8. System Upgrade

[Initiating…]

[System resetting…]

[10%…]

[25%…]

[40%…]

[80%...]

[100%...]

[Completed!]

[System had rebooted.]

[New missions added.]

[New features added.]

“Mission number 1. Get out of the Coliseum. Save Jude.”

August gasped as his consciousness came back. His breathing became hard as he filled his lungs for air. He looked around and he was still at the coliseum. Days had passed already and the chairs were almost filled with more survivors.

“What the fuck was that?” he said.

August blinked and saw more words were already in front of him. He clicked his profile and saw that he was still at level 2. His weapons were still the same. But he saw that there were other supplies added. He saw that he could cook his own meal already.

“What? How is this possible?” he asked himself. But he stopped realizing that the system itself was impossible. But it saved them once when they were in the park. August sighed and looked at Jude. He was not in his seat and that was why he stood up. “Where is he?”

August noticed the word mission in front of him. He clicked it and saw that it was saying that he needed to save Jude.

“I have missions now? Am I really in a game?”

August shook his head. Whoever created this was insane. But he decided to get up and go upstairs to get his breakfast. He still couldn’t see Jude in the crowd, and he didn't have anywhere to go. But he had been anxious because they couldn’t get out. They couldn’t even get near the gate because the soldiers said that the outside was filled with more zombies.

“August.”

“Carla, how are you?” he asked. Carla stood up beside him. “Have you seen Jude?”

“You’re always with him.”

“I saw him earlier,” Leo butted in. He was behind August. “He was talking with the soldiers from the gate.”

“Okay.”

“Why? Is there something wrong?” Carla asked.

August shook his head. “No. Nothing. I’m just worried, I guess.”

“Yeah. The poor man wanted to look after his family.”

August sighed. They got their food. He frowned a bit when he saw that it was only a piece of bread and an apple. He also got his water.

“The supplies are getting low. We’re still looking for more food,” the soldier explained.

August nodded, though he didn't care because he had some food in his system. But he hadn’t tried getting one. Actually, he hadn’t used his system for days because he was afraid that the soldiers would learn about it.

He went back to his seat, but Jude was still not there. August continued to see his mission. As he ate, he tried checking his system again. Everything had changed like it had been upgraded. He can now get more supplies to defend against the zombies he killed. He could get ingredients for anything. Like creating a weapon and cooking food. He can also create medicine. But it was defending on the level of what the zombies could supply him.

Level 1 zombies can now have ingredients for creating bread, and August can get clean water too. But it was not unlimited because he had to kill three zombies to gather these ingredients. Even with weapons, he could stock some, but not many. And it continued until he reached level 10. Where he could get more supplies, and get a vaccine.

"What is a vaccine?"

"A vaccine is a medicine that can keep you from becoming one of them."

August was amazed. This could help everyone if he reached that level.

“Locate Jude.”

He blinked and saw the map of the coliseum in front of him. He was outside the gate. He frowned and looked at the entrance of the building.

“What was he doing here?”

August stood up and put his food on his chair. Then he went to the entrance. As he expected, the soldiers immediately stopped him.

“You can’t go out.”

“Sir. I just need to get my friend. They said he is outside.”

“That is impossible. No one could get outside, not even us.”

August blinked. He noticed the red pin, which was located in Jude, just outside the door.

“No. He is outside. Let me see!” he exclaimed.

The two soldiers went in front of him while reaching their hands out and touching August’s chest. “You can’t go out. Please go back to your chair.”

August clenched his fists. Something was not right. He felt it. He knew there was a reason why Jude was outside. He sighed and decided to turn around.

“What are missions?”

“Each day you will be given missions. You will need to finish them without any time limit. But each mission you finish will get rewards and could help you level up. And it could help you save your wife.”

August stopped and frowned. “My wife? What’s with my wife?”

“Mission number one. Get out of the coliseum and save Jude with your friends,” the system said instead of answering August’s question.

He blinked and saw some survivor figures turn yellow. Their names were written above each figure. It was Carla, Joseph, Nicka, and Leo. He was confused now. Why would he need to save his ex-wife? Before everything happened, his wife had already abandoned him. He tried to find her and begged her by calling her, but she was no longer answering. She left him for a rich old man.

August groaned and shook his head. He continued walking and decided not to do it. He doesn’t care about her anymore. If she chooses to leave him, then he will do it too. But he stopped again when words came out in front of him again.

Location: Araneta Coliseum

Supplies: Everything

Survivors: ???

Zombies: 1

Level: 1

August's eyes widened. How could a zombie get in? He looked around and saw the red figure inside the coliseum. It was just laying in one of the beds on the court. August was about to go there when the red figure started moving. He saw one of the patients moving too. He stood up like a robot. Then he snatched the nearest patient with him.

“Ahh! Zombie!”