Zombies Apocalypse: Too Late To Run!

Chapter 4: Fast Power-Leveling!

“Thank you both for the help.”

Hubert turned around. Enda and the young boy had reached him and Jacob.

“My name is Enda White, a police officer working here. I didn’t expect my supervising task to be so challenging... fortunately, you both stepped in to help..”

“No worries, exterminating zombies is a task for all of us, right?”

Hubert winked, smiling. Enda took on a less formal demeanor. The boy behind him then spoke:

“There are too many zombies, and I have no idea how we will eliminate them all.”

This boy was much shorter than Hubert, and his baby face suggested he was only about fifteen or sixteen.

“What’s your power? It seems unique.”

“Wind element.”

“Wind? Really?”

Hubert was surprised to encounter a wind elemental superhuman, a type that hadn’t existed in the last apocalypse, and his curiosity was piqued.

“So...how does your power work?”

“I can provide energy to other superhumans, and it feels like my body is a massive, never-ending energy pool.”

“That’s incredible!”

Hubert was secretly thrilled. With this boy’s support, wouldn’t his power increase significantly? Wasn’t this like a mana buffer in a video game?

The boy continued: “It’s not all good. While Enda fights, I can’t help.”

“It’s alright, bro. It’s thanks to you that I could last this long.”

“Bro?”

Enda, who looked to be in his thirties, called this teenager his elder brother. Were they biological brothers?

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the chief of police here in S city, Enda’s superior. Also, his elder brother, my name is Gideon White.”

“May I ask... uhm... how old are you?”

Just as Hubert finished his question, Gideon broke into hearty laughter.

“I bet you’re like everyone else, thinking I’m just a teenager. But I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, kiddo. I’m already thirty-five.”

Gideon White pointed at Hubert’s chest, but Jacob quickly brushed his hand off. Gideon glared at Jacob, their hands locked in a silent battle of strength. Hubert was interested to see who was more substantial, the chief of police or the bodyguard, but now was not the time to divide their forces!

“Can you two not do this? We need to move quickly. If not, the zombies will be back.”

“Yes, you’re right. Oh, you haven’t introduced yourself yet.”

Enda pushed Jacob and Gideon’s hands away. He turned to ask Hubert but was interrupted by Jacob.

“His name is Hubert Wang. I’m Jacob Tremblay, a security company executive.”

Hubert then asked: “Enda, are there any helicopters here?”

“Yes, there are.”

“Take me there.”

Hubert spoke, then looked at more than ten people hiding inside the police station’s gate.

“Bring them along too.”

“You’re planning to leave by helicopter? I don’t know how to fly one.”

As soon as Enda finished speaking to Hubert, Gideon, and Jacob simultaneously responded:

“I can fly it.”

Hubert didn’t understand why these two kept glaring at each other with sparks in their eyes. Moreover, Jacob was quite peculiar; in this world teeming with death, provoking others wouldn’t be beneficial!

“Never mind them, take me there.” Hubert dismissed, walking away as Enda immediately dashed to the front. Jacob and Gideon put away their competitive gazes and gestured for the people hiding behind the door to follow them. These people were part of the police force, yet they could not confront the zombies, failing to embody the law enforcers they were supposed to be.

Unable to help himself, Jacob shot them another disdainful glance, they were incompetent, bereft of skills and courage.

“It’s here.” Enda announced.

Following Enda’s indication, Hubert spotted four large helicopters parked in the police station’s backyard. He promptly declared: “Let’s take two. Jacob and I in one, Enda and Gideon in another.”

“Why do we need two helicopters?” Gideon’s inquiry seemed to irk Jacob; did Gideon wish to travel with Hubert? Hadn’t Jacob established a stronger connection with Hubert than this newcomer? Hubert, however, paid no mind to Jacob’s expression and explained: “There are others.”

He glanced at the vulnerable group. He continued: “We’ll encounter many people needing assistance along the way, so we must utilize our resources to the best of our ability. Both Jacob and Gideon know how to pilot helicopters, right? We must split up to conduct rescue operations as efficiently as possible.”

“I agree.” Jacob moved ahead to inspect the four helicopters and commented: “These are emergency rescue helicopters. Their load capacity isn’t much - they can accommodate a little over fifty people at most.”

“Is that all?” Hubert inquired.

Jacob nodded, and Gideon added: “I have keys to the weapons storage. There are two large combat helicopters in there that can hold up to a hundred and fifty adults.”

“How big must that be!” Hubert had seen helicopters before, having accompanied his father, Edward, to inspect military assets. He had seen large helicopters that could hold over a hundred people, but he had never heard of one this massive.

“About 50 meters long and 10 meters high.”

“Does something that big need a runway? Can it even take off?”

“You’re such a dunce.” Jacob shook his head, ruffling Hubert’s hair. They followed Gideon deeper into the police station towards the storage. It was even more expansive than Hubert had imagined, much larger than his accustomed space. However, it wasn’t habitable due to the dank, musty smell permeating the underground room.

As they proceeded further, they encountered two massive combat helicopters. The steel-covered frames appeared incredibly sturdy. Gideon, Jacob, and Enda fetched guns and grenades from the storage, packing them into a large crate to load onto the helicopters. Grenades were sensitive; once the pin was pulled, anything within a 20-meter radius would be obliterated within seconds.

“Everyone, get on the helicopters.”

Hubert directed the civilians to board the helicopter, over a dozen of them, all adults. At his permission, they scrambled onto the aircraft so quickly that one girl was knocked down onto the floor.

“These commoners, are they begging for death?” Gideon muttered a comment he would’ve never voiced before due to his reputation as a police chief. But times have changed. Humans without superpowers would have become enslaved if they weren’t zombies themselves. If they feared death but were unwilling to equip themselves for survival, opting instead to hide behind others for protection, then death might be a better option. The armory was full of weapons, yet these ordinary folks did not even arm themselves.

Gideon extended his hand towards the fallen girl, who, shying away from his gaze, stammered: “Th-thank you!”

“Alright, I can’t always be there to help you. If you keep hiding behind others, you’ll surely be abandoned one day.”

“Y-yes!”

She hurriedly pulled her hand back and dashed up to the helicopter, her flustered yet urgent demeanor pleasing to Gideon’s eyes.

“Alright, let’s move quickly. The gathering place for those with superpowers has been destroyed. If we don’t alert the civilians and superhumans soon, the only path they’ll find there is death.”

Hubert was right. The gathering place was a completely isolated area outside of S City. With no hiding places and an influx of people, it would undoubtedly attract countless zombies. With few superhumans and a horde of ordinary people, how could they fend off the fast-approaching zombies, who moved twice as fast?

“Hubert, get up here.”

Jacob opened the helicopter door, inviting Hubert. He nodded in agreement, but before taking a few steps, a muscular arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him away. The next thing he knew, the helicopter door was slammed shut, leaving Enda standing outside. Gideon had pushed Enda out and pulled Hubert into his helicopter.

Jacob, eyes wide in surprise, leaped out of his helicopter and sprinted towards Gideon’s. But Gideon had already started the engine, and the aircraft was rolling out of the hangar.

“If you keep this up, Jacob’s going to give you a beating when we land.” Hubert chuckled, waving at Jacob, but Gideon snorted dismissively.

“What’re a few hits in a public struggle for a valuable person?”

“All cops are this brave? And... don’t you feel sorry for your little brother?”

Hubert laughed again, watching the disgruntled Enda follow Jacob onto the remaining helicopter. He felt somewhat sorry for the pair. Only when the aircraft had covered some distance did Hubert cross his arms and lean back against the seat, his tone no longer humorous:

“Speak up, and you didn’t just bring me here because you’re interested in my superpower, did you?”

Gideon remained focused on piloting the helicopter but eventually responded with a faint smile:

“Young master Wang isn’t as carefree as the rumors suggest. Alright, I want to ask about the apocalypse that happened thousands of years ago.”

“I don’t know much about it, just some readings. Ask away, and I’ll answer if I can.”

“I have a friend at the bio center who has always studied zombies. The vaccine that the Wang family developed thousands of years ago, his ancestor was part of it.”

“From what we’ve seen, that vaccine doesn’t seem to affect the zombification this time. Gideon, why do you think that is?”

Gideon looked contemplative, not answering. His gaze shifted to the ground where black smoke was rising, its source unknown.

“Do you want to check out... that meteor?”

Gideon finally understood where the black smoke was coming from. Not far ahead was the meteor that had crashed yesterday. It was not massive, less than three kilometers in diameter, but it left an enormous trail before stopping, with all the surrounding houses collapsed. It was clear from its impact how powerful the shock was.

“I think the vaccine’s inefficacy has something to do with this.”

“I think so too.”

“So, shall we go take a look?”

Gideon squinted his eyes. He was about to lower the helicopter when Hubert stopped him:

“We can’t go there.”

“Why not?”

Hubert retracted his gaze.

“After the meteor fell, I realized I have clairvoyance. Just now, looking down... there are many zombies around that meteor.”

They were currently at an altitude that made it hard to see clearly, but Hubert could make out every detail. The area that Gideon wanted to explore was the city center, already rife with zombies and now compounded by the mysterious meteor. The surrounding zombies further piqued Hubert’s curiosity.

“You’re saying you have clairvoyance?”

Gideon thought his energy storage ability was already against the heavens, but Hubert was even more exceptional. He slightly lowered the helicopter to get a better view of the mysterious meteor.

“Let’s head to my house first.”

Hubert pointed in a direction where he could see a large mansion in the distance. He was unsure if everyone was safe if anyone had turned into a zombie.

“Okay.”

Gideon increased the helicopter's speed to descend. Hubert's home, an isolated mansion, was relatively peaceful. The spacious yard was large enough to accommodate the landing of two helicopters without causing any disturbances.

As Hubert was about to jump out of the helicopter, Jacob appeared before him, glaring at Gideon.

"Alright, alright. Gideon was teasing, don't look like that."

Hubert jumped down, aided by Jacob, who snorted. If it weren't for the apocalypse and the need for extra help, Jacob would have beaten up Gideon.

Hubert curbed his smile and started to call out, his legs autonomously propelling him into the house. The main door swung wildly on its hinges as he kicked it in.

"Big brother! Father!"

"Big brother!"

Hubert roamed around the house without finding a soul. There was not even a trace of the undead. Considering the number of servants they had, it was impossible that no one remained. Could it be that they all had turned into zombies and moved toward the meteorite? The thought caused Hubert's legs to tremble. Could he be now the only one left in the Wang family?

"Grunt... Grunt..."

Suddenly, a growling sound emitted from the second floor, causing Hubert to flinch and step back.

"Hubert, be careful."

Jacob cast protective spells in front of him, and Gideon and Enda also prepared for the worst. They knew what the sound represented, and it was even more terrifying than the noises they had heard before. It was not like the hollow sounds of zombies; it was...

Crash!

The door to the second floor was smashed open, and a series of thumping noises started coming out, indicating that numerous creatures were descending. Hubert's eyes widened as more than ten dark figures appeared on the stairs. Among them, in the center, was a familiar figure – Theodore, with his blank white eyes crossed by dark veins, still dressed in his military uniform but no longer human.

"Theodore!"

Just as Hubert was about to rush up, Jacob pulled him back while Gideon yelled.

"Run, there are too many of them!"

"The zombie in the middle seems to have evolved. It's powerful!"

Enda was correct. Theodore was now a low-level, rank-three zombie, significantly more potent than a rank-zero supernatural. While Hubert was being pulled away, his eyes stayed on Theodore. Just a few days ago, they had been arguing, and now Theodore was like this.

Hubert and his group quickly ran to the courtyard, scrambled onto the helicopter, and flew up. It was only after they had calmed down that they noticed Theodore and the other zombies didn't chase them. Hubert used his long-range vision to look down. Theodore and the other zombies were slowly moving to the courtyard. Theodore looked up at the sky. His white pupils seemed to be moving, his hands clenched.

After a glance, Theodore turned and left. Even though he had turned into a zombie, his brain had not changed. His consciousness was vague, but he recognized Hubert and understood he was no longer human. Hubert was afraid of him and ran away at his sight.

That was good, and fear would keep Hubert away from him. Theodore didn't know when he would ultimately lose consciousness, and he feared that he might hurt Hubert when that happened. For some unknown reason, he had turned into a peak-level, rank-two zombie shortly after his transformation and had just evolved to rank three. The zombies around him saw him and proactively gathered around him, wanting to become his subordinates.

Theodore moved towards the meteor crash site. He didn't understand why, but that place always caused an irresistible urge in him. Perhaps, that's where the zombies originated.