Currently, we in Texas have received a total of 5,000 reports of missing people.

Chapter 12 – Tutorial (Survivor) - 12

Unable to locate the key, desperation sets in for Vesper. He sweeps the floor with his hand, searching for anything resembling a large key. Crawling towards the center of the room, he accidentally slams his head against the bed.

Feeling the hard wood beneath his touch, Vesper explores under the bed, stretching his hand to pat the floor.

*DING*

<Remaining Time – 25:00>

Five minutes have elapsed since Vesper entered the house, and the trial warns of increasing danger. Ignoring the alert, Vesper persists, squeezing his arm and shoulder under the bed in hopes of finding something useful.

Initially encountering only the texture of the carpet, Vesper's fingers eventually brush against something cold after the warning message.

To his horror, he discovers the wet corpse of another white-clad man beneath the bed. As the newly spawned entity slowly opens his green eyes and glares at him, Vesper feels something wet, cold, and soft elsewhere.

Mistaking it for a useful item, he strokes the surface, only to realize it's the rotting flesh of the corpse, complete with a couple of fat maggots. The pungent odor fills the room, assaulting Vesper's senses.

He sniffs and recoils, rubbing the decaying flesh and inadvertently crushing the maggots. Suddenly, a chilling sensation courses through his spine, triggered by his new skill, Scardy Cat, warning him of danger.

The zombie inches towards Vesper at a sluggish pace, emitting a loud creak as its head and body squeeze through the gap under the bed.

Realizing the imminent threat, Vesper frantically brushes off the crushed maggots, stands up, and leaps onto the bed. However, due to his lack of vision, he lands awkwardly on his elbows, unsure of what he's landing on.

"KRKRKRKRKRKRKR"

The zombie emerges from the gap under the bed, rising to its feet and crawling towards Vesper. Its damp hair and soaked clothes drip water, dampening the bedsheet.

Unaware of the approaching undead-like figure, Vesper reaches out to the bed, crawling two steps before tumbling off the other side, his head colliding with a closet door. After regaining his footing, he feels around the closet doors to orient himself in the room before pulling them open.

Meanwhile, the corpse inches closer on the bed, extending its hands until its fingers brush against Vesper's nape and shoulders.

Feeling the cold, wet touch of the entity, Vesper clenches his teeth, bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation, though fear still grips him. Lifting his shoulder, Vesper turns and raises his left knee, delivering a toe-kick towards the bed.

Direct hit! 

The kick propels the entity to the opposite side of the bed, causing the slow zombie to topple over.

Reacting to the feedback from his kick, Vesper turns back to the closet, frantically searching for a weapon. He throws aside the clothes within, his hands sweeping and touching everything until he encounters a curvy, solid handle.

Pulling it out, Vesper grasps the shaft and realizes it's an umbrella.

"KRKRKRKRKRKRKR!"

The drenched zombie rises to its feet, emitting an angry croak as its lower jaw detaches. The corpse advances towards Vesper, circumventing the bed.

Vesper grips the umbrella like a short spear, turning to face the approaching threat. Instead of using it as a thrusting weapon, he opens the umbrella and raises it like a shield.

Stretching its arms, the zombie attempts to seize Vesper, pushing down on the umbrella.

Sensing the force exerted by the zombie, Vesper locates its position and thrusts the umbrella forward, striking its belly.

Despite staggering, the zombie persists, lunging towards Vesper. Its sharp nails rake his arms as its fingers latch onto his left wrist.

Despite the danger, Vesper's mind recalls his gaming experiences from his addiction to Z*mboid. Drawing upon his knowledge, he shoves the zombie while pushing the umbrella.

The sodden zombie tumbles backward, landing on its rear. As Vesper steps forward, he accidentally crushes its brittle femur with his foot. Despite momentarily losing his balance, he knees the zombie in the face.

However, its mouth is wide open, and its fangs and teeth tear into Vesper's right knee, piercing his flesh.

*DING*

<You have been bitten by a zombie!>

<If 15 the virus is not eliminated within minutes, you will transform into a zombie and perish!>

Vesper doesn't care about the voice. In response to the sudden bite, Vesper topples forward, pressing his knee onto the zombie's mouth. His weight crushes the monster's teeth and throat, yet the wounds deepen as the zombie's saliva soaks his flesh.

*CRACK*

Finally, Vesper's weight crushes the zombie's head. Its skull proves far more brittle than Vesper had imagined.

Quickly regaining his footing, Vesper gropes for the exit. Using his right hand as a guide, he traverses along the wall until he finds the door.

"KIHIHIHIHIHIHI!"

His streak of misfortune shows no sign of ending. The commotion alerts the spider lady who has been perching on the roof, causing her to peer through the window and spot Vesper with the zombie.

Vesper vaguely senses the lurking monsters behind him. He swiftly opens the door and hastens to the baby's room, ensuring to shut and lock the door behind him.

*CLANK*

The crawler assaults the windows, sending glass shards flying onto the bed. Unfazed by the sharp fragments, the monster squeezes her body through the window and dashes outside in pursuit of Vesper, disregarding the dead zombie.

The spider lady scans her surroundings, frustrated at losing him. Sniffing the floor, she tracks his scent and discovers a blood trail leading to the baby's room. Licking the ground, she relishes the fresh blood, laughing as she follows the trail to the door.

*BOOM*

She repeatedly strikes the door, attempting to force her way in.

Meanwhile, Vesper, concealed behind the door, startles at the loud thud and leaps away, injuring his knee on the edge of the baby's bed, causing it to topple over and spill its contents onto the floor.

*TING*

A metallic object collides with another, producing a jarring chime that reverberates through the room, causing discomfort in Vesper's ears. Despite the pain in his knee, he instinctively crawls towards the sound.

*BOOM*

The spider lady pounds the door again, causing the hinges to bend slightly and the metal object lodged between the door and the frame to exert pressure against the wooden wall, creating a small crack.

Crawling along the ground, Vesper reaches the overturned baby's bed and discovers a tennis-sized ball. His fingers inadvertently come into contact with something hard and weighty. Upon recognizing the key, a smile finally graces his face.

He has found what he's been searching for.

He has found the key.