How Zombies Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 187



“…Even electricity is being supplied here.”

On the bridge crossing over the Los Angeles River.

After briefly glimpsing the interior of LA’s walls through the momentarily opened gate, Aiden muttered those words.

Although he couldn’t enter, even his eyes could clearly perceive the light from the street lamps illuminating the roads.

Seeing this, Aiden couldn’t help but be considerably surprised.

According to what the soldier had told him, the area within LA’s walls was far from small.

LA’s walls bordered the Santa Monica Mountains to the north.

The Santa Monica Mountains were a mountain range cutting through the center of LA, famous for the Hollywood sign.

To the east, the walls were built along the Los Angeles River, which flowed northward from the ocean.

With the south and west sides meeting the ocean, natural barriers surrounded the city from all directions to block the zombies.

The area secured within those LA walls spanned a width of 25km and a length approaching double that at 50km.

While not as large as the original LA, it still encompassed over half that vast expanse.

And yet, to think that even electricity was being supplied throughout such a city.

In many ways, LA was proving to be a city that exceeded Aiden’s expectations.

Thud!

The gate that had briefly allowed Aiden to glimpse LA’s interior swiftly closed once more.

The street lamps that had shone like stars were obscured by the gloomy iron gate, their light vanishing.

At this, Aiden looked up towards the sky.

Night had already fallen.

“I should hurry.”

Aiden crossed the bridge, distancing himself from the walls.

First, he needed to gather information, as he had forewarned Arian.

But to do that, he first had to identify locations where people would congregate, beyond just those walls.

So Aiden surveyed his surroundings and soon spotted a few soldiers keeping watch on the other side of the bridge.

Aiden approached one of those soldiers.

They eyed Aiden’s inverted helmet with puzzlement, but didn’t try to restrict his entry.

“What are you? A prospective evacuee?”

One of the soldiers reacted as Aiden drew near.

“I used to be one. But there were circumstances that prevented me from entering.”

“That’s too bad. So what now?”

“Is there a place around here that I could go?”

Upon Aiden posing that question, the soldier’s gaze narrowed.

“You some kind of criminal?”

He was clearly viewing Aiden with open suspicion.

But when Aiden remained silent, the soldier also turned away, as if having nothing more to say.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem he would readily provide any information.

In that case, Aiden had no choice but to search for clues himself.

It was right as Aiden turned to leave that the soldier nonchalantly tossed out a single line, as if muttering to himself.

“Try Huntington Beach.”

The words that left the soldier’s mouth were the name of a location.

Situated to the southeast of LA, it was a coastal area about 8km away by foot.

“…Thanks.”

With a dismissive wave of his hand, the soldier seemed to be telling Aiden to depart from this place promptly.

Following his request, Aiden distanced himself from the walls.

* * *

“…This must be it.”

Two hours later, having arrived at Huntington Beach, Aiden surveyed his surroundings.

Lining the not-too-wide road were palm trees and resort-style buildings that caught his eye.

Perhaps due to its proximity to the sandy beaches where a waterfront used to exist, Huntington Beach retained traces of being a tourist destination.

But it was far from a glamorous resort area sparkling with life.

The palm trees left untrimmed had snapped trunks, appearing more unsightly than ordinary trees.

And the white, castle-like buildings were defaced with ominous graffiti scrawled by someone.

Indeed, it gave the impression of a slum area in stark contrast to LA.

A fitting sight, in its own way.

“…”

Aiden walked quietly between those palm trees.

It was already late evening by this time.

The sun had fully set, of course, but even amidst that darkness, there were people moving about.

From within the poorly visible buildings, flashes of light could be seen.

Voices cursing at someone drifted out from there as well.

Listening closer, it seemed people were engaged in some form of gambling inside.

Across from that building, an unidentifiable man and woman were exchanging suspicious-looking bags.

Despite no signs of electricity like in LA, quite a few people were still actively pursuing their own objectives.

In front of some buildings were even makeshift tents fashioned from plastic tarps, materials likely scavenged from somewhere.

It was a scene reminiscent of the homeless encampments Aiden had seen in past news reports.

That aspect was quite unexpected for him.

This place was still around 10km away from LA’s walls.

And yet people could so casually wander the city streets in the dead of night.

It was something unimaginable in the outside world prowled by mutants, beyond those LA walls.

“Could this really be considered a safe zone, despite its appearance?”

It was an absurd notion, and yet not entirely unreasonable.

After all, wasn’t there a survivor group numbering 2 million people right next door?

The LA soldiers would undoubtedly maintain constant vigilance in clearing out nearby zombies, if only to secure their own safety.

Those who had gathered here were likely subsisting as parasites within that secured area.

“For now…”

Aiden surveyed this Huntington Beach.

While outwardly seeming disorderly, there were surely rules governing how this place operated.

More than anything, Aiden needed to familiarize himself with those rules.

He needed to grasp the inner workings of this Huntington Beach.

As Aiden was scanning his surroundings, his gaze fell upon a man sitting alone in the corner of a building.

The way he had a hand clutched over his stomach with a pained expression – he was undoubtedly suffering from hunger.

Coincidentally, Aiden happened to have bait he could offer that man.

Aiden approached him.

“…What do you want?”

The man eyed Aiden warily as he drew near.

But before the man’s hand could reach for his gun, Aiden extended a military ration pack towards him.

It was one he had received along with the other survivors when boarding the military vehicle earlier, but hadn’t consumed yet.

“I’d like to ask you some things, if you don’t mind?”

Aiden intended to trade information from this man.

And the deal was easily struck.

Whether the man had been starving all day or not, he readily agreed to Aiden’s request far too easily.

“Sure. Yeah, ask me anything.”

The man immediately tore open the ration pack and began eating as he sat there.

Saying he could answer questions while eating.

Aiden didn’t decline the man’s offer.

“I’m a junk dealer. Just arrived in this area today. Is there anything I should know?”

At the mention of it being his first time here, the man let out a snort of laughter.

Nodding as if he understood why Aiden had approached him, he spoke.

“So that’s what it was. Yeah, there are things you should know.”

The man gulped down what he had been chewing.

With a mischievous gaze, he eyed Aiden’s helmet.

“Then I guess you don’t know about the Huntington Docks, do you?”

Aiden shook his head.

The man’s voice raised slightly.

“If you’ve come here, you should at least know their name. They’re the gang that rules over this Huntington Beach. Armed to the teeth with weapons, drugs, you name it.”

The man said that much before shoveling more rations into his mouth.

Even as he continued chewing and talking, he didn’t stop.

“If you head further east from here, you’ll find a luxury apartment complex. That entire complex is the Huntington Docks’ territory. The members have a black dog tattoo on their right arm, so they’re easy to identify.”

“A gang? Then is it possible for a junk dealer like me to deal with them?”

“Probably. I’ve heard they employ junk dealers for sure. Though I can’t say if they accept just anyone.”

After asking a few more questions, Aiden nodded in understanding.

It seemed this Huntington Docks gang was the ruling authority governing this small slum area.

Moreover, their nature differed slightly from the gangs Aiden was familiar with.

In a sense… they were closer to the gangs of the past rather than modern-day ones.

What surprised Aiden most was that they even dealt in drugs.

He had thought those reckless enough to dabble in such substances had all perished three years ago.

“Still… I have no choice but to meet with them.”

For Aiden, it was an unavoidable decision.

They were the ones distributing requests throughout this Huntington Beach area.

As a junk dealer, contact with them was essential to obtain work.

Aiden headed in the direction the man had indicated.

After walking for about 10 minutes, just as the man had said, a luxury apartment complex came into view. Brightly colored in orange and white, with exterior walls adorned with glass and balconies.

Dozens of lavishly constructed apartment buildings were arranged in a semicircular layout, forming a sizable complex area. The interior of that semicircle had been fashioned into an ornate park, where dozens of people could be seen engaged in drinking and revelry.

Were all those people members of the gang’s organization?

While their stances appeared relaxed, their waists and backs were undoubtedly weighed down by firearms.

Aiden surveyed the area around that park.

As expected, he spotted men standing guard at the entrance to the apartment complex.

With their muscular builds and weapons in hand, anyone could tell they were gang sentries.

Aiden approached those men.

“Who are you?”

The sentries reacted sharply.

They eyed Aiden up and down, but he calmly responded.

“I’m a junk dealer. I’d like to receive a request.”

“A junk dealer?”

One of the men clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“If that’s the case, go over there.”

The sentry pointed with his finger towards a commercial building behind Aiden.

There, beneath a large sign depicting a hot dog, was a hot dog shop.

It seemed like a joke, but the man’s manner was firm.

So following the sentry’s directions, Aiden entered that hot dog shop.

Beyond the counter, in the area that should have been the kitchen, sat a stout black man.

Upon Aiden’s entry, he stared at him intently before speaking in a low voice.

“…Haven’t seen that helmet before.”

“I’m Aiden Lee, a junk dealer.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve come to this office. Looking for work, are you?”

Unexpectedly, this place seemed to be the Huntington Docks’ office for contacting junk dealers.

When Aiden affirmed that was the case, the man shook his head with what seemed like regret.

“Then I’m afraid that’s a shame. We don’t take jobs from newcomers.”

At those words, Aiden’s brow furrowed beneath his helmet.

It didn’t seem to be a mere attempt at gaining a negotiating advantage.

After all, it wasn’t unusual for a gang to only deal with parties they had established trust with.

But for Aiden, it was an inconvenient situation, so he didn’t give up there and continued pressing.

“So you can’t give me any requests at all?”

“A persistent one, aren’t you? Well, if you really want work that badly, procure one of these items. Then we’ll give you a job.”

The man gestured towards one corner of the shop’s wall.

Where the menu would normally be displayed in a hot dog shop, there was instead a list of items the Huntington Docks were looking to acquire.

But among them, there were no ordinary items like ammunition or food supplies.

Most were specific military equipment or electronic devices unfamiliar to Aiden.

And among those, one item in particular caught Aiden’s eye, causing him to tilt his head slightly.

“Personal effects…?”

“Yeah. Personal effects belonging to those wall bastards. Specifically, the soldiers.”

The man answered, having heard Aiden’s murmur.

On the menu, the exact location where those personal effects needed to be retrieved from was even specified.

It was at a substation located inland to the east of Huntington Beach.

Over 20km away from LA’s walls.

“Why would you need things like this?”

Aiden looked at the man as he asked.

Both the suspicious equipment and personal effects seemed odd items for a gang to be seeking.

But the man didn’t answer that question.

“Don’t think you need to know that.”

“Fair enough.”

Without prying further from the tight-lipped man, Aiden studied the list intently.

Separate from the man’s reaction, among the items the gang had listed, the personal effects were the most feasible for Aiden to procure.

More than anything, unlike the other items, the location was clearly specified.

Aiden wouldn’t have any trouble finding his way there.

However, the flip side was that retrieving those personal effects would be dangerous.

The fact that soldiers’ personal effects were present in that location implied that something there had killed those soldiers.

And the only things capable of killing well-armed soldiers were either vast numbers of zombies or mutants.

Aiden mentally went over the weapons he currently possessed.

While he still had some remaining ammunition, he had no other weapons beyond that.

At most, his three remaining high-caliber rounds were his only means of dealing with mutants.

But since the location could be pinpointed, it didn’t necessarily mean he would have to fight.

Moreover, Aiden would be moving during the daytime.

The dangerous mid-to-large-sized mutants would be seeking shelter from the sunlight then.

Any mutants active during the day would be relatively low-risk ones like Bigfoots or Wielders at most.

And if it was just ordinary zombies swarming with sheer numbers, that went without saying.

So as long as he could retrieve even a portion of those soldiers’ personal effects, the risk seemed acceptable.

Therefore, in order to establish a deal with the Huntington Docks, Aiden decided he would try retrieving the soldiers’ personal effects.

“Exactly what kind of personal effects are we talking about?”

“Dog tags, IDs, firearms… anything that can identify them, really.”

The conversation ended there.

There was no need to explicitly state that he was accepting the request.

All he had to do was procure the items, so Aiden exited the office just like that.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.