After finishing her conversation with Alex, Rika couldn’t help but smile and chuckle softly. She didn’t want to admit it, but their chat had truly helped her relax after the series of tense events that had recently overwhelmed the world. Their conversation didn’t touch on serious topics, but that was precisely what allowed her to shed the heavy burden of tension pressing down on her.

As the only senior officer among everyone currently stationed at the airport, Rika bore immense responsibility: coordinating others, making decisions, and issuing orders. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a few minutes to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

When she opened her eyes, she returned to reviewing the files Alex had sent. The three new zombie variants were troubling her, especially the one called the “Hunter.” The data indicated that this type of zombie could climb walls, move completely silently, and leap great distances to ambush its prey.

After finishing her review, Rika realized this information needed to be shared immediately. She decided to gather all the officers to warn them of the threat and prepare for any surprises.

“Satoshi, come here,” she said, spotting one of the officers.

“Sergeant Minami, what do you need?” Satoshi asked as he approached.

“Gather everyone in the conference room. I have important information to share, and we need to act quickly,” she ordered in a firm tone.

“Yes, Sergeant Minami,” he replied, saluting before hurrying off to carry out her orders.

Rika watched him leave before rising from her bench and heading to the conference room. Upon arrival, she began setting up the equipment for her presentation. She adjusted the projector and connected her tablet before taking a seat, waiting for everyone to assemble.

Satoshi didn’t disappoint—soon, the room started filling with officers. They exchanged murmurs, clearly confused about why they had been pulled from their posts and summoned to one place. Rika waited patiently for the noise to subside, but eventually decided to cut through the chatter by raising her voice:

“Now that everyone’s here, I’d like you all to shut up. I have important information to share with you,” she began.

Her speech was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

“Oh? And why weren’t we invited to such an intriguing meeting? Looks like something important is being discussed,” came the mocking voice of a young woman entering the room.

Rika turned her head to see a slender woman in her mid-twenties standing in the doorway. She had long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. Dressed in an elegant light business suit, her face was adorned with a sly smile. She entered confidently, followed by several companions.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you and your people supposed to leave?” Rika asked, frowning.

“We had a little delay and couldn’t depart,” the woman replied nonchalantly, taking an empty seat in the room.

Rika watched the uninvited guest and her companions with a hint of irritation. They clearly intended to stay and listen to what was going on.

The woman settled into an empty chair with an air of ownership, as though the room belonged to her. Her companions, who looked like bodyguards, positioned themselves strategically behind her. Rika’s eye twitched in frustration—this woman’s feigned indifference and audacity, coupled with her entourage’s imposing presence, were pushing Rika’s patience to its limit.

The other officers preferred to stay quiet, wary of drawing attention to themselves. They had witnessed many heated verbal clashes between Rika and this uninvited guest and knew better than to get involved.

“I’ll ask you again—why are you here?” Rika asked, struggling to suppress the nervous twitch in her eye.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” the woman replied innocently, her voice dripping with mockery. “You seem to be discussing something interesting, and I just couldn’t miss it. Besides, your subordinates mentioned you have some valuable information. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be fair not to share it with us. After all, we’re all in the same boat, aren’t we? My people are helping to handle this mess too, so it’s only fair we get something in return,” she added, her tone adopting the cadence of a seasoned negotiator.

Rika took a deep breath, trying not to rise to the bait, and decided to ignore the guest. Her priority was to deliver the information to her team. The woman, noticing Rika’s indifference, tilted her head in surprise, clearly puzzled as to why Rika hadn’t engaged in their usual argument.

Without acknowledging the reaction, Rika picked up her tablet and opened the file Alex had sent.

“Back to business. We have critical information that could save lives. New types of undead have been identified, and they are far more dangerous than what we’ve faced before,” she said, connecting her tablet to the projector and beginning to display the materials.

The room came alive as the officers began whispering among themselves. Even the uninvited guest raised an eyebrow in genuine interest, listening to Rika’s words. Her companions visibly tensed, anticipating further details.

One officer finally mustered the courage to ask, “Sergeant Minami, where did you get this information?”

Rika opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the guest, her voice brimming with amusement:

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s from Sergeant Minami’s secret admirer,” she announced with a smile that was hard to ignore.

Rika gripped the tablet tightly, feeling her patience grow thinner with every word from the woman.

All eyes immediately turned to the guest, who was barely holding back laughter, her hand covering her mouth. Then, following her pointing finger, the officers noticed a signature on the file that no one had paid attention to before.

Rika flushed with anger, her glare sharp enough to silence even the bravest. One officer, Hiroshi, couldn’t suppress a quiet chuckle but quickly covered his mouth when he felt Rika’s icy gaze.

“Hiroshi, you’re on double shifts today. Understood?” Rika said with a strained smile devoid of warmth.

“Yes, ma’am,” Hiroshi replied hastily, wilting under her stare.

The other officers cast sympathetic glances at the poor man. Everyone knew Rika was always strict and demanding on duty, relaxing only in informal settings—and even then, only around her closest friends.

“Now, if everyone has calmed down, I’ll continue,” Rika said, pausing until the room fell silent. “The information I’m about to share comes from a new ally. He hacked the city’s surveillance system and gathered data on the new zombie types.”

She turned on the projector, displaying images and video recordings.

“The first type is the ‘Hunter.’ It has incredible reflexes, can leap great distances, and move almost silently along walls. During patrols, check elevated areas and carefully examine walls. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the officers responded in unison, their attention fixed on the slides.

Rika nodded and continued.

“The next type is the ‘Boomer.’ It’s slow and clumsy, but its danger lies in its contents. Inside, it carries a liquid that attracts other zombies. If you shoot or strike it, it explodes, spraying this liquid. Zombies immediately focus on anyone or anything it touches, whether human or undead. Any questions?”

No one dared to add anything, and Rika continued:

“And the last one—’Charger.’ It has a massive, reinforced arm, which it uses to grab its prey. Its skin is tough enough to withstand bullets, and its grip is deadly. It charges at its target, grabs it, and drags it away to deal with it.”

“Sergeant Minami, what if we just don’t let it get close?” one of the officers asked.

“If the data is accurate, it moves quickly. Once it locks onto you, dodging will be difficult,” Rika explained, showing a video of a ‘Charger’ attack.

The briefing lasted about an hour. Each officer took careful notes, memorizing the specifics of the new threats. Even the usually carefree woman and her companions listened intently, silently processing the information. The officers were fully engaged, recording every detail.

The information Rika had gathered was invaluable, but some of the male officers were still curious about who her mysterious admirer was. Many of the male officers had shown interest in Rika, but she had turned them all down, refusing to go on a date with anyone who shot worse than she did. Many had tried, but each received a swift kick in the rear from Rika herself.

As the briefing came to an end, Rika turned off the projector and scanned the room, looking over her subordinates.

“If everything is clear, head to your posts. And be extra vigilant.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the officers replied in unison, heading to their positions.

Rika was left alone, contemplating how much longer they would have to defend the airport. Since the early days of the epidemic, they had held these positions, evacuating high-ranking officials. However, checking each passenger for infection took a lot of time and made the mission extremely challenging. Now, with the knowledge of the new threats, they would have to be even more cautious.

Her gaze drifted to the screen of her tablet, where the signature of the mysterious ally was displayed. She couldn’t help but laugh at herself for not noticing it earlier. She thought she’d have to ask Alex about the signature.

All the officers stood from their seats, chatting quietly among themselves as they headed to their posts. Only Rika, the woman, and her group remained in the conference room. The woman threw a thoughtful glance at Rika, then gestured for her people, and they left the meeting room.

In the corridor, the woman, deep in thought, remained silent, chewing on her nail as she reflected on what she had heard. Her expression was focused, as if she were trying to piece together a puzzle from the information she had just received. The source of Rika’s data piqued her genuine curiosity.

“Koko, you’ve been quiet this whole time. What’s bothering you?” one of the women asked, addressing her superior.

“I’m curious about where Rika Minami managed to get this information,” Koko replied, not looking up from the floor. “More specifically, I’m interested in who provided her with it. In our time, sharing such information for free is, to put it mildly, odd. Especially when it comes to detailed data like what we just heard.”

The group following Koko exchanged glances, clearly embarrassed. They knew that if something piqued Koko’s interest, she would dig into it no matter how long the process took.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in this person,” Valmet, her bodyguard, said with concern in her voice. “What if he’s some kind of con artist or criminal?”

“Don’t say that, Valmet,” Koko replied, suddenly smiling and hugging her friend. “You just don’t understand. I want to know who could gather such information in a world that’s falling apart before our eyes. And why do you automatically assume he’s bad? Maybe he’s just a good person who decided to help Rika.”

As Koko hugged Valmet, she began rubbing her cheek against her chest, which made the tall woman noticeably flustered.

Valmet was a fit, young woman with pale skin, black hair, and light yellow eyes. Her appearance was marked by the bandage covering her missing right eye.

“Koko, you’re being unreasonable. We don’t know who this person is. I admit that, in times like these, information is worth its weight in gold, but it’s still dangerous to trust a stranger given the state of the world,” Valmet said softly but firmly.

The team members behind them simply shook their heads in silence, but they were just as intrigued by the identity of the mysterious informant. The ability to gather such data during a zombie apocalypse, let alone provide footage of the slain ‘Charger,’ required not only skill but incredible composure. Even the most skeptical among them admitted that they would love to know who this person was.

“Alright, enough about this. Let’s go grab something to eat, I’m starving after that briefing. I have a feeling sooner or later, we’ll meet this mysterious admirer,” Koko said cheerfully, raising her hand.

“We’ll only meet him if we have to evacuate from here, Koko,” Lem added hoarsely, lighting a cigarette.

“Shut up, Lehm. You’ll jinx us!” Koko quickly punched him in the stomach, causing him to bend over in surprise.

Lehm, a light-skinned man in his middle years with gray hair and gray eyes, looked accustomed to such treatment. His body, covered with scars from past injuries, spoke of a wealth of experience.

Koko’s laughter echoed down the corridor as the team continued walking, each lost in their own thoughts.

All those who were curious about Rika’s mysterious admirer were either discussing him or pondering what kind of person he might be. The ability to gather such detailed information amid chaos was both impressive and intriguing. Meanwhile, the “mysterious admirer” himself, in the form of Alex, was sitting at a table in the observation room, listening to music and watching live camera feeds. He had no idea he had become one of the most discussed topics among the officers.

“Achoo! Who’s talking about me?” Alex muttered, rubbing his nose.

The girls, who were in the room with him, simultaneously turned their heads, surprised by his reaction.

“Are you catching a cold? Want me to check you out?” Shizuka asked, looking at him with concern.

“No need,” Alex waved his hand. “It’s just someone talking about me.”

“And who could that be? Do you have so many acquaintances who suddenly remembered you?” Saya asked curiously, studying his face intently.

“Not really,” Alex replied calmly, shrugging. “I just passed on information about the new zombies to Shizuka’s friend.”

At the mention of her friend, Shizuka immediately jumped up from her seat and rushed to hug Alex. He felt his face sink into the softness of her chest, and judging by his satisfied expression, he clearly didn’t mind such a display of gratitude.

“Thanks for passing the information to Rika! Let me hug you even tighter,” Shizuka said cheerfully, tightening her embrace.

Alex smiled, barely freeing his head from her embrace, and returned to the monitors. However, soon a thought occurred to him: why limit the information to just one city when he could gather data from everywhere?

Shizuka, noticing that Alex had become engrossed in his work again, stood behind him, gently pressing her chest against the back of his head.

“Saya, can you call G.I.R.? He’s needed now,” Alex said, turning his head towards her.

“Why?” she asked, reluctantly getting up from her seat.

“I’ll explain later. Just find that green robo-dog, I need him now,” Alex said without going into further detail.

“Alright,” Saya sighed and headed off to find G.I.R.

A few minutes later, she returned holding the disgruntled robo-dog, clearly not thrilled about being interrupted from his video games. She placed G.I.R. on the table, and glanced at Alex, who merely smiled, looking at his assistant’s offended expression.

“Don’t be mad. I really need your help. Hack the satellites and find out about the new types of zombies,” Alex said, placing his hand on G.I.R.’s head.

The robo-dog snorted but began working, obediently starting the hacking process.

G.I.R. nodded and got to work. Alex connected a cable to the port on the back of the robo-dog’s head to direct the gathered information straight to the screen. Meanwhile, Saya and Shizuka sat next to him, preparing to wait while G.I.R. completed the process.

After a while, Rebecca entered the room. Seeing G.I.R. connected to the computer, she looked at Alex with interest.

“What are you doing?” she asked, walking closer.

“G.I.R. is looking for information about new zombies around the world,” Alex explained, not looking away from the monitors.

Rebecca nodded understandingly and, without further ceremony, settled herself on Alex’s lap, clearly showing no embarrassment or discomfort. Her gaze fixed on the screen.

“Curious, what new types have appeared?” she said, making herself more comfortable.

Noticing Rebecca on Alex’s lap, Saya shot her an annoyed look, which didn’t escape Rebecca’s attentive gaze. In response, Rebecca simply smiled at her with a victorious grin.

“So, what are the others up to?” Alex decided to start a conversation to pass the time while G.I.R. was working.

“Brünnhilde has taken over training everyone,” Rebecca replied cheerfully. “You could say, everyone’s having a ‘hellish day’ right now.”

“Well, I can only sympathize,” Alex remarked with a smile, shaking his head. “They probably won’t be able to move properly tomorrow. Hopefully, she doesn’t go overboard. We don’t have time for a long rest.”

“Is she really such a tough teacher?” Shizuka asked, embarrassed.

“You can check for yourself,” Alex teased with a smile.

“No, thanks. I’m a lover, not a fighter,” Shizuka shot back, pressing her palms to her chest for emphasis. “Besides, I’m a doctor, and protecting me is your job. So, training isn’t necessary for me.”

Alex merely smirked, gently patting Shizuka on the head. He thought about teaching her at least the basics of shooting so she could defend herself in case of extreme necessity. For now, he decided that leaving G.I.R. or M.I.M.I. nearby for protection was the best option.

An hour later, G.I.R. finished gathering and organizing the data. Alex opened the files, bringing the information up on the screen, and slightly furrowed his brow upon seeing the names of two locations.

“Banoy Island and the city of Harran,” he muttered, recalling these names from his past life, where they appeared in video games.

“What are these places?” Saya asked, leaning in closer.

“New zombies have been detected on the island, but there’s no access to cameras. All distress signals are coming through radio transmissions. The same goes for Harran,” Alex explained.

“So, we only have text descriptions and satellite images?” Rebecca clarified, studying the screen closely.

“Exactly. Unfortunately, no photos or videos. Just messages,” Alex sighed, closing one of the files. “Thanks to whoever launched the satellites, but honestly, they could have done a better job.”

“Be grateful for what you have,” Saya snapped, slightly irritated by his comment. “Most survivors are completely cut off from any information.”

“Alright, alright, I give up,” Alex raised his hands in surrender.

Soon, Brünnhilde, Saeko, and a very tired Rei returned to the room. The latter looked as if she had run a marathon and was ready to collapse from exhaustion. She barely made it to her mattress and literally fell onto it, instantly losing all desire to move.

Alex looked at her with mild sympathy, then addressed her:

“Want G.I.R. to give you a massage? He’s a pro at it, and you’ll feel like new.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Rei murmured, not moving from her spot.

Alex glanced at G.I.R., and the robo-dog immediately understood his intent. Jumping off the table, G.I.R. ran over to Rei and carefully began massaging her back. The girl’s face instantly lit up with an expression of pure bliss, and she allowed herself to relax. The other girls, watching this scene, began to wonder if a massage from G.I.R. wouldn’t be such a bad idea for them too.

The line for a relaxing massage soon grew so long that Alex had to call in M.I.M.I. to help, so G.I.R. wouldn’t have to work alone. The girls who received the massage felt as though they were lying on soft clouds. Even Brünnhilde, usually stern and focused, looked so peaceful that it was surprising.

Meanwhile, in the spiritual space of the Valkyries, who were observing their sister, their voices filled Alex’s head, demanding that he arrange a massage for them too. Alex simply shook his head, nearly deafened by their loud demands.

“You’ll get your massage when you can leave,” he replied briefly. He didn’t specify a timeline, and that was enough to finally silence the Valkyries.

When night fell, Alex decided it was time to get to work. Standing up from his chair, he put on his blue coat and prepared to leave.

“You’re leaving already?” Rei asked, distracted from watching a movie.

“Yes, it’s time. Just need to install the last cameras, and everything will be ready,” he said, thoughtfully scratching his chin.

“Then I’m coming with you,” Rei announced, getting up from her seat. “Saya told me you carried her on your back while you were looking for parts for the windmill and solar panels. Now it’s my turn to get a ride.”

Alex wanted to protest, but after weighing the pros and cons, he decided there was nothing too dangerous in the plans. The other girls didn’t object.

Meanwhile, G.I.R. and M.I.M.I. resumed their eternal argument, playing “rock, paper, scissors.” G.I.R. won again, which caused M.I.M.I. to express her displeasure by glaring at the winner. Alex just sighed, suspecting that G.I.R. might be cheating somehow, but he had no proof.

Grabbing his gear, Alex headed outside with Rei and G.I.R. Lighting a cigarette, he pulled out his phone and opened the map to check the route.

“Alright, hop on,” he said, putting the phone back in his pocket and squatting down so Rei could settle on his back.

“Hooray!” she cheered, climbing onto his back and tightly wrapping her legs around his waist.

G.I.R. jumped onto Alex’s chest, grabbing hold of the fabric of his clothes. Making sure both passengers were secure, Alex took off. Gaining speed, he easily jumped over a fence and then headed toward the building on the neighboring street.

Jumping up, he began pushing off the walls to climb onto the roof. Rei, holding on tight, watched in awe as Alex moved effortlessly, like a professional acrobat or a real ninja.

“Becca, we’re heading to the substation. Check the nearby cameras to get the situation,” Alex said, contacting Rebecca via the communicator.

“You keep going there, and I’ll check,” she replied moments later.

Hearing Rebecca’s words, Alex headed toward the substation to install the camera. This site was crucial—if there was a malfunction there, the entire city would be without electricity, and its surveillance system would be useless. Jumping from roof to roof, he moved with such agility that Rei, sitting on his back, didn’t feel any discomfort.

“This is incredible!” Rei exclaimed, marveling at the swift run.

Alex just smiled, quickening his pace. As they approached the substation, Rebecca’s voice came through the earpiece again:

“Alex, be careful. There are plenty of zombies around.”

Thinking as he moved, Alex noted that it would be a good idea to create devices for distracting or luring zombies. Reaching the hill that overlooked the substation, he stopped to assess the situation. The lights were still on, but it seemed that no one was inside.

He used a sonar spell to confirm his guess: the building was empty, and the area was surrounded by the undead. Just as Kota had predicted, the substations were now operating in autonomous mode.

“Do you think there are any survivors there?” Rei asked, watching the zombies surrounding the substation.

“Probably not,” Alex replied as he set up the camera. “Most likely, the people who were there left to return to their families.”

“I see…” Rei murmured quietly, sitting down nearby.

“All right, we’re done here. Time to move on,” Alex said, crouching down so Rei could climb onto his back.

While she settled, he noticed how G.I.R., standing nearby, was throwing rocks at the zombies. Alex didn’t understand how the robo-dog managed to avoid drawing the attention of the horde of persistent “fans,” but he decided not to tempt fate. Lifting G.I.R., he sped off toward the next camera installation point, thinking that it was about time to gather or build a few drones for reconnaissance.

An hour later, they reached the final location. While Alex secured the camera, Rei stood off to the side, her gaze fixed on one of the directions.

“What’s got your attention?” he asked, finishing his task.

“Over there,” she pointed. “That’s my house. I’m worried about my mom. I know she can take care of herself, but the situation keeps getting worse, and I’m scared we won’t be able to evacuate her before it gets even worse.”

Alex placed his hand on her head.

“Then let’s go there and check. If everything’s fine, we can evacuate her.”

“Will you really do that?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Of course. Hop on,” Alex replied with a smile.

Rei wrapped her arms around his neck, and he once again took off across the rooftops toward her house. Along the way, Alex remembered that Rei’s mom had taken in several neighbors. He didn’t know how many of them were there now, but if there were too many, they’d need to find a larger vehicle to transport them all. In the worst case, he could ask Rebecca to bring a bus.

Once they reached the area, Alex stopped on a neighboring roof to survey the surroundings. Everything seemed quiet, but he decided not to rush. Coming down, he first closed the gate to ensure no one could enter.

Approaching the door, he noticed how Rei began to get nervous, afraid to knock.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep