NOVPUB
Chapter 202 - Lady Clara
Inside the vehicle, the crew was on high alert. The moment they spotted a combat suit flying straight toward them, weapons were drawn. "The hell is that?!" one of them shouted.
"Ready your weapons!" another barked. They aimed their rifles, fingers tightening on the triggers. But just as they were about to fire—the armored figure stopped mid-air.
Then, in a controlled descent, it landed on the road in front of them. The driver hesitated, looking toward the woman sitting beside him. "Lady Clara... should we stop?" he asked.
The leader of the group—a woman with sun-kissed skin and short-cropped hair—narrowed her eyes, studying the figure in front of them. "...I've never seen anything like that before," she muttered. "Stop the truck."
The vehicle came to a slow halt, dust settling around them. Her gaze remained locked on the armored figure standing in their path. She had no idea who he was. But something told her—this was not someone to take lightly.
The driver slammed on the brakes the moment Clara gave the order. The armored vehicle's tires screeched against the cracked pavement, kicking up thick clouds of dust and smoke. As the haze slowly settled, the armored figure standing in the middle of the road was revealed, completely unscathed.
Inside the vehicle, everyone gripped their weapons, tense and uncertain. They had never seen anything like this before. Ego's voice echoed in Zack's helmet. "Sir, one elderly male, one female, the rest are young adults. Their weapons are minimal—no immediate threat."
Zack didn't respond, eyes locked on the group. From the open skylight, the woman with short hair—clearly their leader—leaned out, her sharp gaze fixed on him. "What the hell are you?" she called out.
Zack remained unfazed. His voice, calm and steady, came from the suit's speakers.
"Zack. Leader of NYC Base."
A murmur rippled through the vehicle. "NYC Base?" someone muttered.
"You mean... the one with the robot army?" It didn't take long for the realization to sink in.
NYC wasn't far from here. News of Zack's forces—his relentless mechanical army—had spread. Among the scattered survivor settlements, NYC Base was more than just a name. It was a symbol of hope. "Sir, the woman is a mutant," Ego reported.
Zack barely reacted. "Noted." Mutants weren't unusual in this world. Some gained enhanced strength, speed, or perception—survival instincts sharpened by the apocalypse. She wasn't an enemy. Not yet, anyway.
Zack knew the path to unifying this wasteland wouldn't be easy. Zombies were a problem, but so were the scattered survivor factions. If humanity had any chance of reclaiming the world, then someone need to unite them all. It was inevitable. Zack didn't have the numbers yet to have his hold on Earth. Compared to the Vanguard Organization, he was still just a small force—a fraction of what he needed to be. But that wouldn't last long. His production lines were running nonstop. His fearless warriors and new-generation armored units were built for war. He wasn't here to negotiate. He was here to take. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Ego, scan the city. How many zombies are left?" Drones immediately detached from Apex Mk2's back, dispersing in every direction.
Within seconds, Ego had an answer.
"Sir, 563,000 zombies remain."
Zack smirked. "Not bad." The number had dwindled significantly. Between the previous zombie hordes and the BEC Creature creatures wiping out anything in their way, the city was already half-cleared. Zack's voice was cold and decisive. "Deploy the mechanical army. Accelerate the cleanup. This city is mine."
"Confirmed. Orders issued." Zack turned his gaze back to the group in front of him. "Take me to your base," he said.
The woman—Lady Clara—didn't hesitate. She raised her gun. "Doesn't matter if you're from NYC," she said, her tone firm. "This is our base. We don't let outsiders in." Her stance left no room for discussion. In the apocalypse, a woman leading a group of fighters wasn't common. The fact that she had command here meant one thing—she was strong.
Her defiance made Zack chuckle. "Suit yourself." His thrusters roared to life. In a flash, he shot into the air. "But whether you like it or not, this city belongs to me now," he called over his shoulder. "If you want to survive—if you want to live without fearing zombies every damn day—then surrender."
Then, without waiting for a reply, Zack accelerated, heading straight for the survivors' base. Inside the armored vehicle, the group sat in stunned silence. They had barely blinked, and Zack was already gone. They weren't stupid. They knew the weapons in their hands were useless against something like that. If they had fired, it would have been suicide. One of the younger men muttered, "A life... without zombies?"
They had stopped dreaming about that a long time ago. Survival in this world meant waking up every day knowing they could die. It meant scavenging, fighting, and never feeling safe. It meant constantly running from things they couldn't kill. Hope had died a long time ago. But Zack's words... They made it flicker again. "If it was anyone else, I'd say they were crazy," another man murmured.
"But... he's different."
"NYC Base... that place is real."
Everyone had heard the rumors. The fortress-city, guarded by an impenetrable wall of firepower. The robot army that tore through zombies like paper.
Inside NYC, people lived. Really lived. No running. No hiding. No fear. The survivors in the vehicle exchanged glances. "Should we... follow him?" one of them asked. "Lady Clara?"
The leader hadn't spoken since Zack left. She was still staring at the sky, her brows furrowed. She didn't trust anyone. That's how she had survived this long. But even she couldn't deny it—Zack was dangerous, but he wasn't lying. She took a slow breath. "Let's check it out," she said. But as the vehicle rumbled forward, a thought kept echoing in her mind. 'Is he right? if he really can wipe out the zombies? What if we don't have to live like this anymore?'
Meanwhile, Zack had already reached his destination. Not far ahead, thousands of people had built a makeshift settlement using rubble and abandoned vehicles, forming a crude yet functional defensive perimeter. Heavy artillery and machine guns were positioned along their barricades, salvaged from who-knows-where. Though primitive, their stockpile of weapons and ammunition was enough to hold back an average zombie horde.
Zack descended, touching down in front of the defense line. The moment he landed, the guards stationed at the perimeter spotted him.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Unknown mecha incoming!"
"Fire!"
Without hesitation, they launched their attack. Heavy machine guns, RPGs, and makeshift anti-air missiles fired in unison, filling the air with gunfire and explosions. Zack let out a low chuckle, unfazed by the assault. "Huh. Interesting."
