Time on the ferry passed unnoticed, but even the smallest circumstances could delay their journey.

The day after Tokyo’s destruction, a violent storm erupted at sea, forcing the ship to steer as far from the shore as possible to avoid being thrown onto land. Due to the high waves, the ferry had to come to a halt, delaying their travels.

However, Alex noticed something strange—while the sea raged, the sky remained clear, with no sign of an approaching storm. Other passengers picked up on this anomaly as well.

Trying to make sense of the phenomenon, Alex listened to Yuriko’s theory. She suggested that one of the coastal cities might have been hit by an airstrike, generating powerful waves that reached their vessel. Her assumption was supported by other women as they discussed possible explanations.

Alex pondered the motive behind such an attack. If Tokyo had been wiped off the map because of the “Evil Corporation’s” branch, then perhaps the organization’s leadership had decided to eliminate another facility to erase any remaining evidence.

While the ship drifted at sea, Yuriko managed to contact her friends in different countries to gather information on the global situation. Britain had held its ground, successfully pushing back the undead hordes and even constructing a protective wall.

Koko, unwilling to remain idle, also reached out to her contacts. What surprised Alex the most was the name of one of her acquaintances—Svetlana Belikova.

At first, Alex couldn’t remember where he had heard that name and assumed it belonged to some Russian politician. But after a moment, it clicked—Svetlana appeared in the Resident Evil game series and even in the anime adaptation. As far as Alex recalled, she was a key opposition leader during a civil war and, according to Koko, had now risen to the highest position in her country.

However, since this world differed from the original, Alex couldn’t be sure how much of her history aligned with what he knew. In this reality, no one had been aware of the biological threat until the world had already plunged into chaos.

But it wasn’t just Koko’s connections that caught Alex off guard. Yuriko also surprised him when she mentioned another powerful woman—Balalaika.

Upon hearing that name, Alex immediately recalled who she was. Sofya Pavlovna Irinovskaya, better known as Balalaika, was a ruthless, cold-blooded, and calculating woman—the head of the Russian mafia in Roanapur.

Alex wondered how Yuriko had come to know her. If Balalaika existed in this world, then other characters from Black Lagoon might also be present.

He realized that figures like Svetlana and Balalaika could become powerful allies in the fight against the “Evil Corporation.” However, dealing with them would also be a massive headache. Both women had strong personalities, their own ambitions, and were unlikely to submit to anyone.

Svetlana sought power, while Balalaika was used to commanding people. Neither of them would tolerate anyone trying to control them. Alex hoped their meeting wouldn’t happen too soon.

The only reason their paths might cross on the route to Alaska was if Paradis, where Balalaika was located, or the Slavic Federation, ruled by Svetlana, fell and required assistance.

Alex mentally prayed to the goddess of luck, hoping that those two wouldn’t need saving.

When the sea finally calmed, the ferry resumed its journey. However, those on watch, keeping an eye on the shoreline, witnessed the aftermath of the recent waves—destruction lined the coast along their entire route.

Alex also noticed this and hoped that the next coastal city they were heading to had survived the impact of the natural disaster. Although there was little hope for that — everyone understood the kind of destruction the giant waves could have caused.

One significant event was that Beatrix, the samurai girl, decided to move in with Alex and his companions. When Alex asked why, she calmly responded that if a girl spends the night in the same room with a man, she must marry him.

These words shocked not only Alex but everyone else. Only Saeko supported Beatrix, believing that a woman should only sleep in the same room with her husband. Because of this, Saeko found it improper to take a shower with Alex.

Beatrix, obsessed with samurai traditions and ancient Japanese customs, followed this belief without hesitation. Therefore, after moving in, she firmly declared that she was now Alex’s wife. Alex, on the other hand, was still trying to process how, after one night in the same room, he suddenly had another wife.

He wanted to seek support from the other girls, but they betReied him, all saying in unison that it was his problem and that he should deal with it himself. At that moment, Alex realized that he shouldn’t have left the problem for his future self.

His last hope was Jonah, but he just shrugged and said that dealing with Beatrix was now exclusively Alex’s responsibility. Leaving Jonah and his family, Alex noticed how quickly Alice became friends with Malka.

On the way, he frantically tried to think of how to convince Beatrix, but nothing useful came to mind. In the end, he decided to surrender and simply try to explain to her that sharing a night in the same room didn’t make them husband and wife. He returned… and discovered that Beatrix had already become friends with the other girls.

Alex opened his mouth to say something but realized — there was no chance left.

Two days passed. The ferry was steadily approaching the next coastal city, but Alex and his companions were still asleep.

There was little to do on the ferry, so they spent their evenings watching movies and shows. Alex even introduced the girls to his favorite show about two brothers, and they eagerly awaited the next episode. They liked the show so much that they stayed up late, and as a result, they hadn’t woken up, even knowing that they would soon arrive at a new city to replenish their supplies.

GIR, who was piloting the ferry, noticed that his “father” and “mothers” were still asleep and decided it was time to wake them up. He jumped off the captain’s seat, ran up to Alex and the girls, and barked loudly:

“WOOF-WOOF-WOOF!”

Well, instead of a regular bark, he just kept repeating the word over and over until Alex and the others started waking up.

But one mechanical dog wasn’t enough — MIMI and Stitch quickly joined in, deciding to give them a proper morning wake-up call.

As always, Stitch chose the most extreme method: he climbed onto Alex and began enthusiastically licking his face. Alex only opened his eyes after his face became completely wet with saliva. He slowly turned his gaze to the trio of troublemakers who had caused this chaos.

Running a hand over his face, Alex realized he was covered in slobber. And there was no need to guess who was to blame — all he had to do was look at the smiling Stitch, who stared back at him with an expression that clearly said, “Mission accomplished!”

“What’s all the noise so early?.. Don’t they know that girls need sleep to maintain their beauty?” Coco mumbled sleepily as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Looking up, she saw Alex’s face, gleaming with Stitch’s saliva, and couldn’t help but laugh. The other girls started waking up as well, and upon noticing the “victim,” they all giggled.

Alex’s eye twitched nervously, but he decided not to comment on it.

“I’ll help you wipe your face, my husband,” Beatrix said in a sweet voice as she gently dabbed his cheeks with a handkerchief.

Alex just sighed heavily. He had tried several times to convince Beatrix not to call him her husband, but to no avail. It seemed like all he could do now was accept it.

Once finished, Beatrix unexpectedly kissed him on the cheek.

“Why did little GIR decide to wake us up so early?” Shizuka yawned.

“Probably because we’ve already arrived at the new city,” Brunhilda suggested, tying her hair up.

Hearing this, the girls looked at GIR, who nodded affirmatively. Alex and the girls realized they had indeed arrived in the city, meaning it was time to have breakfast and get ready. While the girls brewed coffee and prepared food, Alex left the control cabin and went to find the guys to warn them about the upcoming landing.

After walking around the ship, he notified all the raid groups and explained that right after breakfast, they would head to the city for supplies before continuing their journey. Once that was done, Alex returned to the control cabin just as breakfast was ready.

Before sitting down at the table, he decided to change clothes, as the girls had hinted more than once that wearing the same outfit every day wasn’t the best idea. Sighing, Alex considered his options and finally picked a light, relaxed outfit: beach shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and flip-flops. When he returned in his new attire, the girls looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

“What? You all said I only wear black. Now I’m going for this,” Alex declared, looking pleased with himself.

“My sweet, I’m not against it — on the contrary, I fully support this look. Now I can admire your body through your unbuttoned shirt. Honestly, I’d ride you right now,” Rika grinned, giving a thumbs-up.

“We were starting to think your black clothes had fused with you,” Yuriko smirked, shaking her head.

“That’s your love for me! I’m not at fault for liking only two colors — black and blue. Well, sometimes red,” Alex muttered, puffing out his cheeks like a child.

The girls just laughed at his behavior but didn’t comment further on his choice. Instead, they occasionally glanced at his body visible under the unbuttoned shirt.

After breakfast, Alex and the girls left the control cabin and went out on deck to survey the shore. Due to the recent tsunami, the coastline was littered with debris and the corpses of zombies. Alex checked to make sure they were truly dead and not just pretending, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Looking at the aftermath of the flood, it was clear that the port had suffered significant damage. Many buildings had been destroyed and flooded, and floating in the water were the bodies of the dead. After scanning the surroundings, Alex and his group began descending to meet up with the other raid teams.

This time, his team included Valmet, Saeko, Rei, Saya, Beatrix, Rebecca, Rika, Kiriko, and of course, GIR, who didn’t want to miss the chance to meet the members of the Los Iluminados cult. Alex wasn’t sure if they would find them in this city, but he didn’t try to discourage GIR.

As they made their way down, they immediately attracted attention.

“Oh, I see you do have other clothes!” R smirked, throwing his hands behind his head. “I thought you only slept in black and more black. But judging by your outfit, you’re not going on a supply raid, you’re going on vacation.”

“Keep your jealousy to yourself,” Alex rolled his eyes.

R just laughed but didn’t say anything more.

Approaching the briefing table, Alex noticed that Jonah had joined the guys from Coco’s group. This surprised him slightly, as Jonah had ended up in their company after all.

Taking out a holographic device, Alex activated the city map of their current location.

“I think we should start with the traditional greeting. Good morning everyone, and welcome to another day in Zombieland!” he said with a grin, looking at the raid groups.

“Same thing every morning, but honestly, if you don’t say it, I feel like something’s missing,” Kota laughed, standing next to his group.

At Alex’s words, everyone smiled — they had already gotten used to him saying the same thing every morning before getting down to business. It had become something of a tradition, and if Alex ever forgot to say it, there was a strange sense that the day hadn’t started right.

Making sure everyone was ready to listen, Alex started marking key points on the map that needed to be visited to replenish supplies.

“I also want to remind you that the city might have suffered heavily after the tsunami, and the effects of the flooding are still being felt. So be careful where you step — zombies and other nastiness could be hiding in the water. Also, food and other supplies might have been spoiled by the water, so check everything you take. We don’t need stomach problems — we don’t have enough medicine to treat everyone.”

Alex paused for a moment, scanning the gathered group.

“We’ll proceed with the standard protocol. If you encounter people, make sure they don’t pose a threat. If they’re peaceful, feel free to invite them to join us. And last but not least — stay in contact and report any strange occurrences, whether it’s suspicious people or zombies with abnormal behavior.”

After the briefing, Alex sent the lists of necessary supplies to the group leaders, who immediately began dividing the search zones among themselves. While everyone was gathering and arming up, Alex noticed that Takashi and Jonah had clearly found common ground.

Their interaction reminded him of a shōnen manga, where the protagonist always meets a rival and strives to surpass him. Just the thought of it made Alex shudder—he definitely didn’t want Takashi to become a typical shōnen hero, one who believes in the power of friendship.

Not wanting to watch more of this strange manifestation of “brotherly bonding,” Alex headed to his motorcycle, took out his katana, and strapped it to his waist. His appearance was now distinctly eclectic: a bright Hawaiian shirt, beach shorts, flip-flops, a revolver on his back, and a katana at his side. The contrast between his clothing and weapons was so striking that even their own people started to look at him.

When everyone was ready, Alex and his group loaded into the “Humvee” and led the convoy. As they drove through the port, Alex looked out the window, assessing the water level. It wasn’t critical, but the roads remained wet and muddy, which could complicate movement. He was glad he had worn flip-flops instead of boots—less chance of stepping into soggy shoes.

Leaving the port, Alex lazily waved at the other groups, and Kiriko, who was driving, turned to him.

“Where do we head first?”

“The tech store is out,” Saya remarked, showing the city map on her tablet.

Alex nodded. Although he needed parts to assemble gadgets, it was clear that the chances of finding anything useful were close to zero.

“Then let’s head to the nearest grocery store,” Kiriko decided, smoothly steering the “Humvee” onto the designated route.

Saya secured the tablet to the dashboard, and the navigator set the course. However, before they could reach the store, a group of armed people appeared in front of them.

Alex frowned. Dressed in martial arts clothing and armor, they looked like they had stepped out of the pages of some fantasy novel—swords, bows, spears… not a single firearm in sight.

Alex and the girls exchanged glances. After assessing the situation, Alex, Valmet, Rebecca, and Saeko got out of the vehicle, while Rika stuck her head out of the hatch and aimed at the group. GIR, noticing them, immediately concluded that they were heretics, and before anyone could stop him, he rushed out.

Alex raised his hand, signaling that he didn’t want a conflict.

“Listen, guys, we’re not looking for trouble. We just need to replenish our supplies, and then we’ll be on our way.”

One of the men, holding a spear, stepped forward and snorted.

“Everything here belongs to us. So turn around and go back while you still can.”

Alex immediately recognized him as their leader.

“Listen, bonehead, if you don’t leave peacefully, I’ll shove that spear up your ass,” Rebecca smirked, aiming directly at his head.

“Shut up, kid, the adults are talking,” the leader snapped.

Wrong move. It seems the guy just stepped on a landmine named Rebecca.

Alex squinted at the leader, already reconsidering letting these people go in peace. The veins on Rebecca’s forehead began to throb with anger from the insult, and if Alex hadn’t signaled for them to hold back, she would likely have shot the whole damn gang of bastards.

Meanwhile, their opponents were whispering among themselves. Alex noticed one of the men lean toward the leader and whisper something, pointing at the women in their group.

“If you leave these women, fine, we’ll let you take some food so you don’t starve to death,” the leader said arrogantly.

Alex sighed heavily.

“So, you’ve chosen death. So be it,” he said calmly.

The leader didn’t even get a chance to respond—suddenly, a shot rang through the air, and a hole the size of a fist appeared in his chest. His body jerked and then collapsed to the ground. A grave silence settled over the street—the remaining gang members shifted their terrified gazes from the fallen commander to Alex and his group. Their eyes widened when they saw the strange creature, resembling a green mechanical dog, holding a massive pistol in its paws.

GIR, without hesitation, fired from the bolter the moment Alex passed judgment. And as if on cue, Alex, Saeko, Valmet, and GIR charged into the attack.

Alex’s first target was the man who had been whispering with the leader and pointing at the women. He wasn’t enraged—he simply decided that these people didn’t deserve to live. His hand passed through the unfortunate man’s chest, and Alex tossed the bloodied corpse aside.

The other bandits tried to fight back, but their skills were no match for the experienced warriors. Saeko and Valmet moved like deadly shadows, flawlessly wielding their weapons, while GIR, shouting slogans about purging heretics, butchered enemies with a saw-blade sword.

Rebecca and Rika provided fire support, shooting the enemies from a safe distance.

When most of the gang was wiped out, the remaining survivors panicked, threw down their weapons, and fled. GIR screeched in indignation, ready to chase them down, but Alex grabbed him by the head, preventing him from continuing the crusade.

When the battle ended, the other girls approached, frowning as they watched the remnants of the gang disappear in the distance.

“What the hell was that?” Rei asked, frowning. “First, they tried to drive us off, and then they demanded we leave the women.”

“What did you expect?” Rika smirked, lazily sitting on top of the “Humvee.” “Men are lustful animals thinking with their third leg.”

“Apparently, these people have a base here, considering they claim the city belongs to them,” Saya said thoughtfully. “Should we pursue them or focus on finding supplies?”

“That’s pointless,” Valmet shook her head, putting the knife back in its sheath. “We’ve killed most of their gang; the rest won’t last long. We should gather what we need first, then decide whether to finish them off or just leave.”

Alex glanced again toward where the surviving bandits had disappeared but decided to leave them alone. Right now, replenishing supplies was more important.

They got back in the “Humvee” and headed for the nearest store.

When they arrived and entered, they were greeted by emptiness. The shelves were almost bare, and what remained was ruined by water.

“Looks like there’s nothing for us here,” Kiriko muttered with disappointment, glancing around. “The flood destroyed most of the supplies, and those bastards probably made out pretty well here.”

“We should check the warehouse,” Rei suggested. “If anything’s survived, we’ll load it into the ‘Humvee,’ and then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“Good plan,” Alex nodded. “Let’s get to work.”

With those words, they headed to the warehouse, hoping to find something useful.

Agreeing with Rei’s suggestion, Alex and the girls made their way to the door leading to the warehouse. However, the path was blocked by shelves that had fallen after the flood. Alex and GIR quickly began tossing them aside to clear the way. Finally, Alex kicked the door open and peeked inside.

Unfortunately, the warehouse was nearly empty. The girls immediately began inspecting the remaining goods.

“It’s best to take the ones from the top. And be careful with the boxes—if they show signs of dampness, the contents are already spoiled. Canned goods should be fine though,” Saya instructed.

After a thorough search, they found just a couple of boxes with preserved food and several crates of canned goods. After loading everything into the Humvee, the group headed to the next store, hoping to find something useful. However, it was in even worse condition—completely looted, and even the warehouse was empty.

“Maybe we should just rob those bastards?” Rebecca suggested with a sly smile. “How do you say it, Cupcake? Oh yeah! ‘Compensation for moral damage.’ They attacked us first, so we have every right to take everything from them.”

“I don’t like taking food from people who are barely surviving,” Alex shook his head. “But I think we can take supplies from these people, as long as there are no children or elderly among them. My heart won’t let me leave them without food. What do you think?”

“You’re right,” Rei nodded. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully if I took food from children or the elderly.”

“My husband, you’re so noble,” Beatrix said tenderly.

“If there are only weak ones left, maybe we should offer them a chance to join us?” she suggested.

“I doubt they’d agree,” Valmet shook her head. “I wouldn’t go with anyone who just slaughtered my friends.”

Alex listened to the girls’ opinions and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s go back to where we met them,” he decided.

Kiriko turned the Humvee around and drove the team back. When they arrived, Alex was the first to get out of the car, taking GIR with him.

“Alright, find the tracks,” he ordered.

“Dad, I’m not a dog, I’m an Astartes!” GIR proudly declared, raising his paws.

“I said—find them. Or should I call Mom and tell her you’re not listening?”

GIR immediately quieted down and, grumbling under his breath, began sniffing for tracks. The girls watched with smiles, finding the scene amusing.

Soon, GIR found the tracks and led the group along them. They took them to a camper van, locked with a padlock. Alex effortlessly ripped the door open and looked inside.

There were plenty of supplies: boxes of food, cans, and even firearms. Alex whistled.

“Looks like we hit the jackpot,” Rei said, peering inside.

“Are we going to find these people, or are we just taking the van?” she asked, looking back at Alex.

“I think we should check them out. Maybe we just ran into a bunch of arrogant idiots,” he replied, shaking his head.

The girls nodded in agreement and climbed into the van. Alex signaled to Kiriko, motioning for her to follow them. In response, Kiriko blinked the headlights, signaling that she understood. Alex started the van and followed GIR, who was confidently leading the way.

After a while, they arrived at a place that resembled an old dojo. Now it was clear why those people were armed with melee weapons and behaved as if they knew how to use them. Although, in reality, they were just amateurs.

Getting out of the van, Alex and the girls made their way to the entrance. Rebecca was about to kick the door in, but Alex stopped her.

“My love, we’re civilized people, and we don’t barge into other people’s homes. We should knock. It’s a sign of good manners. We’re not barbarians,” he said with a smile.

“Tell that to the bastard whose door you kicked down when you were a delivery guy and he refused to pay you,” Rebecca scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Alex barely twitched an eye but didn’t argue with her. The girls, intrigued, asked Rebecca about the “delivery job” she mentioned. She briefly recounted the story, which had them bursting into laughter.

“Good day! Do you have a minute to talk about our god and savior—the great and wonderful Flying Spaghetti Monster?” Alex announced cheerfully, persistently knocking on the door.

“What? What kind of monster?” Saya asked, giving him a completely confused look.

Rebecca had already opened her mouth to explain, but at that moment, the dojo gates creaked open slightly, and a spear shot out from the gap, aimed directly at Alex.

He reacted instantly, grabbing the tip and pulling it toward him. A dull thud was heard from the other side—someone had slammed into the door. Without pausing, Alex pushed the spear back hard, and a muffled groan followed. Not stopping, Alex kicked the gates, and the sound of something crashing against the wooden gates was heard. When the dojo gates fully opened, Alex and the girls saw a man lying on the floor with a broken nose, writhing in a shrimp-like position.

“Didn’t your mom teach you that you should be polite to polite people?” Alex asked as he stepped onto the dojo grounds.

“I think he’s probably not hearing you right now, after slamming his face into the gates twice,” Valmet smirked.

Alex shrugged, ready to figure out who was in charge here, but just then, four men in martial arts uniforms, armed with various weapons, ran out of the building.

Rebecca didn’t wait—she easily jumped over Alex and landed both feet squarely on the first “lucky” guy’s head. He collapsed to the ground, bent in half. Saeko silently drew her katana and rushed into battle.

Meanwhile, Rebecca had already delivered a crushing blow to the second opponent’s groin. When he fell, she didn’t stop and began methodically kicking both of them, grinning happily.

Alex and the girls watched with expressions of deep sympathy.

Saeko quickly dealt with her opponents, disarming them and knocking them out with a couple of precise strikes.

The entire fight took less than a minute, and the four men were already lying beaten, barely moving.

“Who would’ve thought Rebecca is so aggressive in close combat,” Rei shook her head. “I think she took everything those guys had to offer.”

“Well, they asked for it. Instead of behaving like civilized people, they decided to attack… and became the victims of one crazy gremlin,” Alex smirked.

When Rebecca got tired of beating the two helpless men, she kicked them a couple more times—just for prevention—and with a satisfied smile, she approached Alex.

At that moment, an elderly couple emerged from the dojo. Katana swords hung from their belts, and their posture and expressions revealed them to be seasoned warriors. Alex studied them carefully and squinted slightly. These two were strong—at least by human standards. If he had to describe them in one word, martial arts masters like them would be called grandmasters. Or something along those lines.

“Apologies for such rude hospitality… and thank you for not killing our students,” said the elderly man, studying Alex intently.

“We also regret having to intrude so suddenly,” Alex replied calmly. “I believe you understand why we’re here.”

The elderly man and his companion exchanged glances, and a shadow of pain flickered in their eyes. They sighed and looked at Alex—weariness and sorrow etched on their faces.

Alex didn’t need to be a seer to understand what they were thinking. The ones he and his team had killed weren’t just students of this dojo. Among them, there was likely someone who meant much more to these old folks.

He sighed as well, realizing the situation. But he didn’t feel regret. In these times, if you’re hostile toward someone, sooner or later, death will find you. And if not by his hand, then by someone else’s.

To be continued…

+3 Chapters on my Patreon: /GreedHunter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep