Ali strode to the edge of the roof, his gaze settling on the two metal cables stretching down from the building's frame to the ground below. Without a word, he reached over his shoulder and pulled a handle from the holster on his back. The women behind him looked on, confusion mixed with anticipation in their expressions as they wondered what he was about to do.
With a decisive click of a button, Ali activated the weapon. From the seemingly unassuming handle, a long, sinewy blade emerged, red and muscle-like in appearance, forming a fearsome longsword. The women gasped, their eyes widening in shock and awe as the crimson blade extended, humming with latent power. With a calm expression, Ali raised the sword high into the air before bringing it down in a swift, clean strike on the metal cables. The weapon—his quinque—cut through them effortlessly, the razor edge severing each cable with a sharp, metallic slice.
A deafening crash followed as the massive cables plummeted downwards, striking the ground with enough force to crush any undead unlucky enough to be beneath.
BOOOOOOOOM.
The noise echoed, and the shockwave rippled through the horde below, scattering corpses and sending a cloud of dust into the air. The women stepped forward, peering over the edge beside Ali to survey the destruction. They gazed in awe at the devastation wrought by his single swing, struggling to believe a human could wield such strength. Ali nonchalantly clicked the button on the handle, causing the crimson blade to retract back into its hilt. He slid the handle back into his holster with a practiced motion, sparing only a brief, satisfied glance at the scene below.
Ali turned his focus to the horizon, specifically the two towering buildings he needed to clear. He weighed his options as he scrutinised each structure, mentally assessing the potential dangers each held. 'Which one…? The barricaded building is bound to be challenging, with its high human presence and likely a substantial number of other players. But the open structure…that will be teeming with zombies, and any noise could draw in more of the horde.' As he considered his choice, Natalya and the other women watched him, clearly waiting for his next move.
Without looking at them, Ali asked, "What's your missions?" The question was directed at the group of players, while the cooks exchanged confused glances, not understanding what he meant.
"To kill two zombies," one of the women answered.
"Rescue someone from a zombie," said another.
"To indirectly kill a zombie," came a third.
They each described their personal missions in turn, all sharing the same overarching world mission.
"To help a place called Hope defend against the zombie horde," Natalya added. Her response piqued Ali's interest. 'Her mission is different…Hope…'
Ali's eyes traveled back to the barricaded building, narrowing as he focused on the faint word "HOPE," obscured beneath layers of grime and faded paint on one of the floors. The connection clicked in his mind.
"I think I know where you're supposed to go," he said, pointing toward the looming structure.
Natalya's gaze followed his, and her face took on a grim expression. Reaching that building would mean navigating streets filled with the undead, and any noise or disturbance could easily draw the horde to them.
"I could help you reach it along with the rest of your group," Ali said, his tone casual, "but there's something I'll need from you in return." He looked directly at Natalya as he spoke, and the other women remained silent, awaiting her response.
"What do you want out of it?" she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.
"I'll tell you when we get there," Ali replied, brushing past her as he headed for the rooftop door.
They followed him down through the building, which was eerily empty of zombies, the silence amplifying the weight of each footstep. The soldiers who had previously used the lift had systematically cleared each floor, leaving behind only a still, foreboding quiet. Ali led them all the way down to the ground floor, where he paused at the entrance, cracking the door open just enough to get a view of the street beyond.
"Forty-five zombies out there," he announced, glancing back at the group. Turning fully to face them, he continued, "Go hide on the upper floor until you hear me call for you." The women nodded, filing up the stairs as quickly and quietly as they could, eager to put distance between themselves and the danger outside.
Ali closed the door with a loud bang, then opened and shut it repeatedly, generating a cacophony that echoed through the quiet street, deliberately attracting the attention of the undead.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
He took a few steps back, listening as the heavy, shuffling footsteps of the horde slowly closed in on his position. Ali reached for the machete at his waist and held it ready, his expression a picture of calm anticipation.
Ten minutes later, silence fell once more. The women, no longer hearing the groans of zombies, cautiously made their way downstairs. Natalya led the way, her eyes widening as she reached the bottom.
A grotesque scene awaited them: dozens of decapitated bodies lay scattered across the floor, their still-alive heads lined up in a neat row in front of Ali. He stood there, bloodless and composed, waiting as they descended.
"What's... this?" Natalya asked, her voice hesitant as she looked at the twitching, biting heads, recoiling at the sight.
"Anyone whose mission is to kill zombies, here's your chance. Go ahead and stab the heads. This is the only opportunity I'll give you because from here until we reach our destination, I will not stop for anything. Anyone who lingers to pursue their mission will be left behind," Ali announced, his voice sharp and matter-of-fact.
At first, the women were hesitant, many of them having never committed any act of violence in their lives.
But one middle-aged woman finally stepped forward, gripping her machete tightly as she approached one of the heads. With a shaky breath, she plunged the blade down, killing the zombie head with ease.
The others, encouraged by her courage, began to follow her example, each stabbing heads to fulfil their missions, some going beyond the bare minimum, eager to capitalise on the chance Ali had provided.
'I only did it because I could', Ali thought as he watched the frenzy unfold Beheading the zombies had taken no effort, but he was curious to see how they'd react. Now, he looked on with a mixture of disdain and amusement as they greedily scrambled to complete their missions. Beside him, Natalya observed the others, her instincts sensing something unsettling about the display, though she couldn't quite place it.
Once every head was destroyed and the women had completed their personal missions, Ali led them out of the building and onto the streets.
They moved with quiet urgency toward another building outfitted with wooden bridges connecting it to nearby structures. Any zombie threat they encountered was swiftly dealt with by Ali, who dispatched the undead with effortless precision.
Ali kept their pace brisk, pushing them forward as the sun began to dip below the skyline.
He intended to reach their destination well before dark so he'd have enough time to return to his own target before nightfall. After nearly an hour of moving from rooftop to rooftop, they arrived at a roof with a metal bridge leading into one of the floors of the building labeled Hope.
"Natalya," Ali called, signalling for her to step aside from the group.
She approached him, her expression a mix of curiosity and caution. Ali looked down at her, his gaze serious. "I'll be leaving for a while. I don't know how long, but while I'm gone, there's something I need you to do for me."
"What is it?" Natalya asked, nodding, signalling her readiness.
"I need you to search for any sign of zombies inside Hope-this includes infected people hiding bites, breaches that may have gone unnoticed, or any actual zombies that might have infiltrated the floors. Anything that could pose a risk of a zombie outbreak inside the skyscraper-I want to know about it. Understood?"
"Yes, I'll do my best to find anything suspicious," Natalya replied, though she couldn't resist asking, "Can I ask why this is so important to you?"
Ali's face remained impassive. "It relates to my mission, but that's all you need to know for now. I expect results when I return. You don't want to see me disappointed, Natalya," he warned, his tone cold and unmistakably final.
She nodded, swallowing as she processed the weight of his words.
Returning to the group, Natalya led the women toward the bridge, approaching the guards stationed at its entrance. Ali observed from a distance as the guards scrutinised them before allowing them entry. Once he saw that they had made it inside safely, he turned and began his journey toward his next target, his mind already planning his next steps.
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