After Rebecca ended the conversation, she headed toward the exit from the rooftop under the curious gazes of the other girls, descending the stairs. Following her, their small feet pattering, were MIMI and Stitch, happily trotting along. The remaining girls exchanged puzzled glances, trying to figure out what Rebecca was up to, especially after Alex mentioned that he planned to “invite a guest for tea.”

Unconsciously, their eyes turned to Brunhilde, who had stayed behind with them. Sensing the unspoken question, the Valkyrie’s expression darkened slightly. She knew all too well what Alex meant by “inviting someone for tea.” During their time linked through Völundr, Brunhilde had witnessed everything he did to such “guests.” It was far from as pleasant as it sounded and, in many cases, ended quite poorly for the invited party.

“And what does this mysterious ‘invitation for tea’ mean, exactly?” Saya finally broke the silence.

Brunhilde glanced at her thoughtfully and posed a question in return.

“Do you know what happens to someone who refuses to talk?”

The girls exchanged glances, and the answer slowly began to take shape in their minds. However, no one dared to voice it, assuming they might be wrong. Yet, even after dismissing the obvious, no other alternatives fit, especially given the current state of the world. An organization responsible for a zombie apocalypse was unlikely to divulge its secrets willingly—even over a cup of tea.

“It’s… torture, isn’t it?” Kiriko finally said, realizing it was the only logical explanation.

“Exactly,” Brunhilde confirmed calmly. “They always talk. Always.”

As if to underline her point, Rebecca returned and dropped a bag onto the floor. A heavy metallic clank resonated through the air. The girls exchanged uneasy looks, their fears confirmed. Some displayed clear disapproval—torture seemed inhumane to them. Yet, on the other hand, justifying the actions of those who had unleashed this apocalypse was equally impossible.

“Isn’t it wrong to torture people?” Rei asked cautiously, her gaze fixed on Rebecca.

Brunhilde shot her a cold look, her voice steady yet tinged with bitter truth.

“Why don’t you ask those people if it’s humane to begin humanity’s destruction? Is it humane to turn people into the walking dead? Is it humane to watch those undead devour their family members? Imagine, Rei—imagine going with Alex to rescue your mother, only to find her not alive, but as a zombie trying to eat you. Humanity can be shown to those forced into this, but those people made their choices knowingly.”

Rei wanted to argue, but each question Brunhilde posed left her speechless. She glanced at her mother and realized she was clinging to the last shreds of humanity in this situation. But could she hold onto it if her mother became a zombie?

Kiriko, noticing her daughter’s inner turmoil, gently placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. As a former police officer, she had always been ready to protect the weak, but even she found torture a contentious issue. Yet this was far from a normal situation.

Saya, ever rational, understood that sometimes radical measures were necessary. She reasoned that handing over someone like this to ordinary people for judgment would likely result in something far worse. Saeko, silently observing the discussion, believed that the world now belonged to the strong, and the weak could no longer survive.

“Hey, why the long faces?” Rebecca suddenly chimed in, waving her phone. “Instead of philosophizing, why don’t we just watch Alex invite those guys for tea?”

Her words snapped everyone back to reality, pushing aside the weighty moral considerations. After all, what was happening now could potentially alter their fate.

At Rebecca’s suggestion, the girls exchanged glances and decided to set their thoughts aside for the moment. Their attention turned to the phone she placed in the center. Rebecca had skillfully connected a live feed from GIR’s visor, allowing them to watch Alex’s actions in real time.

By the time the image appeared, Alex was already following the trail of a group of armed soldiers who were cautiously making their way through the forest toward their vehicle.

“Why is the camera shaking like that?” Rei asked, confused.

“He’s probably jumping through the trees,” Saya answered, adjusting her glasses.

On the screen, the soldiers reached the armored jeep. Alex, frozen on a branch nearby, was watching them. The girls were curious as to why he hadn’t done anything yet. The answer came quickly: as soon as the engine started, Alex leaped off the branch, landing directly on the hood. The metal bent under his weight, as if he weighed a ton.

Meanwhile, inside the jeep, the soldiers, unaware they were being watched, were preparing to leave. But the sudden landing of the “guest” nearly flipped the vehicle. Holding onto the straps, the soldiers saw a person with rainbow-colored eyes and a wide, almost frightening smile.

“Good evening, girls. How about a cup of tea?” Alex said, leaning closer to the windshield.

There was a moment of silence. The soldiers exchanged confused glances, their minds struggling to process what they were seeing. The leader of the group quickly regained his composure, drew his pistol, and began shooting at Alex through the windshield. The others followed suit, and the jeep was filled with the echo of gunshots. When the shooting stopped, the soldiers exited the vehicle, still holding their weapons at the ready.

“First, third, check for damage to the vehicle. The rest, stay alert and report any suspicious movement!” the leader commanded.

“Yes, sir!” the soldiers responded.

Two soldiers approached the hood. The deep dent in the metal made them pause in confusion.

“It looks like the engine was pushed through the bottom… Check under the vehicle,” one of them suggested, staring at the damage in disbelief.

The other soldier crouched to look under the jeep. As his colleague had assumed, the engine had been literally crushed with such force that it had punctured the vehicle’s floor. Standing up, he silently shook his head, signaling that the vehicle was no longer usable.

“First, third, report on the vehicle’s condition!” the leader’s stern voice called out.

“Sir, the jeep is out of commission. The engine has punctured the bottom,” the First soldier reported.

The soldiers exchanged looks, still unable to believe what they had just heard. They had seen a man land on the hood, but the extent of the destruction he caused seemed like something out of a fantasy.

“Damn,” the leader muttered quietly, realizing they were stranded without transportation.

“Leader, maybe he’s some kind of martial arts master?” one of the soldiers suggested.

“Stop talking nonsense. There can’t be any martial arts masters around here—corporations strictly control them. And did you see who he was? Just a kid, at most,” the leader snapped irritably.

“Then what are we dealing with, sir?” another soldier asked, looking around in confusion.

“How should I know? Just stay alert. If there’s no body, he’s nearby somewhere,” the leader replied, frustrated by the absurdity of the situation.

Meanwhile, Alex stood on a branch in the shade of the trees, watching the soldiers with a barely noticeable grin. He placed G.I.R. on a nearby branch to monitor the situation and block any escape attempts. He only needed one person from the group. After counting, Alex noted that there were eight of them in total. It was the standard number for a squad. He thought carefully about how to act without accidentally destroying them all.

The girls, watching the scene through Rebecca’s phone screen, also noticed that Alex wasn’t rushing into action. The soldiers had gotten out of the vehicle, scanning their surroundings nervously, ready for any danger, but strangely, Alex wasn’t making any active moves.

“Why isn’t he doing anything?” Saya asked thoughtfully, frowning. “Can’t these soldiers call for reinforcements or contact headquarters? While he’s stalling, they might gain an advantage.”

Her question made sense, but Rebecca only smiled, knowing that Alex rarely acted impulsively.

As soon as Saya asked that question, things started happening on the phone screen. A dark object suddenly shot out from the forest and hit one of the soldiers in the head with a loud thud. Blood sprayed in all directions, and the man staggered, slamming his back into the jeep before collapsing to the ground.

“What was that? What did he throw?” Saya asked, not noticing anything suspicious.

“It was a brick,” Rebecca and Brunhilde replied simultaneously, their faces as hard as stone.

The girls stared at Rebecca and Brunhilde in shock, trying to figure out if they were joking. But the expressions on their faces made it clear—they were completely serious. Saya was speechless, realizing that Alex had chosen to use an ordinary brick against men with assault rifles.

Rebecca, on the other hand, started smiling widely, recalling the first time she invited Alex on a joint mission, and how he had used a brick then too.

“Brings back memories,” she said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Saeko asked with interest.

“When I first invited him on a job. We needed to take out a couple of scumbags involved in human trafficking. So, Alex went into a shootout… with a brick,” Rebecca laughed, clearly enjoying the memory.

The girls exchanged glances, and Rebecca’s words helped them understand Alex a little better. However, they also remembered his incredible strength and skills, which made using a brick in a shootout less strange—especially for Saeko, who knew how expertly he handled bladed weapons.

Meanwhile, the soldiers surrounding the jeep heard a dull thud and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Turning around, they saw their comrade lying on the ground with blood pouring from his head.

The leader immediately signaled to one of the soldiers to check the fallen man. The soldier approached, bent over the body, and checked for a pulse. Seeing the excessive blood, he had already lost hope, and his fears were confirmed: there was no pulse. Straightening up, he looked at the leader and shook his head.

“One dead,” he reported shortly.

The leader nodded, signaling to return to their positions. As he stood up, the soldier noticed a bloodied brick lying next to his fallen comrade.

Picking it up, he couldn’t help but wonder, “How is it even possible to throw a brick with such force and remain unnoticed?”

“Sir, it looks like he was killed with a brick,” he said, showing the find.

“Could we be dealing with a martial arts master after all?” another soldier timidly suggested. “Throwing a brick with such force, and in such a way that no one notices… This can’t be the work of an ordinary person. Unless he’s a mutant or a zombie.”

“Shut up and do your job!” the leader interrupted irritably. “Whether he’s a master or not, a bullet to the head will turn him into an ordinary corpse. He can’t hide forever.”

The soldiers swallowed nervously and began to scan the area, realizing that the hunt for this mysterious adversary had only just begun.

Alex, standing in the shadow of the forest, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at being called a martial arts master. Chuckling to himself, he decided to keep entertaining the soldiers. Although, he regretted not bringing more bricks with him to launch a real “artillery” attack.

Looking around for an appropriate object, his gaze landed on a branch lying nearby. A sly smile spread across Alex’s face, as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head. He picked up the branch, holding it like a spear, and aimed at one of the soldiers—the most nervous one, probably the newcomer, who was unlikely to have useful information.

Throwing the branch with precision that could have unnerved even an experienced archer, Alex hit the soldier, pinning him to the jeep. The dull thud caught the attention of the others.

“Help…” the soldier rasped, blood spilling from his mouth, his eyes wide with panic.

The other soldiers, seeing what had happened to their comrade, began to feel primal fear. The enemy was invisible, and there were no signs of his presence. The silence and uncertainty only intensified the tension.

Unable to stand the silent terror, one of the soldiers turned to the forest.

“Stop hiding, bastard! Come out!” he yelled, starting to shoot wildly in the direction where he thought the branch had come from.

The others joined in. The squad leader didn’t have time to remind them to keep calm before the forest filled with the deafening sound of gunfire. The soldiers kept shooting until they had to reload their rifles.

“After that, he’s definitely not getting away,” one of them commented, breathing heavily.

“I wasn’t hiding,” came Alex’s calm voice from behind them.

They all whipped around. Alex was crouching on the roof of the jeep, a cigarette between his teeth, watching them with obvious amusement.

“Fire! Kill him!” one of the soldiers shouted.

They immediately opened fire, their flashlights illuminating Alex’s silhouette. The bullets ricocheted off the jeep’s metal with a loud bang, and when their magazines emptied, the shooting stopped. The soldiers froze, trying to see if their opponent was still on the roof.

“Do you think we got him?” one of the soldiers in the back rows asked uncertainly.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” came the familiar voice right next to them.

The soldier slowly turned his head and saw Alex standing right next to him. A predator’s smile played on his face, and his eyes, filled with carefree boldness, seemed to pierce through to his soul.

“Hey, cutie. Didn’t expect this, huh?” Alex said with a playful grin.

The soldier froze, unable to move, feeling like prey caught in the claws of an unrelenting predator.

The soldier tried to warn his comrades and opened his mouth to scream. But before he could make a sound, Alex abruptly shoved his hand into the soldier’s mouth, grabbing his lower jaw. The soldier felt the powerful grip and immediately reached for his pistol.

However, Alex didn’t give him a chance—he yanked the jaw down with one sharp motion. The soldier’s head followed the movement, slamming into the ground with a dull thud. The sound of broken bones echoed through the silence of the night forest.

The last thing the soldier felt before his consciousness faded was a sharp pain in his spine and the unbearable crunch of his own bones.

The other soldiers turned at the sound and froze, seeing Alex standing next to their comrade, looking at them impassively. He didn’t give them time to think. In one leap, he was next to the nearest enemy, delivering a powerful kick to the chest. The soldier was knocked back onto the same branch that had pinned their teammate earlier, skewering him like meat on a spit.

Alex was already moving toward the next target—the soldier closest to the jeep. With one powerful jerk, he grabbed him by the head and slammed it against the metal surface of the vehicle. The soldier’s skull shattered into a bloody pulp.

The remaining three, including their leader, finally snapped out of it and began firing wildly. Alex grabbed the nearest soldier, using his body as a shield against the bullets, and slowly moved toward the next victim. Ripping the rifle from another opponent’s hands, he smirked.

“Surprise.”

Turning the weapon in his hands, Alex aimed it straight at the soldier’s head and pulled the trigger. The body collapsed to the ground, and Alex tossed his makeshift shield aside. The two remaining soldiers exchanged nervous glances, fear evident in their eyes.

One of them, driven by instinct, dropped his weapon and ran. A single shot rang out, and the fugitive’s head exploded, leaving bloody splatters on the ground. Alex looked away from the fallen body and slowly turned toward the last remaining soldier—the leader of the group.

“Well, now it’s just the two of us. What a shame, huh?” Alex said with feigned sadness. “Who would’ve thought your mission would turn into such a fiasco? Poor soldiers. Who knew working for an evil corporation would end with you feeding worms?”

The leader held a gun aimed at Alex, his hands trembling slightly.

“Who the hell are you, and what do you want?”

“Who am I? That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m inviting you… for a cup of tea,” Alex added with mock cheerfulness.

“Go to hell!” the leader snarled, firing at Alex.

But the figure disappeared again. The leader started to panic, frantically scanning for any sign of movement. Suddenly, he felt a hand grip the back of his head.

“This wasn’t a request,” Alex whispered in his ear. “I’m insisting.”

With a sharp motion, he slammed the leader’s head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. Glancing at the fallen body, Alex lit a cigarette. He knew that the noise from the gunshots would soon attract zombies, which roamed these areas.

“GIR!” he waved his hand.

The robo-dog, sitting on a nearby branch, immediately jumped down and rushed over to its owner. Alex activated the communicator.

“Becca, I’m done. I’ll bring our guest soon.”

“We saw everything,” Rebecca replied. “So hurry up before the ‘fans’ show up.”

“You saw everything? Well, how awkward,” Alex sighed dramatically.

“Stop dramatizing. So you killed a couple of idiots, big deal,” Rebecca laughed. “It’s still better than any movie they could have watched.”

Alex smirked, put out the cigarette, and hoisted the lifeless body of the leader, heading back.

Alex wasn’t sure how to react to his thoughts. He realized that after dealing so brutally with the soldiers, the girls might start seeing him differently. Or maybe it would be fine, and they would just accept it as part of his nature. After all, he’d mentioned before that he used to be a mercenary.

That should have prepared them to accept his actions more calmly. Besides, they had witnessed zombies tearing people apart—classmates, acquaintances, even random passersby. Compared to that, his methods might seem less horrifying.

Shaking off those thoughts, Alex lifted GIR by the head and placed it on his shoulder. Grabbing the unconscious leader by the scruff of the neck, he prepared to leave. But before he could take a step, a distinctive shrill cry echoed from above. A zombie-hunter, which had been hiding in the tree, was now pouncing.

In an instant, Alex drew his revolver and with a precise shot blew the monster’s head apart. The hunter’s skull exploded, but the body continued its trajectory, crashing to the ground. Alex stepped aside, dodging the falling corpse, which hit the ground with a dull thud.

The sounds of approaching zombies left no time for hesitation. Leaping to a nearby branch, Alex moved toward the bank, carefully scanning the area. Below, he noticed a couple more hunters and one zombie that resembled the Suicide Bomber from Dead Island.

Alex assumed the soldiers had likely wanted to capture this creature for experiments. But how did they plan to deal with a creature that exploded if a living person was nearby? And after the zombie exploded, its bones scattered like shrapnel.

“GIR, take pictures,” he ordered.

The robo-dog nodded, its camera capturing the new threat. Once done, GIR patted Alex on the head, signaling that everything was ready. Alex pulled a small object from his pocket and threw it toward the Suicide Bomber. The explosion was instantaneous—the zombie’s bones scattered like shrapnel, hitting the other nearby undead.

Without wasting time, Alex continued his journey, jumping from branch to branch until he reached the city. There, he climbed onto the roof to get to the bank faster. Finally, the light on the roof of the bank gleamed in the distance, illuminating the silhouettes of the girls waiting for him. With one last jump, Alex landed on the roof.

“Yo, I’m back,” he said, raising his free hand.

Saya, walking towards him, immediately began her interrogation:

“Are you sure you were a mercenary? How can you take out a squad of armed people using bricks and branches?”

“If you know how, anything’s possible,” Alex smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

Saya sighed exaggeratedly.

“I’m already tired of hearing ‘if you know how.’ Can you explain something properly for once?”

“Heh, that’s how it is. I can’t explain everything as it should be. That’s the fate of geniuses,” Alex replied dramatically.

Saya sighed heavily, realizing she wouldn’t get any proper explanation from him. She had heard from Saeko that Alex could repeat any trick he saw. Tired of his “genius,” she went to sit down, not wanting to get involved.

Alex turned to Alice, who was standing off to the side, clearly unsure of what to do.

“Alice, take Stitch and go downstairs. Play there while we’re here. It’s getting cold, and you’re dressed too lightly,” he said in a soft tone.

“Okay, big brother. But don’t take too long, since you said it’s cold outside,” she replied with a smile.

Alice grabbed Stitch by the paw and led him downstairs. Alex nodded at Stitch, as if giving a silent order to look after his sister. In response, Stitch raised his paw with a thumbs-up, signaling that he would handle it. Once Alice was out of sight, Alex approached a chair and seated his prisoner.

Looking around, he began searching for something to tie up his guest with, in case he decided to leave the “party” arranged in his honor.

“Here, I think this is what you’re looking for,” Saeko said, handing him a rope.

“Good job, thanks,” Alex nodded at her with approval.

“Shizuka, maybe you should go downstairs too? This applies to everyone. I’m not insisting you stay and watch this,” Alex said, tightening the rope in his hands.

“If something happens to him, I can help revive him. So, I’ll stay,” Shizuka calmly replied, clearly not planning to leave.

“We’re staying too,” added Rei, speaking for the rest of the girls.

Alex glanced at them briefly, understanding that persuasion wouldn’t help. He started tying up the prisoner, making sure it was tight and secure. After confirming that he wouldn’t be able to escape, Alex walked over to the nearest chair, sat down in front of the prisoner, and began thinking about the first question. He wanted to get to the bottom of who was behind all these events.

Looking at Rebecca, Alex received her silent consent—she gave a brief nod. Alex leaned slightly forward and gently tapped the prisoner’s cheek.

“Wake up. Time to get up and answer some questions,” he said calmly.

The leader, feeling the sting on his cheek, slowly opened his eyes. He tried to rise, but realized he was tightly bound. Memories of the last moments before losing consciousness began to surface in his mind. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed the girls and strange creatures—one green, the other pink. His gaze returned to Alex, whose calm yet cold stare seemed to burn through him.

“What the…” the leader began, but he didn’t finish his sentence before receiving a second slap.

“Here, I speak,” Alex said, his tone firm. “The game is simple: I ask, you answer. If you understand, nod. And don’t even think about trying to escape. It will be the worst decision of your life—trust me, the fate awaiting you at the hands of zombies will seem like paradise compared to what’s coming for you.”

The leader hastily nodded, feeling the memories of his people’s deaths growing clearer and more painful.

“Excellent,” Alex smiled with satisfaction. “But understand this: if you choose to remain silent, it will hurt. And don’t think we can’t bring you back to life if you decide to die. Allow me to introduce my assistants: Doctor GIR and Nurse MIMI. They will be happy to provide you with medical assistance if you decide to leave us due to a heart attack.”

The leader cast a skeptical glance in the direction Alex indicated and met the eyes of the two strange creatures. They had already dressed in medical attire: GIR wore a lab coat, while MIMI had donned a nurse’s cap.

Even the girls were slightly taken aback by how GIR and MIMI had seamlessly changed outfits. But they decided to ignore it, knowing that these two robo-dogs were a bit eccentric.

“Now, attention!” Alex said, as if he were the host of a TV show. He pulled a microphone from his pocket and aimed it at the prisoner. “First question: Who are you, and who do you work for?”

The girls exchanged glances, noticing that Alex now resembled a reality show host more than ever. His mannerisms, his eccentric gestures—it all reminded them of the two robo-dogs. It was clear where GIR and MIMI got their theatrical tendencies from.

Meanwhile, Joseph saw the microphone aimed directly at his face and realized he was dealing with a madman. But he knew from experience that such people were the most dangerous.

“My name is Joseph Mason. I am a member of a special unit from the Live Corporation. Our task is to follow the commands from headquarters,” he answered calmly, understanding that lying would be useless.

“I see. Then, the next question,” Alex once again pointed the microphone at the prisoner. “Why did you destroy the substation? And why did the corporation cause this apocalypse by releasing the zombie virus to the public?”

“I don’t know,” Joseph maintained his composure. “I follow orders. The last person who asked too many questions disappeared, and no one ever saw him again. In our line of work, the less you ask, the longer you live.”

Alex stared into his eyes, evaluating each word. Joseph’s face revealed no deceit, and even the girls, who were closely observing the interrogation, began to believe that he was telling the truth. Brunhilde, known for her sharp mind and experience in exposing lies, confirmed this with a silent nod.

Alex thoughtfully tapped his finger against his chin, contemplating his next question. Meanwhile, Joseph clumsily attempted to free himself from the ropes. His efforts did not go unnoticed by Rebecca.

“Hey, idiot,” she snapped, stepping closer. “Didn’t they tell you to sit still, or are you deaf?”

Without waiting for a response, Rebecca punched Joseph in the face.

The blow was so forceful that Joseph immediately stopped trying to free himself. His plan to take one of the girls hostage crumbled the moment he felt what seemed like a sledgehammer hit his face. Blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

Alex, watching him, merely shook his head.

“Another idiot who doesn’t understand where he’s ended up,” he muttered under his breath.

Then he remembered the question he wanted to ask and pulled his phone from his pocket. Scrolling through the gallery, Alex found the photos that GIR had taken in the hospital. The pictures showed strange symbols from the Marker.

“Attention, new question. Have you ever seen these symbols?” Alex turned the phone’s screen toward the prisoner.

Joseph looked at the photos. For a moment, his face showed no expression, but then something changed. The symbols seemed familiar yet entirely foreign to him.

“No, I…” he began, but suddenly fell silent.

His eyes widened unnaturally, and his face froze in a strange grimace. Alex tensed, noticing this, and watched Joseph intently.

“What the…” Alex whispered, watching as the prisoner suddenly dropped his head, as if he had lost consciousness.

The girls also stared at Joseph, puzzled. His reaction was strange and unexpected. Instead of being scared or angry, he simply passed out.

Alex frowned, trying to understand what had caused such a reaction.

“People usually react differently to the Marker…” he muttered, looking at the still unconscious prisoner.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep