After Alex and his group entered the control room on the lowest floor of the Evil Corporation’s underground laboratory, they immediately began searching the area. No one wanted a mutant or zombie to ambush them, so they meticulously checked every corner.

The control room resembled a massive command center designed for a large workforce. Desks and monitors were scattered everywhere, once occupied by employees, but now the place was eerily empty. Only bloodstains and chaotic signs of struggle hinted that people had once worked here.

Ignoring the others, Alex walked toward the enormous window overlooking the hangar. The first thing he saw made him grit his teeth in irritation.

“Fuck…” he muttered, unable to hide his emotions.

“What do you see, kid?” Price asked, hearing the sharp curse.

But Alex didn’t answer. He simply kept staring at the massive structure in the center of the hangar, something he had no desire to see. And yet, despite his irritation, a faint curiosity stirred within him.

Price noticed Alex’s tense expression and frowned.

“Why are you just standing there, kid?” he asked, but Alex didn’t react.

Intrigued by his behavior, the others also approached the window. The moment their eyes landed on the hangar’s center, surprised exclamations followed.

“What the hell is that?” Soap frowned.

“I don’t know what it is, but I definitely don’t want to find out,” R muttered, staring at the structure.

At the heart of the hangar stood an enormous Red Marker, towering over thirty meters tall. Its eerie, symbol-covered surface radiated a disturbing aura.

Alex silently examined it, realizing that, fortunately, the Marker was inactive. He didn’t know—or rather, didn’t want to know—what it would take to activate it. But if that happened, the consequences would be catastrophic. Everyone who had come to this laboratory with him would inevitably fall under its influence.

“Can someone explain what the hell that thing is?” Chun-Li asked, keeping her eyes on the Marker.

“Alex, is this what I think it is?” Valmet asked cautiously, tugging on his sleeve.

Alex finally tore his gaze away from the structure and looked at his teammates. Their faces showed confusion and tension. Only Rebecca, Saeko, and Valmet seemed to have an idea of what they were looking at. The rest waited for an explanation.

Lighting a cigarette, Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. His thoughts raced. He was trying to figure out how to destroy the Marker while also wondering if the Minister of Monoliths would sense its destruction.

If the Marker was destroyed, it could attract the attention of far more dangerous players. The Minister of Monoliths and Davot—two hidden enemies who had yet to reveal themselves—were locked in a complex game of wits. Alex knew that the moment they took notice of his power, events would take a much darker turn.

The Minister of Monoliths sought to consume this unique universe, striving to grow stronger in order to oppose his creator—Nian-Nian. Yet he remained oblivious to the fact that all this time, he had been dancing in the palm of his creator’s hand, while she watched his pitiful attempts to surpass her with amusement.

Davot, once the creator of the world of Jeckad—a paradise for his people—had become obsessed with immortality. He never found a way to make his people eternal… until he discovered another path. He began devouring the souls of entire worlds, destroying them to feed his people with the energy of slain beings.

Alex took a drag from his cigarette, pondering just how far those two would go if they realized someone like him was interfering in their game.

“So, you do know what that thing is?” Soap asked, shifting his gaze to Alex.

Alex exhaled a plume of smoke and smirked.

“Ghost, remember when you asked me what I didn’t want to find in the hangar?” he said calmly, looking at the Red Marker again.

“And?”

“Well, this is it.”

Price chuckled as he lit a cigar.

“And you don’t want to tell the class what the hell it is, kid?”

Alex sighed and motioned for everyone to step away from the window—just in case. Seeing that he was ready to share information, the others followed. Scanning the room, Alex found an old board that could serve for explanations.

Then, he pulled out a holodevice from his pocket and started searching for the necessary data, making sure not to show anything extra by accident. After sorting everything, he was ready to share the information with those who still didn’t know what they were dealing with.

“Alright, let’s keep this quick. Ask what you need to know,” he said, holding the holodevice. “I’ll keep it short, but it’ll be enough for you to understand just how much shit is about to hit the fan.”

“For starters, maybe explain what the hell that thing in the center of the hangar is?” Lehm asked, nodding toward the window and taking a drag from his cigarette. “If even Valmet knows what it is, then we should too.”

Alex nodded, placed the holodevice on the table, and activated the projection, which displayed on the board. He was glad he had the foresight to create a model of the Marker, knowing he’d have to explain it one day. He expected to find a built Marker at some point, but not this soon.

As the image appeared on the board, everyone eager for answers focused on his words.

“First off, that red structure that looks like an obelisk is called a Marker. More specifically, a Red Marker. Its history stretches far into the past, and you can trace its presence all the way back to Mesopotamian times,” Alex began, showing ancient images found by GIR and MIMI. “The Tower of Babel, ancient Egyptian pyramids, Aztec temples—it was mentioned under different names in many cultures. Ancient races worshiped the Marker… or rather, what stands behind it.”

“You seriously giving us a history lesson in a place like this?” Soap interrupted, raising his hand like a student.

Alex rolled his eyes.

“You wanted to know what it is, so listen.”

“Can we speed this up?” Price interjected, exhaling a puff of smoke. “Not rushing you, but this sure as hell ain’t the best place for a lecture.”

“Fine. In short, there are two types of Markers: Red and Black. A Black Marker fell from the sky a very, very long time ago. Ancient humans found it, and it started granting them knowledge… while driving them insane. Eventually, it made them build Red Markers.”

“And why did they build them?” Cammy frowned.

“To trigger something called the Convergence Event,” Alex replied. “And before you ask, Convergence is a seriously bad ending. So bad that the only way to survive is either to leave the planet or prevent the Markers from activating.”

A brief silence followed. Alex noticed Rebecca, Saeko, and Valmet watching him intently. He gave them a slight nod, signaling that everything was still under control. The girls relaxed a little.

As for him, he could afford to conduct this little briefing calmly—for now. And that was due to one particular reason: all the horrors within the Marker’s range instinctively circled around it, as if guarding it. That’s why they hadn’t encountered any other threats in this lab yet.

But one question kept nagging at Alex: how many Red Markers existed in this world? And how many of them were already active? If the satellite images showing anomalous weather patterns really indicated their locations, he would have to find a way to destroy them without attracting the attention of the two main villains lurking in the shadows. In the worst-case scenario, he could always just create a powerful bomb and teleport it straight to the Marker.

“So what do we do now?” R frowned. “We’ve got some kind of cosmic obelisk that drives people insane and makes them build more of the same. Where does this all lead?”

“What’s there to think about?” Rebecca replied cheerfully. “We just blow the damn thing up. Easy! Boom—and we go home.”

“No offense, young lady,” Price said calmly, “but I think we’re missing one important detail. All the creatures we haven’t encountered in this lab… are now circling around that Obelisk.”

A tense silence settled over the control room.

Alex nodded and walked toward the window overlooking the spacious hangar. Picking up the holograph from the table, he moved forward first, with the others following, eager to assess the situation.

Rebecca, however, didn’t take Price’s warning seriously. In her mind, the solution was simple—just pull a high-powered bomb from her inventory and toss it into the horde of Necromorphs, mutants, and zombies.

But Alex noticed something strange. Among the writhing mass of abominations, there were no demons from Davoth’s army. Necromorphs, mutants, zombies—they all circled the Red Marker, almost entranced, but the demons were nowhere to be seen.

Narrowing his eyes, Alex focused on the swarming monstrosities and suddenly smirked. The moment didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

“Why are you smiling?” Ada asked suspiciously, catching the expression on his face.

“Because the situation is so absurd it’s almost comical,” Alex replied, not bothering to hide his amusement. “We’re standing in an underground lab designed like an ant nest.”

“And what does that give us?” Chun-Li asked, tilting her head slightly.

“There’s a natural phenomenon. Ants leave a trail of pheromones for others to follow. If the path gets looped, they end up walking in circles until they die of exhaustion. The same thing is happening here—if you look closely,” Alex said, pointing toward the horde.

Everyone turned back to the creatures, mindlessly pacing in circles around the Red Marker. Now, realizing what he meant, they no longer looked at the monsters with fear or disgust—more like fascination, as if watching a surreal theater of the absurd.

Smirking, Alex fell into thought. They couldn’t just destroy the Marker; they also had to eliminate every single creature protecting it. If they left the undead intact, it would inevitably come after them. And if that happened, their chances of survival would plummet. Even if they reached the aircraft carrier, fighting their way through hordes of zombies and Necromorphs wouldn’t be easy.

Of course, Alex could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly pull everyone out of the hangar. That would give him yet another excuse to spout nonsense about the “great art of ninjutsu,” as he often did in situations like this. And if necessary, he could always come up with an even crazier excuse.

“So, what’s the plan?” Soap asked, gripping the straps of his tactical vest. “We can’t leave this thing here—you said it yourself, it’s dangerous.”

“Hmm…” Alex muttered, studying the horde carefully. “If we don’t wipe out all these undead, they’ll chase after us. If we compare them to ants, right now, they’re protecting the queen. And if we touch the queen…”

“…this whole mob will come after us,” Ghost finished for him. “And our chances of escaping won’t be great.”

“He’s right,” Lehm nodded. “So what’s the plan, Alex? Do you have anything destructive enough? You can fire bullets like a walking railgun—maybe you’ve got something with a bigger blast radius?”

Alex nodded without hesitation. His arsenal contained plenty of devastating techniques—enough not only to obliterate this entire underground lab but also to take out targets on a much larger scale.

Those unfamiliar with the full extent of his abilities exchanged wary glances, while Lehm, who had already witnessed Alex’s power firsthand, simply smirked. To avoid long explanations, Valmet took it upon herself to enlighten the others—she had a way of keeping things concise and to the point.

Meanwhile, Alex shifted his gaze back to the countless horde of monsters, absentmindedly stroking his chin. He had too many techniques to choose from, making it a bit difficult to decide which one would be the most spectacular.

In the end, he settled on a classic approach.

“Alright, I’ve made my decision,” he nodded to himself. “We’re going the classic route.”

“I don’t even want to ask what you mean by that,” Soap muttered, “but my curiosity is killing me.”

“You’ll find out soon,” Alex smirked. “For now, check your gear and make sure everything’s in place. Most of the undead will focus on me. But if any of them shift their attention to you, you need to be ready.”

His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable note of anticipation. Alex knew—an epic battle was coming.

Everyone nodded and began checking their equipment. Even Ada picked up a rifle, ready to assist, though she didn’t miss the chance to remind Alex that he now owed her for participating in the fight.

Alex felt his eye twitch. First, she demanded payment to guide them into the lab, then for her services as a navigator, and now she wanted compensation for fighting too? Sure, Ada was gorgeous, but damn, was she greedy. Worst case, he’d craft a couple of gadgets as payment for her “services.”

Now he fully understood why Koko got so irritated whenever Ada Wong was involved. He didn’t even need to predict the future to know—she’d keep raising the price until she was satisfied with the reward.

Glancing at GIR and MIMI, who were already prepared for battle, Alex decided to leave them with the group in case part of the undead horde turned its attention to them.

“GIR, MIMI, stay with the moms and help them,” he instructed his mechanical companions.

“Got it, Dad!” the robo-dogs responded in sync, saluting.

Alex nodded at the group. He wasn’t too concerned about their safety—GIR and MIMI were nearby, and if the situation got out of hand, a “gremlin” would show up in the arena, capable of turning the place into a real slaughterhouse if provoked. Still, as a precaution, he quietly cast a protective spell on everyone.

Ada, Valmet, and Saeko had their own shields that could save them in a critical situation, and Rebecca was even better protected than anyone—if she jumped into the core of the sun, the most she’d feel would be the sensation of a hot bath.

Brushing aside unnecessary thoughts, Alex approached the large window, and with a simple touch of his finger, shattered the glass. Stepping to the edge, he looked down, and a wide smile appeared on his face. Taking a step forward, he leaped into the hangar.

Landing, Alex left a web of cracks on the floor. Looking at the undead horde, he noticed that the necromorphs, mutants, and zombies were still circling around the Marker, completely ignoring him. Slowly moving forward, Alex stopped right in front of their mass. Smiling, he drove Yamato into the ground and spread his arms wide.

“Wind Style: Double Rasenshuriken.”

Two massive balls of chakra began to form in his hands. The air around him swirled, creating gusts of wind that were drawn into the technique. At that moment, the undead horde seemed to sense the threat hanging over the Marker, and they immediately rushed toward Alex.

Grinning even wider, he threw the two Rasenshurikens right into their ranks. They cut through the undead like a knife through butter, and then, reaching the center of the horde, they exploded, creating two gigantic whirlpools in which necromorphs and mutants were ground down like in a massive meat grinder.

“Goddamn…” Soap breathed out, staring at what was happening. “It’s one thing to hear about it, and completely another to see it with your own eyes…”

“You don’t even know half of it,” Rebecca grinned.

“What else is he capable of?” Ghost asked, turning his gaze to her.

“Maybe you’ll see someday,” the girl shrugged. “For now, walking skull, you’d better start shooting. Those monsters are already running towards us.”

Price was so stunned that his cigar fell out of his mouth. Lehm, noticing this, simply patted him on the shoulder, understanding that he felt the same way when he first saw Alex’s power. Now he was used to it and simply watched with interest.

Chun-Li and Cammy reacted much more calmly—they had seen enough destructive abilities in their lives to be shocked by enemies they faced. Ada, on the other hand, became darkened, realizing that Koko wasn’t boasting when she talked about her “strong husband.” Envy stung her again, but she quickly suppressed it within herself.

“Alright, guys, enough staring at Alex’s new cool techniques,” Lehm’s voice snapped everyone out of their stupor. “Time to get to work! Even though most of the undead are going after him, there’s still a decent number coming towards us!”

The group snapped back to attention and started preparing for the fight.

Everyone nodded and got ready to open fire on the undead charging toward them.

Alex, having launched two Rasenshurikens into the zombie horde, squinted as he assessed the result. According to his calculations, the attack destroyed about a quarter of the horde. However, the remaining monsters weren’t stopping and continued rushing toward him. In the distance, he heard gunshots—part of the undead had already turned toward his group.

Of course, Alex adhered to the principle, “If you want something done well, do it yourself,” but he couldn’t forever take on the responsibility of fighting off small enemies. Gripping Yamato, which was still lodged in the concrete, he firmly grasped the sheath.

When the horde was only a couple of meters away, Alex disappeared from his spot and reappeared behind all the monsters. The undead, which had been charging toward him just a second ago, suddenly froze in place. Alex smoothly slid Yamato into its sheath, and the click echoed across the hangar. As if on cue, the entire horde collapsed to the ground, sliced into pieces.

“Well, that was easy. I wonder how the others are doing?” he murmured, turning toward the control room.

With a glance, he assessed the situation: nearly all the undead headed toward his group had been destroyed. Only a few more resilient creatures remained, but their days were numbered. And sure enough—after a second, the final shot rang out, and the last mutant fell dead.

Now the entire hangar was piled with the bodies of necromorphs, mutants, and zombies.

Alex gave a thumbs-up in approval. In response, Rebecca and Saeko blew him air kisses, while Valmet simply nodded, not wanting to show affection in front of the others. The guys responded with a similar nod. Shigure gave a slight smile, still holding a few shurikens she had used in the fight.

Alex briefly wondered:

“Where the hell does she keep all those shurikens in her kimono? With the number of throwing stars sticking out of the undead, she must have a whole bag packed with weapons!”

Turning his gaze to the other girls, he noticed Ada looked irritated—seemed she wasn’t happy about having to participate in the fight. Chun-Li, on the other hand, showed Alex a peace sign, and Cammy just smiled.

Satisfied that everything was fine and no one had been harmed, Alex shifted his gaze back to the Red Marker towering in front of him. He even had to tilt his head back to see the very top. He involuntarily wondered just how imposing the Marker looked up close.

But there was no point in staring at it for too long. Alex intended to destroy the artifact and return to the aircraft carrier with the group. The laboratory had nothing worth noting— even the shard of the Black Marker had long been taken away, and no one knew where it was now.

As Alex moved closer to the Red Marker, he stepped over the bloody line left by the horde of undead circling the artifact…

And suddenly, he felt a sharp tug pulling him backward.

Turning around, he saw that his own shadow had taken on a female form again, with long hair stretching out and gripping his clothes. However, the moment he looked at it, the hair vanished back into the shadow. A blood-written message appeared on the surface of the dark silhouette:

“Beware.”

Alex furrowed his brow.

“What is Zhang Ya warning me about?”

If we’re talking about a real threat, the only one who could pose danger to him in this world was Avatar Nyan-Nyan—and only if he made a mistake and gave her a chance. Two such Avatars had already struck him in the back, and one even managed to impale him through. However, that Avatar soon bitterly regretted their actions when Alex’s blood touched their skin…

Trying to figure out what exactly the danger was, Alex suddenly heard heavy metallic footsteps.

He turned his head toward the sound and raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Unexpected…” he muttered quietly, studying the new enemies.

In the control room, his group also noticed the enemies that had appeared in the hangar, and their expressions grew tense.

Two Marauders emerged directly from behind the Red Marker. Alex knew who they were, or rather, who they had once been. Former Night Watchmen—warriors who had once sworn to protect their people, but had betrayed everything they believed in. They had struck their brothers in the back and sided with those they had sworn to eradicate.

With the appearance of the Marauders, Alex was now certain that Davot was also involved in this game. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the two traitors slowly approach.

“You’ll never save this world… You’re nothing but a pathetic usurper. A false idol…” one of the Marauders said in a low, grating voice. “Finally, I see the truth. And I will open your eyes, false savior.”

Alex tensed. Now it was clear that Davot had noticed him. But there was an advantage to this. From the traitor’s words, it was evident they viewed Alex as the savior, leading people to survival. This meant his true identity remained hidden. That was exactly how he wanted it. Alex wouldn’t reveal himself until he faced the Minister of the Monoliths and Davot himself. By then, they would have nowhere to run.

He looked at the two Marauders with undisguised contempt. Betrayal repulsed him. He didn’t just dislike traitors—he hated them. In his eyes, they were the worst of creatures.

“Pitiful dogs of the Dark Lord dare to give me orders?” Alex’s voice was cold and harsh. “You betrayed your people. You struck your brothers in the back. You trampled on the oaths you made and turned against those you swore to protect. Crawl back to your hole with your master… or accept death as the only atonement for your sins.”

“You will know what we have known…” the other Marauder spoke with an unnaturally low voice, activating his axe. Its flame flared with a sinister red light. “Bow to Him, and you will gain power beyond anything you can imagine, Savior. He will show you the way, as He showed us. Bow… and you will live. Refuse—and everyone you care about will die. You will watch their suffering for all eternity.”

Mistake.

Alex paused for a moment, then slowly tightened his grip on the hilt of Yamato. His face froze into a mask of absolute indifference, but inside, a cold, grim flame had already ignited.

“You shouldn’t have said that,” his voice was almost a whisper, but it carried a deadly threat. “You could have lived a little longer. But since you chose death, so be it.”

Both Marauders, activating their axes, charged toward him. But when they were just a step away, Alex, without changing his expression, drew Yamato from its sheath and, in one smooth motion, spun around.

Click.

The two Marauders froze a step away from him. In the next instant, their bodies split evenly along clean lines, disintegrating into pieces. Even the Red Marker behind them was cleaved in two. Its massive structure began to crumble, shattering like glass.

Alex scowled, turned around, and without glancing at the destruction behind him, headed back toward the control room.

Inside the command center, a deathly silence fell. Everyone stared at him, mouths agape.

“Is that all?”—the thought ran through their minds simultaneously.

Only Rebecca smirked. She had been listening carefully to Alex’s conversation with the Marauders, just like everyone else. But Rebecca knew him better than anyone. She knew that threatening Alex was a foolish idea. If those two had just challenged him directly, he might have played with them a bit before their death. But they dared threaten his family.

They got an easy death.

As for the others who dared to touch his loved ones, they rarely received such mercy.

Rebecca squinted. A mischievous idea flickered in her mind.

“Perfect chance to comfort Alex… and take advantage of it for myself,” she giggled to herself, already plotting how to put her plan into action.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep