Chapter 73

Watching the chaos unfolding on the ground with obvious delight, Angolmois let out a booming, resonant laugh.

-Kuhahaha… everything is functioning perfectly, no bugs in sight. Excellent.

-Then, as planned, I shall commence the Hybrid Apocalypse sequence.

After saying this, he brought his hand to his chest, and as if taking a bow for a curtain call, he inclined his head politely toward the earth below.

-To the pitiable intelligences of Earth, even forsaken by the gods.

-You have toiled merely to survive all this time. Well done.

-May you receive a pleasant… end.

Angolmois watched the carnage unfolding on the ground with clear satisfaction, then burst into a thunderous laugh.

-Kuhuhuhu. It’s working nicely. No notable bugs. Excellent.

-Then, as scheduled, I will now initiate the Hybrid Apocalypse sequence.

Having said that, he brought one hand to his chest and bowed politely toward the ground below, as if taking a curtain call.

-To the pitiful sentient beings of Earth, abandoned even by the gods.

-You’ve worked hard just surviving all this time.

-I hope you all enjoy a wonderful end.

I led the completely panicking group into a corner of the open-air café, where three sides were blocked off.

From what I could see, unlike some zombie movies, these zombies’ vision seemed perfectly functional… so staying out of sight was crucial.

The reason I was being this cautious was simple: my physical abilities had been significantly nerfed compared to before entering the quest space. I had felt it the moment I arrived… but after fighting just now, I was certain.

‘Roughly half? Maybe even less. They really love slapping on pointless restrictions.’

“Ugh….”

“H-hic….”

“It’s over. It’s really over…”

“We’re all going to die….”

“Fuck… I didn’t live off instant ramen and grind money like crazy just for this!”

“Ahyoung… Ahyoung’s mom… please answer the phone… please…!”

Clap!!

“Everyone, focus!”

With a single clap, I snapped their half-lost attention back to me.

“You don’t need to despair that much. The situation isn’t quite that hopeless.”

A crying NPC woman screamed back at me, nearly hysterical.

“You said it yourself! You said zombies are way stronger than when they were alive! That they can jump a meter straight up! That without guns, you can’t even fight them!! And that they’ll keep coming endlessly! So how is this not hopeless!?”

I didn’t let her emotions drag me along. I replied calmly, sticking to the facts.

“That’s exactly the point.”

“…What?”

“No matter how strong they get, a one-meter vertical jump is still their limit. In other words, they haven’t surpassed human limits.”

“Ah….”

Right. That was the key. What humans can’t do, zombies can’t do either.

“They can smash car windows and bite the people inside… but they can’t break down walls or tear apart steel plates.”

“They might be able to clamber over two- or three-meter walls somehow, but five meters? Ten meters? No chance.”

The NPCs listened like my words were a gospel of salvation. Seeing that, I kept going.

“And they’re not very intelligent.”

I pointed toward the road, where zombies were swarming over cars.

“They’re breaking windows instead of opening doors. That means one of two things. Either they’re acting purely on impulse because they see people through the glass… or they understand that glass is weaker than metal.”

“The first case would be great. Even in the second case, it still means they’re not smart enough to open doors. I don’t know how good their learning capacity is, but… at least for now, the chances of them using tools or technology are low.”

“……!”

“And I’ve been observing this for a while. People who get bitten turn into zombies within about ten to fifteen seconds. But people who wrestle with zombies, get grabbed, shove them away, and escape? They’re all fine.”

“Even those who get scratched by claws or drenched in zombie blood.”

One of the NPCs muttered under their breath.

“…So you only turn if you’re bitten?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Zombie conversion probably isn’t caused by a virus or bacteria, but by some other transcendent mechanism.”

“…….”

“That’s very good news. At the very least, it means none of us will suddenly turn into zombies due to some variable we can’t control. In other words, zombification is a threat we can respond to.”

“I-I see….”

“And unlike punching or slashing, ‘a human biting another human’ is surprisingly difficult. Unlike four-legged animals, our oral and body structures just aren’t suited for biting attacks.”

The college girl NPC asked in a trembling voice.

“Th-then… what do we do?”

Keeping an eye out for approaching zombies, I answered quickly.

“I already told you. We run. And we find a solid safehouse.”

A college-looking NPC who gave off the vibe of someone who had returned to school late raised a question.

“So… you’re saying if we hole up in a sturdy enough building, we can secure safety?”

“Yes. Like I said, they’re not superhuman. They can’t break through concrete walls or steel doors. And they don’t have the intelligence to find alternate routes or use tools.”

“Is that really enough?”

I nodded firmly.

“Yes. It is. For now.”

Sure, I could be wrong… but what else could we do? Fate is fate. This was the best option available.

One of the female NPCs anxiously chewed on her nails.

“But there are so many of them… are you sure that’s enough…?”

“Hmm… sorry, what was your name?”

“Uh—Kim Minju….”

“Alright. Minju. Let me ask you one thing. Can a single person break through a 15-centimeter reinforced concrete wall with their bare hands?”

“Uh… no.”

“What about a hundred people?”

“Oh… I don’t think that would work.”

“And a thousand people?”

She stammered briefly, then shook her head.

“N-no… I don’t think it’s possible. Probably….”

“Exactly. It’s not a matter of numbers. If a human can’t do it, neither can they.”

Honestly, it’s not entirely impossible… but I didn’t think zombies who can’t even open a car door and just slam their heads against glass could manage it.

“You want a building with few windows, properly equipped fire shutters, and entrances that can be completely sealed.”

“And ideally, it should be at a height that’s hard to reach, yet offers an escape route just in case.”

“Rope ladders are essential. If you have a vehicle ready underneath for evacuation, even better.”

“Keep the elevators off just in case… and it’s wise to have strong deterrent weapons. Aluminum bats are preferable to sharp blades. And if you can quietly scavenge firearms from a police station, that’s not a bad idea either.”

As I spoke confidently, the expressions around me brightened a little. One of the group even raised their hand.

“Isn’t a gun too loud? Wouldn’t it attract too much attention?”

“Still better than nothing. If you craft a silencer, it helps even more. And… when the world goes to hell, humans themselves become as terrifying as zombies. Just having weapons is a significant advantage.”

Then it happened.

“Who… wait, who are you to speak with such confidence?”

As I quickly laid out the plan, a well-fed NPC in his late twenties wearing tracksuit pants piped up in a mocking tone.

Looking at the cheap tattoo wrapping from his forearm to bicep to neck, I could roughly estimate his personality at a glance.

“Me?”

Instead of answering, I ripped a granite tile from the café floor and crushed it barehanded.

Crack…

I scattered the broken pieces in front of him and asked casually:

“Understand? If not, I can explain it to your skull directly.”

The NPC quickly cowered, flinching.

“Ah… uhm… yes, sir. Sorry. Please continue.”

“Tch…”

…

I listened to the swallowing sounds around me and continued.

“The internet will go down, and electricity will follow soon. Water supply and sewage, the same. So it’s best to secure solar panels, rainwater, and a filtration system. Emergency generators would also be helpful.”

“The main issue, as always, is supplies. You need a way to get them. For now… ”

I shook my head as I watched the ever-growing horde of zombies.

“Demand won’t exceed supply for the moment, so if you check a few nearby shops, you should be able to scavenge food, tools, and other necessities without much trouble.”

“Vehicles are essential for scavenging… so stock up on fuel for both the car and the generator. Ideally, get a vehicle with a sturdy cargo area and enough weight to push aside smaller cars if needed.”

“Zombies won’t be able to catch up to a moving vehicle. But if the route is blocked by something heavy, it could become a coffin. Always check your scavenging route before leaving.”

As I spoke, the NPCs looked at me with admiration.

“You must be ex-special forces or something…”

“Do they teach that in the military?”

“Uh… not really…”

The cat purred and sent a telepathic message.

‘Where did you learn to fight zombies?’

I whispered back, pretending to survey the surroundings.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just the remnants of the reckless years when I believed I was chosen. A kind of embarrassing history, you could say.”

‘Meow…?’

“When I was younger, especially in middle school, I read every book I could get my hands on and imagined everything. Sometimes I even went up a mountain and acted out one-man plays with the trees. You know… I had no friends.”

‘One… one-man play?’

“For example: ‘The gate opened! Ah! An SSSSS-class monster!? You think I can’t tell it’s camouflaged as a tree! Hah! Bang!’ And yes, there were zombie series too. I ran around the hills fighting with them seriously.”

‘…….’

‘My parents caught me sometimes… I wanted to die then. But rather than hitting people, it was okay to play like that, so I kept doing it.’

‘…….’

‘I never thought all that knowledge and simulation practice would come in handy like this… it’s kinda funny.’

After a brief pause, fake-Bel hesitantly spoke.

‘…Can I laugh?’

“Do as you like. If I, the protagonist, find it funny, imagine how funny it must be for you.”

‘Puhuhuhuhuh!’

While the cat rolled around at my feet, I resumed my explanation.

“Later, if you have the chance, tying ropes between buildings could also be useful.”

Then suddenly,

“Practice climbing ropes ahead of time. It might save your life… wait.”

A cold sensation shot down my spine.

I instantly went silent, gripping my metal rod tightly. The NPCs tensed, holding their breath.

The panicked group looked around nervously.

“What… what is it?”

I said nothing, focusing intently.

From here, neither the café interior nor the outside was in view of any zombies. For now, none were targeting this spot.

Yet still, this sense…

“…Above?”

Trusting my instincts, I looked up.

“Huk…!”

What I saw made my breath catch.

On the fourth floor of the building across the street, pressed tightly against the full-length glass windows, were zombies staring blankly down at us.

Every single one of them was wearing those ugly ocher-colored pajama-like outfits you’d see in a Korean bathhouse.

Then my eyes caught the sign beneath them.

Old Sanctuary Holy Spirit Church.

Old sanctuary? Old sanctuary? Ah… wait. Don’t tell me—that one that used to be on TV?

It took me less than a second to recall that the name belonged to a once-notorious cult masquerading as Christianity.

I let out a hollow chuckle.

“No matter how much you base this on my memories… you seriously had to recreate this too?”

And just as expected, the situation immediately veered toward the worst possible outcome.

CRAAASH!!!

As if they’d been waiting for my attention, the zombies smashed through the windows and began pouring down.

“Ughhhk!!”

“KYAAAAAA!!!”

The NPCs screamed as they finally noticed the falling zombies.

Two of them even went limp at the knees, soaking their pants with bright yellow liquid.

Jesus. For a mini quest, the difficulty curve is insane. If after all this they reward me with some ‘unique item’ like a rusty dagger or something… I swear I’ll hunt down that demon bastard myself and crack his skull.

Thud! Crunch!! BOOM!!! CRACK!!!

Zombies slammed into the ground, bodies snapping and twisting on impact.

But aside from the few whose heads were crushed, the rest would obviously get back up and charge us again.

Gripping the metal pole I’d pulled from the parasol earlier, I shouted:

“A car! Who parked a car nearby?!”

A man in a dress shirt and slacks raised his hand.

“M-me! Th-there! The gray one! That’s my car…!!”

I followed where he was pointing and spotted a large SUV parked along the road some seventy to eighty meters away.

‘Four-wheel drive, six seats. If we cram in, we can fit everyone.’

I yelled at him.

“Bring it here!”

“B-but the zombies—!!”

Keeping an eye on the thirty or so zombies starting to rise, I barked orders at one college-student NPC and the familiar thug NPC who was still wetting his pants.

“Escort him!”

“What the fuck?! There are zombies out there!!”

“Y-yeah… th-the zombies…”

This wasn’t the time for explanations.

I yanked another metal pole out of a nearby parasol.

CRACK!

I twisted my body and hurled it with everything I had.

SKREEE!! BANG!!!

The pole pierced straight through a zombie’s abdomen and punched into the sidewalk bricks.

“H-huh…!”

Seeing the zombie impaled in place, its spine seemingly severed as its torso folded backward and its guts spilled out, the two NPCs gulped audibly.

“Wanna die by my hand, or follow him?”