Chapter 27

On the other side of Valacram, a certain Colonel was busy pacing his new office. His Lieutenant, a stiff man with a crooked nose, carefully watched him as he roamed the room like a caged tiger.

After a few minutes of silence, he couldn't hold back any longer, "Colonel, permission to speak."

The latter stopped his pacing and directed his bloodshot eyes at him, "speak!"

Lieutenant: "Sir, we have to quickly find a solution for Project T. They are a great danger to us now. Now more so than ever as they have been confirmed to be part of the HCIZ (higher cognitive intelligence zombie) group. If they ever divulge anything to the higher-ups..."

"I already know that you damn fool!" The Colonel roared with his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull. With his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, he continued, "why do you think I haven't gotten any sleep in the past few days! If I could have killed them I would have already done so a long time ago! You think anyone can do anything now that they are more powerful than before?! I can't even move an inch without that damn hyena breathing down my neck right now! He has always suspected me and now that he has heard the news about their identity, he has become even more unsufferable! He questions me at every turn and has many people spying on me! If he ever obtains one smidgen of evidence against me, he will massacre me! That guy is as dangerous as he is cruel, specially to those that touched the bottom line of his damn morals!"

Lieutenant: "Then I could try aga-"

"Shut up, you brainless donkey!", the Colonel roared again with bulging veins on his neck. "Have you forgotten how you almost got caught yesterday!? Forgotten about how you are being suspected and monitored too?! You can't even go pee without one of them knowing! So what can you even do? Hypnotise them?! Freeze time, off them then come back in a merry way?! Stop spouting nonsense and try to feel out those that evolved superpowers! Maybe one of them can be useful."

Lieutenant: " Sir, that will be a nigh difficult task to accomplish. Specially since Colonel Black is in charge of any matter regarding them. Any interactions with them have to pass through the Colonel first. Meeting randomly with them is even more improbable as they have their own building and always go out with their units. Not to mention their loyalty to the Colonel..."

Colonel: "That is why I said 'try'! I am trying to find a way on my side too! But that damn hyena is too cunning and has already brainwashed all the evolved ones! How he even convinced those old cronnies to let him be in charge of the evolved ones? I. DON'T. HAVE . A. DAMN. CLUE! Now get going!"

The Lieutenant saluted with a 'Yes Sir' before stealthily leaving the office.

At least, what he thought was stealthy. A young man blended so well with the shadow of his hiding place, that he was nearly invisible to the eye. He narrowed his eyes at the Lieutenant's fading back before carefully detaching from the shadow. He had to report what he had heard. He quickly disappeared from the hallway, as if he was never present.

****

On the zombie side, Tsuki was watching Alphonse instruct the others about the art of fighting. He casually threw a cherry in his mouth while watching a poor zombie being thrown around.

He had a suspicion that Alphonse was sneakily using training as an excuse to have free punching bags.

He winced as another zombie nearly had his legs torn off.

'...but why in the creator's name am I being forced to watch this?! I would rather be playing with Mary right now! My poor little Mary, he must be sad that I am not playing with him today! Stupid Alphonse! I can't move without him asking where I am going! Ok, I may have nearly caused one part of the mountain to crumble down while playing with Mary; BY PURE ACCIDENT.... But that doesn't give him the right to prevent me from roaming about!' Tsuki ranted in his head while glaring at Alphonse.

'Hey wait minute! Alphonse is busy playing right now, so I can discreetly run away, no? Hahah go me! Now that he is playing with three zombies at once,let me just slip away!' Tsuki snickered.

He threw the last cherry in his mouth, checked whether Alphonse was still occupied before carefully getting up. He cautiously took a step back.

Several zombies waiting for their turn for 'training' looked at him quizzingly as he took several steps backwards at intervals.

Tsuki was too busy keeping his eyes on Alphonse to notice that some of the surrounding zombies were looking at him stupidly.

Tsuki let out a small breath of relief after having put a lot of distance between him and Alphonse. He sneakily turned his back and was just lifting him leg to run away when a voice came from behind him, "and where do you think you are going?"

Tsuki froze in place and accidentally swallowed the cherry pit in his mouth. He clutched at his throat while hacking madly in order to dislodge the pit.

Alphonse looked at him with a sigh before delivering a big slap on his back.

The pit was forced out by the force of the slap and Tsuki kneeled down with relief, "why did you have to scare me like that? I nearly died!"

Alphonse: "you are already dead."

Tsuki got up while saying, "yes I am, but still-"

Alphonse: "Don't try to change the subject. Were you trying to slip away again?"

Tsuki bravely admitted, "yes I was? What's wrong with stretching my legs a little?"

Alphonse: "Oh? Stretching your legs equals to going to play with the sheep?"

Tsuki: "How did you know that?! Did you develop a mind reading power?!"

Alphonse looked at him blankly, "you are not going to play with that sheep today. You'll play with it under supervision and far away from the base."

Tsuki opened his mouth to protest.

Alphonse: "It took three hours to remove the zombies buried beneath the rocks and they are still working to solidify the walls again. All that because you were PLAYING FETCH with your sheep."

Tsuki guiltily closed him mouth. "I didn't do it on purpose and I did apologise to them. I even brought some food as apology." Tsuki muttered in a small voice.

Alphone: "Meat that was burnt to a crisp and they couldn't eat anyway. It was just a waste of food. Now all the others can't concentrate on their work when you are playing nearby with that sheep. They are too busy keeping an eye on you in case they need to run away."

Tsuki looked down as he toed the ground, "I forgot that they ate it raw. I said sorry for that too. And the sheep is called Mary."

Alphonse hardened his voice, "still talking back?"

Tsuki straightened his back, "nopes, not at all! I'll listen to you!"

Veyn laughed at hearing their conversation as he approached, "ok, ok. Enough scolding now. Alphonse, you are needed in the meeting room. Riot got some news from the spy. I'll take over the training so go there directly."

Alphonse nodded at Veyn, "thank you. Let's meet later to discuss the next steps."

He then proceeded to walk away while carrying Tsuki like a bag of potatoes.

Veyn shook his head with a smile as he listened to Tsuki complaining about being carried and whether the spy was was a ninja.

As for the zombies that were treated as air, well, they were rather used to it by now. They just silently watched the soap opera.