Chapter 14 - System Upgrades

The next morning, I sat watching the monitor as everyone slept. Reviewing my stats, I wanted to see where I stood now.

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Name: Victor

Race: High Human

Occupation: Reincarnated Person

Age: 17

Level: 27

Attack: 300

Defense: 180

Mental Strength: 170

Willpower: 160

Points: 2300

Skills:

Satou System

Skill Shop

Guide Pixie (Locked - Unlocks in World Phase 2)

Lucky Looter - Rank 3

Red Neck Engineer - Rank 4

Weapons Specialist - Rank 5

Medical Knowledge - Rank 6

Survivalist - Rank 9

Mechanical Engineer - Rank 5

Structural Engineer - Rank 5

Business Man - Rank 3

Olympian - Rank 5

(Page 1 of 10)

World Phase 1 - 20%

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I had noticed that when my subordinates/lovers made kills I got a portion of the points. In my case if I killed a normal zombie I got two points, if they killed one I got only 1 point. Since I could only see stat values and the skill names people had, my theory was that people had skill point banks as well. Once I got a skill to edit their stats, skills, and titles I could very easily raise a powerful army. Unfortunately no such skill had been made available to me yet so I had to be patient.

'If I am also right, I can rank up their skills like I do with mine. If that is the case I can help boost Saeko's swordsmanship, and help boost skills I am in critical need of.', I thought, 'It be even cooler if I could purchase a skill, and give it to one of my lovers. The skill shop would probably have something like that down the road, but I can't put all my eggs in that one basket.'

Seeing I had a few notifications in the system, I opened the notification tab. I generally didn't bother reading anything here because most of the information here was all about points I gathered, zombies I killed, the damage I dealt, and the points I earned from the action of defeating/killing people and zombies. Scrolling through most of the zombie deaths, I found a three notifications for tabs I had unlocked. Adding them to my screen, I reviewed what I had got.

'Lovers, Community, and Quest tabs...', I thought.

The Lover tab had the women I was romantic with, their current status, a health bar, and a stamina bar. Tapping on each woman's name, I saw fields for their stats that were greyed out signifying that I could edit them but I didn't have the skill unlocked. In addition to that, I could see their affection level for me. Most of them were labeled Faithful Lover, but Miss Komuro was labeled Unhealthy Obsession. Based on the interaction from last night, I could already assume that.

'I hope I eventually find a method for removing those debuffs. If she does have kids with me, I need her to be mentally stable otherwise my kids could be mentally unstable too.', I thought, 'I better snag all those library books to research the issue further. I don't think anyone will be in that area again so it should be safe enough to take everything.'

Closing that tab, I opened the Community tab. This tab had all the survivors under my care, their skill sets, and their current status. The children were in a sleep/fearful state while the the adults were just in sleep state. I couldn't blame them given the situation, they were literally only a few feet away from death at times. The noises the zombies made terrified them to the point that several times they nearly ran out of their room in tears. If it were for the few teachers sleeping in there with them, I was sure they would have never been able to sleep.

The last tab contained Quests I could complete to gain bonus points for my Skill Store, and items I could use for survival. Scrolling through the list, I cashed in the ones I had already completed bring my total point total up to 4700. Purchasing the Daily Double skill, I applied it to my fifty caliber ammo pile. Those bullets would be invaluable in the case of fighting the bigger guys we would meet. Upgrading the perk a few times I applied it to my other ammo piles for good measure. Before closing the tab though, I saw a quest to kill a Special Tyrant Zombie for the Lover/Community Stat Editor skill.

'So there is a skill for it!!', I thought with excitement, '...that said, what the hell is a Special Tyrant Zombie? Is it one with a name, or is there something unique about it?'

"System Message: Good Morning Survivor, the Satou System is happy you have managed to survive up to this point. As an apology gift for the mess your Reincarnation God caused, the Board of Reincarnations has given you the three tabs you just reviewed. Under normal circumstances editing a system deployed in the field would be against policy, but this is a extreme situation. Please use the new tabs to aid in your survival.", the system said, "Emergency Override: Releasing System Guide."

A bright flash of light fill the room blinding me for a moment before a skill added itself to adjust my vision for bright lights.. After a few seconds the light faded, and nothing happened. Thinking something had gone wrong I looked around just in case I missed my guide.

"System Message: Guide has become lost...rerouting.", the system told me.

'You aren't instilling confidence in me.', I thought, 'If my guide is lost out of the gate, I am fucked. Did you make Zoro my fucking guide?'

"System Message: System is locating a suitable replacement for your guide.", the system said.

'Fucking hell!! You wanted that man to be my guide!? He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag.', I thought with a sigh, 'I will definitely take Nami thought!'

"System Message: Dispatching replacement Guide now.", the system responded.

Immediately a dark hole appeared, and out popped a really small woman that I identified immediately.

"You are Midna, right?", I whispered.

"You can speak to me telepathically, and yes I am.", she replied, "It's nice to meet you."

"How did you end up as my guide?", I asked.

"Let's say I owed a favor to someone. You almost got Paimon, but she thought you'd actually might make her Emergency Rations. She called me in, and well...here I am!", she giggled, "All I can say is...don't challenge her to an eating contest."

"Oh...okay.", I said, "Well can you give me some guidance?"

"Hmm...always look both ways before crossing the street.", she told me with a playful smirk.

"Seriously...", I sighed.

"I am kidding, you need to lighten up a bit.", she laughed, "Stress isn't good on you, Milf Killer."

"Huh?", I questioned.

"The title you earned several years ago, Milf Killer.", she remarked.

Looking in my notifications again, I found that I had indeed had that title. Rubbing my forehead, I realized now why I had so many older women that liked to flirt with me. Somehow I earned the title without realizing it.

"You can thank the silver haired woman you meet in Scandinavia.", she informed me, "She is the reason you earned the title."

"Wait...she was the Minister of Foreign Affair's maid, right?", I said vaguely remembering that, "It was...Astrid!"

"Correct, she is a yandere and the kindness you showed her won her heart.", Midna stated, "When this started she assassinated her charges, and headed this way."

"She did what now...", I gulped.

"She killed her employer for his involvement, packed up her things, and flew a plane in this direction. If all works out for her, she will arrive tomorrow.", she giggled, "She will be an invaluable member to your group."

"Yeah...a Yandere and a Harem don't mix.", I reminded her.

"Oh, and that mother you slept with wouldn't kill for your affection.", she snickered.

"I hope she wouldn't...", I remarked.

"I suggest not telling her son then, let her tell him.", Midna warned.

"Noted and approved, not telling him...got it.", I stated.

"Now then, let's get on to the nitty gritty.", she said getting serious, "You need to get the people out of the hospital in the next three days, or your chances of getting all those women and the critical staff you need is history. Umbrella is bringing out the big guns, and they are going to take Sayo back even if the body count is ridiculously high."

"We talking a larger swarm than last night?", I inquired.

"No, they have shipped an early production Tyrant.", she told me.

Looking at my inventory I knew I didn't have the necessary firepower for that enemy. I could fight it toe to toe with my fists, but the fight would endanger a lot of people. Not only that, it would draw attention from Umbrella who would likely add me to their list of targets. Either way though, I didn't have a choice in fighting it or not. Sayo, Yuko, Yoko, and the others were all worth the risk in my opinion. Sure I was looking at them as beauties, but it was also true that they were incredibly intelligent women in their own right. Their knowledge would be invaluable down the road for rebuilding the world.

"May I suggest this perk to assist you further? While you could overcome the Tyrant in hand to hand combat, you lack the power to give a decisive blow.", she asked opening my Skill Shop and pointing to a skill called Spartan Rage, "This is the same skill Kratos had in the last installment you got to play. The next one was quite a good game too, better than God of War 4. It will give you an immense strength, durability, endurance, and stamina boost that should be sufficient to kill it."

"Don't rub it in!!", I sniffled, "I had that on pre-order!!"

Based on the points though, I would need to go zombie killing today and tomorrow to earn enough points. On top of that I am going to need to finish the bus upgrades, secure more food, and send people out to look for families...fuck. In the end though, that skill would help butter Sayo up as she likes powerful men out of instinct if I remembered right.

"So did the mansion blow up last night? I expected an explosion to shake the building last night.", I inquired.

"Your father-in-law placed his faith in a few bad apples. Unfortunately the explosives weren't properly setup, and he perished unable to take them out. They have continued marching south wreaking havoc everywhere.", she said.

"It was Umbrella, right?", I said knowing that was likely what happened.

"Correct, he made the right choice leaving Yuriko to you. If he hadn't...let's just say there are worse things than death awaiting her.", Midna told me, "Yuriko has allies in high places, and has deep pockets to make things happen. I suggest tying the knot quickly with her to ensure some other guy doesn't show up."

Not wanting to know what that meant, I acknowledged that I had saved her by going to see them. Coming to terms with everything, I knew how we would plan our day out for efficiency since we were running on a tight deadline.

---Breakfast---

Sitting down with all of them over our meal I went over how we would coordinate our time. Kohta would take his team back out to look for supplies as they had the method down pat. Pulling out a map I said I had received from Saya's father, I had him mark down where he would be searching today. Circling the areas further away from Tokyo, I was happy to see he was planning accordingly for smaller hordes. Looking at Takashi and Hisashi, I gave them a stern look.

"I have seen growth from both of you in your teamwork. Today I want you both to lead a single group around the city looking for family members and friends of people here.", I told them before pointing to several survivors, "All of you will go with them, and scope out places where your families may go. I don't want to assume they went for the bridge, or that they are dead. If you find them or other survivors, bring them here. Today is the only day you have to look for them, after this that is it...it will be up to chance to run into them."

"How will we be getting around?", Takashi asked.

"Yuriko, can I ask that you drive? Only a few people here can drive.", I stated.

"I can handle that.", she agreed.

Nodding I then told Merna she would be holding down the fort today, and would be acting as our relay. Producing a group of four radios from my bag, I said these were items I found that would help us. Stating that I pulled it from a downed chopper, I said they were all still in functioning order.

"Where are you going?", Kiriko inquired.

"I am going to take a team to pick up the supplies we need for upgrading two buses. There is a garage not far from here that I saw I could do the upgrades at. My goal, in case anyone didn't hear, was to be out of this area in a week. We will be going to Okinawa to secure a military ship, and getting off this island.", I informed everyone.

"Do you even know how to pilot a ship?", a few people asked with concern.

"I have been trained too, yes. I spent several months clean, maintaining, and operating Navy craft.", I answered relieving their fears, "Once we are out to sea the threat of zombies goes away, but there will still be challenges out there. Staying here is a death trap, and go out to sea means we will run into other military forces and Umbrella ships. I know it isn't the best option, but it is the better of the two options."

"What about go to a local island off shore? From what I have seen, they don't like going into water.", Kohta stated.

"Any of them not connected to shore? Even by sewer?", I questioned.

"Right...yeah I can't think of any.", he answered, "What about finding a desert island?"

"We don't know the extent of their reach into various military powers. I would have to make some calls to determine that, but if my hunch is right we would have to worry about airstrikes.", I remarked.

Everyone agreed leaving Japan was the best option, so they got into their groups and headed out for the day.

---Victor's group---

"I take it you have a second bus in mind?", Kiriko asked as I drove around.

"I do, we are going to do a run on the city bus garage to take one of them. We will remodel it, load most of the people in it, and have the elite group ride the smaller bus.", I replied, "The larger bus gives more room for survivors, but also means we have to move slower. It's a risk I am willing to take given our numbers now."

"What about the hospital?", Mikoto inquired nervously.

"We will go get them, we need them if we are going to survive in the long run. Their medical knowledge will be crucial in maintaining a healthy group. Do you think you can convince them?", I questioned.

"I do, if they know we are leaving they will probably come with us. It's clear the military and government aren't going to help, and they can only hold out so long.", she stated.

Nodding my head I hoped they would listen, or I would drag their asses out over my shoulder. I wasn't about to leave them behind. We needed them alive to help Shizuka with medical procedures, and most importantly...I am not about to leave beauties like that behind. Not only were they skillful medical professionals, they were also bad asses with guns and swords...exactly what the doctor ordered in a zombie apocalypse.

"Hehe.", Midna laughed at me, "Already set your mind on them?"

"Hey now, according to you if I don't do it now they will die.", I growled, "Of course I am going to save them!"

"Oh yes, that Tyrant will slaughter them if you don't go.", she told me, "It will beat the shit out of them like they were ragdolls, and haul Sayo away to be tormented like a lab rat."

"You have to phrase it like that...", I sighed.

"Of course, it's enjoyable to tease you.", she giggled.

Ignoring that, I focused on looking for the parts we needed. Stopping at several parts store's we managed to collect the majority of what I needed. Taking out zombies while we got everything, as soon as we left the store I pulled everything inside into my inventory for future use. If we couldn't comeback here for several decades taking the parts now was the best option. Using the map to locate the last few parts I needed, I started noticing an uptick in the number of zombies heading our way.

'I am going to have to upgrade the bus in my inventory, aren't I?', I considered, 'We will swing by the bus garage, and I will pull a bus into my inventory as we do a pass.'

Doing that I got a visual on the horde running around the city that I had seen already on the map. Seeing an object zipping around the sky, I realized that Umbrella was guiding the zombies with drones somehow. Pulling out my rifle, I shot it down and watched the horde scatter. Making a note of that, I marked 'Drones' down on my map and set them to Dark Red so I could easily locate them. Doing that made hundreds of normal red dots Dark Red meaning this pathing did have a method to it.

'Interesting...so other than Sayo, what else are they after?', I thought, 'Nukes? Others like Sayo? Maybe just a test run for things to come? Also...if Sayo is their experiment, does that mean a specific model of drone can control her? So many new questions to get answers for...'

---Base---

Getting back to base, I started processing the upgrades via a 3D model in my system. Tweaking parts to get the most horsepower and defense I could, I couldn't help but smile looking at the estimated stats the system was giving me.

'This like building vehicles in a racing simulator.", I thought.

"I am honestly surprised you didn't do this sooner.", Midna told me.

"I have experimented a little, nothing on this scale.", I stated.

"Oh?", Midna asked.

"I have assembled firearms, and cleaned them in my system.", I responded, "I even disassembled and reassembled a tank one night when I was bored. If it wasn't for parts I...borrowed...the track system wouldn't be an option for us. I am going to have to lie out my ass to explain all this shit..."

"Fair enough, seems like you could have been doing more.", she teased.

"I had to keep a low profile, last thing I wanted was Umbrella targeting me right out of the gate.", I retorted, "I had enough idiots in boarding school and when I traveled around the globe. That maid for example, she was forced into that position to pay for medical bills her mother accrued. Unfortunately that slimy politician never paid them, and life support was cut. I remember when she came back from the hospital...she looked so gutted, and distraught."

"That's the exact day she fell head over heels for you.", Midna giggled, "You swooped in to comfort her, and she now feels you are her destined partner."

"I only comforted her like any good person should!", I snapped.

"No one else shed a tear, but you and her.", Midna told me, "She didn't get time to mourn, time bury her mother, or even money to do it...they cremated her and disposed of the ashes."

"No wonder she killed him!", I remarked.

"Exactly, not a drop of remorse for the action.", she said.

Widening the range of my map, I found her entering China air space. With all the shit going on right now, I doubted they would attack her. Judging by the map, they had several hundred million zombies running around Asia now. In Japan alone we had several million zombies on the map, and most were congregated in Tokyo for some reason.

"Is there something in Tokyo I need to be concerned about?", I inquired.

"It's all part of the offense in two days.", Midna said, "Black Label does have some allies in the Japanese Government so Umbrella has to keep them hemmed in. They don't want the Tyrant's coming into public knowledge as they are months away from the final product. The one they are sending isn't the final product, it still has several flaws in it's design."

"I get you, they are forcing the military to focus on the Safe Zone in the capital so they have no reinforcements at the hospital.", I replied, "Still though...that's an awful lot of zombies to use to keep them in place."

"It is what it is.", she shrugged, "All I can tell you is that if you succeed in saving the group, you will have a shit ton of zombies all over your ass."

"Yeah I assumed as much. I am thinking about doing a night raid on Okinawa.", I stated, "Take some machine guns, ammo, and mines...assuming anything is left there."

"I can't answer that.", she giggled, "That's on you to find out."

"I thought you were supposed to be my guide...", I complained.

"I am your guide, I am not Google though.", she laughed before disappearing.