After Alex and the others had their fill of mocking whoever was watching them through the camera, the entire group burst into loud laughter. Once they finished, they started getting into the cars to head back to the ferry and make their way to their final stop—Okinawa.

Alex got into a car with the girls, and as soon as the vehicle started moving toward the port, a barrage of questions came his way. The first topic of discussion was the strange nest Kota had discovered. However, Alex had no intention of revealing the truth about the Marker fragment. They didn’t need to know about its existence, and explaining where he got the box in which he had sealed this dangerous artifact would be complicated. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the girls, but the less they knew, the better. They were already aware of the existence of the Obelisk, which drove people insane and turned them into grotesque monsters upon death.

So, Alex gave them the same version he had told Kota’s group: the basement housed a mutated zombie that had turned into biomass, consuming anyone who happened to get too close. The girls shuddered in disgust, but Rebecca, the ever-restless gremlin, immediately began asking what the biomass looked like and how it could be killed. More specifically, she wanted to know if it could be burned—just for fun. Realizing her train of thought, Alex only smirked and patted Rebecca’s head as she cozily settled onto his lap.

The next question concerned the strange zombie that had attacked Itami’s group. Alex briefly explained that it was most likely another experimental specimen created by the Evil Corporation. Upon learning that yet another unusual zombie had appeared, the girls sighed heavily. They needed details, so to pass the time, Alex described Mr. X in detail, ensuring they understood what they might face and how to fight it if necessary.

The T-103 Tyrants, to which Mr. X belonged, were extremely dangerous. Even in their base state, they were lethal threats, and after mutating, they became even more terrifying. As usual, the most reasonable idea came from Saya. Analyzing the information, she suggested killing such creatures before they could mutate, using the most reliable methods—either blowing them up, burning them, or simply inflicting such massive damage that they had no chance of regenerating.

Alex agreed with her logic, but the problem was that no one knew exactly how much damage was needed to kill a T-103 before it could mutate.

“Oh, why can’t we just fight regular zombies?” Rei groaned in frustration, leaning tiredly against Alex’s shoulder. “Is it really so hard to make them not mutate? I’ve already lost count of how many times we’ve run into these freakish mutations! And now there are these… what were they called again? Necro-somethings?”

“Well, it’s only natural,” Saya responded, rolling her eyes. “Any virus mutates over time, becoming more dangerous. Humans have faced similar threats for centuries, which is why they developed vaccines to fight diseases.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that zombies keep mutating,” Rei said with a frown. “If you’re so smart, why don’t you create a vaccine to stop their evolution?”

“Do you have any idea how much work that would take?” Saya asked irritably. “We’d need to isolate the pathogen, collect samples from numerous infected individuals, conduct a series of tests…”

She launched into a detailed explanation, switching into her know-it-all mode. Alex listened to her reasoning, occasionally nodding, but his thoughts were already elsewhere.

The truth was, the girls didn’t know the most important thing: people who had turned into zombies had no hope of salvation. Even their essence was gone, leaving behind only an empty shell—an existence devoid of a soul or personality.

Alex himself had not yet had the opportunity to study the process of a human turning into a zombie, but he suspected that there was no way back. He also doubted whether it was even possible to create an antidote for zombie viruses, considering that this world had several different types of infections.

The Las Plagas virus could be dealt with—it was enough to destroy the parasite inside the host’s body before it took full control. But the Uroboros virus and similar ones posed a much more complex problem.

As Saya continued her monologue, Alex became completely absorbed in his thoughts. The girl seemed so caught up in the topic that she could probably write an entire dissertation on it. When she finally fell silent, it felt as if she had just delivered a full-length lecture.

“So, you’re not as smart as you think you are,” Rebecca smirked, looking at her with clear mockery.

“What did you just say?!” Saya hissed through gritted teeth.

“You heard me loud and clear, Pinky. I. SAID. YOU’RE. NOT. AS. SMART. AS. YOU. THINK. YOU. ARE,” Rebecca repeated with exaggerated slowness, drawing out each word teasingly.

“YOU!” Saya pointed an accusing finger at her in rage.

“ME!” Rebecca mimicked her, grinning.

And just like that, another noisy argument erupted, one that Alex didn’t even attempt to stop. Not that he needed to—ultimately, they were heading straight into another dangerous situation waiting for them in Okinawa anyway.

The vein on Saya’s forehead began to throb ominously as she stared at the widely grinning Rebecca. The other girls sighed, realizing that these two had started another fight. A suspicion even arose among them that the endless bickering between Rebecca and Saya stemmed from the fact that they had the same hairstyle—both wore their long hair in twin braids. If not for her friends holding her back, Saya would have already lunged at Rebecca.

Alex snapped out of his thoughts, realizing yet another quarrel had broken out, and from the looks of it, Rebecca was the culprit once again.

“Ladies, can you keep it down?” Kiriko’s voice rang out, her face adorned with a sweet smile. “Your yelling is distracting me from driving. Or should I pull over and let you walk to the port on your own two feet?”

“No,” Rebecca and Saya answered in unison.

“Good. Now be quiet and remember—you’re not the only ones here,” Kiriko added with the same pleasant smile.

Both girls quickly nodded, suppressing their urge to argue back. The other girls couldn’t hold back their laughter—Kiriko had effortlessly put them in their place as if they were misbehaving children. Rei even gave her mother a thumbs-up, admiring her skill.

Alex merely smirked and glanced at Rebecca, who was now looking at him with a sulky expression, like a child in need of comfort. He shook his head, knowing that Rebecca always acted this way when she didn’t get her way. With a sigh, he gently placed his hand on her head and started stroking her hair. Feeling his touch, Rebecca happily snuggled against him, and then, casting a sideways glance at Saya, stuck her tongue out at her. She may have lost this battle, but she would win the war.

Saya understood this but could only grit her teeth in frustration. However, she suddenly remembered Alex’s words about resting together on the ferry once they got back. The moment that thought crossed her mind, a satisfied smile appeared on her lips, and the look she gave Rebecca was openly smug.

Rebecca noticed this glance, narrowed her eyes, and frowned, feeling like she was missing something. The pink-haired know-it-all was clearly up to something, but what exactly remained a mystery.

The rest of the ride to the port was peaceful—at least on the surface. But Rebecca couldn’t shake the feeling that Saya was plotting something. In an attempt to provoke her, she deliberately kissed Alex, hugged him, and pressed herself closer, but… Saya didn’t react at all. She only cast fleeting glances before turning back to the window, which only irritated Rebecca even more.

However, while Saya remained unfazed, the other girls were seriously annoyed by her behavior. If not for Kiriko’s threat to kick everyone out of the car, they would have already found a way to shove Rebecca off Alex’s lap.

Alex was relieved that Renka and Miu weren’t part of this chaos. Otherwise, the situation would have become truly bizarre. Besides, he only interacted with them as regular friends—always under the watchful eyes of Hayato, who kept a close watch over his granddaughter, and Kensei, who had a habit of appearing out of nowhere just to keep Alex from getting too close to Renka.

When they finally arrived at the port, most of the group had already returned. Now, they were just waiting for the girls’ team, Kota’s crew, and Lehm’s group.

At the ferry’s boarding ramp, Brunhilde, Koko, Namiyo, Yuriko, and Shizuka were already waiting for them.

The moment Brunhilde saw Alex arriving with the girls, her brow lifted slightly, and her eyes narrowed. Alex felt her gaze and briefly met her eyes, hinting that they should communicate through their spiritual link.

Though surprised, Brunhilde complied with his request. As soon as she reestablished their connection, her eyes widened for a second before she let out a quiet sigh.

Alex wasn’t sure what exactly had caused her reaction—whether it was the Marker fragment he had found or the things he had been up to before meeting up with the girls.

“Oh, I see you even brought back some jewelry,” Koko suddenly interjected, snapping him out of his thoughts. “How sweet. But why do you need a gold bar?”

“That’s not a gold bar!” Alex huffed, puffing out his cheeks in protest. “That’s my new friend. His name is Richard.”

“Ooooh,” Yuriko drawled playfully as she eyed the jewels. “And what are you planning to do with your new friend Richard?”

“No idea yet. But if you like the jewelry, feel free to pick whatever you want. I only took them out of curiosity,” Alex said with a smile.

“Really? I love you!” Shizuka exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. “You always know exactly what a girl needs.”

Alex simply smiled, watching Shizuka’s enthusiasm. In a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, jewelry wasn’t exactly useful, and money had long lost its value. In the early stages of survival, only two things mattered: how much food you had and whether you could protect it. Only when the world began to stabilize and survivor communities formed would something resembling the old order start to emerge in certain places. Until then, jewelry was nothing more than trinkets—pretty but ultimately useless in filling an empty stomach.

He shifted his gaze to the girls, who were eagerly examining the contents of the bag—a collection of jewelry he had looted from a ransacked bank.

“And where are the engagement rings?” Koko suddenly asked, turning to look at him.

Alex inhaled sharply and nearly choked on air. He stared at Coco in surprise, but she seemed completely serious. What stunned him even more was that the other girls had also turned their gazes to him, silently affirming her words.

No, he wasn’t against engagement rings. It was just… there were certain steps one had to go through in a relationship before bringing up that kind of topic. Their current status could be considered something like the “early stage of a relationship.”

And yet, judging by the looks on the girls’ faces, he needed to choose his words very carefully.

Alex glanced at Brunhilde, hoping for some help, but the Valkyrie pretended not to notice him. That meant one thing—he would have to deal with the situation on his own. He couldn’t expect help from Rebecca—he knew her too well to count on her support.

“Uh… Well… you see…” he began carefully, trying to choose his words. “Before talking about marriage, there are certain steps one needs to take.”

The girls watched him with undisguised amusement. Seeing how Alex was struggling to find a way out of the situation, they couldn’t hold back their smiles.

“Alex, darling,” Yuriko said with a mock-serious tone as she approached and took his hand. “I’m already a grown woman. I can skip a few steps that usually precede marriage. Dates, courting… it’s not that important. After all, we’re already sharing a bed.”

“Well, it’s just… a bit more complicated than it seems,” he said with a strained smile.

“What’s so complicated about it?” Rika snorted, rolling her eyes. “You just get down on one knee, say, ‘Rika, marry me, I’ll love you forever,’ and I’ll, of course, tearfully say ‘yes,’ and that’s it! What’s the problem?”

The other girls nodded in agreement, supporting her words. Yuriko, Kiriko, and Namiyo—grown women who already had children and had been married before—were particularly vocal. For them, dating and courtship weren’t as important because the feelings between them and Alex were mutual, and the attention they received from him was something none of their ex-husbands had given them.

As for the younger girls, they might have thought about romance, but in a world ravaged by the apocalypse, what kind of dates could they have? Saeko and Beatrix, who adhered to traditional values, already considered Alex their husband, so the matter seemed settled for them.

“I just don’t want to give you soulless rings found in a jewelry store,” Alex finally said, standing up straighter. “I want to make them myself. I made rings by hand for Brunhilde and Rebecca.”

“Really?” Yuriko raised an eyebrow. “I was wondering why I hadn’t seen such rings before. Turns out, you made them yourself… unexpectedly romantic, Alex.”

With that, she wrapped her arm around his, and Alex blushed slightly and smiled.

Rebecca, hearing about the rings, proudly began showing off hers to Saya, driving her up the wall. The other girls ignored their quarrel and eagerly began asking Alex about the rings he was planning to make.

But he only smiled mysteriously, keeping the details to himself. Each ring he made for his girls was unique, reflecting their personalities and, most importantly, was engraved in a special way. Inside the jewelry were protective runes, capable of shielding the wearer from any danger—physical or mental. No being could harm the one wearing a ring crafted by Alex.

That’s why he couldn’t just grab the first piece of jewelry he came across and call it an engagement ring. He would do it the right way when the time came.

Seeing that they couldn’t get an answer out of him, the girls reluctantly backed off, but their eyes clearly showed that the conversation was far from over.

Alex interrupted the argument between Saya and Rebecca, and then, lifting the girls into his arms, he carried them back to the control room. Their next stop was Okinawa, after which they were heading to Alaska. However, Alex already felt that the journey to Alaska wouldn’t be easy. His intuition told him that they were in for some trouble along the way.

That’s why he decided not only to reinforce the aircraft carrier’s armament but also to properly arm all the members of the group. The sea harbored many dangers, and although the likelihood of encountering infected creatures there was lower, the possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

Once the ferry started moving, Alex went out on deck to inform all the passengers about the upcoming route:

“I have good news for you. Our next stop is a military base in Okinawa. Until then, we won’t be stopping anywhere else, so you can relax until we arrive.”

“And how long will we stay in Okinawa?” Hayato asked, voicing the common question.

“Not sure,” Alex answered. “It all depends on the condition of the aircraft carrier. The maximum stay is a week, but most likely, it’ll be less. So, don’t worry about safety.”

The people nodded in agreement and relaxed a little. Everyone understood that traveling by sea was safer than staying on land, where you could stumble upon a horde of zombies or something worse at any moment.

Not hearing any more questions, Alex returned to the control room, where he planned to keep his promise to Saya—a shared sleep. Without giving her time to react, he hugged her, covered her with a blanket, and closed his eyes.

Saya froze for a moment, then blushed slightly. However, she hugged Alex back and also closed her eyes.

Rebecca, watching this, squinted and immediately understood why her teasing hadn’t affected Saya. Shrugging, she pulled off her hoodie, leaving only her underwear, and without a word, climbed into the blanket, wrapping herself around Alex from behind.

The other girls also thought about lying down, but seeing that it was midday, they decided against it. The exception was Coco, who had nothing else to do. Without hesitation, she crawled into the blanket, settling between Alex and Saya, and soon fell asleep.

Alex fell asleep almost instantly, not allowing himself to dwell on unnecessary thoughts. All future problems would be solved one way or another.

At the same time, on one of the unmarked islands, in a secret complex, a man sat at a table wearing dark sunglasses. However, even they couldn’t hide his feral, demonic eyes.

He stared intently at the monitor, where a frame was paused: Alex and his group posed in front of a destroyed shopping center. The man’s face remained indifferent, but his fury was evident in every movement. He breathed evenly, but didn’t blink, and his fingers clenched into fists with such force that the silence was broken by the sound of cracking joints.

If Alex had seen this man, he would have recognized him immediately.

It was Albert Wesker — one of the main antagonists of the Resident Evil series, a former captain of the S.T.A.R.S. special forces unit, and one of the two surviving participants of the Wesker Project.

From a young age, under the influence of Oswell Spencer, Wesker became dishonorable, cold-blooded, and power-hungry. He preferred to stay in the shadows, watching events from the sidelines, and striking at the most opportune moment. He didn’t hesitate to betray if it served his goals.

Wesker tore his gaze away from the monitor and quickly began typing on the keyboard. Lines of code flashed across the screen at a breakneck pace.

The room was eerily silent, interrupted only by the rhythmic clattering of keys.

Wesker had been monitoring the operation with T-103 from the very beginning. He had been the one controlling the creation — the Tyrant, developed as part of a secret project. Now, with Alex having destroyed it, Wesker wanted to know everything about him.

How dangerous is he? Can he be used? Could he be pitted against the Evil Corporation while Wesker continues to weave his behind-the-scenes intrigues?

Wesker had never abandoned the idea of getting rid of the leash the corporation had put on him. When the apocalypse began, he took control of the African branch of the Evil Corporation, using the Tricell company as a cover for experiments on the local population.

But as soon as an opportunity arose, he fled Africa with his loyal followers and settled on this island, where an abandoned but still functional research complex was located.

Wesker thoughtfully touched his chin.

“Let’s see what you’ll do next…” he muttered, continuing to enter the next commands.

At that moment, Wesker was trying to gather information on the unknown man who had easily dealt with T-103 and then used it to completely destroy an entire shopping mall.

He knew he had to act with utmost caution — the slightest mistake could attract the attention of the supercomputer known as the Red Queen.

The Red Queen herself already knew that Wesker was attempting to breach their database using his own name, but she took no action, merely observing.

Using his position as Director of the Branch, Wesker gained access to information about everyone captured in the photograph. However, two remained virtually blank in the database — Alex and Rebecca. Their dossiers contained minimal information, and Alex’s file, according to the records, was still being updated.

As he read through his dossier, Wesker squinted slightly. He understood perfectly well how difficult it was to remain hidden from the all-seeing eye of the Corporation, which kept track of the entire world and knew the names of those who dared to resist. The further he read, the clearer it became — Alex was extremely dangerous for anyone who stood in his way.

Every event, from the incident in Tokonosu to the battle in the Tokyo hideout, had been meticulously documented.

“Unexpected… Someone managed to slip past the Corporation’s watchful eyes,” Wesker muttered coldly as he studied the data. “Interesting, very interesting… And, just as importantly, this bastard Williams clearly fears him. He wouldn’t have labeled him ‘Extremely Dangerous’ just like that.”

Wesker paused. Perhaps Alex could become a useful ally… at least for a while. And then, when he let his guard down, Wesker would strike from behind.

However, as his eyes scanned the next paragraph, he froze. Alex was not only strong but also smart. This meant that convincing him to cooperate would be extremely difficult.

Wesker smirked, tapping his finger on the table without tearing his gaze away from Alex’s photograph. Manipulating people was his specialty. He knew how to make them work for him.

But for some reason, deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that if he tried to pull this trick on Alex, it could end in disaster.

Wesker trusted his instincts.

“Let’s see who you really are… and if you can be used,” he said quietly, narrowing his eyes. “In any case, I will be the winner in this game.”

Silence fell in the room. Only the steady, measured breathing of Wesker broke it. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment, except for him.

At the same time, at the main secret facility of the Corporation, a similar situation was unfolding.

Caleb Williams, head of the Analytics Department, sat at a massive desk, closely monitoring every worker analyzing data from the Corporation’s branches scattered around the world.

The flow of information was endless. The research departments requested new materials for experiments, provided reports on completed projects, and gathered information about survivor communities that had endured the apocalypse.

Each settlement was ranked according to its threat level and potential value for experiments. If it seemed useful, mutants and zombies were sent there for field testing.

Caleb indifferentily flipped through the reports from the branch directors. Most were standard requests — increase resource supplies, allocate additional “expendable materials.”

This term referred to people whom they weren’t hesitant to send to their deaths. Most often, these were employees who had made serious mistakes. Such practices served as a good warning for the others.

Suddenly, a holographic projection of the Red Queen appeared behind him.

“Director Williams,” came the even, mechanical voice. “An unforeseen situation has occurred.”

Caleb paused for a moment, intrigued by what could have happened in such a short period of time.

“What happened that requires my attention?” he asked, not turning his head.

“There has been an unauthorized activation of the Tyrant-103 subject in Tanegashima,” the Red Queen responded.

Caleb’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to recall the details of the “Tyrant” project. However, within moments, all the necessary information resurfaced in his memory. The Red Queen patiently waited for his response.

“Wasn’t the ‘Tyrant’ project suspended by my order? As far as I remember, every specimen that suffered significant damage began to mutate uncontrollably,” Caleb said thoughtfully, turning his head toward the holographic projection of the AI.

“Correct, Director Williams. However, the ‘Tyrant’ project subjects were not destroyed and remained in a state of hibernation. The lead scientist overseeing the project believed they could still be used, and therefore submitted a request for their preservation. You approved this decision,” the Red Queen explained in a steady voice.

Caleb nodded, recalling the conversation with the very scientist. He remembered how the scientist had strongly urged not to destroy the early versions of the Tyrants, claiming that they could still be refined and improved. At the time, Caleb didn’t delve into the details — he was more concerned with why the T-103 subject had been activated specifically in Tanegashima, Japan.

“Have you figured out the reason for its activation?” he asked with noticeable interest.

“No. All data about the transmitted orders has been erased, and recovery is impossible. There is suspicion that the T-103 subject was activated manually,” the Red Queen replied.

Caleb frowned, pondering what he had just heard.

“Where is it now?” he asked, hoping the Tyrant had been tracked.

“The T-103 subject was eliminated by a person named Alexander,” the Red Queen reported emotionlessly.

Caleb’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but overall, the news didn’t surprise him.

“Ha… Our old friend has once again surpassed expectations. Well, commendable. If he weren’t our enemy, I’d even invite him for a drink,” he smirked. “How’s the surveillance on him going? Have you learned anything new? Where is he headed?”

“The man known as Alexander is under constant surveillance. However, drones sent to track him cannot get close to the ferry — something is creating interference and obstructing the observation,” the Red Queen reported flatly.

Caleb thoughtfully tapped his finger on the desk, lost in thought.

“Seems like he’s taking precautions… I wonder how far he’s willing to go?”

Silence once again filled the room, broken only by Caleb’s steady breathing as he sank into his thoughts.

Caleb slightly raised an eyebrow and motioned for all the records collected during the surveillance of Alex to be displayed on the screen. As the video began to play on the massive screen, work in the hall came to a halt — all employees turned their attention to the monitor.

As the Red Queen had stated, it was impossible to make out what was happening on the ferry — the image was distorted, the interference made it hard to see details, and the figures of the people appeared blurred. It was clear that someone was intentionally blocking the surveillance. Understanding this, Caleb frowned and ordered to switch to the records from Tanegashima.

The Red Queen immediately displayed all data from the surveillance cameras monitoring Alex’s movements. However, what struck Caleb the most wasn’t this.

Alex, as though knowing he was being watched, deliberately looked into the cameras, striking absurd poses. Even when he was in a bank vault, covered in jewelry, it didn’t stop him from posing as if in front of professional photographers.

The staff in the headquarters watched this scene silently, perplexed: was Alex really insane, or did he have some clever plan?

“Any guesses as to why he’s doing this?” Caleb asked calmly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“After analyzing his actions, it can be inferred that the man known as Alexander is aware of our surveillance,” the Red Queen responded emotionlessly.

“Are you sure about that?” Caleb demanded confirmation.

In response, the Red Queen displayed the last fragment of the recording on the screen. In it, Alex stood before the camera with a group of people, demonstratively forming his fingers into the shape of a heart.

Caleb’s eyelid twitched. For the first time in his life, he encountered such a bold individual, one who was literally declaring, “I know you’re watching me, and I don’t care.”

“If he thinks he can handle the surveillance, continue monitoring him,” Caleb hissed through gritted teeth.

“As you command, Director Williams,” the Red Queen responded in a calm voice.

Caleb sighed deeply and, tearing his gaze away from the screen, asked, “Have you figured out where he’s headed?”

“Not yet. All of his movements are chaotic, and his actions lack logic. Without additional information, it’s impossible to accurately predict his next step. The only thing we’ve been able to record is that he and his group are actively stockpiling supplies and equipment. Based on this, we can assume they’re preparing for a journey to a region unaffected by the virus outbreak. However, a more precise analysis will require more data,” the Red Queen replied.

Caleb nodded, waving his hand dismissively to signal that the conversation was over.

He wasn’t planning to dwell on it—sooner or later, the necessary information would be in his hands. Over the years, he had learned an important principle: patience is the key to success.

The Red Queen’s hologram disappeared.

But she didn’t reveal one thing—she knew who was behind the activation of the T-103 subject. Moreover, that person was also closely monitoring events in Tanegashima…

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep