Chapter2

Running into the wilderness would be like delivering fast food to these monsters; I'm not that stupid.

I immediately turned around and, using the breakwater as cover, rushed towards the checkpoint's supply area. The fire at the oil depot was still raging, alarms blared throughout the camp, and all the guards had been redeployed to the fire scene and the main gate. According to my memories from my previous life, within ten minutes of the explosion, the security network here was practically worthless.

I easily grabbed the louvers on the back wall of the warehouse, pulled out a straight knife to pry off two rusty screws, and slipped into the ventilation duct like a nimble cat.

I landed and cut off the power to the surveillance system. In the darkness, I precisely located the shelf in section A, tore open my backpack, and stuffed in three cans of high-concentration neutralizing agent and five sets of acid rain filter cartridges. With these, I could survive the three-week acid rain season.

But that's not enough. Since I'm leaving, I have to leave Hale a big surprise.

Walking to the notice board on the wall, I pulled a crumpled receipt from my inner pocket—something I'd snatched from Hale's desk before I died in my past life. Fate had not only brought me back with my memories, but also this piece of paper. It clearly recorded the exact whereabouts of the camp's supplies from the previous month.

I drew my tactical knife and nailed the "Materials Corruption Verification Form" firmly to the center of the bulletin board.

Then, I strode to the control panel in the corner and pressed the emergency full-frequency broadcast button. All the speakers in the camp immediately emitted a sharp, electrical whistling sound, drowning out the noise from the fire.

"Everyone at Checkpoint Five, this is Ethan."

I spoke into the microphone, my voice calm and undisturbed, “Weren’t you curious why this month’s rations were cut in half? Go look at the notice board in Warehouse Number Two. Two-thirds of the 320 boxes of high-purity neutralizing agent were secretly resold on the black market by Hale. Now, the warehouse has less than one-fifth of the remaining stock.”

After finishing the call, I decisively smashed the intercom panel and turned to walk towards the back door.

Less than three minutes later, the commotion in the camp shifted. Communications clerk Nora, accompanied by several heavily armed internal security guards, rushed into the warehouse. She ripped the receipts off the bulletin board, checked the actual inventory against the nearby terminal, and her previously pale face instantly turned ashen.

"Sir!" The soldier beside him panicked, "The books don't match! We don't have enough neutralizing agent left to get through the acid rain season!"

The survivors watching outside the door, who had been mocking my overestimation of myself, erupted in uproar upon hearing this. The initial sneers turned into angry whispers, and dozens of venomous gazes were fixed on the control room.

"Hale is sucking our blood!"

"No wonder he kicked Ethan out; he wanted to silence him!"

The chain of trust within the camp collapsed.

"Shut up! All of you shut up!"

Hale's furious roar came over the loudspeaker. Seeing his underwear pulled down, he completely dropped his pretense, "Ethan's spreading rumors! Enforcement team, on my orders, seal off all backup exits! If you see Ethan, shoot him on the spot, no warning needed!"

The blinding searchlights swept across the supply area like madmen, and two armored assault vehicles roared out of the garage, trying to block my retreat.

But Hale miscalculated one thing. The horde of zombies outside the high walls arrived at the battlefield even before his men.

"Bang! Bang bang bang!"

A violent crash came from the main gate, the ten-meter-high barbed wire creaking under the weight of the rampaging zombies. Then, an abandoned heavy truck was shoved against the gate by the horde of zombies, the ear-piercing sound of metal tearing sending chills down one's spine.

"Outer perimeter under attack! Requesting fire support!" The guard's scream burst from the walkie-talkie.

Hale was forced to choose between hunting me down and saving the camp. The assault vehicle, which had been heading towards the supply depot, slammed on the brakes and turned tail, speeding towards the main gate.

His composure completely crumbled.

Taking advantage of the fact that all the firepower and attention were drawn to the front, I ducked and cut into the shadows of the eastern living area, kicking open the rusty sewer grate. I crawled into the stinking drainage ditch, and just before the acid rain fell, I climbed over the moss-covered brick wall and scaled the perimeter of the checkpoint.

The landing site was a low-lying, muddy beach.

I had barely steadied myself when a zombie, killed by a stray bullet, lay sprawled before me. Half its head was severed, and black, foul blood splattered across the ground. But amidst the mixture of mud and blood, something flickered faintly.

It was a crystal core the size of a baby's fist, rolling out from deep within the monster's torn throat.

In my past life, I struggled and toiled in this hell, never knowing until my death that such a thing was hidden inside these disgusting bodies.

I stepped forward and picked up the crystal core covered in slime with my bare hands.

The instant my fingertips touched it, a strange energy that was not just temperature surged from my palm into my veins and cut straight into my brain!

"Buzz—"

A high-frequency thud reverberated deep within my eardrums, and then the sounds of the entire world distorted. The deafening roars of gunfire were stretched into low, muffled hums, and the howls of zombies were twisted like a broken cassette tape.

I looked up and fixed my gaze on what was ahead.

The acid rain pouring down from the sky actually froze.

Large, deadly, corrosive green raindrops hung clearly in mid-air, reflecting the faint light of the fire. Less than two centimeters from my eyeball, a single, still raindrop floated.

Time stood still.

Only one second had passed.

"Smack!"

The crystal core in his hand dimmed completely, turning into a clump of grayish-white powder that slipped through his fingers. A deafening sound rushed into his ears, raindrops pelted down, and the sound of intense gunfire erupted from the wall behind him.

Once the power is exhausted, everything returns to normal.

But I stood in the cold acid rain, clenching my fists, which were still covered in powder, and a cold smile curled at the corner of my mouth.

Hale, you have an army and a whole warehouse full of weapons. But now, I have the key to turn the tide.

In this game of hunting, the roles of offense and defense have reversed.