Blaze rubbed his forehead. As a zombie, he couldn’t suffer headaches, yet felt like he was. Multiple routes to progress were laid before him, only to be blocked at the last turn.
Meanwhile, Marrow was hard at work. Perhaps she was overcompensating to prove her loyalty.
Both golden and black tendrils were flowing out of her constantly. New skeletons were being added to the ranks.
That’s when Blaze noticed something.
Whenever the golden tendril accidentally touched an undead, it shriveled up instantly. The same was the case for the frogkins, but when black tendrils touched them.
The black tendrils can heal the undead, while the gold ones harm them. And vice versa for the living.
A smile formed on Blaze’s lips. Perhaps infecting a hundred undead wouldn’t be a tiresome task like he had assumed. He opened the map of the zoo and began looking around for something.
His finger rested upon the leaf-cutter ant colony. They were the only large species of ants in the zoo and were perfect for the job Blaze had in mind.
The ants came with inbuilt specialized roles ranging from workers to soldiers. But Blaze had a feeling those ranks were now outdated, considering how every creature had evolved on Earth.
Still, the fact that they had specific roles meant he wouldn’t need to train them. Besides, the frogkins needed to eat something. The mutated ants would prove to be a great food source.
However, taking them on would be no easy feat.
Unlike the frogkins, the ants would move together as one unit.
The only reason Blaze could defeat Saturn and turn the frogkins into his slaves was because he fought them alone. The ant queen wouldn’t be so reckless.
If threatened, the entire colony would attack them and considering how many ants a colony could have... Blaze just might meet the maker this time.
Strength wouldn’t help him against the ants. It was probably the reason no other species had dared to attack them yet.
And how did Blaze know that?
Of course, it was Fester’s doing.
The rat had come across the ant colony while digging escape routes. Although Blaze couldn’t understand everything it told him, he understood enough not to mess with them.
But now, things were different. With Marrow’s black tendrils and Fester’s digging capabilities, converting and taking over the ant colony wouldn’t be too difficult.
Marrow, Fester. I have an important task for you two.
Meanwhile, back in the naval base.
The morning light rushed through the gaps in the curtain, greeting Neha. She yawned before quickly slipping out of the bed. Her bare feet made no noise as she carefully picked her discarded uniform off the ground.
"What’s the rush to leave?" Michael asked, propping himself on his elbows. "You’re one of my women now. No one will dare question you even if you’re late to your duties."
Neha stopped, then rolled her eyes.
One of his women? He was just playing with him like a dog. After all, to tame a wild dog, one first needed to feed them, gain their trust and then wrap the leash around their neck.
Right now, Neha was merely feeding him. Much like she fed Min.
Did it make her feel disgusting?
She had foolishly held on to her morals in her past life, only to die a miserable death.
That’s why she took the advice of the Blaze of her past life.
To survive in a rotten world, one must exploit everyone around them. Even their friends and family. Morals don’t feed your stomach in an apocalypse, power does.
The words rang out in her ears again. It was ironic that she was living the way he wanted her to live, but he was the first one she killed.
No... The first one I tried to kill. Only for him to return... talk about being the child of destiny.
Neha shook her head. She no longer wanted to think of the past, but perfect her present. No matter the cost.
"Where are you lost?" Michael asked, before lighting a cigar. "I can’t blame you. I am just that good in bed, hehe."
Neha didn’t reply, just kept dressing while Michael devoured her with his eyes. She knew what he was doing, but she didn’t care. She buckled the last strap on her boots and straightened up, adjusting her gloves.
She was about to leave when Michael asked something that stopped her in her tracks.
"Do you think he’s dead?" he asked. "Hailey, I mean."
Neha glanced over her shoulder and nodded. From Jade’s words, it didn’t seem the Blaze from her past life had changed. There was no way he would send them a second warning like he did with John and Jade.
However, Michael didn’t need to know about all that.
"He is dead already," she finally said. "The base is yours to control."
Michael burst out laughing at her words. The base had been in his control for a while now.
Even before Neha came into the picture, he had been plotting against Hailey. It was just that Neha’s presence gave the rest of the factions the push to join him and oust Hailey.
But now they had a bigger concern.
"About the zombie king you mentioned," he said. "How are we supposed to fight something like that? Just the trek to Carmel Valley would take over ten hours with minimal rest, then we’d have to prepare—"
Tired of his running mouth, Neha put her finger on his lips. It wasn’t a cutesy moment, but Michael’s brain interpreted it as one.
"First of all," she said, "The headless are not zombies. They are a different species altogether. Referring to them as zombies is like calling you a Private."
She continued, "As for how to defeat them, you can leave that to me. Just give me your soldiers and wait for me to bring you all the spoils for us to take over this world."
"Right now, I’m dreaming of something else," Michael laughed and pulled her back in.
Neha didn’t resist and fell on top of him. Her uniform came undone again, and their voices filled the room... and outside as well.
Min stood outside, his back pressed against the wall. His fists remained clenched on the side as he gritted his teeth.
He had never been a fan of the green, but now... he was forced to wear one.
It would seem Neha had overestimated her control over the others, because a strange plan began brewing in Min’s mind.