Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I didn't even know if my words came through to their heads but I couldn't blame them. I'm sure that out of all the things to see in a zombie apocalypse, a fucking lowrider was among the things they never dreamt of seeing.

A lowrider wasn't something that boasted top speed, acceleration, handling, or whatnot but instead, it boasted style.

These were the type of cars that was so fucking low, they would almost hit the pavement– and in some cases, they were kitted out with hydraulics, letting them be able to go high, low, or even bounce at will.

The sole reason a lowrider could be worth six figures before the world ended was none other than its paint job. Granted certain parts also costs money but the paint was the thing that could make or break a deal.

It would sound ridiculous for most people but let's just say that some people have paid for things that were even more– or just as ridiculous.

They didn't have the best performance parts that were available in the market for a reason but what if they did?

The gift I prepared for Mr. Cuervo was a '72 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was kitted the fuck out.

It had the machined bumper-attachment we'd always put on our vehicles, tuned engine and transmission, reinforced body, mandatory roll cage, tubeless tires, plated rims, adjustable hydraulic suspension, and most importantly its sick-ass paint job.

From the front bumper to the tail bumper, I spent some time with an airbrush to make a bilaterally symmetrical design that mixed the colors of black, blue, and purple, while adding in an abstract design of a crow enveloping the whole car. Furthermore, what I didn't mention earlier was the interior completely matches the outside and it even had that new car smell.

With that said, the paint would change depending on the light source but most of the time, it would look like shiny chromatic black.

The next thing I know, Mr. Cuervo was already entering the driver's seat, and the look on his face when he saw the custom keychain that the key on the ignition had was fucking priceless.

If men like him would cry, this would be the fucking moment.

Mr. Cuervo cried real tears once he heard the engine roar and no one could fucking blame him. I would find myself sheeding a tear even from pointless things but for a man like Mr. Cuervo to do that, it would be as rare as finding Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster trading NFTs.

However, the same couldn't be said for Enrique.

The motherfucker had a raging boner in his pants and if we weren't there to throw him off the port, he would've slid his dick in any opening he could in Mr. Cuervo's Monte Carlo. If he didn't, he would've found a way to fuck a car and that was a mental image everyone was trying to avoid.

"EY! WHY'D YOU THROW ME DOWN HERE, PUTO?! I'M– IT'S A FUCKING LONG SWIM BACK!"

"JUST SWIM BACK AND MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE A FUCKING BONER!"

"B-BONER?! IF THIS WAS ANYTHING, IT WAS A COMPLIMENT! NICE JOB, ESE~!"

"I'LL ACCEPT A 'THAT'S AWESOME!' INSTEAD, HEARD ABOUT THAT?!"

"EH~! YOU CRAZY, PAPI CHULO! MY DICK DON'T LIE~ IT GOES UP IF IT LIKES SOMETHING, FOO~"

While Enrique was trying to swim back to shore, Mr. Cuervo turned off the engine and exited the car I made for him. After that, he looked me in the eye and gave me the most bro-hug of all bro-hugs.

"I have no words for this, Hermano… This is too… I didn't even think I'd see this in this country of all places… Did you say something earlier?"

"Heh, I'm talking about our buy-in. Is that enough?"

"Fuck the buy-in! Besides, past winners don't need to pay, they just need to show up… However, with this car… Chingalo! Is everyone here joining? No problem! For you, hermano, no problem!"

"Then it's settled. Don't worry, we'll only have a few people join in but we did bring some stuff to put on the prize pool. You know, for liquidity purposes and what not."

"That's very good to hear! This will be the biggest night yet and will be the most memorable! Hermano, I prepared everything on my end and all you need to do is put on a good show. Before the finale, everyone will– you know– we know what's gonna happen…"

"Yeah, better not jinx it."

Mr. Cuervo just gave me this knowing look with a faint smile and the atmosphere just changed for a short bit before it turned to normal. He scanned around the group I came in with for a second time before he nodded approvingly.

"Anyway, if you have relayed your orders to the people who'd remain here, can we hit the road? We'll be driving for an hour or so and I wish to be seen in the premises as soon as possible. Our guests have already started arriving yesterday and it'll probably resume at this hour."

"No problem. We loaded everything in our vehicles before we docked. Wanna lead the way?"

"Hah! 'Wanna lead the way?' Fucking hermano, I hope I don't smoke you. I heard the engine, it's not some clunker in there."

"Sure, sure~"

With that said, we went back to our ship to get into our vehicles and I exchanged words for a minute with Johnny and the rest of my crew that would stay behind. Since we already talked about our plans even before boarding our ship, I just reminded them of things that were easily forgotten.

Besides, it's not like we'd be cut off from communication and it was easy enough to relay info through our radios.

After some time, we took three vehicles from our ship: Our Raptor, Tatiana's HUMVEE, and one of our military trucks that contained provisions that we'd leave to Irene's place and use as liquidity for the betting pool in Mr. Cuervo's games.

It contained guns, ammo, other weapons, canned food, electronics, medicine, and medical supplies, but it also contained 'luxury' items that would obviously attract their own buyers.

All of these items would be hard to procure in this place so I'm hoping to receive something of equal value that would also be difficult to procure in our area. I already left them with something valuable the first time I came here, so it was only proper to get something in return.

It's not like they were facing trouble supply-wise so it was now time to open a trading route, even if the schedule was months away from each other.

Little by little, I would like to restore a little bit of the things we did before the world ended so we could at least have some semblance as to how the world used to work. In the future, I'd like this arrangement to be a monthly thing but a few things needed to be done first before it becomes feasible.

However, this was a conversation for another time since we still had a lot on our current plate.

After getting everything in order, we drove out of the port and met with the group of people Mr. Cuervo came with to fend off the dead that came wandering.

From the first glance, they seemed a step above the usual rabble and on a positive note, they seemed to be on good terms with Nikolas, Alexei, and especially Ilya and they seemed to appreciate the new ride their boss just came in.

We exchanged a few glances and they seemed to recognize me, but their eyes almost immediately shifted to Tatiana and Cynthia when they caught a glimpse of them. They turned their eyes to Kaley too but they already knew that she was someone they'd only pursue if they wanted to get cut in half.

The things that I did the last time I came here were still fresh in their minds and they knew their boundaries the moment they saw the blades hanging from our hips.

With that said, their group insisted to go ahead but Mr. Cuervo just peeled off to show-off his new ride. Well, he didn't go as far and we soon found ourselves in a line that favored Mr. Cuervo's safety.

We'd be driving into another town called Ibaan before we reach the town of Padre Garcia, where Irene's place was located, but we could already see the stark difference of this place compared to ours.

The dead couldn't be more scarcer and even if we already experienced this the first time we came here, it was still a minor shock to discover that almost nothing had changed.

There was always a difference in population density between a rural and an urban setting but passing through a ghost town without a single sighting of the dead didn't sit well with me.

However, I heard Mr. Cuervo's voice from the radio.

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*bzzt*

"Just wait, Hermano. You'll see…"

*bzzt*

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