Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Mauricio immediately gave a nod when Jessica said that she was in. Noah also followed but it seemed that they already agreed on something before this meeting took place.

"W-Wait, what are we agreeing on again? Sorry… I'm hard on hearing..." an old guy named Baron chimed. A kid next to him was trying to remind him about why we were all gathered here but Mauricio waved him down.

"Mr. Baron, we are all here to reach an agreement to make this Intercity a stronghold and what this place always is, a Trading Center. This place is also much bigger compared to most DDR Camps and even a few barangays." Mauricio started.

"And how c-could that h-help us?" Baron leaned closer to hear Mauricio.

"If we're gonna have a safe place to trade with people, this is the best place. The high walls and the number of soldiers present here is not something to sneeze at. Don't forget, we were close to where that fucking cult was and they never managed to take this place from us. They all opted to take the long route or avoid us completely." Mauricio replied.

"Isn't what you said the reason this place is still dangerous? Those fucking people will sooner or later realize we would be coming here to bring items for trade or even storage. What if they just plan an ambush when we're still on the road? We have the means to protect ourselves but I'd rather protect my group from the fucking dead." Jason added.

"Jesus Christ, you never listen to what anyone says eh? The kid over there already fucking killed their ringleader and a few hundred of his people a few days ago." Noah rolled his eyes.

"WHAT?!" Jason was shocked as his head snapped to me.

Mel looked at Jason like an idiot though I felt Jessica's glance. Jason was looking at me for confirmation so I had to repeat myself.

"Yeah, that's true. Also, I'm in with what Mauricio is proposing. However, I have a few things I want to add to his plans if he wanted to make this place more secure if that what he's going for. My group had already put out several safety measures in my place not just for the dead but also for hostile people. Aside from people guarding our entrances, it would be much safer if we have people clearing the roads from the dead and if we have a few places secured outside just for the purpose of looking out for threats." I explained my side.

"I'm actually doing the same thing at my place but we're saving up our ammo just in case of emergencies. We don't have a lot and I was actually surprised that the shops here are selling them." Jessica added, looking at my gear.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to make this place a center for acquiring anything that you want. Trading is something we're very familiar with and it's something we could take advantage of to survive this thing. We should establish a working system that could benefit all of us as early as possible." Mauricio stated.

"To be honest, we were already late doing this but we should still continue with what he proposed. Sooner or later, our groups would've looted everything that could be looted and we all know what happens after that. The ones that wouldn't be able to produce their own food would either starve or start attacking other people. We say we wouldn't do it but I'm pretty sure time will tell that we're all hypocrites." I added.

"A-And how d-do we prevent that child?" Baron looked at me solemnly.

"To prevent that, we need to make an agreement to help each other. As Jason said earlier, we have the means to protect ourselves but we'd rather protect ourselves from the dead. Well, unless you're remnant members of the cult or hostiles, my group will fucking come for you." I replied as the temperature lowered for a brief second.

They all just stared at me for a moment before Jason spoke up.

"I get what you're trying to say but doesn't Mauricio and the other people who live here have the biggest advantage? They're all sitting pretty while the rest of us that came outside would still traverse the roads littered with the dead. I-" then Mauricio interrupted him.

"I'm getting to that part. I already had a talk with Christopher, their CO, to let soldiers accompany you back home with their gear and a few bonuses from my own stash. You could either let them guard your place while you're away or take them with you wherever you want as long as they're given basic necessities and it's not a suicide run." Mauricio explained.

"Mauricio has a few farms right next to mine so I'm helping him take care of it with the soldiers that were sent to my place. And as he said earlier, if we're gonna conduct business, this place is the best choice. That's just the way it is unless you're able to compete with that." Noah added.

"That's… well, I guess you're right. However, I have one final question before I join. We're talking about building a trade center and whatnot but what if my group runs out of things to trade? What happens then? We're talking about helping each other but what if the other side couldn't offer help anymore?" Jason sighed as he looked at each of us.

Everyone was silent but Mauricio decided to answer his question. His eyes turned a shade colder as he began speaking.

"Here's the truth, our resources aren't infinite and we have our own groups to look out for. We have to make it work for ourselves first before we offer help to other people. I could- no, I will extend a hand but I'm not giving away freebies. You have to contribute if you want to put food in your mouth and if you want to have a roof over your head. I'm sorry but it's just the way it is. It's always been like that even before this thing started." Mauricio said.

"I completely agree. In my case, I'm still accepting people but you need to provide me proper identification and you'd undergo a vetting process. You can come with a group but if someone doesn't check out, I'm sorry. Your group will decide to find another place or come in with a few people absent. I don't care if you went through thick and thin. If you don't pass the test, you won't pass our gates. I don't want to say more about my place but I'll leave means of communication to contact me if you ever needed to make that choice." I added.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes but one by one, they eventually decided to take part in Mauricio's plan. Jason was still a little bit reluctant but Mel and Baron agreeing made him agree as well.

"Shit, at least it's better than getting nothing… fuck it, I'm in as well." Jason shook his head.

"Jason..." I trailed as I suddenly remembered someone I've met before.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Jason rubbed his head.

"D'you know a person named Quinn? He has a partner named John and-" I was interrupted by him.

"You know my Neph- no- I mean I don't know who you're talking about." Jason snapped his mouth shut.

"..." everyone else.

"Jesus Christ, you could never be discreet, can you?" Noah helplessly threw his hands in the air.

"Don't worry, he knows us. So, he's doing okay? We met briefly but I just guessed you might be the person they planned to reach from our short conversation." I added.

"Yeah… thank you. Want some eggs?" Jason did a 180.

"..." everyone else.

"I'd take some chickens." I chuckled.

"..." everyone else.

"But the eggs will hatch eventually?" Jason replied.

"..." everyone else.

"Sure..." I wasn't one to turn down free stuff.

"A-Anyway, as we discussed, anyone outside could come into this place anytime they like and we'll reserve a place for them to store your goods. I just acquired a lot of space that could hold them while you're away and I'll contact you when someone took an interest in them." Mauricio stated but he saw Jessica raising her hand.

"If you could, can you repurpose one of them to be a boarding house or a small room with a single bed at least? I trust your marketing skills but I want to be hands-on with some of the dealings. I have people at home that could run my place so I could be away a few days at a time." Jessica stated.

"I could but if you noticed, each shop here has an office like this but it varies in size. We could start with that for now and do some construction projects when we have the materials. If there's nothing else, I'll end the meeting now because I have someplace to be in with Mr. Ishiyama." Mauricio replied as he glanced upstairs.

It took a few minutes before everyone dispersed because Mona came out with snacks but I got to know a little more about our new business partners. I still got a few eyes doubting my achievements but I was not in the mood for face-slapping. I just gave a smile and let them decide by themselves if what I said was true or not.

I was about to join everyone upstairs but I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"You, I wanna talk to you, privately." Jessica was looking at me when I turned around.