Chapter 8. Farming

Chapter 8. Farming

The damp sports field lay before me.

A dazzling sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky.

It was a beautiful day, so clear that it felt hot even in the morning.

I stepped out of the building and hid by the roadside next to the Grass Field, observing the sports ground.

I had gone to sleep last night after confirming there were still six Zombies remaining.

Now, the one that had been separately inside the tent was gone.

The five Zombies on the field stood in a row, as if enjoying a sunbath.

“It looks like we’ll get caught even if we try to sneak past the corner.”

“I think we’d be fine if we just weren’t seen… Team Leader. What should we do?”

There was only one way out.

I had circled the building, searching for another path, but there was no suitable alternative.

*Their skulls were easy enough to crack as long as I didn’t get bitten. Let’s think of a way to deal with them.*

After deciding to eliminate the Zombies, we discussed methods.

The problem was there were five Zombies.

They were also too close to each other, making it impossible to fight them one by one, which was the trickiest part.

“Team Leader, how about luring them into a narrow space? I think I can use Shield about five times after waking up. It doesn’t show on the Status Window, but I’ve had an intuitive feeling about it since experimenting yesterday.”

“Oh? Really? Then should we lure them to the Emergency Exit door in the basement and deal with them there? Seonyoung, you just block their approach with your Shield, and we’ll aim for their heads.”

We returned to the building and ran a simulation.

The main entrance of the building was too wide, so that was out.

We took up positions behind the door leading to the stairs in the Underground Parking Lot.

This door had only one leaf, making the passage narrow.

It was narrow enough to be completely blocked by a Shield.

Seonyoung positioned herself directly in front of the open door.

I decided to stand beside the door.

The plan was for Seonyoung, who would be waiting, to time it right and create a Shield at waist height when the Zombies were lured in.

“Just don’t get bitten. Don’t be nervous, we can do this.”

“Yes, Team Leader. Don’t worry. I can do it!”

I went out to the Grass Field alone and slowly approached the Zombies, observing them.

I decided to lure them from a distance, as getting too close might risk getting caught mid-run.

I was walking directly towards two of the clustered Zombies, but perhaps because of the distance, they showed no reaction yet.

“Hey, Kim! Can’t you see me?”

I stood behind a soccer goal near the building and shouted.

The distance was about 50 meters.

When I shouted softly, the Zombies finally began to move.

As I slowly retreated, the two Zombies soon started running, followed shortly by the remaining three.

“Huff… huff… huff.”

The Zombies’ running speed was quite fast, so I ran at full sprint.

Everyone’s running speed differs, but the Zombies seemed to have no individual differences in ability.

Seeing them all run similarly, I realized I shouldn’t think of them in human terms.

“Seonyoung, get ready! They’ll be here soon.”

I safely passed through the door and caught my breath, waiting for the Zombies.

“Um… Team Leader?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

The Zombies didn’t come, even after a long wait.

Seonyoung looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Perhaps… because you’re too fast? Are you a fast runner?”

“Phew… That’s strange. I’ll go check.”

We had waited for a long time, but not a sound was heard.

Leaving a warning to be careful, I went back out towards the Grass Field.

*Seriously, what a bunch of idiots.*

When I came out to the Grass Field, I saw the Zombies tangled up in the soccer goal net, almost as if they were doing it together.

They were caught in the net, screaming and glaring at me.

Do they just blindly charge when they spot a person?

They didn’t seem to realize their bodies were caught in the net and showed no intention of turning back.

Grrr… Kwaaaah!

I approached them and observed the creatures thrashing about, constantly screaming.

Their vision was intact, but they seemed unable to comprehend that the goal net was obstructing their movement.

I carefully retreated, ensuring the soccer goal remained between them and me.

Seonyoung, seeing the Zombies, let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

In any case, it was a relief that the problem could be solved so easily.

“You don’t need to put too much strength into it. Just think of swinging with the weight of the Baseball Bat and try to hit their heads accurately.”

Whoosh! Thwack!

I showed Seonyoung a comfortable grip and demonstrated first.

I aimed for the Zombie’s head, raised the Baseball Bat, and lightly swung it down.

One Zombie was easily taken down.

Seonyoung then dealt with the remaining four.

* Transformation: Optimization

* Increased Resilience (5)

* Acquired: 0

It was true that Acquired increased when Zombies were dealt with.

I cleanly raised Increased Resilience to 5.

Seonyoung’s Acquired increased to 4.

By continuously eliminating Zombies, our abilities would gradually strengthen.

Therefore, rather than simply avoiding them, we decided to actively hunt Zombies if the situation allowed.

“There’s a Convenience Store right across the road ahead.”

The tent, now a bloody mess, felt unsettling, so we took a detour and walked towards the entrance of the Grass Field.

Before stepping onto the road, Seonyoung cautiously pointed out the Convenience Store’s location.

Finally, at the entrance, I carefully scanned the outside.

The situation outside was grim.

Broken cars were scattered haphazardly across the two-lane road.

A corpse with a shattered head lay about five steps away.

Black smoke billowed in the distance.

“Do you see the driver’s seat of that white car?”

“Yes. I see it.”

I looked in the direction Seonyoung was pointing.

Inside a white car, half-destroyed after crashing into a roadside tree in front of the Convenience Store, was a Zombie.

We both scanned our surroundings and cautiously approached the car.

Getting closer, we saw the driver’s side window was smashed.

A female Zombie, still strapped in by her seatbelt, was trying to lean out and get free.

It was just one Zombie, and it was conveniently sticking its head out of the broken window, making it easy to deal with.

I signaled Seonyoung to take care of it.

Now, both of us had exactly 5 Acquired points.

“Phew.”

“Well done. Let’s go.”

The interior of the Convenience Store, viewed through the window from outside, was surprisingly clean.

It was a stark contrast to the war-torn street, making it feel even more eerie.

Jingle!

*Damn it.*

As we opened the Convenience Store door, a bell above it jingled.

Startled, we both immediately tore off the bell and checked outside.

Fortunately, there was no movement on the still-devastated road.

We sighed in relief and entered the Convenience Store.

In front of the warehouse door inside the Convenience Store, Seonyoung gave a signal.

Knock, knock.

Grrr…

“It sounds like just one. I’ll open it.”

We timed it, and I opened the door.

A male Zombie burst out and lunged at Seonyoung, who was right in front of it.

“Shield!”

Blocked by the Shield, the Zombie stopped.

I aimed for the back of its head and swung the Baseball Bat.

The male Zombie collapsed limply, and my Acquired increased by 1.

Judging by its clothes, it was a Convenience Store employee.

I realized something while dealing with this Zombie: Zombies don’t splatter blood like humans.

When their heads are smashed, something gooey oozes out, but it’s not red blood; it’s a dead, black color, and it’s sticky.

I grabbed the dead Zombie by the ankle and dragged it outside, leaving a viscous black trail on the Convenience Store floor.

“Team Leader! The microwave works, and there’s hot water too. Can we eat here first?”

“Let’s go inside the warehouse to eat. I think we’ll be fine as long as we’re not seen if a Zombie passes by.”

Starving, we swept up all the Lunchboxes remaining on the shelves, heated them, and went into the warehouse where the Zombie had been trapped.

The Convenience Store warehouse was much larger than the Supply Room where we had spent our first night.

There was a round picnic table and three plastic chairs, allowing us to sit comfortably and eat.

After going a full day without food, the Convenience Store Lunchboxes tasted incredibly delicious.

For a while, we focused on eating in silence.

“This warehouse is huge. The Convenience Store I worked at when I was younger had a warehouse less than a square meter. It was hard to even move inside.”

“Oh, really? I’ve never worked at a Convenience Store, so I wouldn’t know, but either way, it’s a blessing for us.”

Seonyoung devoured two Lunchboxes and even had the Canned Peaches she’d brought for dessert.

Then, she started sharing stories from her part-time Convenience Store job during her university days.

*A full stomach really does brighten a person up.*

She didn’t seem like such a talkative person before.

“Seonyoung. I want to use this place as a base and prepare to move forward… What do you think?”

“With what’s left in the Convenience Store, we won’t have to worry about food for a while. Wouldn’t it be better to just wait safely until the situation calms down?”

“I don’t know if this situation will ever calm down. And I don’t know who would even save us.”

Seonyoung looked at me with an anxious expression.

Of course, she must be scared at the thought of moving again.

It was only natural, considering how difficult and long it had been just to get to this Convenience Store.

Despite the short distance, we had walked constantly scanning our surroundings.

And stopping and tensing up every time we heard a small sound meant even slow walking was physically exhausting.

However, I was skeptical about the idea of waiting for rescue in the Convenience Store.

Eventually, the food would run out, and most importantly, I didn’t think anyone would be able to save us.

Wouldn’t everyone who had survived so far be struggling just to survive themselves?

“I’m not saying we should just move somewhere aimlessly.”

“Then what?”

I did want to fulfill Jinsu’s request.

But that didn’t mean I’d recklessly endanger myself because of his last words.

“I believe we need to build up our own strength to survive.”

We had to assume that the current Zombie situation would continue long-term.

If we just sat back because our immediate food supply was solved, in the worst-case scenario, there would be no solution.

Preparation for survival.

Gathering supplies and increasing our Acquired stats.

I felt that despite the fear, an active approach was necessary.