Zack leaned over his workbench, his fingers already sketching rough designs on the digital pad. "Ego, take notes. We're building a new armor system. Let's call it the MV-09 Apex Suit. Structural design based on the modularity of the MV-07. Material: ultralium alloy with graphene reinforcement. Power source: upgraded hydrogen fusion core with supercapacitor backups. Now, weapons…"
He paused, tapping his stylus thoughtfully against the pad. "We need a full loadout. Wrist-mounted laser emitters, palm kinetic pulse cannons, micro-missiles in the shoulders and arms. As for close combat…" He frowned. "Chainsaws? Too bulky. Let's go with something sleek. How about… an electromagnetic whip? Compact, powerful, and versatile."
"Noted, Sir" Ego chimed in. "Would you like to optimize the whip for cutting through conductive materials, or should it also include high-velocity shock capabilities?"
"Both," Zack said with a grin. "Let's make it multipurpose. High-voltage shock for disabling electronics, and cutting power for physical barriers or enemies."
The first draft of the Apex Suit blueprint began to take shape, its streamlined frame incorporating Zack's every improvement. The suit's fusion core would be housed in an armored spine section, ensuring maximum energy output while keeping weight balanced. The ultralium-graphene composite provided the perfect blend of flexibility and durability, while the modular design allowed the suit to repair itself mid-battle by swapping out damaged components.
After hours of intense focus, Zack sat back, satisfied with the final design. He transferred the blueprint to Ego's database and, in a rare symbolic gesture, incinerated the original sketch with a plasma cutter. "How long to manufacture?" he asked.
Ego responded promptly. "Fabrication of individual components will take approximately 14 hours. However, due to the ultralium alloy smelting and graphene bonding process, total assembly will require three days."
Zack nodded, his mind already moving to logistics. "Three days is tight, but doable. We'll need more ultralium for this, though. Send me the coordinates of the nearest vault with the remaining supply. I'll handle the delivery myself."
Meanwhile, in a battered helicopter several provinces away, Ava struggled to stay conscious. Her pale face was etched with pain, and her lower abdomen was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. The sharpshooter's escape from the Imperial City base had been far from clean—three bullets had penetrated both the steel plating and her body. "Just a bit further…" Ava whispered, her hands trembling as she gripped the controls. Her vision blurred, and her strength waned, but she refused to give in.
The helicopter wobbled dangerously, descending toward the ground. With her last ounce of strength, Ava pulled the lever, softening the crash landing in an unfamiliar city before blacking out entirely.
"Roar!"
"Hiss—roar!"
The chilling sounds of zombies echoed from all directions, growing closer. "Sorry, Captain... I can't... stay alive..."
Ava's consciousness began to fade, her vision darkening. Her strength waned as the approaching zombie horde neared. Suddenly—BOOM! Even in her unconscious state, Ava thought she heard the deafening crash of something heavy hitting the ground.
Back at the mansion, A pale-faced woman lay flat on the cold floor. Two small, hastily modified micro-mechanical Ants crawled over her lower abdomen, diligently stitching her wounds with threading tools. With no anesthesia, every needle piercing her flesh made her brow furrow in pain, even though she remained unconscious.
"Looks like we need to build proper medical units soon," Zack muttered, working methodically at his cluttered workbench just a few steps away.
"Are you talking about the pilot from the zombie wave attack?" Erza asked, crouching beside the woman. Despite her usual carefree nature, she carefully dabbed sweat off the pilot's face with a cloth, her movements uncharacteristically gentle.
"Yeah," Zack replied, his focus unwavering.
"She's the only survivor?" Erza frowned, glancing at the unconscious woman.
Zack nodded. "If I hadn't gotten there in time, she wouldn't have made it." He hadn't forgotten his earlier instructions to Ego—his AI companion—to monitor the helicopter piloted by Ava. The moment it crashed, Ego alerted him, and Zack wasted no time. He flew the Avalon at top speed, arriving just before the zombies shattered the helicopter's glass.
"What are you working on now?" Erza's curiosity was piqued. This was her first time allowed into the basement, and the strange high-tech gadgets around her made little sense.
"Something for her," Zack said without looking up.
"For her? What's so special about her?" Erza asked, puzzled.
"She's a pilot with potential," Zack said bluntly.
"And?" Erza pressed.
"Like you, I'm going to ensure she's... useful to me." He picked up a syringe filled with a clear, faintly glowing liquid and approached the unconscious woman.
"What's in that?" Erza asked, squinting at the syringe.
"Microchip, GPS tracking, friend-or-foe identification, and..." Zack paused briefly. "A self-destruct mechanism."
Erza rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Are you the reincarnation of Gengis Khan? So paranoid!"
Despite her sarcasm, Erza knew Zack's cautious and suspicious nature was what kept them alive in a world where betrayal often came from within.
"Fortresses fall from the inside," Zack said calmly, plunging the syringe into the back of Ava's neck.
The injection was quick, leaving only a faint red dot on her skin. The chip traveled through her bloodstream, lodging itself near her heart. "Is that it?" Erza poked at the red mark, unimpressed.
"Yup. Done."
"Hey, can I get one of those too? This necklace you gave me is annoying to wear, especially when washing up." Erza fiddled with the metal pendant hanging around her neck.
"No need. That necklace suits your... Erha temperament," Zack replied, his tone flat.
"Erha?" Erza blinked, then bristled. "You're calling me a husky?! Is that how you see me? A silly, energetic husky?"
"A beautiful one," Zack said casually as he turned and left the basement.
Erza opened her mouth to retort, but froze mid-sentence. "Wait... Did he just call me beautiful?" She stood there, stunned. "Hehe... I knew it. Even he can't resist my charm!" Her self-satisfied grin vanished when she noticed a pair of cold eyes staring up at her. "Ah!" Erza jumped back. "Y-You're awake? Uh... About what I just said—"
Ava's icy gaze didn't waver. "Everyone heard it. As a girl, you're surprisingly shameless."
Ava sat up, her movements slow and deliberate to avoid straining the freshly sutured wound on her abdomen. Pain flickered across her face, but she didn't make a sound. "What is this place? Who saved me? And who are you?" Ava asked, her tone flat and direct.
Two Days Later, by now, Ava had learned everything she needed to know. When Zack informed her about the microchip—a potential time bomb—in her body, she merely shrugged and said, "Oh." Her composure was unnerving, her calmness unshakable. If Erza was carefree and lively, Ava was her polar opposite: an ice-cold goddess, radiating frost from her very bones.
Despite agreeing to follow Zack's orders, Ava refused to integrate into the group. She even requested permission to live alone in the nearby Mansion No. 8 rather than sharing Mansion No. 9 with the others. Zack, understanding her situation, approved without hesitation.
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