[Detecting Host has confirmed kills on two armed personnel. Increasing Shooting attribute by 5.]
[Since Host has accumulated more than 1 human kill, the "Probe" function is unlocked (Level 1).]
[Detecting Host's team has neutralized 79 infected. Issuing a Challenge Mission:]
[Kill 500 zombies. Reward: 100 Points.]
At this moment, the familiar, cold mechanical voice echoed in Dominik's mind.
However, Dominik didn't have time to ask the System what this Challenge Mission was, or what the Probe function could do. He was too busy trying not to die.
He held the Type-56 with shaking hands, taking single shots at the zombies shambling toward the gas station forecourt.
But Dominik's marksmanship was lightyears away from Simon's. The zombies were only ten to twenty meters away, but the heavy oil filter screwed onto the barrel completely blocked his iron sights. He had to guess the aim point.
In movies, ordinary people picked up guns and instantly scored headshots. That was pure nonsense.
Bang! A shot to the shoulder.
Bang! A shot to the neck.
Bang! Finally, a headshot.
It took Dominik four or five rounds to put down a single walker. A stark contrast to Simon's double-tap efficiency. Fortunately, these zombies moved sluggishly, giving him time to correct his aim.
After burning through half a magazine, Dominik slowly backed towards the truck, then crouched beside the front bumper. He shouted, "Hey! Simon! Are you bitten?!"
Simon kicked the corpse of the mechanic off him. He wiped a smear of black blood from his vest and cursed. "Fuck! That thing must have turned recently. Muscles haven't stiffened up yet. Too fast."
After complaining, Simon rolled and scrambled to his feet. He didn't bother checking his ammo count; he just ripped the magazine out of his SCAR and slapped in a fresh one.
"Drive! I'll cover!"
"Understood!"
Dominik didn't linger. He yanked open the driver's door, vaulted into the Hilux, and twisted the key. The diesel engine roared to life. He rolled down the passenger window and yelled, "Get in!"
"Go!"
Simon roared back. He didn't get in the cab. Instead, he vaulted into the truck bed. He braced his knees against the wheel wells and flicked his selector switch to full auto.
Puff! Puff-puff-puff!
The suppressed SCAR-L spat death. The leading edge of the horde, drawn by the noise of the engine, began to crumple.
"Clear! Go, go, go!" Simon slapped the roof of the cab with his gloved hand.
Dominik stomped on the accelerator. The Hilux's tires spun on the slick concrete before gripping. The truck lurched forward, smashing through a wooden barrier and back onto the main road. The roar of the engine and the rhythmic thumping of Simon's rifle echoed through the jungle valley.
Twenty minutes later.
The Hilux had left the service area far behind. Although the number of abandoned vehicles on the Asian Highway was increasing, forcing Dominik to weave through the wreckage like a slalom course, he managed to keep their speed up.
Simon, satisfied that they weren't being followed by anything fast enough to catch them, climbed from the truck bed through the sliding rear window and into the passenger seat.
"Hey, you weren't bitten, right? Huh? You weren't bitten, were you? Check your arms!"
Dominik held the steering wheel with his left hand, his eyes fixed on the road, but his right hand kept fumbling over Simon's shoulder and arm, frantically trying to feel for torn fabric or wet blood.
"No," Simon said indifferently, pushing Dominik's hand away. He looked at the younger man with mild distaste. "Don't grope me. I'm straight."
Hearing Simon say he wasn't bitten, Dominik breathed a massive sigh of relief. But hearing the sarcasm, he snapped back, "Oh really? You almost died and you're making jokes?"
"Relax. I'm fine." Simon leaned back, the adrenaline fading. "That shot back there... it was good. You didn't hesitate. If you had frozen for even a second, I'd be one of them right now."
Dominik didn't boast. He shook his head seriously. "That was just luck. Afterward, I fired more than a dozen bullets at the slow ones and only dropped two. My aim is garbage with this filter on."
"Aim can be taught," Simon said, stripping his vest. "The instinct to pull the trigger when a friend is in the line of fire? That can't be taught. Most rookies freeze."
Simon began the task of ammunition management. He pulled magazines from his pouches. He took the 5.56mm rounds for his SCAR and reloaded his spent mags.
Then, he looked at Dominik. "Give me your Type-56 mags. And the loose 7.62 ammo we found in the village."
"Mhm." Dominik handed over the chest rig he was wearing.
While Simon busied himself with loading the rusty AK magazines with the loose rounds they had scavenged from The Syndicate, Dominik finally had a moment to process the System notifications.
System, what's going on with this Challenge Mission and Probe function? And why did it only alert me now?
[Host, this system alerted you once before when you killed the Syndicate militiamen. Afterward, when you and Simon Riley (Ghost) broke out of the village, the system also alerted you. The Host simply didn't notice due to high stress.]
"Oh... is that so..."
Dominik vaguely recalled hearing a chime during the firefight, but between the gunfire and the fear of death, he had tuned it out.
Okay. Show me my current profile. And explain this Probe.
[Dominik Corvinus]
Shooting: 40 (Increased from 35)
Reaction: 70
Combat: 45
Luck: 95
Special Skills: None
[Probe Function (Level 1):]
Purpose: Detects the attribute points and special skills of humans within range.
Range: 5-meter radius (Total coverage 10m diameter), centered on the Host.
Duration: 10 minutes active time.
Cooldown: 2 hours.
[Challenge Missions:]
Trigger: Context-sensitive based on Host's actions. (e.g., First zombie kill -> Kill 500 mission).
Future Missions: The System will issue harder challenges based on accepted bounties or environmental threats.
Rewards: Varies (Points, Items, Cards). No penalty for failure unless specified.
"So that's how it is..."
Dominik realized the tactical value immediately. The Probe wasn't just for checking stats; it was a short-range radar. It could detect humans hiding in ambush behind walls or inside vehicles, provided they were close enough.
Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy ensures victory.
And the Challenge Missions were a way to grind points. He needed points to draw new cards. If Simon was an S-Rank, imagine what an S+ could do? Or maybe he needed a medic?
Just as Dominik was analyzing the data, another alert chimed in his mind.
[Detecting Host has successfully saved team member Simon Riley (Ghost) from lethal infection.]
[Evaluation: Calm response under extreme pressure.]
[Reward: 5 Assignable Skill Points. Please use them wisely.]