Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Chapter 1111: How It Works - Spoilers

Ever since this shit started, we've been trying to figure out how this fucking works compared to the media we consumed, but the progress we had at this point was like clearing a hoarder's den and discovering it was just a fucking room within the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong combined with the Underground Catacombs in Paris.

There existed a universal truth that their brains were their critical weakness but with the emergence of Stitchers that could basically turn left-alone deadheads as puppets for a time, the way it should've been working was blurring more and more as we discover more shit that they could do.

But yeah, 99% of the deadheads we encounter would still succumb with a strong enough blow to the head but then again, this was only to the extent of our knowledge and the information shared with us.

'What if there were certain mutations that didn't need the Main CPU or what if there were mutations that were stand-alone puppets who didn't need a master?'

That was one of the reasons I sent out clearing groups—to try and nip everything in the bud to avoid such mutations from happening—but that might also be one of the reasons that the world decided to send nuclear weapons all around the globe, to completely obliterate certain mutations that a small group or even an army couldn't handle with a sharp blade or an anti-tank round.

In any case, bringing it back to our current situation, I should've asked a better question so that the Admiral could've articulated more from the get-go.

Answering me coyly with "Yes and no," was still technically an answer because zombies were both alive and dead, but I dryly chuckled and looked a little fed up before he took it upon himself to give me his real answer:

"Look, I didn't mean feed in the literal sense but I'm sure you noticed that she wouldn't even be able to chew her food unless she put her jaw—at least what's left of it—to where it belongs and do her magic— Wait. No, her original jaw and the rest of her teeth were long gone the moment she discovered how to use them as weapons—"

Oscar cut in, "Hold up, what do you mean by original? Does she have fake ones we don't know about? Can she make a new skeleton from scratch—"

I cleared things up with Oscar before ADM Burke could, "I think he's referring to the bodies it absorbed. Once they're one and the same, her only problem is finding the right size— Hold up, what happens to the brains of the ones she absorbed?"

Oscar waved me down, "Hold up, hold up— Let me catch up, kid. So when they fuse together— Oh! Ohhh~ I get it, I get it— Right! What happens to the brain of the other one and the rest of its organs?"

"It's—"

The Admiral was about to give an answer but I followed up with a third question:

"Before you answer that, a bicep is called a "bi"-cep because of the two muscles it was composed of but the one we just saw over there has five. Are they even bicep heads or just extra lumps from the… you know?"

The Admiral let out a brief sigh, "You've kinda answered your own question. But to clarify, this is just from our observations, but the way she 'feeds' is through absorbing the others like her as we established earlier but as they meld into her skin, they just shrink more and more until they're the size of a—forgive the comparison—a chilidog or something similar but the bones remain the same.

It's just that they stick out and that's what makes them accessible to her as throwing weapons…"

"Even the brain?"

"Yes."

Oscar muttered, "She'd probably look even weirder if she still had several appendages sticking out from her body. No offense, Admiral."

"None taken. Quite a silver lining in a way."

I asked, "How long does it take to absorb a deadhead? And before they turn into a chilidog, can she move them or does the mate move on its own?"

"I think it'll be better if I show you the video."

"There's more?"

"Among other things, yes."

"Then show us—"

"Move your feet off the goddamn table, then!"

"Ah— Apologies."

"Haa…"

With that said, as the Admiral loaded the video on the coolest "gaming table" ever, it showed Jolene in pretty much the same state she was in right now—even in the same aquarium—but this time, she looked to be a tad lethargic despite the couple of "friends" she had over.

But yeah, we've seen her flung herself earlier but seeing her "walk" right now doesn't look like she was walking. It could be from the missing bones or just her muscles doing all the work but it didn't take long before the ones before her knew of her presence and made their way to meet her halfway.

The two seemed to be regular deadheads, but even though I've seen dregs eat themselves or eat one of their own, I've never seen them chomp through her flesh halfway before giving her a tight hug.

It was the weirdest fucking three-way I've seen in a while but the video started to speed up.

"Woah, woah— Wait—"

"It's much better this way, trust me. You wouldn't wait the full week, would you?"

Oscar asked, "It takes a full week?"

"Give or take."

"Man~ you just gotta spoil it, huh?"

"..."

"..."

"Tough crowd…"

But yeah, I've seen lotion get absorbed through the skin but I've never seen a full body—much less a rotting one and two of them, I might add—get absorbed for another's "sustenance".

It was like this classic animation where this antagonist absorbs certain androids through its tail to further perfect its evolution but this one looked like it was evolving backwards or just barely clinging to life.

Jolene did look a little more "energetic" as it finally finished its meal.