NEW QUEST

Ange and I went to that place near the gas station Jeremy talked about. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to find anything, but to my surprise, Jeremy wasn't lying. There was really a safe buried under the ground with the same combination he told us. It contained a folded map and a folder. I opened the map first. It was just a regular map with a red circle over Los Angeles.

"Los Angeles, huh?" I muttered as I examined the map closely.

Next, I checked the folder. It contained a list of passwords and codes, names of various people, pictures of people, and documents.

"Jackpot!" I exclaimed as I read the contents of the folder.

"It's real! There is indeed a safe base somewhere in Los Angeles. Now we just have to go there..." Ange commented beside me as she read the map and documents too.

I nodded in agreement.

"We even got the codes required to gain entry and activate the system in there..."

I nodded again as I focused on reading the folder. There were various kinds of information inside, like how to enter the base, and how to gain access to different sections, plus the details of the security codes. This is it. Here, we'll be able to start a new. All we need to do now is reach the place safely.

"Let's go. We need to prepare for the journey."

On the way, the System quest screen popped up.

*****

Ping!

Survival mission reward: Location of a secure base obtained

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Mission: Capture Jeremy alive, secure the map & make an example out of him to reduce the chance of betrayal in the future/Run away [Completed]

Extra reward: Location of zombie Spiderman [New Mission]

....

New Mission: Kill Zombie Spiderman and gain his power. The target can be found in Kentucky.

Reward: Gain Spiderman's power

Failure: NIL

Time limit: NIL

*****

Alright, Spidey's in Kentucky. As things are, we can't take the direct route to LA, so, a detour is needed. Kentucky is on the way, so I might as well try to zombie Spidey before proceeding to the safe base. I need more power if I were to survive and lead this group to safety. And if things get dicey, I can always run away since there isn't a penalty to this quest and come back again with more preparation.

But with this many well-armed people, I doubt even a zombie spidey can get away. But then again, considering it's intelligent and the last time I almost died, can't take any chances. In the past, there was a rumor that Spiderman took down a raging Hulk with a single punch, and if there's even a little bit of truth to it, then this zombie Spiderman is gonna be a challenge.

We went back to the mall, and I gathered everyone. Tyger, Ange, Jenny, Lisa, and a few trusted members were present while the remaining members guarded the surroundings. The interrogation of Jeremy, and the face of that broken traitor, gained me the loyalty of the gang members. As for those trusted members, they were the captains, you know, the ones who lead small teams for missions. In short, veterans.

Anyway, I placed the map on the table.

"LA," I placed my finger on the red circle and looked around.

Everyone nodded as they understood the meaning of my actions.

"How far is it?" Ange asked from beside me.

"From New York to LA, well, if it were before all this shit, then approx 42-45 hrs of nonstop drive. But now? Not sure," Tyger commented from the other side.

"Probably a month or two depending upon the obstacles, zombies, and bandits and mainly, the route we are going to take. We have no idea which routes are open or closed, heck we don't even know if we can drive all the way there. If the road is blocked, then we have to go on foot. Then more danger there... Supply gathering on the way, resting... Yeah, we've no way to tell how long it will take to go there," Tyger sighed as she explained to everyone.

Everyone remained silent as they understood the difficulties.

"But let's say we somehow managed to reach LA, then we had to search for the base. The map pointer said it's somewhere in LA, but we don't have a fixed location. And there might be other survivors who occupied the base by then..." Jenny added another difficulty.

"We also have to find a place to camp there and then begin the search. If I were to guess, we'd be running into other gangs and there's a possibility of a fight. Well, all I can say is, LA is gonna be dangerous. But what choice do we have?" Tyger frowned.

"As I see it, reaching LA safely is the biggest challenge, and finding the base is the second one. We'll take the safe routes, and avoid fighting or unnecessary risks. We'll keep it quiet," Ange voiced her opinion.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, about that," I placed my finger on the route, "We can't take the direct route through Chicago, those cult bastards made their den there."

"As far as I know, we can't go through Indiana either. Bandits occupy that area. They are worse than zombies," Tyger shook her head.

"Kentucky?" Ange pointed toward Kentucky on the map. "We can go through here, the road meets at Nashville. From there we can take the road to Oklahoma, then hopefully a straight drive to LA. Give or take a day or two depending on the situation."

"Yeah, and if things are bad, we can take a detour through Texas," Lisa supported Ange.

Tyger glanced at me, "But judging from your expression, you know something about this route, right?" She asked, leaning on the table.

"Zombie Spiderman's den," I nodded as I pointed at Kentucky.

"Spiderman? Ah! The rumors..." Jace, the captain of the salvaging team, spoke as he rubbed his chin, "Isn't he dead? You know, the rumor that some superheroes went berserk and killed each other..."

"We don't know the authenticity of those rumors. Some said Ironman survived, so maybe Spiderman did too?" Ange replied.

"If there's indeed Spiderman in that place, let's kill him and take its head with us. That way, we won't have to fight those strangers or other zombies on the way. That head should keep the lower-level zombies away. Unless we meet another intelligent zombie, we won't have to worry about them jumping on us during our sleep. Though getting the head of such a zombie is gonna be tough, we need to prepare well," I said as I planned our next move.

"One big battle, then hopefully peace at night for the rest of the way, I say let's do it," Jace slammed the table as he agreed with my plan.

I glanced at Tyger.

"It's going to be dangerous," She warned, "But I'll follow your decision and so will all. But you should know one wrong move and we'll end up dead."

"That won't happen," I pointed at the map, "Here should be a shield's camp. I don't know how many died or if someone is still alive, but there should be some high-tech weapons in there. If we somehow managed to get our hands on it, we should be able to bombard Spidey from a distance. I don't know if his spider senses still work or not, but even with that he won't be able to dodge a barrage of explosions and bullets from all sides."

"As for the second plan, just in case this one goes wrong?" Tyger frowned as she stared at me.

"If there ain't any weapons in there, then we'll burn him down. Flame throwers, I got a couple of those in my basement. He won't be able to use his webs and while one team will shower him with flames, another one will snipe him, and the third team will go in and aim for his legs and arms. Chop them up then go for the head. I know he is known for his super strength, so Tyger and I will go in as the third team. If there isn't any Spidey in there, but any other heroes, we'll follow the same tactics, and if there aren't any zombies, good for us and less sleep," I smiled as I shared my plan.

"Huh! Great minds think alike," Tyger laughed as she glanced at me.

Ange sighed beside me, "I knew it was gonna be dangerous, but now that you mentioned it, it sounds even more dangerous."

"Haaa..." Lisa sighed, "I'll join Ange with the sniper team."

"What about me?" Jenny asked, "I'm pro at close combat. There isn't any way I'm sitting this one through."

"Really? You don't want to use the flame thrower? I remember you were really excited when you saw them," I tilted my head.

Jenny scratched her cheeks as she looked away, "Err... well, it's fun to burn some zombies too. But I prefer hand-to-hand combat more. So, I'll join the third team with Tyger and you, and chop him up before you know it. I'm not taking a no for an answer." She put her arms around my neck and held me in a chokehold.

"Alright, alright, I got it. Third team it is," I tapped on her arm as I gave in.

She grinned as she released me. 

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