How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

“It’s quite vast…”

As the nearby oil refinery facility came into view, Arian muttered under her breath.

The scale of the refinery facility was much larger than it had appeared from a distance.

The area it covered was so expansive that it had to be measured not in meters, but in kilometers.

And the number of structures inside approached three digits.

Arian scrutinized the refinery facility as if she could see right through it.

This was the desert northeast of LA.

Although it was connected to the Arizona desert where Fier had been active,

there had never been a single sighting of Fear’s activities in this area, hundreds of kilometers away from there.

So this place was different from the deserted Arizona desert that had been emptied out by Fear.

Arian tried to sense any movements from inside the facility, and easily confirmed the presence of zombies.

At least dozens of them.

It was just the outskirts of the facility, barely scratching the surface as it were, yet that many zombies were swarming there.

It was a considerable number.

The number of zombies here was probably far greater than the military had anticipated.

Thinking this, Arian looked over at Ava, who was leading the troops.

Coincidentally, Ava too was discussing this very issue.

“Don’t we have too few troops?”

It was Harris who asked Ava this.

Though his voice was low enough that the other soldiers couldn’t hear, Arian could make it out clearly.

Ava raised an eyebrow slightly as she answered.

“You should have brought that up before we departed.”

“True, but I never expected this place to be so vast.”

Harris was a native of LA, a soldier as experienced as Ava. As such, he had worked alongside Ava for a long time as a colleague, which allowed him to ask such questions without hesitation.

Ava too acknowledged his insight with a nod.

“Still, it will be fine. According to the advance team, the number of zombies inside is manageable.”

“…Really?”

“Of course, I can’t guarantee it. The advance team’s report may not be accurate. But we didn’t purposely deploy a small force. As you know, this operation is quite large-scale. That’s why command is also short on troops.”

Ava explained the general situation to Harris.

LA, aiming to develop oil production capabilities, had sent most of its forces to Monterey, where the oil drilling facilities were located.

Since those drilling facilities and the city were closely linked, securing them required stabilizing the entire town of Monterey.

“On top of that, we’ve dispatched troops to dozens of refinery facilities like this one. Since they’ve been abandoned for so long, there’s no telling which facilities will still be operational. So it seems the government wants to secure as many as possible.”

Of course, even with LA’s population of two million, there were still available soldiers left.

But the problem was vehicles to transport them.

LA, still unable to produce automobiles, considered vehicles a precious commodity, and this transportation limitation was why only about a hundred soldiers could be deployed here today.

“Don’t worry too much. Additional troops will arrive tomorrow. The main operation will begin then.”

So Ava said this, and Harris nodded in resignation.

After persuading Harris, Ava proceeded to initiate the operation.

First, she divided the hundred or so troops into ten squads.

The military had classified this massive refinery into ten zones, and was deploying small squads to each zone to first ascertain the exact number of zombies hidden in the facility and, if possible, reduce their numbers as much as they could.

“We’ll take this area.”

Ava spoke to the ten soldiers, including Arian, in front of her.

Among the various squads, Arian had been assigned to the one led directly by Ava.

The same squad included Olivia, who had conversed with Ava earlier, and Harris.

And where they stood was the northwestern part of the refinery facility.

The first thing in view was a massive tank over ten meters tall, with a concrete building attached beside it.

Reconnoitering that building was the mission of Arian’s squad.

“Let me reiterate, today’s objective is not to occupy the facility interior, but to reduce the number of zombies. So-“

Standing before them, Ava warned of the operation’s precautions once more.

For some reason, she seemed to be looking particularly at Arian as she spoke, but Arian paid it no mind, focusing more on the other squad members’ conditions instead.

“…”

Faced with imminent combat, most had grim expressions and tense demeanors.

Arian surveyed her squadmates, then looked up at the building they would enter.

Its frame was a massive concrete block.

Structurally, it was a simple rectangular shape, with no windows and only a rusted red iron door as the sole entrance.

However, between the concrete, countless pipes were threaded through like strings.

And with the facility’s sheer size, it resembled a steel fortress.

“Begin the operation. Everyone, take positions.”

At Ava’s words, the squad members spread out to surround the building entrance.

Ava, rifle at the ready, tossed something through the slightly ajar door.

It was a stun grenade.

She swiftly retreated as a thunderous boom followed in her wake.

Boom!

The stun grenade, said to be able to knock someone out with just the sound at close range, shook the previously still refinery.

It was a lure, meant to draw out any zombies inside with the noise.

The plan was to first try luring and eliminating any zombies that came out with sound. If there were too many, they would temporarily withdraw.

Other squads in the different zones seemed to be initiating operations smoothly too, judging by similar sounds coming from elsewhere.

And after some time had passed.

“Kiii…!”

From behind the red-stained iron door, the corpses finally revealed themselves.

A zombie charging mindlessly slammed into the slightly ajar door.

The impact flung the door wide open, exposing the darkness within.

What could be seen was a wide corridor leading further inside the facility.

And that corridor was packed full of zombies.

Their eyes met the soldiers’.

“Kiaaaa!”

“Open fire!”

The zombies’ shrieks upon spotting their prey and Ava’s attack order rang out almost simultaneously.

Gunfire erupted as the soldiers opened fire on the zombies at the collision point.

Ratatatat!

A hail of bullets mowed down the zombies head-on as they tried to pour out the entrance.

The special ammunition manufactured in LA specifically for fighting zombies shattered their skulls and tore off their limbs.

In an instant, the hordes that had been pushing to get out were swept away.

“…”

Arian calmly observed this scene as she fired.

The soldiers’ skills were better than she had expected.

Not quite up to Aiden’s level, but certainly formidable enough.

Still, the zombies’ momentum didn’t easily dissipate.

Dozens of zombies had been reduced to rotting chunks of meat, yet the zombies’ screeches still echoed from within the iron door.

The refinery’s pitch-black interior seemed like the maw of some monster, endlessly producing corpses.

“Throw grenades!”

Then Ava’s voice rang out with that order – a warning that explosives were about to be used.

Arian took cover behind a barricade.

Seconds later, the forewarned blast erupted.

The razor-sharp shrapnel shredded any zombies still lurking in the shadows.

Only then did the zombies’ movements subside somewhat.

But Arian couldn’t relax.

At the same time, she unmistakably sensed a presence distinct from the ordinary zombies.

It was undoubtedly a mutant.

Whoosh!

Right after Arian detected it, the sound of air being torn reached her ears.

Sensing something amiss, Arian’s pupils glowed a brighter red.

Her thought processes accelerated, her senses heightened.

In that state akin to slowed time and sharpened perception.

Arian’s eyes immediately pinpointed the source of the sound.

It was a pipe as thick as a human arm.

From within the facility’s depths, an exposed Wielder had flung that pipe like some improvised artillery piece.

Its trajectory was toward Arian’s right – where Olivia was stationed.

Without hesitation, Arian moved.

Like a bullet fired at the Olivia several meters away, Arian grabbed the back of her neck.

“Huh?”

Olivia felt a strange floating sensation, her entire body being lifted up.

But before she could properly voice her confusion at the phenomenon-

Baaang!

The steel pipe hurled by the mutant narrowly missed her, shattering part of the chimney stack Olivia had been using as cover as it passed.

“Wha… what?”

Olivia’s face turned pale, having just glimpsed that lethal force.

Then someone shouted:

“It’s a Wielder!”

“It’s throwing makeshift weapons! Spread out!”

Ava too immediately issued orders in response.

The troops previously encircling the entrance scattered.

Bang!

Even after that, the Wielder flung a few more pipes, but thanks to Ava’s quick judgment, there were no further incidents.

Instead, the remaining zombies that had begun crawling out were swept away by the mutant’s attacks.

Eventually, no more zombies emerged, and the Wielder itself didn’t show its face outside either.

Being an intelligent mutant, it seemed to know that the interior was more advantageous as a battleground.

However, the soldiers couldn’t easily advance inside either.

“Hold position for now.”

This stalemate dragged on for some time.

Then Ava carefully tossed an illumination grenade into the building’s interior.

The blinding red light illuminated the previously pitch-black indoors.

But even so… there was no response from within.

The Wielder’s presence had vanished.

“Looks like it retreated.”

After observing the interior for a moment, Ava said this.

Even as the illumination grenade continued casting its bright glow over the facility insides, there was no sign of the hulking Wielder anywhere.

Ava gathered the troops at one point.

As Arian moved according to her orders, someone tapped her from the side.

“Thanks for earlier.”

It was Olivia.

Having barely regained her composure, Olivia expressed her gratitude to Arian.

Too preoccupied with the combat, she seemed to have not realized how Arian had saved her.

Sensing this from her demeanor, Arian felt a bit relieved and just nodded in response.

“So what will you do now?”

Meanwhile, Harris asked Ava.

Ava frowned slightly in thought.

A Wielder was certainly dangerous, no doubt.

But they had already eliminated most of the zombies near the entrance.

In that situation, ten armed soldiers should have no issue dealing with the Wielder together.

Moreover, it was hiding inside the facility.

Even with more troops, the confined indoor spaces would limit any numerical advantage in combat.

So Ava judged that they could proceed with the operation after all.

It was something that had to be done today if not tomorrow.

“We’ll enter. Harris, Jones, you’re with me.”

Ava designated herself and the two most experienced soldiers in the squad to take point.

The soldiers whose names were called nodded gravely.

“It’s dark inside. Prepare illumination, everyone.”

Seeing the fading illumination grenade, Ava instructed her squad.

Though still midday, the facility’s interior was shrouded in impenetrable darkness with sunlight completely blocked out.

“Everyone inside.”

Before the illumination grenade’s light fully dissipated, Ava gave the order to enter.

The soldiers swiftly rushed into the facility.

The refinery’s interior was as expansive as it had appeared from the outside, with a towering ceiling height.

But most of it was obscured by the tangle of thick pipelines.

It was like a metal forest made of steel trunks.

However, only Arian could see it clearly.

Not only was it dark inside, but the view was obstructed from every angle by pipes, so even their illumination couldn’t properly light up the depths.

“Advance slowly.”

Ava and the soldiers stepped into that metallic woodland.

Though there was a fairly wide central path, thankfully there were also many narrower side passages for them to take sufficient cover in.

These corridors between the pipelines had walls made of clusters of dozens upon dozens of woven steel pipes – solid enough barricades that even the mutant’s strength would have difficulty breaking through.

Using those as shields, the soldiers gradually made their way deeper into the facility’s interior.

“Kiaaaa!”

Before long, they encountered the rampaging Wielder.

The moment it spotted the soldiers, it hurled more pipes at them.

But they simply clanged loudly against the pipeline walls and ricocheted away.

Seemingly unable to tolerate this any longer, the Wielder charged while wielding a pipe as thick as a human torso.

“It’s moving! Block it!”

Ava shouted out at this.

The soldiers immediately revealed themselves and opened fire.

Bullets rained down as the Wielder tried to use its weapon to deflect them.

Bang! Babang!

The blocked shots were scattered in all directions.

But no matter how thick, that pipe could not protect the Wielder’s entire body.

“Aim for its legs!”

Ava commanded the troops again.

The Wielder was desperately protecting its head, leaving its lower body completely exposed.

Heeding her order, a volley of rounds targeted those unguarded limbs.

The special ammunition that had shredded ordinary zombie bodies now tore into the mutant’s flesh.

However, a Wielder’s skin, muscles, bones – every aspect of its physicality was several times denser and tougher than a regular zombie’s.

So while its thickly muscled legs initially withstood that barrage.

Kwaduk!

Before it could close the distance to the soldiers, its body started wobbling.

The concentrated fire had finally severed its ankles.

“Kuaaaaa!”

The Wielder let out a guttural roar.

But no matter how dangerous, once a Wielder lost its mobility against armed soldiers, it was no longer a threat.

So the very moment the soldiers thought they had won-

“Huh…?”

That sound escaped Arian’s lips.

As the Wielder faltered, she abruptly sensed yet another presence.

Its direction was… above.

Arian’s gaze turned toward the blackened ceiling.

There, amidst the tangled mess of pipes even Arian had never seen before, was something grotesque hanging from the ceiling.

It was a spider-like mutant.

Its arms and legs had developed long, slender, and sharp protrusions that allowed it to cling to the ceiling.

Arian couldn’t hide her shock.

Not just at its horrific appearance, but more concerningly, at how close the mutant had already advanced undetected.

Could these things perhaps be adapted for stealth in this dark, obstructed labyrinth of pipes?

Whuk!

Without a sound, the mutant dropped from the ceiling.

The closest to it were Ava and the other two soldiers at the vanguard, firing their weapons.

They had no chance to turn their guns toward the new threat.

Sensing the danger, Arian leapt into the air.