Chapter 3: Silhouette on High

Bima flinched, his gaze piercing deep toward the northeast.

The silhouette moved, raising a hand that held an old-fashioned camera.

Chills ran down Bima's spine, not from the cold, but from an inexplicable sense of dread.

It was him.

The Food Vlogger Zombie.

[Warning! Food Vlogger Zombie active in the area! Avoid direct contact!]

"Crap!" Bima cursed, gasping for air.

He had no time to process the strange sight.

From behind him, Kevin's voice thundered.

"Get him! Don't let that scrawny worm get away!"

Heavy footsteps thudded closer.

Three of Kevin's followers emerged from the convenience store, their eyes burning with rage.

Bima didn't waste a second.

He bolted into the narrow alley beside the shop, hoping to lose them.

His lungs burned, and every breath felt like a struggle.

[Your Calorie Status: -200. 'Weakened' debuff active! Speed -5%, Stamina -10%!]

"System, you're not helping at all!" Bima groaned internally, cursing his condition.

But another mission suddenly flashed in his mind.

The Anti-Zombie First Kiss.

The Food Vlogger Zombie had appeared to the northeast.

Did this mean he had to find a "kiss candidate" in that direction?

In the middle of being chased by Kevin and that weird vlogger zombie?

"This is insane!"

Bima crashed into a pile of trash, sending cans clattering with a loud bang.

He glanced back.

Kevin's three followers were already at the mouth of the alley, closing in with steady strides.

Their muscles rippled beneath their tight t-shirts.

They were like machines.

"Where else are you going to run, Bima?" one of them, a guy with a buzz cut, sneered.

Bima panted, his eyes scanning his surroundings.

The alley was a dead end.

A high concrete wall loomed over him, topped with barbed wire.

"Damn it, I'm trapped!"

He gripped his rusted iron bar tightly.

Fighting these three meatheads while in a weakened state?

That was suicide.

[System Suggestion: Use your surroundings for a tactical advantage. Do not underestimate the power of your 'Skinny Rage'!]

"What surroundings? This is just a pile of trash!" Bima snapped in his head.

Kevin appeared at the entrance of the alley, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

His cynical smirk returned.

"Found you at last, you little rat," he said, his voice calm and full of satisfaction.

"Now, throw away that garbage Indomie and come with us."

Kevin stepped closer, his eyes locked on the Indomie Bima had stuffed into his pocket earlier.

"Or we'll make sure you starve until you turn into a skin-and-bones zombie."

That threat sent a new wave of anger through Bima.

It wasn't out of fear, but because of the insult.

Besides, his system told him to maintain his weight.

How could he throw away his only hope for calories?

"No way!" Bima yelled, swinging his rusted bar toward Kevin.

WHOOSH!

Kevin dodged easily, barely moving an inch.

"Tch, moves that slow?" Kevin mocked. "You need protein, Bima. Not empty carbs!"

Two of Kevin's followers stepped forward, ready to pounce.

Bima knew he had to act fast.

He spotted a drainage grate on one side of the wall.

It was probably too narrow for someone as big as Kevin or his goons.

But for him?

With his "vulnerably thin" body, he might have a chance.

"Here, take this!" Bima threw his rusted bar at one of Kevin's followers.

The man deftly parried it, but that moment was enough for Bima to duck down.

He scrambled as fast as lightning toward the drain, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, you dog?!" Kevin shouted, startled.

Bima slipped into the drain, feet first.

Then his torso, and with a little shove, he managed to slide all the way in.

It was dark and cramped. The pungent smell of raw fish hit his nose.

But he was safe. For now.

[Congratulations! You have successfully utilized your 'Agility'!]

[Your Calorie Status: -250. 'Fishy Odor' debuff active! Charisma -15%!]

"Charisma my ass! I'm running for my life from a psychopath!" Bima hissed in the dark.

He heard Kevin and his followers trying to force their way into the drain.

"Damn it! It's too narrow!"

"Come on, Kev! We can find another way around!"

Their voices began to fade, but Bima couldn't stay there for long.

He had to get out.

He crawled forward, feeling the chill of the filthy water beneath him.

A faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

He kept crawling, focusing on that light, ignoring the nausea and hunger.

After a few minutes that felt like forever, he made it out.

He stumbled out, inhaling the fresh air like it was heaven itself.

He was on a quieter street, behind a row of shops.

The sky was turning orange as the sun slowly set.

The time for the "Anti-Zombie First Kiss" mission was running out.

[Warning! Time remaining for the 'Anti-Zombie First Kiss' mission: 3 hours!]

"Oh, not now, System!" Bima wiped his dirty face.

He looked around.

Across from him was a small grocery store that looked relatively intact, with a few wooden boards covering the front windows.

"Maybe there's water in there," Bima muttered, his throat bone-dry.

He stepped cautiously, wary of zombies or Kevin's group.

Suddenly, a sound made him freeze.

Crinkle! Crinkle!

The sound was coming from inside the grocery store.

It wasn't a zombie's moan.

It sounded like someone opening a bag of chips.

Bima swallowed hard.

Who was in there?

He peeked through a gap in the wooden boards covering the window.

Inside, among the half-empty shelves, a girl sat on the floor.

Her shoulder-length hair was tied back messily.

She had a pretty face, but there were dark circles under her eyes.

And in her hand, she held a large bag of cheese-flavored potato chips.

She was eating them with an expression of... existential dread.

"It's good... but I feel like my calories are spiking," the girl murmured, sighing.

"Even though these are the best chips I've ever found."

Bima blinked.

The girl was unaware she was being watched.

She reached for another bag of chips, opened it, and took a deep sniff of the aroma.

"Mmm, this one smells better than the last one," she said, her eyes sparkling for a moment.

Then her expression shifted again.

"But will I break out? The world has ended, and I'm still worried about acne."

Bima held his breath.

This was it.

The tough convenience store girl who was always conflicted in the face of food.

It matched the system's vague description perfectly.

[Mission 'Anti-Zombie First Kiss' updated!]

[Target Found: The woman inside the grocery store. High probability candidate. Warning: This girl has food-related trauma and may reject a kiss if you smell like fish.]

Bima felt his face heat up.

Fishy odor?

Damn it, it was because of that drain.

He tried rubbing his clothes, but the smell seemed to have bonded with his very soul.

The girl suddenly lifted her head as if she caught a scent.

Her eyes stared straight toward Bima.

"Who's there?" her voice sounded tense, her hand reflexively grabbing a metal rod beside her.

Bima jumped.

He hadn't realized he was being that loud.

"Wait, don't attack!" Bima hurried out of his hiding spot, raising his hands.

The girl gripped the rod tighter, her eyes narrowing as she judged Bima from head to toe.

"Are you... a zombie?" she asked, her tone skeptical but guarded.

"No! Not a zombie! I'm a survivor!" Bima stammered.

The girl looked at Bima... scrawny, disheveled, and smelling like old fish.

Then she saw the Indomie Bima was clutching tightly.

"A stinky survivor?" The girl snorted.

"And you're holding dry Indomie? Do you want to die skinny in the middle of the apocalypse?"

Those words, were the exact same words Kevin had said.

Bima felt his pride being torn to shreds once again.

"None of your business!" Bima shot back, feeling a bit annoyed.

The girl gave a small laugh, though there was a faint sadness in her eyes.

"In the apocalypse, everyone's business is everyone's business. Especially when it comes to food."

"My name's Lia," she said, slowly lowering the iron rod in her hand.

"Who are you? And why do you smell like the sewer?"

Bima felt like he just wanted to vanish.

"My name is Bima. I just escaped from a gang of crazy muscle-heads."

Lia raised an eyebrow.

"A muscle gang? Don't tell me it was that 'Fitness Freak Survival' gang led by Kevin?"

Bima's eyes widened.

"You know them?"

Lia nodded.

"They pass through here often. They like to loot food, but only the high-protein stuff. They once forced me to throw away all my chips."

There was a clear hint of resentment in her voice.

"They're just crazy people obsessed with muscles. They also have some weird system in their heads."

Bima was doubly shocked.

"A system?"

Lia nodded.

"Like some kind of AI that gives them weird missions. Supposedly to keep them fit so they can survive."

"Just like me..." Bima muttered softly, almost inaudibly.

Lia looked at Bima curiously.

"What did you say?"

"No, nothing," Bima shook his head quickly.

He looked at the Indomie in his hand.

System Suggestion: Share your Indomie as a gesture of hospitality. This can increase your Attractiveness.

Bima hesitated. This Indomie was his lifesaver.

But... Attractiveness?

And besides, the girl in front of him seemed to be having her own internal conflict about food.

"You want some Indomie?" Bima offered, for some reason.

Lia stared at the Indomie, her eyes widening.

Then her expression turned complex.

A mix of shock, joy, and... conflict again.

"Indomie? Raw?"

"No, my System... upgraded this into Special Chicken Onion Soup Indomie with Egg and Vegetables," Bima explained without thinking.

Lia looked at Bima strangely.

"System? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, that... it's nothing," Bima tried to cover it up.

"Want to try it? It's really good."

Lia reached out her hand, but then pulled it back.

"But... will I gain weight? It's the apocalypse, why am I still thinking about dieting?" Lia sighed in frustration.

Warning! Your potential candidate is experiencing Food Trauma! Approach with caution!

Bima looked at Lia, then looked at the Indomie in his hand.

How was he supposed to get his first kiss if this girl was having an existential crisis just from being offered Indomie?

And his rank smell...

Suddenly, from the back of the convenience store, a low growl was heard.

A sound that wasn't like a normal zombie.

It was more like... the sound of a camera recording.

Vvvrrrooommm... vvvrrrooommm...

Lia tensed up, her expression shifting from conflicted to terrified.

"Damn it! It's him again!"

"Who?" Bima asked, his heart dropping.

"The Zombie Vlogger! He always shows up when there's good food!"

The wooden boards at the back of the store vibrated.

Then, a hole opened up, and glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness.

Followed by a filthy hand holding an old camera, recording the two of them.

And behind him, another zombie shadow, larger, with a pot belly and a giant spatula in his hand, ready to uploading content!