Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: The Completion of a World Where No One Gets Hurt
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The rescue chopper was landing southeast of Mariud.
Meanwhile, we were holed up on the northwest outskirts.
It was practically the opposite end of the earth.
And yet, clinging to that one shred of hope that we might survive...
We all piled into the car and raced toward it together.
In-game, it was a 24-hour trek.
But in real time, we had to make it in just one hour, so the clock was ticking mercilessly.
Somehow, though, we managed to arrive.
A massive bridge spanned a long river.
A faint green light glowed at the far end.
Looked like that's where the chopper was touching down.
[Groooaaar....]
Bang-! Bang-!
"Hey! Right side! They're coming from the right too!"
"Someone with a shotgun, cover the right flank!"
"I'm out of ammo! Should I just lob a grenade?"
"No way! Save the grenades for last!"
To board the chopper, we had to step outside.
Which meant facing the horde of zombies swarming us bare-handed.
Luckily, the bridge had just one entrance.
We could stack barricades and hunker down for a defense.
But against this endless wave, our ammo was running dry first.
"Lucrezia unnie! Use my gun! I'll head to the front with my dagger!"
"You sure? What if your stamina runs out..."
"Dagger's fine! I'll just pull some aggro!"
So I handed Ra-hee unnie my gun and all my ammo.
Then I took point up front, leveraging my dagger perks.
Daggers aren't the best in PZ due to low attack power.
But they have two solid strengths.
First, they consume less stamina than other weapons, making them great for prolonged fights.
Second, they have an instant-kill trigger under certain conditions, perfect for assassinations and ambushes.
Of course, with this many zombies, that second one was useless.
But the first perk? Super helpful.
Especially for me, who's mained daggers my whole "career" in the game.
My proficiency was sky-high, offsetting the damage penalty.
Stab!
"Gotta flank 'em and stab diagonally from behind, I guess."
Ow, yakuza? What the heck.
I'm strictly non-combat class, you know.
Sure, my burger chef build has dagger traits slapped on.
"Lulu! Don't push too far forward! You could get swept up!"
"Got it, unnie!"
Listening to Ji-ah unnie's warnings.
I stayed as close to the team as possible.
Pulling aggro bit by bit from zombies trying to breach the entrance, thinning them out one by one.
Problem was, even doing this, the horde didn't seem to thin at all.
In PZ, zombie spawns have fixed cycles.
And there's a cap on numbers.
But somehow...
Probably the escape mode kicking in.
Once you trigger escape mode, a huge whoooosh echoes from the coords right before chopper arrival.
It draws zombies like crazy.
Plus Yuna's zombie host status wasn't helping.
Everything was lining up to make this a nightmare.
In-game, we had two hours left.
Real time? Barely 10 minutes.
And no guarantee we could hold.
"Haneul! How long till the chopper?"
"Two hours!"
"Shit, it's crawling in. If we all die first, what's the point?!"
Even Nyanta unnie, who'd been holding strong, started griping.
The chopper felt painfully slow.
But every ordeal has an end, and the moment finally came.
Weee-ooo!
The helipad mark on the bridge's far end lit up.
A blaring siren wailed amid the chaos.
Escape chopper inbound.
"Whoa! Chopper's here! Guys, just a bit longer!"
"Boss says hold on a little more!"
"We're already holding on for dear life, Boss...!"
"Hold with everything you've got! You wanna die here?!"
The President's orders—more like scoldings—rallied us.
We dug deep for one final wave.
But there was a hitch.
That massive siren right before chopper arrival?
It supercharged the horde.
Zombies piled on even thicker.
"Lu, Lucrezia! Behind you! Watch out!"
"Unnie! I'll help!"
"Out of ammo? Ditch the gun! It's useless now anyway!"
"Ellin unnie, behind you too! Someone cover!"
"I'll do it! I still got ammo!"
The battlefield turned into total hell.
Night fell, visibility tanked.
Blind spots everywhere, formation crumbling.
We fell back slowly from the entrance.
We couldn't retreat fully, though.
This narrow choke point was our only shot against the numbers.
Fall back more, and we'd all get overrun.
Just hold a little longer.
That's when everyone focused up...
Thwop-thwop-thwop!
The siren cut out.
Replaced by chopper blades.
The message popped up too.
One in-game hour to landing.
Real time: under five minutes.
"Haneul noona! What now?! Just bolt?"
"No! Too many sprinters—we'll get wiped!"
"Yeah, need someone to hold the entrance!"
Debate erupted: full sprint or leave a rear guard?
Consensus leaned rear guard.
PZ has "sprinter zombies"—as fast as a human sprint, no stamina limit.
Endless pursuit.
After hours of fighting, exhausted as we were, bolting full-back would get us flanked easy.
So minimum crew stays.
But then...
"Ah, screwed. Exhausted debuff."
"Me too. Now what?"
Our ace fighters, Gig-nim and Ina-nim.
Both hit "Exhausted" status.
Triggers at rock-bottom endurance.
Melee damage -90%, shooting accuracy tanks.
No sprint, movement halved.
Basically combat-incapable.
They'd been up front the longest.
What to do?
I rummaged my bag for a Hail Mary.
Found it.
One option.
Risky, but could save everyone.
"President! What if someone stays, lights the oil drums, then runs?"
"Oil drums?"
"Yeah! Barricades'll break, but it'll buy time!"
Light the entrance ablaze.
PZ's realism lets you ignite oil drums with a lighter for fire.
Area denial like a molotov.
Best part: only needs one person.
Everyone else runs; stayer ignites and sprints to chopper.
Solid plan, team and Cherries nodded approval.
Issue: who?
"But who's staying? Everyone's stamina's shot."
"Yeah, wind could carry flames wrong."
No one had stamina left.
Not full Exhausted like Gig/Ina, but drained from marathon fight.
Wind blowing our way too—stayer risks burnout.
Guess it's me.
I suggested it, and daggers saved my stamina most.
"It's fine. I'll do i—"
"No, I'll handle it."
Someone cut in.
Yuna.
"Host status means infinite stamina. Plus, pulls less aggro to chopper if I stay. Best choice."
Irrefutable logic. Everyone agreed quick.
I did too, but hated risking Yuna.
Her words stopped me cold.
"Lulu-chan, remember what I said earlier?"
"Earlier...? Oh!"
Flashed back: before splitting from Yuna. Right before her first death.
Just us two.
Whoa.
That callback hitting now?
Chills down my arms.
"I'll protect you, Lulu-chan. So don't look back. I'll follow right after."
"Yuki-chan..."
Cherries felt it too.
Even if it was just concept play for hype.
Yuna's line—meant to trap me—now flipped to genuine protection.
Thwop-thwop-thwop!
Blades roared again at perfect timing.
Chopper touched down.
Time to go.
"Lulu! No time! Run now!"
"Y-Yes...!"
President bellowed.
I handed Yuna the drum and lighter.
"Yuki-chan, you have to follow, okay?!"
"Hehe, obviously!"
Yuna grinned, took them, prepped to ignite the narrow entrance.
Blades revved again—horde surged anew.
Climax hit.
Whoosh!
"Wanggae-nim! You and me cover with guns while pulling back! Sprinters are dangerous!"
"Roger!"
Flames roared to life.
We bolted for the chopper.
Nyanta unnie and Wanggae-nim shot rearguard, thinning pursuers.
Felt like the final scene of a real zombie apocalypse flick.
"Yuki! That's enough—run!"
"Okay, unnie!"
Ji-ah unnie yelled urgently.
Yuna, who'd stayed to light one more spot, finally chased us.
Bang-! Bang-!
We fired from the chopper, covering her.
Zombies weren't the problem, though.
Northwest wind + gale = inferno racing after her.
As fast as Yuna's infinite-stamina sprint.
Flames caught Yuna.
Even host infinite stamina—fire slows movement hard.
Do-or-die.
Sharp voice cut through.
"Everyone, splash me with water! I've got the most stamina—I'll grab her!"
Chae-yoon unnie.
No questions asked—we emptied our water bottles on her.
PZ lets you douse with showers or bottles.
Soaked status: brief fire immunity, no speed loss.
"Yuki! Unnie's comingggg!"
Drenched, she leaped out, dashed to flaming Yuna.
Yuna out cold, couldn't move—but could be carried.
Chae-yoon unnie ignored her own flames, hoisted Yuna, sprinted back.
5, 4, 3, 2...
Chopper timer ticking down.
One second left...
Thud!
Two nicknames appeared inside.
Chopper lifted off.
"Whoa, unnie. Coming back for me? Kinda crushing."
"Hoo... Maknae saved me, gotta pay up."
Survivors bantered.
We gawked in awe.
"Lilith-nim, badass!"
"Agreed! Felt that girl crush."
"Thinking to soak and run? Genius."
"Didn't think we'd all make it..."
"Heart stopped at the end."
Yeah, spectacular to the end.
Chae-yoon unnie's call was legendary.
Soaking first? Never crossed my mind.
Hehe, that's my unnie!
"This collab was peak, right?"
"Totally. Pure gold."
"No collab'll top this."
"Overimmersed hard. Felt like actual zombie world."
No stragglers.
All survived, perfect ending.
We savored the first PZ collab vibes.
"How'd you all like it? Fun?"
"Blast!"
"Wanna do again!"
"Me too. Next time Yuki's farmer."
"Gonna try combat class. Sounds fun."
Members, still buzzing, shouted answers.
Last up, I stared blankly then beamed, nodding.
"Hehe, super fun for me! What about you Cherries?"
Cherries unanimous praise.
Thus ended Korea's first monumental PZ collab.
A happy ending for all.
After that marathon stream...
I crashed with a full-body ache for a day.
Ugh, maybe start exercising like Ra-hee unnie.