Zombies Apocalypse: Too Late To Run!

Chapter 3: Meet Another Superpowers.

Jacob chuckled cheerfully. Hubert wandered around the clothing shop, picking out a set of more appealing clothes for Jacob and incidentally grabbing a few extra scenes, just in case they got dirty.

“Do you want to take a quick shower?”

Hubert followed Jacob’s pointing finger to a water faucet in the staff toilet.

Hubert twisted his lips: “Bro, we’re not on vacation, are we? The groans of zombies surround us, and you’re here wanting to shower? Isn’t that too laid-back?”

Even though Hubert thought that, but he decided to take a bath, the smell from the meteorite that fell last night still lingered on his body.

“You go first.” Hubert said.

Jacob took the clothes Hubert handed him and went in. While waiting outside, Hubert fiddled with his phone and discovered the lost signal. This meant that communication was impossible, and he would need to find a place that provided communication devices and get a few walkie-talkies, just in case he and Jacob got separated.

However, walkie-talkies had a limited range. It would be great if he could find a satellite device. Hubert thought to himself how foolish he was not to bring the satellite phone when he was at the assembly point.

“I’m done.”

Hubert looked over, and Jacob was wearing a tight-fitting white t-shirt, or maybe it was just because Jacob was so tall that the clothes were a bit tight. He wore athletic pants that hugged his long model-like legs. Hubert was momentarily stunned before walking over and, without hesitation, pushed Jacob back into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?”

“The apocalypse has come. Who knows how long we will live? Shouldn’t we take advantage of the time and do something interesting?”

“What do you mean?”

“Help me to cultivate. If we become stronger, we won’t have to fear the zombies anymore.”

Jacob didn’t understand Hubert’s intention and was about to ask when Hubert continued: “According to what happened in the apocalypse two thousand years ago, two ability users can exchange energy and help each other level up.”

“But how can we exchange energy if I don’t even know I’m an ability user?”

Hubert didn’t answer but forced Jacob to sit cross-legged on the floor, raising his hands before him. He then sat opposite him, his hands in front of him, pressing them to Jacob’s, and began to circulate the energy within his body.

“We must try it to know whether you’re an ability user.”

Although he already knew that Jacob was an ability user through the system. The moment he met Jacob, the system displayed a line of text on the control panel.

“Name: Jacob Tremblay.

Age: 30.

Identity: Ability user.

Ability system: Unknown, not activated.

Level: 0.”

Jacob, however, thought that what Hubert said made sense and agreed to try.

…

At the Wang residence,

“Quickly, hurry down to the tunnel and head to the assembly point.”

“Dad, what about my elder brother!”

“Theodore has turned into a zombie, and we can’t stay near him. I’ve locked him in his room, but it won’t be long before he comes after us.”

“But.. Huhu! My elder brother..!”

Stella Wang was pushed by her father, Edward, into the tunnel. She was Edward’s only daughter. Canis Wang and Aidan Wang were also forced inside.

“Theodore evolved to a level two apex immediately after his transformation. Do you understand? When zombies first form, they are all level zero, but Theodore, as soon as he transformed, was level two, equivalent to a level four ability user. We can’t fight him.”

“S... so powerful... how?”

Stella Wang withdrew her ice element variant ability, and she was just a level zero ability user. She wondered how long it would take to train to level four. By that time, who knew what form Theodore would have evolved into? The thought sent shivers down her spine, and she quickened her pace.

The apocalypse had happened. Was Jacob Tremblay, the guy she secretly liked, becomea zombie or not? If he became a zombie, could she bring herself to fight him?

…

Four hours had passed by the time Hubert and Jacob finished their “duo cultivation.” Their energy accumulated in the fashion shop’s bathroom, attracting over a dozen zombies outside the door.

Zombies lack senses, but they are susceptible to the scent of living humans and energy. Hubert and Jacob, being first-timers in energy exchange, did not know how to control it, making it impossible to hide from the zombies.

Hubert was surprised that after only three exchanges of energy with Jacob, his ability level was approaching the mid-level zero stage. In contrast, Jacob, who had just discovered his ability, was now aware of the reverse energy flow in his body.

Jacob was a fire element.

“Your talent is excellent. Although fire isn’t a rare element, it’s considerably stronger than the others. This type of offensive element gives you an advantage in both close and distant combat.”

“Really? And what element do you have?”

“I’m just a normal person who needs your protection.”

Hubert winked, earning himself a glare from Jacob. Why was this kid so lively and clever?

“You’re crazy!”

Hubert pouted. The situation was different now. There were many zombies, and who knows how many ordinary people were left. If Jacob went, he would be done for. At least Jacob was an ability user, capable of accompanying him.

“There are over a dozen zombies outside now, and you can’t defeat them all at once.”

“We can’t hide in here forever either. They’re weak now, but in a few days, we might not be able to fight them.”

“Show me your ability.”

Jacob released his ability as Hubert instructed, and a red flame appeared on his palm. Hubert frowned, shaking his head.

“Not good. Your fire hasn’t been cultivated yet, so its quality is too low. It’s just like ordinary fire, and it can’t pose any threat.”

“How should the fire be then?”

“I read in an ancient book passed down by the Wang family during the apocalypse thousands of years ago, and our ancestors saw an ability user with a white flame. That flame could incinerate a whole city into ashes in an instant.”

“That’s terrifying. Can it be like that?”

“Fire is a powerful weapon given by nature. I heard that besides the white flame, there’s also a purple flame, but no one has cultivated it yet. It’s hard to cultivate a white flame, so don’t push yourself.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Hubert nodded and asked:

“As a bodyguard, can you exert force in two different directions simultaneously with both hands?”

“Possible.”

“In that case, let’s get to it. I will share the combat plan with you.”

Hubert lifted his hand, revealing three sharp daggers.

“Are you a metal-based superhuman?”

“You could say that.”

Hubert had seven Crystal, but he decided not to share this with Jacob for fear of shocking him. As they opened the door to step outside, the zombies were alerted by the noise and rushed toward them. The zombies seemed to have become more agile after a few hours. Hubert launched the daggers he held, and Jacob used his superpowers in tandem. As the swords hit the zombies, they exploded, and a gust of wind scattered around them. When Jacob’s firepower met this gust, it amplified, quickly spreading to nearby zombies.

Before they had exited, Hubert had hollowed the daggers and filled them with gas from the kitchen. Gas and fire, the zombies didn’t stand a chance. These transformed zombies were practically desiccated, and once set on fire, it was difficult to extinguish. They didn’t even know how to put out a fire. Given enough time, they could burn all of them to ashes.

However, this was only effective against low-level zombies. As they advanced, the zombies would become higher level. Some might even be fire-resistant. Water zombies would counteract fire, and earth zombies could hide underground. In short, the journey ahead was fraught with challenges.

“Jacob, you must try hard to train. The zombies level up faster than us.”

“I understand.”

Unable to help himself, Jacob tightly held his hand. Hubert, at this moment, seemed different from before when he was guiding Jacob to train. Jacob feared that one day, he would be unable to protect Hubert, who was even more formidable than him, and Hubert would leave him. How would he face the zombies, then?

Hubert was oblivious to Jacob’s thoughts. He was only using Jacob to protect himself and facilitate his training.

It was somewhat selfish, but he didn’t care.

“The number of zombies is increasing. Hubert, I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep charging forward like this.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Over there.”

Hubert followed Jacob’s pointing finger to a solid structure – the city police station.

“I believe there might be a specialized helicopter at the back. Besides, we need firearms, which are better than regular weapons, right?”

Hubert nodded, realizing his folly of not bringing guns along. However, it was hard to predict anything. The zombies were still evolving, and it would soon become difficult to shoot them in the head simply.

“But what’s the use of a helicopter? I can’t fly it.”

“I can.”

“You’re quite skilled, aren’t you?”

The two of them whispered behind a door in a house, careful not to alert the zombies with their voices. A rare joy sparkled in Jacob’s eyes when Hubert complimented him.

“Before starting my security company, I served in the military and gained a lot of experience.” he explained.

“So, why did you leave the military? Was there some incident?” she asked.

“No, nothing like that. I just wanted to establish something of my own, so I left the service.” he clarified.

Hubert nodded, not particularly interested in others’ histories. The priority was getting past those zombies to reach the police station’s backyard. He needed to inform his father, Edward, as soon as possible. The assembly area they were initially headed for was no longer safe. Hubert was burdened with worry - a well-planned setup disrupted by a single meteorite.

“Over there.” Hubert followed Jacob’s pointed finger. The horde of zombies they had encountered earlier had changed direction and were heading straight into the police station’s large courtyard.

“What’s happening?”

“Let’s follow them and see.” suggested Hubert as he tiptoed towards them. The number of zombies had now crossed a hundred, and they kept going inside. Could there still be survivors within?

Very soon, Hubert found his answer. The zombies were being hit by something and then returning to continue their march. The sound of human voices also became more apparent.

“We can’t kill them!”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“Everyone, retreat! We can’t escape, but Enda and I will hold them off here until reinforcements arrive.”

Hubert, hidden behind a guard booth, saw a group of more than ten terrified people. In front of them stood two young men using their powers to fight off the zombies. One of them had the rare ability to manipulate electricity. A sizeable purple sphere hovered above his head, generating a strong electromagnetic field. This field continuously produced lightning that struck the zombies, causing them to scatter. The other held a radiant green orb in his hands, a power that Hubert had never encountered before and seemed quite extraordinary.

Hubert observed the young man with the electricity power, realizing he shouldn’t be able to use his powers so continuously, especially as a newly manifested superhuman, as they’d quickly run out of energy. Yet, Enda’s electric power was ceaseless. However, he was not hitting the zombies’ weak points, and they would get back up after being struck. Hubert decided to take a risk and shouted:

“Aim for the top of their heads. That’s the only way to kill them!”

As soon as he finished, the zombies turned their attention towards him and Jacob, charging at them. Jacob immediately released a fireball to block their path, but due to his limited abilities, he couldn’t wholly incinerate them.

“Run!” Hubert grabbed Jacob’s hand and pulled him to run away, but then...

Boom!

Enda’s lightning met Jacob’s fire, causing a rapid expansion and burning dozens of zombies. The remaining ones seemed to sense the danger and ran away.

Looks like these zombies have developed some instinct, even knowing to fear and flee, that will make things more challenging from now on.