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Chapter 76 - OVER AND UNDER

Michael, Nakao, and Ezzy sneak through the city, following Mai's drone to a mall. Mai informs them that there are many zombies inside and that she has only scanned about 20% of the place. Michael asks Mai to keep talking in the coms, saying her voice is calming. Ezzy smacks Michael's head, reminding him to focus on the mission since they may still need his power to get to Nemura city. Nakao readies her rifle and suggests using smoke bombs to enter without attracting too much attention. They enter the mall, throwing multiple smoke bombs that blind the zombies inside. Mai navigates them through the smoke, while Nakao and Ezzy cut down a few zombies in their path. Reaching the stairs, they head down to the basement, where Nakao notices a camera in the corner of the ceiling turning toward them. She taps Ezzy and points at the camera. Ezzy speaks into her mic, asking Mai if she detected any humans in the mall. Mai responds that there shouldn't be any humans since it's filled with zombies, but if there are, it must be a small group. Nakao waves at the camera, and Michael mentions that he can feel the power source nearby. They proceed down a long hallway, Michael walks pass by a dozen zombies. Unfazed, he mentions that they can handle them. Ezzy comments that it must be nice to be a half-zombie. Ezzy and Nakao work together, quickly taking down the zombies ahead of them in style. Nakao spots a floor map of the basement, noting the locations of the power room and the security room. She points it out, suggesting that someone must be watching them through the cameras at the security room. Ezzy informs Mai that Michael should be fine on his own while they check for survivors. Mai agrees, and they head towards the security room. Meanwhile, Michael enters the power room and is pleased to find so much electricity in this room, he begins absorbing the electricity into his body.

Ezzy and Nakao arrive at the security room, only to find it locked. Ezzy decides to use her flames to open it, placing her hand on the doorknob as flames begin to emerge. Before she could burn down the metal door, the door unlocks and opens slowly. A security guard steps out, lifts her cap, and looks at Ezzy and Nakao. She takes out her baton and speaks into her walkie-talkie, reporting the trespassers' location. Nakao tries to explain that they're there to help, but Ezzy stops her, shaking her head. Nakao then notices the security guard's chest glowing. A voice from the walkie-talkie says reinforcements are on the way. The security guard declares they are now detained and moves to cuff them. Ezzy, defiant, says she doesn't take orders from A-Star zombies. Flames burst from her hands, burning the security guard zombie and sending her flying back into the room. They watch as the burning zombie gets back on her feet, patting down the flames. She then states that she must now use lethal force. Ezzy dodges the zombie's baton swing and kicks her away. Nakao throws a knife into the zombie's glowing chest, piercing her heart. The zombie falls to the floor, and Ezzy smashes her head with her foot. Ezzy remarks that there seem to be no survivors in the mall. Nakao agrees, suggesting that the presence of A-Star zombies likely means they've already dealt with any humans. She also suggests checking the cameras. As they enter the room filled with monitors, Ezzy suddenly pushes Nakao aside just as a baton smashes into the wall, creating a huge dent. They see the headless security zombie was the one who swung the baton. The zombie's chest heals, and her head reforms. Ezzy, surprised, notes that there shouldn't be any A-Star zombies like Adam. She then punches the zombie with her flaming fist, sending the zombie crashing into the lockers, engulfed in flames.

Nakao glances at the monitors and sees many security zombies heading their way. Ezzy spots Michael on one of the screens, absorbing electricity in the power room. She mentions that Michael might take a while to restore his energy, so she has some time for fun. She turns back to the security zombie by the lockers, who has just finished healing her wounds. Ezzy pins the zombie down with a kick, noting that, like Adam, this zombie revives but is much weaker in power. She burns the zombie again with flames. Seeing a horde of security guard zombies approaching from the hallway, she throws the burning zombie at them, declaring she will burn them all to ashes. Nakao checks the cameras and notices a security zombie entering the power room, nearing Michael. She quickly radios Michael, warning him about the approaching A-Star zombie. Michael doesn't hear Nakao's warning as he's too engrossed in absorbing electricity. The zombie approaches, muscles enlarging, and strikes Michael on the side of the head with a powerful blow from his baton, sending him crashing through multiple walls. Nakao watches in shock at the zombie's strength. Ezzy, after burning down many zombies, notices the destruction caused by Michael's crash. Michael continues his crash trajectory, smashing through the security room and destroying the monitors, Nakao barely avoids him. He circles back, crashing through all the basement walls before ending up back in the power room.

Coughing up blood, Michael remarks that it felt like Adam hit him. Dazed, he looks up to see a tall, muscular security guard with glowing eyes, who says that stealing isn't allowed in the mall. Michael smiles and braces for another baton swing, which sends him crashing upward through all the floors of the mall, breaking through the roof and landing on top. Lying there, Michael mutters that he knew accessing that much electricity power without issues was too good to be true. Ezzy kicks the last zombie into a wall, surrounded by flames. Breathing heavily, she realizes that all of the zombies are coming back to life. She mutters that this is bad, just before a burning zombie hits her on the head with a baton. Another zombie strikes her, and she becomes overwhelmed by multiple zombie attacks. They surround her, beating her with batons. The security guard zombie with the glowing chest stands up and commands that they capture the other trespasser. Nakao emerges from the room, firing her rifle and killing many of the zombies attacking Ezzy. Mai warns from her earpiece that she'll attract the zombie cars to their location. Nakao responds that she doesn't care and is determined to save Ezzy. Remembering the day Conor saved her, she gains the resolve to be like Conor and save her friend. After emptying her magazine, Nakao rushes over and pulls Ezzy away. Ezzy, weakened and bleeding, tells Nakao to save herself, fearing she might explode in flames soon due to the blood loss. Nakao carries her away as the security zombie yells for the others to quickly get them. All the zombies come back to life and chase after them.

Meanwhile, Megan and Jean navigate the dark sewers with flashlights, following the light from Mai's drone guiding them. Jean mentions that now, being this close, he can feel the same magical connection Megan did. Megan expresses her hope of finding answers about herself. Jean speculates that Mai assigned him to accompany Megan in case Henry gets out of control, as Megan might be able to handle Henry. He adds that he worries about endangering others if he loses control again. Megan turns to reassure him, saying that if he feels different, he should let her know immediately. She also believes that Jean is strong enough to keep Henry in check. Mai then warns them from their earpiece about zombies ahead. They see a few zombies covered in green slime approaching. Megan summons her weapon and swiftly cuts down the zombies. She examines the dead zombies closely, noticing the green slime shining with a bit of magic. After venturing deeper into the sewer, Megan and Jean reach a large chamber filled with sewer water. As they walk through, Megan mentions that she feels they are close. Suddenly, the drone disappears, and Mai informs them that something ahead took it down. Megan and Jean draw their weapons and cautiously advance with their flashlights. They soon notice a lot of green slime ahead. Jean spots the drone in the slime and moves to retrieve it, but Megan stops him. She scans the area with her flashlight, revealing more green slime and numerous zombies trapped within it. Megan realizes that the green slime is alive. Suddenly, the slime begins to move. They use their magic to push the slime away. Megan then sees a huge face forming in the green slime, and Jean identifies it as a slime monster. They both jump back, dodging the slime's attacks.

The slime monster grows larger, containing a variety of 1000s different zombies. Megan uses wind magic to lift herself up and summons numerous fireballs, merging them into a massive fireball that she hurls at the monster. The slime absorbs it, and the explosion inside causes minimal damage. Suddenly, she hears a nearby voice saying "Help me." Closing her eyes, she listens more closely, then extends her arms as the slime monster engulfs her. Jean screams her name as the monster's body begins to shake violently. Some of the zombies escape from the slime and rush at Jean. He cuts them down with his katana. A zombie car also escapes and attempts to attack Jean, but he transforms his arm into a monkey arm and punches the car, sending it flying upward where it explodes. The explosion illuminates the dark sewers, startling Jean as he notices more slimes descending from above. Meanwhile, Megan, enveloped in the slime, drifts into a dream state.

She finds herself walking through a forest and hears a cry for help coming from deep within. She rushes toward the sound and discovers a wild magic boar lying on the ground. Watching herself gently place her hand on the boar, she then closes her eyes and magically merges with it, falling into a realm of shifting red and brown mud. As she navigates through the mud, a massive leech swims toward her. Megan prays and casts a spell that brightens the realm. The leech attacks, but Megan is shielded by a magic barrier. She completes her spell, causing the leech to shrink to the size of her hand. The leech then fades away as Megan returns to the forest. The boar, now rejuvenated, gets up and runs off. Megan smiles and starts to walk away, observing herself leaving the scene. She notices a faceless man in the distance, watching her dream self move toward a cabin. Megan rushes to the faceless man, demanding to know who he is. Tears stream from his faceless visage as he turns and walks away. Megan chases after him, determined to uncover his identity.

Meanwhile, at the military building, Nhia is relieved to make contact with Jasee. He asks if she's okay, explaining that they got sidetracked and might be delayed until they reach her. Jasee reassures him that she's fine but mentions the situation has worsened. The group she's with is now fighting against new members who have joined. Kiren, wounded, arrives at the door and requests his shield back. Nhia gestures for him to go ahead. Kiren retrieves his shield and rushes back into the battle. Simbad then crashes through a wall into the room, rolling in front of Nhia. Nhia, focused on his conversation with Jasee, barely acknowledges Simbad as he gets up and shakes his head, he rushes back through the wall. Nhia smiles, enjoying his conversation with Jasee. Kiren smashes through the wall, landing amidst chairs and tables close by Nhia, while Simbad crashes into the radio station, destroying it in the process. Nhia's smile fades as he sees the broken radio. The muscle zombie then bursts into the room, causing Nhia to grab a chair and start lifting it, as if working out. The zombie pauses for awhile as Nhia smiles back worried, the zombie then slams the floor, breaking it, making everyone fall into the second floor.

Second after, they are all thrown out of the building one by one and they tumble across the street. As their rolling comes to a stop, they look up at the sky side by side, Kiren comments on the zombie's formidable strength. Simbad adds that if he had work out as much as the zombie, he might have already defeated it. Despite his frustration with the broken radio, Nhia finds solace in knowing that Jasee is safe. They all get to their feet as the muscle zombie emerges onto the street. Suddenly, several zombie cars come barreling in, attempting to devour the muscle zombie with their hoods. The group quickly splits up and evades the approaching zombie cars. The muscle zombie shatters several zombie cars and seizes Nhia, who is gripped by panic and fear. As he glances at his arms, struggling to flex his muscles with little success, he anxiously promises to train harder. The muscle zombie then notices a towering green slime looming over Nhia. Nhia looks around, realizing that everyone else is gone. Suddenly, the green slime envelops them and descends into the sewers.

Meanwhile, at the mall, Michael leaps through a hole in the roof, charging his body with lightning magic. He crashes onto the strong security zombie, unleashing a surge of lightning that causes the zombie's body to explode, showering Michael in blood. Covered in the mess, Michael exclaims that the adrenaline is making him feel more energized. He continues to absorb electricity at an accelerated rate, shouting that he's finally fully charged. Nakao rushes into the room carrying Ezzy, urging that they should leave because the A-Star zombies here won't stay dead. Michael, puzzled, turns to her, but Nakao's eyes widen in alarm as the strong security zombie revives. Suddenly, Ezzy pushes Nakao aside as the strong zombie smashes Michael and Ezzy through the floor with his baton, sending them crashing down onto the broken floor. Nakao, shaken but determined, shoots at the strong zombie, only to be stunned by a flying baton hitting her head. Many security guards quickly arrive and cuff the group. The security zombie then approaches the strong zombie, reprimanding him for the extensive damage caused. The strong zombie apologizes, but from the cracks in the floor, green slime emerges, enveloping everyone and dragging them out of the mall and into the sewer holes.

Back at the base camp, Mai anxiously watches as mostly everyone has been taken by the green slimes. She then shifts her focus to another monitor displaying Ewan's stadium, where a massive green slime attempts to engulf the entire area. Suddenly, an A-Star zombie appears and uses its magic to repel the slime, causing it to retreat back into the sewers. The zombie, floating in the sky then spots Mai's drone observing from a distance, realizing it has been detected. Mai identifies this zombie as Ewan, who promptly leaps towards the drone and destroys it.