Reunion
As soon as I stepped out of the building, the suffocatingly sweet scents vanished as if they'd been nothing but a lie.
The air was filled instead with the chill dust peculiar to ruins and a nauseating, fishy stench that stung the nose.
This is gonna suck...
My thighs cramped up like they'd been wrung out, making it hard to even stand straight.
Was sex this exhausting of a workout? No joke— I was starting to develop a genuine respect for male porn stars.
Once I got back to the ark, I had to start working out or something.
Kzzzzzt—
Communications were still a mess.
Exhaustion weighed down my entire body, but this wasn't the time to rest.
With the Hachishakusama liable to pop up anytime, anywhere, I needed to link up with the squad as fast as possible.
"......"
I instinctively crouched low, readjusted my grip on the White Tiger, and began moving while scanning the surroundings.
How long had I walked?
In the shadows of a pile of collapsed buildings, I spotted something moving unnaturally.
Zombie.
Its grotesque form didn't faze me much— maybe because I'd faced them so many times during the Ark reclamation missions, I didn’t feel much fear at having encountered them.
Was it a soldier?
The thing was clad in a tattered old-model military uniform.
A rifle hung from its shoulder, but zombies couldn't shoot anyway.
It just looked like it was mechanically carrying the thing.
Good thing it wasn't a unique variant.
Better take it out.
I started to raise the White Tiger, then thought better of it.
A rifle without a suppressor was basically a megaphone calling every zombie in the area.
"......"
If I snuck up quietly and smashed its skull with the buttstock...
[Kaaak!]
"—?!"
I'd approached carefully, but the soldier zombie suddenly whipped its head around and locked eyes on me.
The instant it charged, my body reacted on its own.
Huh?
Without any conscious thought, my body traced a semicircle, deflecting the zombie's bullheaded rush to the side.
Then, as naturally as breathing, I slipped into its blind spot.
What the...
This wasn't some game knowledge or data. It was something far more primal, like instincts etched into muscle memory.
It sure as hell wasn't one of my abilities.
I wasn't Agent 47 or some shit, nor had I served as a Marine or special forces soldier.
Hell, I'd been a cook in the army— about as far from combat training as you could get.
But before I could even be surprised, the barrel of the White Tiger in my hand was already slamming upward into the zombie's jaw.
Thwack!
With a dull thud, its head snapped back toward the sky.
And without hesitation, my finger squeezed the trigger at the exposed skull.
Bang—!
One gunshot.
That was it.
"...Ah, shit."
I scratched my head as I stared at the zombie crumpling headless before me.
My plan for a quiet takedown had gone up in smoke. My finger had pulled the trigger as naturally as if I'd done it a thousand times.
Thanks to that, the zombie was dealt with safely... but my plan was fucked from the start.
As for the Hachishakusama...
Fortunately, the rundown motel in the distance showed no movement.
"What the hell was that, anyway?"
The monsters' weak points glowing in my vision? I could chalk that up to the game system.
Echoes of Humanity - ECHO had that exact effect, after all.
But that movement from before? No. I'd never learned or trained for anything like it.
[Keeik!]
"Ah... this is why I should've kept it quiet."
Before I could even sort my thoughts, a new threat appeared.
This one was a female zombie.
Torn blouse and short skirt.
The outfit would've been sensual on a living woman, but now it was shredded rags barely clinging to gray, dead skin.
"......"
Even amid the grotesque horror, the bizarrely intact curves of her body felt even more repulsive than the ordinary zombies.
"No dice."
The female zombie, whose neck was half-twisted, bent her body at a bizarre angle, preparing to lunge.
The sight was more repulsive than terrifying.
Before it could move, I unhesitatingly raised the White Tiger.
I aimed dead center on the red circle flashing at its forehead.
Stealth was already blown— better finish quick and bug out.
Bang!
The second gunshot echoed, followed by silence.
But I couldn't relax. With the quiet shattered, zombies would swarm here soon enough.
Time to move.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Tch... what the hell was that?"
As I quickly put distance between me and the spot, I replayed the fight with the zombies in my head.
No way a former cook like me could move like that.
It was like the ingrained instincts of a veteran who'd survived countless battlefields— pure survival reflex.
"...Not a coincidence, obviously."
Was the original owner of this body someone special?
That would explain why the Arclight Squad came to rescue me.
"Hmm... Pomen didn't say a word about it, though."
There was just no way to solve the mystery right now.
And so I carefully picked my way through the darkening streets.
Passing tangled building debris, snaking wires, and precarious concrete piles, two soldier zombies suddenly emerged at the alley's end.
"......Ah."
I tried to circle around, but that side looked even riskier.
Dim alley, rotten air, creepy vibe. Looked like the gateway to hell.
So I turned back, figuring the soldier zombies were the safer bet.
Can't even use the gun like this.
The farther I got from the Hachishakusama's lair, the more zombies started popping up in droves.
Wish I had a silencer right about now.
I muttered a curse under my breath and readjusted my grip on the White Tiger.
Instead of blindly firing, I decided to test this new sense.
Remaining ammo? Barely forty rounds. Had to conserve what I could.
If shit really hit the fan, though, I'd empty the mag and bolt.
Worst case... head back to the Hachishakusama's lair.
[Keeiiik!]
Peeking around the corner, the soldier zombie spotted me and started shambling forward with a metallic screech.
I held my breath in cover, waiting for it to round the bend.
The moment it entered my view, I lunged out and swept its legs.
[——!]
A heavy impact sent the soldier zombie stumbling off balance.
Not missing a beat, I smashed its head with the White Tiger's buttstock.
Thud!
Its skull shattered in a gruesome crunch, and it collapsed.
But the crisis wasn't over.
The second zombie was lunging at me, rotten hand outstretched.
And once again, my body's embedded combat experience kicked in unbidden.
Thwack!
"This prosthetic arm was made for times like this—!"
I naturally blocked the zombie's attack with my left prosthetic, the unpleasant clang of metal on rotten bone ringing out.
Using the recoil, I closed in.
Then, like a pro wrestler, I hoisted its torso into the air and slammed it skull-first into the concrete.
And to finish it off, I delivered a merciless soccer kick.
"......"
Staring at the two headless corpses, I panted raggedly.
Legs shaking, I leaned against the wall to steady myself.
"Fuck..."
Just two zombies, and I was gasping from exhaustion.
It was not a stamina issue. Really, if anything was to blame, it would be me having to dump all of my energy on the Hachishakusama.
"...Gotta hit the gym first thing when I get back to the ark."
The ECHO combat units protected me, but no guarantee situations like this wouldn't repeat.
Even for the Money Compass cash, I needed to boost my own fighting power.
"How much did I make?"
On a whim, I checked the Money Compass.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Acquired 600C.
Acquisition History: Hongwei-7 zombie extermination (combat participation reward)
"...Fucking stingy."
Risking my life against zombies for only three hundred per head?
One bang with the Hachishakusama netted 9,900C. This felt insulting.
Just as I was about to close the Money Compass message, my eyes locked onto one phrase.
"Hongwei-7?"
Wasn’t this where the Command HQ was located? Our final destination for the mission?
That explained all the uniformed zombies...
So, did that mean I just needed to find ECHO genes or whatever supplies here?
Thud! Thump!
At that moment, shadows began rising one by one from the surrounding buildings.
"...I’m fucked."
A military base meant hordes of soldiers – and ECHOs – in this sector.
And my recent fights had apparently woken them up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Energy residue levels are low around here?"
"Comms with the Commander?"
"Still nothing. Signal's going out, but no connection."
"Noah?"
"That's the spot."
The Arclight Squad pressed through the ruins, following Noah's senses.
The place she indicated was a grim scene— massive barbed wire fences and a crumbled guard post.
Arva narrowed her eyes at the faint unit insignia still visible there.
"Hongwei-7 Command HQ?"
Tension rippled across Pomen and Noah's faces at her murmur.
Their final objective. Why was the Commander here alone?
"No way..."
"Stop right there. Don't jinx it, Pomen."
But before they could process their doubts—
Bang—!
A sharp gunshot cracked from inside the command post.
"Gunfire!"
"Commander?!"
Led by Arva, Arclight Squad bolted toward the sound without hesitation.
Leaping over crumbled walls, smashing obstacles, they charged ahead.
And finally, a familiar silhouette entered their view.
"Commander—!"
"H-Huh?! Guys, save me, quick!!!"
There was their Commander, surrounded by dozens of zombies and corrupted ECHOs, fighting desperately while fleeing alone.