A few timid ones even let out terrified screams.
"W-what the… that guy… he actually fired?!"
Behind Hayato, Kakeru jolted so hard his whole body trembled.
Staring blankly at the Colt Python in Lin's hand, still wisping smoke, his legs shook uncontrollably.
T-that was a real gun.
One slip, and you'd be turned into a sieve.
In an instant, everyone scattered like a fire had started, staring in fear at the expressionless Aiden.
"Sorry. I'm not teaming up with you."
"I don't trust strangers."
Aiden's eyes were cold.
That mysterious voice never forbade players from fighting each other.
Just look at this bunch of "gems."
Taisuke the scumbag, Makoto the "headless rider"…
If he was going to cooperate with anyone, they had to know how to coordinate and be worthy of guarding each other's backs.
Unfortunately—
not a single person here met that standard.
Hearing Aiden state it so bluntly,
faces soured across the room.
But after what he'd just done, no one dared talk back.
Aiden couldn't be bothered with them anyway. Shouldering the AK, he leaned against the wall, eyes half-lidded, waiting for newbie protection to end.
"This classmate—my name is Hayato. I saw you in the classroom earlier… we should be in the same class."
Seeing the crowd disperse, Hayato finally found a chance to cut in and stepped forward.
"So?" Aiden arched a brow at the blond boy.
"Aiden-kun, I want to team up with you." Hayato grit his teeth slightly. "Forgive my frankness… it'll be very hard to survive the next thirty days alone."
"If that 'apocalypse' the person behind this mentioned is real… then all of us will be facing zombies."
That much—
Aiden knew as well.
The mission theme was survival, for one month.
So by any means necessary, if you stayed alive for thirty days, you cleared and could safely return.
The problem was…
would the mastermind be that lenient?
The codename the voice gave this run was "Left 4 Dead."
Was it the same as the game he'd played—Left 4 Dead?
If so, the difficulty would be brutal.
Forget thirty days—lasting a week would be rough.
If not for the black rune, Aiden might have accepted Hayato's proposal.
Soloing "Left 4 Dead" was notoriously hard.
But now, he was confident he could make it thirty days on his own.
"I can team up—if you agree to my terms," Aiden said evenly.
"You first," Hayato tried to seize the initiative, but the boy before him was stubborn as bedrock.
"First, you'll follow my orders at all times."
"Second, if danger hits, I reserve the right to abandon anyone who drags the team down."
"Third, all supplies go to me for first pick, no matter what."
Each condition was harsher than the last.
At first, Hayato barely managed to stay calm,
but his face soon clouded over.
"Hayato, quit wasting time with this guy. We can form our own team!"
Before Hayato could say anything,
his loyal lackey Kakeru couldn't hold it in.
The headband-wearing mop-haired boy glared at Aiden, eyes burning.
To Kakeru, conditions like that meant Aiden never intended to recruit anyone.
What was this kid so smug about?
So he could shoot—big deal?
Thinking of how the gunshot made his legs go weak, Kakeru flushed with shame and anger.
There had been plenty of girls from their school around just then.
Plenty must've seen him nearly pee himself.
He'd lost major face.
"Later."
After a long silence,
Hayato could only walk away.
To him, Aiden's pride towered too high.
In the apocalypse, what matters most?
Teamwork.
No matter how strong you are, can you really face a corpse tide alone?
Only by cooperating can you safely live through these thirty days.
Soon,
no one hovered around Aiden anymore.
Teenagers have pride in spades.
They weren't about to let someone their age call the shots.
Even the aloof Utaha had found a group of girls she knew.
"It's just zombies, right?"
"We've got guns… what's there to be afraid of?"
Feeling the reassuring weight of modern firearms in their hands, a bunch of students looked excited rather than scared.
[Newbie Protection will end soon…]
[10…9…8…3…2…1!]
(End of Chapter)
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