SHADOW OF DEATH

Raka sat leaning against the wall of the narrow room where they were locked up. The dim light from the ceiling only made the atmosphere even gloomier.

In the corner of the room, Nadia was still holding her knees, her face downcast. Bayu, on the other hand, looked restless. He paced back and forth, occasionally grumbling softly.

"Raka, we can't stay here," Bayu whispered in a tone full of fear. "This place is crazy. The people here are crazy."

Raka remained silent, but his mind was working fast.

Yes, this place was hell.

He had realized it since the first time they entered. This was no shelter. This was a gang headquarters that took advantage of the chaos of the outside world.

They gathered the weak to be used as slaves. The men were used as workers or fighters in the arena, while the women…

Raka clenched his fists. He would not let that happen.

"How many people are out there?" Raka asked quietly.

Bayu shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but I saw at least twenty armed people."

It was too much to fight head-on.

Nadia finally spoke, her voice shaking. "We have to get out… before they…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but Raka understood what she meant.

He had to find a way out.

Raka closed his eyes and opened his status.

[PLAYER STATUS: RAKA WIRATAMA]

Level: 3

HP: 140/140

Strength: 16

Endurance: 14

Agility: 13

Skill: Corpse Domination Lv.1

"This skill is still level one."

He could only control one zombie at a time. It wasn't enough to deal with this gang.

I need more power.

But first, they had to learn more about this place.

"Nadia," Raka said quietly. "Did you see anything that could help us?"

Nadia lifted her head slightly. "I… I heard two guards talking earlier. They said there was a supply truck coming tomorrow morning."

Raka's eyes narrowed.

A supply truck?

That could be their best chance to escape.

The night was getting late. Two armed guards stood guard outside the room where they were locked up.

Raka pretended to be asleep, but he secretly watched their movements.

They often chatted and ignored their surroundings.

Fatal mistake.

He waited until one of them went to the end of the hall to smoke.

Opportunity.

"Bayu, get ready."

Bayu nodded slowly, although his face was still scared.

In a matter of seconds, Raka immediately charged at the remaining guard!

CRASH!

He punched the man in the neck, making him flinch. Before the man could scream, Raka covered his mouth and slammed his head against the wall.

THUMP!

The guard immediately passed out.

Bayu and Nadia stared with wide eyes.

Raka immediately grabbed the gun and knife from the man's body.

Now they had weapons.

"Take whatever you can use," he whispered.

Bayu took a small dagger, while Nadia took a short stick lying in the corner of the room.

Raka peeked out. The hallway was still quiet.

However, he knew that if they ran now, they would be caught. They had to sneak out without drawing attention.

They moved slowly, down the hallway towards the back door of the headquarters.

However, after only a few steps—

"HEY! WHY IS THE DOOR OPEN?!"

Damn it.

Another guard found his friend's unconscious body.

Raka had no choice.

"RUN!"

They immediately ran towards the back gate.

BANG! BANG!

Bullets started to be fired towards them.

"TAKE THEM ALIVE!"

Several armed men started to chase.

Raka looked ahead. The gate was closed.

But there was an old car parked nearby.

"TOWARDS THAT CAR!"

Bayu and Nadia followed without hesitation.

As soon as they arrived, Raka immediately opened the driver's door and checked the inside.

The key was still in place.

Damn, how lucky am I?!

He immediately started the engine.

BRUUMMM!!!

"GET IN!!!"

Bayu and Nadia jumped inside.

The guards were still shooting at them.

BRAAK!

One of the bullets hit the back window, cracking it.

However, Raka didn't care.

He immediately stepped on the gas as hard as he could!

BRUUMMMMM!!!

The car sped forward, hitting the old gate hard.

BRAHAM!!!

The gate broke, and they managed to escape.

The car sped along the dark streets.

They could still hear gunshots in the distance, but eventually…

Silence.

Bayu sat in the back seat, his breath coming in short gasps. "We… we made it?"

Raka remained focused on driving, but he knew one thing for sure.

They might have escaped, but their troubles were not over.

In this changed world, no place was truly safe.

And the gang certainly wasn't going to stay quiet after what they had done.

He stared ahead, at the dark and dangerous streets.

BRUUMMM!!!

The old car that Raka was driving sped through the destroyed streets. The remains of the burned city still glowed in the distance. The road was littered with abandoned vehicles, some rusty, others covered in dried bloodstains.

Inside the car, Nadia sat in the passenger seat, her face still pale. Bayu, in the back seat, kept looking back anxiously.

"Are we being chased?" he asked in a voice full of anxiety.

Raka kept his focus on the road. "No signs yet. But don't expect them to give up."

They knew one thing for sure: the gang would not stay silent.

After all the chaos they had caused at the base, the bandits would most likely send someone to hunt them down.

They had to find a safe place soon.

After an hour of driving, the atmosphere outside grew quieter.

There were no gunshots. No signs of pursuit.

But that was what made Raka even more alert.

He knew that in this destroyed world, quiet did not mean safe.

"Raka…" Nadia suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"Where are we going?"

Raka sighed. That was the question that had been on his mind for a while.

They couldn't keep wandering aimlessly.

They needed a place to survive, a place they could use as a temporary base.

Bayu leaned forward. "I heard there's a shelter on the outskirts of town. Some people call it the Green Zone."

Raka frowned. "The Green Zone?"

Bayu nodded. "They said that place still has food supplies and is run by former military. If we can get there, maybe we'll be safer."

Nadia looked a little calmer. "So there's still a safe place?"

"If the rumors are true," Bayu replied.

Raka thought for a moment.

Decisions:

1. Head to the Green Zone – There will most likely be other people there, be they allies or enemies.

2. Find a safe place on their own – Higher risk, but they won't be under anyone else's control.

However, before he could decide—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rang out from behind.

Raka's eyes widened.

Damn. They were found!

Raka looked through the rearview mirror.

Two black cars sped behind them.

Inside, several armed men fired their guns at them.

"HOLD ON!!!"

BRUUUMMM!!!

Raka immediately stepped on the gas as hard as he could.

Bullets whizzed past their car, hitting the rear window and cracking it.

"SHIT!" Bayu shouted as he ducked. "They won't let us go!"

Raka gritted his teeth. He had to make a quick decision.

Ahead of him, the road forked into two:

• Left: The road into the city, full of buildings and possible zombies.

• Right: The road into the forest, quieter but probably difficult to maneuver.

The decision?

"HOLD ON! WE'RE GOING INTO THE CITY!"

The car made a sharp left turn, entering a narrow city street.

Collapsed buildings and abandoned vehicles made the road even more difficult to pass.

However, that also became an advantage for them.

The pursuing car from the gang had difficulty catching up on the narrow road.

"Bayu, get your gun and shoot them!" Raka shouted.

Bayu took out the gun they had taken from the gang earlier.

BANG! BANG!

A bullet hit the enemy car window, slowing them down.

However, the other car continued to chase.

CRASH!!!

Suddenly, something hit the back of their car.

Raka looked through the rearview mirror and his eyes widened.

A giant zombie was running behind them.

Shit. This was no ordinary zombie!

The zombie had a large body, almost twice the size of a normal human. Its skin was blackish, full of open wounds, but its steps were fast and aggressive.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Bayu shouted in panic.

"Mutation…" Raka muttered.

Nadia covered her mouth, her face growing paler.

They weren't just being chased by humans—they were also being chased by monsters.

And now, the giant zombie jumped onto one of the chasing cars!

CRASH!

The zombie smashed the roof of the car, grabbed one of the men inside, then bit his head until it was crushed!

"ARGGHHH!!!"

Blood spurted everywhere.

The car lost control and crashed into the wall of the building, exploding instantly.

However, the giant zombie was unaffected.

He jumped towards Raka's car!

"RAKA!!!"

CRASH!!!

The roof of their car was dented as the zombie slammed into the top.

The creature's large hand grabbed the window, trying to pull them out.

Raka immediately pulled out a knife and stabbed the zombie's hand!

CRASH!

Black blood spurted, but the zombie showed no signs of pain.

"JUMP!!!" Raka shouted.

Without thinking, the three of them immediately opened the door and jumped out.

CRASH!!!

Their car rolled to the side, hit the wall and exploded.

Raka, Bayu, and Nadia fell to the ground, their bodies covered in dust and small wounds.

In front of them, the giant zombie stood, growling angrily.

This was bad.

They couldn't run anymore.

They had to fight.

The zombie charged towards Raka!

BOOM!!!

Raka dodged to the side, but the wind from the creature's attack was so strong.

Bayu fired his gun—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullet hit the zombie's head, but it didn't penetrate its skull.

Damn. Its skin is too tough!

Nadia tried to attack with her stick, but the zombie slapped her backwards.

"NADIA!!!"

Raka gritted his teeth.

I can't win if I don't use this system!

He opened his status.

[Corpse Domination Lv.1 Active]

{Target cannot be dominated. Level is too low.}

Shit!

He had to find another way to defeat it!

And at that moment, he saw a long iron protruding from a collapsed building nearby.

That was it.

If he could lure the zombie into hitting the iron…

He turned to Bayu and Nadia.

"Listen! I have a plan!"