After finishing his meal and watching Koko leave the docks, Alex decided to continue assembling the new reactor for the aircraft carrier.

Scratching Stitch behind the ear, he watched as the blue alien dog happily devoured his snacks. However, realizing it was time to get back to work, Stitch reluctantly set the bag of treats aside and jumped off the table.

Alex turned on the music, filling the dock with rhythmic sounds, and began working while whistling along to the beat. Stitch danced playfully nearby, keeping the mood lively.

As he worked, Alex found himself thinking—maybe it would be wise to reinforce the aircraft carrier’s hull with magic. He had no way of predicting what kind of sea creatures might mutate under the influence of the zombie virus or, worse, the Marker.

That thought sent a shiver down his spine. The last thing he wanted was to encounter a giant marine Necromorph—an abomination of fused, shredded flesh twisted into a grotesque semblance of life. But he wasn’t entirely sure whether the Marker’s influence extended to animals. Every Necromorph he remembered had once been human, mutilated beyond recognition.

He sighed. Sooner or later, he’d find the answer, but he definitely wasn’t eager to face such horrors anytime soon.

Lost in thought, Alex barely noticed when he finished assembling the new reactor. Now, all that remained was installing it.

“Dragging the reactor across the entire aircraft carrier isn’t the smartest idea,” he muttered, glancing around.

Making a quick decision, he stored the reactor in his inventory.

“Alright, Stitch, time to install the new reactor and see how it works,” Alex said, patting the dog on the head.

Stitch nodded enthusiastically. Smiling, Alex lifted him onto his shoulders, and the two of them headed toward the aircraft carrier.

Upon reaching the ship, Alex effortlessly leaped onto the uppermost deck. The view from up there was breathtaking, and he let out an impressed whistle.

Not wanting to be left behind, Stitch climbed onto his head, standing on his hind legs to appear taller.

The ocean breeze ruffled Alex’s shirt as he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. Unnecessary thoughts faded into the background, leaving only a sense of peace.

When he opened his eyes again, a faint smile touched his lips. He quickly scanned the deck, mentally noting details that could be useful for future upgrades. Once satisfied, Alex and Stitch made their way down to the engine room.

Upon entering, Alex saw something that made his eye twitch.

Instead of a carefully dismantled old reactor, he found that GIR and MIMI had simply ripped it out entirely, like savages.

“Couldn’t you have done this… more neatly?” he asked, looking at his helpers.

“Takes too long,” MIMI said innocently in her childlike voice.

“Boring,” GIR shrugged, sipping a milkshake through a straw.

Alex’s eye twitched even harder.

While he and Stitch had painstakingly assembled the new reactor, these two had just yanked out the old one and spent the rest of the time slacking off. The scattered empty snack wrappers only confirmed his suspicions.

Realizing it was pointless to argue, Alex silently stored the old reactor in his inventory and pulled out the new one.

Work resumed. Alex and his three small assistants focused on installing the reactor.

His biggest concern was whether the aircraft carrier’s electronics could handle the new device’s power output. To prevent disaster, he reinforced the wiring and entire system with magic. The last thing he wanted was for everything to burn out upon activation.

Once the installation was complete, Alex didn’t rush to start the reactor. First, he needed to run diagnostics.

He connected MIMI to the system and waited for all the checks to finish.

When the tests were complete, MIMI didn’t disconnect immediately. Instead, she continued monitoring the reactor as it powered up for the first time.

For a brief moment, the lights across the aircraft carrier flickered.

MIMI carefully analyzed the readings, then looked at Alex and gave him a thumbs-up.

“Perfect,” he nodded.

Now, he just needed to sort out the aircraft carrier’s control system so he wouldn’t have to deal with it later.

Picking up his three small helpers, Alex headed for the bridge.

Reaching the command center, he looked around and frowned. Everything looked complex and bulky.

“Hmm… I think I can remove half of these instruments and leave only the essentials. That would make the bridge more spacious and convenient,” he muttered, stroking his chin. “The route map can be moved to the wall, the helm brought closer, and the weapons control system simplified. Fortunately, there’s enough space here.”

“And a TV with a gaming console!” MIMI declared, tugging at Alex’s pant leg.

“And a milkshake machine,” GIR added seriously.

“And sweets,” Stitch chimed in.

Alex rolled his eyes but deep down, he knew this trio wouldn’t let him rest until he fulfilled their “vital” requests.

He glanced at his small helpers and narrowed his eyes slightly. Then, pulling out his phone, he started drafting a plan. First, he needed to get rid of all the unnecessary equipment. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch immediately began dismantling the control panels, freeing up space.

Alex intended to turn the captain’s bridge into a fully functional living space while maintaining full control over the aircraft carrier. Moreover, he was already considering taking this ship with him when he left this world. What if his next destination was the world of “One Piece”? That way, he wouldn’t have to build or seize a ship from someone else.

As the trio dismantled half the equipment, Alex realized he needed a place where he could work on his projects without interruptions. He looked up at the ceiling, pondering an additional room. Why not set up a workspace right here? With that decision made, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and got to work clearing the area.

Using magic, he lifted a pile of dismantled instruments and unceremoniously dumped them onto the main deck. With the bridge cleared, he pulled the necessary materials from his inventory and began setting up the space. Once the blueprint was ready, he showed it to his helpers, and they eagerly got to work.

Time flew by as they worked. Everything had to be built practically from scratch, and sometimes magic was needed to adjust the sizes of objects. A couple of times, Alex even had to visit the storage area for extra parts, pretending to bring something back to avoid unnecessary questions—especially from the girls.

He particularly liked the massive screen displaying the map, which could double as a TV or be used for various other functions. But, of course, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch had their own demands. Alex couldn’t refuse them, so the room ended up with a milkshake machine and a fridge stocked with snacks. The place was looking less like a ship in a zombie apocalypse and more like preparations for a luxury cruise.

With most of the work done, all that remained was arranging the furniture—sofas, tables, chairs, and some decor. Alex took a photo of the result and sent it to Rebecca, asking her to show it to the girls and get their opinion. He knew the discussion would drag on—each of them would likely have their own suggestions for changes.

Taking a short break, Alex sat on the steps and lit a cigarette. His small helpers settled beside him, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. Every now and then, he glanced at his phone, but there was still no response from the girls. No surprise there—they were probably deep in discussion about what should be added or removed to make the place cozier.

Realizing he wouldn’t get a final verdict until at least the next day (or even later, if the girls couldn’t agree), Alex picked up his helpers and headed down to his workspace. The power system was complete; now, he just needed to upgrade the aircraft carrier’s weapons and work on the living quarters.

Working on the living quarters was simple but tedious. First, Alex needed to figure out who in the group was in a relationship and who preferred solitude. Maybe someone would want to live with their friends. To save time, Alex decided to assign the task of polling to his assistants so they could make the lists.

Putting that off for later, he opened the files on the weapon systems and started selecting the appropriate weapons. The discussion quickly turned into an argument with G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch. Alex insisted on powerful guns, thinking they were more than enough, but his assistants had their own opinions and weren’t willing to back down.

At one point, things nearly escalated into a fight.

“I see you have quite the debate going on here… or rather, a real battle. What are you arguing about?” came Rei’s mocking voice. She approached, watching Alex and his little assistants with a smile.

Alex and his three assistants stopped fighting among themselves and turned toward the source of Rei’s voice. He saw Rei and Renka approaching. Upon seeing Alex in his current state, the girls couldn’t hold back their laughter.

Stitch was hanging on Alex’s head, biting his scalp and doing his best to push away G.I.R. and MIMI. G.I.R. was tugging on Alex’s cheek, holding Stitch’s hind leg with one paw, and trying to shove MIMI with his foot. Meanwhile, MIMI was pulling Alex’s hair, pressing her paw to G.I.R.’s face, and kicking Stitch off with her foot. Alex himself was desperately trying to shake off the trio, who seemed to have attached themselves to him like glue.

Watching this chaos, the girls burst into loud laughter.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Alex finally yanked the trio off him with force and placed them in front of him. They immediately glared at him with indignation, as if saying, “This isn’t over yet!”

Alex just rolled his eyes and lightly tapped each of them on the head for their betrayal.

“Sort of,” he muttered, rubbing his temple, and then looked at the girls. “So, what brings you here?”

“What else? The training starts soon, and you’re still not here! So, we came to get you,” Renka said, pointing a finger at him.

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. It turned out he’d spent a whole hour arguing with his three little assistants! The corner of his mouth twitched—an entire hour spent debating, and they got nowhere.

He also noticed that he still hadn’t received an answer from the girls about the changes they wanted to make to the captain’s bridge, now turned into a living space.

“Well, looks like I lost track of time a bit,” Alex shrugged. “By the way, Rei, what about the living space discussion?”

“When Saeko, Beatrix, and Valmet left, the others were still arguing about what should be added or removed. I don’t even know how far they’ve gotten. If it weren’t for training, I would’ve stayed too,” Rei said, jumping into Alex’s lap.

Settling more comfortably, the girl squinted at Renka. On the way to the docks, she had accidentally run into her, and now she couldn’t shake the feeling of mild jealousy. A look of displeasure flashed across Rei’s face, and she pressed herself even closer to Alex, as if claiming her rights.

Alex sighed.

“First Saya, then Valmet, now Rei… Why are they so jealous? I give them as much attention as I can!”

He understood that he’d have to talk to Rei to prevent her from overthinking things.

Renka wasn’t blind either and quickly picked up that Rei was doing this on purpose. Being a girl who loved competition, she narrowed her eyes in response, silently issuing a challenge.Alex noticed how they silently started sizing each other up, as if competing to see who would look away first.

“Alright, enough,” he reached out, interrupting their silent duel. “Save your energy for training.”

Rei stuck her tongue out at Renka and angrily wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck, acting like a petulant child.Alex sighed again, patting her on the head to calm her down a little.He knew that if he didn’t address Rei’s jealousy, the situation could get worse. He wanted her to know for sure that he wasn’t going to leave her or trade her for anyone else. Given his nature, Alex wasn’t about to let go of any of the girls he was involved with. In the worst-case scenario, he might even resort to kidnapping… maybe.

Renka just hummed, watching the scene unfold, but decided she’d get her revenge during training.

“Ugh, you two… Alright, let’s head to training, but first I need to grab something,” Alex said, gently removing Rei from his lap.

“What exactly? New weights? A new training tool? Or maybe mannequins for practicing punches?” Renka immediately began listing things, counting on her fingers.

Alex just smirked.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Now, let’s go!”

Alex took Rei’s hand so she would feel that he was there and wasn’t going to leave her. The girl looked him in the eyes, and seeing warmth and affection in them, she felt her jealousy fade a little.

Meanwhile, Alex asked G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch to go to the others while he and the girls grabbed something for training. The trio of troublemakers quickly disappeared around the corner, leaving Alex and the girls alone.

“So, what are you going to grab?” Renka asked, walking beside him.

“I need to find a tree,” he replied mysteriously. “Why? You’ll find out soon enough.”

Renka raised an eyebrow skeptically but nodded, accepting his intrigue. However, remembering an important question, she switched topics.

“By the way, about Chi-Yu. I wanted to ask about the ‘Crossbow Mode: Wave Turtle’ stance. You mentioned some stars in the manual, but I can’t figure out what you mean. Also… how the hell can you spit out a puff of air to stop an enemy’s attack? Is that even possible?”

Alex smirked, but noticing the confusion on her face, he decided to explain in detail:

“These ‘stars’ are points of Qi concentration, kind of like the opponent’s centers of gravity. If you hit them correctly, you can not only interrupt the flow of energy but also force your opponent to stop.”

However, seeing that Renka was still puzzled, he decided to rephrase:

“Simply put, you need to learn to see the enemy’s center of gravity and work with it. It takes experience, so don’t rush. Although… against zombies, this technique is useless—they don’t have a proper center of gravity.”

Renka nodded thoughtfully, processing the information. But the desire to master all five Chi-Yu stances only grew in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, you still have time,” Alex said, gently placing his hand on her head. “The main thing is, don’t rush.”

“Hmm… I just want to show Chi-Yu to my mother when we get to China,” she replied with a determined fire in her eyes. “I don’t want her to think I’ve been slacking off in training!”

Alex laughed:

“Ha-ha! Well, as you wish. Just don’t overdo it. I don’t think Kensei and your mother would want you to overstrain yourself.”

However, at the mention of Kensei, Renka’s expression immediately changed.

“Who needs care from that perverted old man?” she spat through clenched teeth. “He left us for his twisted hobby. Has he ever thought about how mom felt when he left? How she had to support the family and the dojo alone? Did he ever think about us? About how we waited for him? He’d be better off not coming back at all…”

Alex sighed heavily. Turning around, he saw Kensei standing a little behind them. His face was frozen in a bitter expression. In that moment, Alex realized how much he had missed out on in his family’s life. He understood the weight that had been placed on his wife and children’s shoulders.

Rei stopped feeling jealous of Renka in that instant, seeing the genuine pain in her eyes. The girl understood what it meant to lose family, and now her competition with Renka seemed trivial.

Alex, gently stroking Renka’s head, quietly said:

“Listen, I’m not going to tell you that you should forgive your father. Even now, when the world is falling apart, he’s still indulging in his ridiculous hobbies. That’s his nature. But… you know, your father is alive.”

Renka frowned, and Alex continued:

“The children you saw at the military base will never see their parents again. They have no one left. But you still have family, even if your father left. I’m not defending him, but maybe he didn’t come back because he felt guilty for abandoning you. I’m not saying you should forgive him. Just try to reach out to him… after all, he is your father.”

Renka remained silent, clenching her fists.

“He’s right,” Rei quietly said, tightening her grip on Alex’s hand. “I would give anything to see my father again… but, unfortunately, he was a police officer on the frontlines when this hell started.”

She pressed herself closer to Alex, as if seeking comfort in him.

Renka looked at Alex with tear-filled eyes, hanging on to every word he said. Running her hand across her cheeks, she wiped away the tears and fell into thought. She truly did have a living family, unlike many of the children they saw every day—those who would never be able to hug their parents again.

Her thoughts returned to Alex’s words. Maybe he was right? Maybe her father didn’t avoid coming back because he didn’t want to, but because he was afraid to face his family after leaving them? This thought crept into her mind for the first time, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. Alex, noticing her thoughtful expression, simply smiled, and then, without breaking the silence, continued walking with the girls.

Meanwhile, in the shadow behind the corner of the building, Kensei was hiding, having overheard their entire conversation from beginning to end. Each word Renka spoke struck his heart with pain, and he had no idea that his daughter hated him so much that she could wish for his death.

Unconsciously, his back hunched as if an invisible weight pressed even harder on his shoulders. He realized that Alex’s words were pure truth. He hadn’t come back not because he didn’t want to—but because he was afraid. Afraid to look his wife and children in the eyes after abandoning them for his dream. At the time, he had been certain he was doing the right thing, but only years later did he realize the impact of his departure.

The deeper he sank into these thoughts, the clearer he understood that he had always found excuses to avoid facing the consequences of his choice. And the more time passed, the harder it became to take the first step back. Now, he saw what it had led to.

His friends watched him, sensing his despair, but could do nothing except offer moral support.

“How are you, Kensei?” asked Sasaki, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“I’m fine… It’s just hard to hear those words from my own daughter,” Kensei replied, bitterness in his voice. “I know I’ve let her down. And I know how much I’ve hurt my family.”

“Don’t give up,” Hayato clapped him on the shoulder. “You still have a chance to make up for it. You just need time.”

“What surprises me more is something else…” Akiyame spoke, thoughtfully stroking his mustache. “Alex is quite young, but he already has such wisdom. I’m even curious, who did he inherit it from?”

“Ha-ha-ha! You’re right,” Hayato smirked. “This guy has clearly excelled in many things. But you know, Kensei… Alex gave your daughter really good advice, and we all saw how much she thought about it. I think soon she’ll come to you herself.”

“I know…” Kensei replied quietly, but then his face contorted, and he ground his teeth. “But I still don’t want her getting close to that guy!”

“Don’t get upset,” Hayato smirked. “We’ve been observing Alex for a while, and we know he’s a reliable person. He definitely won’t let Renka come to harm.”

“What if your granddaughter wants to get close to him?” Kensei squinted.

Hayato immediately tensed up, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“That’s different… I’m already struggling to accept that she’s hanging out with Kenichi…” he mumbled, clenching his fists.

“Ha! Why are you two starting to argue?” Akiyame intervened. “You should trust Renka and Miu’s choices and not interfere with them deciding who to be with.”

“Oh, don’t teach us!” Kensei scoffed, narrowing his eyes. “You’ve seen that Shigure shows interest in him.”

Akiyame fell silent, narrowing his eyes in response. A true rivalry flared up between the three “caring relatives,” while Sasaki and Apachai only observed from the side.

Unlike the others, Sasaki enjoyed the scene and didn’t even try to suppress his loud laughter.

Meanwhile, while the men argued, Shigure, who had been silently listening until now, discreetly disappeared, slipping into the shadows. She headed towards where Alex and the girls were…

Alex didn’t realize he had once again become the enemy of overly protective relatives. Though… he could have guessed. He knew the masters from Ryōzanpaku had been eavesdropping on their conversation and had intentionally said things so that Kensei would hear and reflect.

In truth, making the old pervert change wasn’t something he even hoped for — that was Madam Ma’s job. Alex was confident that she would be able to reform her husband, and of course, he would gladly help her with that.

He knew that Shigure was sneaking up behind them and waved his hand, signaling that she didn’t need to hide. Renka and Rei exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding who he was signaling to, until the culprit of the gesture herself jumped down from the roof of the nearby building. Shigure was instantly beside Alex and, without hiding her intentions, gently pushed Renka aside, causing her to clench her teeth in indignation. At that same moment, Tachimaru nimbly jumped onto Alex’s head, settling comfortably there.

“What are you looking for?” Rei asked, tugging on his arm.

“A tree,” Alex answered with a smile.

“Why do you need a tree?” Renka asked suspiciously, tilting her head.

“For training. You’ll understand soon, but for now, let’s find it quickly and get back,” Alex replied mysteriously.

“I’ve seen one,” Shigure suddenly spoke up, pointing in the direction.

They followed her and soon found the tree they were looking for. Alex asked the girls to help him gather as many leaves as they could. Though they didn’t understand why he needed the leaves for training, they started collecting them.

While they discussed possible ways to use them, Shigure unexpectedly stated:

“They can be used for shuriken throwing practice.”

Rei looked at her with clear skepticism.

“You’re joking, right? The leaves are… soft.”

But Shigure was a simple person. She just threw one of the leaves at the tree trunk, and a clear scratch remained on the bark.

Rei stared at this scene, her jaw hanging open, and then, not believing her eyes, looked at Alex:

“Can you do that too?”

“Well, sort of,” he shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘sort of’? You could have just shown us like Shigure did!” Renka exclaimed, and, not waiting for an answer, kicked him in the leg.

“Alright, alright, I’ll show you so you won’t have any more questions,” Alex agreed, rolling his eyes.

The girls immediately focused their attention on him.

He took a leaf in his hand, and immediately a blue chakra began to shimmer around it. Then Alex threw it at the tree. The thrown leaf pierced the trunk clean through and got stuck in the ground on the other side.

Rei, Renka, and even Shigure couldn’t help but clap, amazed by what they had seen.

“Is that the same chakra you used when you shot bullets at those big zombies?” Renka asked, still staring at the pierced tree.

“Yes, you’re right,” Alex nodded. “Only without the element. Basically, I just infused the leaf with chakra before throwing it, and it became so sharp that it pierced the tree completely. There are a lot of ways to use chakra, and if I explain everything in detail, it will take a long time. However, the same thing can be done with Ki if you have good control.”

Renka nodded, clearly interested in the subject. Even Shigure didn’t hide her curiosity.

Having gathered enough leaves, Alex waved at the girls, signaling them to return. Now he could move on to the next phase of training — control. After that, he would need to focus on opening chakra paths for his students, which promised to be a very labor-intensive process.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep