A Lucky Day
The Jindo dog continued to perform its role as a scout perfectly. Once, it even alerted me to a zombie at the far end of the opposite lane; I was surprised by how much wider its detection range was than I had anticipated.
This area was not one I had searched before. Because it hadn't been verified, I had to move with much more caution than usual. I had to check inside every single vehicle and keep my nerves on edge, wondering if there might be some creature crouching in the shadows. Maintaining perimeter security is the number one rule for preserving one's life. However, if nothing happens, it just ends up feeling like a waste of effort. When you think about it, it’s the height of inefficiency—accumulating fatigue for a low-probability event.
'This is truly convenient.'
Now that I had a high-performance scout, the story was different. At first, I couldn't relax because I didn't fully trust it, but after a few confirmations, the vigilance I had maintained for so long began to loosen. My movement speed more than doubled, and my fatigue was near zero. Before I knew it, I had even slung my rifle over my back, following the Jindo dog’s escort without a second thought.
"Come here."
I took a moment to rest for the dog that had worked so hard. It might have been a light stroll for a creature with senses far superior to a human's, but the gratitude I felt was by no means light. I picked up a discarded tin can from the street, filled it with water, and held it out in front of the dog.
"Drink. You never know when we'll get to rest again."
Whether it understood my words or was just thirsty, the Jindo dog gulped down the water greedily. After it finished, it opened its mouth, panting with water dripping from its snout, and a smile involuntarily escaped my lips at the sight.
"Thanks to you, we got here quickly. We're almost at the destination."
The place I was heading to was a 15-story skyscraper with a clear view of the Enfield Shopping Mall. It was the optimal location, considering various conditions: a distance far enough not to be detected by those things, and a line of sight that reached the central fountain, which was known as Enfield's trademark. Unless heaven itself was on my side, sniping that thing within today was nearly impossible. Even if I successfully secured a sniping point, it was doubtful whether the Alpha would even show up on my radar.
If the thing had entered the shopping mall, I would have to intentionally make noise to lure it out. Not only would I have to take on significant risk, but that was also assuming it was still in the mall. If it had already left, all my efforts would go down the drain. Looking at it coldly, the probability of failure was overwhelmingly higher than the probability of success.
'Still, I have to do it.'
Under normal circumstances, this wasn't something I would have attempted. If the shopping mall and my hideout had been just 5km further apart. If, on that day I pulled out my revolver, the thing had acted just like the other zombies. I would have ignored the existence of the Alpha and lived a life of taking only the usual, moderate risks. All the theories and research results I had learned at the training facility had already turned into scraps of paper.
The thing possesses intelligence. Even if it’s currently at the level of a wild animal, I don't know when it might multiply exponentially to possess the intelligence of a dolphin, or an IQ in the triple digits. Perhaps the reason the 'runners' suddenly appeared was also linked to the Alpha. Even if not right now, it would slowly tighten the noose around my neck.
"Let's go in. I'm counting on you again."
I moved toward the glass-walled skyscraper. I had expected there to be many zombies, but the first-floor lobby was completely empty. The larger the building, the higher the probability that zombies would be gathered inside. That was the reason I had stuck only to residential areas until now. If it wasn't a place with separated spaces like an apartment, dozens or hundreds of them could be gathered in one spot.
'Lucky from the start.'
I had thought I would be fighting a large-scale battle from the first floor, so this was unexpected. Thinking the ridiculous thought of whether the luck of the '777777' rifle had returned, I climbed to the next floor.
I exited the emergency stairwell and scanned the hallway. Since it was a building used for offices, it looked like there were dozens of doors to open on each floor. Searching 15 floors alone would have taken at least two days, but I had a high-performance scout.
"You can do it, right?"
The Jindo dog stared at me intently. I wondered if it was a silent protest, but when I gestured with my chin, it took the lead and moved as if nothing had happened.
'Was it asking for direction?'
It quickly passed by a restroom and a couple of offices. Normally, I would have had to open every door myself and check the interior thoroughly. I was somewhat doubtful if it truly understood my intentions, but seeing it busily sniffing around, it wasn't dereliction of duty.
'Is there no one on this floor?'
Reaching the end of the hallway, the Jindo dog went in the opposite direction and stopped in front of me. Then, it sat still, stuck its tongue out slightly, and swept the floor with its tail. Wondering if it was waiting for the next command, I pointed my finger upward, and the creature bolted up the stairs like lightning.
'...What a remarkable creature.'
I never dreamed that Cheonsa's absurd wish that it would protect me would become a reality. It’s not like it’s a drug-sniffing dog; I’ve never heard of using a dog for zombie searching. If the Instructor and my fellow trainees had seen this, their eyes would have popped out of their heads.
'Not here either?'
I passed the 5th floor, then the 6th and 7th floors. The time it took to search a total of 4 floors was barely 10 minutes. Because it was a speed I couldn't have imagined, a sudden feeling of anxiety crept in. When they capture prey, the zombie's light sleep state breaks. Even if they are trapped somewhere in an office, they create continuous noise by breaking windows or pounding on doors. That wakes up more zombies, and in the worst case, it calls in zombies from outside the building. That was the reason why I had to search thoroughly, even if it was a very laborious task.
'Can I really trust it?'
With the process going as smoothly as water, my paranoia flared up again. The zombie crisis is a structure where a small number of survivors survive from the threat of the absolute majority. The training facility, having understood this loophole early on, taught how not to die before how to kill. It sounds grand, but the reality is simple. It is to constantly doubt and verify. Suddenly, the words the Instructor used to say as a habit came to mind.
'You don't knock on a stone bridge. You find another way.'
The face of him spitting while he spoke passionately was particularly vivid. If there is another way, what could it be? I want to ask the Instructor. Is there a better option than killing the Alpha?
'As if such a thing could exist.'
It is a decision I already made after long deliberation. I exhaled a long breath and blew away the unnecessary thoughts. Just as I decided that I should search it myself, even now, I saw the Jindo dog standing in front of the 9th-floor restroom.
'Huh?'
While crossing the road, we had developed our own hand signals. If it discovers a zombie, it pricks up its ears and holds its tail straight. It doesn't react even when I approach, just staring at one spot like a statue.
'It's here?'
I held my rifle in one hand and grabbed the doorknob of the women's restroom. Leaving the Jindo dog, which had retreated a reasonable distance, behind, I opened the door very carefully.
'Only one door is closed.'
Inside the restroom, the last stall was closed. In the deathly silent building, my liver chilled at the red letters written 'In Use'. I took out the master key from my chest pocket. A Hunter's master key can open analog-style doors using the principle of magnets. It was truly a skeleton key that could unlock even digital locks without power in a short time. Of course, not everyone who graduated from the training facility was issued one. When I graduated, the zombie crisis hadn't broken out yet, and due to concerns that it could be abused for crime, only high-ranking Hunters with a total score of 700 or higher were issued one. Interpreting it in another sense, it means that high-ranking Hunters are talents that must be preserved even considering the abuse of the master key. It is true that the survival difficulty was much lower thanks to the master key. Because I could target residential areas with relatively fewer zombies.
If I hadn't had the master key, I would have had to obtain food from among the corpses crowded in large supermarkets.
'It's certain that they are here.'
As I approached, the stench of rot grew stronger. I carefully moved the latch using the master key. The reason I dislike the analog format is that the characteristic rattling sound is heard particularly loudly.
'...!'
When I unlocked it and opened the door, two zombies were just waking up from their light sleep state.
"Good grief."
As it happened, they were in a position where they couldn't rush at me immediately. The man and woman, half-undressed, were reaching out to me while piled on top of each other. Soon, they tangled with each other and fell over, and a surge of annoyance rose at the sight. I smashed one's head with the butt of my rifle and drove my combat knife into the other's glabella. The dead tell no tales, but I felt like I had heard a very unpleasant story.
"Tsk!"
When I first killed zombies, I even prayed for their souls. It was a psychological desire to gift complete rest to those wandering the world. Although the frequency decreased as I became more accustomed and repeated it, even now, if I occasionally felt whimsical, I would offer a short silent prayer. Of course, there would be no need for that for them. While there are eccentrics who would plant an apple tree even if the world were to end, they made the very rational choice of burning their last love. Since they had shared even a cold warmth for years, they wouldn't have any regrets left.
"Let's go."
The Jindo dog, which had been waiting outside, wagged its tail again. Considering that there was quite a distance to the inside of the restroom, the fact that it found it accurately meant it was definitely a creature I could trust. The paranoia that had been spreading like a forest fire was subsiding like a lie, and in its place, the unfamiliar emotion of trust was growing.
"Let's finish quickly up to the last floor."
Even after that, zombies were discovered one by one on the 10th and 12th floors. One was curled up under a desk wearing large headphones, and the other was standing blankly next to a luxurious chair provided in the president's office. I unintentionally saw the employee ID hanging around its neck; it was an intern with quite a bit of ambition.
"Good work."
When I finished searching up to the 15th floor, the clock pointed to 2 PM. If I hurried, it was worth attempting the sniping within today. I opened my backpack, took out the binoculars, and scanned the Enfield Shopping Mall.
'There it is.'
The central fountain didn't spray a splendid stream of water like before, but as befitting a place called the meeting plaza, numerous zombies were gathered there. Perhaps they had all entered a light sleep state, as they were just standing blankly with their waists and necks bent crookedly. I looked at them and sighed shortly.
'...Today, I'm really lucky.'
A yellow T-shirt and baggy blue jeans. The Alpha, moving brazenly among the corpses, caught my eye. It was the only individual that had not entered a light sleep state.