After Alex disappeared into the basement covered in strange biomass resembling flesh, Kota’s group remained on guard as he had requested. They locked all the doors to prevent any unexpected zombie appearances, and after making sure everything was secure, they waited for Alex to return while he dealt with the strange nest below.

Ukita and Takeda were curious about who Alex really was and why he had decided to enter such a dangerous place alone. Hearing their question, Takashi and Kota exchanged glances, deciding who would explain. Kota gave Takashi a pointed look, silently telling him that it was his responsibility—after all, he was the closest to Alex, and his mother, Namiyo, was in a relationship with him.

Understanding the unspoken message, Takashi barely resisted the urge to smack Kota with his shotgun. Suppressing his irritation, he began telling Takeda and Ukita what they needed to know about Alex. Of course, he chose his words carefully, aware that the full truth would sound completely insane.

He couldn’t exactly say that he was a reincarnated person from a futuristic world and that Alex was essentially his stepfather. Even the thought of it seemed absurd to Takashi. Maybe Kota would believe it, but no one else.

Takeda and Ukita listened with shocked expressions, and as Takashi continued, their amazement only grew. They couldn’t believe that someone their age was capable of such feats, and that the survivors relied on Alex’s organization to stay alive.

The more they learned, the more astonished they became. The conversation gradually shifted to personal topics, but the moment school days were mentioned, Takashi and Kota immediately shut down. Takeda noticed this and tactfully changed the subject, not wanting to push them.

Some time passed when suddenly, a disgusting stench began seeping from the basement. If it had smelled like decay before, now the odor had become truly unbearable. Even through the closed metal doors, the suffocating stench was so intense that everyone’s eyes started watering.

“Oh god, what the hell did he do down there?!” Takashi coughed, pinching his nose.

“This reeks worse than any of the nests we’ve found before,” Kota added, looking pale. “Even compared to those, this is just hell.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know!” Merna groaned, struggling against nausea. “Should we open the windows? Or even the doors? I’d rather let a zombie in than deal with this…”

Everyone immediately rushed to open the warehouse’s windows and doors, hoping to lessen the unbearable stench. But even that wasn’t enough. The foul smell had seeped into the air, their clothes, the walls—it felt like they themselves were now soaked in the disgusting odor.

When they couldn’t take it anymore and were about to flee the warehouse, the iron basement door clanged open, and Alex appeared in the doorway. His face was hidden behind the helmet of his combat suit.

Before he could say a word, the entire group bolted outside, gasping desperately for fresh air. Alex stood there, confused, his expression hidden behind the mask.

“What’s with them?” he muttered, only to hear the voices of the Valkyries in his spiritual space.

They reminded him that after removing the Marker fragment, the biomass had dissolved into sludge, and that sludge was now the source of the horrific stench. Alex simply nodded and calmly walked outside.

The sight that greeted him was amusing: the whole group was panting as if fresh air was the greatest thing they had ever breathed.

“Weaklings,” Alex smirked, looking at the guys.

The moment he said that, everyone turned to him with irritated faces. Their cheeks twitched as they realized he was calling them weak while safely hidden inside a sealed helmet.

“Screw you,” Takashi snapped, pointing at him. “Your damn face is covered! You’re the last person who should be saying that!”

“And whose fault is that?” Alex replied in an innocent tone, hiding his smirk behind the helmet. “You could’ve worn respirators… or at least masks.”

The guys’ faces twitched even more after Alex’s comment, but none of them could argue—after all, they could have thought of covering their faces with respirators themselves to avoid inhaling that disgusting stench. Now it felt like the foul odor was following them everywhere.

Exchanging glances, they decided that once they got back, they would take a long, thorough shower and simply burn their clothes. Well, except for Takashi—he wasn’t willing to part with his mother Gloria’s jacket and was mentally calculating how many times he would have to wash it to completely get rid of the stench.

“So, what did you find down there?” Takashi asked, trying to suppress his gag reflex.

“Nothing unusual, really. Just a mutated zombie that evolved into something new—a parasite or something like that. You get what I mean, Kota,” Alex said, carefully choosing his words to make the lie as believable as possible.

Kota, catching the hint, immediately nodded, realizing what Alex was getting at. All eyes turned to him, waiting for an explanation. Alex, seeing the attention shift, smirked in satisfaction—he had successfully avoided unnecessary explanations and complicated justifications. The wisest decision was simply to “throw Kota under the bus” and let him deal with everyone’s questions.

Although Alex could have summed it up in a few words—a zombie mutated into a biomass that absorbed unlucky victims—Kota had already taken the bait. He nodded, thinking about how similar these monsters were to the ones he had encountered in video games. But this was reality. The thought that he and his group could have become part of that disgusting nest made him shudder involuntarily.

“Then can you explain what the hell that thing in the basement was?” Takashi asked, staring intently at Kota.

“There are always these trap monsters in games. They’re similar to what we saw in the basement—if you get caught, you become part of the biomass. The only way to destroy something like that is to find its heart. Usually, it’s located at the origin point of the growth,” Kota explained.

“So we were just lucky that we didn’t go down there and end up as part of that… flesh mess?” Takeda asked, trying to process what he had just heard.

Alex and Kota silently nodded. The realization of the gruesome fate they had narrowly avoided sent a chill through everyone.

But Kota, getting carried away, decided not to stop there. He began describing in detail what happened to the victims trapped inside and how their “assimilation” ended. The longer he talked, the paler his teammates became. The girls who were in a relationship with him initially just tensed up, but soon their expressions turned downright ominous.

Alex, having already removed his mask, watched the scene unfold with clear amusement. He noticed the girls exchanging glances and mentally wished Kota luck—he was going to need it.

Of course, Alex was right. Merna, one of Kota’s girlfriends, smacked him on the back of the head so hard that his glasses nearly flew off. The loud smack echoed through the room, and for a moment, it felt like the entire city had heard it.

Kota, clutching his head, looked at Merna and the other girls in confusion. But they had no intention of stopping. Realizing he had no idea why he was being hit, they immediately began scolding him.

Takeda, Ukita, and Takashi wisely took a few steps back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Alex smirked, thinking that all he was missing now was some snacks—family drama was always entertaining to watch.

However, a sudden alert from their communicators interrupted the scolding.

Alex and Kota exchanged glances. The girls fell silent.

They connected to the channel where the call was coming from.

“Hello?! Is anyone there?! This is Itami! We’ve got major problems—we need backup!” Itami’s panicked voice came through.

Alex and Kota tensed upon hearing Itami’s panicked voice. Kota gave a nod, passing the initiative to Alex, who returned the gesture.

“Itami, what happened? Speak quickly,” Alex demanded, wanting to get the details.

“We were at the mall when some strange man attacked us,” Itami replied, his breathing heavy—he was clearly running.

“Itami, details,” Alex reminded him, pressing for a faster response.

“Shit, give me that!” Shino’s voice cut in. “Some tall bastard in a coat and hat attacked us as we were leaving the mall. No matter how much we shot him, he didn’t even flinch. We even tried blowing him up with grenades, but that only slowed him down for a couple of seconds! He crushed our Humvee like a tin can! We’re trying to shake him off, but he’s right on our heels and won’t stop!”

“Hold on, I’m on my way,” Alex said, making it clear that help was coming.

“Just hurry the hell up! We’re running out of ammo!” Shino shouted before the transmission cut off.

Alex quickly processed what he had just heard. Based on Shino’s description, their opponent was none other than Mr. X—also known as the T-103. A part of the “Tyrant” project, it was a highly durable and relentless bio-weapon created in a lab. The worst part about this model was its near-human intelligence, allowing it to carry out complex orders. But what made it even more dangerous was its ability to mutate upon taking critical damage, becoming faster, stronger, and even deadlier.

“Kota, take your team and head to the mall. Pick up Itami’s group. I’ll go ahead and see what they’re dealing with,” Alex said as his helmet formed around his head, concealing his face.

Kota nodded and signaled the others to load into the Humvee. The next moment, Alex shot forward, sprinting across the rooftops toward the shopping center. He was curious to see Mr. X in action, but more importantly, he needed to save Itami’s group.

Meanwhile…

Itami’s team was scrambling through the shopping mall, desperately trying to shake off their relentless pursuer. They had used everything they could to slow him down, but bullets simply bounced off his coat. The only vulnerable spot was his head, but even unloading an entire magazine into it only made him pause for a brief moment before his wounds rapidly healed.

Still, every short delay gave them a chance to catch their breath. However, it felt as if Mr. X could sense their location, tracking them down with pinpoint accuracy—almost like they had a beacon on them. Even locked doors were useless—Tyrant simply smashed through walls, advancing in his slow but unstoppable pace.

Another attack momentarily slowed him down, and Itami’s group rounded a corner, finally getting a moment to breathe. They had lost count of how many laps they had run through the shopping center.

“Kuribayashi, any word on backup?!” Takeo Kurota panted. “I’m about to pass out from all this running! Not even Alex’s training tired me out this much…”

“Shut up, Takeo!” Shino snapped. “You think you’re the only one exhausted?! We’ve done ten damn laps around this goddamn mall!”

Takeo flinched under her fiery glare and quickly looked away. Everyone knew that Shino Kuribayashi was the type of girl who wouldn’t hesitate to deck you if you pissed her off.

“Alright, Shino, calm down,” Mari Kurokawa stepped in, positioning herself between them to prevent a fight. “What did Alex say?”

“He said he’d be here soon. But I have no idea where he is right now, so I don’t know how long that’ll take,” Shino replied, catching her breath.

“Knowing Alex, he won’t take long,” Itami said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “But for now… we need to start running again. I have a feeling that bastard’s already recovered.”

At that moment, the floor trembled. A loud crashing sound echoed from somewhere behind them.

“RUN!” Shino shouted, and the group took off once more.

Hearing Shino’s words, everyone quickly gathered and began to run. With their ammunition running low, they conserved it, only firing when Mr. X got too close.

The moment the group took off, the wall to their right exploded in a cloud of dust and debris. Through the breach, Mr. X calmly stepped out, his cold gaze immediately locking onto the fleeing group. The realization that their pursuer had recovered faster than before pushed Itami and the others to increase their speed, hoping to outrun him and hold on until Alex arrived.

They were so focused on running that they didn’t realize they had turned down the wrong corridor. Having circled the mall several times, they were familiar with its layout, but this time a single wrong turn played a cruel trick on them. It wasn’t until they found themselves in a dead-end that they realized there was no way back. The mood sank instantly—if Alex didn’t make it in time, their fate was sealed.

“Shit, who turned the wrong way?” Shino snapped, her gaze landing on Takeo. “Takeo, you were in the front!”

“Don’t point at me!” he retorted, fully aware of the hopelessness of the situation. “You all followed me!”

“Enough arguing,” Itami cut them off sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. “If we’re lucky, we can hold out until Alex gets here. Check how much ammo and grenades we have left.”

The group quickly checked their supplies. The result was discouraging—there were too few rounds left to keep holding off the Tyrant. The realization only deepened their despair.

And just then, Mr. X slowly emerged from around the corner. He stared silently at them, took one step, then another, gradually picking up speed.

“It’s been a pleasure serving with you guys,” Itami sighed, watching as the Tyrant began to approach.

“Me too…” Takeo mumbled, near tears. “And I never even got my cat-wife…”

They raised their weapons, preparing to make their final stand. If they were going to die, it would be fighting.

But suddenly, a deafening crash sounded—like a hurricane breaking through the walls. For a moment, everyone froze, and then they realized: only one person could cause such destruction.

“Leaf Technique: Dynamic Entrance!” a familiar voice rang out.

The wall to Mr. X’s right exploded into pieces, and Alex shot through it, as though fired from a cannon. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as his foot slammed with devastating force into the Tyrant’s face. The impact sent Mr. X flying backward, crashing through wall after wall until his body disappeared beneath a pile of rubble.

Alex landed, stood up straight, and, glancing at the hole in the wall, grinned.

“Yo, did you guys miss me?” he asked, lazily raising a hand in greeting.

Seeing Alex’s arrival, Itami’s entire group felt a wave of relief. Exhausted, they collapsed to the floor, trying to catch their breath. Takeo was the happiest—he had already said his goodbyes to life, but now he had another chance to fulfill his dream of marrying a cat-wife… even though he hadn’t even thought about the fact that such a thing didn’t exist in this world.

Shino and Mari also sat down heavily, breathing hard and trying to recover—they had been through too much that day, and they certainly didn’t want to repeat it.

Alex, observing their condition, thought to himself: why had the Tyrant pursued Itami’s group so relentlessly? The corporation had no reason to pay special attention to them. The only explanation that came to mind was that someone was controlling the T-103. And if that was the case, there was only one person closely connected to the Tyrant project. However, Alex couldn’t be completely sure about this… Perhaps the group just had an incredibly unlucky day.

He tore his gaze away from the hole in the wall and walked toward the group.

“Well, done running?” Alex asked with a slight smirk.

“Is this funny to you? Try running around the mall for hours with that monstrosity chasing you!” Shino snapped, glaring at him.

“But you survived, and you’re all fine. So stop complaining and let’s head outside. I have a feeling your new ‘buddy’ will be getting up soon.” With that, Alex placed his hand on Shino’s head.

The girl had grown tired of his habit of patting her on the head, but with each time, it became harder to push him away.

After catching their breath, the group started to get up. Alex hoped that the other teams had already made it to the mall and started evacuating.

As they passed the hole in the wall, each one couldn’t help but glance inside, seeing how the Tyrant’s body had punched through several walls before getting buried under rubble. Some even wondered: what would have happened if one of them had taken such a hit from Alex? But there was no need to guess—the answer was obvious.

“Have you guys never seen a hole in the wall? Or are you waiting for him to crawl out by himself?” Alex urged them forward.

“We just…” Takeo began but shook his head. “That monster flew to hell from just one hit. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Alex only smirked. However, despite the group’s general sense of relief, one thought kept spinning in his head: regular weapons were becoming useless. Soon, the zombies would reach a new stage of evolution—the weak would be fewer, and the more dangerous ones would increase. Ordinary bullets would soon be no different from water guns…

But as they turned the corner, the sound of shifting rubble echoed.

Alex sighed.

“Alright, head outside. I’ll deal with him.”

“Be careful,” Mari said, giving him a glance.

He waved his hand, signaling that he’d be fine, and turned back.

Peering into the hole, Alex saw the Tyrant slowly emerging from the rubble. As soon as his gaze met Alex’s, something in him seemed to switch. He changed targets.

“Hmm,” Alex raised an eyebrow. “Now you’re hunting me?”

Instinctively, he reached for his pocket… and then remembered his combat suit didn’t have any. However, with a subtle movement, unseen by the Tyrant, he pulled a cigarette from his inventory.

Alex didn’t want to reveal his abilities, knowing that everything the Tyrant saw, the one controlling it also saw.

Lighting the cigarette, he calmly waited for the Tyrant to approach.

Alex was curious about how strong Mr. X was in this world compared to El Gigante, the creature he fought in the Tokyo shelter. As the Tyrant approached, it raised its massive arm and attempted to strike Alex’s head with a powerful punch. However, Alex, remaining completely calm, took a small step to the side, easily dodging the attack.

Mr. X didn’t stop, swinging his fists over and over, trying to hit Alex. But Alex always dodged at the last moment, elegantly avoiding each blow. His movements seemed lazy, but in reality, they were meticulously calculated. The Tyrant’s mighty fists collided with the walls, creating huge dents with a thunderous crash. Watching this, Alex noted that Mr. X’s strength was no different from his original form.

He realized that this was the standard version of the Tyrant, with no improvements. This meant that, after taking enough damage, it would inevitably begin to mutate. All Tyrant series projects operated on the same principle: significant damage provoked further transformation.

After dodging another blow, Alex decided not to drag things out. He had already learned everything he needed to know.

“Well, big guy, let’s see how much damage your body can take,” he smirked, cracking his neck.

Of course, Mr. X didn’t respond. Instead, it swung its fist again, aiming for Alex’s face. But Alex vanished from the trajectory of the punch and instantly appeared in front of him, gripping the Tyrant’s head with an iron grip.

“Now you’ll be my battering ram,” Alex smirked, tightening his fingers around Mr. X’s skull.

Before Mr. X could react in any way, Alex jerked forward, using the Tyrant’s massive body as an improvised battering ram. With a thunderous crash, walls collapsed as Mr. X’s back smashed through obstacles one after another. Alex moved quickly, as if carving a tunnel through the building, and a crazy thought flashed in his mind: what if he just brought down the entire mall this way?

Following his sudden idea, he started intentionally demolishing the supporting columns, clearing his path through the building.

Meanwhile, Itami’s group had made it outside, where several vehicles had arrived to assist them. Alex’s girls, as well as Koto and Lehm’s groups, were already nearby. As soon as everyone was outside, the sound of a deafening crash reached their ears from deep within the mall.

“Is he planning to demolish the whole mall?” Renka joked, with a hint of disbelief.

“Oh, you’re getting to know Alex better,” Valmet smirked. “Most likely, he’s got the idea of using the zombie as a battering ram to level the entire building.”

Renka stared at her in complete astonishment, her eyes wide. She hadn’t suspected that her joke might turn out to be true. The other girls simply nodded in silence, confirming what had been said.

The other members of the group exchanged looks, skeptically shifting their gaze from one girl to the next.

“Wait… you’re serious?!” Takeda asked, confused.

“Yep,” the girls shrugged, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Takeda was left utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, the walls of the mall began to crack, and in some places, the ceiling had already started to collapse. Seeing this, the girls, as if anticipating the spectacle, made themselves comfortable, ready to watch the destruction unfold.

When Lehm’s group arrived, their first question was:

“Where’s Alex?”

Upon hearing that he was using the giant zombie as a demolition tool, none of the guys were surprised. They just nodded and decided to calmly wait for the end of the destruction.

Takeda, Ukita, Miu, and Renka at that moment reassessed their views on Alex.

Alex watched as the mall slowly crumbled, the first floor already almost completely collapsed. He was racing toward the center of the building, where a massive glass dome loomed on the ceiling. Picking up speed, Alex suddenly braked right under it, using inertia, and forcefully launched Mr. X upwards.

A loud crack echoed as the Tyrant’s body shattered through the glass dome, sending shards raining down onto the mall. Alex crouched slightly, tensed, and with a powerful leap, shot into the air. Flying through the newly created hole, he instantly overtook the falling Mr. X and grabbed the scabbard of Muramasa.

The characteristic sound of the activation mechanism in the scabbard was heard, and the katana’s hilt shot straight into Alex’s hand. With one smooth motion, he gripped it and, without wasting a second, executed a series of lightning-fast slashes. Muramasa’s blade cut through Mr. X’s body, scattering it into numerous pieces, leaving no chance for mutation or possible resurrection.

The fragments of the Tyrant’s body plummeted down, and Alex followed, not wanting to land back in the collapsing mall. He pushed off the air and surveyed the space below. Right beneath him stood the girls, Koto’s group, and Lehm’s fighters, watching his descent.

Alex landed right in front of them, dramatically grouping himself in a “superhero pose.” As soon as his feet touched the ground, loud applause erupted.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re such a lovely audience, you make me proud of my profession!” Alex said with a grin, bowing theatrically.

“I see you had a great time, kid,” Lehm smirked.

“Oh, absolutely! Not every day do you get to demolish a shopping mall using some strange zombie!” Alex replied, giving a thumbs-up.

“I hate to break it to you, but… you didn’t demolish it,” R interjected, grinning and pointing to the building behind Alex.

Alex looked at him, then smirked slyly in response. He gave a light stomp on the ground, and immediately a deafening crash echoed — the shopping mall began to collapse, turning into ruins.

R’s face visibly twisted, and he immediately lost all desire to continue the argument. Seeing him “defeated” again, the other guys laughed, which only further frustrated him.

Alex stopped smiling and looked toward one of the nearby surveillance cameras. Raising his hands above his head, he formed a heart shape.

Everyone around him stared at him in confusion, not understanding the meaning of his gesture.

“Why are you doing that?” Valmet asked in bewilderment.

“They’re watching us. So, I recommend you all wave at the camera together,” Alex explained calmly, pointing in the right direction.

“What makes you think they’re watching us?» Lehm narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“It’s obvious,” Alex shrugged. “Now, enough wasting time. Everyone strike a dramatic pose and look at the camera. Let them know we’re aware.”

Everyone exchanged glances but decided to play along with Alex. Rebecca, with a wide grin, ran up to him and stood beside him, copying his pose. The other girls joined in the fun as well. Even Valmet, with a heavy sigh, couldn’t avoid the fate and formed a heart with her hands.

Each of them struck the most ridiculous pose, knowing it would likely annoy whoever was watching them. In a second, everyone burst into laughter, imagining the face of the mysterious observer.

When the laughter subsided, the team decided to head back to the ferry. Their next stop was the military base in Okinawa.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep