Chapter 91: Surviving in a zombie world

It has been quite some time since I started working as a virtual streamer.

There were occasional viewers who were curious about my face, but such questions had significantly decreased. Now, most discussions revolved around my streams instead.

What people seemed most interested in was not what games I played or what achievements I accomplished, but rather my interactions with other streamers.

It felt like they were more curious about my relationships than anything else.

The fact that they were so invested in my personal relationships wasn’t exactly “pure,” but it was what it was.

This trend was particularly noticeable among new viewers.

By “new viewers,” I mean those who started watching after I began my VTuber activities.

Apparently, there was a term they often used—”Teetee”—but I had no idea what it meant.

Whenever I got along well with someone on stream, the chat would be flooded with “Teetee” messages.

Unless, of course, the person I was interacting with was male.

They said it was a unique part of VTuber culture, but honestly, I found it hard to get used to.

“Rita, watch out!”

“Aah! I think I got bitten!”

“Ack! How could you let yourself get bitten?!”

“Uh… Captain, she says she got bitten.”

The voices in my headset belonged to Jay, Rita, and Hanyang.

Even after our successful Minecraft collaboration, we continued to play games together from time to time, often just for fun rather than for business.

The game we were playing now was a four-player co-op survival game against zombies.

As one of the last survivors of humanity, we had to fight off hordes of zombies, find weapons, secure shelter, and gather supplies.

“Hmm… I distinctly remember saying that if you got bitten one more time, I was going to leave you behind.”

“N-No! Captain, please don’t abandon me!”

“What do we do, Captain?”

“Should we… take her out?”

In this game, I was designated as the leader.

Despite being a first-time player, I had quickly adapted, displaying superior game sense, mechanics, and leadership compared to the others.

So naturally, I became the group’s leader.

Under my command, everyone was assigned roles and we progressed smoothly—until Rita got bitten.

Gulp.

I could hear someone nervously swallowing over the mic.

The decision was entirely up to me.

Whether Rita would be ‘disposed of’ or not was completely in my hands.

[Just kill her already, this is like the third time.]

[Seriously, how many times does she have to get bitten?]

[Why is the leader the only one who hasn’t been bitten yet?]

[Do you think Mollu’s reflexes are a joke?]

[At this point, it’s more surprising if she ever messes up.]

[Rita’s such a burden lol.]

[Didn’t expect her to be this bad.]

[Is there a vaccine?]

This wasn’t the first time Rita had been bitten.

Once at the start of the game, again during a major zombie wave in the mid-game.

Jay and Hanyang had each been bitten once, meaning I was the only one who hadn’t been bitten at all.

I had already announced earlier that I wouldn’t show mercy to anyone who got bitten again—I would either exile or execute them.

As a leader, that was the logical choice.

In zombie movies and dramas, we often see characters unable to let go of infected loved ones, only to end up getting infected themselves.

The tension rose as everyone waited for my decision.

“We still have time, so let’s search for a vaccine. Special enemies might drop one.”

“Sniff… Yes, Captain!”

For now, I decided to let her live.

Honestly, when I first said that getting bitten again would mean death, I had already expected at least one more person to get bitten.

As I played, I realized that this game was far from easy.

Underestimating it could easily lead to disaster.

“Oi, I’m only letting you live this time.”

“If we can’t find a vaccine, you’re still dead. Don’t get too happy.”

VTubers, or at least the Flare crew members, had an unusual talent for immersing themselves in situations.

In this game, surviving against zombies wasn’t just fun on its own—the interactions and banter between streamers made it even more entertaining for the viewers.

These guys were doing a great job playing into that dynamic.

Even though, realistically, dying in the game just meant respawning, it was fun to act as if the stakes were higher.

[She actually let her live?]

[Damn, so close.]

[Rita and Mollu… Teetee.]

[This is peak Teetee.]

[What the hell does Teetee even mean, you idiots?]

[Hey, mind your language.]

[RULES! :: Please use polite and respectful language in Mollu’s chat. ^^]

[New viewers keep bringing in weird slang.]

[Yeah, but… I can’t deny the Teetee moments.]

[AAAAAAAAGH!]

“We need Rita alive—who else is going to cook for us?”

“Oh, true. Rita, you need to make food.”

“That’s a fair point.”

Rita was the designated cook. Jay was the driver. Hanyang was in charge of carrying supplies.

As for me? I was the leader and the main damage dealer.

That was more than enough responsibility, wasn’t it?

“Alright, let’s check the buildings for a vaccine. Hanyang and Jay, don’t wander off too far. Stick together like a fireteam.”

“A fireteam?”

“Uh… I mean, stay close and cover each other so you don’t get bitten.”

“Ah, got it!”

I was so immersed in the game that I accidentally used military terminology.

No wonder they were confused.

[Fireteam? Lol, legendary choice of words.]

[Wait, is Mollu actually ex-military?]

[With her insane combat skills and huge ‘assets’… it all makes sense now. She’s a veteran schoolgirl.]

[Fireteam system: Activated.]

[How many girls do you know who casually say ‘fireteam’?]

“Try to save your bullets as much as possible and use your knife instead. If you think you’re about to get bitten, then use the gun.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Also, let us know immediately if you start experiencing any symptoms. We need to be prepared.”

“…”

When someone is bitten by a zombie, several symptoms begin to appear.

Common infection responses like nausea, chills, headaches, and dizziness are among the most noticeable.

As time passes, these symptoms intensify, and eventually, the person turns into a zombie.

If you’re unlucky, the symptoms can manifest severely right from the start, leading to an almost instant transformation.

This is why constant monitoring is essential.

“I’m hungry.”

“Hold it in. Eating after getting bitten just makes you hungrier.”

“Oh… I see. Got it.”

Hunger is also a common symptom.

Since the body’s immune system is fighting off the zombie virus, energy depletion happens rapidly.

Eating food can help slow down the infection.

But… honestly, I just wanted to mess with Rita because her newbie reactions were amusing.

Now I kind of understand why veterans always mess with beginners in games.

“Uh, Captain? Chat is saying that eating actually helps slow down the infection… If I don’t eat, I’ll turn into a zombie faster.”

“Oh? Did I get that mixed up? You should eat something right away, then.”

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I’m new to zombie survival games too, so I don’t know everything.”

[She’s lying without even blinking.]

[Rita’s zombie transformation plan is in motion.]

[Of course, the streamer is naturally an expert at messing with people.]

[You can’t break old habits, huh?]

[Wait, so she did that on purpose? I almost backseated her.]

After dealing with this minor incident, we arrived at the building we were set to explore.

“You go first, Rita.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’re already infected, so it doesn’t matter if you get bitten a few more times.”

I was paired up with Rita while Jay and Hanyang formed another team.

Exploring an undiscovered area could yield valuable rewards, but it also came with unknown dangers.

Since Rita had already lost her “innocence” as a human, it was most efficient to send her in first.

“But… if I get bitten again, won’t I turn faster…?”

“It doesn’t matter how many times you get bitten—one vaccine cures it all. This is just the most efficient method.”

“Hiiing…”

Rita whined but obeyed, reluctantly stepping forward.

[This is exactly the kind of thing someone who would run away first would say.]

I ignored the obvious comments from chat.

Of course, I’d run if things got bad—what else was I supposed to do?

As we continued exploring the building, an abrupt sound rang out.

-CRASH!

Something shattered, and Rita sucked in a sharp breath.

This didn’t feel right.

Maybe we had entered the wrong building.

“GRAAAAHHHH!!”

Just as expected, a horde of zombies appeared.

A lot of them.

“Aaaahhh…”

“If we don’t break through quickly, we’re getting swarmed. Push forward!”

Using Rita as a human shield, I cleared a path.

I ignored the occasional shrieks from behind me.

“Ahhh! I got bitten again!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. If we find a special infected, it should have a vaccine.”

If a normal zone had this many zombies, then there had to be a special one lurking around.

As I scanned the area while mowing down zombies, I finally spotted it.

“Rita, look left. See the weird-looking one?”

“Uhh… the slightly red one?”

“That’s the one. It should have a vaccine.”

Hope flickered in Rita’s voice as we moved toward it.

-CRASH!

Suddenly, the glass behind me shattered, and zombies began pouring in from the back.

“What the hell is this?!”

I had been keeping my back against the wall for safety, but now the wall was gone.

In this situation, no amount of skill could stop what was about to happen.

A zombie managed to take a bite out of me before I could finish off the special infected.

But at least I secured the vaccine before making our escape.

“Get in the car, now!”

“D-Did you get the vaccine?!”

With zombies chasing us, I shoved Rita into the vehicle and floored it back toward our shelter.

Even amidst the chaos, Rita was laser-focused on confirming whether I had secured the vaccine.

Of course, the vaccine was safely in my inventory.

But the problem was…

“Damn, we really almost died that time. At least I got the vaccine. If we hadn’t, we’d be screwed—”

“Rita.”

“Yeah?”

“I got bitten.”

The once lively atmosphere in the car instantly fell silent.

After a long pause, Rita finally spoke in a whisper.

“No… No, right?”

“…”

“You’re going to give it to me, right? I got bitten first.”

“Hmmm…”

“I just got bitten again, so I’ll turn even faster. Please… give it to me.”

Two infected survivors.

One vaccine.

There was no guarantee we’d find another one.

As Rita’s anxious voice filled the car, I simply kept my hands on the wheel, driving in silence.