Chapter 22: The Power of Time and the Battle for Survival
They continued driving, but along the way, many people asked for their help. However, Ander had promised to help Tamara Marina, so he chose to ignore the others. Also, since Alexa had mentioned his past life, he hadn't yet decided whether or not to help them.
The road was clear now, and it took about half an hour for them to reach Ander's former workplace.
"Zombies…"
On the way, Mei had already seen many zombies, but they were outside the car after all. Seeing them in person now still made Mei feel legs go weak.
"Don't be scared," Celine said as she took Mei's hand to comfort her. "Zombies aren't that scary. Just be careful not to get scratched, they aren't as scary as you think."
Two security guards, whom both Ander and Mei knew, were approaching. They were all people familiar to Ander and May, Ander didn't plan to harm them.
Time stopped!
Ander activated his superpower and led everyone quickly into the stairwell.
The tenth floor was high, and after climbing up the ten flights of stairs, Lily, Mei, and Hatala's legs felt like they were filled with lead.
"Wait, let me rest for a bit," Lily panted, collapsing on the floor.
Ander, Marina, Blaire, and Anllela, who were more physically trained, felt fine, but the others couldn't keep up. Alexa and Celine, despite being level-six power users, still had regular human bodies, and climbing so many stairs was too much for them.
"I'm starting to miss elevators."
"No electricity really makes life very inconvenient."
"Luckily, we have solar panels and generators, otherwise even using a hairdryer tonight would be impossible."
They chatted and took a break. Once they had rested enough, they continued toward the company where Ander had worked.
When they entered the office, they found it had become a zombie paradise. Seeing their former colleagues like this made both Ander and Mei feel emotional.
Time stopped!
Ander led everyone past the zombie-like statues and knocked on the door of Tamara Marina's office.
"Marina, it's me, Ander. You can open the door now."
Inside, Marina and Abigaile exchanged glances, both of them smiling. Marina opened the door slightly, peeking out to see Ander smiling at her. She suddenly threw open the door and rushed into his arms.
"Ander, it's so good to see you! I thought I'd never see you again."
Ander patted her back and smiled. "It's okay now. Pack your things, I'll take you both with me."
Abigaile, surprised, pointed at the zombies outside and asked, "Why aren't they moving? They weren't like this before."
Ander closed the door and deactivated "Time Stop," since this superpower consumed a lot of energy. At level one, it could stop time for one minute, level two for five minutes, level three for ten minutes, level four for thirty minutes, and level five for an hour. Now, Ander, at level six, could stop time for two hours.
Since Ander's energy could only sustain level one powers, extra energy had to be drawn from space, but, which would gradually shrink the space a little.
"That's because Ander used the Time Stop power, so all the zombies in that area are frozen," Celine said proudly, after all, this is also a superpower she is proud of.
"Ander, are they…?"
"They're all my girlfriends."
Girlfriends! Tamara Marina froze, "Are Ms. Breit and Miss Farach also…?"
"Yes, they all are."
Tamara Marina hadn't expected Ander to have girlfriends, especially two who were famous stars. This revelation caused her heart to slowly cool down.
Abigaile, knowing her boss liked Ander, felt that nothing appropriate could be said in this situation. She decided to change the topic. "Superpowers? Like Spider-Man?"
"Kind of. Hurry up and pack your things. We still need to rescue someone else," Alexa said.
Everyone was a bit surprised to hear this, as Alexa hadn't mentioned it before.
"You know Julia Chluba, right? She just called me for help, and I promised to rescue her."
Since everyone in the entertainment industry knew Julia, they weren't shocked, but Anllela and Celine exchanged mysterious smiles at Alexa.
"Ander, I followed your advice and bought some food and water. Can I take them with us?" Tamara Marina asked, thinking that these items were too valuable in the apocalypse to leave behind.
"Of course, they're your personal belongings." Ander said to Tamara Marina, "I can also create a space for you to store your things. Don't worry, I won't snoop around."
Ander created a space for both Tamara Marina and Abigaile, and they were amazed.
"Now there are two Marinas. To avoid confusion, can you give yourself a nickname, Tamara?" Hatala asked.
"My full name is Tamara Marina Silva. Tamara is my first name, Marina is my middle name, and Silva is my surname. You can just call me Tamara," she replied.
Everyone was surprised that Marina had two names, but since she said so, they decided to call her Tamara from now on.
They set off again, with Tamara's car following behind the business car, and Alexa and Anllela driving an off-road vehicle to protect Tamara and Abigaile. Watching them use their superpowers, both Tamara and Abigaile couldn't help but feel envious.
When they arrived near Julia Chluba's shooting location, Alexa contacted Julia. Following her directions, they managed to find the set, but because there were many people watching during the filming, there are currently more than two hundred zombies gathered here.
The zombies let out low, guttural growls, their hollow eyes fixed on Ander and the others as they slowly and eerily approached. In the distance, the level-six superpower users—Alexa, Anllela, and Celine—stood leisurely with their arms crossed, observing the battle, allowing the others to train their superpowers. Tamara and Abigaile, standing next to them, were much more tense, anxiously watching the situation unfold.
Ander stood at the front of the group, his gaze unwavering, his pupils burning with unyielding determination. He raised his hand toward the zombies, and electricity crackled in his palm. With a flash of blinding lightning, he struck the head of the zombie in the front row, sending a powerful jolt of electricity through its body. The zombie shook violently, letting out a painful groan before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
"Great job, Ander!" Alexa praised from the side.
Marina stood beside Ander, her gaze radiating calmness and confidence. She raised her hand slightly, aiming at a zombie lunging toward her, her eyes sharp as a hawk. In the next instant, her superpowers erupted, causing the zombie's head to explode in a burst of blood. Her attacks were swift and accurate, each strike hitting the zombies' vital spots, ensuring they wouldn't rise again.
Meanwhile, Lily closed her eyes gently, focusing on harnessing her superpowers. As her energy concentrated, any zombie struck by her ability would disintegrate into points of light, disappearing into the air.
Mei, on the other hand, gripped an ice spike nervously. Her face was pale, showing a hint of fear. Ander glanced at her, nodding understandingly, then extended his hand to activate his time-stopping superpowers. The zombies froze mid-motion, as if caught in a painting. Encouraged, Mei raised her ice spike and plunged it into a zombie's head. The spike's freezing energy spread, causing cracks to form on the head until it shattered and the zombie fell to the ground.
Although Hatala and Blaire, who are standing at the back, cannot use their superpowers, had determined looks in their eyes. With Ander's time-freezing effect in place, they swung their knives resolutely, beheading the zombies without hesitation. The glint of their blades flashed through the air, carrying their courage and determination, severing each zombie's head until bodies littered the ground.
As the number of zombies dwindled, a lighter atmosphere filled the battlefield. Alexa, Anllela, and Celine watched quietly from the side, their faces showing satisfied smiles. Although their powers far exceeded those of these zombies, they knew this battle experience would make Ander's team stronger.
As the sun's glow faded, the last zombie fell, and calm returned to the filming site.
"Clap, clap, clap..." Applause broke the silence, and Alexa looked at Mei, Hatala, and Blaire,"See? Zombies aren't that scary, are they?"
After this battle, Mei felt more confident and braver.
From the moment she received the phone call, Julia Chluba had been watching through a crack in the curtain, waiting for Alexa's arrival. Observing everyone using their superpowers to kill zombies, she started to feel that relying on Alexa's team might be a good choice.
Julia observed the only man in the group closely, guessing that he must be Alexa's boyfriend and, perhaps, her future partner. On closer inspection, he was tall and strong, powerful, and, most importantly, handsome. Julia didn't feel reluctant at the thought of giving her first night to him.
"Julia, open up!" Alexa knocked on the car door. Julia was about to go open it but suddenly saw a cat leaping at Ander. She quickly shouted, "Watch out!"
The cat, apparently overestimating its leap, it aimed for Ander's neck but didn't jump high enough, ending up scratching his arm.
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