Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Despite that, all I’d need to do was play and enjoy the game because sometimes, part of the fun was not knowing or even trying to know things like ‘magicians’ performing their tricks.

[Alright, alright, everyone’s hooked up! Now, I’ll request each of you to make your way towards the entrance and once you do, we will begin shortly. Remember, the prompts will be relayed using the big screen behind me and the speakers all around so… keep an eye and an ear out! The first person to cross the line over here wins the secret prize!]

Compared to earlier, Jericho was more excited about hosting his very own game though he seemed more focused on how his devices would work.

As I made my way to the main entrance, there were a few familiar faces among the participants though some of them I still haven’t talked to personally and had a bad run with.

They were Number 68— the guy we saw half-naked and was completely minding his own business when Mikhail and I walked by their turf, Mason— the guy who accused me of cheating when in actuality I was just using my head, and Mr. Castillo’s right hand— the guy who followed after the ‘disrespectful children’ from their family.

However, Mr. Castillo’s right hand was exuding trace amounts of bloodlust and I could already imagine what happened to the two he visited.

‘They’re either dead or beaten up to the point they’d be useless for a while. Either way, his teammates aren’t even keeping a safe distance away from him. It’s probably a usual occurrence over on their side…’

At this moment, every participant was mostly standing side by side, allowing each family to have a member or two at the front— making the rest of their team stand behind but in my case, a few participants were standing behind me because I was the only one in my group.

With that said, the huge screen behind the stage was still pure white—almost acting like a flashbang—but the moment it turned green as a short beep resounded, everyone instantly reacted and dashed forward.

Everyone else had made five to seven steps at this point but the speakers suddenly let out the same beep, and it made everyone else stop in their tracks.

However, the screen behind Jericho was still fucking green and everyone was fucking divided on what to do. Even I didn’t dare to move a single muscle, thinking it was an error in production, but once a few people walked a couple of steps forward and nothing happened, I couldn’t help but shake my head in amusement.

After a short bit, the screen turned red and the beeping sound followed and Jericho never looked so amused at our reactions.

‘This motherfucker…’

After that, the same beep resounded as the light turned green once more, but before anyone else could take a single step, it suddenly turned to red catching a few players off-guard.

“FU—”

“YOU DUMB—”

“SHI—”

[Hehe…]

*KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*

It only took a fraction of a second before electricity traveled through their bodies but to everyone’s surprise, their teammates were also electrocuted. Moreso, the ones that were more panicked got a higher voltage compared to the ones that made a mistake, and their screams resounded throughout the compound.

Some of them even tried to pry off the bracelets in their arms but all it did was send another voltage of electricity through their bodies. As soon as that happened, the ones that were just about to try and remove their bracelets stopped any notion of doing so, but the teammates of the ones that tried were also involved in the shocking punishment.

At this point, when the light turned green for a few seconds, no one from even the groups who were safe took a single step forward.

Everyone was feeling dread from the punishment that would come from a single mistake and I thanked the nine divines for participating solo. Having a large number of people could increase one’s chances of winning a game but this game was the complete fucking opposite.

[Cool, huh?]

Jericho’s voice resounded from the speakers but once his mocking face was shown on the screen, everyone didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. However, a few guys that got pissed off wanted to smack his face so hard stepped forward—even though the light was still red—had the shock of their lives because they were so fucking pissed off, the voltage that came out was even higher than what hit Enrique.

It’s just that they managed to get ahead of the pack even though they suffered from walking when they shouldn’t.

‘Wait…’

I was deep in my thoughts when the lights turned green for a second but a smile was slowly forming on my face.

‘That’s the key…’

At this point, the ones that trailed behind me at the start overtook me for a few steps but I was already trying to brace myself for what I was about to do. If everything that I thought of was right, I might’ve found the right way to cheese this game.

‘Red light means I shouldn’t… not couldn’t…’

I never breathed as slow as I could and while doing this, I was clearing my head of anything negative and was just filling it with what a certain person in Neverland could allow him to fly.

‘Rainfall, the smell of fresh-cut grass, being with Kaley— wait, that’s doing the opposite… clean dishes, clean room, clean sheets, clean guns, clean katana, sorted ammo, coffee, new books, Zeus when he’s a puppy…’

I didn’t even know I was smiling like an idiot as I casually walked forward, and even when the light turned red, I continued on while thinking thoughts that would either calm me down or make peace with myself. In doing so, I easily overtook the ones that overtook me earlier and I was leading the pack by a good ten steps or so.

The electricity was still there and I could somehow tolerate it, but it prompted a set of reactions from everyone else including the ones on the viewing platforms.

“WHAT?! WHAT’S HAPPENING?! IS HE CHEATING?!”

“H-HOW?!”

“HE’S GONNA WIN! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!”

Step by step, I was making my way to the halfway point but I suddenly felt a couple of presences behind me. With how cautious I was, I stopped in my tracks right before the red light replaced the green one because my trick could only work with no interference whatsoever.

There were no said rules about keeping other players pinned and the way how things went here, that key point would be exploited. This would be the time when playing solo would prove disadvantageous but I won’t fall to that exploit easily.

Right at this moment, I turned around and faced the two people coming from behind me before I chuckled and poised for an attack and it just caught them off-guard.

One of them was this close to grabbing onto my clothes and making me stay behind but before he was able to do anything, I suddenly pulled on his arm before I struck his throat with the tip of my fingers. He instantly started choking but I kicked the side of his knee before I followed it by kicking straight at his shin, and he fell down and got lit up.

Luckily enough, the other one that was right behind him was also his teammate so he also got electrocuted with the rest of his team. Well, I still flinched for a good second or two when I also got hit with the same thing because moving that way needs a bit of exertion.

I was leading the group with a wide margin and to continue using my trick to get ahead, the solution couldn’t be simpler.

Doing my trick didn’t even require me to look at the screen anyway so I continued facing the rest of the participants while walking step by step backward. If things went as it was going, I’d easily take the win but the other families had no intention of giving up that easily.

Number 68 was looking at me approvingly while Mr. Castillo’s right hand was just looking at me without any expression.

It only took a switch from the red screen to the green screen before they both dashed forward, but none of them knew they’d do it at the same time. Both of them were gunning straight for me so the surprise when they almost collided with each other was present.

However, it seemed that Mr. Castillo’s right hand wanted to solo me so he struck the back of the head of Number 68.

It’s just that Number 68 leaned forward at the right moment to avoid the blow, and his heel was already making its way to his opponent’s nape. It was done in one quick motion by leaning forward and twisting his body to deliver his heel in the angle but Mr. Castillo’s right hand also blocked it.

They were about to start a fight on their own and I didn’t come here to watch them so I just shrugged my shoulders and continued to jog backward.