food Factory.
If everything went according to plan, the Shelter's food worries would vanish. With the M nearly complete, we no longer needed to pour resources into anything else—we could focus solely on developing the Shelter and leveling up me and Zixuan.
"Everyone, let's move out."
At my signal over the radio, the large truck carrying me and Zixuan led the way, followed by a total of ten large trucks departing Shelter Apocalypse filled with dreams and hopes.
Only the drivers rode inside the trucks; the rest rode on top, which I modified with Metal Transformation for safety.
Zombies began gathering one by one as they spotted the trucks. I gave orders to the residents: to prevent a zombie wave from forming, hunt them down relentlessly, sparing no bullets.
I pulled the trigger on my acid shotgun.
Bang! The shot rang out, filling my ears, and the flying slug hit a Jumper trying to climb onto the truck square in the mouth. The Jumper toppled backward and was crushed under the following truck.
Even if variant zombies had tough bodies, they couldn't withstand the weight of a large truck. The Jumper was reduced to a lump of meat.
Staring at the blood oozing out in streams, I soon began firing at the zombies. Meanwhile, Zixuan was assisting the residents from beside me.
Her role went without saying.
A variant zombie climbed onto the truck right behind us. The one called a Frog opened its mouth and lashed out its tongue at the residents.
But Zixuan's psychic power was a step faster. A pure white protective barrier formed around the terrified residents' bodies.
The Frog's tongue was sharp and fast, but it couldn't pierce the barrier.
No wonder—her barrier, now at level 27, was a whopping level 7. On top of that, her skills were enhanced by the golden headband I made for her, the "Halo."
A level 7 Sacred Barrier, reinforced by the Halo.
Its power could block even a Tyrant attack once or twice. Naturally, no amount of variant zombies piling on could break through.
The Frog flailed its tongue uselessly before a bullet pierced its head, sending it tumbling off the truck.
「Job experience gained. (2-person party bonus +160%) (Massacre bonus +300%) (Brutal Killer bonus +150%) (Chain Kill bonus +200%)」
This happened not just once or twice, but countless times.
Zixuan and I were power-leveling like crazy. The zombies hunted by the residents funneled straight into our experience.
「Job level increased to 31.」
「Metal Generation level increased to 4.」
We swept through the factory district's zombies, and my stalled levels finally rose again.
Gunfire echoed wildly through the city as if we intended to wipe out every last zombie. Zombie corpses piled up steadily in the streets.
An hour in, the number of zombies trailing us began to thin. No variants had appeared in ten whole minutes. I took a breather and pulled a bottle of water from my backpack, handing it to her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy..."
Zixuan muttered with a dazed expression. No surprise—she'd been casting barriers, healing, and buffs for strength and accuracy. Not just for me, but for all the residents.
She'd used an excessive number of skills in a short time. Her AP wasn't fully depleted, but it had to be nearly gone. She gulped down the water I handed her.
"Take a break."
Seeing her exhausted face, I spoke with regret and stood up. Unlike her, my AP was full—I hadn't needed to use much.
Now it was time for me to take over her role.
Not by copying her exactly, but in my own way. I summoned a lump of steel with Metal Generation. Then I shaped it into a steel trap.
I hurled the trap at an oncoming Chaser. Whether from the accuracy buff or sheer luck, it landed right in front of the charging beast, snapping into its leg.
The trap dug in, but it only slowed the Chaser slightly.
But that was just the start. This time, I created metal wire and threw it at the trap with all my strength. The wire wrapped tightly around the trap. Grabbing the wire, I used Metal Transformation again.
The trap deformed, churning into the Chaser's leg—not its tough exoskeleton, but its soft flesh inside. The beast's steps visibly slowed.
Residents opened fire on its slowed body. Amid the hail of bullets, all it could do was howl.
In the end, it collapsed just like that.
With the chaos of battle, we weren't completely unscathed.
One resident on the rearmost truck, out of our line of sight, was grabbed by a zombie. Zixuan tried to heal, but his body was already being chewed to bits.
Even healing wouldn't help—just prolong the pain. So one of the watching residents mercifully shot him to end it.
Though we suffered the tragedy of losing one... with no time to mourn, we pressed on.
"Isn't that a truck?"
Just as Zixuan said, a small truck was moving ahead.
"Looks like it."
"It's speeding up?"
The truck began accelerating.
"Guess our force scared 'em. Or else..."
'Or maybe it's someone who did something worth running from.' I radioed Emily on the rear truck. Told her to shoot the tires of the small truck ahead. She hefted her anti-materiel sniper rifle.
A master marksman with Zixuan's accuracy buff, she couldn't miss. The rifle roared, and the truck's tire burst like a balloon.
The tire dragged, leaving skid marks. The lead truck's speed dropped. I shouted at them.
"Stop!"
Whether they heard me or the blown tire forced them, the truck halted. A group of survivors climbed out.
They were armed with rifles. Keeping guns trained on them, I checked their necks out of habit. Sure enough, crosses dangled there.
"Don't kill us! We serve the great god..."
It was amusing seeing these Salvation Church zealots—who had fired at me on sight without question—now begging for their lives.
Even crazies bowed before overwhelming power. I issued a cold order.
"Shoot them all."
There was no reason to spare these lunatics. If they scurried back to the chapel and reported our movements, it'd be trouble.
Besides, there were survivors from Shelter C here who harbored deep grudges against the Salvation Church.
A rain of bullets poured down, and their bodies crumpled. I checked thoroughly to ensure none survived, then moved on.
Despite these twists and turns, we arrived at the Valhalla Food Factory without further incident. We stopped the trucks in front, climbed down.
The Valhalla Food Factory was sealed by massive metal doors. I placed my hand on the door and used Metal Transformation to bore a hole.
To scout inside. Zombies swarmed right beyond the main gate. One locked eyes with me and approached. I hurled a bomb through the gate with all my might.
Boom!
The explosion roared, blasting zombies apart. They shattered into pieces.
I kicked the door. No special lock, so it swung open with a clank. Three Chasers charged madly from inside.
Very different from facing one.
Ignoring resident gunfire, one closed in and swung its massive, scythe-like claw at us.
A direct hit would've done some damage even to me.
But of course, Zixuan's barrier blocked it. I fired my acid shotgun. Bang! Bang! The longer it went, the more their bodies shredded under the bullet storm.
In the end, two died amid it, and one fled wounded. Emily's anti-materiel rifle hit its leg, but it still lived.
Meanwhile, regular zombies swarmed in—dozens, hundreds. Of course, even thousands of regulars weren't a real threat to us.
We cleared them all and successfully entered the factory. We cleared the zombie corpses from the gate and drove the trucks inside.
The trucks rumbled in. After parking them, I looked at the buildings.
'Where to start.'
Apocalypse All-Purpose Machine