Chapter 50: Chapter 50 - Can I Join?

Ego confirmed the order without hesitation. While Zack appreciated Antonny’s assistance, their group’s military strength made him cautious. The government might have collapsed, but the weapons they left behind—nuclear warheads, missiles, advanced tech—were still out there.

When Zack arrived at the steel plant, he saw the streets below littered with zombie corpses, some already being cleared by people working in small groups under Charles’s supervision. Armed guards stood nearby, keeping watch for any threats.

‘Good thing I left Charles in charge,’ Zack thought, observing the organized efforts. He landed the helicopter smoothly, and as he stepped out, familiar voices rose in excitement.

“Sir Zack is back!”

“Sir Zack!”

Zack’s old crew from the steel plant cheered, and Charles hurried over, his face lighting up despite the exhaustion etched on it.

“Sir Zack, we held the factory! It’s safe!” Charles reported with pride.

Zack’s expression softened in approval, but his eyes quickly narrowed when he noticed something. “Charles, what happened to your hand?”

Charles glanced at his heavily bandaged left arm, brushing it off casually. “Just a scratch. I figured it was safer to cut it off before it got worse.”

Zack nodded, masking his concern. “Staying alive is what matters.”

“How’s the rest of the factory?” Zack asked, steering the conversation away.

Charles sighed heavily. “We lost eleven people—six veterans and five newer recruits. The vets fought bravely. The others… they panicked and got bitten.” His voice lowered. “One of the veterans is still alive but barely hanging on. He won’t make it.”

Zack felt a pang of regret. Seventeen of the original crew remained, but they had already lost so many. He knew what had to be done. “Cremate the bodies,” he instructed. “Do what you can for the injured, but if there’s no hope… make it quick and painless.”

Charles nodded solemnly. “Understood.”

“Another group will arrive by helicopter soon,” Zack added.

Charles tensed. “From the prison?”

“No. These are better,” Zack assured him. “They’ve got experience. They’ll fit in.”

Charles visibly relaxed. “If you trust them, we’ll make it work. I just don’t want too many strangers overwhelming the crew.”

“I’ll send a few mechanical dogs to help out,” Zack promised before heading toward the factory.

Inside, tracking signals led Zack to the heart of the plant, where MV-01 and Annie’s spider robots stood guard. Near the entrance, Annie was helping a limping Sophia walk.

“Brother!” Annie called out, her face lighting up.

“Zack!” Sophia echoed, trying to smile despite her injuries.

Zack’s eyes immediately scanned Sophia. “Ego?”

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Ego reported, “Soft tissue damage and minor organ injuries. Recovery is likely with rest and oral medication.”

Zack’s shoulders relaxed. “Alright. Once the helicopter lands, you’re flying back,” he told Sophia firmly. “You need rest.”

Sophia frowned. “Really? After everything, now I’m stuck resting?”

“I get it,” Zack said gently. “But you’ve got to recover first.”

Sophia sighed, reluctantly nodding. “Fine… Little Anne…” she murmured under her breath, her expression tinged with sadness.

Annie tried to cheer her up, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry, Sis! Get some rest, and I’ll take over the cooking!”

Soon, the helicopter landed. Four mechanical dogs jumped out, immediately starting to clean up the scattered corpses. Behind them, survivors from Erza’s group hesitantly exited, looking around.

Charles stepped forward, waving them over. As they gathered, he counted seven people—five men and two women.

“You five,” Charles instructed the men, “take a break, then help clean up the bodies. You two,” he turned to the women, “head to the canteen. The others are already there.”

The seven survivors exchanged uncertain glances but, after a moment, nodded and moved to follow his instructions. “Much better than the ones from the prison,” Charles muttered approvingly under his breath.

Meanwhile, Annie helped Sophia into the helicopter. As they stepped inside, parts were scattered all over the floor, and a red-haired woman lay unconscious nearby. Sophia frowned, her brow furrowing. “Is she another survivor?”

Annie, however, was distracted by something else entirely. “Sis… she’s… um, really… big!”

Sophia followed Annie’s gaze and blinked in surprise, her eyes widening. “Uh… you’re not wrong.” She shook her head, quickly regaining her composure. “Anyway, she’s probably just in a coma. We’d better take her back with us… who knows what might happen if we leave her behind.”

“Okay,” Annie agreed easily, her simple nature showing as she turned back to help Sophia settle into her seat. Once Sophia was secure, Annie stepped out of the helicopter, retrieved the MV-01 suit, and drove it into the aircraft. She then returned with her spider robot, which folded its tall frame tightly to fit into the cargo hold.

Finally, the helicopter lifted off, veering back toward the Mansion. After Annie and Sophia had left, Zack remained behind at the steel plant, seeking out Charles to discuss his next steps.

The recent battles had left Zack uneasy. His current arsenal felt inadequate, and after some thought, he made a decision: the factory next to the steel plant would be converted into a weapons production facility, focusing on firearms and, most importantly, ammunition. Ego had already designed the factory layout and assembly lines.

As promising as the plan sounded, Zack faced two major issues—lack of materials and skilled labor. Most of the nearby factories were producing parts, electronics, or chemicals, none of which were suitable for weapons manufacturing. Even if he could gather the necessary supplies, transporting them presented another challenge.

“One helicopter won’t cut it,” Zack muttered, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I need to solve the transportation problem first.”

After a moment, he spoke aloud. “Ego, got any ideas?”

Ego responded promptly, “Yes, sir. Check this design.”

A screen popped up in Zack’s vision, displaying a blueprint for a massive plane, almost the size of an aircraft carrier. The codename read Avalanche. Zack’s lips curled into a grin. “Not bad. But there are a lot of materials we don’t have yet. Oh well, as long as it flies and gets the job done, I can always upgrade it later.”

With a satisfied smirk, he gestured at the sky, ready to put his plan into motion. After a quick discussion with Charles, Zack turned to leave the steel plant. Before departing, he assigned all four of his mechanical dogs to stay behind. Along with the original dog already guarding the plant, the facility now had five mechanical guards, enough to ensure security and maintain order for Charles and his team.

Meanwhile, Annie’s spiders hadn’t fared well in the recent battles. One was beyond repair, and another was heavily damaged. Zack decided to scrap both, leaving him with three functioning units. He ordered the remaining spiders to return to the Mansion on their own.

With everything settled, Zack boarded his transport. Under Charles’s watchful gaze, the aircraft ascended into the sky, executing a sharp turn before speeding toward the Mansion. Before long, Zack arrived and landed in the open space near the Mansion, leaving the transport door wide open. Taking a quick look inside, he saw that Annie and the others had already unloaded most of the cargo, leaving only stacks of parts behind.

“Ego, once those three spiders get here, have them move these parts down to the basement,” Zack instructed.

“Consider it done, sir,” Ego replied smoothly.