As they continued their journey, they encountered a military checkpoint where many survivors with vehicles had already been stopped. When the military officers saw their vehicle approaching, they immediately called for backup and approached them, knocking on their window.
"Excuse me sir, may I ask the reason for your presence here?" the officer inquired politely. "We're heading towards the city," Souta replied.
"Okay, please wait for a few minutes while we check with our supervisor," the officer said. The sight of their well-equipped vehicle had put them on alert.
After a few minutes, the supervisor arrived with some soldiers. He knocked on their window and asked, "Hello sir, I assume you are heading this way?"
"Yes, by the way, what's with this checkpoint? Our travel is getting delayed," Souta asked, sounding irritated. "It's kind of frustrating," he added, scaring the supervisor.
"This area is one of the military's safe bases, and we have set up checkpoints for our safety," the supervisor explained. As he spoke, he received a call on his walkie-talkie and then turned back to their vehicle. "Sir, would you please come with us to meet our general?" he requested.
"Why?" Souta asked.
"I would like you to meet me, Souta from the Empire," the general's voice came through the walkie-talkie, Souta agreed to come with them.
As they drove their vehicle, the military soldiers led the way towards the base. The base was bustling with activity and filled with soldiers and civilians who seemed happy and organized. They were guided towards a building where the general greeted them with soldiers by his side.
"Welcome to our base," the general said. He was a muscular and handsome man in his 70s. "Please come in." They followed him inside and walked towards his office. Once inside, they found that it was just the three of them.
"Let me guess, you're wondering how I know you, am I right?" the general asked as they sat on the sofa.
Souta simply looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
"Well, it's not that hard to know you. You're famous after all," the general said, taking a seat in front of them. "Famous?" Souta asked.
"Correct. You're the guy who started the empire and killed thousands of zombies. You're the so-called 'Hero of the Undead.' But for some reason, you died, and someone took control of the empire, am I right?" the general looked at Souta.
"I guess I don't need to cover this up," Souta said.
"You don't have to worry about your identity. This information is only known to a few people who have access to it," the general assured him.
"I guess you're one of the people who have access to this information," Souta said.
"More or less," the general replied. "Let me get straight to the point. I want you to do something for me."
"Why should we do that?" Souta asked.
"It's more like a request. In exchange for doing this for me, I will give you something you really want," the general said.
"And what is it that I really want?" Souta asked.
"Information. You want to know about this world, what's happening in our society, and about the empire, right?" the general said.
"Okay, but that still depends on what you want me to do," Souta said.
"It's simple. I want you to destroy a raider's base for me. This base has become a headache for us as they are skilled with guns and can escape quickly using motorcycles. We will continue to gather information for a week. Is that okay with you?" the general asked.
"That's fine," Souta agreed.
"My daughter will show you around the base for the time being. You can ask her anything you want to know," the general said.
"Okay, Mr. Roger. We'll be taking our leave now," Souta said.
"You can meet my daughter outside the building. She should be waiting for your arrival," the general said as they left his office
As they stepped out of the building, a girl with bright blue hair greeted them. However, her elegant appearance was quickly ruined as Souta and his crew approached her. The girl nervously bowed, "H-hello, I'm Stacy, and I'll be your guide while you're here."
Souta, uninterested, walked past her without a second glance. Emily, concerned for the girl, hurried to catch up with Souta. "Um, excuse me, Souta," she said, tugging at his sleeve. "I think that's the girl the general was talking about."
Souta stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the girl. "Oh, that's her? I thought she was just some random kid. Well, let's go then."
The girl's face turned red with anger as she heard this. "How dare you! I am the daughter of General Roger, and you will show me some respect!"
Souta just shrugged it off. "Sorry, kid, but we're busy right now. Maybe later."
The girl gritted her teeth and followed after them, shouting, "I am not a kid! And I demand that you pay attention to me!"
Albert, trying to lighten the mood, joked, "Well, you're definitely acting like a kid."
The girl glared at Albert, her blue hair bristling with fury. "I am not a kid! I am a fully grown adult!"
Souta couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's tantrum. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say, kid."
The girl let out an indignant huff and crossed her arms. "Fine! But I'm still the daughter of General Roger, and you will respect me!"
Souta just grinned at her. "We'll see about that.
The general who is looking from the building upstairs smiled "I wish you stayed to become that hero that everyone dreams of, but I guess this path will also make you even more greater"