Ding. The System window appeared. The sound of a quest updating.

◆M?ain!! Q?uest?!: Repair the emergency generator within 15 minutes....

I closed it without even reading the first line.

I didn’t have time to read a useless System window.

’The emergency power couldn’t have run out already.’

Something felt wrong. I was worried about Yi Ga-on, but I couldn’t go up and check.

If I didn’t repair the emergency generator in the next 15 minutes, it was game over.

I had to trust that Yi Ga-on was safe and focus on the repair.

"We’re totally fucked, aren’t we?"

"I think we can manage somehow."

And then he broke into a run, shouting. "Let’s move!"

We sprinted through the cafeteria, weaving between the overturned tables and chairs.

Our footsteps echoed loudly, but the zombies only glanced at us before turning back.

They were all reaching for the speakers on the ceiling, wailing as the broadcast played.

It was a relief they were all zombies. If they hadn’t been, finishing the repair in 15 minutes would have been nearly impossible.

I ran at full speed, calculating the time in my head.

’At least 5 minutes for the repair.’

6 minutes to get to the emergency generator facility in the basement, 1 minute for the boss fight event if there was one.

That left about 2 minutes of leeway, but that was only if everything fit together like clockwork.

Kwak Hanmuk’s role in handling the boss was the most important.

I glanced back at him following behind me.

He leaped over a fallen chair with his long legs, met my eyes, and raised an eyebrow.

I opened the cafeteria door and shouted into the hallway.

"Captain Kwak! How are you feeling right now?"

"Feeling better than usual! Maybe it’s the zombification?"

"Good to know."

We ran down the long corridor, checking the signs. It was the same layout as the game, so I wouldn’t need to waste time searching.

Seeing the sign for the sleeping quarters made my stomach twist slightly.

The sleeping quarters were for researchers working 24 hours who couldn’t go home. There’s an old diary hidden there that mentions the cure.

I remembered its contents well.

Paranoid Researcher’s Journal #1

The cure for the virus requires a painfully long time to find candidate substances. Still, humanity has always fought against viruses that threaten survival and found cures. But a virus from outside Earth... what happens then?

Paranoid Researcher’s Journal #2

The standard antiviral development process is merely a record within the narrow confines of ’Earth’s ecosystem.’ If a virus from outside invades, humanity will not find a cure. Adapt, or be annihilated. No one understands my thoughts, but I am always afraid.

Paranoid Researcher’s Journal #3

I finally met people who shared my fear.

Paranoid Researcher’s Journal #4

Countless voices whisper in my head. Why was I afraid of a mere virus? It means nothing in the face of this overwhelming terror. Yes! I am awake!

Paranoid Researcher’s Journal #5

The writhing pulse of the dimension! The awe-inspiring void of chaos! Formless chaos! Everything is but a small amusement for Them!

It was a paranoid researcher’s journal, so it was full of nonsense, but it did mention the cure.

I wanted to check if there were any items I hadn’t found in the game near the diary, like a portable cassette player... but after repairing the generator, parts of the basement would be sealed off.

This was the last chance, but I had no choice but to turn away.

We ran down the long corridor in an instant, turned left, and arrived at the freight elevator.

The silver stainless steel doors gleamed ominously.

The elevator, running on emergency power, could only be used once. After that, the generator had to be repaired to move it.

Shortly after I pressed the down button, a ding sounded and the heavy doors slid open.

"Ugh...."

"Shit."

Mo Haein let out a low groan at the sight. Kwak Hanmuk immediately covered his nose with his hand and cursed.

The elevator was already at capacity. Researchers in tattered, blood-stained gowns and office workers stood frozen in grotesque poses, their unfocused eyes fixed on the open doors.

"Can’t we lure them out? Make a loud noise or something?"

"They probably won’t react."

They were set here to prevent players from using the freight elevator. No matter what, they couldn’t be lured out; you had to ride with them.

’The freight elevator can’t be used unless the player becomes a zombie.’

Sure enough, even when Kwak Hanmuk threw a large stone to make noise, the zombies just twitched and didn’t come out.

Mo Haein asked, watching him struggle. "Any other routes?"

"Without the elevator, we’d have to use the ventilation ducts, but we don’t have time, and Captain Kwak probably won’t fit."

Kwak Hanmuk squeezed his eyes shut, accepting reality. "Let’s go."

I stepped into the elevator first. Squelch. Instead of the sound of cold metal, a wet, sticky sound of squashed flesh and blood came under my feet.

I squeezed myself into the narrow gaps between the zombies. A zombie’s soft, decaying flesh brushed against my shoulder. The stench was unbearable.

I pushed myself as far back as I could and nodded to Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein. They followed me in.

Just as Mo Haein was about to press B2, a siren went off.

The piercing siren made the zombies, who had been standing still, snap their eyes open.

"Attention. All researchers, proceed to the shelter immediately." The automated announcement played, and the zombies, agitated by the sound, began to go berserk.

"RAAAH-!"

Short Mo Haein was swept away in an instant. The doors closed before she could press the button.

"...Isolation shutters are activating in all sectors. The building is being sealed. Once again, all researchers..."

The cramped space became a chaotic mess.

Inside the freight elevator, the lights were out, leaving it near pitch black. Only the faint glow of the floor buttons illuminated the space.

I was crushed against the wall by the frenzied, glowing bodies.

"Ugh..."

A groan escaped me from the pressure, as if I was being pressed by a blunt weapon.

The zombie pressing against me from the front grrk-ed and thrust its face forward. Its teeth, stained red from god knows what, were visible. I wanted to shove it away, but I couldn’t.

Being a zombie didn’t make me invincible. I just wouldn’t be attacked first. The moment I was judged to have attacked a zombie, they would start attacking me too.

If a fight broke out in this tight space, it would be a disaster.

Cold arms stretched out from all directions, pressing hard against my chest. For a moment, my vision spun.

"Grrk!"

Luckily, the zombies pushed each other, and the ones pressing on me were knocked away.

I barely came to my senses after nearly passing out, and in the chaos, I felt a warm body heat.

"Captain Mo...!"

I pulled Mo Haein, who was almost crushed by the zombies.

As I pulled her close, Kwak Hanmuk gritted his teeth and reached an arm through the zombies. His fingertips barely grazed the buttons. A couple of misses. Then, on the last try, his finger brushed the button.

The B2 button lit up. With a jolt, the freight elevator began to descend.

I tried to secure some space and suppressed my breathing as much as possible. Every inhale felt like the smell of corpses was crushing my lungs.

In the sealed box, we struggled not to touch a single zombie finger. The time it took to go down one floor felt infinitely long. The freight elevator was slower than a normal one.

Ding!

Finally, the arrival signal sounded. The elevator doors opened slowly. The screaming zombies poured out in a rush.

"Haah!" Mo Haein and I gasped for air we’d been holding.

Kwak Hanmuk, who had managed not to be swept away by the collapsing zombies, urgently looked for us. After confirming we were safe, he pushed Mo Haein out first.

Then, the three of us collapsed in front of the elevator, panting.

I thought I was really going to die... The crushing was bad, but the rotting flesh and the stench clinging to us was especially awful. I figured people with germophobia would have a really hard time as zombies.

Mo Haein was holding her head, looking a bit dizzy.

I wanted to lie down a little longer, but every second counted, so I couldn’t rest any further.

Zombification....

I dismissed the rising System window and got up. "Let’s move out."

The basement was filled with mechanical equipment, housing the distribution room and the generator room. Since the hum of engines was a constant background noise, the zombies here were always active, not asleep.

I had to find the distribution room first to get to the generator room.

The narrow corridor was marked with the desperate traces of those who had tried to escape. I had to run like an obstacle course, dodging zombies hidden in the scattered wreckage.

A zombie with its lower half missing crawled on the floor, reaching out a hand. It wasn’t trying to attack, just reacting to sound, but it was annoying because I had to be careful not to trip.

Zombies that suddenly appeared from blind spots or burst out of doors also blocked the way.

Here, I just had to do my part. I didn’t need to worry about Mo Haein or Kwak Hanmuk’s physical abilities, so I focused tightly on avoiding the zombies.

Luckily, knowing exactly when and where things would appear, I could dodge them without issue.

The System window kept popping up to announce the progress of my zombification, which was an unexpected visual obstruction, but I just dismissed them.

"Stop for a second!"

Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk immediately stopped.

A TV, perched on a pile of failed barricades, fell right in front of us with a thud.

The screen flickered on.

Cheers and applause erupted from the TV. We ran again, avoiding the zombies drawn by the noise.

After running for a while, I finally saw the sign. Distribution Room. I closed the door as soon as we entered, to keep the zombies outside from getting in.

Not even a few seconds after closing the door, a thud sounded. Then, a series of thump-thump-thump noises.

The zombies that had followed the noise were ramming into the door. There was probably a mountain of zombies forming on the other side.

Kwak Hanmuk gave a short review. "Damn, getting out is gonna be rough."

"Tell me about it..."

I kicked the removable panel under the large control panel covering the wall, a cable pathway. The gap opened with a click. A small key was resting on a bundle of dusty thick cables.

I picked up the key and stood in front of the soundproof door to the right. Generator Room.

The engine noise that had been tormenting my ears since entering the basement was strong beyond the door. Mixed in were irregular thump, thump sounds of something being struck.

"7 minutes left. As soon as we open the door, the boss fight starts. Captain Kwak handles the boss, Captain Mo and I will do the repairs."

I had briefed them on the boss fight and repair method before entering the basement.

"Okay. Take these." Kwak Hanmuk pulled three pairs of work gloves and a can of rust remover spray from his sling bag.

These were some of the items I’d asked him to bring from the Green Zone.

Work Gloves: Watch out for the rubber smell! Disposable.

Rust Remover Spray: Wipe off 1 minute after spraying.

Mo Haein took the spray, and we each took a pair of gloves and put them on.

I inserted the key into the locked door. "Opening it."

As I opened the thick soundproof door of the distribution room, the overwhelming noise pounded against my entire body.

In the deepest part of the basement, a massive diesel generator stood tall. Beside the engine, countless hydraulic hoses and fuel lines were tangled together, feeling a bit out of place for a cutting-edge lab.

I felt that strange sensation again, the one from the old jeep and the portable player.

I looked at the figure staggering in front of the engine. The basement boss, the Chef Zombie.

The zombie, wearing a chef’s uniform, apron, and hairnet, swayed its body and slammed the generator with its hand. Bang.

It convulsed, rummaged through the generator room, and then slammed the generator again. Bang. Each time the zombie’s fist connected, the generator made an uneasy noise.

Ding. The System window appeared.

It seemed to be about the Chef Zombie, so I tried to read it this time, but something was strange.

Zombification is fading. (Current Progress: 1%)

The next window followed.

Zombification is fading. (Current Progress: 0%)

Completely recovered! You have returned to human.

"Grrrk..."

I locked eyes with the Chef Zombie.