Full Retreat

Hayashi woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. "is it...daybreak? damn..we better get up...we don't know what'll happen...Nishiwaka...you two get up!" Hayashi shook them to wake them up, as he pulled out [Hornet Emporer] and armed it with a stinger round. "We need to get out of here...I don't have the power to deal with the Mutant Giant Zombie or any zombie hoard or wave...wake up!" Hayashi shook them more until he chose to push them off the couch successfully waking them up.

"Top of the morning to ya, you big lug," he said

"Morning grumpy..."

The first trickster gets up and rubs his head. "Owww...what was that for..?"

"Are you alright Onii-chan?" the second trickster asked

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit of a rude awakening" he looked at Hayashi

"Oh...I see, well it's time to get up!" she said picking up her pair of Shuang-Gao swords

"Right!" he got up, also grabbing his own pair of Shuang-Gao swords "So what's the plan?"

"We wake everyone and start moving...The school should be a half-hour away"

"Ughhhhh! Why do we have to start moving now?" The first trickster complained

Nishiwaka sighs "It's because there is no army...to rescue us..." They all sat there in silence for a bit.

"No time to mess around now, we gotta go."

Hayashi went to wake up the rest of the people saved from the zombie wave as well as the Nishiwaka and the brother-sister duo, it took around 40 minutes to wake them and get anything they needed to make the journey toward the school.

"Alright! Let's go people!"

The journey had begun, but little did anyone know that someone was plotting their downfall, elsewhere, there was a group of people cackling loudly in a secluded location, bodies lined the floor as those very people, dressed in orange jumpsuits had escaped, only one was dressed different, dressed like a cop.

"Thank god! we're finally out of that hell hole, I wouldn't want to rot in there!"

"Ha ha ha! yeah, so now what do we do boss?"

"What else do we do? we track down the escaped officer and make him pay!" A large burly man cracked his knuckles as the rest all hollered and hooted getting loud as they took weapons off a wall leaving what seemed to be a police station.

The rest of the new settler group, who had just left the city suddenly heard a loud roar

Hayashi runs to the back pushing the other's in front to move towards the school while he left Nishiwaka to be in charge of guiding them there he slowly followed them back but didn't want to neglect the possibility of the Mutant Zombie coming after them, he armed a shattering dome round and fired it at a metal duct outside the house, letting the zombie lock on to the sound.

"Hmph, stupid zombie, no matter how big you get, you just can't increase your smarts, you always go with instinct and follow whatever you hear."

Hayashi ran towards the group laughing like a kid.

Akari was trying to comprehend how many people just showed up near the gates, she ran out of the building, only thinking of one person, that person being Hayashi Tetsu.

"Only someone like him could do this...I sent him to rescue any survivors he found...I knew he was the right person for the job!" She opened the gates for the survivors to rush in, and led them to the giant school building, where she would explain the rules to them, while Hayashi took out any material that could be used to fortify defenses or make the place a lot more comfortable from his subspace which focused a lot of attention on him.

"That kid...he just took out...all of that from thin air.."

Some would start mumbling, a few people would leave the school, and others started to help the students make materials and help around making campfires, tables, and other miscellaneous items.

Nishiwaka sighs as Hayashi sits next to him.

"Nishiwaka-Nim! what's up?"

"Nothing man. Sorry I'm useless at the moment haha"

"You want to work yourself to the bone?" Hayashi looked at him very confused

"It's the only thing I've always known..ha ha.."

"If that's the case.." he scratched his face. "I grabbed a few *ahem* presents for you."

"Don't pity m-"

Nishiwaka is surprised to see a clay brick furnace that was built like his own, in fact, it was his furnace "When..how did you.-?"

"No need to know about it, I also have your anvil and hammer along with some scrap metal" Hayashi smiled. {I plan on working you to the bone}

his thoughts betrayed the compassion he was showing in more ways than one.

"Thank you, man..I- I'll get to work right now...this place will be Ground Zero!" Nishiwaka had teardrops in his eyes as he bear-hugged Hayashi again.

"ACK! No problem my dude! Ugh...can you please stop squeezing the life outta me?"

"Whoops sorry!" Nishiwaka put him down as Hayashi put the Furnace back into the inventory.

"I'll lead you to a place you can work in peace, but there is one order I'd like you to do.."

"What would that be?"

"Think you can forge a blade into the bottom of the slingshot?" Hayashi smiled a bit as he showed the slingshot that had been upgraded with the system.

"I- you ruined it!"

He flared up then calmed down.

"Yeah I can fix and improve it a bit...but it will take time!"

Nishiwaka grunted.

"I want to work in the front of the school, I'll pound steel with my hammer and anvil and smelt with stone and metal!"

he puffed and hit his chest with his fist while Hayashi detached the string from the slingshot and gave all his scrap metal to Nishiwaka.

"Work hard man! Call me when it's done!" Hayashi puts down the furnace, with his anvil and hammer with a few stone molds.

"Mhm!" he responded as Hayashi ran off

-In the school-

What the hell...This is not a luxury hotel...What did you all manage to do with the materials I brought..?" He stared at the place, as it looked a bit more furnished due to wood and stone materials.

"Well if you must know, it was my idea after seeing how many people you brought here, to {Ground Zero} we had to spruce up a bit! Some of the survivors helped us in this endeavor however you, on the other hand, did more than complete your mission." Akari noted. "I was told once more...there were no casualties. It was an outstanding report. Now go get some rest while the rest of us fortify the defenses."

He nods and goes into his dorm room, falling face-first on his bed. {How long has it been...? since I could rest like...this..?} he slowly closed his eyes and drifted out of consciousness.

Elsewhere Takao was overseeing the new people who wanted to help as he was carrying a pair of cinderblocks "Come on, we need to contain the flames of the campfires!"

most of the men responded as they carried one or two cinder blocks. Doi and Hajimoto walked up to Takao quietly trying to get his attention.

"What's tapping me?" Takao looked around before looking down at the shorter ones

"Haha so funny-" Doi sarcastically commented

"Couldn't help it, so what's up?" Takao asked while crossing his arms

"We...We want to join the combat team..." Hajimoto confessed.

"Listen you two I have no authority to put anyone anywhere-" Takao tried to clear up what he thought was a misunderstanding.

"We know that, but is there a way to join that team?" Doi asked Takao a bit irritated

"The only way I know of is through the student council president...or the team leader.." Takao put held his chin on his fingers.

"Alright! Now all we have to do-oof!" Doi was pulled back as he tried to advance within the school

"Hold on Doi...I realized something..." Hajimoto pulled him back

"What could be so important that you just realized!"

"We don't have a weapon of our own..."

An awkward silence fell between them. "Oh- you know what? who cares! I'll fight the zombies with my bare hands!"

"Not if I can help it!" Akari had heard them and wouldn't allow that.

Sato looked at the three having a conversation while using a pan over a campfire to make boiled Saton Nishiki cherry juice adding water she got from Hayashi, she managed to make 2 water bottles worth of the juice and had a bag of Sato Nishiki Cherry seeds.

"U-um President! do we have a garden anywhere!?" Sato yelled out

"I admire you want to join the combat team but you're not suited to be in the combat team" Akari looked at Sato. "I believe we're supposed to have empty crops.." Akari looked at the Agricultural team. "Is anyone from the [Green Thumbs] club?" Akari demanded as 3 people raised their hands. Two girls, one with orange hair and red highlights, another one with short pure white hair with black highlights, and the male had black hair with goggles.

"You three I need you now!" Akari signaled them over to her as they marched to her. After talking for a few minutes and nodding a few times, the group smiled including Akari as they split up to find some garden supplies.

"The Student Council President's charisma is frightening..."

Doi and Sato both said in harmony showing a frightened expressions. They watched as more people helped to make more internal defenses and peeked out of broken windows to see wooden barricades being built by a few barricades and spikes, Hayashi finally woke up and came out of his room rubbing his head and mouth.

"Ugh...my head..." Hayashi mumbled as he walked out only to see people working on the building in various ways.

"Heh...I guess this is what an apocalyptic family or team looks like, this is nice...Alright, Combat team! Fall in!"

Hayashi walked out smiling a bit, the team hugged and shook him, giving him a welcome back as he flashed a grin.

"Thanks for the welcome back team, but I have to brief you on something. From now on, this place will be known as point [Ground Zero of the Revolution] or [Ground Zero] for short. Now we'll be going a bit further."

"Where will we be going?" A kendo team member asked

"Good question, we'll be going into the city, we're going to slowly but surely take back the city and soon all of Japan."

"Hayashi-san, that's a bit ambitious, isn't it? I mean taking all of Japan?"

"Sure, maybe for a normal team...but you are my team, and I'm your leader."

"Cringy! ha ha!" an archery team member laughed.

"I'll admit that was cringy but..." Hayashi finally shows his powers through the harvest skill's inventory by taking out a can.

"A...can?" the team seemed confused.

"Mhm. Now watch. [Harvest!]"

The can starts to mold as an orange light shines and breaks it down into a [Tin Steel Plate]. "Tada"

Hayashi smiled as he threw the plate at a tree getting it stuck into the tree, surprising his combat team and scaring them a bit.

"I hope this doesn't change your impression of me." Hayashi bows

The combat team nods and returns his gesture, Fueki took off her helmet. "No it doesn't change anything, rather this makes us a whole lot stronger."

A few members looked at each other and nodded celebrating a little.

"Then, we leave tomorrow. Everyone dismissed!" Hayashi smiled as all of them split up to do their own thing, Hayashi going to Nishiwaka seeing if he completed the slingshot frame rework for him.

"Nishiwaka-nim!"

"Hayashi-san! what's up!?"

"Nothing much, I just dismissed my squad."

"Nice, Nice...so how is it being a team leader?"

"A bit..weird y'know?"

"You too huh?"

"What do you mean me too?"

"I'm the new leader of the Smithing Corps.."

"Oh! Congrats" Hayashi gave him a handshake

"Yeah, I only have 2 other members, a grown man with red hair, and a freshman I think...She seems pretty good at it."

"Nice. Do you have my order ready?"

"I had so much free time I had time to make this too." Nishiwaka threw him two slingshots similar in design putting upgraded strings on both of the slingshots, he tested the blades on both of them. "These feel strong and sturdy..damn."

"Mhm, I forged all the scrap metal you gave me into those, you better not break that" Nishiwaka poured water into the forge to cool it down. "if you find anything that's forging materials I'll put them to use, in return I'll make your group weapons."

"Weapons of mass destruction?" He said joking around.

"Pfft- Weapons of mass destruction indeed" Nishiwaka laughed getting the joke.

"Alright then, pass the torch, and put the world on fire."

"Right!" Hayashi put his hand in the air facing the sun as he looked at the middle part of the string meant for shooting his modified marbles, grabbing it until the veins in his hand could be seen.

"[Create Arms]" Hayashi concentrated on that part of his slingshot, making it a bit more rectangular, then taking out a [Zombie Fang]

"[Create Munitions]"

The tooth was surrounded by green and orange swirling lights as it turned into a mini buster sword I've been given incredible power. I plan on using it to retake our home. Are you with me? Hayashi turned around

"Mhm...I too was blessed with a power of my own..." he showed Hayashi his bat and he made a blade from his bat instantly as the metal turned liquid for a moment and then hardened.

"[Remold.]" "This is the power of my abilities..so fight, I'll be here to protect and preserve this place in your stead." Nishiwaka stabbed the sword into the ground. "I swear it by this sword."