Leaving the Hospital
1121 Words
The maintenance tunnel was dark and damp.
Arthur and Aiko ran as quickly as they could.
Behind them, growls echoed through the basement.
The explosion had attracted nearly every zombie nearby.
"We need to move faster!"
"I-I'm trying!"
Aiko was already exhausted.
Although the healing medicine had restored some of her strength, she was still an ordinary person.
Arthur suddenly stopped.
A blue screen appeared before him.
---
Status Window
Name: Arthur Stronghold
Level: 2
Strength: 14
Agility: 13
Endurance: 15
Skills: Appraisal Lv.2
---
Arthur's eyes widened.
So this was his status.
Compared to before, he felt almost like a different person.
At least now he finally had some ability to survive.
Boom!
A distant explosion sounded outside.
The tunnel trembled.
Aiko's face paled.
"How bad do you think it is outside?"
Arthur remained silent.
From the sounds alone…
Very bad.
After several minutes, the two finally reached the end of the tunnel.
A heavy metal door blocked their path.
Arthur slowly pushed it open.
Creak...
Sunlight immediately poured inside.
The two stepped outside.
Then they froze.
Tokyo had become hell.
Smoke covered the sky.
Buildings burned in the distance.
Cars had crashed everywhere.
Blood stained the streets.
The once-crowded city was now filled with screams and monsters.
Military helicopters flew overhead.
Gunfire echoed endlessly.
Aiko covered her mouth.
"No..."
A few hours ago, this had been one of the busiest cities in the world.
Now it looked like the end of civilization.
Arthur's heart sank.
Even with the system, surviving here would not be easy.
DING!
A new notification appeared.
---
Main Mission Updated
Objective: Build your first safehouse.
Reward:
- Storage Upgrade
- Beginner Construction Pack
Time Limit: 48 Hours
---
Arthur blinked.
A safehouse?
That was actually a good idea.
They couldn't continue wandering around.
They needed food, water, and a secure place to rest.
Most importantly—
A base.
Suddenly—
"Help!"
A desperate scream echoed nearby.
Arthur and Aiko immediately turned.
A young woman was running down the street.
Behind her were several zombies.
She looked to be around twenty years old and wore a school uniform.
She tripped and fell.
The zombies quickly closed in.
Aiko's expression changed.
"We have to help her!"
Arthur frowned.
They had barely survived the hospital.
Saving another person would be dangerous.
But then—
DING!
---
Suitable Designated Female Detected.
Name: Yuna Hoshino
Age: 19
Compatibility: 95%
---
Arthur sighed.
Another designated female.
It seemed the system really wanted him to save people.
"Stay here."
Before Aiko could respond, Arthur rushed forward.
The zombies noticed him immediately.
Growl!
One of them lunged.
Slash!
Arthur's machete cut cleanly through its neck.
Another attacked.
Stab!
Dark blood splattered.
After leveling up, ordinary zombies no longer seemed as terrifying.
Yuna stared in shock.
A man was cutting through zombies like an action movie hero.
Arthur quickly killed the remaining monsters.
Silence returned.
The girl looked at him with wide eyes.
"You... you saved me."
Arthur extended his hand.
"Can you stand?"
Yuna nodded repeatedly.
"T-Thank you!"
She looked on the verge of tears.
Arthur noticed several bruises on her arms.
She had probably been running for a long time.
Aiko soon arrived.
The two women quickly introduced themselves.
Yuna had been trying to return home when the outbreak happened.
Unfortunately, her family lived on the other side of Tokyo.
She had been hiding ever since.
"Everyone died..."
Her eyes turned red.
Arthur didn't know how to comfort her.
Because countless people were experiencing the same tragedy.
The world had changed overnight.
DING!
---
Designation Available.
Would you like to designate Yuna Hoshino?
YES / NO
---
Arthur selected YES.
A faint light flashed before disappearing.
Yuna blinked.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Arthur quickly changed the subject.
He then reached into his storage.
A premium bread pack appeared in his hand.
The two girls looked shocked.
"W-Where did that come from?!"
Arthur coughed awkwardly.
"I have... a special ability."
At this point, hiding it was pointless.
Yuna stared at him.
"Like a superpower?"
Arthur nodded.
The girl immediately looked excited.
"So humanity still has hope!"
Arthur almost laughed.
Hope?
Maybe.
Or maybe this was only the beginning of a much larger nightmare.
He handed the bread to Yuna.
"You should eat."
The girl hesitated.
"But this is valuable..."
"Eat."
Her eyes became slightly red.
No one had shared food with her since the outbreak began.
Slowly, she accepted it.
The moment she took a bite—
DING!
---
Gift Successful!
500x Critical Rebate Triggered!
Rewards:
- Premium Bread ×500
- Purified Water ×300
- Energy Bars ×200
---
Arthur nearly stopped breathing.
Five hundred times?!
This rebate was even better than before.
The amount of supplies he possessed had instantly multiplied.
He finally understood.
As long as he had designated companions—
Resources would never be a problem.
This system was completely broken.
Aiko noticed his strange expression.
"Did something happen?"
Arthur slowly smiled.
"No."
For the first time—
He truly felt confident.
Maybe...
He really could survive this apocalypse.
Maybe...
He could build something much greater.
Suddenly—
A roar echoed.
ROOOOOAR!
The ground trembled slightly.
Arthur's smile disappeared.
That was not an ordinary zombie.
The three looked toward the city center.
A massive figure slowly emerged between the burning buildings.
It was over four meters tall.
Its entire body was covered in muscles.
Several military vehicles lay destroyed around it.
Helicopters fired missiles at it.
Boom!
Boom!
The explosions barely affected the creature.
The monster roared again.
Then—
It grabbed a military truck and threw it into a building.
Everyone stared in horror.
Aiko's face turned pale.
"What... is that?"
Arthur's expression became grave.
The mutant from the hospital had already been terrifying.
This thing was on another level.
DING!
---
World Warning!
Elite Mutation Detected.
Countdown until Global Evolution:
72 Hours.
---
Arthur's heart sank.
Global evolution?
That meant all zombies would become stronger.
Only three days remained.
The apocalypse was escalating far too quickly.
Suddenly—
Rat-tat-tat!
Gunfire erupted nearby.
Several armed men appeared.
They wore makeshift armor and carried weapons.
Their eyes immediately landed on Arthur's group.
More specifically—
On the food in Arthur's hands.
Their expressions changed.
One of them smiled coldly.
"Well... look what we found."
Another man licked his lips.
"Food."
The leader stepped forward.
"Hand over everything."
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
His first encounter with other survivors.
And just as expected—
Humans were becoming monsters too.
The leader raised his rifle.
"Last chance."
The street suddenly became silent.
Aiko and Yuna trembled behind Arthur.
Arthur slowly tightened his grip on his machete.
The zombies were not the only danger anymore.
Humanity itself had become part of the apocalypse.
- Writer
