The Transcendent Zombie Master

Chapter 5: Scavenge Run

The Iron Blade Vanguard moved like a perfectly calibrated machine, its long metal arms slicing through the monsters filling the shattered doorway. Black blood sprayed across the floor tiles, staining the white linoleum as Lain, Leo, and Mavis ran behind a heavy checkout counter for safety. The smell of rotting flesh and hot oil filled the small grocery store, making Leo cough as he held his breath.

"Keep your heads down," Lain yelled, staying close to the metal helper to closely monitor its flashing health bar on his interface.

Iron Blade Vanguard (Lv. 4) Health: 90%

Daily Task Progress: 25 minutes remaining

A fast zombie with long legs slipped past the helper’s swinging blades, its jaws snapping wildly as it lunged straight at Lain's chest. Lain shifted his weight onto his back foot and swung his heavy metal tool hard, striking the monster's neck until it dropped onto the floor with a wet thud.

Enemy defeated. +10 points. Current points: 70.

"Lain, more of them are coming from the back alley too!" Leo shouted, pointing toward a small wooden door near the storage room.

The wood was bowing inward as multiple heavy bodies slammed against it from the outside lane. Lain knew they could not fight on two sides at once without losing their current position. If the back door gave way, they would be trapped in a pincer movement.

"System, is the Spiked Guard ready?" Lain thought, checking his mental inventory boxes.

Spiked Guard (Lv. 5) Health: 100%. Healing complete.

"Spiked Guard, come out!" Lain ordered, pointing toward the shaking back door.

A bright flash of blue light illuminated the dark corner of the store, and the massive stone-skinned helper appeared instantly. It let out a low growl and slammed its heavy fists against the wooden door, reinforcing the frame with its own immense body weight. The wooden door shattered completely a second later, but the Spiked Guard stood like a wall, crushing the incoming monsters under its heavy stone feet.

"Mavis, check the shelves for anything else with a green or blue light," Lain called out while keeping his eyes on the front entrance.

Mavis crawled along the floor, her eyes scanning the debris until she found a small first-aid kit with a glowing blue outline hidden beneath a pile of papers. "Lain, I found something over here under the pharmacy desk!"

Lain ran over and touched the box, causing it to vanish into his screen immediately.

Item stored: Advanced Medical Kit. Can be used to heal human allies or boost zombie synthesis.

"Good job," Lain said, helping her back toward the checkout counter. "Leo, how is your side holding up?"

"The metal tool is getting bent," Leo said, showing his dented pipe as he panted for air. "But the Iron Blade is keeping them from entering the main room."

The sleek metal helper had created a pile of bodies at the front gate, forcing the new monsters to climb over their dead companions to get inside. Lain watched his point total rise with every mechanical swing of the blades.

Current points: 150.

Daily Task Progress: 50 minutes remaining.

The loud horn from the center of the city echoed through the broken glass again, making the ground shake violently. Outside, the thousands of glowing red eyes in the fog suddenly turned toward the grocery store, drawn by the sound of the ongoing battle.

"The whole street is coming this way," Mavis whispered, looking through a gap in the counter. "We cannot hold this place for another ten minutes."

"We don't have to," Lain said, looking at his updated point total. "System, upgrade the Iron Blade Vanguard to level five."

Cost: 100 points. Upgrading Iron Blade Vanguard...

A purple light wrapped around the metal helper, making its armor thicker and its arm blades double in length. The blades began to glow with a strange blue energy that cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Upgrade complete. Iron Blade Vanguard (Lv. 5). New skill unlocked: Cyclone Slash.

"Iron Blade, use Cyclone Slash right now!" Lain commanded, pointing toward the crowded street outside.

The metal helper stepped forward into the middle of the broken doorway and spun its long blades at high speed. A wave of blue energy shot outward, cutting down thirty monsters in a single second and clearing the entire pavement. The sudden silence on the street was eerie as the rest of the horde backed away from the glowing blue blades.

Daily Task Complete. You gained 100 points and one Random Material Box.

"The hour is up," Lain said, checking the flashing green text on his screen. "Let's grab what we can and move before they regroup."

He opened the random material box in his mind inventory, wondering what the system would grant him for surviving the hour.

Opening Material Box... You received: Tyrant Virus Core (Rare Material).

"Lain, look at the sky," Leo said, pointing his bent pipe through the shattered storefront.

The giant mechanical spider on top of the skyscraper was looking directly down their street, its single red eye glowing brighter than before. A thin red line of light painted across the road, moving slowly toward the grocery store entrance.

"It's targeting us again," Mavis said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Spiked Guard, Iron Blade, return!" Lain yelled, turning both helpers back into blue light particles that entered his forehead. "Run out the back door, now!"

They sprinted through the storage room and out into the dark alley just as a giant red laser hit the grocery store behind them. The building exploded into a massive ball of orange fire, throwing a wave of hot air against their backs. Lain stumbled but kept running, his fingers gripping his metal tool as they entered a new, unfamiliar street.