Inside the police station, Allen ordered everyone to split up and clear the building. Of course, he only gave the order after checking the minimap and confirming there were no danger zones or mutant zombies above Tier 2.
The teams Allen formed were as follows: Hirano, Yamada, and Kazu stayed together.
Teshima, Tsunoda, and Teruma formed another group. Naturally, Allen would never admit that he found it amusing to group the three guys simply because their names started with "T."
The third team consisted of Saeko, Misuzu, and Yuuki. The last two had shown rapid improvement in their combat abilities, which made Allen more confident in assigning them greater responsibilities. Of course, they were with Saeko—who was capable of fighting Tier 3 zombies on her own.
Shimada remained tied up as a prisoner, and Allen still didn't trust the other survivors aside from Teruma, so he left Anemone watching over him.
If anything were to happen, she would act accordingly.
As for Asami, she was with Allen, Saya, and Kiriko. He decided to accompany the mother and daughter in case things got complicated.
Doubt is the cause of tragedies. It hadn't been confirmed whether Tadashi Miyamoto was dead, but if he was, it would be difficult for both of them to face it. If they hesitated to act, the consequences could be fatal. After all, those creatures were no longer human. They had no emotions, no regrets, no beating hearts. Even if it were their family, they would attack them.
Hirano's group inspected the cells. The sight was horrifying. Many inmates had turned into zombies inside their cells, and those who hadn't been infected couldn't escape, so they became zombie food.
"RAAHH!"
When the zombies noticed their presence, they stretched their arms through the bars, desperately trying to get out and devour them.
Hirano ignored them since they were locked in and continued forward. Ahead, two zombie guards stumbled toward them. Hirano took aim and shot them. Then another zombie appeared—this one was fast. Yamada rushed forward and smashed its head with a bat.
For Teshima's group, the situation was similar. They arrived at the offices, and the zombies wearing business suits were no less aggressive. They all lunged at the group, but the three already had experience, so even facing a dozen of them didn't make them hesitate.
Teshima swung his axe first, followed by Tsunoda—who had already lost his fear—and finally Teruma, who, although still scared, gathered enough courage to face those things.
Saeko's group had it even easier…
Yuuki and Misuzu stayed silent as they watched Saeko decapitate zombies before they even had the chance to move.
"Sorry," Saeko said with a smile. "I should've left some for you."
"Don't worry, Saeko-senpai!" Misuzu replied, waving her hands nervously.
Yuuki snorted, despite being weaker than Saeko, she had a strange confidence in her.
Saeko frowned, "By the way, Yuuki Miku, you still haven't answered what Allen and you were doing at your house..."
"Oh, you want to know?~" Yuuki teased.
Saeko didn't get upset, instead smiling with flushed cheeks, "It doesn't matter, even if Allen plays around or gets himself a little lover, in the end he'll come home... to me."
"Huh?!" A vein in Yuuki's forehead popped out.
Musuzi didn't know where to hide, she didn't want to get involved.
…
The girl's hair lifted slightly in the air as her sharp spear pierced straight through a zombie's head.
"Ah!"
Rei let out a cry, releasing all her frustration. If it weren't for these things, she could still be living a normal life. She wouldn't have fought with her friends… and her father… he…
Asami looked at her with sadness and pity. "Allen-kun, shouldn't we stop her?"
He shook his head. "She's trying to process her emotions. This is a valid method."
Asami sighed, but Kiriko gave her a pat on the back.
"Kyah! Huh?! Kiriko-san?!"
"Don't worry. That brat is my daughter—she's not weak." Kiriko hit her chest with pride. "She'll be fine."
"And you?" Allen asked the woman.
Kiriko gave a bitter smile. "Well, I'm not going to celebrate. Nobody in this world would be happy to hear that their family had died. But I also know he wouldn't want us to be depressed. I'm sure he'd want us to survive this hell."
"I see," Allen murmured, looking at Rei. "I would've liked to share a drink with him…"
Kiriko laughed and nudged Allen with her elbow. "What are you saying? Wait a few years before thinking about that."
[Haha, did you forget that in this world you're a high school student?~]
Allen cleared his throat and moved toward the next room.
The police station was fairly big, with four floors and a wide structure, but what surprised Allen the most was the classical wooden aesthetic—very Western.
"This place… is huge…"
Hearing Allen's words, Asami, who had remained alert, responded.
"I heard the station burned down in the early two-thousands and was remodeled after that, but they chose this kind of Western style…"
…
Gwen – I bet Lucifer influenced this somehow…
MJ – Otherwise, why make it this big?
Felicia – Maybe he planned to spawn a final boss or something.
…
Tadashi's office was on the fourth floor. To reach it faster, they tried taking the elevator, but since they were out of service, they had to use the stairs.
Before continuing, Allen saw a hallway stained with blood and scattered human remains.
"What's over there?"
"Those are the lockers," Asami answered with a sad expression. Just days ago, she had walked through that hallway full of dreams—hoping to rise quickly and become a full officer instead of just handing out tickets.
"Wait a moment…"
Allen walked down the hallway, leaving the three women confused. Of course, Rei didn't let him go alone and followed him. Then Kiriko and Asami did the same.
"What's wrong?"
Allen didn't answer, but a metal pipe appeared in his hand.
"Huh?!" Kiriko's eyes shot open in shock, while Asami—who had already seen this ability—didn't question it out of respect, believing Allen would explain it when the time came.
Allen entered the men's locker room. Rows and rows of lockers stretched before him.
Soon, the sound of a woman crying echoed—sending chills through the air. There shouldn't be anything alive in this police station.
"Honestly, I'm curious how much I've changed since then," Allen said with a smile. This wasn't the first time he had encountered this creature.
The women were stunned for a moment. What was he talking about?
The crying stopped as they approached, and an eerie silence followed.
Asami looked toward the back—the shower area—and began to gasp. Something was there. Something dangerous and terrifying seemed to crawl across her skin as it stared at her.
"Wait here…"
Without giving further explanation, Allen stepped forward—and a horrifying scream broke through the silence.
A Witch emerged from the locker room—a female creature with long claws and glowing eyes, a terrifying evolved zombie.
Allen mocked the creature without taking action. This startled Rei, who prepared to move, but Kiriko placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered:
"Don't you trust the man you like?"
"...!" Rei blushed at her mother's words. She was still worried, but chose not to intervene—trusting Allen.
The Witch sprinted like a ghost. Her claws could cut metal like paper, her body could withstand shotgun blasts and even an explosion. A terrifying monster for anyone—except one person.
"Oh…" Allen raised his metal pipe.
Just before the Witch reached him, he swung his arm down with such force that a small air shockwave rippled around him. No one had time to react—because they watched in shock as the Witch's head literally exploded from the impact, as if hit by a cannon.
"Sorry. I was planning to play around a bit, but with my mother-in-law watching me, I can't look bad."
Everyone was speechless, including the people in the Chat—especially the local viewers. Allen had fought a Witch before, but back then it had been a difficult fight. Now, it seemed Tier 3 zombies—or at least a single one—were no longer a problem.
Of course, this abnormal strength didn't appear out of nowhere. It was thanks to Allen absorbing the Chimera GSB he encountered that he drastically improved his body.
If Allen had been abnormal before, now he was completely superhuman. But this came with consequences—something visible in Allen's smile after crushing the Witch.
[Allen!]
Allen's smile faded, and he touched his own face.
"I'm fine."
He turned toward the women. "It's strange. I thought there wouldn't be zombies this strong…"
"You can tell?" Rei asked, regaining her composure.
"More or less. I'd say I can sense them under normal circumstances."
Of course, Allen wouldn't say he had seen them on the minimap while Asami and Kiriko were present, since neither of them knew about his "abilities."
Allen entered the showers, where he came across a horrifying scene — the dismembered body of a person, most likely killed by the Witch. However, in the corner, there was a supply crate.
'What?'
[There are hidden crates that will not appear on the minimap, and of course, the zombies guarding them will not be shown either.]
Allen shook his head. That system restriction — only speaking about something once he discovers it — was annoying.
"What is that?" Asami was naturally shocked to see a huge crate in the middle of the showers. What was something like that doing there?
Allen approached and opened it. It was a Tier 2 crate, so it didn't cost much to unlock.
Inside, there was a green herb, three bandages, and three grenades.
The disappointment on Allen's face was immediate. If it had been a Tier 1 crate, it wouldn't have been bad loot, but a Tier 2 crate guarded by a Witch? That was disappointing.
"Don't worry, there will be better things in other supply crates," Rei said, placing her hand on Allen's shoulder to comfort him.
"Ahem." Kiriko looked at Allen and Rei with a suspicious expression. "Is there something you two should be telling me?"
Allen and Rei exchanged glances. It wasn't that he wanted to reveal all his secrets, but considering she was Rei's mother and Asami, well, it was Asami, maybe it wasn't a bad idea. Of course, the system cut the broadcast for everyone in this world before he began explaining.
Once Allen finished, Kiriko felt strange, as if her sense of reality had shattered — like realizing she was living inside the matrix. But being a mentally strong woman, she recovered faster than Asami, who seemed convinced she was dreaming.
"Hehe~ I see… I must still be asleep. Hehe~ I knew the world couldn't end in a zombie apocalypse, hehe~"
Allen pinched her cheeks. "Hey, that's not the attitude of a law enforcement officer."
"Ouch! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
The group continued climbing floor by floor, clearing the police station until they reached the highest level. When they opened the door to the office, both Kiriko and Rei trembled with fear, expecting the worst. However, he wasn't there — Tadashi Miyamoto was nowhere to be found, giving them hope that he was still alive.
It was both a relief and a dead end. Allen decided to check Tadashi's computer in search of clues. To his surprise, there was something important in an email Tadashi had received.
"Evacuation center… Third Elementary School…"
Allen's eyes widened slightly as he read the information. And not just him — the rest of the women were shocked. They needed to inform everyone.
Having found their next objective, they decided to finish their current task.
....
....
When the police station was "clean," everyone gathered in the lobby. Despite everything that had happened, the place still had useful things.
The armory was intact but locked, and they hadn't found the keys, so Allen broke the lock with his hammer.
Hirano looked like a child on Christmas morning, his eyes sparkling as he examined every weapon in sight.
Allen had Rebecca and Harley, so he was used to seeing weapons, but it was strange for a Japanese police station to have so many.
When he looked at Asami, she blushed. "From what I understand, many of these weapons are for the Special Unit…"
Allen remembered Shizuka mentioning that her friend Rika was part of that elite unit. It was kind of funny that Rika had illegal firearms despite being in the police force, because even with training and usage permissions, those are limited to duty hours — meaning the Springfield they found at her place was technically illegal.
They loaded the weapons onto the bus. Now, they had a clear objective — to go to the elementary school.
Hearing about the evacuation lifted everyone's spirits. It was good news — the government hadn't fallen and was trying to save people.
Allen stayed silent on the matter. Something about this so-called evacuation zone gave him a bad feeling.
Why now?
The JSDF had been ignoring the public videos online where hundreds of thousands of people trapped in their apartments or hiding somewhere were posting, hoping for rescue.
All across Japan, innocent people were waiting for someone to save them.
Why specifically that small school?
Why evacuate Suginami, one of the most dangerous districts due to the number of zombies?
Everything was suspicious. But seeing the hopeful expressions on everyone's faces, he didn't comment, though he would take precautions.
Allen was surely under the spotlight of various groups now — because of how abnormal he was — and there was also that mysterious organization trying to kill him or recover the container.
But he couldn't just ignore the evacuation either. It was a chance to hand over the container, which could lead to a cure. Of course, the herbs and system items were beyond logic and not a real cure themselves.
"I guess it's time to go…" Allen said with a smile. He had no intention of stopping anyone in his group if they wanted to evacuate.
That decision was theirs, and they were free to look for something more secure if they wanted to.
They got into their vehicles, ready to depart, but were interrupted by the sound of a cargo helicopter.
"...?" Allen looked up to see the helicopter. It wasn't flying over them like the many that had ignored survivors before — it was headed directly toward them.
"Everyone, get into the vehicles!"
Allen's distrust of that mysterious organization put him immediately on edge. That helicopter was practically the embodiment of suspicion.
"Help!" One of the survivors ran out of the bus and rushed toward them.
"Idiot, do they ever learn?!" Saya shouted angrily, remembering they did the same thing at the mall.
Allen narrowed his eyes before giving a dark, cold look. "Hirano!"
Hirano instantly aimed at the helicopter. The moment it made a suspicious move, he would shoot the pilot. However, the helicopter didn't land in the parking lot of the police station — instead, it hovered in the air.
Allen discreetly pulled out Ivory & Ebony. His instincts told him something dangerous was inside that helicopter.
"Move the vehicles back…" Allen ordered.
Teshima quickly hit the accelerator. Shizuka did the same, though she looked at Allen with worry before moving.
Anemone didn't leave; instead, she held her M4 while taking cover behind a vehicle. Saeko and Rei tried to approach, but Allen raised his hand to stop them.
The back hatch of the helicopter opened, lowering a massive metal crate held by steel cables.
"I knew it…" Allen pulled out his guns and fired at the helicopter. Anemone and Hirano did the same, but the bullets couldn't pierce the bulletproof glass.
Allen switched targets and fired at the cables. They snapped, dropping the crate to the ground. He immediately stopped shooting when the metal box opened.
A hand appeared — one far too large to belong to any human.
"...!"
There was no doubt.
Allen grabbed a grenade from his inventory and threw it into the crate. The explosion engulfed it, but Allen clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Everyone, retreat!"
The girls didn't want to obey, but eventually did.
There was a familiar feeling.
A sense of déjà vu.
A faint chill on his skin — the same one he felt from the strongest zombie he had ever seen.
Through the smoke of the explosion, a massive figure appeared.
Allen dashed forward, activating Beast Mode, holding his combat knife and metal pipe. His expression was the same as it had been when he fought the Tank.
Inside the smoke, a red eye scanned Allen, identifying its target.
Allen tightened his grip on the pipe and struck the giant abomination. But it blocked the attack with its arm.
The collision between the two reverberated throughout the entire place.
The creature was as big as a tank, yet strangely, it wore a reinforced black trench coat, gloves, and boots. However, its face was deformed, with a single eye and no lips.
"W.A.L.K.E.R.," the creature said, proving it could speak.
"What did they do to you to turn you into this?" Allen asked with a hint of pity. From the first moment, he knew this was no natural mutation of any virus — it was created by someone.
Still, his actions didn't stop. He tightened his grip on his knife and tried to stab the monster in the eye, but it reacted and shoved Allen away.
"Tsk…" Allen landed several meters back, cracking his neck as his eyes turned crimson.
…
– Target confirmed –
The cold voice of the artificial intelligence known as Blue Queen echoed.
– Log this entry: March 5th, 2025. Unidentified One and Project Nemesis have made contact –
====
A/N Sorry for the delay, things have been a bit chaotic lately. I have to prepare the next arc, and with my second story underway, I'm falling behind on the chapters. 🫠
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen