The Caffeine System: Critical Heart Protocol

Chapter 10: Suicide Mission for Arabica

“I have to go there,” Raka whispered, his voice almost lost in the roar of the rain.

Baginda made a soft 'quack' sound, as if asking, 'have you lost your mind?'

At that moment, the familiar blue panel lit up, as if confirming Raka's madness.

[New Main Quest Detected: Caffeine is King!]

[Objective: Get at least 1 sack of premium coffee beans from the 'Nusantara Coffe' truck.]

[Time Limit: 15 Minutes before the bridge structure collapses completely.]

[Reward: Portable Coffee Grinder (Level 1) & 200 Audience Points.]

[Failure Penalty: Death by withdrawal, or falling, or both.]

“Portable grinder…” Raka’s eyes lit up.

No more cheap instant coffee. He could have a decent cup of coffee. In the midst of the apocalypse, that thought seemed like the ultimate luxury.

“Alright, System. You've successfully seduced me.”

The journey up to the overpass was extremely difficult for him. Raka had to climb over a pile of slippery cars and sharp concrete debris.

Baginda, of course, simply flew up and waited for him there. The swan occasionally brushed its wet feathers with a bored expression and stared at him as if to say, 'Can't you just fly up here?'

“Shut up, Baginda,” Raka cursed.

[The offer still applies to you, Host]

A notification appeared with the text that Raka already knew where he was going.

“No,” he grumbled. “I don’t want to lose even an hour of my life.”

[It's up to you then. There's no other way. Enjoy the pain.]

When Raka finally reached the surface of the overpass, the wind felt stronger, bringing with it a downpour that felt like needles.

He crawled slowly toward the truck. The intact section of road ended about ten meters from the truck's rear door. The rest was just a piece of cracked concrete jutting into the ravine.

Every time the wind blew, the entire bridge structure creaked, and the truck swayed slightly.

"Okay, Raka. Don't look down. Don't look down."

he repeated the mantra silently, though his eyes kept glancing at the horde of monsters below.

With bated breath, he set foot on the fragile part of the bridge. A small crack crept beneath his shoe. He froze.

[User666: He's going to fall. I bet 10 points on him falling.]

[AnimalLover12: Don't! You can do it, Raka! For the sake of coffee!]

The motivation from an anonymous viewer felt strange, but it was enough to get him going. One step. Then another.

He moved as slowly as possible trying to balance his weight evenly as if he was walking on a thin layer of ice.

Finally, he reached the back of the truck. The container door was slightly ajar. Carefully, he slid the crowbar he always carried into the gap and pulled.

CRACK!

The sound of rusty hinges being forced open was incredibly loud. The entire truck shook violently. Raka gripped the door's edge tightly, his heart pounding.

After the shaking subsided, he peered inside. There, in the darkness of the container, were dozens of burlap sacks piled high. The rich aroma of raw coffee wafted out.

“I did it…” he whispered in relief.

He climbed in and landed on a pile of sacks. He turned on the small flashlight he had found in the apartment and shone it on the writing on one of the sacks.

[Arabica Gayo - Grade 1. Premium quality.]

He was just about to drag one of the sacks when a sound made him freeze.

Groook…

The hoarse, wet voice came from the front. From the driver's cabin.

Raka turned off his flashlight and silently moved toward the front of the container. He peered through the small window that led to the cabin.

There, in the driver's seat, a body slumped over the steering wheel. Rain dripped in through the broken windshield.

“Hello?” Raka whispered, even though he knew it was a stupid idea.

The figure moved and slowly raised its head. It was a man wearing a shipping company uniform.

But his eyes were milky white and empty. His skin was pale. However, unlike Sleeper's, there were black veins running down his neck.

'What is that?' Raka thought. 'Is he a mutated human? A zombie?'

The shattered cabin door suddenly opened, and the undead creature fell out. It landed in the narrow space between the container and the remains of the bridge. It rose with faltering movements, then crawled into the container, blocking Raka's exit.

“Damn,” Raka cursed.

The container was cramped with coffee sacks, leaving no room to dodge. The truck began to sway again as the zombie crept closer.

The zombie lunged. Raka swung his crowbar. However, his movement was hampered by the sack beside him. The tip of the crowbar only grazed the zombie's shoulder. The creature continued forward, its bony arms reaching out to grab Raka's neck.

Raka backed away, tripping over the sack behind him. The two wrestled in the cramped space, causing the truck to rock even more wildly.

“I… need… this coffee!” Raka growled, his courage now completely fueled by addiction and desperation.

He pushed the zombie with all his might. The creature stumbled backward, crashing into the container wall.

CRACK!

A much louder cracking sound came from beneath them. It wasn't just a creak anymore. It was the sound of concrete breaking.

[Warning! Bridge Structure Critical! Collapse in 10 seconds!]

“TEN SECONDS?!” Raka roared in disbelief.

Raka didn't have time for a fair fight. The zombie charged again. This time, Raka didn't attack. He crouched down and let the zombie's momentum carry him forward. Then, with all his strength, Raka pushed the zombie's back as it passed.

The zombie was thrown forward and its head slammed into a pile of sacks. Raka wasted no time. He leaped over the creature, then grabbed the nearest, surprisingly heavy, coffee sack and began dragging it toward the back door.

[5… 4…]

He threw the sack out of the truck onto the remaining sturdy bridge.

[3…]

He turned to jump.

[2…]

As he stepped onto the edge of the container, the entire truck slid downwards. The floor beneath him tilted sharply.

[1…]

With a final scream, Raka jumped.

Raka flew through the air for a split second. Behind him, the sound of metal and concrete roared as the truck and the rest of the bridge finally gave way. The truck plummeted into the abyss, immediately being met by a sea of Sleepers below.

Raka landed hard on the safe surface of the overpass.

CRACK!

A searing pain exploded from his ankle. He fell backwards. He tried to look down at his feet.

“My leg…” he groaned. The pain in his leg made him want to faint. “I can’t move!”

His ankle was bent at a very unnatural angle.

He managed to get his coffee. But he was stranded in the middle of a destroyed overpass, in the middle of a storm, with a broken leg and no way to run.