Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

Just as they passed the mark, the people who had been holding back their attack could no longer contain themselves. Even before their bodies fully emerged from their hiding spots, their abilities were already flying toward the zombies!

"Coordinate carefully! Watch out for their claws!" One voice had just enough time to shout this warning before the person, too, threw themselves into the fight.

Delta Squad, along with the rest, were locked in battle with the zombies.

Kim Haru gripped his pickaxe, determined to smash it straight into the head of any zombie that came his way!

The zombies' heads cracked like watermelons under the blows of the pickaxe. With just one hit, the next second, another headless corpse hit the ground. Within the dark red flesh, the crystal cores gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

The broken growls of the zombies mixed with the shouts of humans, creating a chaotic and continuous cacophony.

…

As the battle gradually drew to an end, many of the ability users, exhausted from the fight, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Without thinking, they picked up the crystal cores from the ground to replenish their energy.

The captains finished off the last few zombies and began organizing the cleanup.

The priority was checking for injured comrades. Minor wounds only required disinfection, but more serious injuries needed immediate treatment to prevent the mutagenic virus from spreading.

This was why only ability users had been called for this mission. Only they could resist the zombie virus and avoid becoming one of the infected after being injured.

Some people were responsible for tending to the wounded, while others were tasked with collecting the crystal cores scattered on the ground. After a day of fighting, the cores would be distributed among the group.

Kim Haru found the members of Delta Squad and stood silently by their side. He couldn't sit down no matter what, even though his clothes weren't much cleaner than the ground itself.

The four members of Delta Squad glanced at Kim Haru with envy written all over their faces.

What else could they say? He really lived up to his reputation as a powerful figure. Taking down zombies with just one strike of the pickaxe, and without even using his plant-type ability—he truly was someone who could keep mutated plants in check!

As for why such a strong person like Kim Haru would still be out here fighting zombies alongside them, none of Delta Squad found it strange.

Perhaps his plant-type ability was exceptional, but he lacked experience in fighting zombies. Didn't they all notice how awkward his close-combat moves were? He probably realized this himself and came here to train.

Besides, Jang Dojang had already mentioned that Mr. Kim's primary purpose in coming to Gokmul County was to search for seeds.

The thought of the delicious crops Mr. Kim could grow—without any concern for safety—made them all eager to escort him to the granary as soon as possible!

"Are you injured, sir?" Shin Woncheon asked after resting for a short while. Most of the zombies they had just fought were ordinary first-level ones. Aside from the sheer number of them, which drained their energy, they hadn't been too difficult to deal with.

As a Level 2 ability user, Shin Woncheon recovered his energy faster than the others. By now, he was only feeling slightly tired.

Although Shin Woncheon knew that Mr. Kim was very strong, during the chaotic battle, he had lost sight of him, and he still worried that Kim Haru might have run into some trouble.

Seeing Kim Haru shake his head, Shin Woncheon finally let out a sigh of relief.

That's right, Mr. Kim wouldn't get injured.

Kim Haru indeed wasn't hurt. In fact, if he wanted, he could have avoided getting stained with all that blood in the first place. Even with so many zombies around, they wouldn't have bothered him if he hadn't taken the initiative to attack.

But avoiding confrontation wasn't why Kim Haru had risked following the team on this mission.

In just a few days, Kim Haru had gained the distinct air of someone who had survived an apocalypse—a scent that could only be earned through combat.

With this wave of zombies cleared, the surrounding area was almost free of threats. Once everyone had regained some of their strength, they started walking toward a nearby hotel.

The hotel's name was long gone, with only the word "hotel" still visible on the wall. No one cared, though, as they all headed straight to the dining hall on the second floor.

On their first day here, they had cleaned the building and turned it into their temporary base for the mission. The ground-floor lobby and second-floor dining hall were spacious enough to accommodate everyone. The rooms on the upper floors had been assigned to each team.

After the physically draining battle, everyone was eager to enjoy a hearty meal. One of the perks of doing missions for the official government was that they didn't have to worry about preparing their own food—there were dedicated logistics staff who provided meals for everyone.

"I wonder what we'll get to eat today. That two-headed rabbit soup from this morning wasn't bad at all."

"It'll probably be more rabbit meat, right? Two-headed rabbit are usually pretty big—you can't finish one in just one meal."

"Ugh, I really hate eating rabbit meat. It's so slimy. The potatoes in that soup were the real treat."

"Totally agree! I don't mind rabbit meat, but those potatoes were especially delicious. I wonder where the logistics team got them. When I get back to the safe zone, I'll have to find some to try. Hope they're not too expensive."

"You foodies only care about the taste. Did none of you notice that those potatoes didn't have the usual virus taste?"

"Ah! Now that you mention it, I did notice that. The logistics team was being generous this time, giving us such precious ingredients. No wonder the portions were so small—just two bites, and they were gone."