The gunshot that killed Mr. Black echoed through the quiet night like a thunderclap.
Aria knew what that meant.
Sound was the dinner bell for the undead.
Within minutes, every zombie within a one-mile radius would be heading toward this warehouse.
"Good," Aria whispered.
She didn't panic. She checked her watch. 1:15 AM.
She grabbed the collar of Mr. Black's expensive suit and dragged his heavy corpse toward the main entrance. Then, she went back for the intern and the two guards.
She piled the four bloody bodies just outside the electric gate.
She took her knife and slashed their arteries open. Fresh blood pooled on the concrete, the metallic scent drifting into the wind.
Bait.
She retreated inside the compound and pressed the button to close the heavy steel gate. But she didn't close it all the way.
She left a gap. About six inches wide.
Just enough for an arm to reach in.
Not enough for a body to squeeze through.
She had created a "Choke Point."
Aria moved a heavy forklift behind the gate to ensure it wouldn't slide open if the zombies pushed too hard.
Then, she climbed up the ladder to the top of the guard tower overlooking the gate.
She sat down on a camping chair she found in the office. She opened a bottle of Mr. Black's vintage red wine and took a sip.
She placed the [Tactical Crossbow] on her lap and waited.
Five minutes later.
Shuffle. Shuffle.
They came.
At first, it was just one or two. Shadows limping out of the darkness, drawn by the smell of the fresh corpses pile.
"Roar..."
The first zombie, a woman in pajamas, reached the pile of bodies. She tore into Mr. Black's stomach, eating the intestines.
Thwack.
A bolt pierced her skull from above.
[Ding!]
[Target Eliminated: Infected (Level 1)]
[+1 Strength]
"One," Aria counted.
Then came the horde.
Dozens of them. They swarmed the gate, smelling the living human inside. They pushed against the steel bars, growling and snapping their jaws.
Clang! Clang!
The gate held firm. The forklift blocked it perfectly.
Through the six-inch gap, the zombies tried to reach in, their rotting arms flailing uselessly.
Aria looked down from the tower. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
"Time to farm."
She raised her crossbow.
Thwack. Reload. Thwack. Reload.
She aimed for the eyes. The system's [Crossbow Mastery] made her aim automatic and precise.
[Ding!]
[Target Eliminated...]
[Target Eliminated...]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 2.]
[All Attributes +1.]
Aria felt a warm energy wash over her. Her vision sharpened. The fatigue from the night disappeared.
But she didn't stop.
When she ran out of bolts, she didn't go down to retrieve them. That was dangerous.
She put the crossbow away and pulled out the [Chef's Cleaver].
She climbed down from the tower and stood behind the gate.
Through the gap, ugly grey faces were hissing at her. They were inches away.
Aria stood just out of their reach.
"Come here, ugly," she taunted.
A zombie pushed its face into the gap, trying to bite her.
Chop.
Aria swung the cleaver downward.
The blade split the zombie's head like a watermelon.
[Target Eliminated.]
Another one pushed forward.
Chop.
Black blood splashed onto Aria's tactical boots. She didn't flinch. She fell into a rhythm.
Swing. Kill. Step back. Swing. Kill.
It was a massacre.
It was efficient. It was brutal.
And for Aria, it was therapeutic.
In her last life, she had run from these monsters for three years. She had starved, hidden in sewers, and cried in fear.
Now? She was the butcher.
Suddenly, a screech pierced the air.
SCREEE!
The zombies at the back of the horde were thrown aside.
A dark shadow leaped over the heads of the ordinary infected.
It landed on top of the electric fence (which had shorted out hours ago).
Aria looked up.
It was a creature on all fours. Its skin was pale red, and its tongue was long and barbed. Its muscles were exposed, looking like a skinned dog.
[Ding!]
[Warning: Special Infected Detected!]
[Type: Licker (Agility Type)]
[Level: 4]
Aria's pupils contracted.
A Level 4 already? The mutation speed was faster than she remembered.
The Licker hissed. It ignored the bait outside. It stared directly at Aria with its eyeless face. It could sense her heat.
It tensed its leg muscles—
Whoosh!
It jumped. It soared over the gate, aiming straight for Aria's throat.
Aria didn't have time to reload the crossbow.
She dropped the cleaver. It was too slow for this enemy.
She reached into her [Dimensional Storage].
Time seemed to freeze.
She didn't pull out a weapon.
She pulled out the Mr. Black's corpse she had stored earlier (she had kept one inside just in case).
She threw the heavy body into the air, right in the path of the jumping Licker.
Crash!
The Licker, mid-air, collided with the corpse. Its claws instinctively latched onto the dead meat, thinking it had caught its prey.
The impact knocked the Licker off balance. It fell to the ground, tangling with the dead body.
"Gotcha," Aria hissed.
She pulled out the pistol she stole from Mr. Black.
She stepped forward, pressing the barrel against the Licker's exposed brain while it was still confused.
[Skill: Fear Aura activated.]
The beast froze for a split second, sensing a predator superior to itself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots. Point blank range.
The Licker's head exploded.
[Ding!]
[Target Eliminated: Licker (Level 4)]
[You have slain a High-Tier Enemy!]
[Reward: Agility +5]
[Reward: Skill Book - "Shadow Step"]
Aria lowered the gun. Smoke rose from the barrel.
She kicked the dead Licker off Mr. Black's corpse.
"Stupid dog," she muttered. "Always falls for the decoy."
She looked at the remaining zombies at the gate. They were still growling, scratching at the bars.
But the boss was dead. The rest was just clean-up.
Aria wiped the sweat from her forehead. A cruel smile played on her lips.
This warehouse wasn't just a base.
It was her hunting ground.