"…Mister Chipmunk?"
The tiny creature in front of her froze for a split second, then immediately began tugging at the rifle strap again, dragging it inch by inch across the floor. His tiny body strained with the effort, paws slipping, breath coming out in quick, sharp huffs.
"Chi—chi—!"
He stopped, panting, then stood up on his hind legs, wobbling slightly as he raised one tiny paw and shook it at her in visible frustration.
Inside, Jeff was losing his mind.
Take the gun, you fucking idiot! Take it! Or you're going to die!
All that came out was a series of sharp, frantic squeaks.
"Chi! Chi-chi!"
Mei blinked, stunned, her fear momentarily interrupted by confusion as she looked down at him. Slowly, her expression softened, her hands lifting slightly, cupping toward him.
"Mister Chipmunk… come here," she said weakly. "I'll protect you…"
Jeff froze.
No no no no—what are you doing?!
He immediately backed away, shaking his head—tiny, frantic movements—then turned sharply and pointed at the rifle on the ground, squeaking louder this time, more aggressively.
"Chi! Chi-chi!"
He jabbed his paw toward the weapon again and again, then turned and pointed toward the stairwell, where the struggle still continued—Yu-hao shouting, the infected soldier snarling, bodies slamming against concrete.
Mei followed his gesture, her eyes widening slightly as reality forced its way back in.
"I… I don't know…"
Jeff squeaked again, louder, more insistent.
"Chi! Chi!"
Shoot them! God damn woman, just shoot them!
For a moment, she hesitated.
Then—
"…Okay."
Her voice trembled, but she moved.
She reached down, grabbed the rifle with both hands, and struggled to lift it, the weight far heavier than she expected. It wavered in her grip as she stood, arms shaking as she tried to steady it.
"Why is this so heavy…?"
Jeff didn't wait. He scrambled up her leg, claws gripping fabric as he climbed onto her shoulder, nearly slipping before catching himself in her hair. From there, he leaned forward, tiny paw extending, pointing directly toward the two figures struggling below.
"Chi! Chi!"
Shoot them! Shoot!
Mei swallowed, trying to aim.
Down below, Yu-hao saw her.
His eyes widened in horror.
"What the hell are you doing?! Don't shoot me—!"
She pulled the trigger.
The rifle roared to life.
The burst of automatic fire exploded through the stairwell, deafening and violent. The recoil hit her instantly, jerking the weapon upward as bullets tore downward first—slamming into the infected soldier's back, punching through flesh, then through him into Yu-hao.
Both of them screamed.
The gun kicked harder, climbing uncontrollably as she staggered back, firing into the ceiling, concrete chipping and dust raining down as the burst continued.
Jeff nearly lost his grip, clinging desperately to her shoulder as the world shook around him.
"Chi—!"
The infected soldier roared, twisting violently as the bullets tore into him. Slowly—too slowly—he turned toward her, his body still moving despite the damage.
Mei screamed.
She squeezed the trigger again, eyes snapping shut as she fired blindly, the rifle bucking wildly in her hands.
The shots struck higher this time in a violent burst.
The infected soldier's head snapped back, blood and bone bursting outward as the final rounds tore through his face.
He dropped.
Hard.
The rifle fell from her hands, clattering to the ground as the echo of gunfire faded, leaving only the ringing silence behind.
Mei collapsed slightly in place, screaming, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Jeff covered his ears, tiny paws pressed against his head.
God damn it, stop screaming!
He scrambled up slightly and smacked her cheek with his tiny paw.
"Chi!"
Get a grip!
She flinched, her eyes snapping open, breath hitching.
"What—what is it—?"
Jeff immediately turned, pointing down the stairwell, his body tense.
"Chi!"
Listen!
She halted for just a moment, and then she heard it.
From below came the sound of movement, not a few, but many.
Footsteps came fast through the flooded streets and into the stairwell, snarling and roaring as they began climbing up the stairs.
Her breath caught.
"…Oh no…"
Next to her, Yu-hao's body twitched and slowly, he began to rise.
Mei didn't wait.
She grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulders as she turned and ran, sprinting up the stairs as fast as she could, her shoes squeaking against the concrete with each step.
Behind her, something followed.
More than one.
"Mister Chipmunk—what do we do?! What do we do?!" she cried, her voice breaking as panic took over.
Jeff clung to her shoulder, turning his head back briefly before snapping forward again, pointing upward with urgency.
"Chi! Chi!"
Up! Just go up!
She didn't argue.
She ran.
Step after step, faster, pushing past exhaustion, past fear, until at last she reached the final landing—the top of the stairwell, where there was but a single door.
She slammed into it, fumbling with the latch before forcing it open.
Cold night air hit her as she burst out onto the rooftop.
She stumbled forward, breathing hard, eyes wide as she took in the scene—the burning city beyond, the distant helicopters, the chaos stretching out in every direction. And there, in the center of the rooftop, stood the small, box-like apartment structure, silent and still against the night.
Behind her, the stairwell door creaked as it began to swing shut under its own weight.
Mei turned instinctively, her breath still uneven from the run, just in time to see the gap narrowing. For a brief second, she expected something to burst through it—hands, teeth, something reaching—
But nothing came.
Instead, Jeff leapt from her shoulder.
He hit the rooftop lightly and immediately bolted—not back toward the door, not toward his old room, but straight toward the far edge of the building.
Mei blinked in confusion, then hurried after him.
"What is it, Mister Chipmunk?"
He didn't answer.
He reached the ledge and stopped, tiny claws gripping the rough concrete as he peered out across the gap.
Another building stood opposite—same height, same structure, separated by an alley below, maybe eight to twelve meters across, dark and flooded far beneath. The drop was easily seven floors down.
Jeff's tiny chest rose and fell quickly.
…Too far to jump.
His eyes flicked back, then forward again.
Think… think…
"System…" he muttered inwardly, panic creeping into his thoughts. "Come on, give me something… cheap… something useful…"
A bridge maybe, but no. That's too expensive.
He hesitated—
Then it clicked, what about a plank.
"Yeah… yeah, just a plank. One plank. That's cheap, right?"
The air in front of him shimmered faintly, as though reality itself hesitated for a moment—then, with a soft burst of smoke, like a small cloud popping into existence, something solid appeared midair and dropped with a sharp clatter across the gap.
A long, narrow wooden plank.
It struck the opposite rooftop, bounced once, then settled into place, forming a crude, slightly uneven bridge between the two buildings.
Mei stared at it, her mind struggling to catch up.
"…Huh?"
She looked at the plank, then slowly down at the chipmunk.
"Mister Chipmunk… how did you—"
"Chi! Chi!"
Jeff didn't give explanations, for he couldn't, and honestly, he himself didn't really know what he was doing to begin with.
He sprinted across immediately, his tiny body darting along the plank with surprising speed and balance. Reaching the other side, he spun around and waved both paws at her urgently.
Move! Move!
The plank shifted slightly beneath the wind.
Mei swallowed.
"…I… I can't…"
"Chi! Chi!"
His squeaks sharpened, frantic now.
She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to move. Quickly, she slipped her backpack off and tossed it across first. It landed hard on the opposite rooftop, right next to Jeff.
"Chi—!"
He jumped back just in time, nearly getting flattened.
She didn't notice.
Taking a breath, she stepped onto the plank, her arms lifted slightly for balance as she began to cross, slow and careful, her gaze fixed straight ahead.
The wood creaked faintly beneath her weight.
"…Okay… okay…"
But then, halfway across, the rooftop door behind her burst open with a violent crash.
Mei flinched instinctively, turning just enough to see the infected there, several of them spilling onto the rooftop in a rush.
Her breath caught.
Jeff saw it as well, his tiny body going rigid.
…Oh shit.
"Chi! Chi!"
Run!
Her control broke instantly and she ran.
The plank wobbled violently beneath her sudden movement, shifting side to side, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. She ran the rest of the way and stumbled onto the rooftop, grabbing her bag as she gasped for air, and then she ran.
Behind her, three of the infected reached the plank. They didn't hesitate at all, they just ran across it. Unsteady, but fast.
More followed behind them, a growing mass pushing forward without coordination, bodies piling onto the narrow wood all at once.
The plank groaned.
Shifted.
Then suddenly jerked sideways under the weight.
The rear end slipped free.
And the entire group lost their footing.
Bodies tumbled together, dragged by momentum as the plank twisted and dropped, sending the mass of infected crashing down into the flooded alley below. Their screams and impacts echoed faintly from far beneath.
But the first three continued to charge at Mei. Her chest tightened as she glanced over her shoulder and saw them coming.
"No—!"
Jeff meanwhile hadn't hesitated at all, he had already made it to the edge of the roof. Now ahead, a slightly taller building rose just beyond reach—one floor higher, close enough to climb if there was a way.
"System!"
Another soft burst of smoke.
From it, a long metal ladder dropped into place with a sharp clang, bridging the gap upward between the rooftops at an angle.
Jeff was already climbing, claws scraping against the cold metal rungs as he rushed upward, his tiny body moving as fast as it possibly could.
"Chi! Chi!"
Up! Up!
Mei followed immediately, grabbing onto the ladder and hauling herself up after him. Her movements were clumsy now, drained of strength, her arms trembling as she forced herself higher one rung at a time. Her hoodie—light grey, oversized from wear—shifted loosely around her shoulders, the sleeves slipping down toward her wrists as her grip weakened. Strands of her long black hair clung to her face, damp with sweat, framing wide, panicked eyes that had lost all sense of calm.
Behind her, the first zombie slammed into the base of the ladder.
The entire structure jolted violently.
A hand shot upward, fingers clawing for her ankle.
"Ah—!"
She kicked instinctively, her sneaker—worn white with faint scuff marks from daily use—slamming downward just as those blackened nails scraped against the rubber sole. The impact barely pushed it away, but it was enough for her to pull herself higher.
Then the other two hit.
All three crashed into the ladder at once, their combined weight sending a violent tremor through the metal.
The base shifted.
Slid.
Tilted—
Then dropped.
Mei screamed as the support vanished beneath her feet, her body falling backward into open air, but her hands caught the ledge.
Barely.
Her fingers locked onto the rough concrete edge, nails digging in hard. The red polish on them—chipped slightly from earlier, but still visible—scraped against the surface as she clung on, her entire body dangling over the drop. Her legs kicked against the wall, her shoes scraping desperately, searching for anything, any kind of foothold.
"Help—!"
Her voice cracked, thin and terrified.
Above her, Jeff froze.
For a moment, he just stared.
…Just leave.
The thought came sharp and immediate.
He was a freaking chipmunk.
She was done for.
With arms like that, she wasn't pulling herself up.
And even if she did—why did he even care?
He made it.
He was safe.
He didn't need her.
Did he?
He took a step back.
Then stopped.
Because he looked at her.
Really looked.
Her face tilted upward toward him, pale beneath the dim light, her features soft but strained, her lips trembling as she fought to hold on. Her eyes—dark, almost black in the night—were wide, glossy with tears, filled with something that made his chest tighten in a way he didn't understand.
"…Tch."
Below him, Mei's voice broke, small and shaking.
"Mister Chipmunk… please… just go…"
Her fingers slipped slightly.
"I… I can't… I can't pull myself up…"
Her arms trembled violently, shoulders shaking as the strength drained out of her.
Jeff clicked his tongue sharply, unable to watch it anymore.
"Chi—!!"
What do you mean you can't?!
He rushed forward and grabbed onto the sleeve of her hoodie with both paws, digging his claws into the fabric as he pulled with everything he had.
Nothing.
She didn't move.
He strained harder, his tiny body shaking with effort, every muscle in him tightening as he pulled—
Still nothing.
"…You've got to be kidding me…"
He glanced at her arms again, at how they shook, how little strength she had left.
"…Didn't they make you do any pull-ups at school?! Come on, Asian girl! You're right there!"
"Mister Chipmunk… I'm sorry…"
Her grip slipped again.
"I won't make it…"
Jeff's mind spiraled.
Think.
Think!
"System!"
"How many points do I have?!"
"Current despair value: 12,782."
"…Oh, nice, so I guess a lot of people are feeling pretty bad right now…"
Strength.
He needed strength.
Gym strength, like steroids—
"…No, no—wait—"
Games were better, something like potions and buffs.
"…Yeah—!"
"System! Give me a strength potion! A minor one—just a small boost, that's enough!"
There was a brief pause.
"Request accepted. Minor strength enhancement purchased. Deducting 10,000 despair points."
A small cloud of smoke burst into existence in front of him, swirling briefly in the night air before something heavy dropped out of it into his paws.
Jeff barely caught it. The impact nearly knocked him over, his tiny body dipping forward as he scrambled to keep his footing on the rough concrete. He steadied himself, breathing hard, then slowly looked down at what he was holding.
"…What the hell?"
It wasn't a potion, not even close.
It was a syringe.
A large, metal-framed syringe, easily as long as his entire body, its glass chamber filled with a thick, glowing green liquid that pulsed faintly like something alive. The needle alone was horrifying—long as his arm, thicker than his tiny fingers, sharp enough that just looking at it made his skin crawl. It gleamed faintly under the distant flicker of firelight from the burning city beyond, looking less like medicine and more like a weapon.
Jeff stared at it, then at himself.
If he used that on his own body, it wouldn't be an injection. It would be like getting stabbed by a sword.
"…Yeah, no. I'm not doing that."
But then the thought hit him.
Ten thousand points.
That was… ten thousand dollars.
His grip tightened around the syringe, the weight of it suddenly feeling very real in his tiny paws.
"…Are you serious right now…?"
He looked down at Mei.
Her fingers were slipping again, trembling violently as they clung to the edge. The red polish on her nails scraped helplessly against the concrete, flaking at the tips as her grip weakened. Her whole body shook with the effort of holding on, her shoulders straining, her breath breaking into uneven, panicked gasps. Her face tilted upward toward him—pale, tear-streaked, framed by strands of long black hair stuck to her cheeks. Her brows were drawn tight, her lashes wet, her lips trembling as she fought to hold on just a second longer.
She looked desperate.
…and kind of cute.
"…Ah, damn it…"
He hesitated.
Was he really about to dump ten thousand dollars into this random girl?
This random Asian high school girl he didn't even know?
Every instinct in him pushed back.
He had spent years mocking people for throwing money away—on girls online, on useless causes, on charities that swallowed ninety percent and spat out the scraps. The world didn't reward kindness. It never had. If anything, it punished it.
And now—
Now he was about to burn ten grand on someone he'd met five minutes ago.
"…Wow."
He stared at the syringe.
"…Am I actually a simp?"
A small, frustrated squeak slipped out of him.
"Chi…"
Ah, shit.
Before he could think about it any longer, he moved.
Mei barely had time to react as he stepped forward and drove the needle straight through the sleeve of her hoodie and into her arm. The fabric tore with a soft rip as the tip punched through and sank into her skin.
"Ah—!"
She cried out sharply, her body jerking in shock. Her grip faltered for a terrifying instant—
Jeff pushed down on the plunger with both paws, forcing the thick green liquid into her bloodstream.
The syringe slipped from his grasp almost immediately after, tumbling out of his hands, spinning once in the air before disappearing into the darkness of the flooded alley below.
Jeff didn't even glance after it.
"Don't fall!" he squeaked instinctively. "That's ten thousand dollars I just spent—make it worth it!"
Mei's body went still.
For a fraction of a second, her eyes widened—
Then they flashed.
A sharp, unnatural green light ignited within them, flooding her irises completely. The glow burned bright and hollow, erasing everything human from her gaze—no pupil, no softness—just a luminous green, like something foreign had taken hold.
Her breathing hitched.
And then—
Her left arm gave out.
Her fingers slipped from the ledge.
Her body dropped, leaving her hanging by one arm.
"NO—!"
Jeff's heart seized.
But she didn't fall.
Her right hand held.
Barely.
She hung there, suspended over the drop, her body swaying faintly in the empty air.
For a moment, she didn't seem to be there at all.
Then—
Her head lifted.
Those glowing green eyes locked onto him.
And she smiled.
"Mister Chipmunk… I feel… rested," she said softly, her voice distant, almost dreamlike. "I feel strong."
Jeff blinked.
"…What?"
She looked down at herself, still hanging there by one arm, then at her left hand as if she had only just realized what was happening. Then she glanced briefly toward the alley below, where dark shapes moved through the floodwater.
And then—
She moved.
Her left hand shot back up, gripping the ledge firmly.
Her foot pressed against the wall.
Pushed.
Her arms pulled.
And with a smooth, controlled motion—far too clean for someone who had just been on the verge of falling—she lifted herself up, swung a leg over the edge, and climbed onto the rooftop.
Jeff instinctively backed off as she rose, watching her carefully.
She stood there for a moment, slightly unsteady, then straightened.
"…Whoa…"
She flexed her fingers slowly, staring at her hands, turning them over as if seeing them for the first time.
"I feel… light…?"
Her voice was filled with quiet disbelief.
Jeff watched her.
Her skirt shifted slightly in the wind, her white stockings marked faintly with dust and scuffs, her hoodie hanging loose over her frame, the tear in the sleeve barely noticeable now. Her backpack rested against her shoulders, slightly crooked from the climb. Her long dark hair fell over her back, strands still clinging to her face.
And her eyes—
The green glow faded.
Slowly.
Until they returned to that deep, dark brown—almost black—like before.
Then she looked up.
Her lashes lifted.
Her gaze found him.
And her expression broke.
"Mister Chipmunk…"
Before he could react, she stepped forward and scooped him up into her hands.
"Chi—?!"
"You… you saved me!"
She pulled him close, pressing him tightly against her chest, her arms wrapping around him instinctively as she held him there.
"You're my hero, Mister Chipmunk… you actually saved me…"
Jeff froze in her arms, his small body going completely still as she held him close. For a moment, there was nothing in his head at all—no commentary, no sarcasm, no instinct to pull away—just the unfamiliar sensation of being held like he mattered. Not ignored, not mocked, not stepped over, but held with warmth and care, for real.
Slowly, awkwardly, he lifted his tiny paws and pressed them against her, returning the hug in a way that felt clumsy and strange even to himself. Something inside him softened, something small and fragile that he didn't quite recognize, and for a brief second he let himself lean into it, into the warmth, into the quiet sense of being wanted.
Then his small black eyes drifted past her shoulder.
Out over the city.
And everything snapped back into place.
The skyline had worsened. Several skyscrapers in the distance were burning openly now, flames crawling up their sides and bursting through shattered windows, sending thick columns of smoke into the sky.
The helicopters were still circling constantly, their rotors pounding through the air as some fired down into the streets below, but some had begun using searchlights to look for survivors.
And then he saw it.
A rooftop not far away—another building like theirs, maybe one or two over. A group of people had gathered there, eight or ten of them, clustered near the edge. Families, by the look of it. Someone waved a flare, its red glow cutting through the smoke, while others jumped and shouted, trying to be seen.
A Blackhawk helicopter descended toward them, not landing but hovering level with the roof. One of the armed soldiers leaned out, reaching, shouting, guiding them in.
People surged forward, helping each other, lifting children first, hands grabbing hands as bodies were pulled into the helicopter.
Then the rooftop door behind those survivors burst open.
It didn't creak or slowly give way—it exploded outward as a mass of infected poured through, flooding onto the rooftop in a single, overwhelming wave. The soldiers on the helicopter reacted instantly, rifles snapping into position as gunfire tore into the front of the swarm. Several dropped, bodies collapsing mid-run, but the rest didn't slow.
The survivors screamed and surged toward the helicopter, panic replacing whatever fragile order had been there before. Some made it, scrambling aboard, but others slipped, missed their grip, or were shoved aside. One man lost his footing and fell straight off the roof, disappearing into the darkness below. Another was tackled by a zombie and sent straight off the edge of the building screaming as he fell to his death.
The pilot panicked and pulled the helicopter slightly away to avoid being overwhelmed, and that small movement was enough to break everything. Two more people failed to make the jump and fell, their bodies vanishing into the void between buildings.
Then four of the zombies jumped.
They didn't hesitate. They caught onto the landing gear, their bodies slamming against the side as their hands locked into place. The soldiers fired down at them, knocking two of them loose, then another, but the fourth climbed higher, faster, reaching up and biting into a soldier's leg.
The soldier screamed, firing wildly as he kicked it off, sending it falling into the darkness. For a brief second, it looked like they had contained it.
Then the soldier staggered, twitched and turned.
Inside the helicopter, chaos erupted.
The aircraft lurched violently as the pilot tried to stabilize it, but something had already gone wrong. It tilted, corrected, then tilted again, harder this time, the rotor screaming as the helicopter began to spin, not in control but in a violent, unstable spiral.
Jeff's small body went rigid.
"…Oh no…"
The Blackhawk spun faster, dropped, clipped the side of a nearby building, and exploded.
The blast lit up the skyline in a violent bloom of fire, debris scattering outward as the sound rolled across the city, echoing through the night.
The flames reflected in Jeff's black little eyes. He was in shock, Mei on the other hand didn't even notice what happened.
She just held him tighter, pressing her cheek gently against him. "You're amazing, Mister Chipmunk…" she whispered, her voice soft, full of relief, like the world had suddenly become simple again.
Jeff swallowed.
"…Yeah."
He hugged her back a little tighter.
"…I'm amazing."
Inside his head, something shifted uneasily, like a thought trying not to fully form.
Alright.
Rule number one.
We do not talk about this.
I definitely did not cause a zombie apocalypse.
Rule number two.
Act like a normal chipmunk.
"…Chi."
Yeah, that sounded normal enough.
Rule number three…
Stick with the girl.
She seemed safe. Or at least safer than everything else.
He exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting once more over the burning skyline and the chaos of it all.
"…Oh man, this is, like so bad…"
And high above the city, on a rooftop surrounded by chaos, a girl and a chipmunk held onto each other while everything else fell apart.