Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Trying to fall asleep would usually take me a few minutes before I succeed but this time, I fell asleep without moving around too much. However, I woke up in the middle of the night getting squished in the middle. The stupid thing was that the five of us shared a single blanket even if there were a couple of spares just by the bedside.

Everyone was pulling on it, making everyone huddle much closer than usual. I slipped off of them then I flapped another blanket open, making them more comfortable when I laid it over them. I looked at my watch and it was a few minutes before I usually wake up so I just went to my armory.

I turned the lights on and decided to continue the job we left off yesterday.

We still had a lot to go through but I was planning on finishing a few dozen before we go to the Intercity later. I started with the guns we found in perfect condition first because I still need to double-check the internals just to be sure. Some need a few wipe-offs while some needed a bit of lubrication.

I was alone for a while but Tatiana woke up first. Her head perked up from the bed and she started scanning around, seemingly looking for something. Her head eventually locked in my direction then she let out a yawn before approaching me. She sat next to me but she was still groggy as her head would fall down a few times. She put on a pair of gloves but she let out another yawn before she managed to continue her unfinished job yesterday.

"You could still sleep for a couple of hours, you know? I usually wake up at this time wh- oh, she's asleep already..." I tried to talk to her but I stopped midway.

Tatiana was slumped on the table and was actually sleeping again. I just shook my head in amusement and I carried her back to the bed. I rolled her in the blanket like a burrito and I went back to finish what they started yesterday to reduce the clutter on my table. I had to brush the BCG from the rifle Kaley was cleaning yesterday for gunk but so far, I didn't have to replace or remove parts yet.

I thought I would have solidarity for a few more minutes but Kaley woke up next. She was also groggy as she made her way to my side.

"Morning..." Kaley whispered.

"Kaley, you're dreaming right now." I tried to hold back my laughter.

"Hmm… what?" it took a few moments before my words registered.

"You're dreaming~ this is all in your head~" I made my voice a little airy.

"Stop lying, you doofus…"

"Holy shit, is that fucking thing active all the time?"

"What?"

"That thing? That supernatural bullshit detector you and your mom have."

"Oh… depends… what time is it?"

"Hmm, I really don't get how that works. Oh, it's 4:49 AM."

"Where's the one I'm working on yesterday?"

"Heh, already done."

"Oh… let me start with a new one then..."

"Sure, thanks."

Kaley and I worked with light conversation until Tatiana, Rin, and Cynthia eventually woke up. Tatiana was confused as to why she was suddenly inside a blanket and the two had to roll her off. They joined us with cleaning the rest of the guns but there were still a lot of guns we needed to go through.

We then heard a knock on the door telling us that the food was ready. We cleaned up and took a quick shower before heading down for our simple breakfast of fried rice and sausages.

"Kid, I have another idea." Oscar said while holding his mug of coffee.

"Yeah?" I was still finishing my food.

"What if we don't bring guns for trade today? That's good, right kid?"

"Are we trying to hike the prices up?"

"Yeah! We could even start a bidding war of some sort!"

"Instead of bringing nothing, let's just bring a tad fewer since we're not the only ones trading guns. It would be too suspicious if we bring nothing and they might not buy anything from us at all. They're all merchants there so they'll know what we're pulling off the moment we go hard on them. But yeah, we're just trading junk-tier to low-tier guns for their items and we're already making a killing. We make them worry but not as much."

"Wha- can you just say no kid?"

"Want me to melt your fucking V8s?"

"Hah! Just kidding, just kidding. Let's leave in a few but I'll be waiting at the DDR Camp. I'll check in on that guy you found to see what he's doing."

"Okay, old man. Check and see if Lawrence is over there and call him over if he isn't."

It took us less than an hour to prepare everything and we brought another cargo truck with us. We drove outside with two military jeeps with an M2 Browning attached, two cargo trucks, the 8-wheeler, Oscar's SUV, and my Raptor. We brought extra people for security and we made sure we have tools, gas, and spares prepared just in case our vehicles broke down. Each vehicle we brought out was made sure to be reinforced and modified for our safety.

We also brought with us some requested items from the Intercity we could trade with extra value and they were mostly luxury items like cigarettes, alcohol, porn, and even drugs. Items for comfort were also brought out along with a few food items we could spare or not in the best of conditions. They were canned goods that had dents on them or close to their expiration date.

We were driving for a few minutes and we saw our people from the Meycauayan outpost waiting at a convenience store. A pile of bodies was burning on one side and they hauled a few items on the back of the 8-wheeler when we stopped in front of them.

"Must be for trading. I'll take a look at that as well to see anything that catches my eye. I might get a discount too, heh." I chuckled inwardly.

We continued to drive forward while the people I was with were watching out for potential threats we might encounter or might be following us already.

-

*bzzt*

"Bro, there's smoke rising from Lias. It's quite far but I don't think it's a huge fire."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Lias? We don't have time to check that place now. Let's just continue on."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Okay."

*bzzt*

-

Any sort of place that could be classified as a point of interest was always reported no matter how trivial it was. Something that could be seen from far away might attract the attention of different kinds of people, living or undead.

Driving the same path for a few days now made the trip shorter by a few minutes because we didn't have to stop and clear the clusters, unlike last time. It was a record time this day because we reached the Intercity an hour before noon.

The soldiers recognized our convoy and made us enter the Intercity ahead of the ones still waiting outside. They had a maximum amount that they could let people in so they could safely manage them when someone tried to make trouble. It was dangerous for the people outside but the risk was worth it.

Oscar and I broke off with the group after reaching Jomarro's place and Oscar led the way to Mauricio's place.

Mauricio's shops were several times bigger compared to the others and the number of supplies he had in each shop was staggering. It was like he didn't manage to sell anything because the stacks and pallets of rice he had were still reaching the ceiling. I also discovered that he bought the place next to him and used it as a place where he could store all of the items he managed to acquire from trading his goods. It wasn't as large but everything was gathered inside.

We parked our vehicles in his main shop and one of his people recognized Oscar and signaled us to wait for a short moment. She ran towards Mauricio's office and knocked gently a few times.

The door opened and his gaze landed upon us. After that, he then smiled and waved us over. We greeted him back and we walked over to his doorstep.

"Mr. Goodman, Mr. Ishiyama, glad you could come at the earliest. I thought it would be a couple more days but you actually came the next day. Okay, it's still a little bit early and we're still waiting for a few more people to arrive so why don't you let my assistant in this shop accompany you for a bit to my other shop next door? You might find something you like and I might give you a good discount if you're trading good items for it. Sounds good? Oh, her name's Mona." Mauricio gave a faint smile.