With the keys secured, there was no time to hesitate. Zane immediately took the lead, heading to the parking lot with Liam and Mark.
"Mark, you know these things, right? The mechanics?" Zane barked, tossing him a set of keys for one of the armored SWAT trucks.
"I can drive it, but I'm slow. It's got a radio, though," Mark replied, his eyes focused on the sturdy vehicle.
"Good enough. Liam, you take the other SWAT truck. I'll drive the biggest Prisoner Transport Van," Zane declared. He'd driven plenty of heavy vehicles in his past life; his abilities were linked to his soul, not his current body's mundane driving record.
The group worked like a highly motivated ant colony. The women quickly loaded all the boxes of ammo, shotguns, and rifles into the armored vehicles. The children were secured inside the prisoner van, which, ironically, was the safest place in the city.
Zane started the huge transport van. The engine roared to life, a sound that felt like both salvation and a death warrant.
"Liam, Mark, keep tight formation! The objective is simple: smash anything that moves. Don't stop for anyone!" Zane yelled over the radio, slamming the van into gear.
The convoy barreled out of the rear parking lot, crashing through a weak steel fence. They hit the main street, where the horde flowed like a dark river. Zane didn't even slow down. The heavy, armored grille of the van turned overturned cars and Walkers alike into roadkill, sending bodies flying as if they were made of paper. The SWAT trucks on either side acted as powerful escorts, clearing the path with sheer brute force.
The air inside was thick with the stench of decay and the metallic scent of burning engine oil, but they were moving. They were winning.
They drove hard toward the city limits. Just as the first rays of the sun pierced the smoke-filled horizon—a pale, yellowish dawn—a holographic blue screen suddenly flickered into existence right in front of everyone's faces.
[Mission Complete: Survive 12 Hours of the Calamity]
[Rewards:]
System HUD Activated! All survivors can now access the System HUD.
Individual rewards granted for each zombie killed.
Calculating Rewards...
Zombies Killed: 89 total points → 890 RP (Reward Points).
Congratulations! You are Number 1 on the Continental Ranking.
Congratulations! You are Number 27 on the Global Ranking. (Rankings will be temporarily hidden.)
Zane gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. It's here. The System.
A wave of astonished chatter erupted over the radio. Everyone saw their own results.
"Holy cow! I got 4 points! Who's Number One? You must be a god!" Chloe's voice was full of shock and awe.
Liam, however, was his usual playful self. "Zane, buddy, what was your score? I bet you were the World Number One! Admit it, you magnificent bastard!"
Zane chuckled nervously, feeling the adrenaline of the fight mix with the impact of the system reveal. "Not World Number One, Liam. I'm 27th globally, but I took the top spot for the continent."
Laughter and shouts of celebration filled the radio. They had just survived the first stage, and their 'Saint' was a continental legend.
Zane, however, felt a cold knot in his stomach. 89 kills for 27th place worldwide? He, the man who knew the future, was barely a footnote. There are people out there, even at this early stage, who are unimaginably powerful. Even though I was the one who came back from the future.
They continued driving for two more hours. Just as they were about to exit the dense urban area, a new, urgent message flashed across Zane's HUD, overriding everything else:
[New Mission: Seek Shelter]
Zone Activation! Starting now, zones are active. Each person can form a team of up to 15 people. Teams must select a territory to create their Safe Zone.
Teams can form alliances of up to 5 teams.
Time Remaining: 20 Minutes.
"DAMN IT!" Zane yelled, slamming his hand against the dashboard. He'd forgotten this would happen. In the past, they'd been hiding and hadn't come out, so he didn't know exactly what would happen now, but he still remembered the next mission.
"Everyone! We urgently need to find shelter right now! We can't stay outside, or we'll all die!" Zane yelled desperately over the radio.
Liam responded calmly, not understanding his friend's attitude but scared because the last time he saw Zane like this, the zombie apocalypse broke out—maybe this time it would get much worse. "Hey, 'Saint,' we have nowhere to go. We're still an hour away from where you wanted to go; it's impossible to get there in just 20 minutes."
The three vehicles pulled over, and they started scanning the area. They spotted a warehouse.
"I remember that warehouse... it was a popular spot. Most imported seafood products were stored there for delivery, but it was shut down a long time ago for smuggling people, drugs, and stolen goods from other parts of the world," Liam said, pointing to a huge, slightly run-down building.
"Doesn't sound bad, and there are very few people on this road. It will be easier to defend ourselves from the zombies," Chloe added while silently hugging Zane's arm to feel a little safer. Liam noticed but didn't say anything, just giving Zane a playful nudge with his elbow.
"I don't think we have a better option, so let's do it. We can take refuge there temporarily," Zane concluded.
With no better option, they drove the heavy vehicles toward the warehouse.