Chapter 4: The Mall Encounter
The city was silent beneath the pale moonlight, but Jin's stomach wasn't. Hunger gnawed at him. With most stores already raided or burned, only one place came to mind—
The mall.
Jin reached the crumbled entrance of a once-bustling shopping complex. Glass was shattered, signs broken, and eerie silence filled the air.
He narrowed his eyes and pointed forward.
"You three—go check."
His three zombies shuffled inside. He waited a few minutes, tense. Then—
[Report: No zombies detected.]
Jin nodded. "Alright. Let's grab something to eat."
Inside, shelves were destroyed, but Jin managed to find some leftover canned food and energy bars from a half-broken vending machine. As he stuffed his bag, a sudden growl behind him sent a chill down his spine.
A zombie lunged at him from the shadows.
"Sh*t!"
Before it could bite, one of his zombies leaped and slammed it to the ground, snarling. Jin's heart raced.
He turned, glaring at his zombies. "You said there was no one here!"
The system responded coldly:
[Stealth-type Zombie was undetected. Your zombies have low Perception.]
Jin sighed, then smirked. "Whatever. Let's make use of him too."
He placed a hand on the new zombie's head.
[Control Attempt… Successful.]
Control Slot: 4/4
"Perfect. My army's growing."
As he turned to leave, he stopped.
In the corner of the dark food court stood a human, hiding behind an overturned counter. A girl—maybe 17 or 18—with messy hair, ripped clothes, and a metal pipe in her hand. Her eyes were wide with fear and awe.
"You… you control them?"
Jin raised an eyebrow. "And you're not dead. That's impressive."
She didn't lower her weapon. "If you're one of those crazy crystal freaks, stay away!"
He took a step forward, his controlled zombies growling beside him.
"I'm not just a freak," he said calmly. "I'm a controller."