[ Rebooting Systems...]
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in the void.
[ System Reboot Completed... ]
[ Preparing System...]
[ Systems Online ]
[ Welcome, Doctor Xenon... ]
[ TDX SYSTEM ONLINE ]
"What!?" I jolted awake, the harsh reality of a concrete rooftop slamming against my back.
The world spun for a moment as I gasped, "Where am I?" I scrambled to sit up, my surroundings immediately demanding attention. I was perched precariously on the rooftop of a high-rise building, the wind whipping at strange, unfamiliar clothing.
"When did I get up here?" I muttered, standing gingerly. My body felt heavy, wrong. I looked down at myself.
I was wearing a pristine lab coat over a neat, dark suit. A small identification tag was clipped to the lapel. "These clothes are not mine and... My head hurts so much," I groaned, clutching my temples as a spike of intense pain shot through me.
"I need to sit down."
Hunkering down, I checked my person. The ID tag read GDA. "GDA, huh. Weird. Why do I... feel annoyed by this?" The name sparked a dull, simmering irritation deep within me, though I couldn't place the reason.
As the headache mercifully receded, I stood again, drawn to the dizzying view. Modern skyscrapers pierced a smoggy, urban sky. "It's nice," I conceded, trying to anchor myself in the unfamiliar landscape.
Then, a translucent blue pane shimmered into existence right in front of my face.
[ Welcome, Doctor Xenon. With this system, you can summon soldiers and people from TDX. ]
"TDX? Wait, I remember. I played that game before I... was here," I whispered, a thread of memory snapping into place.
Another window immediately popped up, interrupting my nascent thoughts.
[ Open Starter Pack? ]
[ Y / N ]
"Yes?" I answered tentatively.
A flood of text filled the display:
[ Starter Pack Contents: ]
* 5,000 Gold
* Glock 19 (1)
* 6 Mags
* 5 Boxes of 9mm Ammunition
* Revived Zombies (50)
* Revived Boss 1 (5)
* Rangers (5)
* Medkits (3)
* Survival Gear (1 set)
* Predator (1)
[ Items are now stored in your Inventory. ]
"It seems that I can use other GDA units and my own Xenon Army units... But first, where am I?" I scanned the architecture modern, orderly, and densely packed.
"I'm not in a fantasy world, that much is clear, so... where am I?" I reached into the void of the System's Inventory and pulled out the Glock 19 and a loaded magazine. The solid weight of the firearm felt surprisingly natural in my hand.
"Okay, best to hide this. This is a modern world after all. Laws exist about people having guns... Unless it's American you can basically have ten guns in your house and the government won't bat an eye," I mused, chambering a round and holstering it inside my coat.
Curiosity won out. "I wonder if I have stats," I thought, and instantly a new window appeared.
[ Name: Xenon
Strength: 3
Perception:5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 3
Intelligence: 15
Luck: E]
"This is my stats? And my Luck is... E?" I frowned at the abysmal rating.
"Well, whatever. What's the average person's stats anyways?"
[ An Adult Male's Average Stats: ]
Stat
Strength: 5
Perception: 3
Agility: 4
Endurance: 4
Intelligence: 5]
"Mhm... Good to know." I was physically weaker than average but abnormally intelligent. The Intelligence 15 felt like a heavy, cold weight of information settling back into my mind.
I decided to investigate the System further. "Okay, Shop," I commanded.
[ SHOP ]
* TOWERS
* UNITS
* GEAR
I pressed TOWERS.
[ TOWERS (Units to be placed in a location) ]
* Ranger: Cost 280 Gold
* Shotgunner: Cost 325 Gold
* Operator: Cost 500 Gold
"I can get GDA units here, alright." I backed out and pressed UNITS.
[ UNITS (Deployable Soldiers/Creatures) ]
* Revived Zombie: Cost 100 Gold
* Revived Boss 1: Cost 500 Gold
* Predator: Cost 1,000 Gold
"These units are cheaper than the GDA ones. Okay, I can just spam zombies at enemies!" I chuckled to myself, but the sound was hollow in the open air. I noticed no one else was on the rooftop.
"Dang, I look insane by doing that," I sighed, straightening my coat. It was time to leave the building.
As I walked toward the access door, a System window remained hovering behind me.
[ Assimilation Progress: 34% ]
"I learned so much from this," I muttered, taking the stairs down, then an elevator.
Stepping out onto the street level, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of a bustling city. Multiple cars flowed by, and the architecture felt clean, modern, and distinct.
"I guess based on the architecture and the people, I am in Japan, which is weird because..." I stopped dead in my tracks, catching my reflection in a store window.
My hair was a striking silver. My eyes were two different colors Blue on the left, Magenta on the right a textbook case of heterochromia. People passing by were starting to stare, and I felt a wave of self-consciousness.
I quickly started walking, trying to blend in, until I stumbled upon a school surrounded by a wall and a closed gate. I heard a horrifying sound a wet, agonizing groan, followed by the frantic shouts of people likely school teachers trying to get a person to leave.
"That person... is not normal," I thought, a cold dread washing over me.
"And where did I see something like this?" I ran the scenario through my memory banks. Then I saw it a gruesome figure biting and tearing into a downed teacher near the gate.
"Ahhhhh!" a new scream ripped through the air.
"Wait, I remember! This is from High School of the Dead!?" The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow.
I quickly hid behind some overgrown bushes. "If I remember, Dr. Xenon can control zombies, but I don't know if I can control any zombies that is not from TDX."
I pulled out my Glock, checking the chamber and slide action.
Click-clack.
"Best to use this for emergencies."
My eyes narrowed. The stakes had just skyrocketed. I opened my Inventory and silently summoned three Rangers.
With a soft, almost imperceptible shimmer, three figures clad in GDA tactical gear materialized beside me. Each carried an M16.
"Doctor Xenon," one of them said, saluting with precise, unblinking focus.
"We are going into that school. Zombies have attacked them," I stated, pointing at the unfolding horror near the gate. The Rangers moved immediately, weapons shouldered and aimed.
"Take it down," I ordered, seeing the zombie that had attacked the teacher.
Bang! The sound of the M16 was sharp and loud, and the zombie's head disintegrated.
[ +100 GOLD ]
"100 per zombie, huh? That's nice," I muttered, a strange mix of clinical analysis and sudden greed washing over me.
"Open that gate," I commanded, pointing at one of the Rangers.
"Understood," he responded, before efficiently unlatching the gate.
"Okay, follow me," I said, my voice gaining an edge of authority I didn't know I possessed. The two remaining Rangers positioned themselves immediately behind me.
Mhm... What are their stats? I wondered.
[ Ranger]
Stats
Strength: 7
Perception: 6
Agility: 6
Endurance: 7
Intelligence: 5]
"I guess so, it checks out. After all, they are soldiers fighting big-ass robots created by me," I said, a flicker of that annoying GDA-based memory passing through ME, the creator.
A wave of screaming and the sickening sounds of consumption reached us from inside the school building. Zombies were clearly feasting on the unfortunate students.
"Kill them all!" I ordered.
"Understood!" the Rangers responded in unison, spreading out.
I quickly summoned the rest of the Rangers from my Starter Pack.
"Luckily, they got infinite ammo," I realized, immediately checking the System which confirmed:
[ All Summoned Units have infinite Ammunition.]
"I could summon my own zombies, but the Rangers are alright clearing house, so it's fine." I opened the Shop and began spending Gold, the priority clear.
[ Buying 5 Rangers: 280 x 5 = 1,400 Gold ]
[ Buying 5 Shotgunners: 325 x 5 = 1,625 Gold ]
[ Gold Remaining: 5,475 ]
The gold counter in the top corner of my vision was already ticking up as the first group of Rangers started firing.
[ Gold: 7,700 ]
[ Gold: 8,500 ]
The numbers were climbing fast. The chaos was profitable.
"Doctor Xenon, your orders!" a newly summoned Ranger saluted.
"Good. Two Rangers stay with me. The rest of you, start clearing out the zombies in the school and save the students. I am planning to build my base here," I declared, the audacity of the plan surprising even me. The units saluted and instantly began their deadly work.
"Mhm, I need engineers," I mused, deciding to hold off for now. Resources needed to be managed.
This is a weird start. I don't remember anything but just appearing here, though I still have my memories, I thought, my mind running a dozen scenarios at once.
A zombie, its lower half mangled, was crawling toward me, dragging itself across the pavement with its arms.
"Tsk. You're going to dirty my clothes," I said, a flash of irritation overriding any fear. I raised the Glock and fired a single shot directly into its skull.
[ +100 GOLD ]
[assimilation 36%]
"huh?"