After Alex and his group made it out of the airport and onto the street, a massive Tank zombie suddenly crashed down from a rooftop in front of them. To say its appearance was poorly timed would be an understatement. Alex, unwilling to waste time on a prolonged fight, immediately used one of his techniques. In mere seconds, the zombie was turned into a splattered mess of flesh.

The group following Alex stood frozen, utterly baffled by what had just happened. The whole thing seemed absurdly surreal: one moment, Alex was in front of them; the next, he was on top of the giant zombie’s head, and in the blink of an eye, he crushed it with a single stomp.

Koko, who had been clinging to Alex’s back the entire time, was especially stunned. She fully experienced the meaning of moving at such an incredible speed and was still trying to process it.

After finishing off the zombie, Alex turned to face the others, noticing their shocked expressions.

“What the hell just happened?!” Rika was the first to break the silence, pointing alternately at Alex and the now-smeared remains of the zombie on the asphalt. “How did you just vanish from your spot and crush that massive thing with your foot? I mean, I know you’re a martial arts expert, but, seriously, this is insane!”

“No kidding,” R added, shaking his head. “Judging by the size of that Tank zombie, it could’ve easily tossed an armored vehicle. And those arms… damn, they’re thicker than me! But still, that was seriously badass.”

Alex merely shrugged, replying with a hint of awkwardness, “Uh… it’s hard to explain. Just think of it as martial arts, and leave it at that.”

Hearing his nonchalant response, the group collectively sighed, realizing they weren’t going to get a clear explanation from him.

Alex glanced at Koko, who looked like she was on the verge of throwing up.

“Hey, Koko, you okay?” he asked cautiously.

“Okay?!” she exploded, yanking his hair. “You could’ve at least warned me you can freaking teleport! Now my dinner is probably about to stage a rebellion thanks to your ‘stunts’! Do you even know how to treat a girl properly?!”

Alex smirked, ignoring her outburst.

“Well, admit it, this beats a roller coaster. Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you to hold your breath.”

“Next time?!” Koko yelled, now tugging at his face. “You’re planning to do this again while I’m on your back?!”

Her outrage echoed so loudly it seemed like it could be heard on the other side of the airport.

Valmet was beginning to lose patience, irritated that Alex had pulled such a stunt while Koko was clinging to him. Koko’s entourage, watching the scene, silently prayed for Alex’s survival.

Running out of ways to vent her frustration, Koko eventually resorted to biting Alex’s head.

“Are you trying to suck my brain out?” Alex asked with a grin, feeling her teeth sinking into his head.

“Hum-hum-hum!” Koko mumbled something incomprehensible, still chewing on him.

“Did anyone catch what she said?” Alex looked at the others.

“I think it was something like, ‘I’m going to gnaw you to death,'” Lem calmly explained.

“Got it… Guess I’ll try to survive,” Alex chuckled, prompting another furious growl from Koko.

Alex glanced at Lehm, but the man only shook his head with an expression that said, “You’re on your own.” Alex then turned his gaze to the other men in the group, hoping for some support, but they all quickly averted their eyes, pretending not to notice. None of them wanted to get involved, knowing how vengeful and difficult Koko could be when she was upset.

Looking around again, Alex caught sight of Valmet. Her single visible eye, partially hidden under her eyepatch, gleamed with a predatory intensity, like a lioness ready to tear into her prey. Judging by her expression, she wouldn’t have minded “taking a bite” out of Alex herself.

After Alex and his group made it out of the airport and onto the street, his gaze shifted to Rika. She simply smirked and winked, as if to say, “This is your mess. Handle it.” Alex didn’t even bother looking at the officers standing behind her. Like the rest of the group, they were carefully studying the night sky, pretending nothing unusual was happening.

Alex’s eye twitched. With a heavy sigh, he resigned himself to his fate, letting Koko continue her “punitive measures.” Waving the group forward, he reminded everyone to stay alert and keep an eye on the rooftops.

Moving cautiously, Alex occasionally checked with Rika, who pointed out the correct route. Soon, the group arrived at the corner of a hangar. Alex peeked out to assess the situation, and his mood instantly darkened.

“This is the hangar you were talking about?” he asked, pointing to the building surrounded by a dense horde of zombies. “Please tell me it’s not.”

Hearing his question, Rika stepped forward to take a look. The rest of the group peeked around the corner as well, their faces falling as they saw the sight. The hangar, their objective containing transport and supplies, was engulfed by a sea of walking corpses.

Koko finally stopped gnawing on Alex’s head, her focus now on the scene before them.

“What’s the plan? There are too many of them. If we start shooting, the noise will draw even more,” Valmet said, evaluating the situation.

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then tapped his earpiece to contact Rebecca.

“Becca, you see the hangar surrounded by that horde?” he asked.

Everyone looked at Alex in surprise. No one understood why he was addressing a girl who was supposed to be providing cover from somewhere far behind them.

“You mean the one where the zombies are having a dance-off?” Rebecca replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“Yeah, that one,” Alex confirmed. “Can you clear a path? Just be careful.”

“I’ll figure something out. Watch closely,” she responded with a playful tone.

“Just don’t blow up the hangar,” Alex added warily. “We still need to get the transport out of there.”

But he quickly realized that Rebecca was unlikely to heed his caution.

Alex let out a heavy sigh, silently praying that Rebecca wouldn’t go overboard and reduce the hangar—and the transport—to rubble. Deep down, he hoped her actions wouldn’t trigger a chain reaction, like the time he accidentally turned an entire depot into ruins.

Koko, not missing a chance to pry, started asking questions.

“And how exactly are you going to clear a path? Can your sniper girl handle it alone?”

Alex shot her a weary look, unsure how to answer since he wasn’t entirely confident in the plan himself. Rika, on the other hand, seemed intrigued, scanning the area for any sign of Rebecca’s location.

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a bizarre sight: one of the zombies was abruptly launched into the air, as if struck by a cannonball. The moment its body hit the ground, a powerful suction force emerged, pulling nearby zombies into a massive clump of flesh. Another shot followed, yielding the same result. Within minutes, large mounds of twisted zombie bodies surrounded the hangar.

Seeing Rebecca’s method and realizing she wasn’t using anything explosive, Alex exhaled in relief. He turned in her direction, formed his fingers into a heart shape, and flashed the gesture of love. Laughter echoed through his earpiece, followed by the sound of Rebecca blowing playful kisses.

“What the hell was that?!” Koko stared at Alex in shock. “What kind of bullets are those?”

“Custom design,” Alex replied nonchalantly, pointing to the massive clusters of zombies. “Special rounds that create a strong suction field. Anyone nearby gets pulled to the epicenter”

“You’re kidding, right?” Lutz asked, his disbelief evident as he looked at Alex. “How do you even make something that powerful and fit it into a single bullet?”

“It’s a long process, and now’s not the time to explain,” Alex said curtly, cutting off further questions. “Let’s move to the hangar while the coast is clear.”

Lutz wanted to argue, but he fell silent, understanding that he wasn’t going to get any details. As a sniper, he was impressed that such bullets actually existed. He was curious about what kind of weapon they were made for.

Koko, on the other hand, looked at Alex with renewed interest. She knew that every piece of his weaponry, from the axe in his hand to the arsenal of two robo-dogs, had been created by him personally. As a weapons dealer with years of experience, she understood how dangerous and revolutionary this kind of weapon could be if it fell into the hands of one side in a military conflict.

“What other types of ammo have you created?” she asked, fueling the fire.

“Well…” Alex paused, smirking slightly before listing, “Acid, shock, incendiary, and of course, vacuum. All of it was made specifically for my little gremlin. Personally, I don’t need it—I prefer cold weapons.”

These words sparked mixed reactions from those around them. On one hand, the guys in the entourage gave Alex a thumbs up, impressed by how he pampered his girl by creating dangerous and innovative weapons for her. On the other hand, they looked at him like a madman capable of bringing such incredible ideas to life.

“Wait, but you do have pistols and a revolver, right?” Todzi interrupted, pointing at the weapons. “You definitely made them yourself. Why didn’t you design special rounds for yourself?”

“Can’t you see?” Alex smiled. “I’m a fan of games and anime. How else would I come up with two robo-dogs or weapons you’ve only seen in video games?”

Alex’s words elicited a mix of respect and light mockery, but no one asked further questions. Everyone was certain that there was much more to this guy than met the eye.

Todzi quickly nodded, realizing that Alex was just as much a fan as he was. However, Todzi couldn’t shake the feeling that Alex resembled a character from his favorite manga too much—even their names matched.

The rest of the group watched their animated conversation with dry expressions, clearly not sharing their enthusiasm. Koko, however, was absorbed by something else—she was intrigued by how Alex had managed to bring to life weapons that used to be seen only in video games or anime.

When they reached the hangar, Alex signaled for GIR and MIMI to check the area. The two robo-dogs darted inside and returned a minute later, signaling that the area was clear. Alex gave a brief nod, allowing the others to enter and start preparing. Then he waved in Rebecca’s direction, signaling that she could approach.

“Did you wave at your fiancée?” Koko asked with curiosity, noticing the gesture.

“Yep. She’s been covering us this whole time,” Alex replied calmly, turning to Koko and looking her straight in the eyes. “Or do you think the lack of zombies in our path is just a coincidence?”

“Who knows, maybe we just got lucky and they decided we weren’t tasty enough,” Koko responded with a smirk.

“Of course, especially you,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“What do you mean ‘I’m not tasty’? I’m actually quite delicious, thank you very much! Want to check?” Koko challenged, reaching a hand toward his face.

Alex first looked at her hand, then at Koko, whose smile and sly gaze clearly indicated that she was waiting for his reaction. Shrugging, he unexpectedly licked her hand. Koko froze, her face turning red in surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected her attempt to tease Alex to backfire on her. Flustered, she looked at Alex, whose eyes were shining with amusement.

Deciding not to let this go unpunished, Koko grabbed Alex’s face and ran her tongue along his cheek. At that moment, their fun was interrupted by Rebecca, who pulled up on her motorcycle and cheerfully announced:

“You’re having fun here, handsome. I just arrived, and some girl’s already all over you.”

Hearing Rebecca’s voice, Koko immediately pulled away, removing her hands from Alex’s face. She turned around and met the gaze of the petite girl, who watched the scene with no trace of jealousy, as if such things were a normal occurrence for her. Koko involuntarily sized Rebecca up from head to toe, puzzled by how such a fragile-looking girl could handle a sniper rifle so expertly.

Rebecca, in turn, glanced at Koko but didn’t pay much attention to the situation. She was used to girls, sometimes even goddesses, flocking around Alex, so jealousy had long ceased to bother her.

“It happens sometimes,” Alex muttered, wiping his face from Koko’s saliva.

“Yeah, sure. The second you turn around, some girl either licks your face or tries to bite you,” Rebecca teased, her smile wide.

“He started it!” Koko retorted, trying to justify herself and shift the blame onto Alex.

Alex’s eye twitched slightly as Koko, with an utterly innocent expression, laid all the blame on him. Rebecca burst out laughing, clearly finding the situation hilarious. Alex sighed heavily, gave Koko a reproachful look, and entered the hangar with the girls.

Inside, everyone was busy preparing for departure: some were loading crates of supplies, others were checking their gear and weapons. When Alex, Koko, and Rebecca entered, the noise quieted for a moment—everyone turned to look at the newcomers.

Upon seeing Rebecca, Todzi froze as if struck by lightning. A second later, he started crying like a child, as if he had seen a living embodiment of a miracle. The rest of Koko’s entourage watched in amazement, not understanding what had made their colleague break into tears.

Rebecca, utterly bewildered, furrowed her brow and turned to Alex, demanding an explanation.

“Why is this guy in glasses crying like a little kid seeing me?” she asked, pointing at Todzi.

“Uh… it’s a bit hard to explain,” Alex answered evasively, understanding the reason behind Todzi’s reaction.

“Hard? What do you mean?” Koko squinted, not getting it.

Alex simply sighed, took out his phone, and opened a scene from an anime. Koko curiously leaned in to take a look. Ricka and Valmet, who had been standing nearby, noticed Alex showing something and came over.

Meanwhile, Todzi continued wiping his tears, whispering:

“Thank you for being alive…”

When the video on Alex’s phone started playing, Koko, Ricka, and Valmet saw a character that looked suspiciously like Rebecca: green hair, red eyes, the same tattoo, and even the black hoodie that Rebecca was wearing at that moment. They simultaneously shifted their gaze from the screen to Rebecca and then back to the phone, as if comparing.

“That… is weird,” Ricka commented, trying to suppress her laughter. “I can understand you looking like a manga character, but your girlfriend—she’s the same? This is too much!”

“Imagine how it feels for us,” Alex said sarcastically, pointing to the crying Todzi.

“I think it’s cool to look like fictional characters!” Koko remarked, tilting her head slightly and smiling.

Alex just shook his head. He had long stopped paying attention to such coincidences, considering them unimportant. Rebecca, on the other hand, clicked her tongue in irritation, recalling the recent incident with Kota. She silently got on Alex’s motorcycle, deciding to ignore the situation and wait for the others to finish preparing.

Noticing this, Alex decided to check Koko’s plane for anything useful. He removed Koko from his back, sat her on the motorcycle, and placed a hand on her head like a fussy child, saying briefly:

“I’ll quickly check the plane to see if there’s anything we can use. You guys finish loading.”

His actions caught the attention of Valmet and Ricka, who were standing nearby.

“Are you going after zombies again?” Valmet asked coldly.

“No, just checking your plane,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

Koko tried to object, but Alex gently placed his hand on her head and lightly ruffled her hair. She just muttered something under her breath, not wanting to argue further.

Leaving the hangar, Alex shut the door behind him and headed for the plane. On the way, he noticed a group of zombies still circling around the fuselage. Strangely, they didn’t react to his presence at all.

Summoning Yamato, Alex drew his blade and, with a single swing, decapitated the entire group. The zombies collapsed to the ground, and he calmly sheathed his sword and continued on. Upon reaching the plane’s ramp, he saw the decapitated body of a soldier, one who had been killed earlier by Rebecca at his request.

“Well, I hope it doesn’t come back to life,” Alex muttered, giving the body a light kick.

Ensuring that the corpse was truly dead, he boarded the plane and began his search. The first thing that caught his attention was an open box. Peering inside, he immediately recognized that it contained a container that had been taken by the strange soldiers.

“If this was a Marker fragment, then it all makes sense…” Alex said, sighing. “Though, I hope necromorphs don’t show up anytime soon.”

Shrugging, he continued to explore the inside of the plane.

Entering the depths of the plane, Alex began to examine the numerous boxes in search of something useful. However, he didn’t find anything valuable. It was only in one wooden box that his attention was drawn to an activated bomb. Alex quickly understood why it had been armed. Clearly, it was set up in case someone tried to use the plane to escape—either way, they would still die.

“Surprising, the lengths people go to with their cruelty,” Alex muttered, shaking his head. He realized that if not for his intervention to save Ricka, things could have ended much worse.

After thinking for a moment, Alex decided not to tamper with the bomb, as there was nothing of value in the plane anyway. Leaving the aircraft, he headed toward the ramp. However, as he passed the spot where the decapitated soldier’s body had been earlier, Alex was surprised to find that the body was gone.

“What the…?” he whispered, frowning.

Looking around, Alex couldn’t find any traces or hints of where the body could have gone. It was inexplicable, until strange sounds came from behind him. Whipping around, Alex saw something that made him flinch nervously.

“Well, fuck… Did I jinx it? Who the hell pulled me into this?!” he cursed, staring at what the decapitated soldier had turned into.

Before him stood the first necromorph in this world. Alex immediately recognized it as the soldier who had been transformed into a grotesque monster. The remnants of its form left no doubt about who it had once been.

The necromorph suddenly lunged at Alex, its movements fast and threatening. But Alex decided to use the moment for an experiment. Drawing his revolver from behind his back, he shot at the monster’s legs. The force of the shot blew off its limbs, but the necromorph, like a soulless machine, kept crawling forward.

Alex aimed and fired at the creature’s remaining hand, but even with one limb, it didn’t stop.

“Tough bastard, I’ll give it that,” he said, slightly surprised.

“What in the hell is this?” a voice suddenly asked, as Geirölul appeared behind Alex in her spiritual form. “It’s like a corpse turned inside out.”

“This is the result of the Marker’s influence,” Alex explained calmly, not taking his eyes off the necromorph. “First, it turns a person into a slave, and after death, the body becomes this… necromorph. Literally ‘dead form.’ If I’m right, there are fragments of the Marker somewhere in this world, and more specifically, a corporation is in possession of them.”

“How bad is this?” Skalmöld asked, also appearing behind Alex.

“It depends on the situation,” he said, thoughtfully rubbing his forehead. “If the people from the corporation decide to build new Markers, this whole world will turn into one big necromorph factory. And if the zombies start mutating under the influence of the Marker… I don’t even want to think about it. Actually, it’s not a matter of if, it’s more like when the zombies will start transforming into necromorphs, because the Marker only turns dead flesh into necromorphs.”

“What could be worse than a world populated by these things?” Hlökk asked, appearing next to him.

Instead of answering, Alex transmitted his thoughts and knowledge about the Markers to his companions. Realizing the scale of the threat, they could only sigh heavily.

“Why do mortals always try to play with things they don’t understand?” Skalmöld muttered irritably.

Meanwhile, the necromorph, now deprived of all limbs, froze and ceased to move. This confirmed Alex’s theory: just like in the game Dead Space, limb damage destroys these creatures.

Alex looked at the necromorph’s body and decided to test another theory. He approached the corpse and stepped on the monster’s chest, expecting some kind of item to fall out.

“Nothing,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Shame. It would have been fun if they dropped medkits or ammo.”

“Are you serious?!” Hlökk exclaimed, tapping his head. “This isn’t a video game! How could you expect something to fall out of that monstrosity?!”

“What if I got lucky?” Alex smirked, gently rubbing his head from her taps.

“Useless,” she muttered, continuing to grumble.

Alex just smiled and headed for the exit, preparing for the next challenges.

Hlökk, thoroughly annoyed, grabbed Alex by the hair, venting her irritation. Alex sighed and calmly pushed her off, brushing the blood off his boot. Straightening his coat, he headed back into the hangar.

When he entered, everyone was already in position, ready for the next step, and they were all just waiting for him.

“Why did it take so long? Did you find something interesting?” Rebecca asked, lazily sprawled across his motorcycle.

“Sort of,” Alex replied briefly, nodding while lighting a cigarette.

His words drew everyone’s attention. Now, everyone was looking at him, expecting an explanation. Alex briefly considered how much he could reveal. Deciding that part of the information could be made public, he started speaking:

“Well, first of all, I confirmed that they were transporting Koko and her entourage. Second, I ran into something new. Zombies. But not just any zombies—something much more disgusting and incredibly resilient.”

Alex’s words prompted wary glances, especially from Koko and her people. Koko’s face darkened—she seemed to begin realizing that her cargo was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

“So, what exactly were we transporting?” Lehm asked, lighting a cigarette and staring intently at Alex.

Alex paused, looked around at everyone, and flicked the ash from his cigarette before speaking:

“I’m not sure whether you’ll believe me or think I’m rambling, but what I’m about to say is the absolute truth.”

“We’ve got corpses rising up and trying to kill us. How much crazier could it get?” R interjected with a grin.

Alex gave him a look of mild pity. He felt sorry that R still didn’t realize just how terrifying the reality could be.

“Come on, spill it already,” Rebecca said impatiently, tossing a caramel at Alex. “I’m not sticking around here all night.”

“Alright, listen up. Koko and her crew, unknowingly, were transporting… an alien artifact. It probably fell here with a meteorite a long time ago. If my theory is correct, this artifact or its fragments were used by the corporation to kick off this damn apocalypse we’re witnessing right now.”

He spoke seriously, emphasizing his words with gestures. However, a shadow of doubt lingered on his face—would anyone take him seriously?

Doubt hung in the air like a mist, settling on the gazes directed at Alex. His words sounded so unbelievable that they were hard to believe. They might have accepted the theory of a virus created by scientists and deliberately spread across the world. But the idea of a cosmic artifact turning people into zombies seemed utterly insane.

Rebecca simply nodded, as they had already discussed this topic before. G.I.R. and MIMI, on the other hand, seemed energized by the possibility of embarking on a “crusade” against the disgusting xenos.

“You’re right, it sounds completely absurd,” Koko finally said, expressing the general mood.

Alex shrugged, a slight smile forming on his lips.

“I’m not asking you to believe me. You can deny, refute, or accept what I’ve said. All I’ve done is share what I think and what I’ve learned. For now, this information doesn’t change anything for you. As they say, we’ll deal with problems as they come.”

After these words, Alex gave the command to get in the vehicles and follow him. Rebecca, taking her usual place in front on his motorcycle, felt quite comfortable. However, Alex soon noticed someone had seated themselves behind him. Turning his head, he met Koko’s playful gaze, who had settled behind him.

“Are you with us now?” he asked, smirking.

Koko just gave him a sly smile, but then she was slightly nudged. Alex turned again and saw Rika had joined them, also deciding to squeeze onto the motorcycle. She winked at him as if it was completely natural.

“Move! You’re squashing me with your chest!” Koko protested, trying to push Rika away.

“Not happening! Do you think I’ll let you enjoy the ride alone? If you’re uncomfortable, you can get off yourself,” Rika retorted with a grin, deliberately pressing her chest harder against Koko’s neck.

Alex sighed heavily and glanced at Rebecca, who was clearly enjoying watching the argument. He moved slightly forward to give Koko and Rika more space, but that still didn’t solve the problem entirely.

Meanwhile, G.I.R. and MIMI, realizing there was no room left for them on the motorcycle, looked at Alex with offended expressions. He chuckled, apologized to them, and promised new weapons. Upon hearing this, the robo-dogs perked up, gave each other high fives, eagerly jumped onto the roof of the nearest Humvee, and started bobbing their heads happily.

“Well, the kids are happy,” Alex muttered with a smirk.

He started the engine, waved his hand signaling for the convoy to follow, and they drove out of the hangar. Led by Alex on his motorcycle, the Humvee convoy slowly moved forward. If it weren’t for the constant bickering between Koko and Rika, the ride would have been silent.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep