So you like smelly armpits then?

After I got Isabella off me, she gave me a swift peck on the cheek. 

"I'm truly grateful that you were the one who saved me, John. I mean it. From now on, call me Bella, okay?" she whispered. 

Like a whirlwind, she then released her grip and began to do some stretches. I could guess why she was being kind without warning, but wasn't this too much? Were Brazilians really that open in their advances? 

I coughed to dispel the awkwardness and told her about my plans. 

"Should we go to the platform, then? I don't have anything else to do except shoot the hell out of the zombies while using the others as shields. What about you?" 

She placed a finger on her chin as she pondered. At that moment, the surroundings became significantly brighter. I then noticed that the reapers started to pile up the undead like a wall and burn them. The smell that I thought I was already immune to became several times more horrible. 

"I guess they decided extra lighting is better than being able to breathe." Isabella placed her hand on my arm as she spoke. 

"I know I am being spoiled, but can you please delay going there to hunt with me instead?" she requested. 

Unsure why she would ask that of me, I waited for her to explain. 

"You said earlier you intend to murder someone there. If that is the case, I want us to prepare. Right now, I have zero souls. {Code} only needs 10 souls to activate for a day and 100 to evolve to level 2. But as I can use {Rewind}, I want to have 150 souls to be able to use {Auto}, {Save}, and {Rewind}. And an extra 150 to heal myself." 

Hearing Bella begin to take my affairs as hers improved my appreciation of her. This woman already considered not only her safety but my goals of her own accord. Perhaps I lucked out in finding this woman. 

"My calf is still killing me. I want to use {Rewind} to heal. Plus, if you can help me hunt till I get another 100, I can evolve {Code}, and we might get a new ability that can help us," she said. 

"Why 150, though?" I countered. 

"Huh? Aren't you aware? {Rewind} needs 100 souls per use. {Auto} requires 30, while {Save} requires 20. I had killed four zombies, gaining 40 souls and absorbing around 10 souls. But {Tourniquet} used it all up. If we go there now, I will be nothing but a burden. I told you it's expensive for a low-level {Fate}, right?" 

Hmm. So, you could pretty much count how much you had by what you killed. Good to know. But why could she see the costs when I could not? And what was that about absorbing? 

"Honey, I'm guessing you don't understand the absorbing bit, correct?" 

I nodded without fanfare. "Regarding the {Fates}, I also cannot see their cost, only their cooldowns." 

Smiling like a child, Isabella placed her hand on my chest and explained the matter in a sultry voice. 

"Whenever you have anything you cannot understand, just ask me, honey. If it's for you, I am willing to do anything. Reapers have a universal skill we all share. We gain souls in the presence of death. Anything that dies around you grants souls. The only question is how much. The difference in our {Code} is probably due to compatibility." 

Oh. So, we were like literal grim reapers. We harvested souls from the dying. No matter how I computed, though, I should not have had over 500 souls. I took down only twenty zombies and used {Auto}, {Save}, and {Rewind} all a single time. It didn't add up. I briefed Isabella, and after calculating, she could only respond while cursing. 

"This fucking cheater! Why do you have so many souls?! Did you kill zombies before today? I barely managed to scrape up 50, and you're telling me you had over 700 before meeting me? That's unfair!" 

Ignoring the child throwing a fit, I wondered if it was possible to pass the souls to her. "You need 150 to heal, right? Then just take them from me. Is there a way to pass them to you?" 

Isabella straightened up while smiling as she replied, "Yes! We can do so by sharing a kiss. But even then, I suggest farming souls. If we are going to be fighting together, I want to know how you move. The side you favor, and so on. Only then can I truly support you." 

Hmm. My heart felt warm. Having a beauty worry about you was indeed a great feeling. But I had a goal right now, and after getting betrayed, I didn't want any romance, at least not now. So, I began to tease her to shake away the feeling of attraction. 

"Oh? Then why don't you massage my feet right now? They hurt. I will do better afterwards; I promise," I joked. 

"Honey. No matter how much I adore you, refrain from being an asshole, if you please?" 

"What? You don't like my feet? You like smelly armpits, then?" 

"Ugh! How disgusting! Focus, honey!" 

"Will you let me lick yours?" 

"Honey… In Brazil, you can get shot for sexual harassment, you know?" 

We shared a short and sweet kiss, then proceeded to banter while hunting zombies. Being able to spend a pleasant moment with her was refreshing for me. While I teased her, I made sure to never disrespect her. 

In combat, Bella had a good head on her shoulders. Her training as part of Rio's police was evident. According to her, she considered her CQC extremely weak. Still, she fought like an assassin in RPGs. As much as I wanted to give her the 1911, I could not fight with a knife, so she had to bear with it for now. 

She made sure to cover my blind side. According to her, I favored my right and tended to push forward aggressively. To compensate, she would guard my back and left flank. She would not join me in attacking the front and right. 

Such a division of roles prevented me from accidentally shooting her when she lunged toward an enemy. With me taking point, I got to decide how fast we moved, and she followed. 

This was how squads worked in both the military and law enforcement. There could only be one spearhead. Having many people move separately without order caused nothing but confusion. 

"So, Mrs. Code, how many types of enemies are you aware of?" I asked. 

Somewhere along the line, we started exchanging marriage jabs. She adamantly wanted to be called Mrs. Smith, while I wanted to be called Mr. Taurus instead. After much deliberation, we settled on Code as a last name for our imaginary union. 

"Well, Mr. Code, IRIS has a long list of zombie types. But, as I wasn't even a Wraith then, I could only access a fraction of it. I will check tomorrow and will share it with you tomorrow evening." 

According to Bella, Wraiths were allowed only eight hours in Hellsgate. The Enlistment usually only lasted that long. Surviving the duration came pack and parcel with the test. There was also a hidden mechanic: the Enlistment had a special rule. Somewhere along the grounds, there would be a boss entity. 

This boss would hide for seven hours and come out only at the eighth. Killing it would mean the end of the initiation. She told me that this was what the night vision guys would aim for. Being able to kill the boss seemed to give a special reward. 

As we hunted on the opposite side of the platform, we were now on our way back. Supposedly, bunching up allowed the undead to detect people better. And by Bella's assessment, the platform would be overrun should the boss appear. 

I didn't know how long we took, but eventually, we were able to level up {Rewind} as well. We hunted over a hundred zombies in order to do so. Each kill made us work better, and by the time we were ready, Bella already felt like my left limb. 

During our date in hell, I evolved {Rewind} and got {Reload}. For 50 souls, I could replenish my ammunition and weapons while staying in place at the cost of getting healed. 

Bella, on the other hand, unlocked the second ability of {Code} - {Connect}. It let her talk to computers without a keyboard. She believed that with it, she could turn on the spotlights to even the odds in preparation for the boss. 

The entire time we moved, there were no survivors. The screams of those I abandoned still rang inside my ears as I watched the surroundings. Maybe it was because I wanted to atone. I kept an eye out for anyone still alive. Just then, I heard sharp and tense voices around us. 

"Jo, watch out!" 

"Jas! You fucker! Get off my sister!" 

I had no reason to save them. Still, I wanted to try. I let three souls die. So, I wanted to save three as well, at least. Before I could even ask Bella's opinion, my partner smiled sweetly at me. Her words sounded like honey. 

"Shall we go save them, Mr. Code?"