Just then, the distant growl of a beast echoed, accompanied by strange footsteps. A chill ran down Nathan's spine. He switched his rifle to three‑round burst mode, pressed his hand down to signal silence, and aimed toward the source of the sound.
Under the dim light, a dog appeared—hairless, its flesh exposed. Without a hint of tension, it slowly walked out from the corner.
Instinctively, Nathan lowered his head to meet its gaze. The sight of the bloody dog startled him, filling him with disgust. In truth, it wasn't even clear if they were truly looking at each other. In the darkness, he couldn't tell where its eyes were. Perhaps… the dog had no eyes at all.
The bloody dog—or rather, the zombie dog—opened its mouth slightly, revealing sharp fangs. Rachel, terrified, clutched his clothes and hid behind him. Alice did the same, since he was the only one armed.
There was no way to retreat, and he doubted he could outrun a dog. Nervously, Nathan tightened his grip on the rifle, aiming at its head.
Man and dog stared at each other, as if testing each other's resolve. Then suddenly—the zombie dog lunged forward. Nathan immediately pulled the trigger.
Three rounds burst out, all missing. The dog was far faster than he had expected. He quickly fired again, switching to full‑auto.
Rat‑tat‑tat‑tat‑tat‑tat!
Seven bullets sprayed toward the zombie dog. The magazine, already low, was emptied. The rounds struck its body first, slowing its charge. Then one bullet hit its head, bursting it open in a spray of blood. The dog collapsed, unmoving, clearly dead.
Relieved, Nathan quickly reloaded a fresh magazine.
After scanning the area cautiously, he suddenly remembered the system he had yet to use. He thought about finding gold nearby and asked Alice:
"Alice, do you know if there's a vault in the Hive?"
"Huh? A vault??"
The odd question stunned Alice, making her wonder if she misheard.
"Yes, a vault. Or maybe a safe with gold. No… that wouldn't work. I probably couldn't open a safe."
"Seriously… at a time like this, you're thinking about money?"
"I have special reasons. You used to work here, didn't you? You should know."
"No, I was just external security. And don't forget—I lost my memory from the gas. You're asking the wrong person."
Alice spread her hands helplessly.
"Alright. I thought maybe you'd remembered something… never mind. If you do, let me know. Rachel, if you see gold or diamonds, tell me too."
It wasn't the best time to think about money, but Nathan felt that in his own world, gathering so much gold was impossible in peacetime. Here, maybe he could. If he had a soldier to protect him, it would be invaluable.
Still, so much gold was never easy to obtain. Ordinary people wouldn't store that much. He cursed the system in his heart for being so greedy—ten kilograms of gold for the cheapest soldier. With just one hundred grams of gold, he could buy a bride in Vietnam.
In the oppressive atmosphere, Nathan distracted himself with such absurd thoughts to ease his fear and tension.
But at that moment, a man in a blood‑soaked security uniform suddenly lunged from a nearby room.
"Damn it!?"
Startled by the horrific zombie, Nathan cursed instinctively.
The zombie grabbed his shoulders, pulling him close, jaws opening wide as it tried to bite his neck.
"Damn it!—Get off me!!"
Panicked, Nathan pressed against his rifle, struggling to push the zombie away. Though slow, its strength was immense. Without three years of training, he might have been overpowered and bitten immediately.
As he stared at its grotesque face, desperate to push it back and use his gun, suddenly—
Bang!
A deafening gunshot rang out. A hole appeared in the zombie's temple, its strength fading. Nathan shoved it down to the floor.
Turning, he saw Rachel still holding her pistol, smoke curling from the barrel. Relief washed over him. The feeling of surviving death made him want to kiss the girl who had saved him.
"Thank you, Rachel. I thought I was done for…"
"It's fine…"
Rachel lowered the gun slowly, biting her lip, her face pale. Clearly, she was shaken by the act of firing a weapon.
"Let's go. We should regroup with the others."
"Wait—can you grab that pistol?"
Alice pointed at the gun in the zombie guard's pocket, hesitant about taking it herself.
"Alright…"
Not wanting to refuse, and already used to scavenging from corpses, Nathan crouched, turned his gaze aside, and quickly pulled the pistol out, tossing it to Alice.
At that same moment, from the place where the first zombie dog had appeared, seven more emerged—hairless, flesh exposed, identical in appearance.
"Oh, come on! Seven more?!"
Nathan spun around, not waiting to stare them down this time. He immediately pulled the trigger, unleashing a full barrage.
Bullets tore through the air, striking the dogs before they could sprint and use their speed.
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere. In the blink of an eye, all seven zombie dogs lay dead, their existence snuffed out.