Zombie Apocalypse: Am I Counted As 10 People?!

It was 1:10 p.m. when they set off. 

The truck moved slowly along the muddy forest road. The deep hum of the engine was the only music on this mountain road where even the birds were silent. The smell of burnt diesel fuel from the exhaust mixed with the cool morning air; it was suffocating but strangely reassuring. Because these sounds were proof that they were still alive.

Three of the four people sitting in the back of the truck were silent. Kim had pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. She was cold, but she wasn't talking to anyone. Jason had his katana between his knees, resting his hands on the hilt. His eyes were always on the road, looking into the forest. A tension had been present since morning.

 Min-jun leaned his back against the corner of the back, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. But William knew he wasn't sleeping. His breathing was still controlled. He was meditating. After talking to him, William had told him that he was very talented in this aspect and that he should focus on meditation if he wanted to use his blessing for longer 

William was standing at the back of the truck, with both of his katanas at his waist and his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The fog rising from the trees occasionally blocked the view of the truck, then dispersed with the wind. But they all knew that this road was not only filled with trees, but also with patience, fatigue, and unexpected dangers.

At one point, Ed stopped the truck.

"Ed?" Mick's voice came from the front.

The truck doors didn't open, but the engine was turned off.

Those in the truck quickly gathered themselves. William reached for his sword as he jumped out of the truck. Jason immediately got down on the ground, while Min-jun took only one step, as if he didn't understand what was happening but knew what he had to do. Kim stayed behind. 

There was a fallen tree in the middle of the road. Its thick trunk completely blocked the path. It was impossible to pass either in front of or behind it. Ed got out of the truck, followed by Mick. 

"We need to move this," Ed said in a short but decisive tone. Everyone knew what they had to do.

William had initially thought there were zombies he hadn't noticed, but when he realized Ed had stopped for the tree, he relaxed. 

William stepped forward.

He trusted his own body enough. He took a deep breath, bent his knees, and leaned his shoulder against the thick trunk.

Min-jun, passing by Jason at that moment, whispered involuntarily, "Do you think he can do it?"

Jason didn't answer. Min-jun opened his eyes and just watched.

The tree moved slowly. William held his breath this time. His muscles tensed, his eyes dimmed. The veins under his shoulder glowed slightly. 

"William is strong!" That was Jason and Min-jun's shared thought. 

William's fist would probably be enough to kill them.

They watched William easily push the fallen tree aside.

After William pushed the tree aside, he watched Ed start the truck and jumped on it when it started moving. 

They continued on their way. The forest road had been constantly changing since they arrived. There was no definite route to the shelter they were going to, as it was secret even on government channels, but Ed knew the way.

He even said that if they took the main road and if the road was empty, they could get there in half an hour at the latest.

After about ten minutes of climbing, Ed stopped the truck.

They had reached the top of a hill. From here, they could see Old Telludure and New Telludure. These towns and villages to the south would have enough food and ammunition supplies to keep them alive for a long time. That's why William memorized the forest road.

Ed took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. He then offered them to Mick, Austin, and William, but they didn't seem interested. Only Mick accepted the cigarette; Austin and William didn't smoke. 

"Come with me," he said, and Ed began walking along the edge of the mountain where they were. Seeing no zombies around, William thought it would be safe for those who stayed by the truck and followed Ed. 

After a while, they passed through some bushes and trees, and then the view of the north presented itself to their eyes like a feast.

This mountain was higher than the one Joseph and the others had stopped at before. The view was even more breathtaking.

The fields, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, appeared to be made of gold, and alongside them, fruit and vegetable fields stretched endlessly across the plain. Small dirt roads could be easily seen between the fields.

Ed began pointing out each field one by one. 

"That thirty-acre field you see is all potatoes—Nico's field. The green beans next to it are my uncle Mike's field; he lived in the village, so he's probably dead." Ed looked at Mick, waiting for a response.

"We are the only ones left alive in the village. The rest have become zombies, and William, Austin, and Elura have put their souls to rest." 

Ed nodded at this answer.

"A little further on, there is the Rovan family's beet field, but it's not harvest time yet. I hope none of the beets are damaged so we'll have enough food." 

Ed then listed many of the crops that the villagers had planted for the summer harvest, explaining who they belonged to and how hard they had worked to grow these fields.

"So it was all for today..." Ed sighed deeply. Then he pointed to a building across the way, its roof barely visible behind a small hill.

Even William hadn't noticed the grayish building among the trees.

"That's where we want to go. General Joseph is an old friend of mine. We worked together in the Middle East as captains under the same general, but I retired with the rank of colonel due to some problems. He continued and apparently became a general. Let's go, I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms." 

Ed then stubbed out his cigarette on the ground and walked toward the truck. William followed Ed, as did the others. 

Here, Ed was very careful as he descended the high hill, going slower than a turtle because the road was covered with rocks and soft soil. 

Therefore, the truck could slip at any moment and cause an accident.

William got out of the truck and helped support the truck in most places. His strength was sufficient for small supports. 

When they descended the mountain, the road became much easier. 

It was around 2:30 p.m. when the truck went down.

The road slowly turned from a wooded area into an open plain. The trees had thinned out, giving way to dense bushes, dry grass, and wide heaths. Ed sped up a little when he saw that the road behind him was flat. Mick's hands were still on the edge of the vehicle dashboard, as if he were instinctively waiting for the truck to hit a pothole.

William was alert in the back, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His instincts told him to be careful. 

And then it happened.

As the truck slowed over a bump, two zombies appeared in the middle of the road. They stood in front of them, waiting motionless. But they were different from the others. They were large. Their arms were longer and their shoulders broader than those of normal zombies. One was wearing a work uniform that reached almost to his knees. He was probably from a construction site in the area.

"I'll handle it," said William, jumping out of the truck bed. Ed didn't even need to brake; the truck continued to move slowly forward.

Min-jun got up, but William raised his hand. "No need, you'll have more opportunities."

When he stepped into the middle of the road, the zombies began to walk toward him with growling footsteps. William didn't take a step back. His eyes narrowed. His swords slid out of their sheaths.

As the first zombie began to run, William twisted his right foot to the side, slightly bent his body, and parried the first attack coming from the side with his right hand. With his left hand, he sliced through the zombie's kneecap with a downward strike. 

The zombie fell to the ground. 

The second zombie followed immediately. This time, William used a more direct blow. He slashed a "line" down its chest. The zombie split open; instead of blood, rotten organs and a dark liquid spilled out. 

Those in the truck were silent. 

Jason's eyes seemed to track William's every move. He noticed who was holding their breath. Min-jun's eyes were still closed, but his face was slightly smiling.

After stabbing the two zombies in the head with his katanas and cleaning his katanas, William walked to the back of the truck. "We can continue."

The truck started moving again.

Ed was examining the fields on the side of the road. Since the road would continue straight for a while, he wasn't looking at it at all. 

"The potatoes are ready for harvest," Ed muttered. Nico should have harvested the potatoes at this time of the month. He let out a small sigh. 

Unlike the others, Ed didn't find this catastrophe fun or exciting at all. He had lost most of his friends and knew that surviving would become increasingly difficult. Except for Trudie and himself, there was no one in the group who could be considered a farmer. Eventually, their ammunition would run out, and there was no one capable of producing bullets. 

There was no one qualified to meet basic needs like water, electricity, heating, and cooling. 

As far as he could tell, this group was useless except for fighting. Fortunately, they were still in the early stages. 

They could find more survivors and recruit more qualified people.

As a former high-ranking soldier, he was an expert in management. He focused his eyes on the road and came across a screen. 

[Ed Harlan Lv2]

[STRENGTH: 2]

[SPEED: 1]

[PERCEPTION: 1]

[LEY: 1]

[Blessing: Discipline. When surrounded by people who obey you, listen to your orders, and follow the same line of thinking as you, STRENGTH +10%, SPEED +10%] 

Ed was normally happy at home. But his blessing required him not to stay at home. He had studied the new world system at home in his spare time and needed to keep up with it.

He was stronger when others were around him, so why should he be alone?

When he saw Mick and the others, he was worried because he didn't know anyone except Mick. But now he realized that he didn't have to be afraid of even an ordinary man he saw on the street.

They had to stick together. The more people, the more manpower and the better chance of survival, at least for Ed.

Within five minutes, they had crossed the small hill in front of the base, and now William was facing the base he had long dreamed of.

William could see two soldiers on top of the two towers. The metal gate with barbed wire was opened by someone else in a military uniform. 

William examined the soldier who opened the entrance gate. 

[Eliza Hartwell – Lv6]

[POWER: 2]

[SPEED: 1] 

[PERCEPTION: 2] 

[LEY: 3]

William's eyes lit up. This woman had definitely killed a lot of zombies. More than William, in fact. 

Eliza also noticed William standing on the truck. 

William gave off the same feeling as Marcus. Strong and reliable. 

He nodded expressionlessly in response to William's smile and closed the metal gate with barbed wire after the truck entered. 

As soon as the truck was parked inside, everyone got out. Then, a man with gray hair and another person who looked twice his size, short but muscular, came out of the building. Both were wearing military uniforms. 

William couldn't suppress his curiosity. 

[Joseph Davis – Lv6]

[STRENGTH: 2]

[SPEED: 2]

[PERCEPTION: 4]

[LEY: 1]

...

[Marcus Steel – Lv9]

[STRENGTH: 8]

[SPEED: 2]

[PERCEPTION: 1]

[LEY: 1]

...

William opened his eyes wide in surprise. Meanwhile, Ed and Joseph had already embraced each other. The large man named Marcus examined everyone one by one. His face bore a natural frown. 

William did not step forward here, allowing Mick and Ed to handle everything.

Joseph quickly explained what the ley rift in the garden and some of the battle scars looked like.

Apparently, they had also encountered a special zombie, and they talked about how terrifying it was. 

"I wonder who killed it," William muttered.

He thought no one had heard him, but Joseph's hearing was better than he thought.

"Ah, who is this young man?" Joseph asked Ed in a fatherly tone, but the answer came from Mick.

"He's our savior. He rescued us when we were trapped in the bunker. He's a high-level guy who cleared all the zombies in Old Telludure. He also got our weapons and armor for us. His name is William, and he's a good young man." 

Joseph nodded and called out to William. 

"Young man, why don't you come here?" 

William did as he was told. Joseph's aura compelled William to obey. Strangely, despite his power, he couldn't feel superior to Joseph. 

Joseph's pressure was entirely mental. 

"Yes, sir." William wasn't a soldier, so he gave a brief salute.

"I heard you're stronger than Mick. Tell me, what level are you, what are your blessings, what abilities do you have?" Joseph put his hand on William's shoulder and spoke.

He already had a good impression of William because he was strong. There were already a few people who stood out in the group, and William stood out even more among them.

William talked a little about himself, the zombies he had killed, his encounter with Austin and Elura on the road, and even his radio conversations with Hugo. Of course, he lied again when talking about his blessing, just as he had done to Austin and Elura. 

Joseph frowned when William mentioned his blessing. "He's lying," he thought.

It was impossible to level up so much by killing so few zombies.

"He probably has a blessing similar to Marcus's and wants to avoid attracting attention. He's a good seedling." 

Joseph nodded and pretended to believe everything he said, but when William mentioned the zombie horse towards the end, he frowned.

"Did you really kill that horse with just three people? You and those couple?" Joseph pointed to Elura and Austin standing behind him.

William nodded. "It was a tough fight, but we did it."

"So what did you win?"

As soon as William heard this question, he thought that they had also won something and that it wouldn't be a problem to deny it.

While he was thinking about this, Joseph misunderstood the situation, thinking that William had won something very important, and wanted to ease the tension by being the first to show what he had.

"Marcus, come here. Take out that shield." As soon as Joseph said this, Marcus stood next to Joseph like a pillar and took a shield out from behind his back.

Marcus' back was so broad that even this large shield was lost on it. 

[Oakroot Shield Lv9 (Rare)]

[Shock Distribution +50%, Strength +5%]

William's eyes lit up when he saw it, but the troubled expression on his face remained. 

"What are you worried about? That we'll ask you for it?"

William shook his head. 

"Um... no... I'm already wearing it." He pointed to his feet.

Marcus couldn't suppress his laughter, even though Joseph was standing next to him. 

"I thought you were wearing that disgusting thing because of your lack of taste." 

Even though Joseph was a general, he didn't hesitate to bend down and examine the boots closely.

When he touched them, he understood what they were and what they were for.

"Nice stuff, seems to suit you." Joseph smiled. 

"Why don't you all rest for now? The rest of my soldiers are inside, and there are also a few survivors from Northmere. I'm sure you'll get along well." 

Ed nodded and walked inside with Joseph, standing tall. "Did you go to Northmere? It should be closer than here, though..." 

William frowned and looked at those behind him. Everyone was waiting for him to speak, not for Joseph.

"Let's go," he said.

Elura and Austin stepped forward and took their places beside William. 

Their goal was very simple: to make William look like an important person, like the leader of their group, so that if there was to be a distribution of resources, they would benefit as equally as possible. 

What they had brought with them would last them a week at most, and this was a scenario in which they assumed Ed was not with them. This left them with a week to find food and water. 

They knew things wouldn't be resolved in a single day, but anarchy was never a path to salvation. Therefore, they had to rely on Joseph and Ed's wisdom as much as possible.