027
027
Gyu-myeong and the Spider had a life-or-death battle.
Clearly, being a natural-born level 7 meant they were strong.
Seeing as he survived the Spider's ambush.
However, his condition didn't look great.
He sustained many wounds while trading blows with the Spider.
Furthermore.
"Kieeeeeek!"
Siren was approaching, leading a horde of zombies.
I barely managed to send them to the Mart, and now they're back here.
Like some kind of salmon.
"This isn't good."
Actually, what wasn't good was the condition of Gyu-myeong's gang.
Gyu-myeong, who could be called their top combat force, was injured, and the others weren't very high level.
In contrast, Kang Mu-yeol, who was out in the field, was clean without a single scratch, and the other allies were hiding in the Safe Zone. Me too.
The Spider was alive too.
The Spider was only watching Gyu-myeong, who had been trading blows with it until just now.
It looked ready to pounce the moment it saw an opening.
"Fucking hell...."
Gyu-myeong muttered.
"How about a temporary truce? I don't think now is the time for us to be fighting each other."
Gyu-myeong proposed to Kang Mu-yeol.
Kang Mu-yeol glanced up at the rooftop where I was watching.
I shook my head.
No reason to truce, really.
I signaled Kang Mu-yeol to go to the Hardware Store.
Im Do-young was alone in the Hardware Store right now.
Because the looters rushed in earlier, I hadn't been able to take him home.
The Hardware Store is a Safe Zone, but it's isolated, so he might be scared.
Especially now, with a Zombie Wave coming.
Kang Mu-yeol understood my signal, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He probably wants to crush the looter in front of him, but it's more profitable to leave him for now.
Because once our tenants enter the Safe Zone, those looter bastards will draw all the zombies' aggro.
Kang Mu-yeol smirked at Gyu-myeong.
"What? Is what I said funny? If those zombies all swarm here, you won't be safe either. Let's buy time for each of us to run."
"Good luck."
Kang Mu-yeol walked lazily toward the Hardware Store.
"Where are you going?"
While Gyu-myeong and his gang watched blankly, Kang Mu-yeol entered the Hardware Store and locked the door tight.
Gyu-myeong seemed to snap to his senses at the sound of the door locking.
"Are you crazy? Have you lost it? We should be cooperating, and you lock the door to save yourself? Do you think this measly door can withstand a Zombie Wave? If this door collapses, you'll have nowhere to run!"
Gyu-myeong and his gang pounded on the Hardware Store door.
There was no reaction from inside the Hardware Store.
"Break it, break it!"
Gyu-myeong ordered his colleagues.
The colleagues holding blunt weapons struck the Hardware Store door violently.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
However, the Hardware Store door didn't budge at all.
It was natural. The Hardware Store was a Safe Zone, so it couldn't be breached by physical force. Probably.
"Something strange seems to be blocking it!"
"It doesn't feel like hitting a door!"
Gyu-myeong squeezed his eyes shut.
Then suddenly, he opened his eyes wide.
And looked up at me on the rooftop.
"You! If you don't want to die, cooperate! Even if you're on the rooftop, you won't be safe!"
I shrugged.
"I think I'll be safe?"
"Will I still be safe if I go up there?"
"Suit yourself."
"Just wait."
Gyu-myeong changed his target.
He realized it was impossible to breach the Hardware Store door.
Instead, the rooftop, huh.
Does the rooftop look easy? Or do I?
Well, compared to Kang Mu-yeol's build, I do look easy.
Still, he thought very wrong.
Gyu-myeong's gang came straight into the villa.
Since I hadn't secured the entire villa as a Safe Zone yet, the first-floor door was easily breached.
I went down to the 4th floor to welcome them.
Im Ji-ah peeked her head out the front door.
"Um... Boss, my brother hasn't come in yet...."
"He's with Kang Mu-yeol-ssi at the Hardware Store."
"With Kang Mu-yeol-ssi? That's a relief."
"Looters and zombies are swarming here together right now. Please stay inside your home if possible. I'll handle things here."
"I'll do that. Please don't get hurt."
Im Ji-ah closed the door and went inside.
Just then, Gyu-myeong's gang came up the stairs.
They were climbing up at such high speed earlier.
Now they were slower than before, perhaps because they were a bit tired.
It might also be due to Gyu-myeong's injury.
"I think I heard a woman's voice."
Their ears are damn sharp.
"Maybe you heard the Siren's voice."
"Siren? You mean that noisy zombie? You think I mistook that voice?"
"Well, it's possible. I don't think it's strange."
"Bullshit. Would I confuse something like that? Talk some sense."
Gyu-myeong's gang looked ready to pounce at any moment.
"If you apologize and cooperate even now, I'll spare your life."
"Who would believe you if you say that with that expression? You should at least act a little."
"Do you still not understand the situation?"
"You're the one who needs to understand the situation."
I put my hand to my ear and made a motion of listening.
Zombie sounds could be heard from outside.
The noise made by dozens, hundreds of zombies.
The sound was getting closer by the second.
"Hyung-nim. Can't we just hit him? We don't have time!"
"...Hit him!"
Did they forget after experiencing it earlier?
Do they believe it was a mistake?
Safe Zones are off-limits to outsiders.
"W-what is this again?"
Gyu-myeong, who was striding up the stairs, was blocked in front of the 4th-floor stairs.
Gyu-myeong fumbled in the air as if doing a mime.
"It's not glass, is it?"
As if.
I watched them with a relaxed face.
"Try hitting it!"
Gyu-myeong ordered his colleague holding a steel pipe.
The colleague with the steel pipe gritted his teeth and swung the pipe toward the transparent wall.
Clang!
A sound like hitting a steel plate was heard.
The looter who swung the pipe dropped it, perhaps because his hand stung.
"Move!"
Gyu-myeong picked up the dropped steel pipe and swung it.
Clang!
Nothing changed.
Gyu-myeong nervously handed the steel pipe to his colleague.
He was frowning heavily.
It was clear he was enduring the pain.
"What kind of nonsense...."
Gyu-myeong muttered through gritted teeth while tapping the transparent wall.
"Open it quickly! Or I'll just camp out here. You won't be able to get food if you don't pass through these stairs, right?"
I took an energy bar out of my pocket and put it in my mouth.
"Huh? What was that?"
"That...! Are you allowed to just tear that open and eat it?"
"Is there a reason I can't? I have plenty anyway."
Actually, this was the last energy bar, but it didn't matter. I can get energy bars through supplies anyway.
"Anyway, you guys had better go back quickly. Zombies will be swarming here soon. If the zombies come up, you'll be the ones trapped."
"...!"
The stairs going up are blocked, and if they come from the floor below? A dilemma. There was nowhere to retreat.
"Let's go down quickly!"
Finally, making the right decision.
Gyu-myeong led his gang and hurried down the stairs.
"Hmm."
I listened to the sounds outside.
Zombie sounds could be heard quite close by.
While we were bickering here, it seemed the zombies had approached quite close.
"I don't think they'll be able to run away."
Actually, I had stalled for time on purpose.
Anyway, the opponent is a level 7 looter.
His level was too high for me to handle alone.
But it's not like I have to win in a one-on-one fight.
It's not a sparring match; in a real fight, you have to use whatever you can, right?
And I'm using the zombies.
-Get lost! Get lost! Argh!
-Abandon him! Abandon that bastard!
The floor below was noisy.
Urgent footsteps were also heard.
It was the sound of running up the stairs.
"Nice to see you again."
I waved at the looters who came up the stairs.
It seemed the zombies had already entered the villa.
The villa's hallway was narrow.
The looters couldn't break through the swarming zombie horde.
"Damn it.... Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Gyu-myeong scratched his head violently.
To the point where I was worried he might start bleeding.
"By the way, one person is missing?"
"You... shut up. Get rid of this quickly!"
Gyu-myeong shouted while punching the transparent wall.
"I told you to go down quickly. You caused a scene trying to eat me, and now look what happened."
Groaaan—
Grrr—
Kieeeeeek!
The zombie sounds were heard vividly.
Is it right on the floor below?
"...I'm sorry. I'll apologize, so can't you do something about this? Please! I beg you!"
Gyu-myeong finally tucked his tail. He begged, rubbing his hands together.
Honestly speaking, it wasn't a very pretty sight.
If he had acted like a looter from start to finish, I wouldn't have felt guilty.
But I won't make the wrong decision because of guilt.
There are people in this villa who rely only on me.
I must not betray their trust.
The people I need to protect are clearly decided.
"You son of a bitch!"
Begging was, as expected, an act.
Since it didn't seem like I was accepting it, his true nature popped out immediately.
Yeah, this makes me feel less guilty.
"I'd like to help, but I don't know how to help either. I don't know how to get rid of this either."
"Do something, anything!"
I shrugged.
Actually, I really don't know. If there's a way to disable the Safe Zone.
Eventually, the zombies approached right in front of them.
Gyu-myeong's gang tried to resist hard, but it was futile.
The gang members were bitten by zombies one by one.
"You... you won't die peacefully."
Gyu-myeong cursed at me.
I just watched quietly.
It wasn't a very pleasant scene.
But I couldn't leave my post.
I had a duty to watch the end of the looters who invaded my villa to the very end.
Because no variables should occur.
"You fucking... Arghhh!"
Even a level 7 looter had no answer in front of the swarming zombie horde.