Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Clang!
I vaulted over the heavy iron gate.
The moment I landed, the rattling sound echoed out.
As if drawn by the noise, silhouettes slowly turned their heads from deep within the darkness.
Regular zombies.
Rotting flesh hanging from their bodies, twisted limbs dragging awkwardly as they staggered toward us.
But—
“Kyaaaak!”
“Keeek!”
I decided it was the perfect chance to test the strength of our newly joined family members.
The Claw-Type and the Tentacle-Type.
Its official name was “Distortion-Type,” but that was annoying to say, so I just decided to call it Claw-Type.
“Go!”
At my command, the two launched forward.
Sharp claws slid out from the Claw-Type’s fingertips.
Each one was nearly as long as a forearm.
It swung once through the air.
Skwak—
A heavy yet strangely satisfying sound rang out as the waists of the zombies were sliced clean through.
With a single swing, dozens were cut apart and collapsed onto the ground.
The Tentacle-Type refused to lose out.
Thick, long tentacles burst from its back like whips, grabbing zombies and hurling them away before crushing them.
Bang! Bang!
Bodies flew absurdly lightly through the air.
“That’s satisfying.”
The words slipped out before I realized it.
“But there’s a weakness. They’d probably suck in tight spaces.”
Lee Sua quietly spoke from beside me.
She was right.
Both specialized in wide, sweeping attacks, making narrow areas unfavorable for them.
“True…”
But that was fine.
I still had the Armor-Type and Skeleton-Type.
Close combat and defense in cramped areas—those two could handle that perfectly.
Anyway.
After clearing out a decent number of regular zombies—
“Let’s go through that door.”
At one side of the research complex stood a gigantic iron gate.
Big enough for large cargo trucks to drive through without issue.
Old tire marks still remained clearly visible on the wide road leading up to it.
And near one corner of the gate—
There were traces of someone forcing their way inside through a broken gap.
Scratches.
Hurried footprints.
Lee Sua crouched down and carefully examined them.
A moment later, she nodded confidently.
“These are probably from the people that guy mentioned earlier.”
“The ones who never came back?”
“Yeah. Judging from the tracks, they were in a hurry. Looks like they ran inside to avoid the regular zombies outside.”
“Smart decision. No point wasting stamina fighting unnecessarily.”
“Right. They seemed experienced.”
Experienced survivors entered this place…
And never came back out.
“Let’s go.”
At this point, it was already too late to turn back.
We had our reasons for coming here.
Lee Sua and I stepped into the darkness swallowing the inside of the research facility.
Click…
I pressed the flashlight button.
A narrow beam of light sliced through the darkness.
Lee Sua also switched on hers and began sweeping it around.
The space slowly revealed itself.
Massive trucks were lined up in neat rows.
The ceiling was high.
The area was enormous.
“A vehicle depot.”
“Yeah. It’s huge.”
I scanned the area with my flashlight.
Nothing moved.
Even the stench of decay was faint.
“No zombies…”
“Let’s keep going.”
“But is there anything worth taking?”
In an apocalypse, scavenging was just as important as survival.
There was a good chance these transport trucks still contained valuable supplies.
But—
“No keys.”
The trucks were secured with multiple layers of locks.
Whatever they had been transporting must have been important.
“Let’s head inside first. We can look for keys later.”
“Alright.”
“Over here.”
We found a door leading deeper inside and entered.
“…What is this? A hallway?”
“That’s strange…”
A long, narrow corridor stretched endlessly ahead.
And—
On both sides of the hallway, laboratories lined the walls behind transparent glass panels.
“They’re transparent.”
“…Bloodstains…”
Inside the glass rooms, blood was smeared across the white tile walls.
Handprints.
Trails of blood running downward.
Marks where something had been dragged away.
“The corpses…”
Bodies were scattered throughout the rooms beyond the glass.
They were zombies.
But already dead.
Long dead.
Their flesh had hardened and darkened in places.
Still, there was no need to panic.
I had my mutant zombies with me.
“Armor and Skeleton protect me and Lee Sua. Claw and Tentacle kill anything that approaches.”
The moment the command was given, the mutant zombies silently moved into formation.
The Armor-Type and Skeleton-Type took positions beside Lee Sua and me.
The Claw-Type and Tentacle-Type advanced ahead.
“Let’s move faster.”
“Yeah.”
Our pace quickened.
At the end of the corridor, we encountered another door.
“This is the next section.”
I grabbed the handle and pushed it open.
The moment it opened—
“Fuck!”
I instinctively stepped backward.
Beyond the doorway, the cramped room was filled with things.
Zombies.
But not regular zombies.
– Caffeine Zombie – Cost 1
– Ketamine Zombie – Cost 1
The Caffeine Zombies immediately began convulsing violently the moment they saw us.
Their eyes were bloodshot.
Their muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Their movements were erratic and unnaturally fast, as if electricity coursed through them.
“Above us!”
“What the hell is that thing?”
The Ketamine Zombies were different.
They clung silently to the ceiling with both hands and feet, staring down at us.
But—
“Grrraah!”
The Claw-Type lunged forward and instantly split a Caffeine Zombie in half.
It collapsed to the floor before it could even scream.
“Uoooh!”
The Tentacle-Type lashed its tentacles upward, wrapping around a Ketamine Zombie’s torso.
Then slammed it against the wall repeatedly.
Boom! Boom!
“Over there!”
“Fuck, there’s so many!”
There wasn’t even time to breathe.
Beyond the doorway, the halls and rooms overflowed with drug zombies.
The Caffeine Zombies convulsed and crashed into each other.
The Ketamine Zombies crawled slowly across the walls and ceiling in grotesque movements.
Drug-contaminated abominations of every kind emerged one after another.
“Shit.”
It was magnificent.
Literally.
But it didn’t matter.
“Go!”
I gave the order to all the mutant zombies guarding us.
As if they had been waiting, the mutants exploded into action.
“UOOOOO!”
The deafening sounds of impact shook the corridor.
Every time the Claw-Type’s claws flashed, multiple zombies were torn apart simultaneously.
The Tentacle-Type’s tentacles whipped through the air like giant lashes, pulverizing the drug zombies.
“They’re pushing us back a little.”
“Yeah…”
The drug zombies were definitely different from regular ones.
Still—
We had four mutant zombies.
With proper control, they could easily wipe out hundreds of regular zombies.
Drugged-up freaks weren’t enough to stop them.
“It’s over.”
Several minutes passed.
Nothing moved anymore.
The hallway floor was littered with mangled remains impossible to identify.
A strange chemical smell thickly filled the air.
Different drugs mixing together and evaporating into a nauseating stench.
Lee Sua and I instinctively covered our noses and mouths with our sleeves.
“Let’s cross quickly.”
“Yeah.”
There was nothing worth examining here.
This was another experiment zone.
No loot.
No reason to stay.
We hurried toward the next door.
And—
The moment we opened it—
“Oh.”
“This place…”
It was clearly different from the others.
For the first time since entering the facility, it actually felt like we could breathe.
A single flickering fluorescent light illuminated the room dimly.
An old vending machine stood against the wall.
Tables and chairs were scattered messily around.
An abandoned instant noodle cup still sat on one of the tables.
It was a break room.
But—
“Oooooh! Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!”
A man approached us suddenly.
His lab coat was filthy.
His glasses were cracked.
His face was stained with grime.
He reached out as if trying to grab our hands.
“The hell are you doing?”
The moment he tried grabbing Lee Sua’s hand, she lightly kicked him in the stomach.
He immediately bent over trembling.
Serves you right. Who grabs someone’s hand the first time they meet them?
“Who are you?”
I asked while he clutched his stomach.
“I-I’m Lee Hyunjae… a researcher here…”
“A researcher?”
“Y-Yes…”
“If you’re a researcher, do you know this place well?”
Lee Hyunjae hesitated briefly before answering.
“I know the first and second floors well… but I don’t know anything about Basement Levels 1 and 2.”
“Why?”
“Only higher-ranking researchers were allowed access there…”
Higher-ranking researchers, huh.
Not really important right now.
I asked him what mattered most.
“Was this place conducting human experimentation? Those zombies earlier were full of drugs.”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
“Hm…”
“Originally, this facility researched explosive chemicals. But after the zombie outbreak… the direction of the research changed.”
“Changed?”
“The higher-ups started researching zombies… and eventually… even the researchers became infected.”
Honestly.
I didn’t buy it.
From what I’d seen, human experimentation was almost guaranteed.
Still, there wasn’t solid proof yet.
“Fine. Then guide us through the first and second floors. We’re wiping out all the zombies.”
At that moment, the mutant zombies stepped forward from behind us.
“HUUUK! M-Mutant zombies!”
Lee Hyunjae trembled in terror.
But—
“I said guide us.”
“W-What…? Don’t tell me… A-Awakened?!”
“Yeah.”
“Gasp!”
His eyes instantly changed.
I could see something greedy flickering within them.
“R-Right this way!”
Excitedly, Lee Hyunjae led us toward the second-floor staircase.
The second floor wasn’t too crowded.
Server rooms.
Electrical control rooms.
Places where people naturally wouldn’t gather.
Compared to the first floor, there were far fewer zombies.
The real problem was underground.
“I-I don’t know much about the basement. I heard they researched mutant zombies there…”
‘This might get troublesome.’
Even the drug zombies had given us a bit of trouble.
If mutant zombies had also been altered with drugs?
That sounded incredibly annoying.
Still—
“Lead the way.”
It wasn’t like I’d be personally fighting.
If things got dangerous, I could just run.
I still had Night Curtain.
“Ugh… this is terrifying…”
Lee Hyunjae made a disgusted expression as he pulled out a keycard for Basement Level 1.
Emergency power had been restored to the facility, so the doors were functioning again.
Beep!
The moment he scanned the card, the door opened.
A staircase leading downward appeared.
With the mutant zombies taking point, we slowly descended.
Thanks to the emergency lighting, we no longer needed our flashlights.
And the moment we arrived at Basement Level 1—
“Mutants?”