Chereads / SPECIAL STAR / Chapter 23 - TO CLEAR IT ALL

Chapter 23 - TO CLEAR IT ALL

The search for Duke has been ongoing for weeks, while Mai completed the task of creating a hundred bug cameras. After finishing, Mai deployed these bug cameras throughout Old Berry Town. Frank expressed hope that these bug cameras would lead them to Duke. Mai also pointed out that they could provide valuable information about the Rider's base.

A few dozen of these bug cameras eventually reached the island where the mansion and the massive Rider ship were located. These bug cameras dispersed throughout the island and the ship. Mikey noticed one of the bugs, which shot out ink from its mouth to leave a message on a desk. Upon reading the message, Mikey discovered it said, "Duke, little boy." He shook his head, indicating that there had been recent captures by the Riders, but none of them involved children.

A bug camera enters Megan's room, piquing her curiosity. Meanwhile, another bug camera infiltrates Kiren's room, startling him as he's engrossed in an intense workout. Without hesitation, he swiftly eliminates the intruding bug. The bug camera continues its journey throughout the mansion, capturing various scenes. Within the mansion, it records numerous Riders stationed as guards, along with maids and slaves compelled to perform chores and serve the Riders. In the basement, the bug camera reaches Jarvis's room, who awakens and escorts a woman back to her cell before choosing another companion for the night.

The bug camera also documents Eleon in his room, engaged in a lively party with several unclothed women. Lastly, it enters Volk's room, where Volk tosses a lifeless body to a chained-up zombie boy, who proceeds to gnaw on the corpse. Volk then takes a seat beside his zombie wife on the bed and offers a prayer, expressing hope that things will eventually improve. Turning to his wife, Rudda, Volk asks for her opinion on whether his theory will prove successful. Rudda remained silent for a moment, her attention drawn to something amiss, and she turned to discover the camera bug. With a flick of her magical prowess, she conjured a sizable needle and swiftly impaled the intrusive camera bug. Volk, perplexed by the sudden turn of events, was left wondering.

Rudda then exited the room, skillfully traversing the walls to locate more camera bugs and dispatch them with her needle. The camera bugs retreats, sensing her hostile response. Volk gazed up at Rudda on the ceiling, urging her to come down. She complied, and Volk, holding her shoulders, inquired about the situation. Rudda, with the remnants of her humanity, replied, "Bugs, gone." Still befuddled, Volk guided her back into the room.

Meanwhile at Robo Mall In Mai's room, Mai, Ezzy, and Frank gathered around a multitude of screens, all displaying camera views from the bug cameras. Mai exhibited signs of stress, and Ezzy comments that Rudda is the Rider's A-Star Zombie. Frank delved into Mai's notes and remarked that according to them, Rudda displayed more humanity than the typical A-Star Zombie, given her ability to coexist so naturally with humans. Ezzy further adds that Rudda must possess significant strength and magic to detect such diminutive bug cameras. In response, Mai pondered aloud, "If Duke isn't on the island or in Old Berry Town, where else could he be?"

Frank sought to reassure her, noting that eliminating these areas from their search meant they could focus their efforts elsewhere. Mai finds solace in the fact that they now had additional surveillance within the Rider's Ship and on the island. Frank reassured Mai that Duke was a resilient young boy, and they would locate him regardless of the circumstances. Mai's anxiety began to subside, and she commented that Megan and Kiren seemed to be holding up well within the Rider Ship.

For months, the relentless search for Duke persisted, and the combat team of Robo Mall remained dedicated to clearing out the zombies in Old Berry Town. Two years had passed since the outbreak initially erupted.

Inside a football stadium in Old Berry Town, thousands of zombies had gathered, dancing in the middle of the football field while a zombie band plays music on the stage. Stella, accompanied by a dozen of her combat men armed with snipers, positioned themselves on the top floor. Stella communicated through her earpiece, confirming if everyone is prepared.

Suddenly, an armored bus crashed through one of the gates, drawing the attention of all the zombies on the football field. The bus swerved around, positioning its rear towards the approaching horde. As the back door swung open, Simbad, Rune, Ezzy, and Agustin leaped out, weapons in hand, immediately engaging and dispatching numerous zombies. Xai pushed a machine gun to the rear of the bus, firing it into the back crowd of zombies. Ezzy, with her dual pistols, declared their arrival to interrupt the party. Agustin expertly wielded his daggers, eliminating zombies and even managing to hurl one of his blades into a zombie's head, causing a chain reaction of explosions that took out more of the undead.

Simbad, wielding a katana and a pistol in his other hand, deftly dispatched zombies with precision. Just as a zombie was about to leap onto Simbad, Stella, positioned with her sniper rifle, took the shot and eliminated the threat. Stella instructed her men to maintain their sniper fire, providing crucial support during the intense battle. Rune, armed with a butcher blade, swung it skillfully, taking down eight zombies in a single sweeping motion. Amidst the chaos, Xai couldn't help but express his excitement at witnessing everyone fighting in perfect coordination.

In her room, Mai attentively monitored the screens displaying the ongoing battle. She picked up the microphone and directed her message to Stella, urging her to target the leader of the zombie horde. Stella promptly adjusted her sniper rifle's aim towards the stage, focusing on the zombie singer. As she pulled the trigger, however, the zombies on the stage leaped in front, shielding the singer zombie. The stage, composed of human flesh, contorted, encasing the entire zombie band within, ultimately morphing into a grotesque sphere made of human flesh, catching everyone off guard.

Mai then relayed information to everyone through their earpieces, explaining that her data had never documented the zombie band displaying such behavior. This transformation seemed akin to how Cameda had transformed in the past, suggesting an unknown threat. She emphasized the need for caution. The gruesome sphere began absorbing the remaining zombies across the football field into its grotesque form. Xai chimed in, remarking that while they typically would retreat but this battle is their final battle in town, leaving them with no choice but to confront this mysterious and formidable adversary.

The sphere underwent a startling transformation, morphing into a colossal zombie that towered over 100 feet in height. Adorned with a spiky mohawk and clutching a massive electric guitar made of human flesh, this rock star zombie began to strum its guitar, unleashing a deafening scream that reverberated throughout the town. The excruciating noise forced everyone to shield their ears in agony.

Michael's voice broke through Mai's earpiece, informing her that he was nearing full charge. Urging him to hasten, Mai anxiously awaited his readiness. The Rock Star zombie swung its guitar with devastating force, demolishing a section of the football stadium and injuring some of Stella's men. Stella swiftly ordered her team to reposition. As the zombie prepared to strike at Stella, she leaped into the halls, narrowly evading the impending blow.

Meanwhile, Xai completed reloading his machine gun and opened fire on the Rock Star zombie, prompting the monstrous creature to give chase. Nhia can be seen driving the armored bus maneuvering around the football stadium, narrowly avoiding the zombie's attacks. Ezzy, Simbad, Rune, and Agustin employed their blade weapons to strike at the zombie's ankle, causing it to drop to one knee. Rune, seizing an opportunity, leaped onto the bus and then vaulted above the zombie's head. With a powerful downward swing of his weapon, Rune struck the zombie's head, though his blade failed to penetrate fully. In response, the zombie forcibly hurled Rune away, sending him crashing onto the football field.

The zombie once again swung its guitar menacingly, but the team managed to evade its devastating attack, with Mai urgently advising them through their earpieces to get out of harm's way. Just as the situation seemed dire, Michael descended upon the football stadium with a brilliant display of light. He delivered a powerful lighting kick to the Rock Star zombie's chest, sending it hurtling into the side of the football stadium. The zombie struggled to its feet, its chest pierced and heart destroyed. Michael declared that the next target is going to be the brain.

Michael leapt into action, launching a flurry of punches and kicks from various angles before delivering a devastating lightning-infused punch that sent the zombie crashing to the ground. As Michael descended with a lightning-infused kick, the zombie emitted a blood-curdling scream that created a sonic boom, propelling Michael to the other side of the stadium. Just as he attempted to rise, a guitar plummeted down towards him.

Ezzy swiftly aimed her dual pistols at the zombie's head, firing off rounds before it could recover. Rune and Simbad, with their weapons in hand, swung at the zombie's leg, nearly severing it. Before the zombie could retaliate, Agustin hurled a dagger into one of its eyes, resulting in a detonation that sent blood spewing.

Observing the heart within the zombie's chest beginning to regenerate, Stella emerged and blasted it with her bazooka, obliterating it once more. Stella's team members then deployed smoke bombs onto the battlefield, causing the zombie to thrash blindly. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets emerged from the smoke, targeting the zombie's head. The creature raised its arms in a futile attempt to shield itself as Simbad and Rune swung once more, successfully severing one of its legs. Agustin tossed another dagger into the zombie's armpit, triggering another explosion that rendered one of its arms useless.

Rune and Simbad then leaped into action, channeling all their strength to sever the remaining arm of the zombie. At that moment, the armored bus emerged from the billowing smoke, plowing through the zombie's nose flesh, and cracking its skull in the process. Nhia, the driver, let out a terrified scream, expressing regret for ever agreeing to join this mission. Xai reassured Nhia, claiming that having him around was a stroke of good luck.

Meanwhile, Stella's team members began a relentless assault of sniper bullets on the zombie's head, eventually breaking through its skull. Ezzy, propelled by determination, jumped onto the bus and sprinted towards the exposed, gleaming brain of the zombie, a dagger gripped tightly in her hand. However, just as she was about to obliterate the brain, the Rock Star zombie disintegrated into multiple smaller zombies, causing Ezzy to plummet onto a group of twenty of them.

Ezzy managed to eliminate one of the zombies, but the others quickly swarmed her. Xai and Nhia could only watch in horror, realizing that any action they make might inadvertently harm Ezzy. Suddenly, Michael arrived in a flash, wielding lightning with incredible speed, quickly dispatching all the zombies surrounding Ezzy. Rune and Simbad fought off the zombies descending onto the field. Amid the chaos, Michael scanned the area, wondering where the singer zombie might have disappeared to.

In a state of panic, the singer zombie fled from the football stadium, only to collide with Frank. Without hesitation, Frank declared that this would be the final destination for the zombie. The singer zombie was on the brink of unleashing a scream, but Frank swiftly utilized his one-handed shotgun to blast a hole through its throat. Frank explained that, according to Mai's data, the Singer Zombie used its voice to attract and trigger sonic booms in other zombies. Frank had come prepared, well aware of this.

Frank fired another shot into the zombie's chest, obliterating its heart. The singer zombie, now reduced to crawling on all fours, attempted to escape Frank's relentless pursuit. However, a sudden burst of lightning appeared behind Frank, prompting him to extend his arm to halt Michael from chasing after the zombie. Michael was puzzled by Frank's decision, and Frank instructed him to observe the direction in which the singer zombie was headed.

They both turned their attention towards the Singer zombie, who was making a desperate dash towards Robo Mall. Meanwhile, Mai, in her room, communicated with her father, Rex. Rex relayed through Mai's earpiece that it was an honor to be able to eliminate the last zombie in Old Berry Town, as his Robot Mall had finally recovered. A colossal robot fist emerged from the mall and positioned itself in front of the singer zombie. With a mighty flick, it annihilated the entire body of the zombie. A wave of celebration swept over everyone as Old Berry Town was now free from the zombie menace.

At the same time within the arena of the Rider Ship, Kiren appeared transformed, now boasting an impressive muscular physique, his body marked with bloody bruises. He gasped for breath and declared that he had grown stronger compared to two years ago. Megan, standing in a combat-ready stance before him, acknowledged Kiren's progress but asserted that she too had undergone significant growth. With the crowd's enthusiastic cheers in the background, they locked fists in battle.

After an intense exchange of blows, the Face machine emerged from a magical portal, presenting crates filled with rewards for the event's victors. Megan and Luka claimed their respective portions of the loot, only to notice Kiren still sprawled on the arena floor, tears streaming down his face. Mikey approached Kiren, consoling him by pointing out that at least the competition wasn't a fight to the death, and the audience held affection for both contestants. In response, Kiren vowed to put in even more effort in the upcoming events.