Chapter 27
kq92iI raised a hand to my eye.TrI
PKt7iv9The heat beneath my palm was intense.okOb7qT
CRxxfqI rubbed it several times, but the golden glow reflected in the glass didn’t disappear.VvuA
xgu‘What is this?’oNGGt
ELWls5jAs I stood there, frozen in confusion, I heard a sharp shout.fQ3
Lzwv“Recruit!”7ln9A
BwzZ3The Chef Zombie was moving again.ynE3t
sqp0EGSince he could no longer use one of his legs properly, he crawled toward me.n2Zkwe
OUohCThough saying he was crawling would be an understatement.fR8Gw
lsB6He was moving so fast that he practically looked like he was running.oJp8
Me2I took a few steps back while removing the magazine and clearing the chamber.GrF2av
7vyb1My hands trembled a little, but I didn’t make a single mistake.6DtzS
YuEx6The round in the chamber fell onto the metal floor with a dry clink.DQn9A
RMRqI put the Glock back into the sling bag and shouted,7eYbcN
NVcc“Please keep repairing the generator!”G7Uy0
lKE9nXI couldn’t take my eyes off the Chef Zombie, so I didn’t check what Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk were doing.l09
WsOSpryBut I knew they had resumed working.s0Z8K
NhwiThe repair progress bar started moving again.3Ut
vY9oGCurrent repair progress: 69%ZwrPSrP
42kSo8QSince the Chef Zombie was moving much more slowly than before, dealing with him had become considerably easier.2Qtr
aZJRWHowever, my own reflexes had also become slower.kBloz
T2V4Between those golden eyes and the constant system windows appearing to block my vision, my mind was in complete chaos.ZINTl
OQWjnkYou feel that something inside you has changed, but you soon realize that it is nothing out of the ordinary.Jye
vxVBecause you are ■■ ■.CnWHB
Zrf3AIt is merely a natural process of growth as a ■.MgiKTV
GKOmfPFHowever, ■■ ■ must remain hidden for now.jRy
8icNvM5To protect that secret, you think this is the most appropriate and perfect moment to register ‘Mo Haein’ and ‘Kwak Hanmuk.’oSL
RszshzDo you wish to register ‘Mo Haein’ and ‘Kwak Hanmuk’?Yls
CLrTBWI closed every window except the one displaying the repair progress.yBp
MDbALXSurviving came first.TCzXNm
bsytIf I died, it wouldn’t matter what color my eyes were glowing.QA7
TB7mW‘Two gonggi stones left.’OK3UvdF
XKrI intended to save one of them.VxUqnx
ct52I had already used the pistol.OuHK
CQQA40I couldn’t afford to lower the Chef Zombie’s health any further.LPCVE
HCXWoBut the second phase would begin soon.lXVGTe
3JUAs if it had been waiting for that exact moment, the progress increased again.sACmx4u
giD4Current repair progress: 70%IXL2
YXQAt 70%, the most difficult part began.QuI
SPYJgAkThe Chef Zombie entered the second phase.ZMh
jojhAs he crawled across the floor, his body began convulsing.OmecW
KZJGY“Grr… Grrr…”Cec
hGEdVeins began bulging all over his body as though he were enduring unbearable pain.df5ojI8
LBtThick bluish blood vessels protruded beneath his skin.3iQTbTN
KLlBThen every one of his joints cracked, one after another.2VC
mJviMYCrack.TQte
jtIKxMbCrack.LKIhpTi
Y98AOAs though he were testing out a brand-new body.nlDPZ
Xd0Then he slowly turned his head toward the emergency generator.EykNVHF
irjVWith the repairs at 70%, the generator was producing a deafening roar.ZAsGKVj
JI8lrB“Kieeeehh!”yhxBco
gh7The Chef Zombie let out a piercing shriek and began crawling at tremendous speed, his apron dragging across the floor.ipvZ
uC5DHe wasn’t coming after me.aCbjx5M
aX4HT8He was heading straight for the generator.jqv
SzmEbYVThat was the real problem with the second phase.TpLteVS
4x1zgeThe Chef Zombie attacked the emergency generator without exception.76FAmw3
6PUQa8WNo matter how much the player drew his attention, he would ignore them again only a few seconds later.Zyvo
EOCRAEven the gonggi stones only distracted him for three seconds.sG01Fi
PjlpiThat was why, during the second phase, the best—and practically the only—strategy was to physically stop him.HVIZMU7
2HjU5uI quickly pulled a carabiner with a climbing rope already attached out of the sling bag and secured it to the metal shelving unit.GQW0p
DzNThen I looped the rope around a thick pipe, wrapped it around several times, and finally tied it around my waist.jO1uEqi
kftAfter checking the knot, I ran after the Chef Zombie.jrA6Ae
Ox3And grabbed his leg.QDCDZ2R
C9D5The left one.elZY
gokLoZThe same knee I had shot.stB
GyNHe was wearing chef’s boots, so I nearly ended up pulling off only his footwear.1Dp
6TZBut I reacted in time and grabbed him above the ankle, wrapping myself tightly around his leg.gSL7h
c447Oc“Graaaah! Graaaaah!”m5t6Kp
4uG7s9The Chef Zombie began struggling violently.iEM
sLMUbBut he didn’t attack me.lMp
bu77uICAs long as he didn’t receive damage beyond a certain threshold, the generator remained his absolute priority during the second phase.7K9Px2M
9KqoEXWith me hanging from his leg, he continued advancing using only his arms and his other leg.oAwx
bsx3enI was dragged across the floor.1OCoTAn
fKLS8zOUntil the rope around my waist became completely taut.JBG
25QfL“…”jwAopV
tCRwZI felt a pain so intense that it was as if my entire body were being torn apart.cKoOu8
yuudI clenched my teeth with all my strength and braced my feet against a dented section of the metal floor.YV94ul
mseDNDVA sticky sensation coated my skin.TFk8X4
dgtkweIt was the dark, putrid liquid oozing from the Chef Zombie’s leg, soaking me.6JsDf
EG1sIfWith my normal strength, I could never have stopped him.b34QB
9hbI was only holding on thanks to the rope.5YwTNp
tRkGNyBut it was obvious I wouldn’t be able to last much longer.dPG
JIEkhi0‘Just a little longer…’hRlMf
0hdThe sweat running down my forehead blurred my vision.lcOPa2
dw4KSaI blinked several times until I could see clearly again, and at last, I saw the first digit change.PHev
iXkCurrent repair progress: 90%D9nn
VvTKThe moment the repairs reached 90%, the Chef Zombie began convulsing.b8oCbaW
puTrHis entire body shook as his limbs twisted into grotesque shapes.40s
wpU5Z1It was the omen announcing the start of the third phase.ftW6
OLqFdDuring the third phase, the Chef Zombie entered a berserk state.p23MU
CWi1GkSome of the bones in his hands grew into the shape of kitchen knives.K7wVo
87WpBoth his speed and his strength increased dramatically.wWA
AzQOWith that deformed body, he began launching indiscriminate attacks throughout the generator room.Hb3wv6e
xwrOZY5Even though one of his legs was injured, after seeing how fast he had crawled earlier, I doubted the wound would reduce the power of his frenzy by much.PNT
L4pVMe5In other words.9tZR6
6GjjnHe was about to become an enemy I couldn’t handle.aoJi
YwxhEoAll of this was happening because, in the original plan, Kwak Hanmuk was supposed to fight the boss.WmkJ
wZ4But things had already reached this point.bvJ
mn6I had to find some way to make it work.tgX
OThs4aI let go of the Chef Zombie and took off my work gloves.7ndOQFJ
RM9ykyThen I pulled out the fourth gonggi stone.2VYt5
3PNAP6LI was going to try a completely new method.DfB
J9OgOne I had never been able to attempt in the game.ABZ
ivo0mG‘Because back then it had been physically impossible.’wKkPaQO
vSDBut now.Zicoq
8drUGd2Maybe it would work.1fKVn
WCGOSOI gripped the gonggi stone tightly.VQLpZE
y5udAnd pulled the two plastic halves apart.OeU8C
LXPC9jIClick.Mtrv
7lDFKQPThe stone split open.4FxCRc
iBPThe tension I felt eased slightly.s2wR
Vyu8QIn the game, it was an item that could never be taken apart.4GmS
iQS9And after checking the description, I saw that it had changed as well.YvAyY2c
Q5WaHhKBroken Gonggi Stone: Please! Use it only to play gonggi!gnp0F
L8JfI poured the tiny metal pellets inside into my palm and held them together with the plastic shell.DGSScN
dmFeThen I threw them in the opposite direction from the Chef Zombie, just as he was about to begin his transformation.lAoQAxJ
m4tHThe shell and the tiny pellets scattered across the floor, producing faint clinking sounds.hvvhd8
qWfNeFCompared to the roar of the diesel generator, they were no louder than the sound of leaves falling.vyYaJ
iajK9DUBut the Chef Zombie reacted immediately.p3Jg
MJa4CThe body that had been writhing convulsively only a moment before came to a halt.cZM8H
y8TmGEven his physical transformation was interrupted.uNbhf
NKUYHis growls also stopped completely.RYg
IcZFor several seconds, the only sound in the entire room was the engine.hINem
9o7As though he had encountered an error, the Chef Zombie stood motionless.kWL
kU0kuThen he turned his head very slowly.eH8RK
ZryRBHis gaze fell upon the fragments of the gonggi stone scattered across the floor.q2n9jk5
p3i“Ah… Ah…”cGfoaG7
IQlIAPFor the first time, he made a different sound.DpVt6kN
CrPFLHe began desperately looking from one fragment to another.HHu
BYPs2His head kept moving up, down, left, and right without stopping.aLC
bGU0UjAfter a few moments, he began frantically crawling around.7Zt7tv
eA17NBut not toward the generator.Alb
NUzNor toward me.KadobCu
4OOwHe was only trying to gather the fragments of the gonggi stone.LW5Sc
MIs3N9ZHowever, the hands that were in the middle of transforming already had bones protruding from everywhere.80VEe
x46DiThose hands had evolved solely to destroy.VtdMY
v6zwThey were far too clumsy to pick up tiny metal pellets.xpAfB
qPnKAHe barely managed to pick up the plastic shell and shove it into his mouth.Za9
c8tMTGWhile the Chef Zombie kept futilely trying to gather the tiny fragments, the repair progress continued advancing steadily.ErGGb
DbHFinally, Kwak Hanmuk tightened the last screw.t1XqJv7
77Z17QeCurrent repair progress: 100%5jrQ9yp
82yINThe emergency generator repair has been completed!TnaUS
iUfsuThe cheerful notification appeared alongside a new system window.OibevI
NmuThe moment Kwak Hanmuk confirmed that the repairs were finished, he sprang to his feet with the screwdriver in his hand.BYv7A
AbZI tried to stop him before he charged at the Chef Zombie.LIi
lXXeNWell.pRMWZe
2xo5VukI tried.n8B9B
XB1MQ“Captain Kwak…! Ugh!”6cAq
fiiRI had completely forgotten about the rope tied around my waist.Das4ruV
oGIkI couldn’t move forward.YNB
hIh5On the contrary, I was yanked backward.DTO7r
MSKmMw5I landed hard on my tailbone, and it hurt as though it had cracked, but I didn’t even have time to check.C5V
wQWOY8q“Don’t kill him!”fMUUhQh
pJSRKufKwak Hanmuk had stepped on the back of the still-writhing Chef Zombie and was about to drive the screwdriver into the back of his neck.kZyKlh
roos5He turned to look at me.IbSxQ
R3orw1tHis sharp eyes showed not the slightest trace of emotion.gR0VN70
WNPLhI froze for a moment before speaking slowly.374Q3p
BOJ8Sc“He’s the father of the child who owns the gonggi stones you brought.”61ttL
Ttcsfub“So?”Mofg
bHovKwak Hanmuk still had one foot planted on the Chef Zombie’s back.H3xuao
qBqHBX“Is that a reason to keep the boss alive?”wvm8Y
q7a“We’re going to develop a cure. He can become human again.”fsHm
s70Q6w“Does it have anything to do with the True Ending?”IMh7
P5VUA“…Yes.”4U45u4
zK8KHe continued staring at me.PChp
u8BrkMI kept explaining.LU0
GW6d4“The side quest you received at the elementary school is connected to the True Ending.”QLHg
6qz8atKwak Hanmuk smiled.dliuR
jBMVAYHe tossed the screwdriver into the air.mtC4a98
aVBv7nIt spun several times before landing perfectly back in his hand.tsY
6ULr“You should’ve started with that.”Vt6rTsj
gjWThe truth was, it had nothing to do with it.y1fe3n
0DGFUIt didn’t matter whether the Chef Zombie lived or died.ICbUjSL
umq77DuIt wouldn’t affect either the cure or the vaccine.SLm0
0a4PBut I wanted to save him.ONE
T7ZBecause after playing Dead Zone Deal countless times,2ZxA
ncR9uzI had never managed to do it.mEyVIU2
Ai5jr◆ Side Quest: Find the Child’s Father.10K
EohwWhen you accepted the little boy’s quest at the elementary school, you received the gonggi stones used during the boss fight.xbOSiL
91bXTaSince using them was mandatory to defeat him, the quest was designed to fail.Pt9VRC
sqGsI tried everything.UxU78vK
6EPVrI even started by trying not to use the stones.QTt
otgBut every attempt ended the same way.Z5ytdMm
tPuUYThe little boy would burst into tears after learning that his father had died, asking why I hadn’t kept my promise to find him.RDHS
XkYvBNo matter that Dead Zone Deal was set in a zombie apocalypse.fK7lLzd
GR0This time, we were going to create a cure as well.5FvSRs3
G8xg7xKI wanted to achieve a far more perfect happy ending.SxN3Tx
WBO8yOf course.33Lau7
sNsI couldn’t save every zombie.Usx4x8
vcN‘But I can at least save one or two of the ones I know.’KUM8
FKCAs long as it didn’t interfere with the progress of the game.8imanV
TiqpBesides, once the generator had been repaired, killing the boss was no longer necessary for the battle to be considered complete.U0D
NBwrI glanced at the system window.4dx
AiPYou have defeated the Chef Zombie!UPc
9Z8TqGKwak Hanmuk kept tossing and catching the screwdriver as he asked,wxS0
jFiHaS“So how do you plan to keep him under control?”pVc
Xb5Hy“Yes. Well… I’d appreciate it if you could hold him down for a little longer.”SUWpw2
bDbI hurriedly untied the climbing rope from around my waist.15it
gy1Just as I was about to unclip the carabiner from the metal shelving unit,forijNa
FHHbSMo Haein stepped in front of me.P9qDg
vBxjPpE“Wait.”argYf
QObShe held out a hand toward me.DFEehb
N65jvI watched her approach nervously.6SO
UKhThat was when I remembered something I had forgotten because of the battle with the Chef Zombie.sMw
LSLIMy eyes had been glowing with an intense golden color.sSX
lWBE7TMo Haein’s hand opened the zipper of the sling bag hanging across my chest.B6Hw1
K6tpkShe took out the pistol.JWAk7S
DdSJ70XShe aimed it at the floor and pulled the trigger.aKK79a
Dxa70lnClick.W11
1O2FThe trigger locked to the rear.S7ELADQ
v00lMI was still completely tense while she finished making the gun safe.4SMA
wIKyDvBut all she did was put it back into the sling bag.vcm
RCMzLC‘She’s not going to arrest me this time…?’t1fu9
9nkHaving previously been detained for causing a national disaster, I could only stare at her in confusion.pDv5G9B
oHPNaAt that moment, the room’s speaker emitted a burst of static.Xw6S
GVtWAnd immediately afterward, a familiar voice rang out.GzwS6va
MWuB“Sniff… M-Mr. Gunbam… A-are you still alive…? Hic… If you’re still alive… could you come quickly…?”AGYo
rspuvi5It was Lee Gaon’s voice.8Cwt
L8LAnd before I could even wonder how she had managed to activate the PA system, she dropped an even bigger bombshell.bmir
aTSL6m“Sniff… Hic… I-I think… I think I just killed someone…”P6ni0
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