Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I started to sift through the information in my head while Sally placed the bottle containing red-golden honey in front of me with a small teaspoon, and as we discussed, I could have this bottle for free– and an extra bonus if I could guess what plant it came from AND what it was actually called.

She also gave me an option of tasting a drop of it, but due to Edith's reaction, it may be a bad idea.

However, my curiosity and my interest were already piqued and I wouldn't say no to free stuff– especially expensive and rare items I've little to no idea about.

'Hmm, as far as I know, honey could always be consumed without a limit but Edith hinted that I shouldn't take more than a drop or a serving from this teaspoon in front of me… So… does that mean that it has hallucinogenic properties? What are they made of? Poppy flowers? Hmm… It could be another trick question though– Wait… Hah! Brain Blast! The fuck am I doing with my life, that's so fucking cringe– but is it really that thing though? It's the only one as far as I could remember… Fuck it.'

The two were just waiting for what I would do next but the next thing they saw was that I was already pouring a small dab on the teaspoon in front of me.

I watched the drop glisten through the sunshine and I could already catch a whiff of how sweet it was. However, I was still 90% sure of the correct answer, and to bridge the 10%, I would have to taste it.

"Here goes nothing…"

The moment the drop of the red-golden honey touched the tip of my tongue, I instantly tasted sweetness with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. It was almost like fruity dark chocolate but I'm sure that this was the first time I've tasted such a thing.

I was about to pour another drop on the teaspoon because it easily dissolved on my tongue but then it happened.

'Uh-oh…'

All of a sudden, my tongue started feeling numb while my vision got blurry, and it was almost like I suddenly got drunk while I continued to lose control of my motor functions. However, my body suddenly switched to feeling hot and itchy, and I had the urge to drink the whole thing in one sitting.

It's like I grew tired and got a burst of energy at the same time, and it was fucking ridiculous.

With that said, the feeling only lasted for a minute or two– maybe longer, but I just found myself staring at the teaspoon in my hands.

"Is that teaspoon that fascinating, young man?"

"Wha–"

"A-Are you okay? Are you still dizzy?"

"I–"

"Here, drink some water."

I just took the glass of water that was placed on my hands, and ice-cold water never tasted so good. I had to request another glass because my mouth seemed to be covered with the stuff, and I just noticed the two looking at me. Sally was wearing an amused expression while Edith was wearing an expression of concern.

Sally chuckled, "It's always funny the first time someone tastes it. So, do you have an answer or not?"

I just stared at them for a few moments before I opened my mouth, "That's Mad Honey. Made from a certain species of Rhododendrons or 'Rose Trees' that had certain toxins present in their nectar or pollen… This thing should be taken in small fucking amounts or it'll be a bad fucking adventure… And if I remember correctly, it was also used in war and it debilitated the soldiers who ate it, leaving them open to an attack… Also…"

Words after words, sentences after sentences, I continued to cite from different sources from where I've read or heard about this type of honey, and reading them from an article or seeing them from a video was a completely different experience compared to having a very minute serving.

However, I didn't notice Sally looking at me blankly while Edith had already dropped her jaw.

They should be the ones explaining to me all about it, but it seemed like I knew more than them– or they were just surprised that a random dude that was not in the business knew a lot about their product and just never had the chance to taste it.

With that said, Sally's smile couldn't be wider and the same could be said for Edith.

"Here, young man, you earned it. Edith, give him a bag of the other stuff too."

"Y-Yes, right away!"

Sally gave me an approving look as she officially gave me the small bottle of Mad Honey, and the bonus was a bag that contained all of their types of honey in a medium-sized jar, except for their wildflower and forest honey that had bigger containers.

I eventually said thanks and they waved me goodbye, and the moment I got back over to Quinn and Tatiana, another serving of waffles was brought over. Tatiana didn't say much because she was busy stuffing her face with food but Quinn was looking at me, smiling faintly.

I called her out, "What?"

"I guess you passed."

"Passed?"

"You fucking numbnut, she wouldn't give you free shit if you didn't pass. Check that bag thoroughly, she might've given you something more."

Hearing that, I pulled out the jars of honey I won and checked the bag inside out, and on one of the smaller pockets, I found a 'business card' that had three sets of numbers that– after looking at them carefully, seemed to be Sat Phone numbers and coordinates to a certain location.

However, looking at the label on the jars saved me a lot of time.

'They drove all this way, huh?'

Sally and Edith were living by the edges of Batangas, nearing Cavite, and they lived farther compared to Quinn and her company who were stationed near the City of Lipa.

I was starting to find out more and more about the people Mr. Cuervo was involved with, and truth be told, if I only met with the ones that were in charge and high up, I would've mistaken them for just business people.

Not everyone from the lower brackets were dumb meatheads but those types were always the ones to stick out. It might ruin someone's perception of the whole picture but there was a common saying that puts an emphasis on that.

However, it's not always the ones in the lower brackets that were lacking because sometimes, a few at the top were rotten too. They were just as worse as the ones below but the only difference was that they could get away if they did something wrong.

With that said, the three of us eventually finished eating lunch, and with Tatiana in tow, Quinn led us into another interesting area that we could partake in.

However, after playing a few games, we were about to get kicked out after cleaning out several tables because the place Quinn led us was a casino-style enclosure.

It had almost all of the custom tables and games available to sink our vouchers in, and there was even a corner where slot machines were getting powered by a gas-operated generator. There were even obscure games that were a little too dangerous, but the reason we were about to get kicked out was that I was accused of cheating.

I obviously sat on a table where I could use my memory as an edge, but it was reported that I was using some sort of device to count their cards.

I was now in front of an 'official' and he was asking me to stop putting down bets.

"I'm sorry, sir. Even if you're a proud owner of Mr. Cuervo's coins, cheating is strictly prohibited. As a result, we'd have to confiscate all of your winnings and you'll be banned from sitting on tables and placing other bets."

"Who said I was cheating?"

"Ah– I was told you were using something to count cards and–"

"I am using something."

"T-Then you understand that–"

"No. You're the one who doesn't understand. The 'device' I'm using is my head."

"E-Excuse me?"

"I'm just using my head. Is it illegal to think now?"

"N-N-No... Wait a second, sir. I'll contact–"

The 'official' I was talking to was just about to call for his superiors when someone I could vaguely remember cut him off. He was a guy that was sitting two chairs away from me while I was playing some Blackjack earlier, and he had fat stacks of vouchers that he lost in a blink of an eye.

"He's fucking cheating! I swear! He–"

Quinn cut him off, "Mason, better stop now or you're gonna embarrass yourself. My guest here didn't cheat."

"BULLSHIT! HE WAS WEARING THAT EARPIECE THE WHOLE TIME! HE'S DEFINITELY CHEATING!"

A crowd was starting to gather around us but I wished I was just against a bunch of dumb grease monkeys instead of a stupid entitled prick. However, I still had ways to prove my integrity and I kinda wanted to slap this prick in the face.

"How about this? Let's make a bet if I could really remember the cards or not."

"Hmph! What are you suggesting?"

"How many decks of cards are in that holder? Around five to six?"

"I dunno, you're the cheater. You tell me."

I chuckled, "Then open it up and shuffle it. Let me see the order once and we'll let a neutral party hold it opposite me, facing you. Each time I get a card wrong, you can slap me in the face. However–"

"Hah! Deal!"