Jumping onto the ferry, Alex immediately noticed that most of the survivors looked grim and were throwing resentful glances at Rebecca. However, as usual, she skillfully ignored their dissatisfaction. Alex couldn’t quite understand what exactly she had done this time to stir up such a storm of emotions. His gaze swept over the crowd until it landed on Brunhilde. He hoped she could clarify the situation.

When Brunhilde noticed his curious look, she approached and, leaning in closer, whispered,

“Almost everyone was betting on how many times Ogata would resurrect. But Rebecca made you kill him too quickly, and now they all lost.”

Alex could only let out a heavy sigh and shake his head. Among all the disappointed people, the ones suffering the most were Kensei and Sasaki—both had literally fallen to their knees, sobbing bitterly as if they had lost a fortune.

“Wait, but Rebecca never takes anything in return,” Alex said thoughtfully, looking at Brunhilde. “And her bets usually don’t have any prizes…”

“Exactly,” Brunhilde replied shortly, shrugging.

Alex cast a sympathetic glance at the two martial arts masters but quickly decided it wasn’t worth getting involved any further.

“Alright, so who won in the end?” he asked, glancing at the survivors.

Everyone turned to him at once, as if expecting some kind of reaction. Then, after throwing another resentful glance at Rebecca, they began exchanging looks, as if suspecting her of rigging the results.

Rebecca just put her hands behind her head and started whistling, pretending she had nothing to do with it. After all, as long as there was no proof, she would never admit to deliberately influencing the outcome of the bet.

“I won,” Valmet’s voice rang out. “I knew you wouldn’t waste time on that guy, so I bet that you’d kill him quickly.”

She narrowed her eyes cunningly, smiling, while Rebecca simply shrugged, giving the others a look that practically screamed, “Go ahead, try proving anything.”

Those who knew Rebecca understood that they had no chance. First, there was no evidence. And second, getting into an argument with that green-haired gremlin was pointless. Even if someone dared to challenge her, they’d wake up in the middle of the night tied up and dumped on the deck until morning.

Watching all of this, Alex realized that Rebecca had probably pushed him into dealing with Ogata quickly. However, he had no desire to dig deeper. After all, these people had only themselves to blame for trusting the gremlin.

Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, Alex nodded to the masters of Ryozanpaku and thought that now was the perfect time to stick to his usual plan—lie down and relax. He wasn’t tired or exhausted, but a powerful wave of laziness had hit him, and he saw no reason to resist it.

“Well, since you won…” he said with a smile, turning to Valmet.

She raised an eyebrow questioningly, not understanding why Alex was bringing up her victory. After all, she knew there were no prizes, and she had placed her bet more out of curiosity and excitement than anything else.

But in the next moment, Alex vanished from his spot and reappeared behind Valmet, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Here’s your prize,” he whispered in her ear.

Everyone barely had time to blink before Alex scooped Valmet up, threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and dashed off toward the control room, laughing.

The survivors stared in shock at the scene. Valmet’s face still held an expression of complete bewilderment. She had no idea what had just happened or why Alex had grabbed her and carried her off.

“Brunhilde, I’m leaving everything to you! I’ve been hit with a laziness attack!” Alex’s voice echoed from the distance.

Brunhilde let out a heavy sigh as she watched him disappear into the distance. Seeing Alex running off while carrying the still-bewildered Valmet, she once again resigned herself to the thought that she had only herself to blame for the kind of husband she had.

Turning around, she headed toward the newcomers in their group—the ones they had recently rescued. Approaching the members of Ryozanpaku, Brunhilde began explaining the rules their team lived by, while the others dispersed, finding ways to pass the time during the journey.

In the end, only the new survivors, Brunhilde, and a few girls remained, attentively listening to the explanation.

Meanwhile, Alex had already entered the ferry’s control room, which they had repurposed as a resting area. Approaching the mattress, he sat Valmet down before lying down with a satisfied smile, resting his head on her lap and closing his eyes.

It took Valmet a few seconds to realize what had happened and what kind of “prize” Alex had meant. Instead of a proper reward, she had essentially been turned into his personal pillow. Shaking her head, she sighed but said nothing, merely running her fingers gently through his hair. She figured he was probably tired and just wanted to rest for a bit.

She had heard from the rescued survivors that Alex had faced a horde of zombies, been blown up, and then, in the end, fought an enemy he quickly defeated. Despite this, Valmet was certain he must have been exhausted from everything that had happened.

After some time, the other girls entered the room, their eyes immediately locking onto Alex, who was lying comfortably on Valmet’s lap while she tenderly stroked his head. A silent battle for the right to be closer to him began. However, someone turned out to be craftier than the rest—Rika swiftly sneaked up to Alex and, without a word, lay down on his chest. She then shot a victorious look at the others, who instantly realized they had been tricked again.

In the end, the girls took the remaining spots and simply watched as Alex rested with his eyes closed.

Meanwhile, GIR had already settled into the ferry captain’s chair and continued steering toward the next city—their last stop before Okinawa.

Alex, eyes still shut, was lost in thought about their upcoming visit to the Okinawa military base, where the aircraft carrier was located. He had no idea what condition it was in or how much of its weapon stockpile had been preserved. However, he already had a plan: if necessary, he would just use his “materialization” trick to restock the supplies upon arrival.

As for the aircraft carrier itself, a lot depended on its state. A long journey to Alaska awaited them, during which they needed to pick up Casper and possibly other survivors. Alex knew the ship had to be as well-equipped as possible—something along the lines of railguns or maybe even a BFG cannon.

And the moment that thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t help himself—he burst into an evil laugh.

The girls immediately turned to look at him.

“What are you laughing like a maniac for again?” Rika asked suspiciously, still lying on his chest.

She flipped onto her stomach, grabbed Alex by the cheeks, and pulled at them to get his attention.

“Oh, this should be interesting,” Brunhilde mused, raising an eyebrow. “Another one of your ‘brilliant’ plans from that twisted imagination of yours?”

“First of all, I’m perfectly sane, and you know that better than anyone,” Alex snorted. “And second, ladies, I forgot to tell you—we encountered some new zombies. Or rather… how do I put this… hmm…”

He paused for a moment, searching for the right words.

The thing was, the mutants they had faced were something entirely new. Alex suspected that the Evil Corporation had begun creating special zombie variants, either by manipulating the virus or experimenting with the Marker. But the appearance of a creature resembling a Cyberdemon had made him seriously rethink things.

The last thing he wanted was to encounter monsters resembling demons from DOOM.Imps? Cacodemons? God forbid!

But the worst part was that someone in the Corporation had clearly decided that zombies weren’t dangerous enough on their own and needed to be armed.

“Who the hell thought this was a good idea?” Alex mentally cursed, fully aware that creating such creatures could spiral out of control.

What worried him the most, however, was something else—he had a strong suspicion that there were fanatics within the Corporation obsessed with the Marker, and they had likely already started constructing a replica.

As Alex pondered this, absentmindedly stroking his chin, Koko finally lost her patience.

“Can you stop dragging it out? Is it really that hard to just say what kind of zombies you ran into?” she grumbled and kicked him in the leg.

“Well,” Alex drawled, opening one eye, “those idiots from the Evil Corporation decided that regular zombies and mutants were too boring. So, they went ahead and created super-mega-zombies.”

He nodded to himself, satisfied with his wording.

The girls exchanged glances.

“I’m not sure I even want to know the details…” Valmet muttered.

“Oh great, now we have ‘boss fights’ too,” Brunhilde sighed, rolling her eyes. “Of course we do…”

Rika, still holding Alex by the cheeks, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Alex… you’re not planning something crazy, are you?”

“Uh…” Alex averted his gaze.

“…”

“…”

“You totally are, aren’t you?”

“I neither confirm nor deny anything.”

Rika squinted even harder.

“That’s it, I need a strong drink immediately.”

The girls were clearly not pleased with his answer, and murmurs of discontent began to spread among them. Realizing that his words weren’t enough to satisfy them, Alex—without even opening his eyes—pulled out his phone and instantly connected to his robo-dog GIR’s system. Finding the right file, he launched a video recording of their encounter with the new types of zombies.

Flipping the phone, Alex activated a holographic projection so the girls wouldn’t have to crowd around the screen. No one was surprised by his tech anymore, so they all immediately focused on the footage from GIR’s optics.

The first thing they saw was a plasma shot hitting Alex square in the face.

Immediately, questions erupted—how the hell was he still alive after taking a hit like that? Alex lazily tossed out a couple of words, clearly not intending to explain further.

As the video played, the girls became more and more engrossed in what was happening.

By the end, something truly terrifying appeared on screen—a giant zombie, resembling a demon, equipped with mechanical prosthetics. Alex, GIR, and MIMI jumped into battle without hesitation and ultimately tore the monstrosity apart—but were then promptly blown up.

No further explanations were needed—the girls had seen enough.

“I didn’t think their technology had advanced this far,” Saya said thoughtfully. “Plasma weaponry isn’t something you can just pull out of thin air. Its production is an extremely complex process.”

“Not really. It’s actually pretty simple, but I don’t like it,” Alex responded lazily.

“What do you mean ‘simple’? How can plasma weapons even be made? Explain!” Saya demanded, grabbing Alex’s arm.

“I don’t feel like it,” he sighed. “Ask GIR, he’ll explain everything.”

Saya frowned and started tugging more insistently on Alex’s arm, clearly intent on yanking him off Valmet’s lap as revenge.

But no matter how hard she pulled, he felt impossibly heavy—like he weighed several tons or had somehow fused with the mattress and the ship’s hull.

Curiosity wouldn’t let her rest. In her free time, she often studied Alex’s archives, finding his blueprints and ideas. She was still amazed at how GIR and MIMI were created, especially considering that Alex regularly upgraded them.

Alex, feeling her tugging on his hand, didn’t even think about reacting. A thought involuntarily flashed through his mind: Saya’s behavior strangely reminded him of the spoiled Valkyries—Hlökk and Alvitr. However, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the outraged voices of both Valkyries resounded in his mind, fiercely denying any comparison to the “know-it-all” Saya.

“Alex, dear, you still haven’t explained what you plan to do with the aircraft carrier,” Yuriko intervened, stopping her daughter.

“It’s less troublesome than it seems at first glance. If it’s operational, the job will be quick. If not, we’ll have to tinker with it, and our stay in Okinawa will drag on. I just want to replace the weapons and the power source,” Alex said, lazily opening his eyes to glance at Yuriko.

“And how long will that take? What kind of weapons do you want to install? It’s already well-armed as it is,” Koko asked with interest.

“I think about a week, maybe less. I won’t be working alone; my little ones will help me. As for the weaponry… I’m still thinking. Maybe a big gun with an enormous range or a railgun. Something serious to avoid problems with large zombie hordes,” Alex replied, now fully opening his eyes.

When the words “big gun” were mentioned, Rebecca’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t help but smile, and her joyful laughter turned into a typical “gremlin” cackle, as though she was already imagining the destruction she could cause with such a weapon. Gradually, her laugh transformed into a full-blown mad villain’s cackle, as if she was dreaming of destroying the world.

All eyes turned to Rebecca, who was clearly enjoying her fantasies.

“I hope you’re not planning to let Rebecca handle that weapon,” Kiriko asked cautiously.

“I’m against it too,” Rei supported her. “We don’t even need to guess what she’s thinking right now.”

“I’d rather trust Shizuka with the weapon than Rebecca,” Rika shook her head.

“Hey! I’m really responsible, you know!” Shizuka pouted, offended. “Just so you know, Alex often praises me for my good work!”

The girls unanimously agreed that Rebecca should not be trusted with such dangerous weaponry. They all knew she was a real gremlin, and if given the chance, the world would start burning. Around Alex, she acted cute and innocent, but in any other situation, she turned into a disaster in the form of a charming girl.

Brunhilde gave Alex a warning glance, clearly indicating that he should not even think about allowing Rebecca to control the weapons. Alex nodded in agreement but knew deep down that sooner or later, he would give in and let her have her way. Brunhilde understood this too. She knew how Alex loved to spoil his girls, and Rebecca always got what she wanted with her many ways of convincing him.

Meanwhile, Rebecca, still immersed in her fantasies about shooting from giant guns, had no idea that a collective decision had already been made behind her back: no big guns in her hands.

After lying on Valmet’s lap for a little longer, Alex decided to step outside for a smoke. Despite the fact that his cigarettes didn’t have any scent, the girls were still against smoking indoors. He fought the urge to stay where he was, as he was extremely comfortable—Valmet was gently combing his hair, and Rika had nestled against his chest, clearly ready to fall asleep.

Finally, overcoming his moment of laziness, Alex got up, and Rika ended up on his lap. She sighed in protest—she was so cozy and clearly didn’t want to interrupt the cuddle session. To calm her down a little, Alex softly kissed her forehead.

“I’ll be back soon,” he mumbled, standing up.

The girls immediately became curious about where he was going, but Alex just waved a pack of cigarettes in the air without saying a word, hinting at his intention.

Once outside, he sat on the steps and lit a cigarette, watching the group of people going about their business on the deck. Some were simply basking in the sun, while others were chatting and laughing.

As Alex smoked, his attention was drawn to three guys who stopped talking and began heading toward him. He immediately knew what was on their minds—it was Kota, Takashi, and Jonah.

Alex wasn’t surprised that Jonahh had become friends with them. Unlike most of the teenagers in the survivors’ group, who were, to put it mildly, ordinary, these three actively participated in raids and training. The rest only trained because Brunhilde forced everyone to prepare for potential dangers.

“Yo, guys, what’s up?” Alex greeted lazily, raising his hand.

They stopped next to him, and Jonah spoke first.

“About the new people… Are they martial artists or something? How dangerous are they?”

Alex smirked.

“Don’t worry, Jonah. These guys are pretty peaceful and won’t harm innocents. Just don’t make them angry. They won’t kill you, but trust me, if you get on their bad side, it’s going to hurt.”

“Damn, they’re giants,” Takashi added, shaking his head. “Especially that old man… Hayato, I think? Not to mention that weird guy with the friendly smile. If you were the tallest here before, they’ve definitely taken your place.”

Alex laughed.

“Hahaha, you’re right, they are huge. Old man Hayato is one of those masters they call legends. And as for Apachai… Jonah, you really have nothing to worry about. Apachai is a great guy, the kids absolutely love him. Just see for yourself.”

With that, Alex nodded toward Apachai, who was already entertaining the children, running around with them on the deck.

Following Alex’s gaze, Jonah saw Apachai, with a kind smile, playing with the kids. The little ones were practically clinging to him, laughing and playing. Alex knew he could trust Apachai with the kids—he was one of those rare people who genuinely cared for children and was ready to protect them to his last breath. Alex respected people like that and was sure that Apachai would never harm the kids. So, he had no hesitation in letting Alice and the others play with him.

Even when Apachai started tossing the children in the air, Alex just smiled. However, for the guys, the sight seemed a bit… unusual, especially for Jonah, who noticed that his younger brother was also being tossed around. His body tensed, and he was about to rush over to Apachai, but Alex stopped his overprotective brother in time, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Jonah. I told you, Apachai is a good guy. Even animals love him, and kids even more. Look at their happy faces,” Alex said, gesturing toward the laughing children.

Jonah relaxed slightly, but there was still a hint of wariness in his eyes.

“How do you know so much about these people?” Kota asked curiously.

In response, Alex pulled out his phone and showed them dossiers on each member of Ryozanpaku. The guys immediately realized that he had already done his research, which is why he was so calm.

“Oh, right, before I forget… Takashi, your mom asked if you have a girlfriend yet. Or maybe someone caught your eye? You’re always hanging out with Kota and his crew, and she’s starting to suspect you’ve become part of his harem,” Alex said with a smirk, intentionally teasing him.

Takashi’s eye twitched, and the familiar “irritated” lines appeared on his forehead. Even Kota, who had been dragged into this, couldn’t hold back his laughter. Jonah, looking at Takashi’s disgruntled face, just smirked.

“Why are you laughing?! Or should I remind you how your girls beat you up for not wanting to put down the flamethrower Alex gave you—even while you were asleep?” Takashi retorted, pointing at Kota.

“It was an accident!” Kota immediately defended himself, crossing his arms. “And besides, my situation and yours are completely different. It’s not me who’s suspected of liking guys!”

A quarrel broke out.

Alex, watching it all, just grinned. His little provocation had worked. Jonah also realized that Alex had deliberately sparked the argument, so he just sat down next to them, watching the unfolding spectacle.

“Damn, they really act like a married couple…” someone whispered from the side.

Alex heard this and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, now people already think you’re a quarreling married couple,” he commented through his laughter.

“I’m not gay! I like girls!” Takashi snapped. “And even if I liked guys, it sure wouldn’t be someone like Kota!”

Alex shook his head.

“Don’t yell so loudly, or they’ll definitely put you in the other camp, and then you can forget about girls,” he teased.

Takashi realized he’d raised his voice and quickly fell silent. However, when he looked around, he noticed many suspicious stares directed at him. Clenching his teeth, he suppressed his irritation so as not to escalate the situation.

“Alright, seriously, Takashi… Did any of the new girls catch your eye?” Alex asked with curiosity.

Takashi hesitated for a moment but nodded.

“Well, there’s one… She’s from the group of girls who wear the same outfits, just different colors.”

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Are you talking about the female version of the ‘Power Rangers’?”

Takashi just exhaled in frustration, realizing he wouldn’t be left alone now.

Takashi nodded awkwardly, agreeing with Alex’s words. Alex gave a slight smile, pleased that Takashi had finally found a girl he liked. Of course, he wasn’t planning to interfere in his personal life, but he knew that Namiyo and Gloria would definitely ask him to help the guy. If he hadn’t talked Namiyo out of the idea of finding a girl for Takashi on her own, the caring “mother” would already be interrogating every girl she met, asking if they liked Takashi.

“So, my son, do you need advice, or will you handle it on your own?” Alex asked with a smirk.

“How many times do I have to tell you, don’t call me that,” Takashi grumbled, rolling his eyes. But then, after a brief hesitation, he nodded. “But I wouldn’t mind some advice.”

“O-o-oh, so this is it! Advice from the King of Harem! Share your wisdom with us, oh great master!” Kota theatrically exclaimed, putting his hands together in a praying gesture.

Alex, Jonah, and Takashi exchanged looks, regarding him like he was a complete idiot. Takashi and Jonah genuinely wondered how Kota had managed to get a girlfriend… or rather, not just one. His harem consisted of several girls who not only tolerated his silly habits but also genuinely cared about him.

Alex recalled how Rika had recently asked him to talk to Kota about the “night incident” she had accidentally stumbled upon when she was heading to the bathroom. But that was for later—first, it was time to give Takashi a few useful tips.

“First, get rid of that habit of always frowning. You walk around looking like you have chronic constipation or like you were bullied in school. Just relax and be yourself. You know what I mean?” Alex began. “And most importantly—your girl needs to feel safe around you. Look at Kota and Jonah: they can protect their loved ones, and you need to show that you can do the same. I’m not telling you to act like a caveman or start making gorilla mating calls. Just go up to her, talk to her, find out what she’s into, what school she went to. Be natural.”

“He’s right,” Kota nodded. “You’re a normal guy, we’ve been friends for a while, and I know what kind of person you are. Just stop walking around with that eternal sorrowful face.”

“Agreed,” Jonah added, throwing in his two cents.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Why are you guys bothering me? I was born like this,” Takashi grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Alex, Kota, and Jonah laughed, but Alex knew better. Namiyo had already told him about Takashi’s childhood, and he had even recorded her stories, later sending them to Gloria—let her learn her son’s story directly from the woman who had taken care of Takashi in this world.

But then Alex squinted and turned his gaze toward Kota, causing him to tense up involuntarily.

“Oh, right, Kota… before I forget. Maybe you could stop having fun with your girls in the bathroom? I understand, hormones, age, all that… but for God’s sake, wait until we get to Okinawa. You’ll have your own room there. Rika’s already afraid to go to the bathroom, worried she’ll catch you and yours girls again,” Alex said with a light chuckle.

Kota turned bright red and hesitated.

“I got it… Sorry. It’s just… well… you know,” he mumbled.

Now it was Takashi’s turn to laugh at Kota, who looked like he was about to sink into the ground. Alex simply shook his head—he understood the situation, but still decided to give the guy a bit of a hard time.

They chatted a bit more before parting ways. Alex, left sitting on the steps, decided to kill some time by looking through the logbook that G.I.R. had been keeping, collecting information from all over the world using satellites.

However, recently, the data had been dwindling because the situation was worsening every day. It didn’t take much to figure out: with every passing second, there were fewer and fewer people, and more and more zombies.

Rubbing his nose a bit, Alex looked up and saw a group from Ryozenpaku heading toward him. He waited until they approached, eager to exchange a few words.

“How’s the accommodation?” he asked, surveying the group.

“Everything’s fine. Believe me, some of us have slept in far worse conditions, so no need to worry, young friend,” Hayato replied with a slight smirk.

Alex chatted with the Ryozenpaku group, asking them about their accommodation, what they thought of the others, and their plans. Hayato assured him they were ready to help train the survivors so they could defend themselves in case of danger.

Alex gladly agreed, since even Brunhild had started to tire from constantly overseeing everyone, and it would be useful for her to offload some of the responsibility. After all, she was managing the entire group of survivors, while Alex was only responsible for the raids.

“Uh, young friend…” Kensai began uncertainly.

“Don’t call me that. Just Alex, like everyone else. I’m used to it,” Alex replied with a smile, looking at Kensai.

“Then, Alex. I heard you have the ability to contact other people. Could I borrow your phone? I need to make a call,” Kensai asked, forcing a smile.

“Sure, no problem,” Alex said, handing him the phone.

Kensai sighed, accepting the device, but didn’t rush to dial the number. Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, watching him. When Kensai finally seemed ready to make the call, his daughter, Renka, swiftly snatched the phone from his hands.

“Give it here! If you’re calling mom, I’ll do it myself. Hearing your voice, she’ll lecture you for hours, and I just want to know how she’s doing,” Renka declared, giving her father a gentle kick in the rear.

Alex simply shook his head. He knew that Kensai’s relationship with his family was far from ideal, especially after he had just disappeared without a word.

“Is it always like this with them?” Alex asked, nodding toward the father and daughter.

“Yeah… At one point, he packed his things, left a note, and went off in search of his dream,” Shigure replied monotonously.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but… what’s his dream?” Alex inquired with curiosity.

“He wants to collect photographs of women’s underwear,” Shigure explained calmly.

Alex sighed heavily, looking at Kensai as if he were the biggest fool on the planet. Of course, he knew the details of his story, but reading the file was one thing, hearing it like this was another. Leaving your family for underwear… even in this world, it sounded excessive.

Deciding not to waste another second on it, Alex returned to his conversation with the others. At one point, Tachimaru, Shigure’s tiny mouse companion, unexpectedly jumped onto Alex’s head and settled comfortably there. This surprised everyone who knew how distrustful the little creature was of strangers. Even Kenichi hadn’t earned that kind of trust yet.

Shigure looked closely at Tachimaru, then at Alex. No one knew what she was thinking, but Tachimaru himself seemed quite content with his new spot.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep