Rot & Ruin

There were countless items displayed on the shop screen, a tantalizing array of weapons, gear, vehicles, and more.

Most of them were locked, requiring specific levels to unlock.

But one detail caught Carter's attention immediately: dollars were the currency.

"Dollars, huh?"

Carter muttered.

"How the hell am I supposed to get enough money to earn a freaking tank or plane?"

His eyes flicked over to another floating screen, and there it was—a breakdown of how to earn currency beyond the daily 9-5 grind he already knew all to well.

Completing missions, unlocking daily rewards, and spinning the Wheel of Fortune were the primary methods for racking up dollars.

The more he studied the interface, the more it all felt like a game.

But this was no ordinary game—this was survival.

Life or death.

Just as he was analyzing the system, another notification abruptly popped up in front of him:

[As a reward for activating the system, you are granted a Beginner's Pack! You can find it in your inventory.]

"Beginner's pack?"

Carter repeated, a flicker of excitement breaking through his grim expression.

He'd played enough games in his life to know what this meant—starting supplies.

The lifeline every player needed when stepping into a harsh new world, just enough usually to survive the tutorial on easy mode.

Navigating through the system with a few taps, he found his inventory tab.

There it was: the Beginner's Pack, displayed like a virtual loot crate.

Without hesitation, he selected it.

The crate dissolved into light, and dozens of holographic screens popped up in rapid succession.

[Congratulations! You have received the following:]

10x Combat Troops | 10,000 Dollars | Tactical SWAT Uniform Set | Tactical Knife

[Would you like to equip your new outfit?]

A grin tugged at Carter's lips.

His heart was pounding now, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Hell yes,"

he said aloud, tapping the confirmation without a second thought in his mind.

In an instant, swirling light enveloped him, wrapping around his body like a cocoon.

He felt the weight of the gear settle onto him as the light receded, leaving him clad head to toe in a sleek tactical uniform.

From the helmet to the boots, everything fit perfectly, like it had been tailored just for him.

The armoured vest hugged his chest, its magazine pouches sadly were empty.

Strapped to his thighs were holsters for pistols if he had them, and a tactical knife was horizontal along his belt on his back.

Carter's brow furrowed as he the knife, his hands moving over it with a sense of ease, just a moment ago he had fumbled with a kitchen knife but now he was dancing this blade around like he was a skilled bladesman.

He had never handled a real weapon before—at least, not in real life, not one like this, pistols sure at the local shooting range, while bladed weapons were only done in mock combat using wooden replacements.

But it felt natural now, like muscle memory he hadn't known he possessed telling him exactly how to use this knife in all sorts of ways.

"What the…"

He quickly opened the system interface and found the explanation.

In the Skills tab, three active skills were listed:

Ranged Proficiency Level 2 | Melee Proficiency Level 3 | Driving Proficiency Level 3

"Guess that explains it,"

Carter muttered, scrolling through the details.

It seemed the system had granted him a basic level of competence with weapons thanks to his training and weekend outgoings to the range, melee weapons and CQC thanks to a near decade of Martial arts, and Driving ability thanks to another decade of street driving mixed with a little weekend racing as well.

And from what he could tell, these skills could be levelled up with skill points earned through missions and experience to make him even better at these or acquire new skills he didn't yet possess.

And speaking of levelling up, he discovered something else: killing zombies and completing missions were the primary ways to earn experience points on top of Currency.

Levelling up didn't just make him stronger—it unlocked access to more powerful weapons, vehicles, and skills.

"So I've got to grind, huh?"

Carter murmured.

He chuckled grimly, gripping the M4 a little tighter.

"Fine by me. If that's what it takes to survive, I'll grind like my life depends on it. Because it does literally."

His thoughts flickered back to the monstrous zombies he'd seen earlier on the streets, and the ones flying through the air with horrifying speed.

He had nearly given up hope of saving his sister after seeing those things.

But now…

Carter glanced down at his gear, a newfound determination blazing in his chest.

Now, with this system, he had a chance.

Just then, another notification popped up:

[Would you like to summon the troops you have received?]

Carter stared at the words, his mind racing.

Troops?

Did the system mean the Combat Troops from the Beginner's Pack?

If so, he wasn't about to waste any time.

He tapped Yes, and the room around him transformed.

Ten glowing magic circles appeared on the ground, humming with energy.

The light swirled and coalesced into humanoid shapes, tall and imposing.

Within seconds, the figures solidified into his soldiers.

Carter's jaw dropped.

Each of them was tall and hulking, their forms great and imposing.

Their eyes were sharp, their postures bent and their demenor undisciplined.

The air in the room seemed to shift with their presence, an aura of unwavering loyalty and the scent of filth.

Before Carter could fully process what he was seeing, the troops all roared at once in his face.

'ROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR'

"Grunt, grunt, Snuffle."

Carter's breath hitched.

His mind raced with questions—was this reality?

Some kind of simulation, maybe he was being pranked?

But he didn't have time to unravel the mystery now.

As standing before him were ten humanoids but they looked closer to the Neanderthals he'd seen when visiting the National Museum as a child, even their clothing was nothing much more than animal pelts, even though they looked plenty strong thanks to their size and visible strength.

But... well if these cavemen were what he had to work with..

the system had just given him a fighting chance, and he wouldn't waste it, even if that chance was ridiculous.

He straightened, gripping his weapon with renewed confidence as he looked at the soldiers standing before him.

For the first time since the outbreak began, he felt something he hadn't dared to feel before: hope, it wasn't much but still at this point even a little was better than nothing.

"All right,"

Carter said, his voice steady, though his heart thundered in his chest.

"Let's see what we can do."