The journalist from a news channel said that the government was calling this event a mass revolt, which infuriated Takashi. "A revolt?! They're calling this a revolt?!" he shouted in disbelief.
Saeko pressed a button and switched to another channel showing a female reporter standing outside with police officers behind her. The situation then deteriorated rapidly as numerous zombies overwhelmed both the police and the reporter before the camera feed was cut, returning to the studio where the news anchor nervously stated he would keep everyone updated. The entire room fell silent, and the tension was palpable.
Takashi slammed his hand on a table and said, "Is that it?! Why aren't they saying more?!" he demanded.
"Because they don't want to cause widespread panic," Saya said, now much calmer.
"She's right," Saeko added. "The news will spread, so the government is doing what it can to contain the situation before everything spirals out of control," she summarized.
"Fear leads to panic, panic leads to anarchy, and anarchy leads to a real revolt or civil unrest," Aurélien then stated. "The government can't fight the undead during a period of anarchy with people fighting each other," he added wisely.
"But... how? When I was browsing the web this morning, everything was fine," Kohta said, confused.
"I can't believe it only took a few hours for everything to become like this," Rei said softly, pulling on Takashi's arm. "But there must be a safe place, right?" she asked, looking at Takashi with hope.
"Keep dreaming!" Saya bluntly reprimanded, deflating Rei.
"Why do you have to say it like that?" Takashi asked Saya angrily.
"I agree with her," Aurélien declared. "There's no way anyone saw this coming, and it's only going to get worse from now on. If we want a safe place to shelter, we'll have to build it ourselves, spending our blood and effort. But that will come later; what matters now is that we stay together and find our families."
"That's right," Saeko quickly said.
"The Shakespearean is right. Besides, it's a pandemic," Saya said.
"A pandemic?" Shizuka asked, looking a bit terrified.
Aurélien wondered if the introduction of mana into his world had mutated a pre-existing virus within certain humans.
[Well supposed, host. Mana affects all living beings, but such a result would take centuries of evolution to materialize.]
"What would have caused this phenomenon then?" Aurélien mentally asked his system.
[I detected the use of a spell when mana entered the surface of your world. The mutation of cells upon their first contact with mana enhanced these effects, transforming tens of thousands of humans into undead across the world. Their bites, capable of transmitting the curse, caused global destabilization within hours. However, I detect that the effects of the spell have caused unforeseen mutations, which may have transformed some infected into creatures far more dangerous than the spell's instigator had anticipated. It is highly probable that a mage introduced this disease with the aim of weakening the forces that would have opposed a future invasion.]
The swordsman understood that his world was the target of a conspiracy orchestrated by one or more powerful mana manipulators. "Is the dimensional invasion imminent?" he asked, somewhat worried.
[The ley lines of your world have only just awakened. It will take another three years before mana has accumulated sufficiently to allow the opening of a dimensional passage. That's why the Akashic worlds never invade low-level worlds; it's simply impossible to open a portal there. Those planning to annex your world must have detected signs of its future evolution decades ago and have thus planned accordingly.]
This slightly alleviated Aurélien's concerns; however, time was against him, and he needed to quickly develop his own army if he wanted to oppose it.
While Aurélien conversed with his system and gradually planned his future strategies, the other members of his group tried to better understand their situation.
"An epidemic is an infectious disease that spreads across the world," Saya explained to Shizuka. "So, the disease infecting people here is spreading worldwide," she then stated.
"Like the flu?" Takashi asked.
"More like the Spanish flu of 1918," Saya replied.
"No. It's worse than that," Saeko said grimly. "I'm not fully informed about diseases, but what comes to mind is the European Black Death of the 14th century," she added. "But from what I've read, the Black Death didn't have people coming back from the dead and eating or infecting the living," she then said dryly.
"How did these diseases stop?" Takashi asked.
"There are a few theories," Shizuka offered.
"The most probable is that so many people died that the disease couldn't spread further and infect more people," Aurélien stated, returning to the conversation at an opportune moment.
"But in this case, the dead are walking around and attacking people, spreading the disease," Kohta said as he continued to look out the window.
"So there's no reason for this disease to stop spreading?" Saeko asked.
"But it's very hot outside!" Shizuka exclaimed with a dreamy smile on her face.
"What do you mean?" Rei asked her.
"Maybe they'll start to decompose and won't be able to move anymore," Shizuka explained.
"How long does it take for a corpse to decompose?" Takashi asked, slightly optimistic.
"In summer, it usually takes about twenty-two days for some parts of the body to decompose," Shizuka said. "But in winter, it can take months," she added, her face focused as she seemed to calculate in her head. Aurélien had to admit that even if Shizuka was a bit simple-minded, her medical knowledge was astonishing.
"But these things defy medical knowledge!" Saya stated. "So, do we even know if these things will decompose?" she asked.
"Lady Saya makes another good point," Aurélien then said. "These things may decompose, but we don't know if they will. And removing their organs doesn't seem to work unless, of course, we remove or destroy their brain," he explained. "And we also know that if we were to be bitten, we might as well kill ourselves to avoid becoming one of them."
"What's important is to find a safe place after we've found our families," Saeko then stated. "If we all act in our own interest, we won't last very long out there," she added. "We need to work as a team," she then declared.
"But we should help other survivors, shouldn't we?" Takashi asked.
"We can, if we're able to," Aurélien told Takashi. "We must accept that we can't save everyone. Difficult choices will be made for our survival, and we must learn to live with those choices," he added coldly.
"We need to find a formation to get out of here," Takashi said, nodding in agreement.
"Before we proceed, I'd like to reveal one of my creations," Aurélien declared. The other group members looked curiously at the young man until their curiosity turned to fear and surprise upon seeing two mechadendrites emerge from Aurélien's coat, observing their master's companions. Knowing he would spend time with them, he thought it pointless to hide them, and not using them would greatly handicap him in combat.
"What are those horrors?!" Rei shouted aloud, voicing what everyone was thinking.
With pride in his voice, Aurélien explained, "These are my mechadendrites; I created them a few days ago. Don't worry; they won't harm you. I control them with an implant installed in my brain."
Knowing they weren't a threat and were made by human hands, the students calmed down slightly. But this explanation wasn't sufficient for one of them.
"Wait! Wait! How is this possible? I know very well that we're far from reaching this level of technology in robotics or medicine. Also, how did you install an implant in your brain?!" Saya declared. She had a thousand questions about this revelation; she was intelligent and well-informed about the world and knew perfectly well that this technology was far too futuristic for a student to develop.
The interlocutor simply replied, "Just because something has never been created before doesn't mean it's impossible to build. Besides, we now live in a world where the dead literally walk among us; you should accept that some things are beyond your understanding." This response fueled the young girl's anger, realizing he was merely evading the question to avoid answering.
This tension was cut by Saeko. "Rather than wasting our time like this, we should quickly get to the bus while we can still use the sunlight to our advantage." She also had questions about this situation but knew this was neither the time nor the place. Moreover, she could see that her classmate's invention would give them a significant advantage.
Saya internally admitted that this was sound reasoning and agreed to postpone the matter. The other group members also agreed, although some of them remained somewhat wary of the two machines.
"Lady Saeko is right; she and I will form the vanguard since we are the most capable fighters we have," Aurélien declared.
Takashi nodded in agreement before looking at Shizuka. "Miss Shizuka, you, Hirano, and Takagi will be in the center where we can protect you. Hirano, your weapon is useless up close, but you can easily take them out if they get close to us. I'll be on the right side with Hirano, and Rei will be to the left of Shizuka to cover the left flank.
"Is everyone clear on the plan?" Takashi then asked everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright, it's do or die, then!" Aurélien said, mentally preparing himself.
"Which way do we exit the building?" Rei asked, gripping her makeshift spear in her hands.
"The front door is closest to the parking lot," Saya said.
"Then let's go," Takashi said as he and Aurélien prepared to move the makeshift blockade. When they opened the door, they were greeted by three zombies in the hallway. Kohta quickly took care of them with his nail gun, each shot hitting them in the head. Aurélien blinked and said to him, "If you can do that with a hardware tool, I don't even want to imagine what you can do with a real firearm."
This compliment made Kohta smile, feeling his confidence rise. With that, the building emptied of its residents.
Japan wasn't the only country experiencing the terror of the apocalypse.
Vienna, Austria
The moon hovered above the former Austrian capital. From an aerial view, numerous shapes could be seen moving through the city's dark streets, and occasionally, large-winged creatures flew over the buildings.
Although this European city had encountered few undead at the onset of the chaos, another threat soon occupied the minds of its residents. Vampiric creatures invaded the city, devouring both its inhabitants and the undead alike. The famous Vienna Opera House became the nest of these beings, from which more and more emerged.
Austrian citizens barricaded themselves in their homes, anxiously awaiting the sunrise. Night had found its master in this part of the world.
Ekurhuleni, South Africa
One of the country's largest cities emitted no sound, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere. Only the bloodstains bore witness to the fate of its residents.
Ten kilometers from the city, a horde of hundreds of giant mutated ants began migrating toward their next targets. Every member of the colony shared one singular thought: "EAT!!!"
Beijing, China
The Forbidden City stood like an island amidst a hurricane, surrounded by a horde of millions of undead. The government quickly lost control of the city and took refuge within the ancient tourist site, transforming it into a fortress that sheltered thousands of survivors and soldiers.
Beijing had become one of the largest battlefields in history, as the military deployed every available resource to reclaim the city. The rest of the country fared no better, with massive hordes forming in its major cities.
Washington, United States
The American government was in turmoil, facing the worst crisis it had ever encountered. The National Guard had established a security perimeter around the White House, but the military leadership knew it was only a matter of time before the front lines were breached—either by the undead or by mutated creatures.
Before the Capitol could be secured, three-quarters of Congress had been turned into undead, sparking widespread panic across the country. The rapid escalation of events prevented the government from issuing clear and reassuring communications. Reports mentioned numerous religious and radical groups spreading death and violence throughout the nation, proclaiming the End Times and the need to purify the Earth.
Even more concerning, many central and southern states declared secession and announced the formation of a new Confederacy. The Confederacy's main objective was the construction of a wall to protect itself from the hostile forces of the apocalypse.
On the roof of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, a figure cloaked in fluorescent green watched the unfolding spectacle. Two stag antlers pierced through the hood covering his head, continuing to grow slowly. A joyful, deep laugh—one worthy of a grandfather watching his descendants play—echoed all around him.