2023-05-02 16:40:36Inside a speeding second-hand car with a faded blue paint job, there were four – three humans and one infectore-wannabe, to be precise.
"Fuck!" Wade cursed as he read the words displayed on Seth's phone. "I don't want to be a fucking zombie!"
The chain smoker's frustrated scream was mirrored by Marnie's wailing cries. Seth gritted his teeth, knuckles turning white from the too-tight grip on the steering wheel. H dreaded the hardship of staying alive for the next three months with burdens like this.
"Is there a way to cure him?" Amy asked from the back seat as if his phone was Siri or something. She expected an answer, her knitted brows gave it away. But Seth was pretty sure the System in his phone was as advanced as the Explorer. "Hey, can you make the kid shut up?"
Seth sent an irritated look through the rearview mirror. "Do you really have to ask me?"
"She's your sister."
"She's not."
"She is–"
"Just toss her out then."
Amy gapped at him. Wade pulled the same expression, and Seth scoffed in annoyance. "I'm kidding."
The chain smoker grumbled, totally not amused. "It's the least funny thing I have ever heard in my entire life. It speaks volume, you know?"
"Well, it's not like you can do something–"
"I can do something!" Wade spat, crossing his arms after he cleverly cut Seth's sentence. Then, he turned around, trying to look directly at the six years old sitting behind him. "Hey, kid, look at what I have."
But the deafening wail continued. It wasn't like Marnie could hear the others' voices apart from her cry. Thankfully, Amy – the only adult female between them – nudged her. To be precise, she nudged Marnie and stiffly guided her head so that she was face-to-face with Wade.
If only she had opened her eyes.
"I swear I'll never take you to your parents ever again if you don't stop!"
"Ouch! That hurts," Wade commented.
"It got her to shut up," Seth defended.
Indeed, Marnie now bit her lip to stop her wail into a silent sob. Still, Amy thought it was too cruel of him. "At least, take your word back."
"Why? It's not like they are still alive anyway."
Seth didn't mean it viciously; he was merely speaking the truth. The System said that his blood relative was only three, not four as it should be. Besides his mother, he only had one living grandmother and an uncle who lived together on the Montana border. They were unlikely to die first, as they lived in the middle of nowhere, unlike his mother, who lived in the city.
Furthermore, Marnie's father's death was pretty much confirmed. What was to say that their mother also got the same fate?
Before Marnie could cry her lungs out again, Wade took the spotlight and resumed his panic. "Shit! I'm a dead meat!"
Seth corrected him, "You mean, a stupid rotten meat suit controlled by a fungus."
"You're not helping."
"Who said I'm gonna help?"
"Guys! Can we focus on what's the most important thing right now?" Amy broke their banter without looking at them. She was busy holding Marnie close to her body, trying to soothe her. They fell silent, so she continued. "We have to reach Cold Spring before noon."
Seth flicked his eyes at the home-décor sales girl, "You're serious about going to Cold Spring?"
"Yes, it's a less populated area than here, and we need it to lay low from the worst situation, remember? I thought we'd agreed on it?"
He didn't answer right away, but the hum and slight pout of his mouth signaled that he had been thinking. "If, and it's a very small if, anyway. If we find somewhere better than a mountain peak in Cold Spring, I want to stop there."
Amy disagreed, but knowing that there was a certain hierarchy in this small car, she reconsidered her rebuttal. Even when Seth was younger than Wade, and they ran away in her car, he was the only one who got a helping System on his phone. It was proven true when she asked the System earlier. Only Seth could use it.
"Okay, but the three of us have to agree first."
"Whatever," Seth shrugged, eyes focused on the road ahead. It was practically empty most of the time. Save from several cars coming this way, it seemed that the way to Cold Spring would be easy. It'd be better to reach it before the world knows about the invasion.
Dong!
His phone chimed in a notification. Seth couldn't read it, so Amy said it aloud.
"Shit! There's only one minute left before you turn into a zombie, Wade!"
"The fuck!" Wade's frantic curses followed suit. He rummaged around his baggy pants and pulled out another roll of cigarette. Or weed, it wasn't clear. The smell was terrible when he lit it up either way.
"Look at the [Shop], there must be something of use there." Seth supplied.
With a clammy finger, Amy touched the screen. In a blink, it showed a display of purchasable items. Not much was there aside from a very simple-looking knife and clothes. It took a while for her to scroll down and find some medicines.
"There's medicine, but I don't know which one can cure you, Wade. Gosh, I don't even think I've heard of these drugs before."
"Any drug will do." The chain smoker leaned back, trying to get a look at Seth's phone in her hand. "The fun one, I mean."
"How to stop the infection?" Seth didn't even take his eyes off the road, but the System responded immediately.
[A bottle of Ethazal Prevection can prevent infection from spreading. Effective for 1 hour.]
Only Amy could read that as she was holding Seth's phone.
[Purchase a bottle of Ethazal Prevection for the cost of 450 cells?]
Without his permission, Amy touched the [Purchase] icon. She bought three of them.
[Purchase succeeded.]
[Balance: 334 cells]
When Amy read the notification, the space in front of her seemed to be cut open from the other side. A slit of darkness with specks of light appeared, startling them.
Seth almost missed a turn as he stared in surprise at the strange happening near him. "Where did this space vagina come from?!"
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100 Systems Invasion 10. Not A Glory Hole!
Seth almost missed a turn as he stared in surprise at the strange happening near him. “Where did this space vagina come from?!”“Your phone did it,” Amy reeled away from it, clutching it in her knuckle-white hands. “Please tell me there won’t be aliens coming from the other side to lay eggs in me. Oh God, oh God, I’m sorry for reading porn and becoming addicted to strange sexual fanta–”“I really don’t need to hear about that on my last day of breathing.” Wade grumbled, already in the fifth stage of grief, accepting his near demise.But Amy was the most optimistic among them. At least when it concerned Wade. “You’ll live.”That could also be because she had already bought three more hours for her cousin. It completely escaped her mind that she practically cost Seth almost all of his balance. It wasn’t like he’d make a fuss about it.Right?[Please withdraw your 2 bottles of Ethazal Prevection now.][The Goury Hole will disappear at the thirty seconds mark.]Reading that, Amy gingerly
100 Systems Invasion 11. Monster in the Trunk
Seth’s phone in his hand lit up in a familiar futuristic blue.Dong![1 infectore detected within 30 feet radius.]It was typed in a simple font. Nothing fancy about it. However, the news it brought could have been more useful.Seth looked up, turning his head to the one on the passenger seat. The chain smoker was still drooling, staring at him with uncoordinated eyes. His hands folded awkwardly, trying to free himself from the seatbelt with clumsy fingers. Wade was no more.Curling his fist, Seth prepared himself to punch the hell out of the newly-turned infectore.“Help him!” Amy yelled in his ear, stopping his good intention of bravely fighting a zombie-like man.It was a good thing that he already pulled over on the side of the road, stopping the car for the time being. Of course, they needed to get out of the city as fast as they could, but they couldn’t do shit if they were dead from collidi
100 Systems Invasion 12. What Trap?
Seth tightened his long fingers around the steering wheel of Amy’s second-hand car and breathed deeply through his nose.Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-dooBaby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-dooBaby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-dooBaby SharkHe would have closed his eyes and banged his head against the wheel just to make the song end, but that would mean he had to sport a bump on his handsome forehead. Not that anyone agreed to it, but he was particularly confident that he was, at least, handsome enough to get a girlfriend.Ex, now. Sarah Dickson was nothing but a former lover. Hopefully, she was turned into an infectore, so he had a reason to kill – maim her. He wanted to get payback for that punch.There was no traffic, but the road was full of turns and hills. He had never visited Cold Spring, but he figured depending on the one and only maps he found in his phone was good enough. Hopefully, they didn’t go in the
100 Systems Invasion 13. Cheat Sheet
A vase of blue and purple flowers was on the table, complementing the pink tablecloth of the kitchen they were in. Besides that, only a little decoration was in sight.Unless, of course, Seth didn’t count the whiteboard displayed there.“Ah, that’s the mind map for my WIPs.” The Asian girl, who introduced herself as Izuka, said after noticing Seth’s odd look towards her prized possession. “I should have hide it first.”Seth looked critically, “Yes, maybe you should.” The sales girl kicked his shin under the table. “What? It looks like a murder plot to me.”Amy sent an apologetic face to Izuka, “I’m sorry. He’s very rude when he’s hungry.”“Understandable,” the Asian girl motioned towards the eggs and bacon she just brought from the pan. “I’m an aspiring author writing a fantasy sci-fi novel, you see. Being called freak is nothing
100 Systems Invasion 14. The Looming Death
Seth didn’t always spend time watching TV; he was more of an outdoor boy. He liked to play, pretending to be a hunter in the wild, flaunting his slingshot at everyone he passed.His late father had made it for him, saying he had to train with it first before he’d take Seth on a real hunt when he was in high school. Sadly, he passed away before that.After that, Seth spent his day lazying about. Sleeping late and waking up at noon. Then he plays a puzzle game on his phone or watches cat videos online.So, when Amy said, “It’s like we’re in a game where participants are given big money to spend on a limited time,” Seth didn’t know what she meant.All he knew was that the infection was spreading and the infectore could be anywhere close. They had to get their supplies and move fast.“Shit, what do you want? Fanta or Sprite?”Seth halted dumbfoundedly on his step. “Serious
100 Systems Invasion 15. Feeding Zombie-likes
Amy was back to driving her second-hand car, leaving Seth slumped on his passenger seat, looking out the window where green trees passed by. After hours of driving, they finally arrived at Cold Spring. They just have to find someplace to stay. It would be better if they found an empty building for themselves. “What was that?” He knew what the blonde meant, but nothing came to mind, so he merely shrugged his shoulders in answer. “She called you Jet Lynx,” she said again, repeating in case he needed clearance. “I know. I heard her.” Seth exhaled noisily, tapping the window glass with the back of his forefinger. “It just doesn’t make sense.” “Why don’t you ask your dear System?” Huffing again, Seth picked up his phone. It was uncharacteristically silent. However, given their remote location from the big cities, he figured this piece was only because there was no infectore in sight. Well, except for the one locked inside the trunk.
100 Systems Invasion 16. The Witness of A Killing Spree
She saw them.She saw them get killed while she did nothing.She saw the life drained out of his eyes, and her eyes, and their eyes all over the short course of five minutes.She heard the footsteps of the murderer as he stumbled on his uncoordinated feet; only one ragged Converse covered the ashen feet.She felt a tight knot form in her chest, witnessing this mass murder done by her very own dear cousin. Something she knew he could do but never thought of seeing it with her own two eyes.Wade killed six innocent people, and he didn’t even stop to consider that this was wrong. That he was wrong, and they were not. He moved on, cracking their skulls open and eating their brains out.He ate their brains like nothing had happened.But she knew it had happened. Her eyes couldn’t betray her. She wasn’t dreaming, nor was she hallucinating. The rasping of the heavy metal-loving man’s final breath and the crimson blood
100 Systems Invasion 17. Farming Corpse
By ‘farming,’ of course, Seth meant killing the newly-turned infectores.It was not as funny as Seth thought, but Amy would also benefit from his murder in the end. So, she had to shut her mouth unless she wanted to annoy him and make him leave her behind. And for the record, she didn’t have an abandonment issue, no matter what Seth had said.For now, she’d have to suck it and hide behind the abandoned van with Marnie. Seth, on the other hand, was busy with his hands.There were seven infectores there, including her cousin-turned-infectore, Wade. Seth said he had to kill the infectores to get his cells back. Having zero balance in the System was no fun; she knew that much. But, she didn’t think that one time thoroughly out of desperation, so Seth had to forgive her.So, with his leveled-up ‘Strength’ in the System and a knife, or dagger, to be precise, that he got from Izuka’s store, he was confident he could take all of them at the same time. However, for his big talk, Seth didn’t lo
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79. Table Turned
The raid was a bust.The lieutenant didn't even wait until they were in the privacy of his office before chewing him like useless gum. He demanded, "What is this, Monroe?"Mark bit back the urge to say, 'What did I tell you about raiding it yesterday, Sir?' He waited quietly and avoided any eye contact from the many people in bulletproof vests with bold 'PPD' on their back, strapping their gun back into safety and rounding up their failed attempt. "Why did I spend three hours of driving to the middle of nowhere with a full squad to take down a drug lab and slavery den while there's nothing here?"Again, instead of pointing out that the raid should have been done as quickly as he had suggested, Mark waited."Tell me, Monroe, why are you even screwing up this bad after the rookie slip up with that fake journalist in the warehouse?"'This is not my fault,' he thought. "We are too late, Sir," he said."Too late? Are you saying I'm too slow to act?" Madsen retorted angrily. "Do you even k
78. Make a Move
"You're so annoying, do I have to remind you every hour?" Rhea grumbled from the passenger seat, watching the dark-haired man behind the steering wheel as the car drove itself to the hill house. "Old news," Lucian commented and then glared at her. "But I already said not to let him into this again."Of course. "Mikhal's right. You do sounds like a jealous secret boyfriend.""Ha. Ha." There was no humor behind that. "First, I am not your boyfriend, I'm your fiance. Second, you're the one keeping this a secret, not me."Rhea grinned, "You didn't deny the first one? Are you jealous?""So what?" She frowned but didn't say anything else. She still couldn't figure out why he was jealous of that tall coworker of hers. No matter how many times she asked him, Lucian wouldn't tell.'Or you just never believe his answer,' a small voice at the back of her head supplied helpfully. She brushed it off because it was total drivel. There was no way Lucian actually felt jealous just because he liked
77. Running for Life
She was not as reckless as Lucian sometimes said to her. But she was still new in this espionage thing, and Mikhal suddenly pushed her down to the ground. Her heart raced, pounding noisily along with the blood in her ears. Mikhal's tall figure was equally low by her side. Confidence may fool many people, but she had none of it right now. Especially not after a burly man in a tank top suddenly pointed his long firearm in her direction, right before she took another shot of the drug lab with her phone. Breathing quietly, they waited in suspenseful silence until the man turned his weapon away from their direction. Another man came out of the drug lab's door, probably exchanging words before both of them went inside again. Rhea exhaled in relief, shoulders slumping down as both Mikhal and her shared a look. They moved closer, trying to get more proof from the small window at the side of the building now known as the drug lab. Not only from the chemical glasses with some colored liquid
76. Into Hidden View
After four days of work, Rhea finally got her day off again. Mikhal texted her, 'Meet you at East Station in twenty.' Smiling to herself, Rhea texted back an affirmation. "So…" Liz glanced at her from behind the steering wheel, "If I may ask, where are you going, Miss Rhea?""Out," she merely said."Any specific place in mind?"Rhea locked her phone, "Not really."The bespectacled girl looked uncomfortable for a second before she asked again. "Do you have any companions?""Yes.""Oh. Who is that?"Rhea narrowed her eyes, not liking where the bespectacled girl was going with this. "Is this an interrogation?""No, of course, not." Liz hastily said, topping it with an awkward laugh that she tried to make it sound natural. "I'm sorry if it came out like that, Miss Rhea. I didn't mean to."She sighed, turning to the sturdy houses that came into view as they finally reached the town's area. "It's fine. Lucian ordered you to do that, right?" Liz stayed silent, so she'd take that as a yes.
75. Coping Mechanism
The cafeteria was full of cola and burgers. "Free dinner for everyone!" one of the senior staff called out as they entered it. Rhea grinned – almost jumped in excitement – as her favorite food was served in front of her for free. Emi, on the other hand, chimed in a loud voice, "We don't pay to eat here!"She stuffed her face with the burger. She sat surrounded by a white shirt and blue vest-wearing staff, finally having a nice break out of the craziness of the afternoon shift. "I can't believe I was so excited about it before."Emi smiled broadly, munching on her mouthful bite of burger. She looked funny. "Didn't I tell you that it's crazy?""Yes, but you carefully left out the fact that it is precisely like that oddball group all over again, except, it happens continuously. Marching in a group in the lobby, then shoving each other to get in the elevator. Why do we only have four elevators, anyway?""But it only happens in the afternoon. After that, it's pretty slow, isn't it?"Rhea h
74. Unwritten Law
Lucian had been at the scene of serious diplomacy once, ages ago as he was still ten, where his father was showing him how to negotiate with a foreign mafia boss from another country. Earl would sign an agreement of letting said mafia boss move into Livingard and give him a little territory on the border to set up whatever operation they had planned. Earl would get back his prized butler slash right-hand man safely in one piece in exchange. He was fond of that man, his favorite butler. A middle-aged friendly guy who had a penchant for cutting apples into beautiful figures and dragging Lucian out of bed before dawn for a morning run. So, hearing that his favorite butler would be back after missing – he was captivated by the foreign mafia after accidentally crashing his motorbike to the mafia's daughter on the road – for three days, Lucian was eager when his father wanted him to tag along. It was supposed to be a valuable learning experience for him.One of the foreign mafia subordinat
73. At Least We Try
'Let him be, don't talk to him, whatever, just ignore him.'She didn't even want to see him. But bottling her overflowing emotions? It was a ridiculous idea.Then a notification chimed in, breaking into her bubble of thought, pulling her from the suffocating underwater feeling. 'How's' your girl's day out with Emi?' Mikhal texted her, oblivious to the chaos she made herself. 'She was great.' She texted back.'Cool. No more outings today?' His reply came seconds later, followed by three dots, signifying he was typing now. 'Imma starts the afternoon shift today. Dunno what to expect.''Expect the worst.''Never know u'r such a pessimist.'She wasn't. Fine, maybe she was. Just at the moment, though. Rhea responded with a laughing emoticon. Followed by a string of crying yellow faces.'What was that?' She bit her bottom lip, 'I want to go out.' Her thumb sent it before she even read the line. She considered deleting it. No use, Mikhal already typed again.'I'm free, if you were asking
72. The Walk Down
Sprinting to the beach, Rhea suddenly stopped before her sneakers touched the wet sand. Quickly taking them off, Rhea looked around for a place to put them without getting worried that the wave would sweep on them or someone take them away. Not that she was suspicious of some people enjoying the beach there, or that her shoes were extremely pricey – they were, not that Rhea knew about that, because it was Lucian who paid – but Rhea didn't want to lose her only pair of sneakers.She looked back to Lucian's parked car on the edge of the beach, where the dry ground met with green patches of grass. Squinting her blue eyes, Rhea calculated how much force she needed to get her shoes to the car's side. The light brown-haired girl got into a stance as if she would throw a slider with her sneaker as the ball. Then, Rhea let go of one of her sneakers in a powerful side swing. It flew in a bent trajectory and landed safely on the dry sand, though still a little far away from the car."Ah, I need
71. Wolf in the Flesh
It was the first time Rhea saw a wolf in real life.The wolf looked like how a wolf would in a book or movie. Nothing special, unlike the jet-black wild wolf she saw in a show. Or the majestic white wolf in legends. The animal in front of her looked just like the usual wolf. Short, triangular ears. Broad snout. A long tail. Looking slender yet seems powerful in its built. Its back was grey, so was its upper head. While the rest of its fur was light brown, and the underside was white.Rhea could not believe it."Should we continue?" Jo asked, stepping slowly on the gas pedal.As Jo drove the car past the watchful gaze of the wolf, Rhea felt a shudder run through her body. Either it was a creepy coincidence, or Lucian somehow controlled the wolf to appear there and failed Rhea's escape. Which sounded impossible. Both of them.It was some minutes later that Jo stopped the car. They were near the first building in the outskirt of Stradfield's little town. "Are you sure you want to get off
