The Tunnel

*"Damn tunnel. I don't understand how Louis's group lives here."* - The player as the train approaches the entrance to the Tunnel.

The Tunnel is the fifth location in Zompiercer, first added in the v5.0 update. As its name suggests, it is a long railway tunnel going through a mountain range that is impassable by other means.

## Entering the Tunnel

The rail line leading up to the tunnel passes by a small expanse of woodlands on one side and open fields on the other before approaching the mountains. Upon entering the tunnel, the player will be cast into complete darkness as there is no natural light underground. In order to safely navigate the tunnel, it is necessary to turn on the locomotives's headlight and cabin light and any other electric lights installed in the carriages, as well as equipping a flashlight for traveling away from the train.

*"I'm not far from the entrance to the underground shelter. I need to slow down"* - The player as the train approaches the blockage.

The train follows a couple of curves in the track before reaching a long straight section. Halfway down this straight part, the tunnel is blocked by a wall of rubble, preventing the train from going any further. Thus, the main objective for the player is to find a way to clear the blockage.

On the walls on either side of the tunnel near the blockage are two doorways leading into corridors. The doorway on the left side is blocked by a locked gate, and cannot be opened right away, leaving the player to enter the doorway on the right side into the first part of the underground shelter.

The dark corridors crawling with zombies of almost every kind. Running through the corridors with guns blazing is not recommended, as there may be zombies hiding around the next corner ready to ambush the player, not to mention the narrow corridors make running from a horde even more difficult. Walking, crouching, and using stealth weapons such as the dagger, baseball bat, or bow will help improve one's chances of making it through the corridors with little risk.

Throughout the shelter, common items such as food, medicine, and ammunition are mostly found in red and green metal lockers, making them easy to find as their locations are not so random. There are also large numbers of wooden crates, providing an ample supply of crafting materials such as wood and metal. More rare items are found in military trunks in a few certain locations.

## North Tunnels

The first corridor passes through a small room with wooden crates before reaching a T-intersection. Turning right will lead the player through another small room before arriving at a four-way intersection with rooms at each end.

The room on the right appears to be a former security control room, featuring old electronic consoles (with a Runner zombie attending to them), a flashing red light above the doorway, and a map of the tunnels on one of the walls, which will help players figure out which way to go. The middle room contains lots of wooden crates, some metal lockers, and two military trunks. The room on the left used to be a barracks, with several bunk bed frames scattered about along with some metal lockers. In of the lockers is a note, which reads:

*"Urgent message from Louis! A group of linemen accidentally picked up the keys to the south entrance to the tunnels and still haven't returned. Please send someone from the guards to the flooded living room. Duplicate keys were stored in one of the lockers."*

Returning to the T-intersection and proceeding down the left tunnel, the player will arrive at another T-intersection. The left corridor leads to a room protected by a heavy yellow vault door, occupied by two zombies, one of which is a Spittoon. The right corridor slopes downward to the second level, leading to a third T-intersection. The corridors in both directions are closed off by metal gates. The gate on the right is locked, but two small rooms adjacent to the main corridor will allow the player to bypass this temporary obstruction. The corridor then leads into a large hall littered with large shelves and wooden crates that prevent the player from taking a straight path to the other side. Beyond the hall, the corridor ends in a small room containing some metal lockers and military trunks, guarded by a Fat Zombie. A Gramophone Record can be found in one of the trunks.

The gate to the left corridor back at the T-intersection is not locked, thus the player can pass through uninterrupted and follow a long, winding path to yet another intersection. Another locked gate blocks the corridor straight ahead, leaving only the left path open. The left corridor slopes downward to the third level before arriving at a small room occupied by another Fat Zombie and a Spittoon. In one of the metal lockers is the key needed to open the locked gate back at the rail line, to which a corridor leading out the back of the room will take the player back up and back to the train.

## South Tunnels

The south tunnels are far more extensive and complex than the north, so it is recommended that the player takes a break aboard the train after having cleared the latter, using the time to rest and resupply before heading back out. It is also recommended to craft a Sleeping Bag and/or stock up on energy drinks so that the player does not have to keep going back to the train in order to sleep. The Robo-Dog, which can be found back in the Dead City, can also be of excellent use in the tunnels, provided it is outfitted with the proper upgrades.

The corridor leading into the south tunnels goes through two small rooms before sloping down to the second level and arriving at a cluster of six rooms. The first three rooms consist of a dining room with refreshment coolers, a kitchen, and a pantry, providing the player with plenty of food if they have not stocked up back on the train. Two Fat Zombies, two Walkers, two Spittoons, and a SWAT zombie occupy this area. The last three rooms consist of two barracks and a storage room.

After this cluster, the corridor leads passes through two large halls. The second hall has four doorways, one on each corner. The corridor in the southeast corner leads in a complete loop passing through five small rooms, one of which contains a wall map. The corridor on the north side of the hall leads from the northeast doorway back to the northwest doorway. The last doorway in the southwest corner of the hall continues down to the third level, arriving at a T-intersection.

The corridor straight ahead leads back up to the second level, towards a heavy yellow vault door. Leaning against the wall near the door is a map board, with the words "DON'T OPEN, DEAD INSIDE" written in large black letters on it, a clear reference to "The Walking Dead" TV series. Upon reaching this point, the following dialogue will appear:

*"Damn it. At the end of these halls was an armory."*

Beyond the door, the corridor passes through two more large halls before ending in a small room with several metal lockers and military trunks, one of which contains the rare AKM assault rifle.

Returning to the T-intersection and proceeding down the right tunnel, the player will find another vault door that cannot be opened in the usual manner, at which more dialogue will appear:

*"As far as I remember, there will be long intricate mazes. It is worth preparing well before going in."*

A nearby electric switch on the wall will open the door; however, it will automatically close and open every few seconds afterwards, so the player must time their movement through the door carefully. Upon passing through the door, the player will arrive at another T-intersection, with both paths converging at a four-way intersection, forming a rectangular loop, with an unlocked gate separating the straight corridor from the rest. The corridor on the north side of the four-way leads to a third T-intersection, with the right path leading to a collapsed dead end and the left leading to a small room occupied by a Fat Zombie.

The corridor on the four-way's west side leads to another locked gate with two adjacent rooms (one with a wall map) similar to an area previous encountered in the north tunnels, with another four-way on the other side. The north corridor leads to a fourth T-intersection; the north path leads to another collapsed dead end while the east leads to a small room where another Gramophone Record can be found in one of the metal lockers.

The corridor leading east from the four-way leads to another intersection where the north and east corridors form a loop with a small room off the side. The south corridor leads into one last large hall before sloping back up to the second level. A small room with a vault door is found in this level, occupied by two Spittoons. Inside one of the military trunks in this room, the player will find C4 explosives. Continuing through the corridor will lead up to the rail line on the other side of the wall of rubble blocking the tracks, at which the player will comment:

*"C4 will deal perfectly with this blockage."*

After successfuly clearing the blockage, the player can return to the train and drive it safely out the far side of the tunnel and back into the open world.

## Trivia

Prior to the v10.0 update, the rail line on the far side of the tunnel was blocked by giant boulders as a means of marking the end of the game's development at the time. When approaching this point, the player would comment, *"Great, the developer just blocked the way with stones to limit progress on the plot. I feel this will haunt me throughout the development of the plot."*