Chapter 34 - Rusty Knife

[Side Mission: Kill a zombie to earn 1,000 CPs.]

1,000 CPs for killing a zombie? To me, this seemed like a great first side mission in this world. However, I didn't have any deadly weapons on me, so I had to invest in a rusty knife for 200 Card Points.

[Rusty knife obtained. 200 Card Points have been debited.]

I could have invested more in a really sharp tactical knife for 1000 Card Points, and completing this mission would have made the tactical knife free. However, against zombies, even a stone was deadly, so as long as I didn't cut myself with the rusty knife, it was the best choice economically speaking.

With the knife in my right hand, I equipped the "Nimble Evasion" Skill Card to keep myself hidden. This was a skill that made it difficult for zombies to notice me, but didn't leave me totally immune to their detection. Still, as long as I could get close enough to use the knife before it turned and tried to attack me, I was happy.

However, for some reason, as I slowly approached from behind that zombie, I felt a little repulsed. This zombie was bald, looked to be in his fifties and probably had a family, but, well... I chose to come to this cruel reality and had no real reason to turn back. I needed the points. I needed any advantage I could get to survive in this hell.

With the rusty knife in my right hand, I approached the zombie, trying to be as silent as possible. I didn't want to attract the attention of any other creature that might be nearby.

The sound of the zombie's head hitting the wall was constant, a deafening noise that seemed to echo in my mind.

"Sorry..." I mumbled, trying to ease the weight of what I was about to do.

With one swift movement, I drove the knife into the base of the zombie's skull, pushing hard until I felt the bone give way. The creature shuddered for a second before falling motionless to the ground.

I took two steps back, breathing heavily and feeling disgust rise in my throat. It was understandable. Until recently, I was just a very sick teenager in a hospital bed.

My knife was now covered in blood and strange fluids. Soon, a notification flashed up.

[Congratulations! You've eliminated a zombie and completed the side mission.]

[You have obtained +1,000 Card Points].

At least now I had enough points to invest in something more deadly when that rusty knife was no longer enough. As I turned away from the body and walked towards the door, something caught my eye.

The system had rewarded me with Card Points, but, as I'd imagined, I hadn't earned any experience points.

"It's a shame not to have that feature of gaining attributes and levels... Well, changing the subject. I think the floor is clean enough now for Gwen to leave."

Before doing so, I looked around once more to make sure there were no more threats. The corridor was still empty and, this time, silent. No grunting or any sound reminiscent of a zombie.

"Okay, system... Let's release Gwen." I said and equipped Gwen's card, which made the blue particles come out of my chest, rotate briefly and materialize Gwen.

"Wow..." Gwen said as he opened his eyes, these same eyes that widened slightly as he looked at his surroundings.

The apartment in question was what you'd expect from an abandoned apartment. The windows were broken, there was a lot of garbage on the floor and a rotten smell, and everything was very dusty, even the air.

"It's like a real zombie apocalypse here. I've always wanted to see something like this."

However, when her eyes finished scanning the perimeter, they rested on the body of the zombie I had killed. The smile on her face gradually diminished, and she walked over to the corpse, stopping a meter or so away to look at it with a thoughtful countenance.

"So... this really is real..." she muttered.

It wasn't the first time she'd seen something like this, of course, but it was different seeing someone dead from someone partially decomposed. She was silent for a few seconds, then looked back at me, noticed the knife in my hand, still stained with blood, and asked:

"You've already acted, haven't you?"

"I had to make sure it was safe before I 'summoned' you." I said with a much more serious tone than I usually used with her. "I couldn't risk you being attacked straight away. Even with your skills and your spider-sense, these zombies are no ordinary opponents."

Understandingly, she nodded and her eyes shifted to my knife.

"These things... even if they are zombies, it's still a bit hard to see one like this. It wasn't supposed to be so... personal, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I muttered, trying to push away the knot that was starting to form in my stomach. "But at the end of the day, it's either us or them."

Gwen lifted her head and gave me a lopsided smile. "You're right. We have to stay alive... So, what's the next step?"

The place was relatively safe, at least for now, but I wouldn't score any points by hiding in this place for 24 hours. I needed to find situations that would force the system to give me missions.

"I think we need to look for food. I brought some and I have, shall we say, parallel ways of getting food. However, this is a building of at least ten floors. There must be food in one of the apartments."

Gwen agreed without any problem.

The floor below was completely silent. I opened the door to the first apartment, and the place was in a deplorable condition. Nothing much different from the floors above. Furniture overturned, papers and clothes strewn across the floor.

"No one's set foot in here for years," I said, as I flicked a switch.

Tlec

Nothing happened.

"Probably only the emergency features are working." Gwen said, noticing that on that floor the elevator monitor was flashing. This monitor indicated that we were on floor 6.

"Let's get in here and try to search. There are only three apartments on each floor, but they're big ones."

With our goal of getting food, we didn't need to search the whole place. Just looking in the kitchen cupboards and pantries was enough.

In that first apartment, the kitchen was desolate. Every cupboard I opened was empty or full of useless junk. Even the fridge, which I hesitantly opened, was filled with nothing but rotting food scraps.

"Of course, why would I expect anything different?" I muttered.

There was still a sealed bottle of milk, but I didn't even know when it had been there. So we went next door and, unsurprisingly, the next apartment was just as disappointing. We found cans of food, but they were all empty. Someone had already passed by before us.

After half an hour or so of rummaging through the kitchens of the apartments, we gave up on finding anything. The place had been cleaned by other survivors, and the proof of this was that we didn't find any other zombies apart from the first one.

When I finally reached the first floor, we were hungry and tired. Searching for food, we spent our precious energy.

It was then, while Gwen was searching the administration area of the building and I the lobby, that I looked at the door of the building and had an idea.

We were definitely in New York. I recognized this when I was at the top of the building and, logically speaking, the system would never throw me into a completely random place in the world, like perhaps Latveria or a Shieldman aircraft carrier. That way, New York was still the city I knew, even if it had been devastated by a zombie apocalypse. And I knew where to find food in New York, if I was willing to risk it.

"I need to get to the mall. I'm sure I'll find something there."

Well, the idea of going out made me uncertain because of the high danger, but without effort there would be no rewards.

I peered through the broken doors, making sure the way was clear. The street outside was deserted, except for several abandoned cars that stood there like silent monuments to a bygone era.

'No zombies... I guess I'm in luck. But before I call Gwen, I'd better check.' I thought and put one foot out.

But before I could take the second step, a colossal green shadow appeared after a burst of speed that exploded all the glass around me, a shadow that covered my entire body. I didn't need to be a comic book fan to recognize that such characteristics could only belong to the Hulk, or rather, what was left of him.

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