Chapter 144: In This World, Strength Is the Only Truth

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Nyangtamon, real name Song Ye-ji.

Thanks to a recommendation from her friend Ha-neul, she joined the Project Zomboid server—colloquially known as ProZom. As she took in the scene before her, she blinked in stunned silence.

Squelch—Squelch—

Her character, surrounded by zombies, was brutally torn apart.

Finally, her lifeless corpse slumped onto a pile of grass with a thud. The zombies, having lost interest, scattered in search of fresh prey.

Not long after, a lone figure returned from the distance and began rummaging through her corpse pile.

“Wow, Nyangtamon farmed so much. Hehe, delicious…”

A voice tinged with laughter echoed through the air.

The owner of that voice was none other than Lulu.

The face of Twitcher, beloved by fans as Mother Luresa—that very VTuber, Lulu.

Watching her cheerfully dig through her own corpse pile with a sunny smile, Nyangtamon stared blankly at the chat before finally succumbing to disbelief.

“…Guys, was Lulu always like this?”

• Huh?
• She seemed super nice on stream lol
• Nah, Lulu-chan’s sweet
• But she can be scary sometimes tbh
• If you’ve seen her smash someone’s head, you know she’s got that fighter instinct

What’s this about smashing someone’s head?

Part of her wanted to look it up immediately, but something told her it’d be like staring into the abyss so Nyangtamon decided to resist the urge.

There’s no way the youngest member of Ha-neul’s virtual group, founded by her best friend, could be like this, she told herself.

“I get running away, but coming back to loot my corpse the second I die? That’s kinda terrifying?”

• FR LOL
• Luicopath vibes
• The way she’s so cheerful about it is legendary
• Thought she was rummaging through a fridge

The viewers, sharing her unease, expressed similar shock.

Of course, as the saying goes, “It’s just for show.” Hardly anyone truly believed it.

“I’ll confront Ha-neul later. Ask her what kind of employee training she’s running.”

• CEO Kang would probably praise Lulu-chan lol
• Doubt she’d care
• ??? : You good?
• You really think Ha-neul would take your side over Lulu-chan’s?

“Hey, are you doubting my best friend? Ha-neul isn’t that cruel. She’ll definitely give Lulu a stern talking-to.”

…Never mind that she forgot my birthday recently.

Unshaken in her belief, Nyangtamon respawned and resumed farming.

The viewers unanimously advised her to let it go—imagination is free, after all.

***************

Hehe.

Luckily, Nyangtamon’s corpse let me farm quickly.

Starting with the Organized trait was a good call. Otherwise, I’d have had to leave stuff behind due to weight limits.

[Groooowl…!]

After looting another house, I moved toward human activity, picking off zombies along the way.

“Hyah!”

Whoosh—Crunch!

I shoved a zombie aside and crushed its skull underfoot.

Later, with better weapons and skills, this’d be less necessary—but early on, this was the most efficient and reliable method.

Thanks to my Inconspicuous trait, I’m rarely detected. Even when standing right in front of them, I draw less aggro.

I picked it because it’s good for dagger play, but it’s not bad like this either.

• Oh
• Lulu-chan’s good at combat
• That’s actually kinda hard
• Blue LUV’s official gaming ace

After cleanly dispatching three zombies, the cherries rushed to shower me with praise.

Ehehe, it’s not that impressive.

But their compliments always make me happy.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Huh? Everyone! There’s a huge building over there. Should we check it out?”

• Oh
• Looks safe?
• Might have guns
• Full send!

As I continued exploring, I spotted a massive structure. The cherries and I were in agreement.

No way I’m leaving without looting it!

Only cowards walk away from such ripe fruit!

Sliding open a window, I stepped inside.

The interior was eerily quiet.

Good, doesn’t seem overrun.

“…Holy crap, this is insane! Yo, this place is stacked!”

“Hm? Someone’s here.”

Cautiously, I moved forward—until a male voice echoed from somewhere.

This server had voice detection, so loud noises were risky. But since it was another survivor, I decided to speak up.

“Hey, who’s there? Can you hear me?”

“Huh?! A human voice?!”

Seemingly desperate for company, the voice hurried toward me.

The nickname above his head read: Gig.

Guinea pig

Wait, is that PuineaGig?

“Ah, hello! I’m Lulu. Are you PuineaGig?”

“Lulu?! Oh, you know me?”

“Hehe, of course.”

How could I not?

He used to collab often with our CEO. I even know he got his nickname—an anagram of guinea pig—because people said he resembled one since childhood.

• Gig!
• Haven’t seen him in ages lol
• Thought he died since he stopped collabing with CEO Kang
• Guess he’s alive

Many in my chat were longtime viewers from the CEO’s streams, so they recognized him too.

No surprise—he’s famous for his high energy and entertaining streams.

“Lulu, if you’re looking for guns, there are some further inside. Follow me.”

“Ah, thank you…!”

Trailing behind Gig, I entered a room lined with cabinets.

Wow, so many guns.

And plenty of ammo too.

Which one should I take…?

“Gasp, a shotgun!”

Amid my deliberation, one gun caught my eye.

The double-barrel shotgun.

In ProZom, this was a rare find. Unlike other shotguns easily looted in military zones, this one spawned in limited areas, sometimes even in unexpected places.

But its performance matched its rarity.

Perfect for kiting zombies with its shoot-reload rhythm, and solid in crowd control.

Guess he didn’t take it because he’s new to ProZom or doesn’t like shotguns.

Hehe, then this is mine.

“The double barrel? Lulu, you seem gentle—didn’t expect you to be a shotgun fan.”

“Hehe, yeah. I like close-quarters combat.”

• Damn
• Lulu-chan’s got the skills
• Shotguns are peak aesthetic
• She knows her stuff

Exactly.

Shotguns have their own charm.

Pity those who don’t get it!

“Hehe, thanks, Gig. This’ll help a lot.”

“Nah, I’m the grateful one. You work hard under Ha-neul.”

“Ah, no, the CEO’s always been kind to me…?”

As Gig suddenly veered into dangerous territory, I frantically shook my head.

He clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“Yikes, the discipline’s strong. How much did she drill into you…? Hang in there.”

“I—It’s not like that…?!”

But my denials fell on deaf ears.

Even the cherries joined in.

[‘NyangCat’ donated 10,000 KRW for snacks!]

• Lulu, did CEO Kang find out we talked behind her back last time? Let’s just confess

“Wh—Who talked behind her back?! Stop slandering me…!”

You rotten cherries!

If the CEO’s watching, she’ll think it’s true!

Should I just ban you all?!

Keep quiet!

“I’ll have a word with her later. Ask why Lulu breaks into a cold sweat just at her mention.”

“Nyaaaah!”

“Wow, that’s a lot of pent-up frustration.”

• LMAOOOO
• Lulu-chan finally snapped
• If PK was on, she’d have shotgun’d his head

Exactly.

If PK were enabled, I’d have taught Gig a lesson.

Shame I can’t… Wait.

“Uh, Gig, why are you so slow?”

“Ah, I took the Very High Weight penalty to match my IRL look. Plus, I hurt my leg earlier jumping through a window.”

“I see…”

This guy’s really committed to RP.

Making a self-insert was one thing, but taking the Very High Weight trait for realism?

He even took Conspicuous, the opposite of my Inconspicuous—meaning higher zombie aggro.

Hmm, slow speed, high aggro…

Total opposite of my stamina-focused build.

…Perfect.

Click—

Smirking, I gripped my shotgun.

The moment we stepped outside, I swiftly—

BANG!

—fired into the air.

In ProZom, reckless gunfire was basically suicide.

And I’d just done it without hesitation.

“L-Lulu?! You can’t just shoot like that…!”

“Ah, sorry! I’m still new to the controls. Hehe…”

“N-No, mistakes happen. But now the zombies will…”

• She’s doomed lol
• Pretty sure Lulu-chan did that on purpose
• Did you see how she pulled the trigger the second we left?
• Here they come

As expected, zombies swarmed the area instantly.

But unlike me—built for stamina and sprinting—Gig, with his Obese penalty and injured leg, was the perfect prey.

Add Conspicuous to my Inconspicuous, and the aggro piled onto him like magnets.

“GYAHH! D-Don’t come closer, you freaks!”

Bang! Bang!

Realizing gunfire was futile, Gig desperately fired at the horde.

But numbers trumped firepower.

“L-Lulu! Save me! I was wrong! I’ll never slander you or the CEO again!”

Finally cracking, Gig sent an SOS.

Guess he figured out I shot on purpose to get back at him.

Time to negotiate.

“Oh, Gig, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault.”

“N-No! You’re blameless! It’s my big mouth! Please, just save me this once!”

Now I look like the villain.

I never planned to kill him—just scare him into behaving.

“Do you understand what happens if you badmouth our CEO again?”

“Y-Yes! Crystal clear!”

“Good. I’ll help you just this once.”

Bang! Bang!

I cleared the zombies surrounding him, humming as I prepared to leave—

—until I remembered Gig’s class.

“Oh right, Gig. You’re a Burglar, right? Can you hotwire cars?”

“Y-Yep!”

“Hehe, then drive for me, please.”

“Of course! Hop in!”

• Lulu’s terrifying…
• She just enslaved him…
• Is this her true nature?
• Outsiders don’t stand a chance against the Axolotl

Hey, that’s rude.

Calling Gig a slave?

We’re just comrades surviving this harsh world together.

“Gig, mind if I smoke? I’m a bit of a chain-smoker.”

“Pfft, go ahead! I’d light it for you if I weren’t driving…!”

Watching him react reflexively to every word, I lit a cigarette with a satisfied smile.

As the car rolled forward, I felt a flutter of excitement.

Hehe, I can’t wait to see everyone.