HOTD part 2: jealousy.
"talking"
[System]
*actions*
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when the whole world was suffering from the zombies apocalypse. somewhere away from the school in an abandoned building to be exact on the top floor.
there were five people setting together in silence with everyone doing their own thing.
the five people are a combination of four guys and one woman.
the woman was checking a sniper rifle while cleaning it and packing some bullets that looked very advanced.
two guys were sitting on the table playing cards with each other as they were betting on something.
one guy was in the back checking lot of weapons from swords to guns that seemed to be his.
the most important was a man in a white suit sitting down at a table looking over the city map. the whole group seemed to be centered around him.
the silence keeps going until the two guys playing cards started to speak.
"I win...give me my money" the first guy wearing a biker jacket smiled and said.
"tch...you must be cheating" the other man wearing casual clothes with star decorations said before giving the man some game coins.
"say whatever you want" the biker took the money as he smiled.
"Hey, didn't that mask guy arrive yet?" the star man asked the biker.
"he is sure taking his time for just a surveillance task" the biker said frowning.
"sure he is...you don't think he did it" the star man said before he frowned.
"if you are thinking about that then...probably" the biker held his head like he is in headache.
"don't tell me he went for the newcomers" the star man said as he tossed the cards.
"that muscles head... can't he just listen for once" the biker said as he picked the cards.
"apparently not...do you want to bet on him?" the star man asked.
"betting about how much he will kill or how he will get tricked by the newcomers" the biker said.
"both...that guy always relying on his defensive talent to burst through everything. I bet the newcomers will make him so mad" the star guy said.
"I bet he will kill at least one of them before they realize what going on" the biker said as he put down his cards.
"said the two guys that can't do anything without their talent" the sniper woman stopped cleaning her sniper and said.
the two men put down the cards and looked at the woman.
"oh what do I hear? Ah! yes, a player that is nothing without his weapon" the biker said towards the woman.
"so what sniper lady. without that sniper of your you can't even be counted as a third rank" the star man said.
"at least I am third rank" the woman said while reloading a bullet into the sniper.
"does it really matter if you are a third rank. you can't even fight on your own" the biker man said.
"I finally can see why you had four missions but you are still a second rank" the woman taunted the biker man.
"what did you say?" the biker started to get angry.
"Hey don't be like that. you know the missions are just getting harder and harder I still can't believe we have been sent to this easy world" the star man calmed the biker before saying.
"The reason why are you weak is because you keep complaining about the difficulty without actually trying to beat it" the woman said.
"okay that it. are you looking for a fight" the biker man said.
"she has point" the weapons guy said without looking at the trio.
"now you want to talk" the star man said towards the weapons guy.
"do you know what... I started to get sick of your attitude only know how to talk without doing anything" the biker said as he started moving towards the weapons guy.
however, before he moved closer a cold voice sounded in the room.
"shut up...all of you" the suit man raised his eyes from the map and looked at everyone in the room.
everyone in the room stopped their movements as they started sweating, but it wasn't from the man cold look.
the room temperature started to rise at a fast pace making it like there was a fire nearby.
the cards on the table ignited on flames as they started to burn, but nobody paid any attention to them.
the man kept the temperature for a while before looking back at the map as the room returned to normal.
the woman was clutching her sniper as the other three men breathed a sigh of relief.
"if you have time to argue here, why you don't do something useful as checking on that blockhead" the suit man said.
"d-don't worry captain even if that guy is stupid he is still a third rank" the star man said.
"yeah it not like some newcomers will able to kill him with that hard shell of his" the biker cleared his throat and said.
"...never underestimate your enemies" the suit man said before looking at everyone in the room.
"There will be ascendant academy students in this mission even though they are new players, but their strength can't be underestimated...also don't you feel it strange that all of us are old players" the suit man asked.
"you mean there is a problem" the woman asked.
"This world is a new world where the new players get tested it not uncommon for an old player to be here, but to be a full team of them" the suit man said as he put his hand on the map.
"what do mean exactly" the star man asked.
"the most likely reason the game will put all of us together is to balance the two sides" the suit man said as all his teammates widen their eyes.
"you can't be serious captain" the biker said in disbelieve.
"yeah captain how can newcomers be even with us. look the mask guy st-" the weapons guy said before the game voice sounded in everyone head.
[your teammate player No.3175993 has been killed]
the whole room caught in silence as everyone was looking at the weapons guy.
"...*sigh*...I will stop talking" the weapons guy raised his hands.
"it seems we can't underestimate the newcomers this time" the star man said.
"I will go and check" the woman said before putting her sniper in her space.
"Are you sure?" the suit man said.
"yeah I can keep a safe distance unlike the rest of you" the woman said as the biker started to get angry again but the suit man didn't care.
"I see...go" the suit man said as the woman left the room.
the room returned to silence but everyone was taking this mission carefully this time.
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meanwhile, Akashi was moving or rather floating in a dark space.
Akashi was covered in a blue aura as seemed to look for something while moving in this space.
this space was completely dark in color except a few light screen showing a school where the zombies eating students.
the space didn't seem to work on the same rules as the outside world everything was placed weirdly without any reason and sometimes storms of some kind hit here and there.
this space is the gap between dimensions that D4C allows Akashi to access. it completely different space that connects all other dimensions and parallels worlds.
the gap is dangerous if the person crossing it didn't have protection against space storms and gravity shifts that happens all the time, but for Akashi this is like his backyard.
D4C ability provides protection from space storms even preserving the gravity while moving in this space.
Akashi able to move anywhere in this space, but only for a while because his energy will run out.
"now...if I were a highschool protagonist in a high school, where would I be" Akashi was thinking where he should find the protagonist.
Akashi put his hand on his chin while thinking.
"probably...the rooftop?...definitely the rooftop" Akashi thought before moving upwards in this space.
arriving at the rooftop location Akashi spotted 3 people running while fighting with the zombies through the window mirrors.
"they are still in the beginning" Akashi thought as he moved closer.
the first man had black hair and brown eyes as he was holding a baseball bat swinging at the zombies.
the woman had long orange hair tied into a ponytail while waving a broomstick.
the Last guy had a gray hair, the man was running while paying attention to his two friends, but he had an injury in his hand.
"Takashi Komuro and Rei Miyamoto the protagonist and one of the heroines...I don't remember the other guy" Akashi said as he started observing them.
"confused and afraid. normal feeling in this situation except... the jealousy from his friend and the enjoyment of violence" Akashi looked at Takashi that smashing zombies skull with his bat.
"afraid...very afraid of the situation, but she is able to hold herself...just why she is looking at Takashi if the other guy seems to be her boyfriend?" Akashi started to feel he saw this situation before.
"Same as the other two,but...those eyes of a person he knew that his end is coming, and he is giving his last effort for his friends." Akashi said as the grey hair guy saved the girl from a zombie in the stairs and three of them ran towards another rooftop.
"now...what should I do" Akashi started thinking.
"well even if it didn't work this will be an experiment for the future" said Akashi before taking something from his space and moving forward.
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"Hisashi! what wrong" rei rushed towards Hisashi that was coughing blood as his condition got far worse than before.
"Takashi! Hisashi is" rei called Takashi to help Hisashi, but he stood in his place completely shocked.
Hisashi started to breathe heavily with blood leaking from his mouth.
"But...it was just a bite" rei said in disbelieve as she didn't want to believe what happening.
"it just like movies...once you being bitten you become one of them...there no stopping it" Hisashi said as he was sitting on the ground.
rei wanted to argue but Hisashi told her all that happening is like the movies before turning towards the shocked Takashi.
"Takashi...help me" Hisashi said.
"help with what?" Takashi said while still being in shock as Hisashi pointed at the rooftop edge.
"If I fall from there...the fall will probably crush my head" Hisashi said as Takashi and rei freaked out.
"WHAT AR-" rei wanted to scream but Hisashi interrupted her.
"I DON'T WANT TO BECOME ONE OF THEM!!!" Hisashi screamed as he started to puke blood all over the ground.
"HISASHI!!!" rei started to scream and Takashi stood in his place from the disbelieve.
however, in a position they didn't see. a hand appeared from between Hisashi leg and ground holding a syringe as it injected Hisashi instantly.
both rei and Takashi didn't see the hand even Hisashi that being injected didn't feel pain because his health condition now as the hand disappeared.
Hisashi threw up blood one last time before falling towards the ground.
somewhere inside the school Akashi appeared inside a classroom while holding a syringe in his hand.
"emotions are a strong motivator" Akashi said as he was looking at the syringe in his hand.
on the rooftop after Hisashi fall down Takashi started to tell rei to move away, but she refused.
Takashi clutched his bat as he took a deep breath before moving slowly towards Hisashi even if Rei was screaming.
"the emotions can make the person do the impossible if they are strong enough" Akashi said as he throws the syringe.
raising the bat Takashi took one last look at his friend face before almost swinging, but he heard a cough.
Hisashi that was supposed to turn into a zombie started to cough as he opened his eyes in confusion and stood up slowly while asking about what happened.
Takashi started in disbelieve and happiness while rei started to cry as she threw herself at Hisashi.
"in these times where every law or restraint on the humans becomes a past...jealousy becomes a very dangerous thing" Akashi said while moving forwards as the game voice sounded in his head.
[the player saved Hisashi Igou and caused a big change in destiny]
[rewards:7000 coins and 2 C-class evaluation]
Takashi happy smile stiffened as he lowered the bat when he saw Rei hugging Hisashi before returning to normal and rushing towards Hisashi asking him if he was okay.
"The rewards are better than expected...it seems I literally broke down the established destiny" Akashi smiled as he watched the zombies around.
"now our dear fellow players. will you be able to protect or kill the protagonist before...they destroy themselves?" Akashi grinned while his eyes glowed because of the message that appeared in front of every player in this world.
[Hisashi Igou joined the protagonist team]
"what performance you will show me...Hisashi Igou" Akashi grinned at the message.
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