"...I believe a helicopter would be valuable to you."
Aqua Rose's lips spouted an interesting sentence.
She needed to exchange something for her survival.
"And why is that?"
Erza was tempted.
His biggest obstacle in rescuing his relatives was not the Infected, but time.
"I've noticed Master Zeta and the team has been going out from morning until dusk. Most often, coming back with resources. But if it was just resources, K-City still has plenty of untouched places."
Aqua Rose formulated a theory.
"Then I've concludes one thing: Those resources were just the byproducts of the trip. The real deal was to find someone or even a group of people over different locations within K-City or the entirety of S-Region."
Naresia is divided into ten regions or ten states.
S-Region is where almost all his relatives live.
Spread all across the S-Region, their locations were too far apart.
He couldn't form different teams to rescue their relatives in different areas because they are not ready yet.
Leadership, planning, communication, and analyzing situations.
Those are among the qualities a true survivor of doomsday needs to have to roam the world.
"But I don't see any helicopters, though?"
Erza looked around the area with his hands as visors.
"Master Zeta, it's at the Royal Naresian Air Force base. I can help you get it!"
The moment she said the location, Erza frowned.
"I know one of the higher-ups of the Air Force! He's a General!"
In order to get connected to the upper society, she often had to 'accompany' influential people.
Aqua Rose said that she could blackmail the General into giving him a helicopter.
"I know there are a few Generals who are fighting to be the Generals of the Generals."
Military elections were akin to political manifestos.
If one single blemish were detected either in their military activities or personal lives, that weakness would be utilized by their opponents.
"But times are different now. What would stop him from 'silencing' you?"
Erza's question stumped Aqua Rose.
She was thinking to tell the said General that if he doesn't fulfill her demands, she would go on to tell everyone that they had an affair.
If it was before the apocalypse, the scandal would have brought the General to his knees.
"Master Zeta! Please, I will do my best! I will-"
Aqua Rose pleaded.
"Stop."
Erza silenced her with a single finger to her succulent, pink lips.
"I have an idea. We'll work together to secure the helicopter, and you'll get the exact same treatment as Big Mark and Kara once we succeed. What's your decision?"
Erza's offer baffled Aqua Rose for a while, but then she ultimately decided.
'I don't want to depend on men or others anymore! What do I have to lose?'
Aqua Rose nodded her head.
Clap!
"That settles it! Tomorrow we'll visit the Air Force!"
…
"Big bro, there's no response from Cousin Sam's cellphone since the 2nd of June, at 11.56 am. The last location was inside the school."
The team parked their cars beside a public park.
The drones flew over the high school complex.
'A Horde.'
Hundreds of black silhouettes surrounded the school.
There was no way in or out.
"Team, targets are trapped in the school. The number of Infected is 418, with each side harboring about 100 Infected."
He divided the team into four, where he is alone again this time.
"Snipe any visible Infected. Then, deploy the 'Blood-bait' method. We can't have another Horde from an adjacent area rushing here!"
"Roger, Zeta!!"
The team answered in unison.
While the others were preparing their weapons, Erza walked towards the car in the middle.
"You two stay here and watch the car. Remember, follow my instructions if you want to stay alive."
In the car was Director Jing and Aqua Rose.
"Definitely, Master Zeta! Your order is my mission!"
Although Director Jing is a despicable person, he too came to a realization that he made a mistake before.
He wanted to redeem himself.
The teams were ready. They then silently walked to their predetermined locations.
Siu! Siu!
With the physical enhancement of five human adults, their concentration and accuracy surpass an Olympic Champion in archery or shooting.
One by one, the moaning corpses fell.
As mindless creatures, the death of their fellow companion did not rouse any suspicions to them.
'The easy days of harvesting Evolution Nectars would end soon. We have to get stronger, faster!'
In less than 15 minutes, more than one hundred Infected on the school gates were decimated.
Soon, all three teams and Erza sent four remote-controlled cars into the school.
Rooar!
Soon, tens upon tens of Infected came out from the school ground.
Bucky then used his Talent to execute the instruction.
'Hellfire' is just a fancy name of a move where Feer uses his psychic powers to pour fuel all over a group of Infected and light it on fire.
Shriek!
Tens of Infected screamed in agony upon combusting into flames.
All seven of them dashed into the school.
The school has four different buildings.
Each building has five floors.
"Team, we use 'Peek-A-Boo' as we find our targets! Remember to check every room!"
Team Alpha, which was Feera and Kara will search in Block A.
Team Beta, consists of Mr. Zayf and Mrs. Numee probes Block B.
Bucky and Big Mark in Team Delta explore Block C.
"...and I'll cover Block D. Update us when you found them. Gather back here in thirty minutes tops!"
Dash!
After receiving their instructions, they charged forward.
Knock knock!
"Sam, are you there?"
"Little Sam, this is Third Aunt! Are you there?"
"Cousin Sam, we're here to save you!"
Rooms upon rooms in the school building they scoured.
Most of the times were either Infected or decomposed bodies.
After ten minutes, Erza received an update.
It was Bucky's voice.
Bucky charged the phone.
When the phone activates, he quickly connected with the phone to find any useful information.
Cousin Sam is their late uncle's only son.
'D*mn! If only there is an Awakened who has 'tracking' Talents.'
People with those abilities were a valuable asset.
They could find humans, animals, or objects during the apocalypse.
Many people went missing when the outbreak happened.
Thousands upon thousands of 'Missing Person' posters decorated any and every survivors' shelters.
As for Bucky, he is not powerful enough to hack into the military satellites.
A sweet, tiny voice spoke. It was Kara's.
Bucky bent down and focused his eyes.
He picked up a few debris.
Erza asked Kara.
She said she needs to be at the location where they found the soil as she has only recently obtained her 'Talent.'
Erza re-strategizes and continue with their mission.
Kara and Feera arrived at the classroom that Bucky told them he found the soil.
Bucky left a note on a dirty turquoise table.
'Right here.'
There was a pile of dirt underneath it.
"Kara, could you really track my cousin's whereabouts?"
Feera was pretty anxious when she closed her eyes.
With 'Earth Manipulation', she could detect the rough trail of the person.
Or specifically, it's shoes, since dirt and soil would be stuck under its sole.
"Yes! Follow me!"
Kara ran towards the hills behind the school.
Erza noticed both of them ran out of the school complex.
Right now, all teams were approaching the final floor.
"Urk!"
A heavy smell pervaded their noses.
They encountered unexpected blockades.
When they scouted the buildings, there were no sights of humans or Infected on the fifth floor of each building.
'But drones can't pick up the smell.'
The nauseating scent originated from inside the rooms of the fifth floor.
'Gas? Or decomposition?'
Erza was trying to discern the type of gas.
Knock knock.
Erza slowly checked the rooms.
'No answers.'
Kraack!
Erza punched open the doorknob.
Pssh-!
"This-!"
Despite wearing a helmet, he could hear and feel the gas rushing out the hole he made in the door.
They wait out the potent gas to disperse into the atmosphere.
Through the drones' camera, they saw a shocking scene.
The teams were waiting for his instruction.
'And then proceed to find our target.'
What they saw were human bodies, lying down on the floor like they were sleeping.
Once the gas' intensity died down, they physically went into the rooms.
'Mass suicide.'
It was the result of erosion of the mind.
The rooms that the bodies were in was a science classroom.
They closed the windows and stuffed every single gap with clothes.
'They cut the gas pipes.'
As a result of gas intoxication, they slowly drifted into sleep.
A sleep that they would never wake up from.
'Judging by the looks and conditions of the corpses, I'd say they have been dead for two to three days already.'
His past life's experience naturally gave Erza the knowledge to identify a corpse's conditions.
Erza asked Bucky.
'Hmm.'
This incident might be linked.
While checking the identity of the sprawling bodies, Erza got an update from his father.
'It never gets easy receiving this news.'
Erza prepared himself.
Rumble!
Danna was Erza's cousin on his mother's side.
She was the target of today's first mission.
Erza spoke in a frustrated tone.
Mr. Zayf reported that his niece Danna and her husband with their two sons perished on the fifth floor of Block B.
'She must've fled her apartment and came here.'
She was Mrs. Numee's niece from her fourth brother, Loodz.
Their hopes dimmed.
They didn't expect that the apocalypse would drive humans to commit suicide together.
The bodies were thin and cadaverous.
'Signs of extreme hunger.'
With no food and hopes of being rescued, they resorted to ending their own lives.
Just when Erza was about to contact Feera and Kara, their voices abruptly sounded.