The iron gates of the Takagi estate hissed shut with a finality that made the group jump. Inside, the world felt different. The air was cleaner, the screaming distant, and the gravel paths were lined with men in black suits holding high-caliber rifles. It was an island of order in a sea of sensational madness.
Jason stepped off the bus first, his body still humming with the lingering electricity of Iris's training. He felt the eyes of the guards on him—they were looking for weakness, for a reason to dismiss him. He kept his head slightly bowed, his expression humble, but his posture was as straight as a steel rod.
"Papa!" Saya cried out, running past Jason toward the imposing figure of Soichiro Takagi.
The reunion was stiff, typical of a high-ranking family, but Jason could see the relief in the father's eyes. Soichiro eventually turned his gaze toward Jason.
"You," Soichiro said, his voice like grinding stones. "My daughter says you are the reason they made it this far. You don't look like a soldier."
"I'm not, sir," Jason replied softly. He looked at his calloused hands. "I just like to fix things. I saw the world breaking, so I decided to fix the path for my friends. It was the only thing that made sense."
Soichiro narrowed his eyes. "A fixer. We have many of those. What makes you special?"
Jason looked up, and for a split second, the cold, calculating light of Iris flickered in his eyes before he softened it with a smile. "I know how to build things that don't require a power grid. And I know how to make your walls walk-proof. If you give me a workspace and some scrap electronics, I can ensure this estate never falls."
I hope that wasn't too much, Jason thought. Iris, keep the humble-o-meter at 70%. We need them to trust us, not fear us.
[SENSATIONAL. You are negotiating with a regional warlord. A display of utility is the only logical path. I have identified a shed in the eastern garden that contains an old diesel generator and various communications equipment. It is the optimal location for 'The Lab.']
"Very well," Soichiro said. "We will see what a student's 'fixing' is worth. Yuriko! Show them to the guest quarters. The boy stays in the workshop wing."
The group was led away, but as they passed, Takashi grabbed Jason's arm. "You okay, man? You look like you're about to collapse."
"I'm fine, Takashi-kun," Jason whispered, patting his friend's hand. "Go get some real food. I'll see you at dinner. I just have some... homework to do."
The workshop was perfect. It was dusty, filled with old radios, car batteries, and various mechanical parts. As soon as the door closed and the guards moved off, Jason slumped against a workbench.
Alright, Iris. No more holding back. The internet is gone, the satellites are fading, and the world is dark. Let's build something.
[INITIATING RESEARCH PROTOCOL. I am projecting the blueprints for a localized mesh-network and a short-range EMP deterrent. We will begin by stripping the copper from these old alternators.]
Jason didn't just work; he moved with a fluid, terrifying precision. His hands, guided by the haptic pulses of the AI, stripped wires and soldered circuits in seconds. He wasn't thinking about the apocalypse anymore. He was thinking about the physics of survival.
I need to find a way to make a silent long-range communicator for the group, Jason thought as he bent a piece of scrap metal. If we get separated again, I can't rely on luck.
[I have the schematics for a burst-transmission radio that mimics background white noise. Even if the military is listening, they will hear nothing but static. I am also calculating a training schedule for the others. If you want them to survive, they must be upgraded.]
Not 'upgraded', Iris. Just... prepared. I'll teach them myself. It'll be like a club activity.
He worked through the night. By dawn, the workshop was transformed. On the table sat three handheld devices that looked like rugged walkie-talkies, and a large, box-like machine connected to the estate's main gate controls.
There was a soft knock on the door. It was Saeko. She was carrying a tray of rice and miso soup. She stopped when she saw the room—the glowing blue lights of the devices and the way Jason looked, standing in the middle of a mountain of dismantled tech.
"You didn't sleep," she said, setting the tray down.
"Oh, Saeko-san," Jason said, rubbing his eyes and giving a sheepish grin. "I got a bit carried away. Once I start a project, it's hard to stop. Look! I made these for us."
He handed her one of the radios. "It doesn't need a tower. It works on a closed loop. We can talk to each other from five miles away, even underground."
Saeko took the device, her fingers brushing Jason's. She looked at him with a strange, intense curiosity. "You act like a simple student, Jason. But in this room, you look like a god of the new world."
"A god?" Jason laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "No way. I'm just the guy who fixes the toys. Come on, the rice smells amazing. I'm starving!"
He sat down and began to eat with a genuine, humble hunger. Saeko sat across from him, watching him. She knew, perhaps better than the others, that Jason was the most dangerous thing in this estate—not because of his strength, but because of his mind.
And Jason, as he ate, was already planning the next step.
Iris, scan the perimeter again. What's the count?
[SENSATIONAL. The 'horde' is consolidating. Ten thousand units are moving toward the river. They will arrive at the estate in forty-eight hours. The time for 'fixing' is over. The time for war is coming.]
Forty-eight hours, Jason thought, his spoon pausing mid-air. Okay. Let's get the team ready. We're going to turn this house into a fortress they'll never forget.
The workshop felt smaller as the morning sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the floorboards. Jason finished his meal, feeling the warmth of the miso soup settle his nerves. He looked at Saeko, who remained seated, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.
"Saeko-san," Jason said, his voice quiet. "I need to ask a favor. I'm going to start training Takashi and the others today. I've come up with a routine that should help them react faster. But I can't teach them how to keep their heads in a real fight. Not like you can."
Saeko's eyes sharpened. "You want me to teach them the sword?"
"Not just the sword," Jason explained, leaning forward. "I want you to teach them how to stay calm when everything is screaming. I'll handle the physical conditioning and the gear, but they need your discipline."
"And what about you, Jason?" she asked, her voice silky but firm. "Who teaches you?"
Jason gave a small, humble shrug. "I just follow the instructions in my head. I'm just a quick learner, I guess."
Iris, can we provide her with a training syllabus? Something that matches her kendo style but optimizes it for multiple targets?
[SENSATIONAL. I have already cross-referenced 400 years of martial arts records with the biological movement patterns of the 'them.' I am projecting the 'Crowd Control Form' to your retinal display now. You can describe it to her as 'something you saw in an old manual.']
Jason spent the next hour talking with Saeko, describing movements and footwork that seemed impossible, yet made perfect sense to her warrior's intuition. By the time they finished, she looked at him not just with curiosity, but with a deep, unsettling respect.
By midday, the entire group was gathered in the estate's training yard. The guards watched from the balconies, whispering among themselves about the "transfer student" and his friends.
"Alright everyone!" Jason called out, clapping his hands. He looked a bit out of place in his oversized workshop shirt, but there was an assertiveness in his stance that hadn't been there before. "I know we're all tired, and I know this place feels safe. But we can't rely on walls forever. We need to be faster and stronger."
"Is this like gym class?" Shizuka-sensei asked, tilting her head.
"A bit more intense, Sensei," Jason said with a sheepish grin. "Hirano-kun, I have something for you."
He handed Kohta a set of custom-made goggles. "I put some special lenses in these. They use the infrared sensors I scavenged. They'll help you see their heat signatures through fog or smoke. It'll make your sniping much more effective."
"Whoa... Jason, you're a genius!" Kohta cheered, strapping them on immediately.
"And for Takashi and Rei," Jason continued, pulling out two weighted vests. "I want you to wear these while we run. It'll build your endurance. We're going to do some reflex drills. Saeko-san is going to help us."
The training was brutal. Jason didn't act like a drill sergeant; he ran alongside them, even though Iris was pumping his muscles with 40% resistance. He struggled just as much as they did, sweat pouring down his face, which made them push even harder. If the "weak" kid could do it, they could too.
Iris, monitor their heart rates. If anyone hits the red zone, let me know. I don't want to break them, just forge them.
[MONITORING. Subject: Takashi Komuro is at 85% capacity. Subject: Rei Miyamoto is at 78%. They are adapting quickly, Jason. The sensational urge to survive is a powerful catalyst.]
As the sun began to set, the group collapsed on the grass, gasping for air. Even Saeko was breathing heavily, her wooden practice sword scarred from the drills. Jason stood over them, offering water bottles with a tired but encouraging smile.
"Good job today, everyone," Jason said. "I know it's hard. But look at it this way: the more we sweat now, the less we bleed later."
"You're... you're a monster, Jason," Takashi panted, though he was smiling. "How are you still standing?"
"I'm just stubborn," Jason joked, though his legs felt like lead.
Suddenly, the estate's emergency siren began to wail—a low, mournful sound that cut through the evening air.
Jason's face went cold. He didn't need the siren to know what was happening. Iris was already flashing a massive red warning in his vision.
[THEY HAVE ARRIVED. The sensational horde has breached the outer residential perimeter. Estimated time to contact with the estate gates: 15 minutes. The count has exceeded my initial projections. There are twelve thousand units.]
"Takashi! Rei! Get to the walls!" Jason shouted, his voice echoing with a new, commanding authority. "Hirano, get to the watchtower! Saeko, stay with Shizuka-sensei and the non-combatants in the main hall. Use the radios I gave you!"
"What about you?" Saya asked, her face pale.
"I'm going to the gate," Jason said, turning toward the workshop. "I have a little surprise I've been working on. Iris, activate the 'Static Field' prototype. Let's see if we can give these things a proper welcome."
The gates of the Takagi estate were massive, but against the weight of thousands of bodies, they looked like toothpicks. The sound was the worst part—the collective moaning of twelve thousand dead souls, a sensational wall of noise that vibrated in the very bones of the survivors.
Soichiro Takagi was at the gate, his men leveling their rifles. "Fire at will!" he roared.
The air was filled with the thunder of gunfire, but for every one that fell, ten more took its place. The "them" were piling up against the iron bars, their limbs tangling, creating a ramp of flesh.
"It's no use!" one of the guards screamed. "There are too many!"
"Step back!" a voice commanded.
Jason arrived, carrying a heavy, improvised backpack with thick cables leading to two metallic pads in his hands. He looked small compared to the soldiers, but he walked right up to the vibrating gate.
"Young man, get back!" Soichiro shouted.
"Trust me, sir!" Jason replied, his voice steady.
He slammed the metallic pads against the iron frame of the gate.
Iris, discharge the capacitor bank. Now!
[SENSATIONAL. DISCHARGING 50,000 VOLTS.]
A blinding arc of blue electricity erupted from the gate. The iron bars hummed with a lethal current. The zombies pressed against the metal were instantly cooked, their nervous systems exploding. A chain reaction of electricity surged through the wet, rotting bodies of the horde, knocking back the first three rows in a violent, sparking explosion of flesh.
The smell of ozone and burnt meat filled the air. The moaning stopped for a brief second as the front line of the horde was turned into a wall of charred corpses.
Jason stumbled back, his hands smoking, his face pale from the effort. The backpack was glowing red-hot.
"That... should buy us some time," Jason panted, looking up at the stunned Soichiro. "But the battery is dead. We need to hold the walls the old-fashioned way now."
Soichiro looked at the smoking gate, then at the boy. For the first time, he bowed his head to Jason. "You are more than a fixer. You are a wall itself."
"I'm just Jason," the boy said, grabbing his baton and looking out at the endless sea of shadows. "And I'm not letting them in."
Chapter 7
The battle for the Takagi estate lasted through the night. It was a sensational display of endurance. While the guards fired until their barrels glowed red, Jason's team moved like a precision instrument.
Takashi and Rei held the top of the stairs, their movements synchronized and efficient. Saeko was a blur of steel in the courtyard, any zombie that managed to climb the wall of corpses met her blade before they could even growl. And high above, Kohta Hirano was a ghost, his silent air rifle—perfected by Jason and Iris—picking off the leaders of the clusters with terrifying accuracy.
Jason, however, was everywhere. He moved between the lines, repairing jammed weapons, treating minor wounds, and using his baton to crush any skull that got too close. He didn't act like a commander; he acted like a brother.
Iris, status on the horde's density.
[DEGRADING. You have neutralized approximately 4,000 units. However, the sensational stress on the group is reaching critical levels. They need a reprieve.]
I have one more trick, Iris. But it's going to destroy the workshop's power supply. Do it.
[RELEASING ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY. WARNING: This will cause temporary nausea in humans.]
Jason grabbed a megaphone he had modified and keyed it into the estate's speaker system. A high-pitched, invisible wave of sound rippled out from the estate. To the humans, it was a sharp headache; to the zombies, whose ears were sensitive to specific frequencies, it was agonizing.
The horde began to scatter, their movements becoming erratic and confused. They turned away from the gates, wandering back into the darkness of the suburbs.
As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, the silence finally returned. The estate was surrounded by a literal mountain of the dead, but the gates had held.
The survivors stood on the walls, looking out at the carnage. They were covered in blood and soot, but they were alive.
Jason sat on the ground near the gate, his head between his knees. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Takashi.
"We did it, Jason. We actually did it."
Jason looked up, his eyes tired but filled with a humble warmth. "We did it together, Takashi. But this is just the beginning. We can't just stay behind walls forever. We need to start rebuilding. We need to find other survivors."
"You really think we can?" Rei asked, sitting down beside them.
Jason looked at the "God's Eye" view Iris was still projecting—a map of the country, filled with tiny pockets of life waiting for a signal.
"I know we can," Jason said. "I have the data. I have the tools. And I have the best team in the world."
Iris, start the next phase. 'Project Renaissance.'
[INITIATING. SENSATIONAL CHOICE, JASON. THE AGE OF SURVIVAL ENDS. THE AGE OF RECLAMATION BEGINS.]
Jason stood up, looking at his friends. He was no longer just a transfer student or a reincarnator. He was the anchor of a new world. And he was going to make sure it was a world worth living in.