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23. Search and Destroy (2)
Ssshhh... thud...
After pulling out the bolts embedded in the forehead and eyeball, I swung them in the air to shake off the sticky fluids.
Just as I was about to reload the crossbow, I heard Aunt's cautious voice from inside our home.
"Minwoo, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
After hearing the noise caused by the bald zombie, Aunt Hyeyeon carefully checked in on me out of concern.
I reassured her that I was okay and told her once again to keep the door closed. As I finished reloading, I checked the "Scanning" screen-just in case any zombies had been drawn by the recent noise.
My eyes quickly scanned the phone strapped to my left forearm.
[Zombies 4, Survivors 2, Drinking water 12L, Food for 6 days, 13 other items.]
On the map and info panel, the only change was that the number of "zombies" had decreased by one.
That was a relief.
If two or three more zombies had rushed over after hearing the noise, I would have had to retreat home and wait until they left.
I still wasn't "skilled" at dealing with zombies.
With my current ability, handling more than three at once was my limit.
Hmm... maybe just two?
"If I mess up in the middle, I'll just get eaten..."
After a moment's thought, I pressed and held the phone's volume and power buttons for about three seconds.
A "Hacking..." message and a spy logo appeared on the screen, and when I brought the phone near the 704 door lock-
Whirr... click
The motor turned and the door slid open, all without the usual unlocking sound.
"This is better than I thought."
Thinking that the "hacking" skill I bought for 50MP was well worth the money, I entered the hallway as quietly as possible.
But as if beginner's luck had run out, "trouble" found me.
"Grrr cough! Bark bark!"
"Kiiheeeek!!"
No sooner had the front door closed than I locked eyes with a Shiba Inu walking from the kitchen to the living room.
Its left ribs were fully exposed, and as soon as it saw me, the Shiba-no, the zombie dog-started barking, spraying blackish-brown saliva.
Then, the tattered bedroom door burst open, and a female zombie with a chunk missing from her thigh appeared.
"Damn... I didn't know there was a dog here."
I'd only expected the young wife who'd infected the bald neighbor, but now a Shiba Inu I'd never seen before had suddenly appeared.
I was momentarily thrown off, but my skill-boosted mind quickly started working on a solution.
Of the two zombies, I aimed my crossbow at the Shiba, which was closer and looked ready to attack.
Both, with black eyes gleaming, charged at me at the same time as if on cue.
Tap tap tap tap! Thud thud thud thud!
The Shiba and the female zombie rapidly closed in, claws and dirty paws thudding on the floor.
At that speed, they'd reach me in less than two seconds, but my breathing was steady, and my hand on the crossbow didn't tremble.
As the Shiba came within two meters, my right index finger smoothly pulled the trigger.
Thunk! Thud!
The bolt shot straight into the right eye of the charging zombie dog...
But then, something unexpected happened.
Just before the tip hit its eyeball, the dog jumped and ducked its head, so the bolt went through the back of its neck instead of the brain.
"Damn it!"
"Grrk!"
Crash!
Before I could finish off the Shiba, the former neighbor's wife lunged at me from behind.
"Guweeeek!"
Thud thud thud!
With blackened veins bulging from her arms, she stretched them forward, baring bloodstained teeth at my neck, which was just visible above my jumpsuit.
Smack!! Clunk...
"Grrrr..."
I quickly swung the stock and knocked her jaw aside, but the Shiba, now back on its feet, lunged at my left shin.
Right then,
Instead of pulling my left leg back, I let it take the hit and dropped the crossbow.
Shing...
Then I drew the knife from my belt.
Chomp! Crunch!
At the same time, the Shiba, looking oddly triumphant, sank its sharp teeth into my leg.
I felt a strong pressure on my shin...
But there wasn't even a hint of pain, and the dog's face started to look confused.
No wonder.
The Shiba's teeth couldn't even pierce the suit; they only left scratches on the tough fabric.
Plus, with the magazine-style shin guard, not even the dog's saliva touched my skin.
Next,
With my left hand in a tactical glove, I grabbed the back of its neck hard, and with my right, drove the knife in behind its jaw.
Stab!
"Grrk!..."
As the blade pierced deep into the skull and split the brain, the Shiba's jaw slackened with a bubbly sound.
Its body collapsed to the floor, and as I pulled the knife out, I stomped down on its head, crushing the bolt-pierced skull.
Squish... crack!!
I could feel something hard shatter and something soft squish under my boot.
A brutal sensation I'd never have experienced if not for the apocalypse.
Before I could even process that strange feeling,
My mind was already working out how to deal with the remaining female zombie.
With her jaw half gone from the stock hit, she was only now getting up.
"Whew..."
The female zombie, once an annoying neighbor.
I kicked her in the chest to knock her down, then mounted her and stabbed her eye with the knife, finishing my first close-quarters fight of the apocalypse.
Despite the unexpected Shiba and the dog's ducking that dodged the bolt,
I got away with only my suit stained with black blood and sticky fluids... not a single injury-a successful debut.
A little later,
As I pulled the knife from the corpse and stood up, my phone on my left forearm vibrated several times.
[Congratulations! Achievement 'Friend of a Human Turned Zombie (Medium Dog): Killed 1 Zombie Dog (Medium Dog)' acquired. Reward: 5MP.]
[Congratulations! Achievement '1 VS 2: Defeated Two Zombie Creatures in Melee' acquired. Reward: 10MP.]
[Quest 'Search and Destroy' progress updated.]
Search and secure five apartments on floors 6–8. (1/5)
After receiving achievement notifications for taking down a zombie dog and two infected at once, and seeing the quest update,
I suddenly remembered that the Shiba hadn't shown up on "Scanning."
So I checked the scanning info again, more carefully.
Then, I noticed a line I'd previously overlooked.
[...For zombie lifeforms, only those you have directly seen or contacted will be detected by scanning. As the scanning level increases, some lifeforms will be registered automatically.]
Once again, life proves that you should always read the contract and instructions carefully.
After clearing the 7th floor where my home was,
I first secured the 8th floor, where no zombies were detected.
'Both apartments are dual-income couples.'
Checking the neat interiors and photos, I confirmed both apartments had been empty for some time.
Now, it was time to head to the 6th floor, where three zombies were clustered.
But here, a problem complicated things.
On the scanned map, both 603 and 604 had open doors, and all three zombies were stuck together, not separating for even a second.
'What the...'
I couldn't picture what was happening, so I prepared to run if needed and cautiously headed to the 6th floor.
After passing the bald zombie corpse left on the 7th floor and moving as quietly as possible down the stairs, I reached the 6th floor, which was stained with blood in several places.
Then,
I saw something that defied all common sense, a shocking sight no one could have predicted-even with "fear immunity," my mind went blank.
Crunch, snap
"Guweeeek."
"Krphrrp!"
"Kerrrrk."
"Ugh! Damn..."
Apparently, the three male zombies had been "playing adult games," as their arms and legs were bound together with leather restraints.
Judging by the whip marks on their discolored skin, they'd been having fun with their mistress when the attack happened.
'So where did the woman go, and why is the door to 604 open?'
I frowned, unable to piece together what happened, but quickly decided to just deal with what was in front of me.
Stab!
Stab!
Stab!
Done.
[Congratulations! Achievement 'Both Hands Full Already: Killed 10 Zombies' acquired. Reward: 10MP.]
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