6 – A Remote House

Those guys didn’t even have time to raise their firearms when the zombies hit them with crowbars or fists.

Chaos escalated, with dogs barking in the background. The humans still tried to fight, but the zombies overwhelmed them.

“Don’t get too far behind me, Gwen.” Cody got out of the car and took a rifle that the house guard had been holding.

He pointed the weapon at the guard, who swiftly crept away. “Was he also involved in killing your friends, Gwen?”

Gwen gulped. “Yeah…”

Cody shot the man without hesitation, and Gwen looked away. The weapon’s jolt caused Cody’s injured shoulder to feel as if it might detach, but he didn’t care.

This ruined world doesn’t need someone like that guard.

The young man turned his attention back to his zombies. The small one fell from a gunshot to his head, while the big one crashed into another man.

While Cody was focused on other things, he could only give basic instructions to their brain. He couldn’t make those living corpses remember a series of complicated movements, let alone make them have their own initiative.

Despite that, the zombies managed to defeat those people. Cody command the big zombie to lift the last person’s body, then slammed him hard.

A thud echoed, and the person didn’t move anymore.

Instead of being happy, Cody became even more wary. He had a bad feeling. This is too easy.

“We haven’t finished them all yet,” Gwen hissed. “There’s still one more.”

“You useless worms!!!” A human roar came out from inside the house.

Gwen added. “I believe he is their boss.”

A person with pale, grayish skin came out of the house while yawning. Cody’s zombie ran towards him, but he caught it and threw it as far as possible.

Cody shot the two-meter-tall man. But the bullet bounced off that man’s skin. He and Gwen couldn’t help but gasp when they saw that.

“I told them, if they can’t guard this place, I don’t care if they die.” The yellow-haired man muttered and kicked a corpse. Yawning again, he stretched his body, making his large muscles stand out even more.

[Another Zombie System User detected]

Cody’s eyes widened at the text in his menu system.

—

Name: Brigg Howard

Role: Zombie Body Manipulator

 

Attack: B

Defense: A-

Stamina: C+

—

“Oh, you also have the power too, huh?” Brigg moved his fingers in the air, just like Cody when he was using his system. “Zombie puppeteer? You can control them?”

Cody held his zombie so it wouldn’t attack. He had to think of a way to fight that man first.

[If you defeat other system users, you will get fragments of their power]

Brigg laughed. “Maybe if I beat you, I can control those zombies, too, Cody Wolfe?”

Cody kept aiming the rifle at that man, even though he knew the bullet would have no effect.

“How about I tell you a little story?” Brigg yawned again. “Perhaps, by knowing my abilities, you will be more motivated in defeating me. You want to get my power. I’m tired of always fighting weak and unmotivated enemies.”

Cody forced a smile onto his face. “I’m listening.”

It was the young man’s way of buying time. He still hasn’t come up with an idea to defeat that man.

“Ooh, you’re getting enthusiastic. It seems like this will be more interesting.” Brigg grinned, walking towards Cody and Gwen, causing the two to step back. “As you can see, I am a zombie myself.”

Gwen widened her eyes, but Cody chuckled.

“Let me guess, you can manipulate the bodies of the zombies, but you can’t control them.” The young man replied.

Brigg shrugged. “So, this power is useless at first. If I use it, I make the zombies stronger to kill me.”

“So, you turned yourself into a zombie? How could that be? If you become a zombie, you will lose your ability to think like a human.”

A gigantic laugh escaped Brigg’s mouth. “One day, fate was not on my side. A zombie bit me.” He removed his shirt, revealing a bite mark on his shoulder. “Strangely, I can still think like a human, even as a zombie.”

“From then on, you enhanced your own body with your system?” Cody concluded.

“That’s how it is.” Brigg turned his body and hit Cody’s zombie, which had been sneaking up on him from behind. “That’s enough chit-chat! Let’s have a real fight!”