On the plaza in front of the museum, two zombies wearing janitorial uniforms wandered aimlessly.
Lux fell into thought, then spent three hundred resource points to exchange for a katana.
The blade slid free of its scabbard, its silver sheen reflecting a sharp, cutting aura.
"Commander, what are you planning to do?"
HK416 looked at Lux with some confusion.
"I can't rely on your protection forever and never dare to kill a zombie with my own hands."
"If something happens and we're forced to separate for a while, I need at least some ability to protect myself."
"It was too dangerous back in the residential area. Zombies gathered too quickly, so I couldn't practice. There are fewer zombies here. Please watch over me and let me try killing one myself."
"Ohhh, Commander, go for it without worry! Miss MDR will faithfully record your heroic battle in her neural cloud!"
MDR slapped Lux heavily on the shoulder.
"Hey, hey, don't say things like you're sending me to my death! If I get bitten, remember to shoot the zombie and save me."
Lux shot MDR a speechless glare. The way MDR talked sounded like she was cursing him to get bitten.
"Commander, are you sure you're okay? Your legs are shaking. It's fine if you keep letting us protect you. I'll stay by your side forever."
HK416 asked with concern.
"That would be far too tragic for a man's dignity. I'm going!"
"Go on with confidence. Leave covering fire to the outstanding Miss MDR!"
MDR waved confidently.
Gripping the katana with both hands, Lux took a deep breath, then charged toward one of the zombies at a speed that was neither too fast nor too slow.
Seeing a living human dare rush toward it, the zombie felt provoked and let out a roar, saliva flying as it lunged at Lux with its torn mouth wide open.
"I'm not even afraid of death, why would I be afraid of you?!"
Shouting to steel himself, Lux brought the katana down hard toward the zombie's head.
A powerful recoil surged up from the hilt, and Lux felt a tearing pain in his hands.
With a wet slash, the sharp blade instantly cut into the zombie's skull, cleaving all the way down to the rib area. Even the skull split in two, gray brain matter flowing down along the cut and dripping onto the ground.
The corpse slowly collapsed backward, its strength gone.
Although he had successfully killed a zombie, Lux was not in great condition. The web of his right hand had torn from using too much force.
Smelling blood, the other zombie suddenly accelerated, its speed increasing dramatically. The abrupt burst of speed allowed it to narrowly dodge the predictive shots fired by HK416 and MDR.
That momentary mistake let the zombie rush within two meters of Lux, its body just barely blocked by Lux's one-meter-eight height.
"Commander! Get out of the way!"
Unable to fire recklessly, HK416 screamed and sprinted toward Lux, with MDR following close behind.
"I can't die here, damn it."
Roaring again, Lux instinctively slashed horizontally with the katana. The blade shaved off half of the zombie's head, and only then did the foul-smelling gray-white fluid spill from the body onto the ground.
The zombie's body stood there in an eerie posture.
"What the hell, it's still not dead?!"
Startled, Lux immediately delivered another strike to the half-headed zombie. With a thud, it finally collapsed to the ground.
"Commander, are you okay?"
HK416 rushed to Lux's side, looking worried as she saw blood on his hands.
"Help me take the blade. Do you have bandages? Wrap my hands."
MDR grabbed the bloodied hilt with her left hand, while HK416 pulled a small roll of bandages and a hemostatic spray from her shoulder bag. She sprayed it onto the torn webbing of Lux's hands, then professionally wrapped each hand with two layers of white bandages.
"Hiss."
With the danger past, the adrenaline that had masked the pain faded. Lux sucked in a sharp breath, the intense pain in his hands nearly making him cry.
"Commander, why did you use so much force? You just needed to destroy the brain."
MDR waved the katana in her left hand as if amused, teasing him as she spoke.
"I was afraid I wouldn't break through their skulls, so I went all out… When I practiced with wooden swords following anime before, I always swung with full strength… I didn't expect hitting something solid would tear my own hands apart."
Lux looked excitedly at the two dead zombies on the ground. No matter what, he had successfully killed two zombies.
His legs were a bit weak now, but this at least proved that even he could kill zombies.
"Is that the rescue team?! We're here! We're here!"
A window on the third floor of the museum suddenly opened. Two men and one woman stuck their heads out, shouting excitedly.
"Commander, human survivors detected inside the building. What should we do?"
HK416 asked.
"It looks like because you have guns, they think we're a government rescue team. Let's go in and collect all the supplies first… call me Lux. Don't call me Commander anymore."
Lux spoke quietly. He wasn't a rescue team to begin with, and he would only take survivors who were useful to him. Carrying the title of Commander might give survivors the wrong idea.
"Yes."
HK416 nodded without hesitation. MDR shrugged.
"There's a good chance there are still zombies inside the building. Otherwise, they would've already come out to meet us. Stay alert and don't let your guard down."
"Hah! Hah! Hah! Let Miss MDR properly teach these foul-smelling piles of trash a lesson!"
MDR returned the katana to Lux, then took the lead, entering the museum first.