TOWARDS THE GREEN ZONE

Raka stood still in the middle of the gang headquarters yard that was now full of corpses. The smell of blood was pungent, mixed with the cold night air.

Nadia sat on a wooden chair, still holding her iron stick. Her face was tired, but her eyes were sharper than before.

On the other side, Bayu leaned against the wall, one hand pressing his injured shoulder.

The three of them were still alive.

But this was just the beginning.

Raka took a deep breath. They couldn't stay here.

This gang had been destroyed, but there were still other threats out there.

Zombies.

Other, stronger humans.

And… this system.

Inside his head, he opened his status screen.

[PLAYER STATUS: RAKA WIRATAMA]

Level: 5

HP: 180/180

Strength: 20

Endurance: 18

Agility: 17

Skill: Corpse Domination Lv.2 (Can control 3 zombies for 30 minutes)

He was much stronger than when the apocalypse first started.

But he knew… it wasn't enough.

Raka looked at Bayu and Nadia.

"We're getting out of here. Now."

Bayu, who still looked weak, looked at him doubtfully. "Where?"

"Green Zone," Raka answered without hesitation.

Bayu sighed. "Are you sure that place really exists?"

"There's no place that's really safe right now," Raka said. "But we can't stay here. Sooner or later, zombies or other gangs will come."

Nadia nodded. "I agree. We have to move."

The three of them began gathering supplies from the abandoned base.

Supplies obtained:

• Canned food (5 days)

• Drinking water (5 bottles)

• Pistol (15 bullets)

• Combat knife

• Assault rifle with 30 bullets

After taking everything they needed, they walked towards an old car that was still usable.

Raka fiddled with the cables under the steering wheel, trying to start the engine.

"Come on… come on…"

BRUMMM!!!

The car started.

Nadia smiled in relief. "We can go."

They got into the car, and without looking back, they left the gang headquarters that was now in ruins.

The city streets were like graveyards.

Abandoned cars, some burned, others covered in dried blood.

At some point, they saw a crowd of zombies roaming around.

However, there was something more terrifying.

Humans.

From inside the car, Raka saw a group of armed men searching the streets for corpses.

Some of them laughed, while others casually beheaded the zombies that were still moving.

Nadia swallowed. "They…"

"They're not good people," Raka said coldly.

Bayu held the gun in his lap. "So we avoid them?"

"Yes."

Raka turned the steering wheel, choosing an alternative route to avoid the group.

But just a few minutes after they passed another road—

CRASH!!!

Something hit the back of their car.

"SHIT! WHAT'S THAT?!"

Raka looked in the rearview mirror.

A black off-road vehicle was chasing them.

Above them, a gunman pointed a machine gun at them.

"STOP OR WE'LL SHOOT!"

Bayu immediately panicked. "They're chasing us! What do we do?!"

Raka gritted his teeth.

They couldn't stop.

They had to fight or run.

He made a decision in a second.

"HOLD ON!"

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

The car sped past abandoned vehicles.

From behind, a BANG! BANG! sound was heard as the enemy started shooting.

"Crazy! They're really shooting at us?!" Bayu shouted.

"They obviously don't want us to escape!" Raka replied.

Nadia looked back. "We have to fight back!"

Bayu grabbed his gun, opened the window, and started shooting back.

BANG! BANG!

One of the men in the rear vehicle fell out of the car.

However, the vehicle continued to chase.

Raka looked ahead. The road ahead forked.

• Left: Enter a narrow small road, which could make it difficult for the enemy to catch up.

Right: Enter an open area, faster but easy to be targeted by fire.

Decision?

"WE ENTER THE NARROW ROAD!"

Raka turned the car to the left, entering a small alley filled with debris.

CRACK! CRACK!

The car tires crossed piles of garbage and rotting corpses, but they kept going.

The enemy also followed… but they had more difficulty maneuvering.

Bayu took the opportunity to shoot their vehicle tires.

BANG!

The enemy's front tire exploded!

Their car lost control and hit the wall hard.

BOOM!!!

The enemy vehicle exploded.

Raka didn't stop to look.

He kept stepping on the gas, making sure they really escaped.

After a few minutes, they finally got out of the city area.

The road began to open up, with trees and wide fields replacing the ruins of buildings.

Raka finally slowed the car and stopped at the side of the road.

Silence.

Bayu leaned his head back on the seat. "Crazy… we're still alive."

Nadia let out a sigh of relief. "I thought we were going to die."

Raka remained silent, but deep inside, he knew…

They couldn't keep avoiding each other forever.

They needed shelter.

And their only option now was…

The Green Zone.

He looked ahead, at the long road ahead.

They had to keep moving forward.

The cold night air enveloped the silent streets they were passing. The old car they were riding in drove slowly on the damaged roads, the tires squeaking every time they passed over broken asphalt and small ruins.

Nadia sat in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing at the worn map on her lap. In the back seat, Bayu tried to hold back the pain in his still injured shoulder, his eyes half-closed.

Raka remained focused on the road ahead of them.

The Green Zone.

That was their only destination now.

A place that was said to still stand strong amidst the destruction of the world.

A place where humans could still live safely.

But was that true?

"According to this map, if we keep going north for two hours, we'll reach the main highway to the Green Zone," Nadia said, her voice soft but firm.

Raka nodded, not taking his eyes off the road.

"The problem," Nadia continued, "is that we don't know what we'll find there."

Bayu, still weak, opened his eyes. "The important thing is that we're far from those bastards who were chasing us."

"But this world isn't just about running, Bayu." Raka finally spoke. "If we're not ready, we'll die sooner or later."

Nadia looked at him. "That's why we need a safe place."

Raka remained silent.

In his mind, he opened his status.

[PLAYER STATUS: RAKA WIRATAMA]

Level: 5

HP: 180/180

Strength: 20

Endurance: 18

Agility: 17

Skill: Corpse Domination Lv.2

Still not enough.

He had to be stronger.

Because he knew…

The Green Zone might not be as safe as they had hoped.

After a few hours of driving, they finally emerged from the ruined city streets.

Ahead of them, a dark forest stretched, a barely visible path cutting through the dense trees.

Nadia bit her lip. "We should be close. But… this forest isn't on the map."

Bayu groaned weakly. "I don't care. I just want to sleep."

Raka pressed the gas pedal, driving the car into the darkness of the forest.

The deeper they went, the quieter it got.

Too quiet.

Raka slowed his car down.

"Too quiet," he muttered.

Nadia tightened her grip on her iron rod. "Maybe the zombies didn't make it this far?"

"But we don't know what's here," Raka said.

Bayu opened his eyes slightly. "You're paranoid."

However, just as the words left his mouth—

BRAKKK!

Something hit the front of the car hard!

Raka immediately slammed on the brakes!

SCREAM!!!

The car stopped suddenly, their bodies were pushed forward.

Nadia screamed softly, while Bayu almost fell from the back seat.

Raka immediately grabbed his gun and looked outside.

What did they just hit?

In front of the car, something that resembled a human corpse lay.

But when Raka sharpened his eyesight, he realized that there was something wrong with the corpse.

Its skin was pitch black, with bright red veins all over its body.

Its arms and legs were longer than ordinary humans, and its empty eyes seemed to emit a faint light.

Nadia swallowed. "What is that…?"

Bayu, who was now fully awake, stared in horror. "That's not an ordinary zombie."

Raka got out of the car, aiming his gun.

BANG!

The bullet hit the creature's head—

But it didn't penetrate.

Raka's eyes widened. "Shit."

Then, in an instant—

The creature moved.

The creature slowly rose, its head turning toward Raka with a stiff movement.

Then—

"KIEEEEEEHHHHH!!!"

The voice was not a human voice.

Not even the voice of an ordinary zombie.

DAMN. THIS IS A NEW MONSTER.

The creature charged at incredible speed!

SWOOSH!

Raka only had a second to react.

He rolled to the side—

CRASH!!!

The creature hit the hood of the car, making the metal crinkle like paper.

Nadia screamed and swung her stick at the creature's head—

BUT THE CREATURE CATCHED HER!

With incredible strength, the creature threw Nadia into the air!

"NADIA!!!"

Nadia's body hit the ground a few meters from the car.

Raka immediately lunged with a knife!

CRASH!

The knife hit the creature's neck… but only made a small scratch.

Its skin was too tough!

The creature growled and slapped Raka back!

CRASH!

Raka hit the ground, blood flowing from the corner of his lips.

Bayu, who was still in the car, took his gun with trembling hands and shot the creature repeatedly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullets still didn't penetrate.

The creature turned towards Bayu…

And charged at him!

Bayu didn't have time to run.

But before the creature reached Bayu…

BANG!!!

A large bullet hit the creature's head!

The creature let out a loud scream before its body fell to the ground… and didn't move anymore.

Silence.

Bayu gasped, his eyes wide.

Nadia groaned in pain on the ground.

Raka lifted his head and looked in the direction of the gunshots.

There stood a man in military uniform, with a large rifle in his hand.

He stared at them coldly, then said—

"If you still want to live, come with me."

A few minutes later, they were taken to a hidden camp in the forest.

Dozens of people in military uniforms were seen guarding with full weapons.

In the middle of the camp, a flag that read 'Green Zone' was flying.

Raka, Bayu, and Nadia looked at each other.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

But one thing still bothered Raka—

Why were they saved?

And more importantly…

What really happened in this place?