Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Chapter 217: 217

From our side, we could already see several figures in the distance slowly making their way towards us and on the side of the DDR Camp, a few flashes of lights are appearing due to gunshots. I laid my longsword on Oscar’s SUV first before the three of us went outside to whittle down the figures approaching.

“Kaley, use the wakizashi but draw your pistol just to be sure. Wait, do you want to use the longsword instead?” I asked her.

“Hmm? I’m starting to get familiar with this so I’ll stick to this one. Maybe one day when your old man Kaiseki meets me he’ll make me one for myself as well.” she replied.

“Hah! Okay then, let’s go.” I said as I opened the gate.

Kaley and Tatiana have their own swords in hand though Kaley is the only one holding a pistol with her off-hand.

Tatiana drew the blade from her hip and the bastard sword came into full view. Looking at it, the way it’s tapered is balanced for the purpose of cutting and thrusting. It’s made with spring steel so it’s not only hard but also flexible. You could bend the tip on a bit of an angle yet it’s still hard enough to cut into bodies of flesh and through bone. There’re a few things done to its cross guard, pommel, and handle for aesthetics though the scabbard and the blade has none of those engravings present.

My katana on the other hand was made with a mix of different kinds of steel by carbon content and assembled in a way that exceeded the existing seven-layer method which is used by famous sword-smiths. It boasts great strength, extreme hardness, and its resistance to wear. Also, it’s ductile enough that it could receive punishment without breaking easily.

I was watching Tatiana’s movements from the back since she’s the one who moved forward. I thought she would use it immediately but she first threw her knife towards the couple that are near her.

*shhck*

It entered the eye socket of the figure wearing bloody rags while the one next to it bleeding from the neck got decapitated by a horizontal slash that she made.

“Hmm.” Tatiana remarked.

She made a small exhale and then she continued to stab it down on the head that fell before picking up the knife she threw on the other figure. She began to make her way towards the others in the corner then I could Kaley moving ahead of me as well.

“Despite her lack of knowledge on the correct terms for it, she really does know how to use it. Has she trained in HEMA too? In the military? Well, it’s not like she couldn’t pick up a hobby, but still… I can’t even risk it by opening the question of ‘Are you a spy?’ in a joke. Next thing I know, I could be receiving a bullet to the head or a knife to the throat. However, the time we’ve all spent with her is making me think she has no ill intention towards our group. She’s been really close with everyone too, well… if you remove the fact that we’ve already done ‘that’ as well. Just better be wary as always though. Shit, I’m overthinking again-” I thought to myself but then I was cut off.

“HEY!” Kaley shouted.

A figure missing every bit of skin from his face is fast approaching. Its hands are crooked but it has already made the motion of clawing towards me.

“AArrghhNNyaaNGHH!!!” it groaned.

I immediately turned to my right to make a spin to dodge that hand then drawing my katana immediately to deal with it. I slashed his arm off first before I aimed it towards his eye just as I thrust.

“If you’d stop looking at my ass, you wouldn’t be spacing out as much. *chuckle*” Tatiana said.

“Stop blanking out!” Kaley added with a glare.

“It’s under control.” I replied with a straight face.

“Stop lying, that was a close call.” Kaley interrupted.

“Shit.” I thought to myself.

“A-anyway, I’m just checking you out if you know how to use that.” I said.

“Hmm, I do know how to use swords. Not as great as the ones as the professional practitioners though. Remember her? She taught me when we would meet sometime. Whenever I’m not deployed I’d attend classes.” Tatiana said.

“Oh. I see, I see.” I replied.

“Who?” Kaley asked.

“If you’d let me f.u.c.k Sky again, I’ll tell you. *chuckle*” Tatiana laughed heartily.

“Don’t look at me, you’re the one who agreed before. Beat her like I did before and she might still tell you the story.” I said when Kaley looked at me.

Kaley made an annoyed look and good thing we’re pretty far from where Oscar and the rest are or else that would be another problem. She started to sheath her wakizashi and she made quick work of the ones remaining in the immediate vicinity by using her pistol. When the figures are too far, she pulled out her rifle for extra range and it’s frightening to see that she never missed once.

“Hmph!” she harrumphed after she was done and several dozen bodies littered the highway where we stood. She quickly made her way towards the gate not minding us two.

“…” Tatiana and I.

The trucks finally arrived and it’s already sunrise. They came with several people and I told them that all of the items to be hauled are already outside the doors though the safe we found will need to be removed by using a few tools. I was seated at the roof of Oscar’s SUV and I could already feel my eyelids falling.

“Kid. Let me handle things here for now. Let Tatiana drive you and Kaley back. You need some sleep.” Oscar said.

“Visit the camp later after they hauled everything else and make the people that would live here start on digging the-” I was cut off.

“Yeah, yeah. I know what to do. We’ve already talked about it with them. You need to sleep. Kaley is already asleep in Tatiana’s HUMVEE. I’ll keep the soldiers and Jared with me here for a while before I switch with Johnny and after the soldiers from the camp sent their people over here.” he said.

“Okay, thanks old man. See you in a few.” I replied then I stood up and stretched.

I already yawned a few times and it caused another chain reaction. Tatiana immediately yawned after seeing me yawn from the rear-view mirror.

She finally drove us to our compound and we saw the people from Woodlands wearing solemn expressions while eating breakfast. Marisha is talking with some of them while I started to lift Kaley like a sack of potatoes. Tatiana decided to go back to Woodlands though she received several containers of food for her and the other soldiers over there. It was tightly packed by Rin then Tatiana handed the longsword and told Rin to follow me upstairs before she went back.

A few people greeted me when they saw me come out and Kaley was still sleeping soundly.

“This is a longsword, right? I’m not that interested on these types though. I like how Eastern weapons look more.” she remarked.

“Me too but I like how symmetrical they are. It brings a smile to my face. I’m just really more proficient in using this compared to that.” I replied.

“Oh~ so you trained with longswords too?” Rin asked.

“Yeah, just for a short while though when I went for a trip to Europe. Practicing HEMA is great! When they discovered that I was practicing Kenjutsu, they all wanted me to spar with them. I simply wanted to learn more of their techniques but they’re more hard-pressed to convert me.” I replied.

“Well~ if a longsword and a katana clashed though, who would win?” Rin asked excitedly.

“Oh! Easy, a yari.” I quickly replied.

“A spear?! That’s not even part of the choices!” Rin exclaimed.

“Heh. It depends on a lot of things. It just boils down to who wields it. A tool is simply a tool. Even with guns, you could be using the most kitted gun you could find but if you’re not great at using it, a person with a Hi-Point YEET Cannon would win even with the disadvantage.” I explained as I opened the door.

“Hmm, but! You already compared the guns! What about longswords and katanas?!” she’s getting passionate.

“Hah! I’ve been that road before. There’re a lot of variables like which type of long-” I was cut off.

“I know about that! How about if the longsword here versus your katana then? That’s one way of narrowing it down, right?” she replied.

“Okay, you got me. Let’s put it like this. In the ancient times, if a normal longsword and a normal katana clashed, a longsword would win. This is just because of the materials used and the forging process from before was different. Take note, it was different times when they were produced.” I replied.

“What?! I thought we developed the way when we folded the steel to make it stronger and such than most swords!” Rin retorted.

“It was an ingenious way to make the materials they have on hand before to be much stronger and to remove the impurities from the material. However, as hard for me to say it, the steel we used back then isn’t that great compared to what longswords were made of. It’s because we can’t melt it, only heat it to be folded and forged to what they are. On the time longswords were made though, they made use of a crucible to melt everything down. It allowed them to remove nearly all of the impurities making it the better steel between the two. It even paved the way for the industrial revolution, historically speaking.” I explained.

“Really? Hmmm… I see… so this longsword would win over your katana…” she looked very dejected.

“I never said that. I said, before~ BEFORE~ old man Kaiseki doesn’t just stick to the traditional ways of forging tools, you know? He travels the world to learn techniques from everyone! He made his own way by merging the techniques together to produce something that he only could and the weapons I have are a few of those that he made.” I replied with a proud look in my face.

“Oh~! Then that’s really nice to hear!” Rin said happily.

“Yeah, it would be better to add to who made it to the variables for that debate. It really is a rabbit hole if you ask me.” I said.

I thought it was over but it’s not.

“Wait! Then what if your old man Kaiseki made a longsword too? What would win?” she asked innocently.

All of my face muscles just froze and I’m just wearing a blank face.

I calmly took the longsword from her hand and laid it on the side of my rack where I also placed my katana after. The whole room suddenly got colder by the second and Rin must’ve felt the aura I’m emanating.

“I-I t-think I’ll leave for now. Y-you t-two s-should be sleeping, r-right?!” she quickly left my room.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” I shouted in my head.

I droop my head low and started to lay by Kaley’s side to sleep. I carefully removed the gear from her first so she could sleep comfortably.

“Well, thinking about it like that, what would really win? F.u.c.k. I can’t sleep now thinking about it. F.U.C.K! It goes on and on, f.u.c.k.i.n.g debate! I’d kill whoever started it! F.U.C.K~!” I had trouble sleeping.