Chapter 15 : Perfect Ops

—Kyeeeek!!

The zombies’ cries filled the city center, provoked by the sound of Mika’s submachine gun.

Different firearms produce varying levels of noise, but on flat ground, the sound typically carries about 2 kilometers.
Even in an urban area filled with obstacles, it easily reaches 1 kilometer.

In her excitement over her new weapon, Mika’s gunfire had summoned every zombie within at least a 1-kilometer radius.

‘I-I have to fix this somehow.’
Mika pointed to a nearby building, and the survivors turned to look as she gestured.

“It could be dangerous, so take shelter there.”

“What? But what about you, Angel-nim? Come with us into the building!”

“She’s right! Fighting from inside a building gives you an advantage!”

The survivors protested, worried about her safety, but Mika shook her head.

“I have a perfect plan. Trust me.”
Her eyes brimmed with confidence.
Seeing her expression, the survivors couldn’t argue and reluctantly headed for the building she’d indicated.

‘Will she be okay? Leaving a fragile girl like that to fend for herself…’
Ki-cheol’s heart was heavy.
Even if it was for their survival, abandoning a delicate girl pricked his conscience.
He wanted to fight alongside her.
But his abilities weren’t suited for ranged combat.
He’d likely just hold her back if he tried to help.

Knowing this, Ki-cheol had no choice but to follow the angel’s plan.

—Kyeeeek!

The moment the library survivors fled into the building, hundreds of zombies appeared as if they’d been waiting.

The first wave of a zombie horde.

Seeing them, Mika tightly gripped her gun.

‘Good. Everything’s going according to plan.’
She had a flawless strategy.

‘When the zombies come rushing in because of my gunfire…’
Firing again would probably draw even more.

But that was fine.

‘If I kill all those zombies too, it’s my win!’
The gun knew the answer.

Overwhelming power was a strategy in itself.

Mika aimed her gun at the horde.
Zombies charged wildly through the streets, weaving between cars.
She opened fire.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!!

Her gun roared, spewing bullets.

The sprinting zombies’ bodies were torn apart.

Most bullets hit their heads.

Despite the recoil of rapid fire, Mika’s movements were swift and precise.
Her overwhelming strength countered the gun’s kickback.
Plus, Mystic supplied the bullets, eliminating the need to reload.
Mika mowed down zombies without the delay of reloading.

The survivors watching this trembled involuntarily.

Firing a gun endlessly like this was something even military veterans rarely experienced.

Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The thunderous noise slammed into the city’s buildings like a physical force.

The zombie horde kept coming, but Mika handled the submachine gun with skill, firing relentlessly.

The sounds of heads exploding, bullets piercing flesh, and zombies’ cries blended into a battlefield-like chaos.

Despite the acrid smoke from her gun, Mika remained calm.

Her expression was serene, her hands steady.
She prioritized any zombies that got too close, maintaining her distance.

The second wave.

The third wave.

The zombie numbers swelled like crashing waves, but the tide of battle didn’t shift.

Mika held the advantage.

No—Mika was dominant.

A submachine gun that never needed reloading, its power scaling with her stats.

A true cheat code.

Bullets that could pierce cars obliterated zombies, bursting heads or reducing them to pulp.

Finally, the zombie wave hit its limit.
The city had tens of thousands of zombies, but only those within 1 kilometer of her gunfire had been drawn.

The wave subsided.
Around her lay roughly a thousand zombie corpses.

“Phew…”
Mika let out a light sigh and glanced around.

The slaughter was over.

“Plan successful.”

A perfect victory.

See? Brains win the day.

I nodded at the zombie corpses.
Thanks to my flawless plan, I’d protected the survivors.

With the fight over, I desummoned the submachine gun.
It vanished in a glow of light.

‘What an overpowered weapon.’
Despite its pretty design, its power was downright ferocious.
If I’d fought with rocks, I wouldn’t have won so decisively.
Rock-throwing has its limits.
Finally, I got a proper weapon.
I smiled, satisfied.

“Um… Angel-nim? Is it over?”
As I basked in the success of my weapon test, a small voice came from behind.

Turning, I saw the survivors I’d saved.
They’d approached, realizing it was safe.

To reassure them, I spoke.

“Everything went according to my perfect plan. You’re safe now.”

Their faces lit up at my words.
I’d only saved them to test my weapon, but I kept that to myself.

Good vibes are good vibes, right?

“…Thank you again. Because of you, we survived. I’m Lee Ki-cheol.”
The man who seemed to be their leader bowed deeply in gratitude.

He set down his bag.

“As a token of thanks, we’d like to give you the supplies we gathered. Please take them.”
The bag held food and tools—items they’d risked their lives for.
I zipped it back up and handed it back.
I didn’t want to take stuff I didn’t need.
It’d just feel wrong.

“Keep it. You need it more than I do.”

“But… we’d feel too guilty…”

He was stubborn.
No matter how much I refused, he kept trying to push the supplies on me.
I don’t have an inventory—I can’t carry all this!
This was going nowhere.

Ugh, fine.
I grabbed Ki-cheol’s hand and said,

“Then do this: help someone in need once. That’s enough for me.”
What would I even do with payment?
I can get anything I need myself.
This vague promise—keep it or don’t—would end the conversation.
If he had any sense, he wouldn’t push further.

“Okay…”
For some reason, Ki-cheol’s cheeks flushed as I held his hand.
A cold, maybe?

Anyway, I was ready to leave.

Then—

“If it’s not rude, may I ask your name?”
Ki-cheol asked.

“Mika. Call me Mika.”

“Mika…”

Alright, that’s it, right?

Time to go—I needed a place to sleep tonight.

As I started to walk away—

Ding!

A new message appeared before my eyes.

[People hold you in ‘slight’ reverence.]

[Divinity accumulates.]

[You have acquired the Divine Letter, Eleph.]

“…Huh?”