Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Funnily enough, I discovered that this bull had the same situation as my dojo because all the years he's been living on this ranch, he was just referred to as the "Bull", nothing more. Both of them had a reputation for what they could do, but how I wished they were named something appropriate or cool-sounding.

In any case, I turned to the beast in question because how many times could a living being had a say in what they were being named or called in their lifetime?

Even the nickname "Kid" got stuck with me and I'd probably get called that by people older than me for the foreseeable future or in the worst-case scenario, have it also carved in my tombstone.

"Alright, buddy~ You cool with me naming you?"

He snorted but in a more enthusiastic way, "Hmrghfhh!"

"Great!"

Mauro suddenly cut in, "You can speak to animals?"

I waved him off, "Mauro, we're busy here. Git."

"The fuck—"

Then I quickly turned back to my new friend, "Alright, how about~ Chicago? Like Chicago Bulls?"

There was an evident disappointment in his snort followed by a shaking of his head. No one had noticed yet but the bleeding on his face already stopped for some reason.

"Hmm~ Gyudon?"

*snort of confusion*

"Horns? No, horn?"

*snort of sadness*

"E10?"

*head tilt with visible confusion*

"E10 deez— nope, you won't get it… Hmm~ BITA? Like Bull in the Apoca— no… too meta…"

Megan interjected, "His fur is Red? How about—"

I instantly shut that down, "Wanna call him Redb— You wanna get sued?! Think, Megan! Think!"

"R-Right… I was thinking of just Red…"

Then James#2 cut in, "How about Ram?"

JP shook his head, "He's a bull, don't call him another animal—"

"I meant that action of—"

Quinn suddenly loomed over the cadets, "Hey! Heeey! The fuck are y'all giving names out for?! He tamed it, he names it!"

But yeah, I didn't think that naming a bull would take this much deliberation but after a few back-and-forths with the crew and the bull himself we eventually decided on something I received the coveted snort of approval.

It was slightly skirting around dad jokes and copyright laws but you'll get it after saying it aloud a few times.

"Rogue? Really?" Elsa asked as she tilted her head the same as everyone else did.

"Bull-Rogue? I don't get it," Quinn followed.

Then Isaac had a lightbulb moment, "OHHHH! I GET IT NOW! HAH! THAT'S CLEVER!"

I chuckled as I pointed at him, "Ten points to Hufflepuff!"

"C'mon, bro! Give me Ravenclaw or something— Wait, that's you. You're totally Ravenclaw."

Then Kaley came up to me with a scrunched eyebrow, "C-Can you explain? I still—"

"Really?"

"I don't—"

"Bull-Rogue… Balrog… You know, the flaming demon with horns—"

Quinn cut in, "Isn't that JP's old bullshit title?!"

Isaac chortled once again, "Maaan~ That's so many fucking layers~"

Then Megan got it, "Ohh! You incorporated the red fur too with the flames instead! Sheesh~"

After that, more and more people eventually got the reference and Rogue snorted once again to ask me to pet his head that probably hadn't been petted all his life. He looked so excited about the name given to him he was nudging me with his body like a cat would and I definitely felt sorry for him when we had to say goodbye.

We've barely explored the whole of the Rivas Family Estate and even though he was obedient to me, the same couldn't be said for everyone.

Rogue might act up from the smallest things and I'd hate to have him put down because of it. But yeah, I promised him that I'd stop by tomorrow and I wrapped a piece of the face towel I brought to his horn that I cut so he'd have the least bit of assurance.

It's just that Edith and Elsa were looking at me with squinted eyes.

"What?"

They answered at the same time, "You've taken another one of us…"

"Huh?"

"First the dogs, now the bull…/I'll give you Rogue but give me back Nem-Nem and Mie-My!"

I shook my head as I chuckled, "I've never taken anyone!" then I tried to change the subject as I turned to Elsa, "How's the hand though?"

"Eh~ Doctor said to ice it once we get back home but it feels fine now, luckily…"

Sebastian followed, "My lady, I think it might be best to follow the doctor's orders…"

"Sure, sure~ You'd still bring ice even if I say no anyway~"

"But it's for a different thing this time, no?"

Elsa and Mauro's eyes suddenly bulged, "YOU—/MOTHERFUCKER—"

"Ah… That's my bad…"

"AYO? WHAT THE FUCK—"

"So ice can be used for sex, huh?"

"Stop talking about it!"

"Can we try later?"

"U-Umm—"

"STOP. TALKING. ABOUT. IT!"

"So what do you do with it? You put it in?"

"You can just use the cold for added sensitivity but if you put it in a cup with some water and dip your fingers in it… It was said to maintain erections for longer periods of time—"

"WHY ARE ALL OF YOU STILL TALKING ABOUT IT! AND YOU, WHY'D YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN ALL THAT, HUH?! YOU PROBABLY DO IT A LOT WITH ALL YOUR PARTNERS, HUH?!"

"Nope. Don't need it, ask them. But you two probably—"

"HAH!"

"Well, that backfired…"

"AYOOOOOOO~"

After a bit of walking, we did stop by the smokehouse to grab a little snack but obviously enough, a certain pair were barred from entering because they did eat a little too much, and smoked meat was just a luxury even if this place had an abundance of them. It was more to the point that their day's work was wharfed down in a matter of minutes, and if they did nothing about it, their daily quotas would be affected.

But yeah, Sebastian assured them that everything would be accounted for and their salaries—whatever it may be now—would still be given appropriately to the amount of work they've done.

'Some good spices on these jerky though… That streamer AsmonAu would love these… Bet he's still kickin' with his two-hander on hand— I mean, hands…'

As we moved forward, I discovered that the farms were set up in a way that a cluster would be reserved for the crops that needed the same type of requirements in order for them to grow but after all this walking, I still haven't found the spot where Sal had poppy flowers.

Furthermore, there weren't a lot of bees—or any, for that matter—in sight, and it was just a testament to how large Sal's land was.

I just started to assume that it wasn't this huge glob on the map that dictated her ownership but there were probably sectors where a portion of the area was heavily guarded or secluded because of the illegal or valuable items that could be found or looted. Furthermore, discovering the electric car that could go off-road told me that some places would need more than just a simple walk in a span of a few hours.

'Even Edith wasn't wearing her suit… Probably further out or on the opposite side…'

But yeah, the next place we visited was two buildings dedicated to making fabric from plant material or from animal skins or hide.

One of my uncles worked in a textile factory but it couldn't be compared to the size and efficiency these two buildings could offer. And yes, one of them was running through the use of a large generator while the other one was running on elbow grease with a little bit of sophistication and meticulousness.

Take the clothes we were wearing for example: Nancy mentioned that one of them was made from pineapples but the shirt I'm wearing now was probably made from cotton and the boots were from tanned leather. Not only were they so comfortable to wear and elegant looking, it felt like they were tailor-made specifically to our sizes.

It was a little creepy if you think a little deeper about it but it's not like a size large shirt and a US size 10 boots were uncommon.

In any case, the gist of one of these buildings was to make these huge-ass rolls of fabric or natural leather while the other one transforms them into something wearable or functional like rugs, towels, etc.

This was something we didn't have a lot going on at home, aside from raiding Unc Conrad's old workplace, several malls, clothing stores, and then some but in the near future, I'd want to be able to produce such items from raw materials and turn them into what we were wearing today. If not, since we were now allied with the Rivas Family, a trading situation was also possible.

It's not like our clothes back home would last a millennium so we'd need replacements from time to time plus a bit for new people or for uniforms.

Though Quinn never looked so excited.

"HEY! GIVE ME ALL YOUR COMFY UNDERWEAR IN MY SIZES AND YOUR MAJESTY WILL PAY FOR ALL OF THEM!"

"M-Majesty?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT! GET ON IT!"