Chapter 4 – Deathbolt Cafe and the City of Rot
Kuro wiped his mouth with a napkin, completely unfazed by the headless corpse sprawled across the café entrance.
"People just don't respect a man's mealtime anymore," he muttered, casually crunching into a crispy fry while arc lightning flickered at his fingertips.
The rest of the customers had either fled in terror or passed out cold. The only one left was a waitress hiding behind the counter, peeking over with wide eyes.
Kuro gave her a thumbs-up. "Food was great. Zombie sucked. You should charge him double."
She fainted.
Standing up, he stretched his limbs. The faint hum of electricity buzzed in his bones like caffeine for his soul. "Time to get to work."
The moment he stepped outside, the city's energy hit differently. The late afternoon sun was dying behind heavy clouds. Shadows stretched across the pavement. The buzz of life had faded into something brittle and paranoid. Shops were closing early. Sirens howled like banshees in the distance. A chill ran down his spine—not from fear, but instinct.
He flicked his wrist and opened the system map. Red dots pulsed aggressively in a dense cluster just a few blocks north. The city was starting to rot.
"Perfect timing for a massacre."
He launched forward, lightning-enhanced speed turning him into a blur. Five minutes later, he landed on a street drenched in chaos. A supermarket crowd was being overrun. Dozens of infected poured from alleys and broken windows, lunging at civilians and devouring the fallen.
Police were firing wildly, barely holding the line.
"Hey! Somebody help us!" one shouted, reloading with shaking hands.
Kuro didn't even respond. He raised one hand.
"Chain Storm."
Electricity exploded from his fingers, arcing between zombies, frying brains, and turning the scene into a lightshow of carnage. Bodies collapsed in twitching heaps. Screams echoed. Even the cops froze in stunned silence.
He leapt into the middle of the pack, slashing with Bloodthirster. Each strike healed him slightly. Every kill surged power through his bones. A zombie lunged—he spun midair and bisected it with a lightning slash.
Another hour passed like this, bodies piling high. Blood, sweat, and smoke hung heavy in the air. Finally, everything went still.
Kuro lowered his blade, panting slightly. "That... was fun."
He was halfway through wiping his blade clean when the system pinged again, calmly but ominously.
"System Suggestion: Clear Metro Station Nest – Estimated infected: 600–800. Unique Threat Detected. Risk Level: High."
Kuro frowned. "Unique threat?"
"Warning: Deep scan indicates presence of mutated T-Virus carrier. Mutation levels exceed baseline. Estimated power: Phase 3 combat potential. If Kuro is infected, irreversible consequences may occur."
His smirk vanished. "...System. Clarify."
"High viral density. Prolonged exposure without protection will result in transformation. Recommend immediate countermeasures."
"T-Virus Immunity [Permanent] — Cost: 47,000 IP."
That was all his points.
But Kuro didn't hesitate.
"Buy it. Now."
A green pulse of light washed over him. Heat surged through his body, then faded into a strange clarity. His breath came easier. His skin tingled.
"Permanent T-Virus Immunity acquired."
IP balance: 170.
"Nice," he muttered. "Now I can fight in peace."
He turned—and nearly jolted when he noticed someone had been watching him. A woman in a bloodstained lab coat stood at the edge of the chaos, holding a pistol.
She looked like a survivor. Pale skin. Black ponytail. Calm, sharp eyes, despite the trembling in her grip.
"Who... who are you?" she asked.
He gestured to the scorched corpses around him. "What do you think?"
The pistol wavered, then lowered. "…Fair."
"You're not from here," she said quietly.
"Nope."
"Then let me come with you. I'm a doctor. I know this city. And if you're fighting like that, I want in."
"System," Kuro muttered.
"Name: Dr. Yumi Aoyama – Status: Survivor / Potential Companion. Unique Trait: Passive Healing Aura."
Kuro looked her over once more. Smart. Brave. Useful. And not annoying.
"Let's roll."
"Yumi recruited. Companion Slot 1 unlocked."
They moved together, clearing block after block. Yumi stayed close, providing healing bursts with her experimental syringes while Kuro carved through the infected like a storm god. Lightning arced between bodies. Heads exploded. Flesh turned to ash.
The kill counter kept rising—but slowly. The grind had truly begun.
Eventually, they stood before the metro station entrance. The air here was different. Thicker. Like the city was holding its breath.
"This is it," Yumi whispered. "The original outbreak point. The bioweapon nest."
Kuro stepped forward, adjusting his grip on Bloodthirster. "Then let's burn it down."
They descended into the tunnels.
The smell hit first—rot, sewage, chemicals, death. Then the silence. No footsteps. No groaning.
Until it began.
The first wave hit like a tide. Hundreds of infected poured from the tunnels. Kuro unleashed bolts and blades in tandem, killing dozens with each movement. Yumi lobbed gas grenades that slowed the horde. But they kept coming. Wave after wave.
The floor was soon soaked in blood. Kuro was panting harder. His vision narrowed. But he didn't stop.
Then… it arrived.
The tunnel darkened. A massive shadow emerged. Red scanner-eyes glowed in the dark. Veins bulging with glowing blue fluid. A steel claw fused with its right arm. Muscle layered with armor.
T-Virus Mutant: Executioner Unit — LVL 30 — PHASE 3 THREAT DETECTED.
"Shit," Kuro breathed.
It roared.
Kuro lunged, blade ready. His slash hit the monster's side—CLANG. No damage. The thing countered with a swing that shattered concrete. He dodged, barely.
"Yumi!" he shouted. "Armor's too thick!"
She was already mixing chemicals. "Stall him!"
The Executioner charged. Kuro leapt, flipping midair and slamming a Lightning Javelin into its chest. Sparks exploded. The beast grunted. A scratch.
He landed hard, barely staying upright.
Yumi shouted, "Its core is under the ribs! You need to pierce it directly!"
"Got it!"
He channeled everything into Bloodthirster, which started glowing bright blue-white.
"Thunder Piercer!"
He launched himself forward, like a living bolt. The sword drove into the mutant's chest with a satisfying crunch. Lightning flooded its body from within.
It screamed.
Then grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. His health dropped to 50%.
Yumi threw a syringe. It burst in a healing cloud.
Kuro stood, swaying. "I'm not done."
One more charge.
He drew every last volt from his body and screamed as he swung.
"FINAL ARC!"
Bloodthirster carved through the Executioner's neck.
Its head rolled.
Its body crashed to the ground.
Silence.
"Boss defeated. T-Virus Mutant slain. Level up: 20 → 22. Zombies killed: 1346 / 20,000."
Kuro dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"That… was awesome."
Yumi ran to him. "You're crazy. That was a Phase 3 weapon."
"I had you, didn't I?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Let's get out of here."
He stood, glancing at the mutant's corpse.
"System. Loot."
"Boss drop: Core of Viral Suppression – SP +3000, Item unlocked: Bioweapon Pulse Grenade Blueprint."
"New stat unlocked: Feats of Ascension — 1/10."
Kuro smiled.
"We're just getting started."