[What? Don't blame me. Do you know how much of a hassle cleaning this is going to be?]
"..." Black Flame remained silent, unable to believe Faraday's remark.
"HAARRGH!!" The Variants roared, readying themselves to spit their corrosive bile at him once more. But Black Flame wasn't in the mood for their nonsense.
"SHUT UP!!" he screamed, activating Claw Hand and lunging toward them. Why not just use the Laser Beam to finish things quickly? Simple. He was pissed, and he wanted to let off steam by smashing these rotting creatures into oblivion. He craved the satisfying sensation of crushing their bones, tearing their decayed flesh, and reveling in their grotesque demise. Only then would he feel calm again.
"Take this!" Black Flame bellowed as he snapped one variant's legs in half and ripped the arm off another.
"HAARRGHH!!" One of the Variants suddenly bit down on him. But instead of piercing his flesh, its razor-sharp teeth, capable of slicing through steel, shattered on impact.
"You little shit!" With a single motion, Black Flame stomped on its head, turning it into a gory mess of brain matter and blood that splattered across the ground like a squashed fruit.
"Take this!" He high-kicked another variant in the face, sending its head flying into the distance. "And now this!" With a spinning jump kick, he sliced through another, splitting its decayed body into two halves. (Any Street Fighter II players out there?)
"HAARGH!"
"Eat this!" Another Variant foolishly leaped at him, only to be met mid-air with a devastating horse-kick that crushed its skull in one blow.
"HAARGH!!"
"I said stop screaming!" Black Flame barked, his patience wearing thin. Grabbing the nearest variant, he wrenched its slimy black tongue from its throat, blood gushing in every direction.
"HAARRGGH!!"
"Did you not hear me, you pig!?"
CLAP!
He clapped his metallic hands together around the variant's head, which exploded with a sickening POP, like a bursting watermelon.
"Huff... huff..." He paused, expecting exhaustion to settle in. "Huh? Why don't I feel tired? Is this armor boosting my stamina too?"
Suddenly, more sounds echoed across the battlefield.
"GRRAARRGH!!"
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"GRRAARRGH!!"
"GRRAARRGH!!"
"Hmm?" Black Flame turned to see a horde—no, an army—of 3,500 zombies rushing toward him like an unstoppable tide.
"Faraday, activate Electric Discharge. I want to see what it does."
[Command accepted. Instruction: Point your fingers at them.] Faraday calmly replied.
"Like this?" He extended his ten metallic fingers toward the horde, curiosity brimming within him.
Within moments, tiny holes formed on the tips of his fingers.
BZZZ~! BZZZ~! BZZZ~!
Electricity crackled, arcs of blue-white energy shooting from his fingers, instantly frying the zombies they touched. But that wasn't all—the beams split, hitting more targets with every second. (Force Lightning Baby!!)
"GRRAARRGH!!"
"GRRAARRGH!!"
"GRRAARRGH!!"
The electric tendrils spread like wildfire, dancing from one undead body to the next, chaining through the entire horde. One by one, they were reduced to smoldering, lifeless husks.
"Haha... haha... HAHAHAHA~! So much power—right at my fingertips!" Black Flame laughed maniacally. The sheer force coursing through him was intoxicating, too much to resist. "I'm using this in every battle from now on!"
[It can only be used once a day.] Faraday's cold voice interrupted, immediately shattering his moment of triumph.
"Noo!! Why!? Just why!?"
[Because of how overpowered you would become, the Author is trying to nerf you.]
"Huh? What did you just say?" Black Flame asked, thrown off by the odd statement.
[I said it can only be used once a day because it consumes too much energy.]
"Oh... I thought I heard you talking about an Author or something."
[Author?] Faraday questioned.
"Never mind."
"Anyway, where are the rest of the zombies?" Black Flame inquired, still not convinced that the fight was over.
[Gone. Reduced to atoms.] Faraday responded nonchalantly.
"I don't understand."
[You've killed all the zombies on this island.] Faraday clarified.
"All of them?" Black Flame asked, blinking in disbelief.
[I am 99% sure.]
"Why not 100%?"
[There might be a few stragglers that the armor's sensors didn't pick up.] Faraday explained.
"Alright then, let's sweep the area. Who knows? We might find something interesting." Black Flame decided, pacing thoughtfully. "By the way, how much charge do Rocket Boots have left?"
[92%.]
"Good. And the Sensor?"
[81%.]
"What's the range?"
[You can increase the range, but it will consume more energy the wider the scan.] Faraday warned.
"How much charge would it take to scan the entire island?"
[30%.]
"Hmm..." Black Flame deliberated, torn between exploring the island or saving his energy for future battles. 'If I go to a bigger island next, I'll need every bit of power. But it's also getting dark... I need to make a choice.'
"I've made my decision. Let's finish exploring this island." He finally resolved.
"Faraday, activate Holographic Mode and Sensor. Scan the entire island."
[Understood.] Faraday immediately began executing the command.
Flash!
Two laser beams emitted from Black Flame's helmet, projecting a detailed holographic map in front of him. A red dot appeared at the center of the island—his location. As the scan expanded, two green dots and one blue dot appeared on the far side of the island. The blue dot was moving swiftly away from the green ones.
"Faraday, what do these dots represent?"
[Red dot is you. The blue dot is human. Green dots are zombies.]
"Then that means... the zombies are chasing the human!" Black Flame's eyes widened in realization. "Faraday, activate Rocket Boots!"
[Command accepted.]
'I'm going to meet another human... Finally!' Black Flame's heart raced with excitement. He had been waiting for this moment—someone else, another survivor with answers, or perhaps, someone who had endured the apocalypse just like him.