The city had not gone quiet.
It only sounded that way when you stopped listening.
Inside the SUV, the engine hummed low and steady, the vibration settling into the seats, into bone. Buildings slid past in fractured reflections, glass catching light where it shouldn't. Smoke lingered ahead, thin and stubborn, refusing to disappear.
No one spoke.
Not because there was nothing to say.
But because too much had already been said.
A sharp inhale broke the silence.
Claire leaned forward slightly, her hand hovering just above Daniel's arm.
"He's getting hotter."
Victor didn't hesitate. He pressed the back of his hand against Daniel's neck, then his forehead. His expression tightened.
"That's not normal."
Daniel didn't respond. His breathing was uneven, shallow in a way that made it feel like it could stop at any moment.
Iris watched.
Not just him.
Something about this didn't sit right. It wasn't just a fever.
Static cracked through the radio.
Everyone stilled.
"…visibility's getting worse…"
Benjamin's voice came through, strained and uneven.
"…response delay…"
The signal warped, stretched.
Then cut.
Silence settled again, heavier this time.
Something was wrong.
"Stop."
Henry's voice cut through cleanly.
The SUV slowed.
Ahead, a small cluster of figures stood scattered across the road. Not enough to fully block it, but enough to force a decision.
No one asked what kind.
Doors opened almost at once.
Cold air rushed in. Boots hit asphalt.
Claire stayed behind, one hand still on Daniel. The two injured bodyguards remained inside, barely conscious.
Everyone else spread out.
Controlled. Quiet. Efficient.
Iris stepped forward.
And then she saw it.
"…That one."
It wasn't moving.
Not like the others.
The first zombie came at her fast.
She sidestepped, her blade already moving. Clean. Precise. It dropped before it could react.
The second lunged.
She pivoted…
A sharp burst of light tore past her shoulder.
Close.
Too close.
Iris froze for half a second.
That wasn't…
Her gaze snapped forward.
The police officer Zombie.
Its uniform was torn, dark with dried blood. Its head tilted at an unnatural angle.
In its hand
The weapon twitched.
Not steady. Not controlled. Just… moving.
Another jerk.
Another burst.
It fired again. Wild. Unfocused.
The grip spasmed in its fingers, muscles pulling without purpose.
Iris moved before she could think.
She closed the distance, ducking under its arm as it twitched again. Her hand snapped forward
A sharp crack.
The wrist bent the wrong way.
The weapon slipped free.
The zombie didn't react. No pain. No hesitation.
It kept coming.
Iris didn't give it the chance.
Her blade drove forward, clean and direct.
The body dropped.
[+10 EXP +10 Copper]
She didn't pause. She didn't think. The weapon felt heavy in her hand, unfamiliar.
Another zombie rushed her.
Instinct took over.
She aimed. Pressed.
A burst of light exploded forward.
The zombie's upper body disintegrated on impact.
Iris stilled for a fraction of a second.
Then moved again.
Around her, the others fought with controlled aggression. Blades. Blunt force. Close range.
Not perfect.
But enough.
She stepped in where she could. A strike. A shot. Movement blending into motion.
[+5 EXP +5 Copper]
[+4 EXP +4Copper]
[+6 EXP +6 Copper]
[+5 EXP +5 Copper]
[…]
It didn't take long.
It never did. Until it did.
The last one hadn't moved.
Not once.
Iris turned toward it slowly.
It was watching.
Still. Focused. Wrong.
[Survival Probability:Low]
[Recommendation: Do not engage]
003's voice cut through her mind, cold and precise.
Iris didn't stop.
She stepped forward anyway.
She couldn't retreat. Not with everyone behind her.
The zombie moved.
No warning.
One second it stood still
The next, it was in front of her.
Fast.
Too fast.
She barely raised the weapon in time. The impact jolted through her arms, forcing her back.
Claws sliced through the space where her throat had been.
She twisted, barely avoiding it.
A strike came from the side. Someone else.
The zombie shifted.
Just for a moment.
That was enough.
Iris stepped in.
Close.
Her blade drove forward.
Once.
Twice.
The body stilled
Then dropped.
[+15 EXP +15 Copper]
A sharp metallic crack split through the air.
Not from the fight.
From behind.
Iris's head snapped toward the sound.
The second SUV—
Glass shattered inward. The side door buckled under impact as a stray zombie slammed into it, hard enough to dent the frame.
"Watch the vehicle!"
One of the bodyguards moved instantly, driving the zombie back, but the damage was done.
The door hung uneven. Not fully broken.
But not secure either.
Another hit like that…
It wouldn't hold.
[Level Up!]
[Congratulations on reaching Level 2 ]
For a second, everything went quiet.
Then sound rushed back in.
Breathing. Movement. Pain.
Iris exhaled sharply. Her arms felt heavier now. Not weak. Just used.
"Wait…"
Caleb's voice cut through.
"Is that a plasma gun?!"
Iris blinked. "A what?"
Benjamin stepped closer, eyes fixed on the weapon.
"…That's not something you just find."
Iris looked down at it, then tried to store it.
[No weapon of mass destruction allowed]
"Huh..? That's weird "she tried again.
[No weapon of mass destruction allowed]
"…You've got to be kidding me."she groaned frustrated
"What?" Caleb asked.
"I can't store it." Iris said dejected
"…Then we carry it," Henry said simply.
Inside her mind, Iris reached out to 003.
Its response came faintly.
It could not override the restriction.
Energy reserves were low.
That was all.
They moved back quickly. No wasted motion.
They didn't split this time.
The second SUV wasn't safe anymore.
Everyone piled into the first.
Closer. Tighter.
The air felt heavier.
Claire checked Daniel again.
Her expression didn't improve.
They didn't drive far before Iris saw it.
Tall. Intact. Glass reflecting light instead of breaking it.
"…That building."
Henry followed her gaze.
"The bank… what about it?" Caleb asked.
"I was thinking… we raid it" Iris said, voice calm.
Which stunned everyone
*~*
Through the reinforced glass, movement flickered inside.
Zombies.
A few pressed close to the entrance. More lingered deeper in, shapes shifting between counters and pillars.
Henry stepped forward, testing the door.
It didn't budge.
"Locked from the inside."
Something heavy had fallen behind it. A desk, maybe. The frame didn't even rattle when pressure was applied.
"Break it?" Caleb asked.
Henry shook his head once. " that would be too loud. Too slow."
Two of the bodyguards peeled off without waiting for orders, circling the building's side.
The rest held position.
Iris stayed where she was, eyes still on the glass. Watching the way the movement inside clustered… then spread again.
Not random.
Time stretched.
Then footsteps returned.
" There's a back entrance," one of them said. "Service access. Reinforced, but clear."
They moved.
The rear side of the bank was quieter. Less exposed. The door there was solid metal, built to last.
No visible handle.
No keypad.
Nothing to force.
Iris stepped closer, gaze tracing the seams.
Locked.
Secure.
Untouchable…
A memory surfaced.
That person, leaning back like it was nothing.
"Come on, Iris… just learn it. Basic access, basic overrides. You never know when you'll need it."
She had waved it off.
Later.
Not important.
Iris exhaled, quieter this time.
"…I should've learned."
"Back entrance," Henry said.
They moved around the building.
The rear door stood solid. Reinforced.
Unbreakable.
Iris stepped forward.
[Alloy Detected
Sell? YES | NO]
She selected YES.
For half a second
Nothing happened.
Then the door vanished.
Not opened. Gone.
Silence held—
Then it broke.
A shrill alarm tore through the building, violent and sudden, like something screaming directly into their ears.
It didn't echo.
It *pierced*.
Iris flinched, her grip tightening instinctively.
"Inside. Now!" Henry snapped.
The sound didn't stay contained.
It spilled outward, bleeding into the street, bouncing off glass and concrete, carrying far beyond what they could see.
And from the distance—
Something answered.
Not one but Multiple movement, fast and relentless
They rushed in.
Fast.
"Block it!"
Metal scraped. Furniture dragged. Anything they could find was shoved into place.
The entrance sealed
Barely.
THUD.
Something slammed against it.
Again. Thud
Closer. Thud
They didn't wait.
Zombies were already inside.
More than expected.
Staff. Security. Strays.
Moving through desks, corridors, shadows.
They fought.
Fast. Efficient. No wasted movement.
[+5 EXP +5 Copper]
[+6 EXP +6 Copper]
[+5 EXP +5 Copper]
The last one dropped.
[Level Up!]
Level 3 Reached
Iris steadied herself.
Everything felt sharper.
More controlled.
One stood out.
Better dressed. Cleaner.
A keycard clipped at its side.
She took it.
"Top floor first."
A glance. Then nods.
If the power failed, they wouldn't get trapped going up.
They moved.
Floor by floor.
Downward.
Doors opened. Rooms cleared. Valuables were taken.
By the time they cleared past the fifteenth floor, sweat clung to skin and fabric alike.
At some point, Iris stopped tracking floors.
Only time.
And even that had started slipping.
No one spoke about stopping.
Time blurred.
Floor after floor, door after door.
At some point, it stopped feeling like movement and started feeling like repetition.
Everyone worked.
Not shared. Not equal.
Each person taking what they could.
Selling it to the system.
Numbers stacked quietly.
By the time they reached the lower levels, hours had passed.
Not minutes.
Hours.
By the time they reached the final floors before the basement, exhaustion had settled deep.
They paused. Not long.
Just enough to breathe. To force something down. Water. Whatever they had in their spaces.
Then they moved again.
By the time they reached the basement.
The vault stood before them.
Locked. Sealed. Untouched.
Iris stepped forward, placing her hand against the cold metallic surface of the heavy vault door with the intent to sell.
[Reinforced Alloy Detected
Sell? YES| NO.]
She selected.
The door disappeared.
Gold. Stacks of it.
Not scattered.
Organized. Heavy. Silent.
Untouched by the chaos outside.
For a moment, it didn't feel real.
Iris stared converting them to system currency ,she knew this wasn't small.
This was… thousands of gold.
Real wealth.
Every body else joined in the frenzy
"Take what you can carry." Henry said authority flowing from his voice
No one argued. They all moved quick and efficient
"…We're rich," Caleb muttered under his breath.
No one corrected him.
Caleb nudged Benjamin, who stood frozen, staring at the piles of gold and scattered gemstones.
Benjamin blinked, snapped out of it, and joined the others.
[ WEALTH: +9,000 Gold | +500 Silver | +300 Copper]
This much wealth…
In her previous world, it would have meant everything.
Here—
It just meant survival.
Iris's heart leaped at the amount of gold she now had.
She is now a little rich woman
The joy didn't last long. Above them a loud THUD was heard.
Another impact, Louder, Closer.
The barricade wouldn't hold much longer.
"Together," Henry said.
Iris tightened her grip on the plasma gun in her hand.
Something moved in her peripheral.
Fast.
Gone.
She must have imagined it
The next hit shook the building.
Hard.
"…Let's go!" Benjamin shouted.
The barricade gave way.