As Amy stopped the car and ensured that Marnie was okay, Seth poured all his scrutinies into the lit-up phone in his hand. “Mind sharing with the class what Ally is?”
It didn’t take long for the System to reply.
[The word is pretty explanatory.]
He heard the blonde girl’s snickers from his left. “It’s not funny.”
“Sure it is,” she said, not sensing the dire situation.
“I got nothing from it, after killing five infectores,” Seth argued.
[No kill detected.]
He read the words again. “Are you blind?”
[Only Systemist and registered Ally can earn from killing infectore.]
The System showed the same message.
Seth grumbled, “Fine, I’m a Systemist, I get it. But the car I am in just killed a bunch of infectores, doesn’t that count?”
[No.]
[Only Systemist and registered Ally can earn from killing infectore.]
“Damn it,” he rubbed his forehead. “Then, what do you mean by Ally?”
[Ally is a Systemist’s registered partner.]
[Invite 3 people to be Ally and get 9.000 cells for free.]
“Huh?” Seth reread it to make sure he’s not hallucinating. “That’s a lot.”
“Free cells!” Amy exclaimed as she leaned to peer at his phone. The smell of cheap body spray surged in his nose. “Let’s do this so I can be stronger and buy things too in the System!”
Seth already calculated the amount of how much things he could get from the free cells alone. “Does being an ally make any difference?”
[Yes.]
[You will get an assist point from each of your Ally’s kills, and they will have 10% of your statistics.]
“Including all of my balance and future skill?”
[No.]
[Only 10% of your Regeneration, Strength, Speed, Resistance, Technique, and three of your chosen skills.]
“That’s pretty handsy.”
“Right?” Amy once again said in a too-loud voice to his ear. “Why stalling around? I want a revolver. It’s so cool!”
“You watch too many cliché action movies.”
“Novels. All mafia daddies have a revolver in their pants,” she said dreamily, eyes twinkling as if imagining some steamy scene in her head.
Seth didn’t get it, but his ex, Sarah, made the same face when watching a series with a blonde muscled dude only wearing a speedo prancing around the beach. He cringed at the memory, huffing in disgust.
Turning his attention back to his phone, he asked, “What’s the cost?”
[10% damage to your Ally will be reflected to you.]
“Then, I don’t want it.
Amy was quite disappointed. “It’s a good deal, Seth.”
[Are you sure?]
“Yes.”
[You will also unlock a Gift from the System.]
Seth remembered the stats on his phone. The nonexistent skill and gift. It piqued his interest. “What Gift?”
[Absolute Command.]
Seth quickly turned his phone away before the blonde sales girl could read what was displayed there. He didn’t know what that meant yet, but from the sound of it, Amy wouldn’t like it.
“What’s that?”
“Nothing. The System said unauthorized person can’t know,” he lied.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then, I guess you don’t want to be my ally?”
Amy hummed, staring suspiciously at him. After a moment of silence, she sighed and crossed her hands in front of her chest. “You better not pull a prank on me.”
“Do I have any time to do that?” Seth sarcastically asked, hoping she wouldn’t smell his bullshit away.
“Fine, do what you want, but if anything bad happen after I become you ally, I’ll kick your ass to hell and back.”
“Pinky promise,” he humored her. After she went slumped into the driver's seat, Seth looked into his phone, making sure she couldn’t read what was displayed on the screen.
[Absolute Command.]
[A Gift to make your Ally do everything you told them to. You can only do it three times to any of your Ally.]
He facepalmed, “Why beat around the bush. You should tell itto me first. I say yes.”
[Consent required.]
Not wasting any more time, Seth told it to Amy. Apart from the most deciding part, of course.
[Sending request to Amy Palmer.]
[Request has been sent to Amy Palmer. Please check your email.]
“Huh? I haven’t told you my email address.” Upon opening her email, a particularly new one had just arrived from ‘systemcenter@inv.uou,’ and she clicked it.
It looked like a business email, something she used to see from her manager or the head office. Boring font and a completely white background with no single typo in sight. The terms and conditions to be an ‘Ally’ were also laid bare, but she wasn’t the type to the jungle with wordy explanations.
So, she scrolled down the pages, all twenty of them, and went straight to the bottom corner where her sign was needed. She also typed her nickname to use in the System.
And just like that, she gave her consent away.
Dong!
[Congratulations!]
[1 Ally registered.]
[Status]
[This personal Information will be hidden from other Systemists.]
[Full Name: Amy Palmer
Date of Birth: 04-05-2000]
___
[Nickname: Grimrose
Level: 1
Exp: 0
HP: 300 / 300
Regeneration: 0
Strength: 0.04
Speed: 0.02
Resistance: 0.02
Technique: 0
Skill: None]
“I don’t feel anything,” Amy protested, “Did this even work?”
Without warning, Seth gave a hard pinch to her arm. She yelped and smacked his hand away in reflex. “I feel it too, so yes, this works.”
[Need 2 more Ally to get free 3.000 cells.]
They both shared a look, then simultaneously turned their head to where Marnie was silently watching them from the back seat. She was looking back and forth at them before smiling at them. “I want pizza for lunch.”
“After you sign something for me first, okay?” Seth didn’t beat around the bush.
“Sign?” the six-year-old repeated, tilting her head in confusion.
“She doesn’t even know how to sign,” Amy concluded, sighing yet again to Seth.
“You teach her.”
“Why me? You’re her brother.”
“Is it, uhm,” Marnie started, touching her lip in thought, “Daddy thaught me. It’s what adult draw in paper.”
Seth hummed, thumbs busy with his phone. “Yes, something like that.”
“Make her an email address.”
“Already on it.”
“And we should get Wade to be an Ally too.”
“That’s my plan.”
But it wasn’t as easy as they thought.
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100 Systems Invasion 20. Parallel Log
When they stupidly went to open the modified van’s trunk – while ignoring the disgusting remains of the bulldozed infectores on the road and tires – Wade could only consent with a loud groan and flailing arms.“Right. He’s practically a braindead zombie.” Seth closed the trunk again.“Completely forgot about that.” Amy agreed, pinching her nose. “It’s useless anyway. We still have to kill people.”“Infectores. Not people.”“Oh, so it matters to you now? Didn’t you easily make a man explode into bits and blood?”Seth gritted his teeth, “It’s not me. Victor exploded by himself, I just sat opposite him.”“You know him?”“My professor in uni. But the one who died came from the future.”Amy guffawed, “There you go, let your creativity flow.” However, after his silence and humorless face, she faltered. “Wait, you’re serious?”“We got this nonsensical System and ridiculous invasion where your cousin now drools at human brains. Appearing from the future and then spontaneously self-explode ten
100 Systems Invasion 21. Seamless Reality
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100 Systems Invasion 22. Systemist 38
Invasion Day 14Games Headquarter, Salt Lake City, UT“It’s just this way, Ms. Dooley,” the game developer told a woman in her mid-twenties, moments before the world begins to change. “You know, you’re the second person that’s asked to be a beta-tester of Kaiser Hunt–“Behind them, something thuds hard against the glass wall of the exhibition area.Beatrice turned towards the sound and saw a man with a bloody ashen face take a step backward and throw himself against the glass again, pulverizing his nose against it in a spray of brown blood.Then, there were others, a dozen at least, all trying to break through the glass wall, and Beatrice had just begun to register the ghastly wounds that mar their bodies when three of them found the revolving door.The game developer moved past Beatrice, defended only by the paper shield of his own masculinity, and the fastest of the crazed people tackled him. Her hands clawed clumsily at his face, and as she wrenched the game developer’s head upward
100 Systems Invasion 23. The Hidden Elimination
Invasion Day 2Dillon Nature Center, Hutchinson, KSSystemist 38, the wounded man who, according to the System, was called Chief of Kaiser Hunt, was probably one of the managers at 4Games HQ. He was surely dead, as the System told her, and Beatrice supposed his death was the sole reason why she was still alive today.Beatrice was consciously aware that she had not yet caught up emotionally with how absolutely not alright she was. But she knew that when reality hit, it was going to come down hard on her.After locating the Chief’s car with the key, she drove away from the newly-risen 4Games HQ. She stopped at a small parking lot inside a state forest.A curving concrete path led from the parking lot to a log structure. Above the building’s doorway, a flat piece of rough wood hangs. The words ‘NATURE CENTER’ are written across its surface. A decal that reads First Aid Station stuck to the upper left-hand corner of the door.There were no other cars in the lot. The doors to the Nature Ce
100 Systems Invasion 24. Skill Mastery 0%
Invasion Day 3Woodlands Nature Station, Cadiz, KYIt was a gray and chilly morning. The fog lay thick over the highway hours after dawn. By the time Beatrice could make out the infectores congregating around a minivan, they were almost upon it.Dong![3 infectores detected within 30 feet radius.]The System’s notification was a little useless. For all the games she had played online, this supposedly mighty guide in her phone was a one-star service.Although its report arrangement was the only thing behind its time, Beatrice did think that the other features were pretty decent, particularly in the power-giving department. She had tested her added strength and speed. Even for a zero point something, the System truly made a difference on it.Averting her eyes from the minivan, Beatrice noticed that the infectores were not moving with a ravenous determination he saw in most of the other walking-dead wanna-be. It was a
100 Systems Invasion 25. Dominant Pheromone
Invasion Day 4 Madam Brett Park, Beacon, NY As such, the fourth day of the invasion felt like the worst. Now that the infectores had spread in almost all states, and also the world, people looked for themselves. The government didn’t give a clear information, and the press were speculating like crazy, reporting jumbles of misinformation anyone didn’t care to correct. Thankfully, the System was kind enough to let him know that the first wave invasion would not erase all humanity on Earth. Only some of them. With that information, Seth slowed down a little. As the three of them, and by that, he meant Wade the infectore too, were done slaughtering the ambling infectores, Amy decided that she wanted burgers for dinner. So, there they were, locking the door of a nearby burger joint to prevent any infectore from advancing on them. “Braaaaaiiin?” Wade groaned from where he was standing before the counter. He stared uncoordinately at the menu hanging over head, a slight drool pooled on h
100 Systems Invasion 26. Systemist Alert
Invasion Day 5Courtyard by Marriott, Fishkill, NYIt was a particularly hot day.Seth had to shed his jacket, leaving him in an undershirt due to the still air. Amy, too, had forgone her checkered shirt, only wearing her sports bra and tight, short pants. He averted his gaze when the blond bend and picked a fallen potted plant from the deserted hotel’s decoration.Apparently, they chose the right place to hunt. Near the hill, they camped for the last four days, a pretty small city with just enough civilians-turned infectores roaming around was the perfect farming area they could find.They could easily get food and drinks and change clothes anytime they liked, as long as no infectores close enough. Even the garbage – corpses, really – of the infectores were not piling up or strewn everywhere like the movies depicted.Aside from the infectore’s habit of not teaming up in bulk numbers, Seth,
100 Systems Invasion 27. Rare, Useless Weapons
Invasion Day 5Courtyard by Marriott, Fishkill, NY“You know what, let’s get him in, Seth!” the blonde girl cut her cousin off, seemingly couldn’t contain her giddiness any longer. “Make him to be an Ally too!”Right, he needed to do that.Seth opened the menu again, quickly finding the icon he needed to click.[Sending request to Wade Moore.][Request has been sent to Wade Moore. Please check your email.]Amy took over, and in no time, Wade was an Ally.[Congratulations!][1 Ally registered.][Status][This personal Information will be hidden from other Systemists.][Full Name: Wade MooreDate of Birth: 2-09-1993]___[Nickname: moreweedpleaseLevel: 1Exp: 0HP: 300 / 300Regeneration: 0.28Strength: 0.49Speed: 0.74Resistance: 0.29Technique: 0.88Skill: None]
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