I don’t have enough Z-Chips?

Z-Chips are well, the premium currency you use to make your gacha pulls in CWO.

Each gacha pull cost 100 Z-Chips just like the game, and the "pity system", or guaranteed 6-star would be given at 100 pulls.

Well, that's if you're astronomically... unlucky. 

Cough. Back on topic.

I always made sure to have a stockpile ready for new characters, so I was sure I still had enough. No, come to think of it… why did I assume currency would be carried over? This wasn't a game anymore. 

"...Sigh." So it's that pattern. 

I paused for a moment to recollect myself.

“...Let’s do a currency check.”

Z-Chips: 0

 

…

…

… …It’s all gone. Smile through the pain, me. I expected this...

All that currency… I can’t buy it ever… again? Wait, hooooold on.

I tapped on the (+) right beside my currency total.

Obtain More Z-Chips?

[Yes]— Tii-ring!

I sat back down on the couch and frowned.

The UI was refreshed with two more icons.

[Combat Milestones] [Missions]

"I can't buy them..."

The "Shop" was missing.

Everything else, however, mirrored the game to a tee, even the way to acquire free chips. Looks like I'm only able to farm for Z-Chips through "game progression". In this context however... progression only means...

Combat Milestone. That is the beginner system of the game that ensured that the player understood the basics of the game. There were a total of 10 milestones, scaling with difficulty and each with a 1,000 Z-Chip reward, basically ensuring the player hit their first guaranteed 6-star.

But as far as I know of the game, CWO didn't have "zombies" as a mob type. Perhaps this was the biggest difference between [Cyber World] and [Cyber World Online]— Mechabeasts, or any of the enemy mobs unique to Cyber World Online no longer appeared as part of the milestone requirements. Come to think of it, it probably made sense since only "zombies” exists now as enemies. 

Next were the missions.

[Mission 1] Do a 10-pull in the gacha. Reward: [4-Star Weapon Selector]

[Mission 2] Level up a character to 5. Reward: [4-Star Augment Star]

Missions are easy to explain. They unlocked in twos, which meant that you wouldn't be able to receive new missions if you couldn't clear either one. They usually gave more practical rewards than currency, usually in the form of character equipment. Well... these two missions didn't start us off properly.

...Wait, am I softlocked?

"You're kidding me." The first hurdle was unreasonably set to defeating a zombie... Without that, doing a 10-pull was impossible from the start. Looks like there's no other way if I wanted to use the gacha. But with me alone, is it even possible? A part of me rejects the notion of facing a zombie head on. Another is telling me to do a 10-pull, no matter what.

...Because if this system is real life, what does that make the characters that inhabit the game?

Gulp.

There was a long mental battle within me, but my desires won out. And more importantly, my intent to survive. There is no other way than forward if I didn't want to die. Food and water is going to run out eventually. If I'm getting out to gather resources, I'll run into zombies eventually anyway. Even now, people are dying. The corpses will pile up, and I won't get an opportunity soon if I can't even leave my front door. 

I'm going zombie-hunting. Of course, not without preparations. I had to make sure there were safety margins, and a definite way to defeat a zombie.

Those things were fast on the news. Since their brain limiters were unlocked, zombies could utilize the true capabilities of the human body. As a result, they were fast runners, and very aggressive biters, almost as if they're drugged on adrenaline constantly. Even on a one-to-one, I'll probably only stand a chance if they're caught off guard...

Realistically, bones would turn brittle under the cold and flesh would decompose if given time, but I had a feeling that these zombies would turn logic over its head. After all, I was one such rule breaker, and perhaps, ...I wouldn't be the only one.

...Weapon. I'll need a weapon at least.

...!!

Something flashed in my mind just then. Weapon... the doctor was given a weapon when the game started!

Aid... hold on... there should be something...

A smile crept up on my face.

As expected, I found it. There was a bag icon at the corner of the UI, shaking lightly as if to prompt me to tap on it.

Ti-ring!

You have obtained [Beginner Package].

Ah. Inventory was unlocked. I quickly opened the package first…

You have used [Beginner Package]. Obtained: [1x] [3-Star Weapon Selector] [5x] [Weak Nanohealing Pill] [5x] [Basic Doping] [1x] [Hyper Doping] [5x] [Breakthrough Material Selector] [5x] [Skill Enhancement Material Selector]

I took a deep breath, and smirked.

Defeating a zombie… It might not be that difficult, after all.

[Use: 3-Star Weapon Selector] Choose 1 of the following: [One-Handed Sword] S-3149 Plasma Saber [Combat Consumable] Nano Disruptor Cartridge [Two-Handed Gun] Heavy-Duty Photon Pulsor [Body Equipment] Low-Efficiency-Charge Gravity Gauntlet

I looked out of my apartment window with my phone lens zoomed in. Ah… it’s started. People are running. Corpses are falling to the ground as they are swept by human waves. In the distance, gunshots could be heard. The zombie apocalypse… is starting. I couldn’t stop my heart from racing. 

Today marks my first day of surviving in the zombie apocalypse.

...Let's see if I'm the hunter, or the hunted.

 

---

 

Sara closed her eyes.

Boom— There it was again, this was the fourth one in a row. She had been hearing soft explosions happening beneath the apartment.

It must have happened to the floor below too. Sara tried not to think too much about it, but it was impossible. She was stuck here. Her arms were hugged around her body, as she curled into a fetus position.

The surroundings were dark, narrow and claustrophobic. Yet despite the discomfort, Sara didn’t dare move an inch. On the contrary, the girl tried her hardest to keep herself from trembling too much.

Because… she wasn’t alone.

Thump… Thump… Thump… 

Speak of the devil. The person she dreaded was approaching. The sounds of someone walking up the stairs could be heard. Sara could hear the footsteps coming closer.

“Saraaa… Sara, whereee arrrrreee youuuu?”

Thump. Thump. It grew closer.

“Saraaa, don’t ignoooreee mee… come outttt okayyy? It’s safeee nowww…”

Those slurred words gave off a stronger sense of uneasiness, and that made the girl even more frightened. She wouldn’t believe a single word that person says. Because just a moment ago, she saw him

Sara dispelled the scene in her head, and kept herself from throwing up

“Saraa… your stepppf-f-f-faaatherr issss okaayyy… you c- you c-c-c-cannn coomee out noww… uuegghhhh…”

Sounds of heavy scratching at the skin. Followed by an attempt to gag, as the faint splash of liquid could be heard right after.

“Screech…S-S-Saaaraa, are youuuu heee-hee…heeere?”

Her “stepfather” had now entered her bedroom. Sara’s eyes opened, and trembled even more as she saw the discoloured feet limping across the floor. A trail of blood could be seen under it.

“Arreee… y-y-youu he-heeree?”

“Arreeee you, h-h-hereee?”

“Screech… Saraa?”

“Saraaa?”

 

His feet stopped before her bed.

There was a long pause.

 

And then… a grotesque-looking face peered down the bottom of the bed.

“SARA?”

Her body froze in terror.

“Found you.”  

 

“Hiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Sara’s “stepfather” reached out his arm towards her.

A girl wearing a high-school uniform was pulled out of hiding. Her sweat stuck to her face and clothes, having hidden in a tight space for so long. 

“Nooo! Please snap out of it…stepfather …please!” Her cries were ignored, as the half-zombified man stared at his daughter with bloodshot eyes.

“F-F-Fooor a looong time noww… I haaave a-a-alwaaayss ress-s-s-sissted the urggeee…”

“Hiiiiii…!!” Sara struggled even harder as she noticed what he meant.

“Siinceee I’mm about too t-t-turnnn anywa-aayy…”

His tongue slithered over Sara’s cheek.

“No… please… no… d-don’t do this…” Sara was by no means a dainty girl. But even for a man, the strength exhibited by her stepfather was unusually strong. 

“I will haaa-aaavee a tasssteeee… of myyy prreeeccioouss daauugghtteeerrr…”

The man’s mouth opened wide to an abnormal degree, as the corners of the skin stretched and peeled off in red.

“S-Someone… Not like this… Someone…!!! HELP—”

“—Oi!”

Astonishment filled her eyes. Behind her assailant, there was a masked stranger.

“Screeeechhh!!!” The zombie, fully turned, felt the presence and reacted to its back.

But something was forced into its gaping mouth.

A cylinder?

Unable to move its teeth comfortably, it unconsciously put in more force into its fangs. But something was weird, its teeth was… glowing?

“Look away!”

Immediately realizing that she was being talked to, Sara kicked the zombie which had momentarily lost its grip on her, and turned to face the wall.

What followed was a bright flash of light, and a familiar-sounding explosion— Sara’s eardrums rang in the next moment, but just faintly, she could hear something being beat up as she struggled to recover her senses.

How long had passed? Seconds? Minutes? Sara cowered in a corner to avoid danger.

When her shaky vision returned, Sara blinked and reassessed herself. She was fine. The only living person in the room was now just her alone. The zombie lay flat under a puddle of black blood. Its head was completely caved in, as if smashed brutally by a bat. Its mouth was stuck with the same cylinder Sara saw just before she got blinded.

It seemed to be some kind of flash grenade.

The stench of blood permeated the room, causing Sara to flinch and cover her nose.

“What on earth just happened…”

At the very least, she was… saved? Sara heaved a sigh of relief, and finally felt strength leaving her body. She had held her tension in for too long. When she was finally out of danger, the girl could then relax a little.

Someone had saved her. Whether it was coincidental or not, she was saved from the worst possible scenario.

But her saviour… she couldn’t identify him. Sara could tell that he was at least a male from his muffled voice. But everything else was uncertain; that person was wearing a hood and a mask, almost as if trying to not stand out. 

Sara hurried to the living room and spared a grimace at the half-eaten corpse of her mother. She reached her open front door, and peeked out into the bloody corridor. There he was! Sara caught a glance of him taking the staircase. 

Now what?

It only took a moment for her to consider her next plan of action. Her apartment still had supplies, but how long would they last? Her parents were both dead. She didn’t know anyone she could call to save her in a moment’s notice.

The only possible way to survive was to stick with someone strong enough to fend off the zombies, at least… until help arrived.

That person… she had to chase after him.

As she approached the staircase, she was forced to stop again.

Tonight was truly full of surprises.

...

“It’s… midnight… right?” Sara was right to question herself.

The sky was changing colours.

Was it accurate to call it an aurora? No… the lights seemed to be splitting apart, almost as if it was a living creature.

Many people looked out of their windows at the same time. The ones fighting for their lives too, were momentarily distracted. Common folk, soldiers, world leaders. They looked up in wonder, all forming their various thoughts.

Amidst the pandemonium happening in the country, at that moment, those lights were the only thing that many saw on that day as the definite sign of change.

The world was about to change.

"Ah... purple." The sky slowly settled to a violet hue. And with ten streaks of light, nine blue and one purple beams fell from the sky.

After zombies, had aliens come to pay humanity a visit this time?

 

“...Fuck!” 

But before Sara could comprehend the meaning of this strange phenomenon, she was forced back to her senses from an expletive coming from the staircase.

It almost seemed like a shout full of grievances.