After the evening training session, Alex, as usual, left his students resting in the “dead dog” pose—they were breathing heavily, as if their souls were about to leave their exhausted bodies. He cast a healing spell on them, which slowly restored and strengthened their bodies.

Help was needed to carry Rei, Saeko, Valmet, and Beatrix to the ferry’s control room, which they were using as a resting area. After laying the girls down, Alex looked around and noticed that GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Alice hadn’t come with them.

He remembered that Alice had become friends with Malka, and now they often played video games together with the other kids. Alex wasn’t worried about her safety—if any of the rescued people had bad intentions, the trio of troublemakers, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, would take care of it immediately. Alex didn’t even envy whoever would dare provoke them.

“Enough standing there like a statue. Turn on the show! I want to finish season two of Sam and Dean before we reach Okinawa,” Koko said, nudging Alex so she could lie next to him and cuddle.

“There’s no need to rush, there are fifteen seasons. We have plenty of time to watch them all,” Alex replied as Koko pushed him in the back.

“That’s exactly the point—it’s only fifteen seasons! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find something truly interesting? Now, handsome, stop wasting time and lie down. I need my man for cuddles,” Rika added, patting the spot next to her.

Alex didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t regret introducing the girls to this show, which he personally enjoyed, but he really hoped they wouldn’t start watching it without him. Sensing Koko losing patience, he gave in to her nudging and lay down on the mattress next to Rika. The moment he did, Koko hugged him from the other side.

The girls started settling in, bringing snacks and food to continue watching. But Alex was mentally occupied with something else—after training his young students, he had planned to assemble a sniper rifle and a camouflage suit for Rika. However, it seemed the girls had entirely different plans for the evening.

At some point, Alex realized that he was no longer just being hugged by Koko and Rika—the others had also gathered around, using him as a comfortable, living pillow. He was trapped on all sides and had no idea how to react. On one hand, it felt nice; on the other, any awkward movement was immediately met with complaints:

“Don’t move! This is comfortable for us!”

After a while, Alice and the trio of troublemakers returned. They walked in on a funny sight—Alex was completely pinned down by the girls, unable to move.

“Why are you back so soon?” Alex asked.

“We just came for a few things, then we’ll go back to playing,” Alice replied.

Alex nodded but still reminded her to be careful. Alice waved at him and ran back to her friends—the children from the survivor group.

Returning to watching the show, Alex became more convinced that traveling by sea could be quite boring, with almost nothing to do. And so, another day came to an end.

Upon waking up, Alex carefully freed himself from the girls’ tight grip—they had fought over the best spot next to him throughout the night. Stretching, he rubbed his eyes and noticed Alice sleeping nearby with the trio of troublemakers.

Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but note how restless Stitch was in his sleep—unlike GIR and MIMI, who simply entered sleep mode, Stitch had somehow managed to stuff half of GIR’s head into his mouth.

Sighing, Alex was glad the girls had the sense to set up a coffee machine in the control room. Brewing himself a cup so as not to disturb the others still sleeping, he quietly left the room and went down to the deck.

There, he spotted Mao and Ugo, who had been on night watch. No one wanted any unpleasant surprises, so they had decided to organize night shifts to keep an eye on the shore.

Hearing footsteps, Mao and Ugo turned and saw Alex with a coffee mug in hand.

“Morning, guys. See anything interesting during the night?” Alex asked as he approached them.

“Nothing too special, aside from another weird zombie,” Ugo smirked.

Raising an eyebrow, Alex sat down in a chair, ready to hear about this new type of undead. He knew well that many kinds of infected had yet to be discovered, and the emergence of new mutants was only a matter of time.

“And what did it look like? More importantly, what could it do? Or did you just catch a glimpse of it?” Alex asked, holding a cigarette between his teeth.

“I don’t even know how to describe it… This zombie looked like a tall, skinny woman. Some kind of liquid was dripping from her mouth, something that looked like fluorescent paint. But I’m sure it wasn’t paint,” Mao said, recalling their nighttime encounter with the unknown mutant.

Alex hummed thoughtfully, trying to remember if he had encountered this type of infected before or if this was truly a new strain. Soon, a thought struck him—could this be a Spitter? A mutant notorious for spitting acid. The real question now was how strong this acid could be in their world. Would it corrode metal, or was it only potent enough to melt human flesh?

“No flying mutants yet?” Alex asked with a half-smile. “You’ve already run into infected dogs, so now we’re just waiting for something that can fly.”

“That’s the last thing we need…” Mao grimaced. “Infected animals are already a pain, but if they start flying, it’ll be a whole different nightmare. The ferry won’t save us then. Right now, as long as we’re on the water, zombies can’t reach us. But if they take to the skies…”

“Hahaha! You’re right,” Alex laughed. “The last thing we need is flying zombie animals.”

Mao and Ugo just shook their heads at his humor. They continued their conversation, while more people slowly started appearing on deck to get some fresh morning air or stretch. The elderly couple from the Agatsuma dojo, along with their students, had already begun their morning training.

Alex lazily watched them practice, occasionally glancing at the shoreline as the ferry passed by. Burned villages and overturned cars had become such a common sight that they no longer surprised him.

After some time, Koko emerged onto the deck—half-asleep, groggy, and unsteady on her feet. She swayed from side to side as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Mao and Ugo noticed how she was making her way straight toward them, moving with the sluggish gait of a real zombie. If Alex didn’t know her so well, he might have actually mistaken her for one of the infected. The only thing missing was the raspy groaning to complete the look.

Just a few steps away from Alex, Koko lost her balance and nearly fell. He caught her just in time, preventing her from crashing onto the deck. Feeling the warmth of his arms, Koko instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and lazily nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.

Alex let out a tired sigh, sat back down, and settled her onto his lap.

Mao and Ugo exchanged glances. They were used to seeing Koko completely out of it in the mornings, but such affectionate behavior was rare for her. Usually, once she fully woke up, her personality became much more serious.

“Why did you leave?” she mumbled sleepily, still acting like a content cat. “It got cold without you… And Shizuka almost smothered me with her huge jugs…”

Alex chuckled.”Didn’t want to wake you all up,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “Just stepped out for some fresh air and a cup of coffee.”

“Ummm…” Koko murmured, making herself comfortable before going completely still, fully drifting off to sleep.

Mao and Ugo tactfully excused themselves, leaving them alone. They knew all too well how grumpy Koko could be if someone woke her up.

Alex slowly stroked her hair, listening to her steady breathing. She was really asleep.

Finishing the last of his coffee, he realized it would be best to head back to the control room before Koko woke up from the noise of training and the others moving about on deck. Of course, he couldn’t expect everyone to stay quiet just because she was napping.

Pouring out the last drops of coffee overboard, he carefully picked Koko up. The moment he did, she tightened her arms around his neck, as if afraid he would disappear again.

For a second, Alex suspected she was faking it, but her rhythmic breathing told him otherwise—she was genuinely asleep. With a slight smile, he carried her back to the control room.

Returning inside, he saw that some of the girls were already awake, while others had no intention of getting up, preferring to lounge on their mattresses. All eyes quickly turned to him—or rather, to Koko, peacefully sleeping in his arms.

“So that’s where she disappeared to. I was wondering where she went,” Kiriko said with a smile, shaking her head.

“Yeah, I was sitting on deck with the guys when I suddenly saw zombie-Koko stumbling toward me, barely keeping her balance. If I didn’t know how much she hates mornings, I would’ve thought she really turned into a zombie,” Alex smirked.

The girls chuckled. They had all noticed that Koko truly resembled the walking dead in the mornings. Some even joked that all she needed was the right sound effects to blend in with the infected.

Alex carefully placed Koko down on the mattress, intending to let her continue her sleep, but she clearly had other plans. Even in her sleep, her hands clung tightly to him, refusing to let go. Sighing, he realized it was pointless to try and free himself, so he decided to just go with it.

“Alex, want me to take her? I’ve got experience with this,” Valmet offered, stepping closer.

“Nah, she’s fine. I’ll just do something else while she sleeps,” he replied with a small smile.

“Oh? And what would that be? Are you going to tinker with your weird gadgets again? Or maybe work on something more useful, like a new rifle for your favorite girl? That is—me,” Rika teased, leaning her chest against the back of his head.

Alex instantly felt familiar softness pressing against him. He didn’t even have to guess what she was doing. Smirking slightly, he shook his head—he had told the girls many times that if they wanted something, they could just ask instead of resorting to tricks like this.

“Aren’t you ashamed? You’re a grown woman!” Saya huffed, jabbing a finger at Rika.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Rika smirked. “Alex is my boyfriend, so I can do whatever I want. If he wants to touch my chest, he’s welcome to. Besides, you’re hardly one to judge, little miss know-it-all. Yesterday, you were sulking the whole time, and the moment you got the chance, you jumped right into his lap!” she teased, crossing her arms under her chest, making it stand out even more.

Saya gritted her teeth in fury, which only amused Rika more. The angrier Saya got, the more pleasure Rika took from it.

Alex simply shook his head.

“Rika, don’t make her angry,” he smiled, asking her.

Rika snorted again, but before she fell silent, she threw one more victorious glance at Saya.

“Actually, I was planning not to make a new rifle, but to adjust a camouflage cloak to Rika’s size first. It’s faster than building a sniper rifle from scratch,” Alex said, leaning his head against her chest.

“Why? Mom needs a new rifle! The cloak can wait,” Rika stated, gently rubbing his cheeks.

“I have a couple of ideas for that. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely like the result, I promise,” Alex smiled mysteriously, taking her hands.

“And what kind of rifle do you want to make for her?” Shizuka asked curiously.

“That’s still a secret,” Alex smirked. “In the meantime, could someone hand me Steve’s camouflage cloak? As you can see, it’s not very convenient for me to get up right now.”

Namiyo quickly found the camouflage cloak that had previously belonged to Steve and handed it to Alex. As a gesture of thanks, he smiled and kissed her cheek. The girl simply chuckled softly and returned to her task.

Alex didn’t get distracted and immediately opened his laptop. Although he already knew how the cloak worked, some modifications needed to be made so that it fit Rika perfectly. Opening old files, he found the designs for camouflage suits he had developed for GIR, MIMI, and Stitch.

“Of course, I’m not a tech expert, but even I can see that your suits for the little ones are way more advanced than this cloak,” Rei said, peering over Alex’s shoulder.

“Of course. I only make the best for my people,” he replied, not looking away from the screen.

As he reviewed the files, Alex analyzed what changes could be made to the cloak’s design so it wouldn’t lose its properties. Unlike a full camouflage suit, he wanted to create something more comfortable for Rika—a cloak that wouldn’t restrict her movements and would keep her concealed.

“Rika, what are your measurements? I mean, your height and sizes,” he asked, turning his head.

“Oh, handsome, don’t you know them by now?” Rika feigned being offended. “You’ve hugged me so many times at night, and now you’re asking me this!”

Alex looked at her tiredly. He didn’t need to tell her that it was actually she who sneaked up to him at night, not the other way around. Rika, catching his look, realized the act was over and only giggled.

“Height 170 cm, bust 83 (D), waist 57, hips 88. So, what do you think, handsome? Impressed?” she asked, striking seductive poses.

“Shizuka has bigger breasts, so there’s nothing to be too proud of,” Rebecca teased with a smirk.

“Ha, you found someone to compare with! Shizuka’s chest is bigger than my head! I’m still amazed how she walks around with them! My back hurts just from looking at them,” Rika said, rubbing her back.

“Enough talking about my chest!” Shizuka puffed up. “I’m not to blame that yours don’t grow!”

After her words, the girls fell silent, first staring at Shizuka, then at her impressive chest. It was a well-known truth—Shizuka had the largest chest in the group, with Yuriko coming in second. Those with more modest sizes immediately felt a pang of pride and began to argue with Shizuka.

Rika, deciding to take more drastic measures, began tickling her in a fit of revenge. The argument quickly turned into chaos, and soon, a full-on battle broke out between the girls.

Alex watched all of this with mild confusion. How did a discussion about a camouflage cloak turn into a conversation about chest size, and then into an all-out brawl? But what surprised him the most was that Koko didn’t even wake up from all the noise.

He sighed and decided to do what any rational man would do—ignore the girls’ argument. Entering Rika’s measurements into the program, he put on headphones to focus on his work.

When the sketch was ready, Alex waved at Rika, who was breathing heavily after her battle with Shizuka. The girl walked over, curious about what he wanted to show her. Without a word, he displayed several cloak design options in front of her.

The other girls were also intrigued and immediately surrounded Alex, examining the sketches and whispering among themselves as though the cloak was being created for them, not Rika. Koko, who had just woken up, also joined in the discussion.

It wasn’t until an hour later that Rika finally made her choice, settling on a version with a hood and mask. Alex nodded and began working.

Once Alex began his work, the girls didn’t distract him and went about their own tasks to pass the time until evening. When the control room emptied, and each went off to their respective duties, Alex took a moment to check that no one was watching. Then, he pulled out the missing components for Rika’s camouflage cloak from his inventory.

He mentally noted again how useful his habit of hoarding various items was, constantly justifying it with the phrase, “This might come in handy someday.” And, as always, he was right—many of the items that had been gathering dust in his inventory had already helped him in unexpected situations.

The only exception was the mountain of weapons he hadn’t used yet. But Alex knew that the time would come when these supplies would be necessary, especially if he decided to arm the group of survivors.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was lunchtime. The girls returned with food, breaking for a meal. By this time, the work on the cloak was only halfway finished, but Alex was confident he would finish it by evening. After dinner, giving his eyes a rest, he returned to his work.

By evening, it was time to train the students, helping them awaken the flame of youth in their hearts. After finishing the training, Alex returned to his work. In moments like these, he was once again convinced that creating items using magic was much easier, but it was precisely because of this that the process lost its charm.

After all, if you could just pull the necessary thing out of thin air without wasting a second, then what was there to occupy yourself with? And on this ferry, there weren’t many ways to entertain oneself.

As the sun nearly disappeared behind the horizon, Alex finally finished the upgraded camouflage cloak for Rika. He wanted to show her the result immediately, but she was too absorbed in watching a TV series to even move. Shrugging, Alex simply sat down next to her and joined in watching. After all, he deserved a break too. Gradually, the evening turned into night, and one by one, they fell asleep.

The next morning, Alex was awakened by GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized that in an hour, they would arrive at the city where the Ryozanpaku dojo was located. Fully awake now, Alex immediately began waking up the girls, reminding them that they would arrive soon.

At the same time, a strange feeling lingered with him—he sensed that there was more waiting for them in this city than just a meeting with martial arts masters. He was almost certain that a hunt had already begun for Ryozanpaku. These masters were probably on the elimination list, with a nice bounty on their heads, especially for Hayato Furindzi.

Alex knew that this old man was incredibly strong, but throughout the manga, he hadn’t been involved in many real battles, and when he did fight, it was only for a few moments at a time.

“I wonder what these martial arts masters look like in real life?” Shizuka asked thoughtfully. “In the manga that Rika’s brother read, the martial arts masters looked like over-muscled gorillas.”

“That’s a weird comparison, Shizuka,” Koko snorted, eyeing Alex closely. “Look at our Alex. He’s strong but still lean… and heh-heh-heh…”

“Pervert,” Saya kicked Koko’s leg in irritation. “Can you think about something else for once?”

“So what? I’m just telling the truth!” Koko shrugged innocently. “If you had come with us to the shower, you would have seen it all yourself…”

The girls, who had already had the “honor” of seeing Alex in the shower, nodded meaningfully. Alex sighed deeply, once again amazed at how quickly these ladies’ conversations would jump from one topic to another.

Taking advantage of the moment, Rebecca began to describe Alex’s muscles in detail, clearly trying to tease those who hadn’t taken the chance. However, their fun was interrupted by the sound of the control room door opening.

On the threshold stood Lehm, with a slight look of concern on his face.

“I don’t want to interrupt your… idyll,” he started cautiously, glancing at the girls. “But you need to see this.”

With that, he motioned for Alex and the others to follow him.

Alex and the girls exchanged glances before following Lehm. Stepping out of the control room, they descended onto the deck and immediately noticed that everyone outside was staring in the same direction. Following their gazes, Alex and his companions saw thick black smoke rising beyond the horizon.

Alex frowned. His instincts hadn’t deceived him—something was definitely wrong in the city they were heading toward. Tearing his eyes away from the dark column stretching into the sky, he quickly located old man Eijiro, the one most familiar with the location of the Ryozanpaku dojo.

“Old man Eijiro, I hope that smoke isn’t coming from where the dojo is?” Alex asked in a calm yet tense voice.

The old man let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

“Young friend, as much as I’d like to say otherwise… it looks like that’s exactly where it’s coming from.”

“Well, fuck… That sucks,” Rebecca muttered, scowling.

Alex fell into thought. He knew that the masters of Ryozanpaku weren’t easy to take down—they had surely survived and most likely found a way to escape. But the real question was: who had attacked them?

There were too many possibilities. Throughout their long history, the Ryozanpaku masters had made countless enemies, especially among the so-called “evil martial artists.” If those masters had sided with the Evil Corporation in their pursuit of greater power, things could be extremely serious.

Alex also couldn’t rule out the possibility that hordes of zombies had been used against Ryozanpaku. The Evil Corporation clearly had the technology or abilities to control the undead, which meant their enemies might not just be living fighters, but an entire army of the dead.

Of course, Alex could just cut down all his enemies and be done with it, but he didn’t like not knowing where his true enemy was hiding or what their plans were.

Everyone around him silently awaited his decision.

“Well, Alex, you’re our leader,” Lehm finally spoke, lighting a cigarette. “What’s the plan? Are we helping these masters or what?”

“Of course we are,” Alex nodded. “What interests me more is who managed to force such powerful fighters into retreat. But whatever—let’s handle it as we go.”

“So, what’s the plan?” R asked with a smirk.

“We assist the survivors and evacuate them. G.I.R., MIMI, and I will take the vanguard, while the rest of you handle the evacuation. Keep in mind, the Evil Corporation has the ability to control zombie hordes, meaning there will be a lot of undead. As soon as we get the people out, we leave immediately.”

“Simple and effective. I like it,” Lehm smirked.

Alex smiled and told everyone who would be involved in the rescue mission to start preparing. As soon as the ferry docked, they would head straight to help the people.

On deck, there was a flurry of activity—after Alex laid out the plan, everyone went to work. People were gathering gear, loading supplies, and heading down to the transport, ready to set off as soon as the ferry was docked.

Alex approached his motorcycle, pulled out three katanas, and secured them to his waist. If he was going to face a horde of zombies, why not do it in style? He decided to have a bit of fun and adopt the persona of a famous swordsman who suffered from topographical idiocy.

“You’re going like that?” came the voice of R, peering out of the “Hummer” window.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, looking down at his clothes.

“Well, I just think your Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip-flops aren’t the best choice for battling a horde of zombies,” Shino remarked, joining the conversation from the neighboring “Hummer.” “Although… your body… Damn, how did you achieve that?”

“Uh… I just lay on the couch pretending to be a useful member of society,” Alex smirked. “As for the outfit… I’ve always wanted to slap a zombie in the face with flip-flops.”

Those who overheard the conversation simply shook their heads. Everyone had long since gotten used to Alex’s strange behavior and carefree attitude.

“Alright, kids, the city we’re heading to has been taken over by heretics who stole the Holy Sepulchre! We must purify them in the holy flame!” Alex suddenly proclaimed, filling his voice with fanaticism.

“You’re mixing genres again,” came Valmet’s voice from the “Hummer.” “This isn’t a crusade, it’s a zombie apocalypse.”

“Then… let’s destroy as many zombies as we can and save people from inevitable death?” Alex asked, with some hesitation.

“Getting warmer,” Rei laughed.

“Great, gang! We’re saving people and earning our place on the throne of heroes!” Alex declared enthusiastically.

“You’re still mixing genres… but alright,” Kiriko commented with a smirk, sitting at the wheel.

Alex just smiled and didn’t respond. Looking around at the team, he noticed they were less tense now. It seemed his rambling had helped distract them from their grim thoughts. Sometimes, talking nonsense really was helpful.

As for Alex, he was burning with anticipation. Soon, he would meet another group of characters he had only seen in manga before. He was curious to see how many people from the Kenichi story had survived this apocalypse and whether they had found refuge in Ryozanpaku under the protection of the masters.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep