Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

As we were waiting for the mill to finish printing out the parts we needed, Unc and I started working on the design of Ibarra's new spearhead. It would've been proper to try and improve our current design with the Headhunter's Axe but we'd still need to test it to know the things we could improve upon it.

Take Unc's first prototype for example, from the time Kaley and I left the premises yesterday, everyone who wanted to get their hands on Unc's work abused the fuck out of it to know its strengths and weaknesses.

From what Unc told me, the blade part of his first prototype was found out to be more or less than a dangerous decoration.

It was because his first creation was too top-heavy and more places to get leverage was better rather than more surfaces to cut deadheads with. Going back to the original design instead of the axe-sword combo was a great decision because not only it would fix the first problem, it'll also allow us to have a bigger canister of CO2 in it.

However, the thing I was still unsure about was the mechanism as to how it injects the CO2 through the tubing system.

Everything sounds right on paper but Murphy's law would always say otherwise.

We already hit a minor speedbump from branching off of the original design and since we were doing the same thing about the injection system of the WASP knives, something might go wrong as well.

There was also a saying to do not reinvent the wheel and from our current standing, we were 0 - 1 on the losing side.

Despite that, we'd either just make a ton more mistakes to discover something new compared to thinking that we might not be able to accomplish our goal. Besides, we could just always copy the existing injection system but the thumb press/release was still fucking stupid in my opinion.

'We're not actually making a wheel and there's gotta be something better…'

After some time, I finished drawing up the design and I called Unc over who was busy roasting a whole chicken from… somewhere…

"And~ This is it, I guess?"

"That fast? Lemme see. Wait– this is–"

"There's one with our small canisters and there's one with our custom canisters. The one with our custom canister is almost like the design we're printing right now and the only difference is that this one uses a spearhead instead of an axe-head. Wait– Oh! You can collapse this one too but it wouldn't be a quick detach when you're collapsing the spearhead and the mid-area of the staff."

"It's because of the tubing system we're using, right?"

"Yep. That's gonna be the trade-off if Ibarra wants a larger canister available. We'll just make him decide but we got both things available."

"After we successfully make a working prototype, I wonder how many we gotta make if the orders come in."

"Hmm, I dunno. Heh. Our guns will still probably work and it doesn't require huge fucking balls to use them. We can make a thousand of these to arm our fighters but I doubt every single one of them would like to go toe-to-toe with those things."

"Ah, that's true, that's true~ Some of them might request one that's one-handed. Truth be told, I dunno why we started to make things bigger. It's like everything is to scale with Mikhail, heh."

"At least you know, heh."

Unc and I were casually discussing our work when our serial glutton helped herself with our roasted chicken without our notice.

Yes, it was Tatiana.

"Mmh~! This is good! Seems fresh! Whichever one Ibarra chooses, I'll choose the other one. Everything still needs testing, correct?"

Unc and I instantly turned around to find Tatiana munching on a leg then I shook my head and said sarcastically, "Oh, shi– Tatiana! Nice to see you~ Why don't you help yourself with our snack? It was supposed to be for us two but don't mind us, take it all if you want to~"

Tatiana chuckled as she took another bite without batting an eye, "Thanks, then! As I was saying– I would love this if it was a little less spicy– Anyway, I'll retire the bastard sword you gave me since I also need an upgrade. Before you say anything, figuratively, I have bigger balls than most of our fighters here that have balls."

I chuckled, "That's right, but you still have a broken arm and a fractured rib."

Tatiana swallowed the food in her mouth before replying, "That's correct, but before our deadline is up, I'd be healed. You gotta break my legs if you're even thinking of not taking me. I'll have my own seat on that helicopter–"

"We're not using a helicopter, not this time."

"What?"

"We're using a boat."

"Wait, why?"

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? Big players are coming so we'd need more than just our regular squad. Artem and his whole team are coming too, but we'd need to bring a few extras."

"Hold on, you haven't told us this yet."

"Right, I haven't told all of you, yet. Remember the ship we took from Iskoh? We'll use that to get to Batangas Bay and set up a small encampment there. We'll bring Lawrence and a few soldiers from our DDR Camp, but I'm thinking of bringing Marvin and Mark's crew as well. The whole list isn't complete but we'd need enough to guard our ship while we're on Mr. Cuervo's territory."

Unc Zeidrick interjected, "Isn't that the one where you could put a few jeeps in the cargo hold? Are you gonna bring your vehicles too?"

"Yes and yes. We'll bring Tatiana's Humvee and our Raptors."

"How about supplies? Are you–"

"Of course, Unc. Even if the place we're going to could provide us with food, it's better if we could bring our own. Besides, there will be people staying behind so they'll need food too. And before you ask, we'll bring enough firepower to, you know, handle ourselves."

"Heh, you got me. I'm just thinking if it'll be possible for you guys there to jack another boat so a few could fish in the meantime. That place is known for its livestock but no one should forget about the seafood they got going over there. Fuck, I could only imagine how big they are now if there are fewer people fishing… Imagine catching a huge fucking Marlin and grilling it on the spot, damn!"

Tatiana interjected, "Can't you just come then? I'll kill for some grilled fish right about now…"

Unc Zeidrick was shaking his head, "That whole chicken wasn't enough, huh?"

Tatiana nodded a few times, "Yep. As you two said, it's just a snack~"

I waved both of them off, "Don't worry, Unc. I'll see what I can do. Well, you could arrange another fishing trip here but make sure you're accompanied by a few soldiers."

"Hmm~ That's true, that's true…"

Tatiana stayed with us to keep us company but as time flowed, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Unc and I managed to produce a modern Headhunter's Axe that was shaped like the original one, but it was almost made completely with metal. Furthermore, it was still a two-handed weapon compared to the original one that was only held by one hand.

Our creation was still a tad difficult to wield because of its weight but it was much better than its original number. A lot of time was dedicated to shaving off a bit of its weight and hollowing out the handle to fit the CO2 Canister inside and creating a balance with the counterweight in the knob helped a lot.

Artem promptly received our work and it was safe to say that Katya was now patiently waiting for a well-received product while she was using the first prototype. Ibarra's custom spear was also in the works and as soon as another CNC Mill was free, we'd start working on its other counterpart that would land on Tatiana's hands.

The only difference between the two spears was that the spearhead on Tatiana's spear would be a little bit narrower than Ibarra's spear but it will be thicker and a little bit longer.

It would almost look like a mini-Estoc mounted on a spear and its main focus would be only for thrusting.

I wasn't sure if Tatiana was as good with a spear as she was with a sword but I'm 100% sure the weapon she's holding wouldn't be the deciding factor. She had been cooped up inside the compound for a few weeks and I'm pretty sure she'll go wild the moment her injuries were completely healed.

With that said, I still got another thing to take care of on this very day.

It was about receiving the friends and families of Morales and his whole army so as to lessen the hold the president got on their necks.

Talking it over with the president with the help of Oscar went smoother than what I thought would happen but there was always a fucking catch.