CRASH!
That wasn't thunder. That was the scream of metal pipes overhead giving way.
The moment Shadow barked "RUN", the electrical room's ceiling collapsed completely. Dust mixed with the smell of rust choked the air. Then, countless grey-white figures poured out of the massive breach like dumped garbage.
SCREEE—!!!
Ear-piercing shrieks filled the room.
These things were different from the zombies outside. Curled up in narrow ventilation ducts for too long, their bodies were severely hunched, skin tight against bone like moving skeletons. Their limbs were twisted for crawling, nails grown into long, sharp hooks that glinted black death under the pale lights.
They didn't pause upon landing. All fours on the ground, they sprang up like spiders, lunging at the only two living things in the room.
It was the rawest, maddest hunger for flesh after countless nights of starvation.
"Dammit! There's hundreds of them!"
My scalp went numb. No time to think. Body reacted faster than brain. I grabbed the Tang Dao from the console and turned to sprint for the blast door.
"Don't look back! Follow me!"
Shadow had already turned into a golden streak. He moved insanely fast, weaving through debris like a sharp knife cutting through air.
I gritted my teeth, pushing my upgraded Agility and Constitution to the limit, sticking to Shadow's tail.
Buzz—
The restored power system brought disaster, but it also brought a sliver of hope. Emergency lights in the corridor flared to life. Pale white light illuminated our escape route, and also the death surging from all directions.
These "Duct Zombies" weren't as strong as the hulking ones, but they were fast. And... they could climb walls!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw zombies sprinting upside down along the left wall. Twisted limbs, hollow sockets, less than a meter from my face.
"Get down!"
I swung a backhand slash. The Tang Dao sliced the air with a swish.
Shunk!
The zombie's claws gripping the wall were severed. It shrieked and fell, instantly trampled into paste by the horde behind it.
But it didn't matter.
More zombies poured out of vents, sewers, even cracks in the floor. The entire underground shelter had become a giant ant nest, and we were two intruders.
"We can't outrun them!"
I screamed as I ran, lungs burning like fire. "Too many of them!"
"Go to the Sub-Control Room!"
Shadow's voice came from ahead, firm and unquestionable. "Main defense is offline. We have to manually activate it from the Sub-Control Room! We need the auto-turrets and the electric grid to survive!"
"Where is it?!"
"Follow me! Straight ahead!"
Suddenly, a blood-red warning box popped up on the interface, accompanied by a rapid, panic-inducing alarm.
[WARNING! WARNING!][Local Infected Density Increased by 500%!][Threat Level: A (Horde Outbreak)][Emergency Defense Mission Triggered: The Last Line][Objective: Reach Sub-Control Room. Manually reboot Auto-Defense System.][Time Limit: 300 Seconds][Failure Penalty: Death.]
"300 seconds?!"
I stared at the frantic countdown. Heart trying to beat out of my chest. "Five minutes?! This place is huge, the terrain is a maze, how do we get there in five minutes?!"
"Run or die! Unless you want to be a snack for those skeletons!"
Shadow took a sharp turn into a narrow maintenance tunnel. "Shortcut!"
The tunnel was tight, single file only. Lined with scrap pipes and junk. Lights flickered overhead, sparks spitting zzzt.
This favored us. The horde's numbers meant nothing here. But if something blocked the path ahead, we were dead.
GRAAAH!
Speak of the devil.
Midway through the tunnel, two towering figures lurched around the corner.
Blue maintenance uniforms. Gripping massive wrenches and pipe cutters. Not dried-up duct zombies, but "locals" of this level.
Wolves ahead, tigers behind.
The footsteps behind us were getting closer. That dense scritch-scratch sound was a death knell.
"Don't stop!" Shadow barked. "I got left, you got right! Punch through!"
"On it!"
At full sprint, there is no time to think. Hesitate for a second, and you die.
Shadow and I were two bullets leaving the chamber, slamming head-on into the zombies.
Ten meters. Five meters.
Shadow leaped high, kicked off the wall, and clamped his jaws on the left zombie's wrist. Using momentum, he swung his body, dragging the zombie down.
At the same time, I arrived.
"DIE!"
No fancy moves. Using the momentum of the sprint, I held the sword with two hands, leveled straight ahead.
The simplest, most practical move from Basic Blade Mastery—Sprint Thrust.
SHUNK!
Driven by speed, the Tang Dao carried my entire weight and force, punching through the right zombie's chest, skewering the heart.
But zombies don't stop for a heart stab.
Its grey eyes rolled. It swung the pipe wrench with a howling wind, aiming for my head.
Too close to pull the sword out!
"Get off!"
I let go with my left hand, raised my arm, and took the hit with my damaged "Magazine Armor".
BANG!
The wrench slammed into the armor. Dull thud.
My arm felt broken. The thick magazines were crushed, and I felt the bruise forming on the skin. But the bone held.
The DIY gear saved my life again.
Seizing the gap, I twisted the handle with my right hand and pulled horizontally.
RIP!
Half the zombie's chest cavity sliced open. Black blood sprayed. I kicked it away, smashing it into the wall.
"Go!"
I ripped the sword free, didn't even look at the corpse, stepped over it and kept running. Shadow finished his fight, tearing out the zombie's throat, and caught up instantly.
"200 seconds left!"
We burst out of the maintenance tunnel.
The view opened up.
A massive transit hall, the hub connecting the parking lot to the upper levels. High vaulted ceiling. Gates leading to different sectors.
But at the other end of the hall, the heavy metal door marked "Sub-Control Room" looked like a bridge too far.
Because the hall was filled with dozens of zombies drawn by the noise. They wandered aimlessly until they heard our footsteps. Then, heads snapped toward us in unison.
Pairs of grey-white eyes flashed eerily under the emergency lights.
And behind us, the maintenance tunnel roared with footsteps and shrieks. Hundreds of duct zombies, bursting out like a dam break.
We were surrounded.
"There!" Shadow pointed a claw at the closed metal door across the hall. "Break through!"
"How?!" I looked at the wall of zombies. "There's forty or fifty of them! We'll be shredded!"
My stamina was draining fast. The Tang Dao felt heavier by the second.
"Use that!"
Shadow pointed at the center of the hall. An electric forklift sat in the middle of the path. Forks raised high, holding a massive wooden crate, teetering precariously.
"Push it over! Make a barricade! Crush them!"
I understood instantly.
"Cover me!"
I roared, ignoring the zombies lunging at me, head down, sprinting for the forklift. Shadow became a golden lightning bolt, circling me.
"Wind Blade! Wind Blade! Wind Blade!"
He spammed skills like mana was free. Cyan blades whistled through the air, chopping off hands reaching for me, slicing heads clean off.
"Woof! (Hurry! I'm out of mana!)" Shadow sounded desperate.
I reached the forklift.
It was dead, but the crate was heavy. Marked "Mechanical Parts." Probably hundreds of pounds.
Deep breath. Strength +1 pushed to the max. Shoulder against the fork. Veins popping.
"FALL... DAMMIT!!!"
I roared, digging my feet in, shoving with everything I had.
CREAAAK—BOOM!!!
The massive crate tipped. Gravity took over. The box shattered on impact. Heavy metal parts sprayed like shrapnel, knocking down a swath of zombies trying to encircle us.
Graaah!
Zombies wailed as bones snapped under the weight.
The fallen crate and scattered cargo formed a natural barrier, blocking the chasers and clearing a path to the other side.
"Beautiful!"
Shadow praised, hopping onto the crate. "Step on them!"
We ran across the pile of metal parts and crushed zombie bodies, playing a game of death parkour, stumbling toward the finish line.
[Countdown: 60 Seconds]
One minute left.
Sub-Control Room door within reach. It was a blast door with a wheel lock. Heavy. Looked like a bank vault.
I threw myself at the door. Grabbed the rusty wheel with both hands. Heaved.
Screeech—
The wheel groaned but barely moved.
"Damn! Rusted shut!"
Sweat poured down my face. Muscles spasmed. Veins bulged like worms. "It won't turn!"
"They're here!"
Shadow stood behind me, back to the door, facing the hall. Hackles raised.
The duct zombies flooded into the hall. A grey tide washing over our barricade, trampling their own dead, surging toward us in a frenzy.
Less than fifty meters. Forty. Thirty.
Withered faces. Eyes hungry for meat. Clear as day.
"Hurry up!!!"
Shadow roared in despair. Ready to fight to the death.
"ARGHHHH!!!"
I roared back.
I stabbed the Tang Dao into the ground. Gripped the wheel. Braced feet against the frame. Used every ounce of strength I had, plus the fear of death.
Strength! I need strength!
In that moment, I felt heat explode in my body. The potential from the level-up, unlocked by survival instinct.
"OPEN... DAMMIT!!!"
SNAP!
A crisp sound of metal breaking. Not the lock opening. I torqued the rusted internal mechanism until it snapped!
The blast door lost its seal. Popped open a crack.
"Open! Get in!"
I kicked the door wide. Grabbed Shadow by the scruff and yanked him inside.
BANG!
We rolled into the room. I slammed the door shut and threw the internal locking bolts.
The same second the bolts clicked home.
THUD!!!
A massive impact. Countless zombies slammed into the door. The heavy steel hummed. The plate bulged inward slightly. Dust fell.
Scritch-scratch—
Teeth-aching scratching sounds from the other side. Like a million nails scraping our hearts.
I collapsed on the floor, back against the door, gasping so hard my lungs felt like they'd burst. Soaked in sweat like I'd been dunked in a pool.
"A-Alive..."
I looked at Shadow. The proud Shiba Inu was sprawled on the floor, tongue lolling out, panting heavily. Didn't even have the energy to roll his eyes.
[Countdown: 10 Seconds]
System's ruthless beep hit me like ice water.
I snapped awake.
Not over! Mission not done! This door won't hold long. The pressure from the horde will burst it eventually. Need the defense system!
"Up! Last step!"
I scrambled up, stumbling to the center of the room. A console sat there. Three giant red lever switches. Glaring red lights.
Screen flashing: [Main System Offline.][Please manually engage Sector Breakers to reboot Defense Module.][WARNING: Incorrect sequence will result in System Lockout for 5 Seconds.]
I stared at the three levers. Brain buzzed.
Sequence? What sequence? I don't know the sequence!