Vehicles were often powered by the ore due to the scarcity of petroleum.
After all, petroleum was a resource created through various chemical reactions—mostly starting from dead plants or animals.
But the strange weather changes in the past few years affected the Earth's composition.
Naturally, petroleum was sacrificed.
The little that had been stored either exploded due to natural fires or combusted spontaneously.
The major consequence? Vehicles had no source of fuel.
And electric cars? Their batteries were destroyed.
Solar-powered vehicles didn't fare any better. The harmful UV rays damaged everything they touched, including solar panels.
Fortunately, scientists discovered the ore.
And with that came a qualitative leap in human intelligence—at least, that's how society saw it.
The ore played a massive role in rebuilding their world.
Its presence was everywhere.
Thanks to it, the van the four of them spotted was still running smoothly.
Inside the van sat four people at different seats
"I knew I heard zombies around here," said one of the passengers inside the can
A young adult, probably in his early twenties.
His voice was hoarse—clearly from heavy smoking.
His hands were on the steering wheel while his eyes scanned the zombies up front
He was the person in charge of driving
"It's just a bunch of dumb zombies," he continued.
"But hey, looks like it's your lucky day, mutt."
He glanced sideways. "Try not to scream or cry and ruin our game."
A middle-aged man in a suit snorted and patted someone on the shoulder.
He wore a smug, arrogant look.
"I hope you remember your place."
"Tsk. Weren't you the one crying when you got drafted into the hunting team?"
"Or maybe it was a ghost crying.
I don't think a human could make such a disgusting sob."
The young man beside him said this steadily, like he was just saying 'hello.'
The arrogant man's face twisted. He glared at the young man, his face red with rage, fist clenched, ready to strike.
The young man looked at him steadily but his eyes were provocative
"Alright, let's not damage the bait," another man said, shooting the arrogant one a look.
He seemed to be the leader of the team since the arrogant man shut up with a huff
"After all, we still need someone to be the shield."
The arrogant man shut his mouth reluctantly, but remembering the young man was just 'bait' made him feel better.
What's the point of arguing with someone who's going to die soon?
He sneered at the young man, who looked back like he was watching a particularly stupid animal.
"You should also remember who you are," the man said again, patting the young man's shoulder.
That weight was heavy. A silent warning: You're just bait. Don't get ideas.
"Don't worry," the young man replied, smiling.
"I remember plenty. Like how some people like to act big, even though they were sobbing just last night."
The arrogant man looked like he might strangle him.
"You—"
"We're here," the smoker driving said, cutting him off.
The arrogant man turned away from his anger, smiling viciously.
"Let's see who's crying now."
"Then look in a mirror," the young man replied calmly. "Though I doubt you'll find one here."
The man choked and made to hit him, but the leader was one step ahead.
He dragged the young man out of the van.
He seemed to run out of patience with the young man
They had stopped a few meters away from a horde of zombies.
But the horde was focused on a building and didn't notice the humans yet.
"What's wrong with them?" the smoker asked, frowning.
"This is the first time I've seen them so agitated," the leader said.
"Maybe someone inside is covered in blood," the arrogant man offered.
"Why don't you ask them and find out?" the young man retorted.
Veins bulged in the arrogant man's forehead. He grabbed the young man and yanked him forward.
Then, he turned to the horde
A metal pipe that he had been holding flew out of his hand and directly into the skull belonging to one of the zombie
It landed with a thunk.
The horde paused and looked toward them for a moment…
Their bloodshot eyes gazed at the four male humans with ferocity
They looked ready to pounce on them but they seemed to hesitate
Then they turned back to the rooftop, visibly reluctant.
---
Ming Jun stared in shock.
Was that telepathy?
Wait… am I in the wrong genre?
Since when do people have superpowers in the zombie apocalypse?
Is it a crossover or something?
He glanced at the zombies.
Wait, why do I feel guilty?
Were they in love with me before they turned?
No, it's probably more like… they wanted to kill trash like me when they were alive, but laws held them back.
Shae Harris was equally stunned by the flying metal pipe.
She felt reluctant, even sad.
My poor mobs…
I was planning to farm you guys so hard
Her eyes seemed to mirror the reluctant gaze of the zombies
Wei Zhi silently thanked his instincts.
Just imagining that pipe in his head gave him chills.
Then he shivered as he noticed the zombies hesitation
Damn can't you guys take a hint
There are obviously more juicy humans infront of you
Mori Aoi trembled quietly.
The sight of the pipe piercing through the zombie's eye made her stomach turn.
And even worse was the zombies turning back to gaze at the roof
Noi Karn said nothing, but his entire body was tense.
He saw that four people appeared and an object flying to pierce through the zombies surrounding the roof
He instinctively felt that those three people were dangerous
None of them knew the young man had just saved them—by redirecting the other three's attention
The zombies looked for a second more then gave up
They began to charge at the humans that were within reach
The young man now stood at the forefront of the group—facing a wave of zombies.
Behind him were the arrogant man and the two others.
The arrogant man sneered.
He wanted to see how this orphan would run his mouth from the grave.
The others, silently drawing their weapons, had the same thought.
The young man held only a kitchen knife.
His eyes stayed locked on the approaching horde.
The leader made the first move when they got close... about a meter away
He swung a metal bat that flew out of his hand
It flew so hard it burst a zombie's skull.
The bat continued flying through the air, moving in swift arcs as if wielded by an invisible force.
Like an invincible person swung the bat
Each zombie took two swings to be brought down.
The smoker used his metal pipe to stab efficiently from a distance.
The arrogant man followed, sending his pipe forward to pierce heads.
But the metal pipe could only move in one direction_forward
It was obvious that there was a difference in skill between the three people
The leader had the greatest force
While the arrogant man had the least control
The smoker was the average one in the group
The young man remained still, tense, watching.
Their attacks worked only because the zombies hadn't fully registered the humans.
They didn't attack the flying weapons.
Their attention was focused on the person right in front of them.
Soon, the three with powers began to step back.
Their plan was clear:
Use the young man to draw the zombies in.
If things looked bad, they'd run while abandoning the young man as a distraction
After all, he was just a slum orphan.
No powers.
No future.
He should be grateful to give his life to protect those stronger than him.
Their expressions turned cold, calculating.
But then—
"Ah, what's that?" the young man said, pale-faced, pointing behind them.
The three turned quickly, startled.
There was nothing.
The arrogant man started to turn back to yell—
—and felt something pierce his brain.
Blood bubbled from his mouth as he turned to look at the young man.
His eyes were wide with disbelief.
When did he get so close?
Where did he find the courage?
He died with that confusion etched on his face.
The young man tossed his body forward soon after
It slammed into the others, knocking them down like bowling pins.
They had grouped up for safety—foolishly thinking it gave them an advantage.
Or at least an easier way to use their companions as shields
But instead it became a means to hurt them
As they scrambled to rise, pain hit their stomachs.
It felt like they'd been sucker-punched.
The young man sneered.
He kicked them both hard in the back.
They dropped again, groaning.
Without hesitation, he dashed into the nearest building.
The zombies descended on the two men.
They fought back, but it was no use.
They had eaten poisoned food earlier—rotten meals the young man had generously shared.
They fought through diarrhea and pain, still managing to take down some zombies.
They died fighting.
The young man offered them a prayer in his heart.
Even poisoned, they took the horde with them.
Rest well, diarrhea heroes.
A few zombies came after him, of course.
But one or two were easy to handle.
The rest had found their distraction and were adequately taken care of
Now the battle was over and the roads were silent
The young man came out of his hiding place
His feet moved in the direction of the building that attracted the love of the zombie horde
His eyes glanced at the roof which made the five of them hiding up there hold in a breath
He turned his gaze away and took a step inside the building and then suddenly collapsed