Two and a half minutes later, Brooke stepped out of the SUV, Jessica clinging to his side.
"How was it? Pretty damn impressive, huh?"
"Oh, babe, you were amazing! So amazing!"
Jessica's voice dripped with admiration, but deep down, she was rolling her eyes.
Seriously? This dude actually had the nerve to brag?
Brooke had never once reflected on his own shortcomings.
All these years, had he grown even an inch down there?
Had he been eating right?
If his little Kun Kun wasn't even long enough, how the hell was he supposed to be impressive?
Jessica smiled sweetly, gently poking Brooke's chest with her slender finger.
"By the way, babe, who was the blind idiot that dared to mess with you just now?"
"Oh, it was my sister's boyfriend, Astrea," Jessica pouted, eyes shimmering with fake vulnerability.
"He touched me all over. I felt so violated…"
Tears pooled in her eyes, making her look like she had just suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
"That low-life loser, he didn't do anything serious, did he?"
Brooke didn't give a damn about Gina, but if Astrea had actually laid hands on Jessica, he wouldn't hesitate to take him out.
"He just tried to pull me around, that's all. Luckily, Kay showed up just in time and scared him off."
"You mean your bestie, Kay?"
Brooke's eyes lit up with greed, his face twisting into a lecherous grin.
He had always admired Kay's body—her voluptuous curves, that explosive figure.
And now, knowing she was around?
Brooke was very interested.
Jessica, of course, knew exactly what this bastard was thinking.
Brooke had never been the kind of man who could be satisfied with just one woman.
In this post-apocalyptic world, where morality had collapsed, he had become even more unrestrained.
But Jessica had seen plenty of scumbags like him.
She understood one simple truth—
In the apocalypse, survival is the only thing that matters.
"I'll go talk to Kay," she said softly, pressing her body closer against him.
"We're just two poor, helpless girls… Being able to find a strong man like you is the greatest stroke of luck."
As she spoke, Jessica's stomach rumbled, the sound breaking the moment.
Brooke's face lit up with a smug grin.
"Heh, of course! Tonight, we can have a little group fun together!"
"Stick with me, and I promise—you girls won't go hungry."
With that, he reached into his wristband storage, pulling out a small loaf of bread and half a bottle of water before handing them to Jessica.
"Eat something for now. Dinner will be even better."
"Mm!" Jessica nodded, taking the food, but deep down, she felt a pang of disappointment.
This was it?
This small portion was all he could spare? And on top of that, she'd probably have to share it?
The world really was falling apart.
Little did she know…
This was all the food Brooke had left.
Their squad had been sent out on a mission, but their real goal was to loot the hospital for medical supplies.
At the same time, they were hoping to kill a few zombies and see if they could score some apocalypse loot.
[BZZT! BZZT! SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
[Whoop-whoop! Area-wide announcement!]
[Looks like we've got a feisty little guy in Star City Hospital!]
[Big Daddy's feeling generous—time for a little fun!]
[I just dropped a bunch of treasure chests in the hospital—first come, first serve!]
[Let's party! 🎉]
"Seriously? Targeting me again?"
Astrea had just slipped through the hospital's back entrance, swiftly taking out the zombie patrol outside when the familiar voice echoed in his mind.
A hidden dungeon!
For Astrea, this was huge.
If he could complete the challenge, he might come out on top—a major power boost that could tip the odds in his favor for future fights.
In the apocalypse, anything labeled "hidden" was usually worth a fortune.
And right on cue, the system's voice rang out, audible to all survivors in Star City Hospital.
[DING! HIDDEN BATTLEFIELD: STAR CITY HOSPITAL UNLOCKED!]
[Survivors can earn points by eliminating zombies or opening treasure chests.]
[Battle will conclude when: (1) The Ultimate Zombie Boss is slain, or (2) 24 hours have passed.]
[Final rewards will be distributed based on total points earned.]
[Strongly recommended to form teams for survival, but remember—know your limits! ]
As the system announcement faded, the outer walls of Star City Hospital began to blur, gradually transforming into a blue-tinted, translucent mosaic barrier.
The hospital was now completely sealed off, cutting it off from the outside world.
"Young Master! System prompt says we can't leave! Our exit is blocked!"
One of Brooke's subordinates had tested the boundary, only to be met with the cold, emotionless response of the system.
Brooke, however, simply laughed.
"Hah! Didn't you hear what the Overseer just said?"
"He mentioned a powerful newcomer in the hospital. Who else could that be but me?"
"Come on! Let's take the top spot on the leaderboard!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
The squad snapped to attention, responding with full respect before moving into formation.
They began clearing the perimeter, methodically cutting through the weaker zombies outside the hospital.
However, inside the building, the hospital still belonged to the undead.
Zombies relentlessly pushed deeper, compressing the survivors' already limited space.
Screams echoed through the halls as those who couldn't fight back were mercilessly torn apart.
Most survivors chose to hide, too terrified to resist.
Meanwhile…
Astrea pushed open the rear entrance of the hospital, slipping inside before quickly shutting the door behind him.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the eerie silence like a gunshot.
Instantly—
The entire first floor erupted in a chaotic frenzy.
Zombies howled and screeched, their footsteps thundering as they charged toward the source of the noise.
Astrea wasted no time.
He bolted across the hall, sprinting to a room he had scouted earlier.
With a swift movement, he leapt through a half-open window, landing inside the darkened space.
It was the only room he had passed earlier that showed no signs of struggle or activity.
But just as his boots hit the ground—
He felt something soft beneath his foot.
His muscles tensed as he glanced downward.
Lying right under the window was a zombie, its rotting, decayed face twisted in a grotesque grin.
As soon as it spotted Astrea, drool oozed from its cracked lips.
Then, without hesitation—
It lunged, its jaws gaping wide, aiming straight for Astrea's ankle!
Shit! This thing was camping here?!
Astrea's instincts kicked in instantly.
With a sharp gasp, he launched himself sideways, narrowly dodging the gnashing teeth.
At the same time—
He raised his bow, fingers moving with blinding speed.
Whoosh!
The arrow shot forward, piercing clean through the zombie's skull and lodging deep into its throat.
The zombie's throat quickly filled with blood, choking it into silence before it could scream.
It staggered for a moment before collapsing to the ground, twitching violently before going still.
If its death cry had reached the other zombies nearby, they would have swarmed the area instantly.
And that was the last thing Astrea needed.
[DING! You have successfully killed a Level 1 Zombie. +1 Point Earned.]
[Friendly Reminder: Survivors can check their current points and leaderboard standings via their wristband.]
[By default, the leaderboard is anonymous, but you can choose to display your name publicly.]
[Rankings refresh every 10 minutes.]
A Level 1 zombie didn't drop anything valuable, but at least the system rewarded him with 1 point.
Astrea glanced at the leaderboard, which had already updated within minutes.
The top-ranking team had 10 points—clearly a well-coordinated group.
And their name?
"Snyder Family Squad."
"Oh? Now this is interesting…"
Astrea recognized that name.
The Snyder Family belonged to Gina's relatives—and Brooke, in particular, was a well-known trust-fund brat.
In his past life, Brooke had gained some minor fame, mainly because he had been backed by Aiken.
But Astrea wasn't in a rush.
This hidden battlefield lasted a full 24 hours—he had time to play the long game.
After a brief moment of thought, he activated his C-rank ability: [False Facade].
His display name on the leaderboard changed instantly—
From "Astrea" to "Ordinary Passerby."
After all, the hospital was crawling with survivors, and his real name had already been exposed to some of them.
If word got out that "Lone Wolf" had resurfaced in Star City, it could jeopardize his plans for revenge.
Astrea's eyes swept the room, taking in his surroundings.
The space was small, but it held an unexpected surprise—
This was the hospital's security office.
And the corpse on the floor?
It belonged to the head of security.
Astrea ripped the access keycard from the security guard's neck, securing it tightly around his forearm.
With this in hand, he could now move freely through almost the entire hospital.
He quickly locked all doors and windows, pulling the curtains shut to conceal his presence.
Then, he rummaged through the office drawers and found exactly what he was looking for—
A detailed fire evacuation map of the entire hospital.
Perfect.
As a civil engineering major in his past life, Astrea's eyes scanned the blueprint, absorbing every detail.
Every hidden passage, every tight corner perfect for ambushes, every concealed space where someone might hide—
He now had the entire hospital mapped out in his mind.
Outside, the distant echoes of shuffling footsteps and guttural moans grew louder.
The zombies had found new prey.
Through the narrow gap beneath the door, Astrea watched and waited, his fingers lightly gripping the door handle.
His breathing slowed, his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.
Then—
The perfect moment.
With a swift motion, he pushed open the security room door and stepped out into the chaos.
"Come on, then… Let's have some fun."