2026-01-09 08:02:00The moniker hung in the windy afternoon air, feeling both absurd and heavy. "God of War."
Cindy and Abigail stared at Rizal in confusion, then turned to Satria, as if trying to match the grand title with the figure of the quiet, dust-covered man in front of them. Andy felt the words like a slap across the face. Not just a hero, now Satria was being called a god. The sour taste in his throat intensified.
Satria himself showed no reaction. His face remained expressionless, his sharp eyes locked on Rizal's gaze. His grip on the crowbar did not loosen. In this world, praise could be a deadly distraction.
"Lower your weapons," Satria said, his voice cold and calm, breaking the tension.
Rizal, the leader of the two survivors, hesitated for a moment. He glanced at his partner, Bima, who was still trembling with fear. However, the memory of the sight in his binoculars—the explosion, the efficient movements, and the absolute composure amidst the chaos—made him realize. This man in front of him was not a threat that could be fought with a makeshift spear. He was an anomaly.
Slowly, Rizal lowered the tip of his spear to the concrete floor. "Bima, put it down," he ordered. Bima obediently complied.
"Who are you?" Satria asked, taking a step forward.
"I'm Rizal, this is Bima," Rizal replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "We... we worked in this building. Trapped here since the first day of the outbreak."
"How have you survived?"
"Food stock from the office pantry on the 18th floor, and we created a rainwater distillation system in that water tower," Rizal explained, pointing to a large tank. "We just... stayed put. Didn't make a sound. Until we saw you."
"Saw me?"
"Through the binoculars," Bima interjected, his voice still slightly shaky. "We saw you at the intersection. The explosion... the way you finished off the Runners... we've never seen anyone move like you. You didn't run in fear. You fought like... well, like Rizal said."
Satria ignored the compliment. His brain processed the information. These two had survived in one place all this time by hiding. They knew the terrain but didn't know how to fight.
"Are you alone in this city?" Satria asked.
Rizal and Bima exchanged glances before Rizal shook his head. "No. We are not alone. Quite the opposite."
"What do you mean?" Cindy ventured.
"The city looks empty, true," Rizal continued, his tone growing more serious. "But it's a trap. This silence is a trap. They don't wander aimlessly like they do elsewhere. They... wait."
"Wait for what?"
Before Rizal could answer, Abigail stumbled, her legs no longer able to support her. Cindy quickly steadied her.
Rizal looked at them with pity. "You're injured and exhausted. Come, at least it's safe here for a while. We can talk while you rest."
Satria scanned the rooftop once more. The location was high, offering good defense with a single access point. For now, it was the best option. He nodded.
They were led to a corner of the roof sheltered from the wind, where Rizal and Bima had set up a makeshift camp. There were a few sleeping bags, a pile of leftover canned food, and several bottles filled with clear water.
While Cindy cleaned and re-bandaged Abigail's wounds with Rizal's meager first aid supplies, Satria walked to the edge of the roof, observing the city spread out below. He opened the system panel before his eyes.
[LEVEL UP! Level 2 (EXP 120/200)]
[STAT +5 (Free Allocation)]
Without hesitation, he allocated all five points.
[STAT ALLOCATION: AGILITY +5]
[SATRIA]
[LEVEL 2]
[HP: 100/100]
[STAMINA: 95/100]
[STRENGTH: 12]
[AGILITY: 17]
[ENDURANCE: 11]
Agility was paramount when facing Runners. He had to be faster than them.
Andy sat away from the others, his back resting against a rusted air conditioning unit. He hugged his knees, burying his face in the shadows. Every word of praise for Satria, every admiring glance from Abigail, every nod of approval from Cindy, felt like a dagger slicing his pride. He no longer felt jealousy. This was deeper. This was pure, rooting hatred.
"Why are you so sure this city is a trap?" Satria asked, turning to face Rizal.
Rizal swallowed, his face paling as he remembered something. "Because they are all controlled."
"Controlled? By what?"
"We don't know its exact form. We just call it 'The Queen,'" Rizal said. "Every few days, usually at dusk, the bell from the old church tower in the town square will ring. And every time that bell rings..."
Rizal stopped, his eyes filled with terror. "All the undead in this city... they stop. They turn toward the tower, as if receiving orders. After that, they move in unison, sweeping through a district, hunting anything still alive with coordinated strategy. That's why the city is so silent. Everyone who survived has been hunted down."
Silence fell over the rooftop. The explanation was far more terrifying than a mindless zombie horde. This was intelligence. Tactics.
"The explosion you caused earlier," Bima added. "That's the first time we've seen them move outside of the bell's command. You messed up their pattern."
Satria stared at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. He could see the spire of the old church tower in the distance.
"So, we only have time until..."
DONG...
A deep, heavy sound suddenly echoed throughout the city. Not the sound of an explosion, not a monster's shriek. It was the sound of the church bell.
DONG...
The sound was majestic, yet carried a premonition of death.
Rizal and Bima instantly turned pale. "No... not now..." Rizal whispered.
In the streets below, something horrifying happened. The undead, who had been lured toward the burning gas station, suddenly stopped completely. Dozens, even hundreds of heads, simultaneously turned in one direction. Toward the bell tower.
DONG...
The third bell rang.
Satria activated [EAGLE EYE], his gaze immediately focusing on the distant town square. He saw countless hordes. They were no longer moving randomly. They began to form ranks, moving neatly through the streets, spreading out like an army ordered to sweep the city clean.
Their target for the night... was the district where this office building stood.
"They're coming," Satria said, his tone flat but heavy with the coming threat. "They are all... marching."
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CHAPTER 119: CALL OF WAR
The afternoon sun hung low in the western sky, bathing the concrete walls of CitraLand in orange light resembling the color of rust. Outside the main gate, construction activity was at its peak. The sound of hammers, chainsaws, and foreman shouts filled the air.Alexander stood atop a pile of light bricks, holding a crumpled roll of blueprints. Beside him, Bima was wiping sweat with a dirty towel, while Hasan—now serving as tactical defense chief—was checking the trench slope angle with a serious face."The angle must be forty-five degrees," Hasan muttered, pointing at the excavation. "Too steep, the soil collapses. Too shallow, Roy's troops can climb it while smoking.""But we're short on cement for reinforcement, San," complained one foreman."Use bones," Alexander interrupted suddenly. He didn't look up from the blueprints, but his flat voice cut through the debate. "Tell my corpse arm
CHAPTER 118: FIRST FIRE AT THE BORDER
The sky above the border of East Java and Central Java was pitch gray, covered in thin volcanic ash carried by the wind from active volcanoes. In an old fishing village on the coast of Tuban long abandoned by humans, silence was usually the sole ruler.However, today, the sound of simultaneous, heavy marching footsteps shook the sandy ground of the village.Not the footsteps of terrified survivors, nor the shambling steps of the walking dead dragging their feet. This was the stomp of military boots marching in a terrifying rhythm.One battalion of scout troops from Roy's faction had arrived.They were zombies, but their appearance was a nightmarish parody of an armed force. Their rotting bodies were clad in the remnants of camouflage uniforms of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) modified with rusty iron plates and used tire rubber as armor. On their heads, cracked Kevlar helmets were fitted
CHAPTER 117: AUDIENCE IN THE HEART OF ALAS PURWO
(Flashback: Two Years Ago)The forest at the eastern tip of Java didn't just stay silent. The forest breathed.In the depths of Alas Purwo, Banyuwangi, giant banyan trees towered as high as skyscrapers, covering the sky with a canopy of leaves so dense that even the midday sun failed to penetrate it. The air here felt heavy, humid, and smelled of ancient earth mixed with the sweet scent of decaying chlorophyll.Elena walked slowly over a carpet of thick moss. Her wedding dress, once white, had turned dull gray, torn here and there by thorns. Her bluish-pale skin contrasted with the gloom of the forest. Beside her, little Sofia walked hugging her one-eyed teddy bear, her small footsteps making no sound.Behind them, thousands of zombies they brought from Surabaya stopped at the forest border. Their undead instincts screamed in fear. They knew, inside there, was something far older and hungrier than th
CHAPTER 116: DANCE OF DEATH ON THE OPEN SEA
Five hours had passed since The Redeemer left the river mouth and entered the open waters of the Java Sea. The silence of the night had now turned into a terrifying symphony. The previously clear, starry sky was now covered by thick black clouds. The wind blew harder, raising three-meter waves that slammed against the hull with loud thuds.In the wheelhouse, Rizal struggled to maintain the ship's course. His serious face was wet with seawater spraying through a cracked window. Beside him, Bayu the scout pressed his face against the ancient radar screen, trying to find a gap in the storm."The storm came faster than predicted, Boss!" Rizal shouted over the intercom. "Visibility is zero! The radar is starting to glitch too!"On the slippery, violently rocking main deck, Satria stood firm like a steel pillar. His feet planted on the deck, his body moving in rhythm with the fierce waves. Tri stood behind him, gripping the fl
CHAPTER 115: TWO FRONTS OF WAR
The silence following Satria’s slam on the table felt solid, as if time itself was holding its breath, waiting for the King’s decree. Every eye in the Command Room—whether filled with cold calculation or flooded with emotion—was locked on the single man standing at the head of the table."You can't do both, Satria," Alexander hissed, breaking the silence first. "That's bullshit. You’re not God.""I’m not God," Satria retorted, his gaze as sharp as a spear tip. "I am the God of War. And a War God never retreats from two fronts. He destroys them one by one."Satria walked around the table, his aura radiating an absolute conviction that made the doubt in the room begin to evaporate. He stopped in front of the map of East Java, picked up the piece representing himself, and placed it back in the center of CitraLand."Listen closely, because I’m only going to say t
CHAPTER 114: THE KING'S DECISION
The silence inside the main study felt heavier than the pressure at the bottom of the ocean. Outside, CitraLand slept in a false peace, unaware of the emotional storm battering the heart of their kingdom.Satria still stood frozen in front of the large glass wall, alone; his broad and sturdy back now seemed to bear the weight of the entire world. In the dark reflection of the glass, he could see the blurry shadow of Indri's letter lying on the table, a ghost from the past coming to collect on a promise.Satria's mind was in turmoil.Go. His heart as a father screamed. Your child is being hunted. Your flesh and blood is starving in a hellish jungle. What good is this throne if you can't protect your own heir?Stay. His cold logic as a King retorted. Roy is at the border. Hundreds of lives in this city depend on your strength. Leaving them now is the act of an irresponsible ruler. It is betrayal.<
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