How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Through a brief conversation, Aiden checked the condition of the targets for the mission, namely, the siblings Mia, Oliver, and James.

“So, there are no injuries, fortunately.”

Luckily, none of them had sustained serious injuries.

Aiden was relieved, as he had worried about what would happen if someone couldn’t walk.

“But… Is it only the two of you here?”

Oliver asked, seemingly bothered by the fact that there were so few people who came to rescue them.

In response to his question, Aiden pointed behind him and said:

“There’s one more.”

There, Sadie, who had just followed Arian, was visible.

Seeing the child, Oliver opened his mouth in surprise, as if at a loss for words.

“A child?”

Leaving him speechless, Aiden turned his head towards Mia.

“Do you have weapons?”

“We each have a gun. But…”

“No bullets, I presume. What type of ammunition?”

Without hesitation, Aiden shared his own ammunition with them. This, too, had already been agreed upon with the militia.

If they supplied goods like bullets or food to them, the militia promised to compensate them in return.

“Now, what’s the plan?”

“We have to leave this city.”

“Really… Are we going like this?”

Taking the offered magazine, James asked Aiden.

“What else do we need?”

“We lack manpower. It won’t be easy with just five people.”

“But you guys only entered this city with three people.”

Aiden’s remark made James show a slightly uncomfortable expression. However, he had nothing to say because Aiden’s statement was true.

“That was our mistake. We admit it. We were foolish.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Yes. But we don’t regret coming here. We just should have been more thorough in our preparations. It’s the same now. It’s difficult with just five people.”

James explained calmly, but Aiden raised his head.

“But we also came this far with just three.”

Aiden looked at Arian and Sadie. Then he spoke.

“So, with six, it’s quite feasible.”

“…”

James, as well as Mia and Oliver, stared at Aiden with puzzled looks.

Why was he so confident? They seemed to wonder.

But it wasn’t Aiden’s confidence.

He still had the worst-case scenario in mind.

However, Aiden was trying to convince them because, naturally, this seemed like the best option.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t force you, but… is there a better way?”

James, who was about to refute, twitched his lips but only let out a sigh instead.

As Aiden had said, there was no other choice.

They had already run out of the food they had. Staying holed up here because it was dangerous outside would only lead to waiting for death.

“If there’s nothing else, let’s go. We’ll head the same way we came.”

Aiden said calmly, meaning they would pass through the dangerous residential area again.

“Are the zombies… somewhat cleared?”

James asked, but that wasn’t the case.

Aiden had merely gathered the zombies in one place.

Also, the same methods they used when coming here couldn’t be used against these zombies.

It indirectly revealed Aiden’s identity as a zombie.

“No, I lured the zombies with noise.”

“Noise?”

“I used noise grenades.”

“Ah…!”

Upon hearing that, James let out an exclamation of surprise.

Noise grenades were a type of firework and, as Aiden explained, were often used to lure zombies. While not as common as bullets, it wouldn’t be strange to have them, so James nodded in understanding, believing Aiden’s explanation.

Aiden continued speaking:

“So, now they’re all crowded on one road.”

“Then… we just have to avoid that road.”

“No.”

Aiden shook his head. He didn’t lure the zombies just to avoid them.

“I plan to break through them.”

At these words, James, Mia and Oliver froze with shock.

* * *

A while later.

“Whoa…”

With a long sigh, Mia finally took her eyes off the gun’s sight.

What she now saw was an ordinary road crossing the residential area. However, on that road were the pitiful remains of possibly dozens, if not hundreds, of zombies wriggling helplessly.

It was all because of the two people and a child… Who had come to rescue Mia and her two siblings.

“Is everyone uninjured?”

Aiden, leading the group of six, asked. Mia and her two siblings, along with the others, just looked at him with a sense of awe.

“…”

To be honest, when they entered this residential area, even Mia, who had a relatively positive mindset, contemplated death.

The number of zombies on this road was overwhelming, and they only had one rifle in their hands.

While a rifle was undoubtedly an efficient weapon against zombies, it wasn’t the kind of weapon that could easily subdue such a large number at once.

Especially considering the speed of the zombies, it was a problem.

Unless they had large-caliber ammunition that could blow off arms and legs in one shot, using a standard rifle round required precise aiming at the head.

But with the number of zombies rushing towards them, it was impossible to deal with each one like that.

Could they handle a hundred zombies rushing at them with just a single rifle on this small road in the residential area?

Mia thought it was impossible.

But it wasn’t.

Although it was close, the man named Aiden demonstrated the impossibility she thought of.

Precise aiming shots fired at a speed approaching automatic fire.

Occasionally, he would lift the rifle with one hand and, with the other hand, draw a pistol to shoot simultaneously, a sight that resembled a performance.

He also maintained the front line by giving appropriate instructions to the other group members.

Was this man… perhaps a former soldier?

His face was hidden by a black helmet, so it wasn’t visible.

However, judging by the white coat and the doctor’s name tag, it seemed he used to be a doctor.

“What about the surroundings?”

Despite the gazes of the three siblings, Aiden calmly turned to Arian.

She nodded.

It meant there were no remnants left around.

“I never thought we would fight so openly like this.”

Arian spoke to Aiden with an amazed expression.

It was quite a daring move for Aiden.

But it wasn’t because he wanted to fight like this.

If there was a way to avoid a fight, he would have avoided it no matter what.

But Aiden expected that it would be impossible to avoid combat in this city swarming with zombies using conventional methods.

To realize this, he would have to once again become bait or actively use Arian’s abilities.

That would be too hasty of a solution.

Especially using Arian’s power too much was a burden now that they had no blood.

“It was the best option.”

In response to that question, Aiden simply said.

Combat was unavoidable.

In that case, rather than stealthily passing through the residential area and risking detection, surrounded by zombies rushing from all directions…

It was safer to choose the battlefield on this side and use gunfire to sweep away the zombies concentrated in one direction.

In the process, Arian was also helped for flank defense.

Most of the zombies were gathered on the road Aiden had lured them to, but that wasn’t all.

So, zombies also emerged from the sides and rear, and Arian was well-suited for dealing with them as she could read the zombie’s presence.

Thanks to it, Arian moved busily, slashing zombies here and there more than anyone else in this place.

However, she didn’t show any signs of difficulty, and indeed, she wasn’t struggling.

Observing this, Aiden finally looked at Sadie, who was beside him.

“Sadie, do you have enough bullets?”

“Yes. I have two magazines, and there are four rounds left.”

Sadie replied with a slightly agitated voice.

Just a while ago, facing many crazed zombies, this child remained calm. Of course, she forcibly suppressed the fear that approached so closely.

Still, Sadie could pull the trigger towards the corpses.

Although the hit rate wasn’t that high, Aiden didn’t mind. The situation was much different from when he taught her before.

It was not a situation of dealing with just one zombie but facing a horde.

Even for an adult, it’s natural to feel confused about where to shoot first when faced with the madness of a swarm.

So, Aiden wanted Sadie to experience that confusion directly.

Someday, even if she were alone in a situation like this, she would be able to handle it wisely.

Sadie understood Aiden’s intention, and she focused on staying calm in front of them rather than aligning her shots.

Gradually, Sadie was diminishing her fear of zombies.

Recognizing this, Aiden lightly stroked Sadie’s head with his gloved hand.

Although it may sound cliche… She was an incredibly smart child.

It was worthwhile to teach her.

“Let’s move forward then.”

Aiden continued to lead the group, advancing through the residential area.

During that time, there were frequent battles, but there was no intense confrontation like the first one.

Since they had swept away zombies that approached upon hearing gunfire, the density of zombies had significantly decreased.

Therefore, Aiden excluded the use of firearms when the number of zombies in the vicinity seemed low, opting to deal with them using only a baseball bat.

This was because the number of bullets was not abundant compared to the number of zombies.

And so, about three hours later.

“Ha…! Finally…!”

James, who had been tense all along, finally showed a smile on his face.

In his eyes, there was a wide road leading to the bridge that Aiden’s group had crossed in the morning.

They had finally reached the end of this zombie-infested city.

“While we’ve cleaned this area once, there might still be zombies. Be careful until the end.”

Aiden warned the group when he decided to give them some words of caution.

While he was doing so, Arian, who was walking beside him, tugged at his clothes twice.

It was a sign that a mutant had appeared.

Aiden responded immediately.

“Wait. Everyone, step back.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

In response to Aiden’s warning, Oliver asked.

As if he was saying, why hesitate when we finally reached high ground?

However, his dissatisfaction didn’t last long.

“Uh, there!”

Mia pointed across the road with a scream.

There stood a two-story building made of red bricks. However, next to it, a giant mass that looked like a huge lump of flesh was visible.

“W-What’s that?”

“It’s a mutant!”

Both Oliver and James exclaimed.

Gradually, that lump came out onto the road.

Squish!

It pushed aside the cars blocking its way with force and revealed its appearance.

A height reaching three meters.

However, the appearance was something Aiden had never seen before.

A body swollen like it had been soaked in water.

And arms that had grown tremendously, with what seemed like metal attached to them as if melted.

It was more gruesome and hideous than an ordinary mutant.

“…A Wielder?”

Aiden muttered while looking at it.

A Wilder.

A mutant wielding a weapon with a powerfully developed arm.

However, the monster in front of them was similar to a Wilder yet different.

Not only was it too large, but its physique was also overly massive.

A Wilder’s body was more muscular rather than swollen like that.

Moreover, a Wilder was classified as a nocturnal mutant.

This meant it wasn’t a mutant wandering around in broad daylight like this.

“Arian.”

However, Aiden didn’t dwell on such questions for long.

The immediate priority was to take down the creature.

So, Aiden called Arian in a low voice, and she nodded slightly.

Saving Arian’s power was for situations like this.

Since a mutant had appeared, there was no room for complacency.

“Everyone, step back.”

Arian pushed people aside and moved forward.

The three siblings retreated like a tide, and Sadie also safely hid behind the wall of a nearby building.

Only Aiden followed Arian closely.

At that moment, just when they anticipated a fierce battle, it happened.

“Uhuuh…”

The mutant, which had been slowly walking towards the road by pushing aside vehicles, suddenly collapsed on the spot.

As if its gigantic body had tripped over something, it fell over the cars it was pushing.

The rusty metal chassis it fell onto emitted a metallic scream.

“Why is it doing that?”

Arian ridiculed the creature’s foolish movement.

However, soon she noticed something odd about the mutant’s behavior and changed her expression.

The sensation emanating from the mutant was gradually fading away, like ink dropping into a lake.

“What happened?”

Even Aiden was puzzled by the mutant’s behavior.

“I don’t know. Is it dead?”

Dead. If that was the case, there was a simple way to confirm it.

Without hesitation, Aiden raised the barrel towards the fallen creature’s head.

And then…

Bang!

A single gunshot echoed over the desolate city once again.

Aiden had fired a 5.56mm standard round.

While deadly against humans or regular zombies, this ammunition was somewhat insufficient against mutants.

However, that bullet pierced through the skull of the gigantic mutant like a breeze.

In a single shot, the mutant’s head exploded like a balloon.

“Strange.”

Aiden grinned at the obvious and anticlimactic death.

However, his suspicion didn’t last long.

“If it’s over, let’s go! What if another one of those comes again?”

Oliver urged him from behind, expressing a concern that was quite reasonable.

As Oliver’s worry was pragmatic, Aiden momentarily put aside his doubts and turned back.

Although it seemed strange, finishing the contract was the priority.

“Move out.”

That way, Aiden and his group left Peoria.

The three siblings, who had escaped the city, exhaled sighs and cheers.

Aiden provided them with some food and water and let them stay at Morton’s temporary refuge, where they had stayed the night before.

Aiden’s van was filled with luggage, so not everyone could ride.

Originally, the Springfield militia’s request only required bringing them outside Peoria.

The rest would be handled by the militia.

Having completed the mission, Aiden headed back towards Springfield.

Now it was time to replenish the depleted resources and receive the promised rewards.