Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

The place had never been so quiet but to my surprise, cheers erupted abruptly as the few seconds of shock passed by. Well, to be fair, not the same number of people clapped their hands and shouted at the top of their lungs, but it was still a different sight to see some people rejoice even if they've just lost their own.

To those people, a scratched or a bitten individual who still had a few moments to do good or shine one last time was as worthless as a referee in a WWE match or a lifeguard in a swimming competition.

Granted their last moments were used for entertainment, a sick one, I'd rather cheer for one of my own taking down a regular deadhead in his last moments than see them like that.

Sure, Benjie was the one who disabled this "partial" hulker on his own—and I commend him for that—but the action that followed after that was just rage-inducing. Even Mr. Cuervo was shaking his head because some of the people that Benjie took out were also from his fold, and he'd rather see them go out like the first ones who fell, fighting until their dying breaths.

Despite that, technically speaking, those people were also as good as dead and he technically didn't break the rules of this place.

And if he actually did, he would've been pumped full of lead the moment his dagger swiped cleanly through the neck of his first victim.

But at this point, since no one fucking dared to get close to him—even if they weren't infected—Benjie was actually soloing all of the deadheads that were trying to take over their spot. Granted he was still making space so he could maneuver around his actual opponent, but he could only fight it head-on without interruptions for a few seconds.

He'd have to clone himself to be able to fight toe to toe with that being while taking down these rotting obstacles—or to give him something I think he'd never do, actually make use of and cooperate with the people around him.

With that said, right after the deaths of the ones that got sneaked up on by the hidden tailor, everyone from the other team started to drag the bodies to the opposite side of the play area. The other party didn't actually join our group and it was just common sense to do that.

At the same time, Benjie was still trying to take down the injured hulker but his first run-in with the being actually made him cautious.

Not only did he try to make space to move around, but he also started to observe its movements.

At this moment, it was just down on one knee, right arm readied and focused on one certain individual. To be honest, it looked like a cornered rat but anyone would have a hard fucking time if it retaliated. However, it suddenly swung its right arm in a wide arc, making it lose its balance as it only hit air.

'What?'

Almost everyone thought that it was just its way of trying to preserve its 'life', similar to any being or perhaps a human waving their weapon to deter anyone from coming close.

But to a select few who were close enough to feel 'it', it was actually Benjie's doing.

He actually found a way to prompt a reaction just by staying in place and it was done by directing killing intent to a specific individual. Well, before actually 'directing' it, it should be first released and that was why I surmised that that swipe was a reaction to something rather than what most people thought.

It's just that I didn't think that an undead being would be able to feel it but to keep it on the safe side, I'd say it was a good 70%-80% probability that it was the actual cause.

But just to make sure, I slowly exhaled before I released copious amounts of killing intent—even more than the last time we talked, disrupting the game and all of the participants involved. I only did it for a second but the participants who were closer to me instinctively jumped away from my direction—Mr. Cuervo and the two other girls included.

Tatiana seemed to have slightly gotten used to it but I lightly chuckled as I saw her grab onto the fences tightly—pulling them together as they bent out of sheer force.

This was when my team noticed that we were actually behind them but Mr. Cuervo was already this close to kicking me out of my position. Well, I didn't technically step foot in the play area but my presence did. However, my eyes were locked on the injured hulker which was my actual target, and what it did confirmed my suspicions.

It actually tried to cover its face with both arms once my wave of killing intent passed through it, but another person reacted to it much differently than I thought.

Benjamin "Benjie" Castillo suddenly twisted his body as he turned in my direction, and he was wearing that same maniacal smile he did the last time we talked. He even licked his lips before he completely disregarded his original target, and he just started to sprint back in my direction.

'Oh, boy…'

It left everybody speechless, especially Mr. Cuervo, and everyone else decided to take a 'receiving' approach in regard to the deadheads that were still marching ahead. Well, the injured hulker was still in the same spot but my team decided to observe it more thoroughly before taking action.

With that said, Benjie walked past everyone—even my team and Mr. Cuervo—and once he was right below me, he jumped up the fence and perched a few inches close to me. He was looking at me like how I look at a freshly cooked medium-rare steak with a wallop of butter melting on top, slowly flowing down, mixing with the steak's juices.

His gaze almost felt dirty and even when I shook the fence to make him fall down, he kept his balance and kept staring at me with the same expression.

"Nice try."

"Heh."

I had to do something about it because I felt more danger almost as close when Kaley was looking at my butthole.

"What?"

"I like you."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs though Tatiana, Roxanne, and Melina were dumbstruck.

"You have it, same as me."

I thought for a while before I replied, "Demons?"

"Ahaha… I knew it. You know… it's been a while since I felt something like that…"

"I remember showing it to you last time—"

"No, that was weak—it didn't even count. The last one, the recent one, felt really~ familiar…"

"Uh-huh…"

"What's more… I think you could really control it… Ahaha…"

"So?"

Benjie suddenly glared at me, "You don't get it, do you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're limiting yourself… Demons aren't supposed to be controlled… they're supposed to be unleashed. If you keep doing that, they'll get weak and I'll barely have any fun when I start carving you piece by piece— WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

I was lightly chuckling as I stared him dead in the eye, "The way you're talking, it's funny. But yeah, I speak like that sometimes. When I do it, it's cool. But when I hear other people say it, it's kinda cringe."

"I'm just giving you advice. You should listen to it."

"Heh. Don't tell me what to do with my demons, we're vibing just fine. You don't know my demons like I do. They don't run my life like yours do…"

'Well, not anymore…'

"Hmph, boring shit. Everyone's always the same…"

"Tell me something… you can't even control them, can you? And if you could—by some chance—it's only for a few moments."

"..."

"Hah! I could give you lessons but I'm not cheap—"

At this moment, Benjie just jumped over the fence and forfeited the game with a dark expression. I saw his partner climb the fence as soon as Benjie landed on the other side and he never looked so relieved. He hurriedly scurried away from Benjie's path as he made his own way back to their spot.

Benjie just disappeared from view so I placed my attention on the problem at hand.

The hulker—even injured, could still pack a punch. And from the time Benjie and I had a little talk, no one had still taken it down. It was because its shields were still up and anyone who came close would get bludgeoned to death. Furthermore, some participants tried to use long-reaching weapons and they just got bent before making an actual dent.

At this point, only Benjie had done some serious damage to it and I'd never seen one in a defensive position.

I doubt it would take an active stance any time soon but we all saw a tailor slither behind it before it abruptly turned and smashed it in one blow. A handful of deadheads further in just dropped like their strings were cut and we all saw it turn back the same way and assume the same stance.