How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Some time later, in front of the Liberation Front’s barricade…

Arian, who had entered the Liberation Front’s base separately from her companions, emerged from behind that gate while heaving a deep sigh.

It had been no more than an hour since she had parted ways with the group.

Yet within that brief period, Arian’s face was etched with evident fatigue.

“My gun.”

Arian extended her hand towards the sentry stationed at the barricade.

In response, the sentry returned the pistol they had confiscated from her before allowing her entry.

After receiving it, Arian walked along the road ahead before veering into a narrow alleyway.

There stood an abandoned small business district.

The prearranged rendezvous point where she was supposed to rejoin her companions – a former Italian restaurant.

“I’m back.”

Accompanied by her weary voice, Arian rejoined her comrades.

The seated Sadie welcomed her return.

Even Aiden, who had been standing as still as a statue, reacted to her presence.

“You’re unharmed, I see. How did it go?”

“Just as you predicted.”

Arian let out a wry smile.

“Overall, they’re oppressive and authoritarian. If you had entered directly, it really would have ended badly.”

Arian shook her head emphatically.

She had made solo contact with them while posing as a junk dealer, aiming to verify the information about the Liberation Front.

An endeavor Aiden couldn’t undertake himself this time, unlike their usual approach.

However, the process had proven more exhausting than she had anticipated.

Precisely because they were the kind of organization the intelligence had suggested.

“After confiscating my weapons, they even went so far as to shackle me in restraints.”

At Arian’s words, Aiden let out a contemplative hum.

Even accounting for their wariness towards outsiders, such actions exceeded reasonable precautions.

“And yet, the area for receiving junk dealer requests is located inside their base compound. If they’re so afraid of outsiders that they resort to shackling them, why bother establishing it within in the first place?”

“That’s because their intent isn’t safety-related.”

Aiden provided that calm explanation.

It was a tactic some gangs had employed in the past.

Deliberately conducting request negotiations inside their compounds, using it as a pretext to disarm the junk dealers.

Leaving the junk dealers in a position where they had to discuss the request details and compensation smack in the middle of the enemy’s territory, without any weapons.

Naturally, during that process, the junk dealers would be under immense pressure.

In other words, a ploy to gain a more advantageous position for negotiations.

“Of course, it’s not a commonly used method. Most junk dealers would simply cut off dealings if subjected to such treatment. But… it’s not so easy to do that here.”

Apart from the Amarillo Liberation Front, there were hardly any other survivor groups in this vicinity, even on a small scale.

So the junk dealers lacked alternative factions to trade with, preventing them from easily severing ties with the Liberation Front, who exploited that very fact.

“More importantly, were you able to receive any requests?”

In response to Aiden’s inquiry, Arian shook her head.

“Apparently, we need to pass some kind of test first.”

“A test?”

“They showed me a map and told me to capture the mutant marked on it.”

Aiden’s brow furrowed slightly.

“So the condition for granting trade rights is hunting down a designated mutant?”

“Something like that, it seems.”

Tsk– Aiden clicked his tongue in response.

It was an outrageous condition.

Hunting mutants was undoubtedly one of the most difficult requests a junk dealer could undertake.

While the compensation was commensurately high for such requests, using it as a mere test was unacceptable.

“Did they at least specify what kind of mutant it was, and how many were present?”

“No, they only provided the location.”

Which meant the associated risks of that mutant hunt couldn’t even be assessed.

For all they knew, it could be something as dangerous as a Brutal making an appearance.

Additionally, by not specifying a particular mutant, there was ample room for them to reject any captured specimen as ‘not the desired target,’ no matter the effort expended.

“…More troublesome than expected.”

Aiden muttered those words in a low voice.

While trade with them was a necessity, meekly undertaking a mutant hunt as an offering was out of the question.

So Aiden posed another question, seeking additional clues.

“Did you uncover anything else?”

“Anything else? Ah, yes… it seems Mateo’s words about the epidemic were true.”

Mateo had mentioned unleashing an infectious disease within the Liberation Front due to contaminated water he had procured.

Prompting Aiden to urge her to continue.

“I sensed a number of people lying in poor condition inside one of the buildings. Their physical states didn’t seem favorable at all.”

That unexpected information caused Aiden’s consciousness to flare with realization.

Perhaps this could serve as a clue to overcome their current predicament.

After briefly pondering, Aiden soon spoke up.

“…I should try speaking with them directly.”

“You? How?”

“As much as I’d rather not, I’ll have to make use of this.”

Aiden indicated the medical ID hung around his neck.

Since an epidemic was spreading, he intended to leverage his identity as a doctor to establish trade with them.

Of course, even Aiden couldn’t be certain whether it would work or not. But he had no other viable options remaining.

“Then let’s give it a try.”

Aiden exited the restaurant building once more and approached the Liberation Front’s barricade.

However, even before they could reach that vicinity…

“Damn it all…!”

“What the hell is this place?”

They witnessed someone being driven away from there while cursing profanities.

It was… the trio of junk dealers who had entered ahead of Arian.

“Did they just get forced out?”

“Those people put up quite a struggle when the guards tried to shackle them. Looks like they ended up being expelled in the end.”

Observing them, Arian spoke those words.

It seemed they had caused some sort of disturbance inside.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean the junk dealers were in the wrong.

The Liberation Front’s demands had simply been unreasonable to begin with.

Being disarmed, shackled, and dragged into their compound…

Unless one possessed Arian’s ability to easily escape such a situation, it was an intolerable condition for most.

“Hey, give our guns back!”

Meanwhile, those junk dealers demanded the return of their confiscated weapons from the sentries.

But the guards, without uttering a word, simply aimed their gun barrels towards them instead.

Faced with that blatant threat, the junk dealers could only contort their expressions in dismay before retreating.

“Damn bastards…”

Soon, the junk dealers moved away from the barricade, gritting their teeth in frustration.

Observing that entire scene unfold, Arian spoke up.

“Do you think conversation will go well?”

“…”

In response to that question, even Aiden couldn’t envision an optimistic outcome.

So, as he briefly glared at the Liberation Front’s barricade…

“Wait a moment.”

…Arian, having sensed something, gestured for Aiden’s attention.

“What is it?”

“Someone from the Liberation Front just approached those junk dealers we saw earlier.”

Arian pointed towards the direction the expelled junk dealers had headed.

Across the road leading away from the Liberation Front’s compound.

Was it possible they intended to attack the junk dealers?

However, Arian shook her head at that suspicion.

“It was only one person who followed them.”

A lone man had exited the Liberation Front and quietly trailed behind the junk dealers.

Once they had moved a sufficient distance from the barricade, he proceeded to call out to them, requesting a conversation.

And his intent was…

“He says he has a request to offer them.”

It was a rather promising development for Aiden’s group.

That man was attempting to solicit the junk dealers with a request.

However, the junk dealers, having just been forcibly expelled by the Liberation Front, naturally refused his offer.

“…An opportunity, it seems.”

Those were the muttered words Aiden spoke after receiving that relayed conversation from Arian.

It was precisely the kind of unanticipated opportunity they needed.

While the specifics of the request were unknown, at the very least, they could attempt to engage in a proper dialogue.

“Let’s make contact for now.”

“Got it. This way.”

Arian guided Aiden towards the location of that man.

A white male in his early thirties, standing there after the junk dealers had departed, an air of dejection about him.

“He was one of the sentries.”

Aiden remarked upon confirming the man’s features.

For some reason, his despondent expression was unmistakably one Aiden had witnessed at the Liberation Front’s entrance just earlier.

Aiden motioned for his companions to hang back before approaching the man alone.

“Excuse me.”

“What do you want?”

Reacting sharply to Aiden’s sudden appearance, the man drew his pistol, its black muzzle aimed squarely at him.

In response, Aiden raised both hands, indicating he had no intentions of fighting, before speaking.

“I overheard you mentioning something about seeking a junk dealer?”

“What did you say…?”

The man’s eyebrows twitched at Aiden’s brazen statement.

His suspicion hadn’t fully dissipated yet.

Understandably so.

For a complete stranger to claim overhearing their prior conversation was indeed a dubious assertion.

So how could Aiden convince him?

It was just as Aiden was contemplating that while preparing to speak again-

“Hold on, are you… a doctor?”

That the man’s expression brightened as he studied Aiden’s appearance more closely.

His gaze had fixated upon the medical ID hanging from Aiden’s neck.

“Aiden Lee, I was once a doctor. Now I’m a junk dealer.”

Aiden spoke those words in an emotionless tone.

Upon hearing that, the man’s demeanor briefly brightened.

However, he soon continued while gesturing with his gun.

“Then… why didn’t you enter the Liberation Front, and instead came to find me?”

“One of my companions went there earlier. But the conditions for receiving requests were too stringent.”

“A companion? Who?”

“A woman with black hair and red eyes. Do you remember her?”

At Aiden’s words, the man let out a derisive chuckle.

The striking, yet eerily unsettling, impression that girl had made was clearly etched into his mind.

“I figured there was something odd about her, so she did have companions.”

“More importantly, it seems you require a doctor?”

“…Yeah.”

Finally ready to engage in conversation, the man lowered his gun.

He then led Aiden to a nearby pharmacy.

After further ensuring no one else was in the vicinity, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“Let me make this clear first – this is a personal request. Don’t breathe a word of it to the Liberation Front, understood?”

The man repeatedly emphasized the same point to Aiden several times.

It seemed this personal request was an act in violation of their regulations.

Despite recognizing that, Aiden simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“Understood. But… what is your name?”

“…Parker Hemington.”

“Alright. So what do you need?”

“Medicine. A cure for the epidemic spreading within the Liberation Front. That’s what I need.”

Parker spoke those words with evident desperation.

Aiden briefly studied his complexion but didn’t detect any signs of illness. Perhaps it was Parker’s family or friends whose condition was poor.

So Aiden continued his questioning.

“Do you know the name of the disease?”

“Typhoid fever…? Something like that, I heard.”

“Typhoid fever? Are you certain about that?”

“It should be. We even have a doctor on our side. That was their diagnosis.”

Aiden nodded at Parker’s words.

Typhoid fever was a waterborne infectious disease.

Which aligned to some degree with Mateo’s testimony about unleashing an epidemic by delivering contaminated water to the Liberation Front.

Additionally, typhoid fever could be adequately treated with quinolone antibiotics alone. Meaning the situation could potentially improve significantly if only the necessary medicine was available.

So Aiden asked him a question.

“You mentioned having a doctor. Wouldn’t they know what specific medication is needed?”

“Yeah, like knowing matters when we don’t have any medicine.”

Parker’s expression turned grim.

He gestured towards the rank insignia on his right arm.

“Do you know what this is?”

“A sergeant’s rank insignia.”

“Exactly. In the Liberation Front, medicine is distributed starting from the highest ranks. By the time it reaches lowly guards like me, it’ll be too late.”

Aiden nodded his head.

It was a common reason that didn’t need further explanation.

“So that’s why you made a separate request. I understand the situation. Then what exactly do I need to do? Should I search the western hospital district?”

“Not there. It must have already been thoroughly looted. So… do you have a map?”

Aiden nodded and took out a map of Amarillo.

He had already found it while searching the small towns on the way here.

Parker pointed to an unexpected place on the map that Aiden hadn’t anticipated.

It was a leisure district, far from not only the city center but also the hospital. It was an area barely outside the boundary of Amarillo, with a movie theater, water park, amusement park, etc.

A place where things completely unrelated to medicine were gathered.

“Why would there be medicine here?”

“It’s a bit of a long story… The large western hospital and that area you were going to originally was the stronghold of a gang. They monopolized the medicine in Amarillo and traded with us.”

“…”

“But there was a problem in the middle, and as a result, about six months ago, there was a war with the Liberation Front. The gang, pushed back in that fight, immediately moved their base to this leisure district, taking all their supplies.”

So that’s how the medicine ended up here.

Aiden continued with the next question.

“So is the gang here now?”

“No, they’re gone now. They were eaten by zombies.”

For Aiden, it was rather fortunate.

Fighting zombies was better than dealing with a gang.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

“But that’s not the end of it. Our Liberation Front tried to recapture those supplies after the gang was destroyed. Because we lacked medicine. And… we failed three times.”

“Sounds quite dangerous.”

“It was. But it’s okay now. The number of zombies has decreased considerably through those attempts.”

Perhaps worried that Aiden might back out, Parker quickly added.

Aiden tilted his head.

“Decreased? Is there any basis for that?”

“Of course. The Liberation Front’s fourth search party is currently there. There’s a slight gain. The small amount of medicine currently circulating in the Liberation Front all comes from there.”

“Hmm…”

“So we have a chance too. We just need to swipe a can of medicine while the search party and zombies are fighting. You know what I mean?”

Parker spoke as if it was nothing, but it wasn’t as easy as he said.

It meant having to avoid the eyes of both the zombies and the Liberation Front’s search party simultaneously.

However, on the contrary, it wasn’t a task difficult enough to refuse.

So Aiden immediately moved on to the next topic.

“Then what will you give me as compensation?”

“Everything I have. You see these?”

Parker pointed to the gun and ammo belt he was carrying.

There were spare magazines and two grenades attached to it.

“Whether it’s the ammunition or the grenades I’m carrying, if you just bring the medicine, I’ll give it all to you.”

It was a reasonably good deal for simply exchanging a can of medicine, but considering the situation of having to face the Liberation Front’s search party, the compensation was woefully insufficient.

Moreover, simple weapons weren’t what Aiden wanted at the moment.

Aiden shook his head.

“That’s not enough. It may be just one can of medicine to retrieve, but it’s a task that requires moving while avoiding zombies and people.”

“Not enough? Then… what more should I give you?”

“I want to formally trade with the Liberation Front. Is there no way?”

Aiden needed to secure not only blood and gasoline but also various other items through continuous trade with them, not just this one time.

Above all, the most urgent thing was vehicle maintenance.

At the very least, he wanted to show the vehicle of Aiden’s group to a vehicle technician and check what the problem was and whether repair was possible.

But Parker slightly frowned as if it was a difficult request.

“Can’t you just receive goods? That’s not easy for me either. It’s the Liberation Front’s rule to only give trading rights to junk dealers who have passed the test. I can’t break that.”

“Then I’d like to at least take that test within a reasonable level.”

Parker scratched his head and let out a short sigh.

With a furrowed brow, he barely nodded after a long deliberation.

“I should be able to do that much. The officer in charge owes me a debt. Of course, it won’t be simple.”

“Then let’s add that as additional compensation.”

Parker nodded as if agreeing.

Having finished the important negotiation, Aiden discussed a few more details and returned to his companions.