Buttering Up

Vroom!

Five roaring vehicles stopped in front of a tall gate.

"Halt! Identify yourselves!"

Soldiers wearing blue uniforms and body armors glared at five vehicles.

They shone spotlights to the convoy.

Clack!

A tall youth came out of the car.

He was waving a white flag.

"Sir! My name is Zeta, and we came to seek shelter for the night!"

His voice was loud and clear.

"Proceed to the detainment area!"

Krangg!

The gates opened and they drove inside.

They soon arrived inside a steel cage, resembling a checkpoint station.

"Step out of the vehicles and with your hands up! Put down any weapons you have on the ground!"

Several officers surrounded the metal cage.

Dried blood and pieces of flesh could be seen on the cage's surface.

'Must be their way to prevent bitten victims from mixing with the base's survivors.'

As the virus turns a human in less than 20 seconds, detaining the outsiders in a cage for a period of time would reveal the Infected.

"Step back to your vehicles with your hands at the back of your head! Put your heads towards your vehicles!"

Creaaak!

The metal cage's door opened.

A few moments later, several officers approached them, pointing their rifles.

They searched them and their vehicles thoroughly.

"Sir! No sign of bites was spotted!"

A subordinate's loud voice reported to his superior.

"You! Are you this group's leader?"

A masculine, strict looking officer addressed Erza.

"Yes sir, and we brought gifts for General Rudolph!"

Erza waved his hands to the boxes of foodstuffs and cans of fuel.

…

"Hahaha! Thank you, thank you Zeta!"

A wholesome belly laugh was heard across a private dining area.

Clink!

They toasted each other's glasses.

"Aah! I haven't had such good wine for the longest time!"

A pot-bellied man licked his lips.

The man is one of the leaders of the Royal Naresian Air Force, General Rudolph.

"It's an honor for me."

Upon approaching the Air Force's entrance, the displayed amount of food and fuel he brought within the five vehicles caused an uproar with the ranks.

It would temporarily relieve them of their shortages.

'And Aqua Rose as the 'cherry' on top.'

She was dressed seductively.

Her crop top was layered with a utility vest.

Sweat was glistening her pink, healthy skin.

General Rudolph was leering at her erotic visuals.

'To think I'd even get her back. I was getting bored with the women in the base.'

They had spent the night once in the past, and she was unforgettable for him.

"General, I came for two reasons."

Erza spoke.

General Rudolph snapped back into reality.

"The first was to seek shelter for a night. And second…"

Erza made a hesitant face.

"Speak, Zeta. I will do everything in my ability to accommodate you."

General Rudolph was happy getting five cars worth of food, fuel, and ammunition.

The resources were the culmination of the team's hard work for the past few days.

They raided food stores, gas stations, and private firearms stores.

"...we'd like to borrow a helicopter from you, General."

General Rudolph frowned.

"Zeta, I want to thank you for your kind gestures but a helicopter is…"

He tried to say it in the nicest way possible, without offending the big contributor in front of him.

'I see.'

Each helicopter is a valuable asset.

They are essential for a countries' safety, to showcase to other countries that they could still counterattack if it needs to be.

"Zeta, how about you and your crew tag along when we fly in the next missions?"

He tried to negotiate with Erza.

"Thank you for the offer General, let's talk again when the time comes. I'll head out first."

Maintaining a smile, he closes the door.

It was now only the General and Aqua.

"Your boyfriend?"

General Rudolph initiates the conversation.

"What do you think?"

Aqua answered coquettishly.

"Well, I don't give a d*mm. Since he brought you here, he must really want an aircraft! Hmph!"

His eyes were looking at her as if he was undressing her.

"No, that man just merely saved me. He wants to be a local warlord, ruling over K-City. I told him that if he takes care of me, I'll put in a good word for him."

She used her superb acting skills.

"Don't stress about it. Here, let me give you a massage."

Aqua slowly got behind the General and start moving her soft, fair hands on his shoulders.

She snuck in a few playful gestures and 'unintentionally' bumped her two handful mountains to the back of his head.

Her sensual scent of sweat and body odor awakens a part of the General's body.

"I can't stand it anymore! Aqua!"

That night, the moon shone at its brightest.

The sounds of pleasure were drowned by the silence of the night.

…

The same night, a shadow was tip-toeing in the Air Force base.

On another side of the radio, a bearded youth was monitoring the view around the shadow via camera.

Click.

A helicopter's door was silently opened.

The man who infiltrated the army's helicopter was none other than Erza.

One of the skills he gained from the past ten years was muscle control.

Over the years, he learned to manage the output of his powers.

With an almost perfect link of mind-to-muscle connection, he could preserve his Cell Energy and use them wisely.

As a result of having perfect muscle control, he could walk without producing sound.

'The key is in the joints. One has to refine their mind to muscle connections in order to walk as quietly as a cat.'

With his speed of five human adults, bypassing the sentries wasn't a challenge.

And the other person on the radio was Bucky.

After searching around for a while, they found the perfect helicopter for their missions.

The Airboss Euracopter EC725!

'Let's see, according to the manuals...the system should be overridden by...now!'

Tick. Tick!

Little lights and screen began to blink on the control dashboards of the helicopter.

There was plenty of aircraft in the hangar.

Civilians are typically forbidden on these grounds.

Erza navigates around the area with Night Vision equipment.

'The base shuts off most light in fear of attracting Infected.'

Only important areas are well-lit, such as the military barracks.

Bucky could also see Erza's surroundings using night vision cameras.

They initially planned to take over the base's Central Command Control's system.

The cyber-security that the military implemented wasn't easy for Bucky's current level.

'As long as we don't get caught.'

He wasn't just planning to 'borrow' a helicopter.

'Advanced weaponry, military blueprints, classified information. It'll boost our firepower by a huge mile.'

At this point, most countries have deployed every arsenal they have.

They have to placate the civil unrest and the extraordinary pressure from the government.

A few moments later, he returned to the compound where they parked their cars.

"Welcome back, Zeta."

The team greeted him.

"How did it go?"

Mr. Zayf asked his son.

Erza gave a thumbs up.

"When we make depart tomorrow, we'll have ourselves a helicopter. And maybe a few more extra stuff."

Erza's statement puts a smile on their faces.

He was their pillar.

Everything he did benefited the whole team.

Su.

Footsteps were heard.

'Hmm?'

Several figures were approaching them in the dark.

'Children?'

When their faces met with the bonfire light, young kids aged seven to twelve appeared.

"U-um, big brothers, big sisters, please give us some food!"

Several tens of them held out their dirty hands.

Food shortages were the most severe issue during the apocalypse.

With food being rationed, thousands of civilians were malnourished.

The scruffy and grimy children begged them for any scraps they could get.

"Little child, where are your parents?"

Mrs. Numee stepped forward and gently wiped a little girl's face.

"M-Mama ate Papa. Now Mimi is all alone."

The little girl started to sniffle.

Her melancholic words tugged on their heartstrings.

The pandemic has left countless children parentless.

'Without their guardians, they have very little chances to survive.'

"Don't cry, baby girl. Here, let auntie-"

As Mrs. Numee was about to give the toddler some food, her hand was stopped.

It was Erza.

Erza looked at his mother with unconsenting eyes.

"Zeta, please! Look at how bony this child has become!"

Her maternal instinct rebelled against Erza's action.

"Zarwi, if we give food to them, the others would flock to us when they found out. It'll harm them more."

Such is reality.

The children would get robbed, or even killed by the adults for food scraps.

When they entered the base, they saw countless of dispirited survivors.

Their eyes were listless.

'They were fed with gruel made from diluted rice.'

The amount of rice was so minuscule that it tasted like water.

Upon noticing Erza's team, walking tall and looking well-fed, their eyes flashed with mixed intentions.

Some tried to approach them, but they were escorted by the General's soldiers.

They learned first-hand how strict the officers are.

The authorities did not discriminate against anyone when enforcing their powers.

Any sort of rebellious behavior would be dealt with severely according to their whim.

Women, children, or the sick, all of them have to follow their rules.

'Either it's our way or the highway! Choose!'

The authorities did not hesitate to throw out any survivors, or even shooting them.

'This is the age of strength.'

Resources, weapons, and manpower.

One could become a king with these.

"Son, can't we do anything?"

Mr. Zayf whispered to his son.

Erza shook his head.

They have limited supplies with them after presenting the resources to the General.

He has to take care of his own people first.

"Scram! There's no food here! If you don't disappear after three seconds, I'll shoot every one of you to death!"

A harsh voice shouted to the group of children.

It was Director Jing.

He swung a metal pipe on the ground with flair!

"Aaah!"

The children frantically scattered, afraid of being hurt.

He decided to take the role of a villain.

"Baby girl, there's nothing auntie can do. Here, take this! Eat this now and don't tell anyone!"

In the midst of the commotion, she unwrapped a little candy and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Thank you, auntie! I love you!"

The little girl hugged Mrs. Numee.

In the mere moments they hugged, she activated her Talent.

"Now go! Run along!"

Mrs. Numee reluctantly separated from the child and pushed her away.

"Thanks for understanding, Mum."

Erza said to his mother while tapping her shoulder.

"I know son, we had too."

She hugged her tall and muscular son.

Warm liquid rolled down her cheeks.

She couldn't hold back her tears.

"B-but Erza, t-that girl! She had so many injuries! *hic* !"

In the few seconds she touched the child, she diagnosed her and found out that she was suffering from a few diseases.

'Ear infection, skin disease, tapeworms.'

Common illnesses that weren't an issue if it was treated early.

But with the absence of medical care, these children could not survive.

'Not to mention the scarcity of medicines.'

These resources would be reserved for soldiers or important people.

Their stay in the base has thought them a lot about how lucky they were.

"Huff! Huff! Master Zeta, the little runts are gone. You have nothing to worry about!"

Director Jing panted while buttering up to Erza.

"Un. Thank you, Han Jing."

Erza gave a friendly tap to his shoulder.

He appreciated his gesture.

'Not bad.'

He's seeing him in a different light.

It was necessary because he saw a few figures in the dark, hiding behind the buildings watching from afar.

They were the adults trying to gauge if they could imitate the children's actions if they were successful.

Seeing them being chased away, the adults dispersed back into the dark silence.

"Team, get some rest. We move at 0700 hours tomorrow."

They adjourned to their cars and slept inside.

'I hope Aqua could get her mission done.'

Cricket sounds accompanied their slumber.

Tomorrow, they would pull one of the biggest heists in apocalyptic history!