Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Rat in the Poison (2)
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The atmosphere settled for a moment.
Oliver asked,
"I heard the Fighter Crew and the mercenaries were scouting the contaminated zone and fled here. But how did you end up here, Arthur?"
Arthur, with his golem prosthetic arm, lit a cigarette and replied.
"Whew... We were taking out zombies with my crew, and somehow it just happened."
"Could you explain in a bit more detail?"
"......"
Arthur stared at Oliver for a moment before pulling a map from his pocket.
It was more detailed than Oliver's. He pointed to a skull mark.
"We headed there, but got ambushed by a horde of zombies."
"Isn't that a dangerous spot where zombies swarm in huge numbers?"
"Yeah. We had no intention of going there originally, but we hadn't taken down as many as we thought given our numbers... So we decided to take the risk, grab a quick haul, and get out."
It didn't sound like a bad plan.
With proper gear and numbers, they could handle a fair number of zombies.
But that was only in normal circumstances.
"We went in prepared, but what we faced was way worse. Zombies appeared out of nowhere—shooting from rooftops, lobbing bombs. And they popped out from all sides like they'd been waiting."
Just as Oliver had suspected.
"We panicked but managed to respond somehow. The real problem was the endless waves pouring in. In the end, outnumbered... we ran, and next thing I knew, we were here."
"...Did you arrive first, Arthur? Or was it Hugh?"
Goodman Mercenary Corps Captain Hugh answered.
"We got here first, then those guys, then the fixers, and finally these folks. Ah, now you're the last ones."
Sam said to Hugh while maintaining his gun.
"Whoa... Were you always this nice?"
"No, say I'm smart, black mage. If we'd held out alone, we'd be overrun. Short on men and supplies—how do you hold off that zombie legion?"
He had a point.
They'd managed to hold on thanks to the extra manpower and supplies from newcomers.
"But even that's reaching its limit. Ammo and bombs are almost gone."
Everyone nodded at that.
It was a pretty hopeless situation.
Once ammo, bombs, and grit ran out, all you'd have left was your bare hands.
Sure, some had superior physiques, but against that zombie horde, it was just a matter of when they'd die.
It was truly baffling.
Even others found it hard to grasp, but for Oliver, it was specifically incomprehensible.
He couldn't figure out how someone was controlling so many zombies so meticulously,
and above all, why they were targeting fixers so relentlessly.
That thought suddenly brought Joseph to mind.
His master, who had gone to the trouble of luring him to his altar.
"Look here, black mage. One more request. Like before, blast the zombies with that firepower and clear an escape route. I'll protect you and make it worth your while after."
Hugh said earnestly. He clearly wanted out of this mess bad.
Just as Oliver was about to say it was too risky, a mercenary on watch upstairs rushed down shouting.
"Captain! Come up quick!"
"What? Why?! Zombies attacking again?"
"No, not that... Just come see."
Hugh hurried up, followed by Knuckle Joe's crew, Sam, Arthur, and others.
Oliver was naturally included.
"What the hell is it?"
"More zombies incoming. Bad enough, but the real issue is something shitty slipped through the gap."
"Something shitty?"
"Remember the Duncan Forest skirmish?"
"Unfortunately."
"Looks like that."
"...Fuck."
Hugh muttered a low curse and headed to the roof.
Mercenaries armed with heavy weapons, fixers, mages, and black mages were on alert, all staring at one spot.
Their gazes fixed on a zombie group. Surprisingly, these zombies looked fresh, recently dead, and sported gear qualitatively different from the ones before.
No, it wasn't just the gear.
Unlike regular zombies, these had intelligence.
Faint, but self-aware. To Oliver, it was a new type he didn't know how to classify.
Like a zombie resurrection gone wrong?
But the others seemed focused on something else.
"Isn't that a lich?"
Oliver shifted his gaze to where someone pointed.
Amid the zombie pack was one draped in a fancy cloak, its face withered and mummified.
Hugh said to Knuckle Joe.
"Hey... That's a lich, right?"
"Hell if I know. Did liches even exist?"
Others asked nearby black mages and mages the same. Then Oliver spoke quietly.
"Lich... Doesn't seem like it. More like a corpse doll."
"Corpse doll?"
"Yes. A zombie puppet made with black magic, machinery, and special processing. That's what it looks like."
Oliver said confidently.
He'd seen Puppeteer Glyph's work before fighting him. The one outside matched perfectly.
That telltale unnaturalness of puppeteering someone else's corpse.
No one contradicted him. Hugh, uninterested, continued.
"So, can you sweep that thing too?"
Oliver focused his vision and shook his head.
"No... Probably not. Besides that corpse doll, there are six more hidden. Even if bombardment clears the small fry, the dolls will block us. If they grab our ankles even for a second, more zombies will swarm from somewhere and surround us."
It wasn't certain, but everyone instinctively knew it was plausible and fell silent.
No one knew who was behind it, but this gave a sense of their power.
Sam asked while enchanting bullets with black magic.
"Can't we just kill the corpse dolls quick and bolt?"
"Corpse dolls are stronger than they seem. Especially that one down there—way better made than the ones I've seen."
Oliver based it on knowledge from Glyph's book.
"So what now? Wait till ammo and bombs run dry and zombies overrun us?"
"Hm... Not that, but can we get help from the soldiers guarding the contaminated zone perimeter?"
"No way. City Guard's too busy saving their own skins. If they were willing to risk it, they wouldn't send us instead."
"Ah... But isn't this unusual?"
"Sure, but they'll move after we're all dead. No way to contact them anyway. Comms suck in the contaminated zone."
"You communicated with Joe, though?"
"That's internal. External's impossible."
Hugh showed a crackling comm device.
Just noise, nothing else.
No comms, ammo and bombs depleting, endless zombie waves.
Nothing in their favor. Oliver even considered a full breakout with everyone.
At least then he could escape alone.
'If I pour everything into Black Suit for escape...'
"Damn... Guess we stake it on the basement?"
Hugh suddenly said.
"Basement?"
"This building's basement connects to sewers via an underground passage. Some went to scout it."
Sam perked up.
"Oh, really?!"
"Yeah, but it's deep and maze-like. Everyone's struggling. Pitch black and slimy—can't tell up from down. Feels like someone's messing with us."
"........."
As outdoor escape grew impossible, interest shifted there. Then, as if by divine intervention, someone came up from below.
Covered in dust, he looked thrilled.
"Captain! Come down! Found a way out!"
***
Everyone rushed down at the call.
As Hugh said, there was a basement—dusty and dim.
Not just age; it felt like a mere passage with no purpose.
Amid the dust pits was a group, mostly mercenaries and soldiers. One stood out.
Oliver recognized him.
The one who'd first told him things.
"Chevy..."
"Haha... Fancy seeing a familiar face here."
Hugh said,
"Crank the lantern brighter... Can't see shit!"
Brighter light revealed Chevy's face, bruised like he'd been hit. Strange to bruise.
"What happened?"
"Ran into him scouting escape routes through the underground passage."
"What were you doing there?"
"Heh... Mages sent me to search."
"Your side's in a bad spot too, huh."
"Yeah... Lucky to be alive. Was supposed to guide, but even that failed..."
"Where are they? Mages, druids."
"Recovering in a safe building. Zombies kept coming—burned all their mana..."
"Same mess as us, then."
As Hugh pondered, Chevy spoke up.
"...If you're okay with it, join our side?"
"What?"
"I'll guide you. Not idiots, right? Something's seriously wrong here. Zombies swarming from everywhere, even shooting. Forget cleanup—survive and escape first. Let's team up."
No one objected or hesitated.
Makes sense, surrounded by zombies.
For survival, cooperation was key.
"Fine... Teaming with mages boosts survival odds. But can we all move at once?"
"Doubt it. Too many people for narrow passages."
"Split up, then?"
"That's the issue... Who wants to go last?"
"Hm... Draw lots?"
As they debated, Chevy chimed in.
"Better if the strong ones go first. Like Hugh, the black mages there, Arthur. Mages are touchy now—need skilled folks first for cooperation. You know how prickly young mages are."
Everyone mulled it over, discussing order. Oliver walked up to Chevy and stopped.
All heads tilted.
"...?"
"Excuse me, where exactly are the mages?"
"......Hiding in some building. Dodging zombies."
"Can you specify which one?"
"Well... Not sure."
"Didn't you say you know the contaminated zone well?"
"...I do, but not everything."
Oliver nodded.
Othsers started asking what was up, but Joe held them back. He'd caught on.
"I see... One more question?"
"...What?"
"Who are you? Not Chevy—the one who came inside."
"........."
Silence fell.
"Damn... When'd you figure it out?"