DOOMSDAY LEDGER

Chapter 9: Looting the Next-Door Neighbor

The pungent smell of antiseptic immediately hit Elian's nose the moment he stepped past the shattered glass of the front door of the "Kimia Farma" pharmacy. Inside, the atmosphere was silent, a stark contrast to the chaos on the highway. The medicine shelves, usually neatly organized by ailment, were now a mess, as if struck by a whirlwind. Broken cough syrup bottles littered the floor, colorful pills scattered like spilled candy, and torn baby diaper boxes were everywhere.

"Damn, is this a pharmacy or a shipwreck?" Rico whispered, stepping over a collapsed glass display case. He was still wearing his ridiculous "Gossip Armor," but his face was alert. The wrench in his right hand was gripped tightly.

"Focus, Ric. We only look for the essentials," Elian instructed. He felt much more confident after leveling up. His body felt light, his hearing was sharper, and the flow of Mana in his chest felt warm and stable.

Elian activated his system vision. Although he didn't have a specific skill to detect items, his increased Intelligence status allowed him to process visual information faster.

"Look for antibiotics, alcohol, bandages, and vitamins. If there's insulin, grab that too, just in case we need stock," Elian ordered.

Rico nodded and moved toward the back shelves. "Got it, Boss. I'm also going to look for condoms. You never know, there might be a hot zombie."

"Your brain seriously needs a wash, I swear," Elian hissed, shaking his head.

Elian moved to the cashier counter. Usually, hard and expensive drugs were kept in a locked glass cabinet behind the counter. Sure enough, the cabinet was intact, although the lock looked sturdy.

He placed his palm on the keyhole of the glass cabinet.

"Static Shock, *lockpick* mode," Elian muttered. He channeled a small electric current, trying to heat the spring mechanism inside the lock.

Zzzt... Click!

The glass cabinet door opened. Elian smiled in satisfaction. Inside were rows of high-dose antibiotic boxes, *opioid* pain relievers, and several ampoules of injectable drugs whose names he didn't know but were certainly useful.

[Item Acquired: Amoxicillin x5 strips]

[Item Acquired: Tramadol x2 strips]

[Item Acquired: Betadine Liter x1 bottle]

Elian stuffed his loot into an empty backpack he found under the cashier counter. It felt like doing the monthly grocery run, except he didn't have to wait in line to pay.

"El! Look at this!" Rico called out from the diaper aisle. His voice was a bit loud.

"Shh! Don't yell, idiot!" Elian scolded in a half-whisper.

Rico emerged carrying a complete, sealed first-aid kit box. "Jackpot, El! It's fully stocked. It even has surgical scissors. We can play doctor... uh, I mean, perform emergency surgery."

"Good. Put it in the bag. Let's get out of here now," Elian urged. His gut feeling started to turn sour. The pharmacy was too quiet. There were no corpses, no blood on the inner floor, even though the front door was destroyed. This was strange.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the metal staircase leading to the second floor—the pharmacy's warehouse or office area. Heavy, deliberate footsteps.

"Leave the bags there, Thief."

The voice was heavy, hoarse, and full of menace.

Elian and Rico turned simultaneously toward the stairs.

On the metal stair landing stood two men. One was rail-thin with tribal tattoos on his neck, holding a rusty machete. The other—the one who had spoken—was stocky, wearing a too-small security vest, and in his hand...

Elian's eyes narrowed. The stocky man was holding an object made of taped iron pipe, with a trigger mechanism fashioned from a nail and a rubber band.

A homemade firearm. A zip gun.

"Hands up, or I'll put a hole in your head," the Stocky Guy threatened. He aimed the pipe muzzle at Elian's chest.

[System Warning: Hostile Entity Detected]

[Name: Herry (Pharmacy Survivor Leader)]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 1]

[Status: Aggressive, Greedy]

[Weapon: Zip Gun (High Damage, Low Accuracy)]

Elian slowly raised both hands. Rico did the same, his face pale. His gossip magazine armor might withstand zombie scratches, but a homemade bullet? Not necessarily.

"Relax, man," Elian said calmly. "We just wanted to grab a few medicines. You have plenty of stock here, right? Let's share. Humans should help each other."

"Screw your help!" Herry snapped, slowly descending the stairs, followed by the Skinny Guy with the tattoos. "This is my pharmacy. My territory. Everything here belongs to me. You entered without permission, that makes you thieves."

"Hey, this is a state-owned pharmacy, not your ancestor's roadside stall," Rico quipped, his mouth hard to control even with his life on the line.

"Shut up!" Herry shifted his aim toward Rico. "You in the trash clothes, throw your bag over here. Now!"

Rico glanced at Elian. Elian gave a subtle eye signal: 'Wait.'

"Man, we have an offer," Elian tried to negotiate. "We have a safe basecamp next door. At Cosmo Mart. Lots of food, electricity is on. We can trade. Medicine for food."

Herry's eyes glinted slyly when he heard the words "electricity" and "food." He exchanged glances with the Skinny Guy.

"Electricity is on?" Herry asked skeptically. "All of Jakarta is blacked out, and you say your place has power?"

"Our generator is a *special edition*," Elian replied. "If you don't believe me, just look out the window. Our store is the brightest."

Herry grinned. His yellow teeth looked disgusting. "Okay, I believe you. In that case, the plan changes. I don't need a trade. I'll take this medicine, and then I'll take your store too. And the girls, if there are any."

Elian's blood boiled hearing that. This wasn't just an selfish survivor. He was a predator. Elian remembered his biology lesson: when the ecosystem collapses, humans revert to the most basic food chain.

"So you're going to rob us?" Elian asked coldly. The hands he had raised began to emit thin smoke. The Mana in his body surged, responding to his emotions.

"Not robbing. I'm *acquiring*," Herry laughed nastily. "Now, both of you, kneel! Hands behind your heads!"

The Skinny Guy stepped forward, playing with his machete. "Hurry up! Or I'll turn you into skewers!"

Elian stared at the status bar above Herry's head.

[HP: 80/80]

Elian looked at Rico. Rico looked back, his eyes asking: *Now?*

Elian nodded.

"SURPRISE SHOCK!"

Elian didn't aim for Herry. The distance was five meters, too far for direct contact, and Elian didn't have a projectile skill yet. Elian placed his hand on the metal display case beside him.

Electricity spread rapidly through the metal frames of the medicine shelves, which were connected throughout the room due to the floor being wet with spilled syrup.

ZRAAAATT!

Electric sparks flew everywhere. The Skinny Guy, standing in a puddle of syrup, immediately convulsed, dropping his machete. He screamed, his hair standing on end, then fell unconscious, foaming at the mouth.

But Herry was luckier. He was wearing thick rubber boots—standard security guard issue. The floor electricity didn't affect him.

"You devil kid!" Herry yelled in shock. He panicked and pulled the trigger of his homemade weapon.

BANG!

The sound of the gunpowder explosion was deafening in the enclosed space. White smoke billowed out.

Elian instinctively jumped sideways, taking cover behind the cashier counter. But he heard a loud thud.

"Ouch!"

Elian turned. Rico stumbled backward, hitting a medicine shelf. He clutched his chest.

"Rico!" Elian cried out in panic.

"That hurts, damn it!" Rico winced, but he didn't fall. He tore open the tape on his chest. A hot metal pellet was lodged there, stuck in the wooden cutting board he used as a chest protector beneath the magazines. The cutting board was cracked, but the pellet hadn't penetrated his flesh.

"My Mom's cutting board saved my life!" Rico exclaimed in disbelief. "Gossip Armor plus the Sacred Cutting Board!"

Herry, seeing his shot fail, immediately panicked. The homemade weapon was a *single shot*. He had to reload manually, and that took time. He trembled, trying to fish a new pellet from his pants pocket.

"Now it's my turn," Elian growled.

Elian leaped over the cashier counter. This time, there would be no mercy. He charged at Herry.

Herry tried to hit Elian with the butt of his pistol, but Elian's Agility was now 12 points. Herry's movements looked like *slow motion*.

Elian ducked under the blow, then slammed his high-voltage electric-charged fist right into Herry's bulging stomach.

"Sleep now!"

THWACK! ZZZT!

The physical impact mixed with the electric shock made Herry's eyes bulge. He spat out saliva. His body instantly stiffened, his motor nerves completely paralyzed. Elian didn't stop. He grabbed the collar of Herry's vest, then slammed him hard onto the floor.

CRASH!

Herry lay sprawled, gasping for breath, his eyes rolled back. He was still conscious, but couldn't move. The *Paralyzed* status was active.

[Enemy HP: 15/80 (Critical)]

Elian stood over Herry's body, breathing heavily. His right hand was still sparking with blue electricity, ready for the final, fatal attack.

"Don't..." Herry whimpered weakly, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. His arrogance vanished, replaced by pure terror. "Mercy... I have kids..."

Elian froze. His hand hung in the air. Killing zombies was easy because they were already dead. But killing a human? A human begging for mercy?

The System provided a notification:

[Moral Choice: Execute or Spare]

[Execute: +50 XP, +Title 'Cold Blooded']

[Spare: +0 XP, Potential Future Threat]

Rico walked closer, clutching his bruised chest. He kicked Herry's homemade weapon far away.

"El," Rico called softly. "That's enough. Don't kill him. We're not like them."

Elian looked at Rico, then at the pathetic Herry. Slowly, the electricity in his hand faded.

"You heard my friend," Elian said coldly. He crouched down, staring intently into Herry's eyes. "I'm not killing you today. Not because I'm kind, but because I don't want to dirty my hands with trash like you."

Elian picked up the Skinny Guy's machete and tucked it into his waistband.

"But listen carefully," Elian continued, his voice piercing. "If I see your face anywhere near my store again... I won't hesitate to burn you to ash. Understand?!"

Herry nodded weakly, trembling with fear.

"Rico, grab the bags. Let's go," Elian ordered.

The two of them walked out of the pharmacy, leaving the two bandits sprawled on the floor among the scattered piles of medicine.

Once outside, the fresh air (which actually smelled of decay) felt relieving compared to the toxic atmosphere inside the pharmacy.

"You're crazy, El," Rico said, walking quickly back toward Cosmo Mart. "I thought you were really going to smash his head in."

"I thought so too," Elian admitted honestly. His hands were still shaking from the residual adrenaline. "Turns out being strong is... dangerous, Ric. I almost lost control."

"Well, at least you didn't turn into a psychopath," Rico patted Elian's shoulder. "And hey, my cutting board is cracked. You owe me a replacement from the furniture store later."

"I'll buy you a titanium cutting board later," Elian joked weakly.

They were almost in front of the Cosmo Mart instant noodle barricade when Elian suddenly stopped. The hairs on his arms stood up straight. A sensation of danger far greater than Herry the petty bandit suddenly gripped him.

The System gave a rapidly flashing red warning.

[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL ENTITY DETECTED]

[Location: 50 Meters Ahead]

[Type: Beast Mutation]

"Stop, Ric," Elian whispered sharply.

"What now? More thugs?" Rico was confused.

"No," Elian pointed toward the end of the street, where an overturned police sedan lay.

From behind the car, a dog emerged. But it wasn't an ordinary dog. It was a Rottweiler, but the size of a cow. Its skin was hairless, covered instead in blistered red flesh and sharp bones protruding from its back like porcupine quills.

The dog's mouth was torn back to its ears, dripping green fluid that smoked when it hit the asphalt.

[Mini Boss: Mutated Hound - Lv. 5]

[HP: 500/500]

[Skills: Acid Bite, Howl of Terror]

The mutant dog was chewing on the remains of a police officer's corpse. But then it stopped. Its nose sniffed the air. It caught the scent of Elian and Rico.

Slowly, the giant head turned toward them. Its glowing yellow eyes stared straight into Elian's soul.

"Grrrrrrrr...."

Its growl rattled the windows of the surrounding shophouses.

"El..." Rico's voice trembled violently; this time he wasn't joking. The wrench in his hand felt slick with sweat. "Is that... is that the neighbor's dog?"

"No, Ric," Elian gripped his iron pipe with both hands, channeling all the Mana he possessed. Level 2 no longer felt sufficient. "That's our one-way ticket to hell."

"Run back to the store?" Rico asked.

"No time. It's faster than your motorcycle," Elian replied. "We have to fight here. Or our instant noodle fortress will be destroyed by it in one charge."

The mutant dog let out a long howl—a sound that froze the blood.

AWOOOOOOOOO!

And the first Boss battle began.

"Get ready, Tank," Elian said, his eyes flashing blue. "We're going to need more than just a wooden cutting board for this one."