Chapter 80: Zombie Ruin

There stood a metal door. Unlike everything outside, this section was completely intact. The walls were smooth, unbroken, untouched, and precisely because of that, it was obvious that the real danger lay beyond this door.

"Is this it?" Vikram asked calmly, glancing at Sunil.

"Yes, Boss Vikram," Sunil replied immediately, his tone respectful. "The zombies are active beyond this."

Vikram gave a slight nod, but his eyes lingered on Sunil for a moment. There was still resistance hidden beneath that obedient expression, subtle but present. He didn’t care. If needed, he would crush it completely.

"Anything we should be careful about? Any special traits?" Vikram asked.

Sunil scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... not really. I already told you everything in the chat. We’ve only fought them once."

"Boss Vikram...?"

Vikram didn’t respond. He simply stared at him. That silent, emotionless gaze pressed down like a weight. Sunil’s body stiffened unconsciously. Even with his experience, even being older, he felt an invisible pressure tightening around him, as if every hidden thought could be seen through.

Just as he was about to break, Vikram turned away. The pressure vanished instantly, like an illusion.

But Sunil’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Inside, he exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself. Then, looking at Vikram’s back, his gaze gradually turned sharp.

Be arrogant while you can... sooner or later, you’ll pay for it. Even if I can’t take this place today, I’ll make sure you don’t walk out alive.

Vikram, however, had already sensed it.

Ever since his physique improved, his perception of others’ gazes had become extremely sharp. Feeling that hostile intent from behind, he merely curled his lips slightly, his expression still indifferent.

You think I need your information? Then what’s the point of my system?

"Chandan, open the door," Alex ordered from behind.

"Okay... okay," Chandan replied nervously and stepped forward, placing his hand on the handle.

Click. The iron door opened slightly, just a narrow crack.

Before Vikram could even see inside, a smell rushed out. It hit instantly. Thick. Rotten. Unbearable.

It wasn’t just the stench of decay. It was a mixture of rotting flesh, dried blood, sweat, and something far worse—like a suffocating odor dragged straight out of hell.

Vikram’s brows tightened sharply, and he instinctively took a step back, almost suffocating from the smell.

"This smell..." Vikram muttered, his voice low, filled with both disgust and vigilance. He raised his hand to cover his nose, trying to block out the overwhelming stench. This kind of odor—rotting, foul, suffocating—could only come from one thing.

Zombies.

As Chandan pushed harder, the iron door creaked open slowly, the harsh sound of metal scraping against metal echoing through the silence.

When the door finally opened completely, Vikram saw everything.

A narrow corridor stretched ahead, dim and lifeless. The walls and floor were made entirely of cold metal, reflecting faint, dull light. At the far end, a flickering emergency lamp cast a weak yellow glow, barely illuminating the space.

But the light didn’t matter. Because the smell of blood and decay in the corridor was everywhere.

And in the middle of it, something moved, it was a zombie.

It shuffled forward slowly, its body severely decomposed. Its skin was a sickly gray-green, torn in multiple places, exposing muscle and even parts of its internal organs. Thick, dark fluids dripped from its body, leaving a disgusting trail behind it.

Its eyes were hollow and lifeless, tet its mouth let out a low, guttural growl as it turned toward them.

[Normal Zombie: Green. A monster filled with the zombie virus. Having lost its sanity, it will approach nearby humans based on its instinct to eat people. If bitten or scratched by it, one will also be infected and turn into a zombie. Its eyesight is extremely poor, but it is very sensitive to sound. Weakness: The zombie’s head is its most fatal weakness. (Note: Zombies cannot leave the interior of the building)]

Vikram’s expression remained calm. So it’s the same as before...

No real difference from the zombies in the previous life’s film and television works, if he had to say, there was only one more grade in the description.

Behind him, Chandan’s voice trembled.

"Boss... can I not go first? I don’t think I can fight this thing..."

Vikram glanced at him. Chandan was a little cowardly, but obedient.

"Don’t worry," Vikram said calmly. "Nothing will happen to you."

At that moment, the zombie in the corridor reacted to their voices. Its stiff body twisted unnaturally, turning fully toward them.

Its hollow eyes locked in their direction.

And then, it began to move faster.

The zombie dragged its broken body forward with a disturbing, uneven gait, its mouth opening and closing as a muffled roar escaped from deep within its throat. Even from a distance, the stench from its mouth grew stronger, thick and nauseating.

Vikram frowned slightly, pinching his nose again while waving his other hand in front of him, trying to disperse the smell.

"Do you have any weapon?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, Boss... I have an aluminium bow," Chandan replied, quickly pulling it out from his backpack.

Vikram glanced at it and nodded. He himself had an M416, but he didn’t know if this was the right moment to reveal it. For now, there was no need.

"Remember—aim for the head," Vikram said.

"Okay... okay, Boss."

Chandan took a deep breath. Facing the grotesque zombie, he was clearly under pressure, but Vikram’s calm voice steadied him slightly. He raised the bow, pulled the string, and released the arrow.

The arrow flew forward, but Vikram immediately knew it will miss.

Sure enough, the arrow struck the zombie’s shoulder instead of its head.

The impact only made the creature more ferocious. Its body jerked, and it suddenly sped up, dragging itself forward faster with an angry growl.

Chandan’s face turned awkward as he glanced at Vikram. But Vikram said nothing.

He simply gave a slight signal.

Behind him, the Archer Sprouts moved.

Both of them stepped forward at the same time, nocking their arrows in perfect synchronization. Their movements were smooth, precise, almost mechanical.

They pulled the strings.

Released.

Whoosh!

No one except Vikram could clearly follow the trajectory. In the next instant, two fist-sized holes appeared in the zombie’s head.

As described by the system, the zombie, its brain destroyed, immediately fell to the ground, lifeless.

Silence filled the corridor.

The others stared in shock at the fallen zombie, then slowly shifted their gaze toward the two Archer Sprouts.

That attack, they hadn’t even seen it clearly. Just the result.

Vikram turned his head slightly and looked at Sunil.

"Do you have blueprints for that aluminium bow?"

Sunil was still stunned and didn’t respond immediately. "Ah... that... I got it by luck... from killing a monster..."

Before he could say more, Alex spoke up, "Yes, Boss, we have the blueprint."

Sunil’s expression darkened instantly as he shot Alex an angry look, but he didn’t dare say anything.

"Good," Vikram said calmly. "From now on, produce more of these bows. We’ll use them for trade."

"Okay, Boss," Alex nodded without hesitation.

"But we don’t have enough aluminium," Sunil couldn’t help but add, his tone slightly strained.

Vikram glanced at him and smiled faintly.

"Relax, Sunil. Once I clear this ruin, materials won’t be a problem."

His gaze shifted deeper into the corridor, "This place... has plenty."

Vikram put on an air of indifference, lightly lecturing Sunil while casually placing his right hand on his shoulder, as if they shared a close relationship.

But in reality, while speaking, he had already activated the system and quietly scanned him.

[Name: Sunil Kumar, Strength: 16, Speed: 16, Stamina: 15, Reaction: 15]

The panel appeared clearly in his vision. With just a glance, Vikram understood everything.

Average. Not weak compared to normal Survivors, but nothing special either.

He then swept his gaze across the others, quickly assessing them one by one. After confirming their general strength, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Completely under control.

"Yes, yes... Boss Vikram is right," Sunil said quickly, feeling the pressure from Vikram standing so close. "So... should we continue deeper?"

"Of course," Vikram replied calmly. Then his tone shifted slightly. "But since the others are weaker... how about you lead the way with me, Sunil?"

Before Sunil could even react, the hand on his shoulder tightened.

A subtle force, but enough. He was pushed directly to the front.

"Hey... hey, Boss Vikram, I’m not as strong as them, I think it’s better if—"

"Ah!!!"

A sudden scream escaped his mouth. His body stiffened instantly.

"Hmm?" Vikram tilted his head slightly, his expression innocent. "What were you saying?"

Sunil forced a stiff smile, cold sweat forming on his forehead "Hehe... nothing. I said I’m very willing to go with Boss Vikram."

"Is that so? Good."

Behind them, Alex watched everything clearly. At this point, he had already made up his mind.

Following Vikram, was the right choice. As for Sunil... he still hadn’t understood the situation.

Alex let out a faint chuckle, silently deciding that anyone who didn’t follow Vikram properly, would simply be left behind.

The group continued moving deeper into the building. Vikram’s hand never left Sunil’s shoulder.

For Sunil, every step felt uncomfortable. But Vikram didn’t care. His eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings.

As they went further inside, the stench grew thicker. However, after staying inside for a while, it became slightly more bearable compared to the initial shock.

Vikram reached out and casually touched the wall.

His fingers immediately came away coated in a black, oily substance.

He frowned and brought it closer to his eyes. The system prompt appeared instantly.

[Zombie Blood: Highly infectious. Contains zombie virus.]

"Holy shit!"

Vikram’s expression changed instantly.

He shook his hand violently, trying to fling the substance off as quickly as possible.

Sunil, who was already on edge, jumped in fright, "W-What happened, Mr. Vikram?!"

Vikram ignored him, still shaking his hand vigorously. Even with his calm nature, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

The black substance clung stubbornly to his fingers. For a moment, his heart actually tightened.

"System... this blood won’t infect me, right?" he asked quickly in his mind.

[Ding. As long as there is no contact with open wounds or mucous membranes, the zombie virus will not infect the host. Additionally, even if infected, Light Mage Sprout can purify the virus.]

"Phew..."

Only then did Vikram let out a long breath. The tension in his body eased instantly.

"Scared myself..." he muttered under his breath.

But the next secondhis expression returned to normal.

Without hesitation, he casually wiped his fingers, on Sunil Kumar’s clothes.

"What are you doing?!" Sunil instantly reacted, his face turning pale. "What did you just wipe on me?!"

"Nothing," Vikram replied calmly. "Just giving you a little... snack. Don’t be shy."

Sunil’s expression stiffened completely, but he didn’t dare say anything more. He could only suppress his anger and fear, his body slightly trembling.

The others had no idea what had just happened. They only saw Vikram suddenly panic for a moment... and then return to normal.

The group continued forward in silence.

The deeper they went, the heavier the atmosphere became.

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor. Another iron door stood in front of them.

This one was completely sealed.

Vikram glanced at it briefly, then shifted his gaze toward Sunil.

Without saying a word, he gave him a look. Sunil froze for a second. Then he understood.

"...I’ll open it," he said reluctantly, stepping forward toward the door.