True Apocalypse Game

"Ghh... Ghh..." Short, guttural sounds escaped the attacker’s mouth before its body gradually went limp, slumping to the ground like a pile of sludge.

Tattered clothes, a body with bulging black veins, and a brain leaking nothing but a black substance.

It was a zombie.

Its teeth were as sharp as hooks. It had transformed into a completely inhuman creature.

The instant she pierced its brain, Sophie held her breath. She quickly backed away, snatched a piece of clothing from a nearby rack, and dashed toward the restroom.

Holding the large tailor’s scissors at the ready, she saw the restroom was empty. She quickly opened the toilet tank, found the water inside, and tossed the clothing in to soak it.

She then pulled the cloth out, cut it with the scissors, fashioned it into a makeshift mask, and tied it around her mouth and nose.

It was the most rudimentary of gas masks.

She had no idea what the game’s initial settings were. If her character wasn’t immune to the Evil Spirit Virus, she could turn into a zombie right at the start. Game over.

This simple mask would offer some protection; at least she wouldn’t be so easily infected by airborne droplets.

Sophie also knew that everything she was doing was likely under the Commander’s watchful eye.

This mission wasn’t just about completing objectives; it was also a test, an interview.

After doing all this, Sophie quickly took her wrist to feel for a pulse, timing it against the digital clock on the nearby wall.

Seventy-two beats per minute.

Ten minutes passed.

No coughing, no accelerated heart rate, no rising body temperature—none of the early symptoms of Evil Spirit Virus infection.

So far, she didn’t seem to be infected.

Of course, that was just for now. She’d been lucky.

The digital clock on the wall was still running, and only a thin layer of dust coated the table. Based on the dust and the clock’s remaining battery, the apocalypse in this Doomsday World couldn’t have started too long ago.

She recalled a case she’d handled involving illegal arms dealing. She’d found a room that criminals had abandoned for a year, and the layer of dust on the tables there was about as thick as it was in this room.

’The apocalypse in this world must have started about a year ago.’

A flicker of joy sparked in Sophie’s heart.

Compared to the desolate wastelands of the nuclear and Gray Tide apocalypses she had experienced before, this Biohazard Apocalypse clearly had far more resources available. Survival would be relatively easier.

’But what exactly is the mission this time?’

Just then, several lines of text materialized in the air—the mission briefing:

"Welcome to the Biohazard Apocalypse mission.

This Doomsday World was once controlled by the Master of the Void. Its current status is unknown.

Mission Objectives:

1. Investigate the current state of this Doomsday World. The level of detail will determine your completion rating.

2. Investigate information pertaining to the Master of the Void. The level of detail will determine your completion rating.

3. Save the human civilization of this world.

Mission Time Limit: None.

Player Infection Parameters: Immune to airborne transmission of the Evil Spirit Virus. Not immune to bloodborne transmission.

Upon death, players will enter a cooldown period. They may re-enter the game after one real-world day.

Players with a high completion rating will be rewarded: one Brain Domain Evolution."

Reading this, Sophie couldn’t help but sigh in relief again.

Clearly, the Commander had shown them, the Salvation Army Warriors, some mercy. He hadn’t made them completely susceptible. Instead, he’d given them a handicap: immune to airborne transmission, but still vulnerable to bloodborne infection.

Otherwise, given how contagious the Evil Spirit Virus was, they would have all likely been infected and turned into zombies the moment they entered the game world.

At this thought, Sophie pulled the cloth strip from her mouth and nose and tossed it on the floor.

’No wonder the zombie didn’t infect me.’ She’d thought her crude mask had actually done something, but it seemed she’d been naive.

Then she looked again at the last line of the text:

Players with a high completion rating will be rewarded: one Brain Domain Evolution.

Seeing the words "Brain Domain Evolution," Sophie’s heart burned with anticipation.

The main reason she’d been so eager to enter the Biohazard Apocalypse mission was for this very reward: the Brain Domain Evolution!

The name alone was enough to tell her how powerful the ability must be.

Given the immense power the Commander had displayed, the effects of this Brain Domain Evolution were almost unimaginable.

At this thought, Sophie tightened her grip on the scissors, a thrill of excitement running through her.

From private school to MIT to becoming the youngest agent in the FBI, she had always been part of the elite—one of the select few.

And this time, she was determined to win this reward and truly become one of the select few among all of humanity!

The immediate priority was to find Deputy Director Mick and Chief Gerard. They needed to regroup, form a tactical squad, and begin the mission.

She drew an "F" on her collar. It was the secret sign she had arranged with Mick and the others, since their in-game avatars wouldn’t look like their real selves.

With her priorities straight, Sophie began searching the clothing store for a weapon.

She needed more than just the scissors in her hand; she needed a proper firearm and ammunition.

After all, there was no telling how many zombies were wandering outside. If she attracted their attention and got swarmed by a horde, she’d be devoured, leaving nothing behind.

And, of course, she could still be infected by the Evil Spirit Virus through her blood. She might even turn into a zombie while they were still chewing on her.

Soon, she found a revolver and ten bullets behind the counter.

’Thank God for Eagle Country’s gun policies.’ She had to be in a city within Eagle Country. Finding a gun in an ordinary shop was a huge stroke of luck.

Carefully inspecting the action, Sophie loaded the gleaming, brass-cased bullets into the revolver’s cylinder. A small smile touched her lips.

’Now it’s my turn to work some magic...’

BANG!

RAT-TAT-TAT...

BOOM!

Just then, a burst of gunfire erupted from outside, followed by the rumble of explosions!

ROOOOAR—

The roars of zombies echoed endlessly, but the gunfire was so dense it completely drowned them out.

A moment later, the room Sophie was in began to tremble.

’An earthquake!?’

’What in the world is going on?’

’Who’s shooting!?’

’Making this much noise in the city ruins will just stir up the hordes! It’ll attract a tide of zombies that will swallow everyone whole!’

She rushed to the window and peered out through a gap in the curtains.

The earlier gunfire and explosions had already attracted hundreds of zombies, all of them swarming toward the source of the noise.

The ground continued to tremble. RUMBLE, RUMBLE. An M1A2 Abrams main battle Tank rolled around the street corner.

Its mounted machine gun spat angry fire, tearing apart the zombies in its path and sending chunks of flesh flying.

BOOM! The Tank’s main cannon fired, launching a shell that exploded in the middle of the horde. Dozens of zombies were instantly blown to pieces, and fragments of flesh rained down from the sky like a bloody shower.

Seeing this, Sophie’s brow furrowed. She muttered to herself,

"A single Tank is useless... The horde will just..."

RUMBLE, RUMBLE. The sound of tracks grinding on asphalt and the roar of an engine grew louder as another M1A2 Abrams main battle Tank appeared.

It was followed by another, and then a fourth, and a fifth...

A full ten M1A2 Abrams main battle Tanks rolled by. Behind them were a dozen "Stryker" armored vehicles and seven M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

The main cannons and machine guns on the Tanks, armored cars, and infantry vehicles all fired relentlessly, creating a wall of firepower sufficient to obliterate any creature of flesh and blood. Any zombie that came into view was blown to smithereens.

The trajectories of the shells and bullets were clearly visible. Many of the vehicle hatches were open, with fully armed soldiers inside aiming and firing their personal weapons.

In the blink of an eye, every zombie out in the open on that street had been blown to bits.

Even more incredibly, the armored convoy was followed by two heavy ammunition trucks!

Sophie clutched her revolver, staring dumbfounded at the scene. She had no idea where these people had come from.

’Their firepower is immense!’

RAT-TAT-TAT...

The street had been swept clean of zombies, and the distant horde had yet to arrive. A few heavy machine guns were still firing in short bursts. The hatch of the lead Tank creaked open, and a middle-aged man with a resolute face climbed out. He wore a dark green military trench coat, an automatic rifle in one hand and a bullhorn in the other. He shouted:

"Brothers of the Salvation Army, assemble!"

’So, they’re the Salvation Army,’ Sophie realized. ’Not NPCs.’

But seeing this, Sophie couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety at their recklessness.

’Gathering forces and fighting zombies so openly in the city is far too reckless. They could easily be surrounded by a tide of the dead!’

They must have entered the True Apocalypse Game the second the mission started to have gathered so many heavy weapons. But this strategy was also the fastest way to get the entire team wiped out.

She had no intention of joining such a reckless group. They would probably get swarmed and killed soon, forced to wait a full day before they could play again. People like that would never get the final reward.

’If Deputy Director Mick were here, he would never approve of such a chaotic plan. After all, he’s a cautious and calculating veteran...’

Just as Sophie was thinking this, the door of a nearby shop swung open. A middle-aged man with an "F" drawn on his collar and a Shotgun in his hands emerged. Beaming, he yelled up at the man in the trench coat on the Tank:

"Hahaha! Ike, commander of the First Battalion, Third Brigade, reporting to the Legion Commander!"

Even though his face was that of a game avatar, Sophie immediately recognized him from the mark on his collar, his posture, and his demeanor.

The man reporting to this "Legion Commander" was none other than Deputy Director Mick!

Then, a door on an adjacent building burst open. Chief Gerard, also with an "F" on his collar, came scrambling out and saluted the man in the trench coat respectfully.

"Legion Commander! Reporting for duty!"