Present time.
2:39 am.
Nathan arrived at the main highway to Cram City.
From Saint Town to Cram City, one would have to drive 10kms until they reach the main highway. After that, they will have to turn left and drive another 10kms until finally reaching Cram City.
On his way here, from the South Gate of Saint Town, he followed the road for 2kms, in fear that there might be traps on the side, before taking a shortcut straight to the main highway.
He also noticed two strange objects from afar in the middle of Cram City. However, he wasn't sure what was it due to the distance so he continued running until he reached the main highway.
Now that he was at the main highway and about 5kms away from the entrance of Cram City, he could get a somewhat clearer look at the strange objects he saw earlier.
With his night/thermal-vision goggles on, he studied the strange objects.
His jaw dropped.
'What the fuck is that…?'
In the middle of Cram City, there was a cylinder-shaped building reaching up to the skies.
But what really shocked him was a giant stingray-liked thing flying around the cylinder-shaped building.
The fact that he could see that stingray-shaped thing despite being about 5kms away from entering Cram City, it was no doubt a large object.
'I'm pretty sure that those two weren't there before the Second Phase… Hmm… That cylinder-shaped building… Could it be one of the Divine Towers? There's a high possibility it is…'
He shook his head.
'No, I'm certain that that's definitely a Divine Tower.'
'But as for that stingray-like shaped object, I have no idea. Perhaps it's another type of zombie?'
So far, since the Second Phase began, he has only encountered the D, N, M and S types.
'Whatever it is, I need to enter that Divine Tower no matter what.'
Based on the message he received earlier from the System, 50 Divine Towers appeared around the world and there's a 12-hour entrance limit. But most importantly, entering the tower will give him the chance to obtain unique items, as well as [Artifact] grade items.
He checked his watch.
3:02 am.
'I still have 9 hours left before the tower closes. I need to gather a lot of [Grade D] Nuclei before heading there.'
Based on the description given to him by the System regarding the [Grade D] Nucleus, it's used for trading inside the Divine Tower.
Also, the fact that Divine Towers have an entrance limit of 12 hours, it made him a bit suspicious.
Does that mean he can't exit the tower within that timeframe?
'I also need to hunt for AGI-based items from the S types and pack up a few food. Who knows what dangers or fucked up situation I might come across…'
Aside from the fact that he doesn't know what's inside the Divine Towers, Nathan also doesn't believe he's the only person who plans to enter them.
Those people could likely end up as his enemies because of the loots, specifically the [Artifact] grade ones.
On his way here to the main highway, so far, he hasn't encountered any humans, only those 3m-tall skinless zombies.
Filled with excitement and determination, he rushed towards Cram City.
***
4:12 am.
Nathan was invisible when he arrived at the center of Cram City where the cylinder-shaped building stood.
It was pure chaos.
The building itself was as wide as a football stadium and reached high above the sky.
Aside from the 3m-tall skinless zombies, the road on the way here was filled with cracks and broken down buildings due to the earthquake earlier.
The military was already here with their tanks and assault helicopters fighting off the 3m-tall skinless zombies.
Boom!
Boom!
As for the stingray-like shaped creature floating above the sky near the Divine Tower, it was even larger than a football stadium.
But what surprised him the most was that the creature would drop down flesh-like eggs that were about 10ft tall and 5ft wide from its pores from time-to-time.
And inside the flesh-like eggs were 3m-tall skinless zombies. There were even D2s, N2s, M2s, and S2s among them.
"What the…?"
Nathan dropped his [Grade D] Large Axe from his hand and it lost its invisibility.
Clank!
Tears welled up in his eyes as he dropped to his knees and raised his hands in the air in a very dramatic fashion.
"U-Unlimited EXP… Thank you… Thank you, Lord…"
A single teardrop ran down his cheek.
In Nathan's mind, there was a logical reason why he minimized killing zombies and started killing off people.
In the case of zombies, they were a limited source of EXP and he had to let them increase their overall level.
As for the non-Chosen One humans, one of the reasons why he started killing them was because he strongly felt that it was a total waste of resources to let them farm the limited source of EXP.
He doesn't see any reason why he should share the EXP with those weak and worthless humans.
As far as he knows, there's no skill or system that allows a group of people to share EXP. It's all about who gets the last hit.
But now that there was an unlimited source of EXP, how he could not be so happy? With this, he could kill as much as he wants without having to worry!
Boom!
A building near him was destroyed from one of the shells fired by the tanks so dust got into his eyes and lungs, causing him to cough.
"Cough… Cough… Goddammit. Can't I have a fucking moment?" Nathan muttered under his breath as he picked up his [Grade D] Large Axe and stood up.
He deactivated [Coward's Way] and activated it once again before moving away to observe things.
He was deciding whether to enter the Divine Tower right away or not.
'If I enter, will I be able to go out?'
He couldn't tell what was inside because the entrance was just a large open double door with a red portal, giving anyone looking at it an ominous feeling.
'I haven't gathered that many nuclei yet and I doubt I could loot here safely with all the chaos around…'
So many 3m-tall skinless zombies corpses were lying on the floor thanks to the military. But unlike the limited ammo, shells, etc. of the military, the stingray-like creature floating above the sky near the Divine Tower had an unlimited supply of those 10ft-tall flesh-like eggs.
It was simply a losing battle for the military.
If they want to survive, they have two choices:
One - Retreat.
Two - Enter the tower.
'I also need to hunt for the S-type zombies, especially the S2 and M2 for exp… Perhaps an N2 as well...'
As for the D2? That would only mean extra work.
On his way here to the centered of Cram City, he killed a few S types and looted a few useful things. However, his overall equipment is still lacking and he doesn't know what kind of monster or dangers is waiting for him inside.
'I also need food just in case…'
Although the System said the entrance limit to the Divine Tower is 12 hours and there's a chance that to loot unique items and [Artifact] grade items, it didn't mention how long he will be there or what tasks will be given.
Among the things he didn't want to cross was eating human flesh and drinking human blood just to live.
'Wait! What if it's a first-come, first-serve scenario? Like, whoever gets to enter the tower first or the earliest get better items?'
Nathan felt conflicted and had butterflies on his stomach.
Boom!
Boom!
Due to the unlimited supply of 3m-tall skinless zombies, the military eventually ran out of ammunition and was slowly getting overrun by the zombies.
"HOLD THE LINE! REINFORCEMENTS IS COMING!" shouted a military officer.
"SERGEANT! WE CAN'T HOLD THE LINE ANYMORE! THEY'RE TOO MANY! PLEASE GIVE THE ORDER TO RETREAT OR ENTER THE DIVINE TOWER!" shouted another soldier.
The sergeant assessed the situation.
He was well-aware that holding the line right now was no different from suicide.
With that, part of him wants to follow the orders he was given, while another part of him didn't want to send his brother-in-arms to their deaths for nothing.
Moreover, the world and society itself have changed already.
When the zombie apocalypse first began, the higher-ups were busy taking advantage of the situation by powering themselves up while fighting with other groups and countries for political gains and resources.
And everyone who was aware of the situation thought it was going to stay like that for quite a while.
And as part of the military, he saw and even participated (due to orders) in causing some injustice against his fellow humans.
However, now that this "Second Phase" happened which caused everyone in the world to stop fighting among each other for political gains and resources, who knows what will happened to their loved ones if they died here.
Killing them right away would be an act of mercy to save them from the hardships that's about to come.
The sergeant finally decided.
"ENTER THE DIVINE TOWER NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Retreating was impossible because the zombies will catch them without a doubt. Meanwhile, entering the Divine Tower could give them a chance.
"GO! GO! GO!"
The soldiers began heading to the entrance of the Divine Tower while shooting the zombies that were trying to get to them.
When the group of soldiers finally entered the Divine Tower, about half of them were killed.
Nathan, who was watching all this time decided to wait for 15 minutes.
He wanted to see if the soldiers could enter and exit the tower.
5 minutes later…
The backup that the sergeant said arrived. It was a group of fighter jets and assault helicopters.
However, just like the previous battle, it was a losing battle for the human side.
10 minutes later…
The soldiers who entered the tower haven't come out ever since they entered.
'Hmm… It's already been 15 minutes since those soldiers entered. With that, there can only be three assumptions: One, no one was allowed to exit. Two, they encountered something inside. And three, the ones who entered refused to come out knowing the danger that was waiting for them outside.'
'No… I can ignore the third assumption. That military officer mentioned that reinforcements are coming. They would've gone outside if they could.'
Nathan decided to leave and make his preparations before heading back here to enter the Divine Tower.
*********************************************
Author's thoughts:
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!
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