So ti later.
“Tsk...”
Aiden clicked his tongue as he illuminated their dust-choked surroundings with his flashlight.
Fortunately, the structural collapse appeared to have halted, at least temporarily.
However, the aftermath had left the tunnel entrance Aiden had traversed completely obstructed by the collapsed debris.
While they could likely still find an exit by following the ride’s track system...
...Aiden and Maria had beco separated from Arian and Sadie in the process.
With Arian accompanying her, Sadie’s safety wasn’t an imdiate concern.
Even so, this unexpected turn of events was far from an ideal developnt.
anwhile, the woman Aiden had shielded from the collapsing structure, Maria, was leaning against the wall coughing fitfully amid the thick dusts and particulates.
After surveying their surroundings briefly, Aiden approached her with a concerned inquiry.
“Are you injured?”
Whether due to the dust inhibiting her speech or simply dismissing his concern, Maria rely waved her hand dismissively.
Taking a few monts to compose herself and catch her breath, she eventually managed to respond verbally.
“Don’t worry about . What about the mutant’s whereabouts?”
“It’s likely still buried beneath that rubble... or perhaps it escaped to another location, sa as us.”
The two mutants they had been confronting re monts ago, the Brutal and the Hedgehog, were no longer visible within their imdiate vicinity.
While the Hedgehog had undoubtedly beco entombed beneath that cascading collapse after its spines beca lodged within the tunnel’s interior walls... the Brutal’s fate remained uncertain, its current location unconfird.
“Damn it...!”
Aiden’s words seed to spark a surge of frustration within Maria, her jaw clenching tightly in response.
The intensity of her gaze, glaring into the empty space, revealed an anger of unknown depth.
Clearly, the re notion of their intended quarry potentially eluding them had struck a profound nerve.
“For now, we need to get out of here and regroup with our companions.”
Aiden gestured towards the undamaged section of the tunnel system.
With a contorted expression, Maria forced a terse nod.
And so Aiden and Maria walked along the quiet track shrouded in darkness.
Soon, they ca upon another large room.
Unlike the previous area decorated like a fairy flower garden, this space was adorned to resemble a witch’s village from a fairy tale.
Maria observed the room’s decorations for a mont before speaking.
“Thanks for earlier.”
Aiden’s gaze fixed on her at Maria’s words.
That helt, indifferently turned towards her, flashed as it reflected the flashlight’s beam.
“You saved from the Hedgehog. If it wasn’t for you... I would’ve been skewered to death by those spikes.”
Maria spoke matter-of-factly.
It was simply the truth, without exaggeration.
Aiden just nodded, and after a brief pause, he spoke.
“May I ask you sothing?”
“...Anything you’d like.”
Maria assud Aiden wanted information in exchange for saving her life.
If that was the case, there was no information she couldn’t share.
Though Maria spoke with an air of willingness to answer anything, the question that followed from Aiden was sowhat unexpected.
“Why did you accept this request?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Isn’t it too much for you to handle?”
Coming from soone who brought two kids to a place like this, those weren’t words Maria felt he had the right to say.
Though such words rose to the tip of her tongue.
Having just had her life saved by Aiden, and earlier by that very child, she couldn’t bring herself to confront him about it.
Instead, she let out a deep sigh and continued speaking.
“I know soone in the gang that put out this request.”
Aiden nodded as if urging her to go on.
“A woman nad Emily. She’s a little over 30, about the age of my daughter.”
“I heard the gang was attacked by mutants. Did she die then?”
“That child survived. But... surviving wasn’t really living.”
The gang that had reportedly suffered heavy losses to the mutants.
Part of those losses included the deaths of Emily’s two children and husband.
“Emily lost her entire family in a single night. She was going crazy, saying she wanted to die too, so I stopped her and ca here instead. To get revenge.”
“Why are you doing that in her place?”
“Because I’ve lived a similar life, I just couldn’t leave it be.”
A bitter smile flashed across Maria’s lips.
She stared into the dark tunnel as she continued speaking.
“My husband and children all died to zombies two years ago. All I had left was my 10-year-old grandson... but he didn’t even last a year.”
Maria’s hotown was in Texas.
But after the zombie outbreak occurred, that place fell into chaos.
Eventually, unable to endure it any longer, her family tried to relocate to Albuquerque.
But they failed to cross the mountain range to the east of the city.
It was because of the mutants occupying those mountains.
“I thought there was nothing more horrific than watching my child being devoured before my eyes. But that wasn’t the case. I never imagined I’d have to strangle my grandson as he slowly turned into a monster in my arms.”
“...”
“Since that day, I tremble with rage whenever I see zombies. Those damn corpses took everything from . So now I spend my days killing corpses, just waiting for the day I die. That’s why I thought it was right for to co here instead of Emily.”
Maria spoke with self-deprecation.
There was a reason she had taken on this sowhat reckless request for a junk dealer.
After pondering Maria’s words for a mont, Aiden continued his questioning.
“Is that why you were watching Sadie so intently?”
“That child, she’s fascinating. To be honest, she doesn’t resemble my children or grandchild at all. All of my kids were troublemakers.”
“...”
“But seeing that admirable child made think. If only I had taught them a little better... would my grandson still be alive?”
The Sadie that Maria saw was a child who knew how to deal with zombies.
Above all, a child who could face their madness up close and still control her fear.
She was worlds apart from a certain child of similar age who had burst into tears in front of zombies.
However, Aiden denied Maria’s regrets.
Not every child could be like Sadie just because they were taught.
“Children like Sadie are rare. Even I’ve never seen a child like her before.”
“Are you bragging about your kid in front of ?”
“She’s not my child. And a child not being childlike isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Aiden spoke with a sigh.
Sadie already knew how to control her emotions.
While this was certainly a useful skill for survival, it wasn’t sothing a child should have to learn.
Moreover, throughout that process, Sadie never once threw a tantrum.
Rather, she sought out tasks she could do to help the group.
While all of this was incredibly admirable.
In the end, it wasn’t the result of natural maturation as a human being, but rather a deficiency as a child.
Understanding this, Maria finally voiced the words she had been holding back.
“For soone who understands that so well, you still brought that child all the way here?”
“Because Sadie wanted to co.”
“But look how it turned out. Haah, what will you do if that child is discovered by the mutants?”
Maria pointed out the reality that they were now separated from Sadie.
However, Aiden shook his head.
“There’s no need to worry. Sadie is with Arian.”
“Arian? That scary-looking child?”
Maria spoke, recalling Arian.
Arian’s appearance was actually far from what one would call scary.
Rather, she had a pretty doll-like face.
However, for so reason, her red eyes gave off an eerie aura.
Looking back, it was enough to evoke a sense of fear as the first emotion that ca to mind.
But even so, saying everything was fine because that child was with her was incomprehensible.
“What on earth is that child-“
“Shh.”
Aiden cut off Maria’s words.
It wasn’t just because it was a difficult question to answer.
Aiden pointed towards the darkness ahead of the track they were walking on.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Maria erased her expression and glared ahead.
“Grrrr...”
The low growl of a zombie echoed as if resonating from the depths.
They shone their flashlights forward, but couldn’t see anything due to the 90-degree bend in the track.
“Of all things... it’s a Brutal.”
Maria said upon hearing that growl.
The voices of different types of mutants can be distinctly different in so cases.
Especially Hedgehogs, whose vocal cords are often torn by the tal they’ve embedded in their bodies, producing a deflated, eerie sound.
In contrast, Brutals have thick muscles covering even the area around their vocal cords, producing a much lower sound.
Although not many people can discern this difference, both individuals here were among those who could recognize it, as well as zombies.
“We’ll have to prepare ourselves. We need to break through here.”
The path behind them was blocked anyway, and the only escape route was the track leading forward.
But that sole escape route was now occupied by a Brutal.
There was no option other than combat.
“Right, this works out well actually. We need to complete the request.”
Maria raised her rifle with a grim expression.
However, a Brutal is a powerful mutant capable of tearing off even tank armor with its bare hands.
It’s an extrely dangerous opponent for a head-on confrontation.
Aiden checked his own weaponry.
All explosives like grenades had already been used up.
He had so pistol and rifle ammunition left, but this amount would only irritate a Brutal.
Considering its rock-like muscles, it wouldn’t be enough to inflict fatal damage.
So the most important weapon was just one large-caliber pistol.
But this gun could only be loaded with one round at a ti.
This ant he would have to shoot carefully, unable to unleash a barrage of bullets.
“Let’s go.”
Having assessed the general situation, Aiden walked forward cautiously.
Soon they reached the bend in the track.
The Brutal’s sound was much closer now.
Probably just around this corner, the Brutal would be within 20 ters.
Exchanging a final glance with Maria, Aiden shone his flashlight around the corner.
The bright light illuminated the dark tunnel, clearly revealing the Brutal that was there.
“Graaah!”
The Brutal roared as it recognized the light.
The right eye area that had been shot by Maria was grotesquely distorted.
Both Aiden and Maria expected it to charge straight at them.
If they couldn’t stop that initial rush, there would be no future for either of them.
So Maria put her finger on the trigger, ready to spray bullets if it made even the slightest move towards them, but the Brutal’s reaction was different from what they expected.
“Graaaarh!”
It approached them while sitting down and flailing its arms.
Although it was moving at about the speed of a running person using just its arms, which was astounding, it was much slower than before.
As a result, only its roar was loud.
“That thing...?”
“Its legs. Look at its legs.”
Aiden said.
When Maria heard his voice and checked, she saw that one of the Brutal’s legs had been completely severed.
Could it have been crushed under the debris?
Maria’s eyes widened at this unexpected stroke of luck.
While a Brutal’s overwhelming strength that can even shatter concrete is usually the first thing that cos to mind.
In actual combat, it was the incredible mobility produced by that strength that was its true threat.
It was that speed which allowed it to approach in the blink of an eye without giving tanks or guns ti to aim, crushing everything in darkness.
However, with one leg missing now, that terrifying mobility was completely lost.
The battle they had been prepared to die for just monts ago had beco much simpler.
“Draw its attention. I’ll finish it off.”
Maria nodded at Aiden’s words.
Ratatat!
Maria pulled the trigger deeply, aiming at the Brutal desperately crawling towards them on the floor.
A storm of armor-piercing rounds swept over the Brutal.
But it had already extended its arm forward like a shield. As if it was well aware of the destructive power that had taken one of its eyes.
Thud!
Even armor-piercing rounds couldn’t completely penetrate the Brutal’s arm.
The bullets that were stopped by its skin, muscle, and bone made a dull sound as they embedded in the rotten flesh.
In an instant, the 30-round magazine was exhausted.
The Brutal, which had already morized even the size of the magazine from Maria’s initial volley, finally lowered its arm.
Maria retreated to change magazines.
But the Brutal crawling with its arms was faster than Maria.
It planted its arms on the ground and launched its body forward as if throwing itself.
“Huh-“
Maria let out a hollow laugh as she watched this.
The Brutal’s powerful arm strength was creating speed beyond expectations.
The Brutal, shot like an arrow through the air.
But suddenly, an enormous gun barrel was thrust in front of the Brutal’s face.
It was Aiden.
The Brutal instinctively tried to defend itself, but.
Bang!
Just before that, with a thunderous roar as if a bomb had exploded, the pistol spewed fire.
Feeling the massive bullet tear through its brain, the Brutal’s consciousness ended there.
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