Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Aside from raw power, Mikhail's body could also take more damage than a normal person. Unless I specifically aim for his vital spots in rapid succession, I would have a difficult time taking him down.

Well, what I meant by letting loose earlier was trying to take him down without doing what could achieve it the quickest way possible. Essentially what I was trying to do was have a difficult time.

"All for the sake of having the sphincter tight. Why did I even start to use self-imposed rules this time? Hope I don't start to get a bowl cut and bushy eyebrows..." I thought to myself as I even doubted myself for a stupid decision.

I started dancing with the big guy.

My palms were lightly clenched when Mikhail opened up with a crisp left jab. I moved towards it but my feet were going in the direction of his left side. His fist quickly retracted for another jab but jabbing while aiming at someone from an angle away from you would give out a very small opening unless you pivot your body towards the same direction.

Well, Mikhail fucking did.

I shuffled for almost half a circle before he got fed up and threw a right hook instead.

Mikhail's face was wide open but I timed my right fist to hammer down on his right wrist and it was only possible after a step back and because he was taller than me. I added power to the strike and his body slightly compensated as his hand blew downwards.

A frontal kick to his face was the best next move but I sent an axe kick towards his right shoulder. The feedback was great but I quickly rolled sideways to avoid his left arm that was reaching for me.

Our position was reset and he figured out what I was trying to do.

We continued for a time but no one landed a knock-out blow. Our timer was miraculously heard for the first time because it would usually end much faster than five minutes. However, I saw him rotating his wrist and his shoulder after the fight because those were the two spots I always aimed for.

"Trying something new Boss?" Mikhail said after handing me a cup of water.

"Something like that. We still have a lot of Ibuprofen but I just wanted to save a couple." I joked.

We were casually chatting when our radios buzzed one after the other. It was rare for this to happen and the atmosphere quickly changed. Jessica and her group noticed our expression but I grabbed my radio just by the side of the door. I asked Russel to turn the music off because we couldn't hear the message clearly.

-

*bzzt*

"Yeah? Sorry, we're in the gym. Can you repeat what you said?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Sir Ishiyama, there's been a situation here and- umm…"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"What is it?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"It's hard to explain sir. It would be better if you see this yourself. It came from the highway and a few more were trickling in."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"What? Trickling in?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Umm, we're really at a loss here sir. Please come at the earliest so you could see it for yourself."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Grab some footage if you could but we're coming."

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Okay, sir."

*bzzt*

-

Everyone grew curious and our training session quickly ended.

Kaley and I went to our room just to wipe ourselves and have a quick change of clothes and wearing our protective gear. It didn't take us long but we made sure that we were locked and loaded. Tatiana was already heading down with her Benelli M4 when Cynthia followed right behind us.

Oscar and Mauricio were also present below with the rest of my people and they were wearing varying expressions.

"We'll look after her." Marisha told Mauricio when he was hesitating to climb on Oscar's SUV.

"I'll stay here." Matthew said.

"I'll stay here just in case too." Johnny added.

My group was in Tatiana's Humvee and we passed by a few of our people that decided to run. We parked inside the DDR Camp but we had to walk to the other entrance to reach the main road.

A clump of people that were staying in the DDR Camp was watching from atop the catwalks built around the walls while some were trying to get information by chatting up some that were told to get back.

They moved aside when they saw us arrive and a good number of the soldiers were outside just looking at the distance with normal flashlights. However, it wasn't enough to give us the proper information. It was dark outside and the moon wasn't even helping us because of the clouds covering it.

I briefly glanced to where their eyes were fixated but I couldn't spot anything that was amiss. There were a few deadheads from a few meters away and a pile of them on the road but when I was about to look at my scope and turn on the illuminator, Oscar turned to Ferdinand.

"What happened here? I couldn't see anything." Oscar said.

"We're not too sure either but watch the pile and a select few from the ones coming close." Ferdinand replied.

"What?" Oscar asked, confused.

"I-I'm gonna grab the drones and the high-powered flashlights from the Humvee." Lois pulled Jared with him.

The two were away for a while but Kaley and I were looking through our scopes while Tatiana and a few of my people were looking through their binoculars. No one had attempted to come close because of the unknown we were facing.

I still haven't spotted what was wrong right until one of the figures approached the pile. It was approaching ever so slowly then if plopped as if its strings were cut off.

Everyone thought that it tripped but it didn't.

It never moved after that and it left the group that came with me just as confused as the people that were already present when it was first noticed happening. No one fired a shot and there was even no evidence of it being struck on its head or any parts of its body to warrant what just happened.

Jared and Lois came back looking at our confused expressions but I retold them what happened. We had nothing else to do but use the items they brought to somewhat shed a light on what was happening.

The few times we have used the high-powered flashlights was when we were surveying an alley or that time when we had to illuminate the inside of the public market. It was several lumens higher than a standard flashlight and it was almost like a beam when shone into the darkness.

The moment we shone it straight towards the main road, we discovered a lot more silhouettes from the distance.

We just got ready just in case of anything that might happen but the drones flew in that direction. Looking at the display, it seemed to be the same thing and the only difference was the angle we were looking at. The drones just hovered for a while before another one plopped dead right at the pile on the road.

Not everything that came close to the pile would plop dead as Ferdinand said but it was fucking confusing.

We had no way to differentiate them from the normal ones unless we wait for them to reach that threshold, which was the pile of the dead slowly increasing.

"Is it a variation of the boundary from the ones we've faced in the public market?" I thought to myself but I was still having doubts. We faced a few more of them from past runs but each and every time, they were occupying an enclosed area with a feeding area at the innermost part.

It could be a new one, a variation, or a different irregular behavior they developed in time.

"Turn those high-powered flashlights off for now because it might attract more attention than necessary. We need to take a closer look." I said to my group as I drew my katana.

We slowly inched forward but I made sure to cut down the ones that walked past that pile. I would receive the same feedback from lopping off a part of their head and I confirmed that they were the normal ones. However, I paused walking for a good distance right before the pile as I held my katana on the opposite side.

I stabbed each head that was in front of me just to make sure they were not camping. We camped a lot on these fuckers but I wouldn't want the same thing done to me.

After I was done, we took a step past their pile and we cut down each one that came close.

That was the time when I found the distinction I was looking for.

One of them was coming close to me with crooked arms stretched out but it was moving more sluggish compared to the ones we've faced. I didn't put it to mind as much because its body was in all sorts of decay and parts of its skin were already falling off.

Its neck was clawed out and crusted flakes made with pus and blood were leaking out over each other.

I simply cut its arms off before lopping half of its head. My blade entered the side of its face and went out cleanly to the other side. A part of its nose was still intact but everyone was shocked when it continued to move forward.

I took a step back, the same with everyone but it just plopped on the pavement when it reached the pile.