After helping Kasper escape the zombie horde, Alex closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. At this stage, he could afford to be a little lazy—after all, it was only the first day on the ferry, and they had at least two days left before reaching the nearest coastal city. So, he made a tactical decision: relax or do something that didn’t require much effort.

After a brief moment of thought, Alex skimmed through the lists of supplies the girls had compiled. As he reread them, he considered how to manage their available resources efficiently. When his gaze stopped on the weapons list, an idea struck him—could he assemble a few flamethrowers using what they had on hand?

After quickly weighing the possibilities, he concluded that he could put together only a few. They might come in handy during future raids, especially when the group had to stop to gather supplies. Setting the list aside, Alex glanced around to see what everyone else was up to.

Saya and Namiyo were learning to steer the ship under the guidance of the robo-dog, GIR. Rebecca and Rika were sprawled on a mattress like two lazy potatoes, seemingly watching a movie with no intention of moving anytime soon.

Rei and Saeko were discussing training with Brunhilde. Shizuka was playing with Stitch, Alice, and MIMI. Koko was still fuming about the situation with her father, who had sided with the Evil Corporation. Yuriko and Kiriko sat off to the side, chatting over tea.

However, Alex quickly noticed that someone was missing. After a moment of thought, he recalled that Valmet had taken the guys to keep an eye on the coastline. Deciding to check the situation himself, he got up and headed for the exit.

As he passed by the girls, they asked where he was going.

“Checking on Valmet and the others,” he replied.

They nodded and went back to their activities.

Stepping out of the control room, Alex looked around and spotted Valmet with Lehm and Lutz. They stood by the railing, armed with binoculars, discussing something. Without hesitation, Alex vaulted over the barrier, jumped down, and approached the group.

“See anything interesting?” he asked, stopping beside them.

“Take a look yourself, kid,” Lehm said, handing him the binoculars.

“Nah, I’ve got my own,” Alex smirked, forming his hands into a makeshift binocular shape.

Lehm snorted in amusement at the display, while Valmet shot Alex a dry look before silently returning to her watch.

Following their line of sight, Alex spotted a bus moving along the highway toward them. Looking closer, he noticed a large number of people inside, some of whom were casting glances in their direction.

“What do you think? Who are they?” Alex asked, turning to the others.

“From what we’ve heard, that bus has been following us since the port. If you watch closely, you’ll see they’re matching our pace—no faster, no slower,” Lehm said, lighting a cigarette.

“So, you think it’s those idiots from the port?” Alex asked, shifting his gaze back to the bus.

Lehm nodded, confirming his suspicion. Alex considered the situation. These pursuers would either fall behind eventually or end up as dinner for zombies when night fell.

“Alright, let them keep going. The zombies and mutants will welcome them after dark. No need to waste our time on them,” he said, losing interest in the bus.

“Want me to shoot out their tires? Just in case. Who knows how long they’ll last?” Lutz suggested, aiming his rifle.

“Do whatever you want, just don’t make trouble for us,” Alex shrugged. “I’m off to pretend I’m a productive member of society.”

“And how exactly are you gonna do that, kid?” Lehm smirked.

“Heh, I’ll lie down until I fall asleep,” Alex grinned, giving a thumbs-up.

Lehm smirked at Alex’s words and also considered taking a short break. Alex was about to leave but remembered that he would start training the guys tomorrow.

“Oh yeah, before I forget. Lehm, let the guys know that training starts tomorrow. Anyone who wants to participate should gather at seven in the morning. Oh, and don’t forget to bring Takashi,” Alex said, turning back.

“I’ll pass it on,” Lehm nodded.

Alex waved a hand and headed back to the control room. Looking around, he realized he didn’t feel like doing anything at the moment, so he decided to just relax. Settling in between Rebecca and Rika, he took Rebecca’s tablet, and the three of them started watching a movie. This quickly caught the attention of the others, and soon, the girls gathered around, deciding to join in.

Alex quickly realized that watching a movie in such a tight space would be uncomfortable. Pausing the film, he got up and went in search of a white cloth to set up an improvised movie theater. After stretching out the fabric and starting the movie again, he settled back among the girls. Now, watching was much more comfortable.

Some time later, Valmet returned to the room and was met with a sight that made her eye twitch. All the girls were crowded around Alex, completely absorbed in the movie. Alex, noticing her, cheerfully waved, inviting her to join. Valmet sighed but seemingly decided it was pointless to resist and found herself a comfortable spot.

Time flew by as they watched movies, and before they knew it, it was time to sleep.

The next morning, Alex woke up with a strange sensation, as if he were being hugged by a giant octopus. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was black hair. He quickly tried to recall who in their group had hair like that. Only two candidates came to mind: Brunhilde and Valmet.

But Alex immediately ruled out Brunhilde—there was no way she would hug him so tightly in her sleep. That could only mean one thing…

Carefully freeing himself from the tight embrace of the “octopus,” Alex confirmed his suspicion—Valmet was asleep in front of him, dressed in just a tank top and panties, still holding onto him even in her sleep.

Finally slipping away, he looked around. At the ferry’s helm, MIMI was already sitting in the captain’s seat, while GIR was off to the side, deeply engrossed in a video game. Alex figured the two had decided to take shifts keeping watch.

Surveying the room, he noticed that the rest of the girls were still asleep. He was the only one up so early. Checking his watch, he saw that there were only thirty minutes left before the guys’ training session. Stretching, Alex discreetly pulled some weights from his inventory—ones he had used for training people back in Orario.

Packing everything into a backpack, he motioned for GIR to follow him and left the control room. Heading downstairs, Alex sat on a chair by the railing, lit a cigarette, and waited for the guys to arrive. He thought about how nice it would be to have some coffee but was too lazy to go looking for it. Instead, he simply pulled a mug from his inventory and used magic to prepare a fresh cup.

After a while, Koko’s group of guys started showing up. They looked energetic—unlike Takashi, who seemed like he’d been hit by a truck last night and then forced to sleep outside.

“I see you’re full of energy and enthusiasm,” Alex smirked, watching them.

“Heh, waking up early in the morning is nothing,” R chuckled as he walked up. “So, how do you plan to train us?”

“Let’s wait a little longer. Maybe more people will show up. In the meantime, do some warm-ups—it’ll help,” Alex replied with a slight smile.

The guys nodded and began stretching and warming up for the upcoming training session. Lehm, not particularly eager to exert himself, simply grabbed a chair, sat next to Alex, and struck up a casual conversation.

A little while later, a few more guys joined in, including even Shino Kuribayashi. However, Itami was nowhere to be seen. Alex quickly guessed that the guy had likely spent the whole night watching anime and had passed out by morning.

Waiting for everyone to finish their warm-up, Alex carefully examined each of them, assessing their physical condition. The weakest in the group turned out to be Takashi, which came as no surprise to him. The others were either former soldiers, police officers, or special forces— their physical training was incomparably better than that of an average high school student.

“Well, now that everyone’s warmed up, put these on,” Alex said, setting his backpack down in front of him and opening it wide. “Two per person, put them on your wrists.”

The guys and Shino approached, peering inside, and found strange bracelets. Following Alex’s instructions, each of them took a pair, but no one was in a hurry to put them on, not understanding their purpose.

“What are these bracelets?” Shino asked, turning the weights over in her hands and examining them closely.

“These are special weights that adapt to the user. I’m not going to explain how they’re made—you wouldn’t understand anyway. Now, put them on,” Alex said, getting up from his chair.

The guys exchanged skeptical glances, not believing that such light-looking bracelets could serve the stated purpose. R was the first to try them on. As soon as he fastened them around his wrists, he immediately felt the weight pulling him, and he struggled to keep his balance.

“Whoa…” he groaned, feeling the sudden heaviness.

The others stared at him, thinking he was just messing with them. However, once they put the bracelets on themselves, the jokes stopped. While they held them in their hands, the weight seemed insignificant, but as soon as the bracelets were on their wrists, it felt like they had suddenly been loaded with dozens of extra kilograms.

“God damn… Why are these so heavy?!” R grumbled, trying to straighten up.

“I told you, they adapt to the user,” Alex explained calmly, lighting a cigarette. “The weight you’re feeling right now is the maximum load your body can handle. And keep in mind, as you get used to it, the weight will increase.”

“Is this really necessary?” Toji asked hopefully, clearly unhappy with his new “accessory.” “Can’t you train us some other way? Why make us feel like three sumo wrestlers are sitting on top of us?”

“You guys wanted to train, didn’t you?” Alex smirked. “Or do you think you can just take down a huge zombie with your bare hands? Oh no, my little ones, it’s not that simple! Your bodies need to adjust to the load, or you’ll just collapse in half during a fight. And considering the situation we’re in, you’ll be going through an accelerated course… in the strength of youth!”

Alex grinned widely and gave a thumbs-up, in the style of a very energetic sensei.

Some of the guys sighed in resignation, but Lutz clearly wasn’t going to put up with it and tried to remove the weights. However, as soon as he realized that the bracelets wouldn’t come off, his face turned pale.

Alex noticed this and grinned even wider. His expression sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention… I’m the only one who can take these off,” his voice turned particularly sly. “And the best part… if anyone loses their motivation, my little helper will make sure you get an extra dose of enthusiasm.”

Alex pointed to GIR, who raised its paw at that moment, emitting a menacing buzz, hinting at the built-in shockers.

The guys exchanged glances. The training promised to be very… unforgettable.

Looking at the little robo-dog, everyone noticed how its paws crackled with electricity. At that moment, a chill ran down their spines— not only did they now have to wear these bracelets all the time, but the robo-dog was also about to shock anyone who decided to slack off. Sighing in resignation, the group realized they had no choice— they had to accept their fate and just go with it.

“Listen, Alex, since we can’t escape and can’t take these things off, I have a question. How much will this actually help us? I mean, what will we be able to do after we get through this training?” R asked, realizing that arguing was pointless.

Alex paused for a moment, then smiled.

“Hmm… It all depends on how strong you want to become. I think it’s easier to show you. If you train long enough, you’ll be able to do something like this.”

He gestured for everyone to step back so no one would get hurt. Wondering what he was going to do, the group obediently took a few steps back. But Alex asked them to move even further. When, in his opinion, the distance was sufficient, he took a deep breath… and then delivered a powerful uppercut to the air.

A deafening crack sounded— the punch broke the sound barrier, creating a shockwave that made everyone instinctively cover their ears and step back. A powerful gust of wind swept over the deck, tousling their hair and clothes. But what shocked everyone the most was that Alex’s punch literally dispersed the clouds above them, leaving a perfectly round gap in the sky.

They all stood there, jaws dropped, unable to believe what they had just seen.

“You… are you serious?!” R was the first to recover. “Your punch literally split the clouds! How is that even possible?!”

Alex just smirked.

“I’ll explain everything during the training. For now, our goal is to strengthen your bodies in two weeks. By that time, you should be strong enough to move on to the next stage. Now enough talk, it’s time to train!”

He clapped his hands, and the shockwave from the impact almost knocked everyone off their feet. Realizing that further questioning was pointless, everyone just sighed in resignation.

And so began their grueling training. Alex used a slightly simplified version of Might Guy’s exercise routine, as none of them would have survived the full course in their current state. To save time, he demonstrated the exercises they had to follow. He paid special attention to Takashi— he clearly wasn’t used to physical exertion, and his fragile body looked like a twig ready to snap from the slightest effort.

An hour passed. Everyone was utterly exhausted, sweating as though they had just come from a sauna, sprawled out on the deck, gasping for air. It seemed like just a little longer, and their souls would start leaving their bodies. During this time, more people came up to the upper deck to watch the suffering of those training. Some sighed with relief, realizing they had made the right choice in backing out— otherwise, they’d be sprawled on the deck in such a miserable state too.

Alex sat in a chair, giving the students a chance to rest for a while. Soon, the girls appeared on the deck, drawn by the noise. They brought food and drinks, deciding to see what was going on.

Namiyo immediately noticed her son among the trainees and frowned— Takashi looked the most exhausted of them all. Her heart tightened with worry, and she was about to approach him, but he just waved her off.

“I’m fine, Mom,” he gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I decided to train myself. I want to become stronger so I can protect you.”

Tears welled up in Namiyo’s eyes. She couldn’t believe that her son, whom she had always thought of as weak and insecure, had finally taken responsibility for his life and wanted to change.

“Why didn’t you wake me up for training?” Valmet’s angry voice rang out. She walked up to Alex and lightly kicked him with her foot.

“You were hugging me like an octopus and clearly weren’t planning on waking up,” Alex smirked, shrugging. “When I managed to break free from your iron grip, you didn’t even move. So, I figured it was better not to wake you.”

The guys from Koko’s group lay on the ground, exhausted from the training. They could hear the conversation, but they didn’t have the strength to even comment on it. Even laughing was hard, and if anyone dared to laugh, they definitely wouldn’t be able to escape Valmet’s fury.

“Are you still alive?” Koko poked Todzi with a stick, who was pretending to be dead. “Alex, if they die from exhaustion, I’ll bite your head off.”

“Don’t worry, they’re all alive. Just let them rest for a bit, and they’ll get back to training,” Alex said with a light smile.

Todzi’s body trembled, betraying the fact that he had clearly heard their conversation. Koko noticed this, nodded, and returned to Alex, continuing her breakfast.

Not wanting to stay on the sidelines, Valmet decided to join the training as well. Alex didn’t mind, but before letting her start, he handed her weights and asked her to put them on her arms, then wait for the others to regain their strength. Rei and Saeko also wanted to challenge themselves and took the weights. However, as soon as they put them on, they immediately realized why everyone around them looked like they were about to collapse.

After the group rested a bit, Alex continued the training, trying to encourage everyone. Grumbling and struggling to get to their feet, his students resumed their exercises.

The second stage of training focused on proper breathing— the key to endurance. Alex explained the technique and used Saeko as an example, who easily demonstrated the correct breathing technique.

The training lasted until lunchtime, until the participants were completely exhausted.

“We’ll stop here for now,” Alex said, looking at his exhausted students. “Tomorrow’s training will be in the evening because we’ll arrive at our first coastal town around lunchtime to replenish our supplies. For now, you can go rest.”

“I’ll stay here. Maybe I’ll get lucky and die. Then I won’t have to go through this hell anymore…” R groaned, lying on the ground like a dead fish.

“And I warned you guys!” Lehm grinned. “But no, you had to kick the big zombie! Now suffer.”

“Go to hell, Lehm…” Todzi groaned, unable to even get angry.

Lehm just laughed, watching their suffering.

Unnoticed by everyone, Alex cast a healing spell on the entire group, ensuring they would be in perfect condition by morning. However, Brunhild noticed his actions and nodded approvingly.

Meanwhile, Alex approached Rei, Saeko, and Valmet, who were lying exhausted. Without saying a word, he picked up all three girls and carried them to their rooms so they could rest.

Namiyo helped her son Takashi get to his room. When Kota saw his friend in such a state, he asked in surprise:

“Dude, what happened to you? You look like you’re one foot in the grave.”

“…Training…” Takashi groaned, then fell silent.

Kota simply shook his head and decided to ask the others.

Alex, in the meantime, carried the girls to the control room and laid them down to rest. Then he asked GIR and MIMI to give them relaxing massages.

Later, when the other girls returned, they found Saeko, Rei, and Valmet blissfully enjoying their massages, their faces expressing complete satisfaction, as if they were in paradise.

Remembering that GIR and MIMI gave amazing massages, the others also wanted to try. This especially interested the older girls like Yuriko, Kiriko, and Namiyo. Even Shizuka, who often complained about back pain due to her large chest, couldn’t resist.

Saya, although she was not against joining, noticed that Alex was busy with something. She approached closer, peering over his shoulder, and saw complicated diagrams on his laptop screen.

“What are you planning to build?” she asked, leaning on his shoulder to get a better look at the project.

“Hmm… I want to make raids easier for other groups, so I’m developing some useful devices. But I don’t have many details yet, so I can’t make much progress,” Alex replied, rubbing his nose.

“Can I help?” Saya asked, looking into his eyes.

“Sure. You wanted to learn, so this is a great chance to continue your education,” Alex smiled.

Saya grinned widely, then, in a sudden impulse, quickly kissed Alex on the cheek while no one was watching. Feeling her face flush, she quickly glanced around, checking if anyone had noticed. Once she was sure no one saw, Saya wondered—maybe she should take a chance and kiss Alex again? Or better yet, on the lips? But she decided there would be another opportunity.

Alex smiled, noticing her boldness, and pulled up a chair for her to sit next to him.

“Come on, sit down.”

As Saya settled comfortably, he began explaining what devices he wanted to create for the raid groups. The girl listened attentively, nodded, and asked questions about how they should work and how he planned to bring everything to life.

Once the planning was done, they went off to find the necessary parts. Since some parts were missing, Alex subtly created them using magic, passing them off as found items. When everything they needed was gathered, they returned and got to work.

They got so caught up in their work that they didn’t notice when it was time for dinner. Even during the meal, Alex and Saya continued discussing technology, though they tried not to disturb the others. After dinner, they returned to assembling the devices, but at some point, Saya fell asleep, resting her head on his lap.

Alex had to finish everything on his own. Once the work was completed, he gently picked up Saya and carried her to her room, tucking her into bed. After finishing that, he returned to the desk and, without holding back, used magic to quickly create flamethrowers, neatly arranged everything in boxes for dramatic effect, and finally went to bed.

The moment he lay down, he was immediately embraced from all sides. Alex sighed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

He woke up in the morning with a strange feeling, as if someone had tried to eat him in his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw Koko and Rebecca fighting fiercely for “territory” in their sleep, pushing each other away.

Carefully slipping out of their tight embrace, Alex decided to check the engine—he needed to figure out which parts needed replacing and which could simply be repaired. Of course, it would be easier with magic, but then the others would ask questions: how did the old ferry engine suddenly become new?

Calling GIR along, he headed to the technical room. On the way, he checked the map again—they should reach the coastal town by lunchtime.

Once downstairs, Alex and his trusty robo-dog began inspecting and repairing. After a while, Yuriko appeared with a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, I brought you coffee,” she said, placing the cup on the nearest available surface.

“Thanks, I was just about to have something to drink. You’re right on time,” Alex replied with a smile, wiping his hands.

“Is it really that bad?” Yuriko asked, sitting down in a chair, watching the process.

“Some parts need to be replaced, the rest can be repaired manually. The problem is, these parts are only sold in specialty stores. I hope we can find some in the town we’re headed to,” Alex said, taking a sip of coffee.

Yuriko nodded, chatted with him for a bit more, but soon left, not wanting to interfere.

Taking out his phone, Alex checked the time. Only a few hours were left until arrival. Realizing he wouldn’t have time to do a major overhaul, he decided to take a break and headed for the shower.

After a refreshing shower, Alex went upstairs and headed to the control room. Making sure everything was ready for the raid groups, he allowed himself a little rest.

Soon, the port appeared on the horizon. GIR took over the ferry’s control, carefully steering it toward the dock.

“We’re almost there,” Alex announced, addressing the girls. “Now we just need to decide who will go to the city and who will stay on board to keep an eye on things.”

Brunhilda immediately declared that she would stay behind to watch over the ferry—during Alex’s absence, she served as the vice-leader. Yuriko, Kiriko, and Namiyo also decided to stay, just in case.

Thus, the raid group consisted of Rebecca, Rika, Valmet, Koko, Shizuka, Rei, Saya, and Saeko. Saya insisted on going with them, as she had spent the entire previous day helping Alex assemble gadgets for the raid groups.

Stitch, MIMI, and GIR stayed behind to guard the ferry from any potential unwanted guests who might see the vessel as an easy target.

Having finalized the group composition, Alex grabbed several boxes and, together with the girls, headed downstairs, where the other raid participants were already gathering. As soon as he set the boxes on the floor, many of them looked at them curiously, clearly intrigued by their contents.

“Today, no usual greetings, straight to the point!” Alex began, raising his fist to the sky. “We’ve arrived at our first stop to resupply. Our goal is to take all the gold and women to claim our rightful place in Valhalla at Odin’s feast!”

“I don’t want to disappoint you, but you’re mixing genres again. We’re not Vikings,” Lehm smirked.

“Don’t kill my vibe, for the love of all things holy,” Alex waved him off. “I need to entertain myself somehow.”

The guys laughed, while Alex scanned the group who had trained the day before. He noticed that their physical condition had improved significantly, but he didn’t point it out—let them feel the difference themselves.

“Alright, jokes aside. Work is work. Let’s split into groups as usual. Here are the lists of necessary items,” Alex said, laying out papers on the crates. “The ones highlighted are a priority.”

“What’s in the boxes, if you don’t mind me asking?” Mao asked, taking the list and distributing copies to the different groups.

“I’ll show you. These things will make our raids easier,” Alex replied, opening one of the boxes.

Inside were strange gadgets resembling small flashlights. When developing them, Alex was inspired by Chris Redfield’s communicators from Resident Evil 6—multifunctional devices that allowed for map viewing and data retrieval.

Taking one of the gadgets, he activated it, and a holographic map of the coastal city appeared before everyone.

“We have limited resources, so each raid group will only get one device,” Alex began explaining. “First, it projects a map of the area. Second, it has a built-in object scanner. If you encounter an unfamiliar zombie and take it down, just scan the body—the data will immediately be sent to my assistant.”

Alex marked important points on the map and sent them to the other communicators so the raiders could navigate more easily. Each group leader received a device, after which Alex moved on to the next gadget.

“Alright, let’s move on. This is a reconnaissance drone. I don’t think I need to explain why it’s useful. Just pass it to the person with the right skill set. There aren’t many drones, and making new ones isn’t convenient right now.”

The groups distributed the drones, but Kota, noticing a closed crate, couldn’t help asking:

“What’s in the last one?”

Alex smirked.

“You asked me for Imperium weapons, and I thought for a long time about what I could give the team. In the end, I put together a few flamethrowers.”

“No way! If I were a woman, I’d marry you!” Kota exclaimed, grabbing one of the flamethrowers with an expression of pure delight.

Saya grimaced, looking at him with obvious disdain.

“Chubby, how many times are you going to say that? Wasn’t the last time enough for you?”

Kota froze for a moment, glancing at the female officers with whom he had relationships. They smiled sweetly, but their eyes made it clear: he was in for an unpleasant time later. Weighing the pros and cons, Kota sighed resignedly and accepted his fate. For a weapon this iconic, he was willing to take the risk.

“Alex, why do we need flamethrowers?” asked R, picking one up and inspecting it with interest.

“In case you come across a zombie nest,” Alex explained. “Just burn everything that looks suspicious and moves in a way it shouldn’t. These flamethrowers are much more powerful than any you’ve seen before.”

Everyone nodded, understanding the importance of the equipment. Now, each group had one flamethrower for extreme emergencies. Once all the preparations were finished, the raid participants boarded the vehicles, ready to begin the operation.

Alex took the wheel and was the first to drive the vehicle off the ferry. The rest followed in a column. Leaving the dock behind, they headed toward the port exit. However, as soon as they crossed the boundary, Alex abruptly signaled for a stop. Something was off.

“Hey, why’d you slow down? Did you notice something?” Lehm’s voice came through the communicator.

Alex frowned, staring at the streets ahead.

“Listen closely,” he said quietly. “The city is too quiet. No zombie noises. Nothing. It’s like we’ve entered a ghost town.”

The others listened, understanding what he meant. Not a single groan, not even a rustle. The wind didn’t even whisper through the abandoned buildings. It felt eerie, as though the apocalypse had simply skipped this city.

“So, what now? Do we head for supplies or turn around and get the hell out of here?” Lehm asked, leaning out the window and lighting a cigarette.

“We stick to the plan,” Alex replied firmly. “But we proceed with extreme caution. Stay in touch, don’t wander off, and don’t go solo. Any stranger here is a potential enemy. If you notice anything suspicious, get on the main channel immediately.”

“Understood.” The group leaders’ voices confirmed in unison.

The raid had begun, but the unsettling feeling remained.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep