How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“Here they come!”

Someone shouted.

The western defense line that Aiden was guarding.

Finally, zombies hidden in the darkness revealed themselves within the illumination.

“Woooah!”

The forefront was, as Arian said, the Bigfoot and the Wielder.

Leading the pack, dozens of zombies appeared from all directions.

Zombies that had been hiding throughout the city, upon seeing the bright light and humans, ran towards them like mad.

“Open fire!”

Nathan’s command echoed.

Arian’s machine gun spewed flames, and other mercenaries fired bullets.

Even without precise aiming, zombies were crowding the four-lane road illuminated by the lights.

But Aiden calmly raised the muzzle.

As he did, the Siren, just now entering the line of sight, appeared.

Amidst the chaos, a creature on the rooftop, only showing its head while hiding, slowly opened its mouth.

Was it planning to shout and retreat while staying hidden there?

But there was no noise escaping its mouth.

Bang!

In the midst of the pouring gunfire, Aiden’s sharp shot exploded the Siren’s head and passed through.

Meanwhile, Arian’s machine gun and the armored vehicle’s machine gun were also exerting their power.

The Bigfoot rushing from the front was the first to be shredded by the barrage, its body torn to pieces, collapsing on the spot.

On the other hand, the Wielder, carrying a steel plate like a shield, ran forward.

Bam!

Stepping on a pre-buried mine, its body exploded into pieces.

In an instant, dozens of zombies, who had been approaching, were erased from sight.

The overwhelming firepower of the defense line crushed the zombies.

“We did it…!”

Someone murmured like that.

However, it was a big misconception.

Due to the nature of the zombie wave hitting in the middle of the night, this was just the beginning.

“Kiaaaa!”

A sharp, ear-piercing scream was heard.

The appearance of another mutant.

At the same time, the figures of mutants and zombies, previously hidden in the darkness, came into view within sight.

“It’s a Stinger!”

“A Wielder is coming again!”

A small group of zombies rushed, beating the wall, while the Wielder, holding a chunk of metal, trampled a car as it charged.

And then-

“Ahh!”

One junk dealer fell backward with a scream.

Covered in filthy mud, he was crushed, and his upper body was pressed down, clearly dead.

Immediately, Nathan shouted.

“A Vomiter! Locate its position!”

“Inside the left building!”

The response came from Arian.

At the barely illuminated edge of the light, the creature’s face appeared.

Arian’s machine gun and the shouts of the armored vehicle bombarded the building.

As gunshots poured onto the concrete wall, it rippled like hail falling on a lake.

Soon, the Vomiter’s head became a hive and collapsed.

“The Stinger on the right! Aim for the Wielder on the left!”

Nathan, confirming the Vomiter’s death, ordered the other mercenaries.

So the gunfire continued frantically.

For almost an hour, zombies and mutants relentlessly surged toward the defense line.

Even at a glance, their numbers were considerable, exceeding several hundred.

Facing such a relentless onslaught, the defense of the army was quite sturdy, but even that nearly collapsed a couple of times before the enemy’s assault.

“Why is this happening?”

Arian asked, looking at the glowing barrel of the machine gun.

Aiden, holding the hot barrel with his bare hands, skillfully replaced it with a new one.

Decayed flesh melted onto the gloves, sticking.

To an onlooker, it might have seemed like a shocking sight, but there was no room for anyone to spare attention or be surprised in the surroundings.

“Kik!”

Just as the Stinger was about to overcome the barricade, Aiden’s rifle butt struck it, sending it flying.

The zombies had come dangerously close.

“The zombies are crossing the wall!”

A few agile Stingers had jumped over the wall like a spring.

They were quickly dealt with by other junk dealers, but the problem was in the front.

Aiden decisively grabbed a grenade placed in the defense line.

Boom!

The grenade Aiden threw sent a group of zombies flying, giving a brief respite.

Following the explosion, an incomparably louder noise erupted along the road.

Tatang!

It seemed like artillery support.

Even if I don’t know exactly what kind of weapon it is, the overwhelming firepower not only swept away the zombies but also shattered the concrete on the road.

Furthermore, the bombardment didn’t end with a single round.

It seemed that intense battles were taking place not only in this western defense line but also in other locations.

At that moment.

“Situation at N1 Barricade!”

The sound came from the radio held by Nathan.

N1 was one of the defense lines blocking the north of the occupied area.

Since the radio had been silent until now, Aiden unconsciously focused on the sound. Something must have happened.

And as expected, the radio soon conveyed the anticipated message.

“A Brutal appearance at N1 Barricade! Repeating. A Brutal appearance at N1 Barricade!”

A Brutal.

At the name of that monster-like mutant, Aiden’s eyebrows twitched.

“What should we do?”

Arian asked.

She, too, didn’t miss the voice coming from the radio.

However, Aiden, changing the magazine of his rifle, casually replied.

“There’s nothing we can do. We just have to follow orders.”

“Just let it go?”

“This is their fight. We don’t need to get involved, and we don’t have the luxury to do so.”

Aiden asserted.

Here, Arian and Aiden were just mercenaries.

But Arian, knowing the power of a Brutal, fired her machine gun while expressing her concern.

“But if the operation fails, it won’t be good.”

“…That won’t happen.”

Certainly, a Brutal was an exceptionally strong monster, different from other mutants.

Considering that it survived the firepower of a claymore bomb head-on, a simple gunfire wouldn’t be the answer.

However, if you were to ask whether the weapons the 62nd Division had were weaker than a claymore, it was not the case at all.

This army had tanks, self-propelled artillery, and howitzers using high-explosive shells, in addition to heavy machine guns.

So there was more than enough advantage against a Brutal.

“Tsk…!”

Arian made a short clicking sound with her tongue.

It wasn’t directed at Aiden.

Her eyes were once again looking into the darkness on the other side.

“It’s here too.”

There was no need to ask what had appeared.

A Brutal.

That monster had come here as well.

“Kraaaa!”

A roar, incomparable to what they had heard so far, shook the ground as the massive figure of the Brutal finally revealed itself within the illuminated zone.

Decaying flesh fluttered like a cloth over its black and shimmering muscles, resembling a corpse.

The monster, leading various mutants and zombies, rushed like a shell.

“The Brutal is coming!”

Nathan’s shout directed the continuous gunfire of the mercenaries gathered at the barricade toward the creature.

Although a Brutal had recently been discovered as a new type, its notorious reputation was enough for anyone in the junk dealing business to know its strength.

Arian, holding a machine gun, and the armored vehicle’s machine gun also showered it with bullets.

However, the Brutal effortlessly withstood every bullet of the downpour.

“Crazy…!”

Someone exclaimed with astonishment.

It hadn’t used any tools. It was just running towards them with its face covered by its two arms.

Not a single one of the pouring bullets pierced its body.

The weight of the gunfire alone barely suppressed its speed.

“…”

The power of the Brutal, which even resisted the firepower of the machine gun, was surreal.

It was impossible to stop it with just rifles.

Just as Aiden was about to reach for a grenade, something seemed to brush against the Brutal.

Boooom!

“Kwaaaaah!”

With a loud roar and explosion, a powerful blast enveloped the monster.

The sound was so powerful that it could be felt with the skin rather than just the ears.

Aiden turned around, and in the distance, one of the tanks was facing their direction.

With a 105mm tank gun, incomparable to 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine gun rounds.

The shell that turned the firepower of the claymore bomb upside down hit the Brutal.

And the result was as expected.

The arms that had easily withstood gunfire were now twisted like rags.

Furthermore, the body of the Brutal, whose right leg had been blown off, tilted and collapsed.

“Wow…!”

The mercenaries cheered at the tremendous power.

To think that they had managed to bring down the Brutal in one go.

Moreover, this victory was not only for this western defense line.

Through Nathan’s radio, it was reported that Brutals had appeared and been repelled in the north and east defense lines as well.

The army had wiped out three Brutals in an instant.

“…Quite something.”

Their power was something even Aiden had to acknowledge.

The number of zombies currently attacking the downtown of Fort Wayne was much larger than the zombie horde Aiden and Arian had fought against in Pittsburgh, risking their lives.

However, the 62nd Division was steadfastly holding its ground amidst the intense battle.

Meanwhile, the momentum of the zombies, who had lost a Brutal, had significantly waned.

Until just a while ago, zombies had been pouring out like a broken faucet, but their numbers were gradually decreasing.

Then, finally, as the last remaining zombie fell, the defense line fell silent.

All that remained were numerous piles of corpses.

Afterward, a brief period of silence ensued, but no one easily spoke of victory.

The zombie waves during the midnight would not end with just one round.

It was far from sunrise, and everyone knew this was just a short break.

“Check your equipment. Anyone need ammunition?”

Nathan spoke, checking the mercenaries, equipment, and the quantity of ammunition.

Aiden also inspected the firearms he had emptied hundreds of rounds with.

Unexpectedly, Arian’s machine gun was still in good condition, but the rifle Aiden received from the military was in a precarious state.

Should he prepare another rifle just in case?

While contemplating, Aiden received a new rifle from Nathan.

“Just a moment.”

“Why?”

“Something is coming.”

The next wave?

However, Arian’s words seemed strange for that to be the case.

She, who always informed about the types of mutants approaching, did not mention its type this time.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve felt this kind of presence.”

“…A new type.”

Aiden furrowed his brow.

The 62nd Division had provided mercenaries with information about all the mutants they had identified, as these would be the people fighting alongside them in the future. Even so, Arian not knowing the type of mutant was unusual. Not to mention, it was a new variant that even Aiden and his group had never encountered.

This wasn’t good news.

However, the bad news didn’t end there.

“Moreover, there are many other things. Where did they all come from?”

“…”

Aiden calmly prepared for what was to come.

It had been quite a while since the battle had started. So, it wasn’t just zombies hiding in the city. Perhaps even the zombies in the north of Fort Wayne, which the 62nd Division hadn’t cleaned up, were crawling out.

“It’s going to be more dangerous than we thought.”

Just as Aiden murmured so.

From the curtain of darkness that had maintained silence, a disturbing sound reached their ears.

A noise as if rough metal plates were scraping against each other.

“…What is this sound?”

Someone asked, but no one could answer.

It was an unpleasant sound that no one had heard before.

Gradually, the owner of that sound revealed itself, wetting the black curtain.

Gray fur and underneath, torn and tattered skin.

And breaking through that skin, enlarged red muscles.

The creature had the height of a human, but its body size was much larger than a regular zombie of the same height.

That’s because it wasn’t a human but a wolf walking on its hind legs.

“A Beast? No, that’s…”

Aiden scrutinized the wolf and a sense of crisis overwhelmed him.

Usually, a Beast was classified as a mutant on its own. That was because there weren’t many cases of animals infected with the zombie virus.

However, the Beast Aiden was looking at now was beyond that classification.

A wolf standing on four legs but with the height of a human was originally non-existent.

In other words, after becoming a zombie, it had undergone a mutation like other mutants.

After making that conjecture, Aiden observed the body of the creature.

Its large and swollen body and extremely developed muscles seemed as if he were looking at a Wolf or a Brutal.

“A mutated Beast…”

Aiden’s sense of crisis heightened as he examined the wolf.

If a regular zombie could be enhanced to the extent of a Brutal, how much more dangerous would it become if a wolf, originally dangerous, underwent the mutation?

There was no need to think about that.

“—–.”

The scraping noise, as if scraping against iron plates, was heard again.

It was the growl of the creature.

An eerie sound that couldn’t be considered something from a living being.

The sound made the surrounding mercenaries shiver.

Kik!

The creature that had lingered at the edge of the light like a glimpse of a ghost now fully stepped into the illuminated zone.

And, it charged.

In the blink of an eye, the monstrous wolf rushed forward, closing the distance with the group.