WOLF'S NEST

AARRGHHH!!!

The woman's screams still echoed in the air. She ran as fast as she could, but the dozens of zombies behind her were getting closer.

From where she stood, Raka could see the fear on her face.

She wouldn't survive.

Unless someone helped her.

Arif immediately turned to Raka and Bayu. "We don't have time! Get in the car now or we'll all die!"

Bayu, who was still panting, nodded hurriedly. "I agree! We can't help everyone!"

However, Raka remained silent.

In his head, he knew that Arif and Bayu were right. They were lucky enough to survive this far. If they tried to save the woman, they might also be surrounded.

But...

If he were in the woman's position, he would want someone to help her.

This world had indeed changed. But did he have to lose his humanity too?

Damn.

Raka gritted his teeth and ran.

"RAKA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Bayu shouted in surprise.

Arif cursed. "This kid is crazy!"

Raka didn't care. He immediately ran towards the woman, drawing his knife.

"SIT DOWN!" he shouted.

The woman, who was already exhausted, immediately threw herself to the ground in panic.

Raka lunged at the nearest zombie.

SLAM!

His kitchen knife pierced the creature's eye. The zombie struggled for a moment before finally falling to the ground.

[Rookie ZOMBIE DEFEATED!]

+50 EXP]

However, there were still more than ten other zombies.

Damn.

Raka pulled the woman to her feet. "RUN TO THE CAR!"

Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the woman's wrist and ran as fast as he could.

The zombies growled loudly and started chasing.

BANG! BANG!

Gunfire suddenly rang out.

Arif, who was already sitting in the driver's seat, fired his gun at the zombies. Two of them fell, their heads blown away.

"MOVE FAST, YOU BASTARD!" Arif shouted.

Raka and the woman finally arrived at the car. Bayu, although his face was still scared, had opened the back door for them.

Without thinking, they immediately jumped in.

"GO!" Raka shouted.

Arif stepped on the gas pedal hard.

BRUMMM!!!

The car sped off, leaving the still-growling zombies behind.

IN THE CAR

Raka sat in the back seat, still trying to catch his breath. The woman next to him was the same. Her face was covered in sweat, but her eyes were full of gratitude.

"T-thank you…" she said in a weak voice.

Raka turned to her. The woman was around 20, with long messy hair and clothes that were torn in several places. Blood stained her arms, but it didn't seem to belong to her.

"My name is Nadia," she said.

"Raka."

"Bayu," Bayu said while still holding his chest, as if he was about to have a heart attack.

Arif looked at them through the rearview mirror. "You're reckless, young man."

Raka remained silent.

Arif clicked his tongue. "We were lucky to escape. But that doesn't mean we're safe."

He pointed ahead.

From a distance, they could see the city starting to fall apart. Buildings were burning, streets full of abandoned cars, and hordes of zombies everywhere.

"Where are we going?" asked Raka.

Arif paused for a moment, then said, "I have one place we can go. The rescue base."

Bayu immediately looked relieved. "Is there a safe place? Are there other soldiers?"

Arif nodded. "It should be, yes."

However, from the tone of his voice, Raka felt that something was wrong.

1 hour later The car stopped in front of a large building surrounded by a high wire fence. In front of the gate, several armed men stood guard with alert expressions.

Raka looked around. This place was not a military base.

The walls looked worn out, and most of the buildings looked like former warehouses.

Arif opened the window and waved his hand. "Open! I'm bringing someone safe!"

One of the guards approached. After seeing Arif's face, the man nodded and gestured.

The gate slowly opened.

They entered.

Once inside, Raka immediately realized something was wrong.

This place looked more like a gang headquarters than a rescue center.

Several large men were walking back and forth with guns in their hands. Several people were seen sitting in the corner, their faces full of despair.

And most strikingly—there were several women forced to sit in one corner, guarded by two armed men.

Damn.

Raka immediately felt wary.

Bayu noticed it too. "Raka… I don't like this place."

They got out of the car. A bald man with a muscular body walked up to them. He was wearing a leather jacket and had a gun on his waist.

Arif immediately saluted. "Commander, I'm back."

Raka narrowed his eyes. So this was the leader?

The bald man stared at them with a sharp gaze. "Who are they?"

"Survivors I found on the street," Arif replied.

The man grinned. "Good. We always need new men here."

Raka didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Is this place… really a rescue base?" Raka asked coldly.

The bald man chuckled. "Sure. We save anyone who can be useful. But if you're useless…"

His gaze turned sharp.

Raka knew immediately that this was not a safe place.

This was a place far more dangerous than just zombies.

Nadia held Raka's hand tightly. "What is this place, Raka...?" she whispered.

Raka clenched his fists.

They had just escaped death, only to enter a wolf's den.

They had only two choices:

1. Follow orders and stay alive for a while.

2. Fight and find a way to escape—even if it meant killing other humans.

The world had changed.

It wasn't just zombies that were dangerous.

Humans could become monsters too.

Raka stood still, his eyes staring intently at the bald man called the Commander.

Around them, the atmosphere grew tense. The armed men guarding the base stared at them with evaluation in their eyes, like a butcher assessing an animal before slaughtering it.

Nadia stood behind him, her body trembling slightly. Bayu also looked tense, his gaze full of suspicion.

This place was not a rescue base.

This was a gang den—and from the way these people acted, Raka could guess that the law here was the law of the jungle.

The Commander grinned, his eyes sweeping Raka up and down.

"Are you strong?" he asked.

Raka did not answer immediately. He knew that in a situation like this, the wrong answer could be fatal.

"I can survive," he answered shortly.

The Commander chuckled. "Good. We need people who can survive. But…" His gaze shifted to Nadia and Bayu. "I'm not sure about these two."

Nadia tensed up, her hand gripping Raka's arm. Bayu swallowed, clearly feeling threatened.

Raka clenched his fists. Damn.

This guy was assessing them. If they were deemed useless, they could be thrown out—or worse.

One of the armed men stepped forward. "Commander, we can use these girls for 'entertainment'. Our stock is running low."

Nadia paled immediately.

Raka felt his blood boil. Bastards.

The commander laughed softly. "Relax. Let's see if they can be useful."

He looked at Raka again. "If you want to stay here, you have to show your worth. If not… well you understand, right?"

From behind, Bayu whispered softly. "Raka, we have to get out of here…"

Raka knew that. But they couldn't run now.

He had to play it safe.

"Okay. What should I do?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

The commander grinned in satisfaction. "Good. I like people who know their place."

He signaled to his men.

"Prepare him for battle."

Raka stood in the middle of a small field surrounded by high walls. This place was clearly used as a gladiator arena—entertainment for the residents of this base.

Around him, gang members stood around, some carrying weapons, others just watching excitedly.

On the other side of the arena, a large man entered. His muscles bulged, his face scarred from fighting. In his hand, he held a large knife.

The commander spoke from the small balcony above them.

"The rules are simple. You win, you stay. You lose, you die."

Cheers rang out from the audience.

Bayu and Nadia stood at the side of the arena, their faces full of worry.

Raka took a deep breath. Damn it.

The large man grinned. "I'm going to make you regret coming here, kid."

Without warning, the man charged!

Raka only had a second to react.

SWISH!

His opponent's knife flew toward his chest.

Raka jumped to the side, barely avoiding the attack. But the man was fast—without giving him time to think, he swung his knife again.

SRAT!

The knife hit Raka's arm, leaving a thin cut that immediately bled.

"Shit," Raka hissed.

Laughter erupted from the audience.

The man grinned. "Is this all?"

Raka gritted his teeth. I can't keep holding on. I have to attack.

He tightened his grip on his knife, then lunged.

The man swung his knife again, but this time Raka was ready.

THUMP!

Raka kicked the man in the knee, knocking him off balance for a moment.

That was Raka's chance.

SRAT!

He stabbed his knife into the side of his opponent's stomach.

The man growled angrily, but the cut wasn't deep enough to paralyze him.

CRASH!

Suddenly, a large fist slammed into Raka's face, sending him staggering backward.

Blood leaked from the corner of his lips.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The cheers grew louder.

Raka shook his head, catching his breath. I have to use my head.

He pretended to stagger longer than necessary, trying to look weaker than he really was.

The man saw his chance and charged.

That was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

As the man approached, Raka suddenly crouched and swept his legs!

CRASH!

The man fell to the ground, and in an instant—

SRATTT!!!

Raka's knife pierced his neck.

Blood spurted. The man coughed, his eyes wide, before his body finally fell limp.

Silence.

Then—

"WHOOOOOAAAA!!!"

The cheers erupted.

Raka stood, his breath ragged, blood dripping from his knife.

The commander on the balcony laughed. "Hahaha! This kid is interesting!"

He waved his hand.

"Bring him inside. He's useful to us."

The arena door opened.

Bayu and Nadia immediately ran towards Raka.

"Are you okay?" Bayu asked in panic.

Raka nodded. "I'm still alive."

They were taken into the main building.

A small room with old beds was prepared for them. Several other people were there too—desperate faces that were clearly not part of this gang.

When all the guards had left, Bayu approached Raka.

"We have to get out of here."

Raka nodded. "I know."

Nadia spoke softly. "This place… they use people to fight. And the women…"

Her voice trembled, unable to continue.

Raka clenched his fists. This was no place to survive. This was a place for monsters.

And he would not allow himself to be locked up here forever.

He turned to the small window in the corner of the room. Outside, the world had turned to hell.

But the hell outside might still be better than the hell inside this place.

He had to find a way out.

And if anyone got in his way—

Then he would make sure they would never stand again.