Infinite Time System: Harem in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 16: Superpowers
At first, they were worried. Then they got scared.
The tense expressions on their faces when I told them about the time the nurse’s room did not open, and when I had passed out in the bathroom, made me giggle a little.
Then, when I told them about my narrow escape, only to end up surrounded by zombies from all directions, I could hear them gulp as they held their breath.
"And I jumped!" I said in a sudden voice.
"Whoa!" the younger nurse got scared as the knife in her hand fell on the ground.
"But then... I caught in the safety net," I added, making them sigh in relief.
I continued from there on how painful it was, and how I was literally holding on for my life, struggling to get out of that situation.
"And then the net snapped!" I said, clicking my fingers.
-Snap!
"They all fell down," I added with a proud smirk on my face.
"That was you!" Eva asked with an amazed expression. Even the nurses were in disbelief while I nodded.
By this time, I decided to add a lie that I had planned to explain the reason behind my powers. Since I can’t just tell them that I have a system, I needed a lie that can be used to replace their doubts.
"Yeah, but... here is the strange thing. After running around, jumping off the 20th floor, and even pushing myself to the edge, I somehow did not pass out. In fact, after about 20 minutes of rest on that floor, I was able to stand back properly, perhaps even better than before," I added with a hint of doubt mixed in my voice.
Eva was my best friend.
But I don’t think I am going to tell anyone about the [System]. Not even her.
"Well, things actually got weirder after that. As I went on to survive through the lower floors, I noticed that my strength was increasing at an abnormal rate. I could walk faster and even run without any problems. It was... miraculous," I added before looking at Eva, who simply narrowed her eyes at me while I continued,
"Cough. So, as I continued moving, I found a few certain key aspects about this apocalypse. First, that this apocalypse is way stranger than it looks. Not just a zombie apocalypse, but... more like an evolution type of thing."
I pondered before adding,
"A few zombies I fought were stronger than the others. Some were even crawling on their four feet, and especially the one that I encountered as soon as I entered the 18th floor. He was way more resilient than the other zombies."
Eva fidgeted. Her eyes widened a little, but she kept quiet. Then, as if reaching a conclusion, she turned to one of the nurses, the elder one.
"Nurse Martha. Will you please?"
Hmmm?
Confused, I turned to the nurse in question.
Nurse Martha was about 50 years old. If I were to say what the most iconic thing about her, it would be her hazel-brown eyes matching the color of her hair. Other than that, she looked like your typical neighbourhood aunty with whom you might occasionally share dinner with.
"Are you sure?" Martha asked with a serious look, to which Eva nodded.
A brief sigh before Martha moved near a wide table placed in the corner. Placing both her hands at the edges...
"Hupp!!!!"
... she lifted it up in the air.
-Gulp!
A fear-filled gulp before I took a few steps back.
The wooden table was at least 5 meters wide and based on its thickness it should be around 50 kg minimum. Perhaps even more. In any case, it wasn’t something you could lift from an edge to this height while barely showing any pressure.
Let’s not forget the fact that she is a bare-bone 50-year-old lady. I added internally.
[Inspect!]
[Human: Martha Avarice De Elgadro
HP: 750/750
Infection Level: 15%
Zombification Evolution Process: 37%
Zombification Type: Strength
Description: Because her genes were strong enough to protect herself from zombification, she now holds command of a fraction of the power that could have eaten her.]
Shit! I was just trying to joke about it.
I was serious about my own powers, but that was because of the system. I was skeptical about the zombies, but based on my observation, I could hypothesize that it was an evolutionary thing. But that was a hypothesis...
I didn’t think someone was really going to get superpowers. I sighed with a depreciating laugh.
"It’s not just her, even my eyesight has improved a lot. I can see everything clearly on the ground, zoomed out in high quality. The only drawback is that the more I use this ability, the more severe the headache I get," Eva added, making me turn at her as well.
[Human: Eva Grace
HP: 450/450
Infection Level: 23%
Zombification Evolution Process: 42%
Zombification Type: Enhanced Eye-sight
Description: Because her genes were strong enough to protect herself from zombification, she now holds command to a fraction of the power that could have eaten her.]
Apart from the same description, I could see the difference in their powers. That, along with the infection level and how long it will take before they would evolve.
So... are they going to evolve too? Or will it be their powers that evolve? I questioned.
In fact, I had a dozen more questions, like if they would remain human later on, or if they would turn into zombies? Or if there was more to this whole thing. Plus, I also wanted to know the limits of their powers. Will it be enhancement related or if they were going to get something out of the box?
Though before all that...
[Inspect!]
[Human: Natalia Rave
HP: 550/550
Infection Level: 12%
Zombification Evolution Process: 21%
Zombification Type: Enhanced Memory
Description: Because her genes were strong enough to protect herself from zombification, she now holds command of a fraction of the power that could have eaten her.]
I turned to her and used [Inspect].
As I read the same description and focused on her power, I analyzed the differences between her and the others.
The blue-haired, timid nurse shrieked a little before scooting into the sofa on which she was sitting. Blinking a few more times as she looked at random objects in the room, she waited for someone to speak, or perhaps for me to look away from her.
Why is the infection percentage different? And how does it affect someone? Also, could there be a reason behind their powers? Well... I need more information before I can reach a conclusion. I analysed the situation as I kept gawking at Natalia, especially at her status.
Eva moved forward.
"Natalia is fine," she added.
Perhaps she misunderstood my intentions, she continued,
"She does not have any abnormalities... yet."
So, they don’t know yet, huh? Kind of makes sense, given her ability. I thought as I kept the information to myself. Because they don’t know about it, it would obviously be impossible for me to do so as well.
Unless I...
Moving towards the bookshelf, I picked up a catalogue. It had the names and phone numbers of important people in the hospital and whom to call in case of emergencies. Despite being thin, it sure had over a hundred numbers written in it.
"Here, can you skim through all the names and numbers for me?" I passed the catalogue to her.
Though confused, Natalia nodded as she began reading through it. Took her about a few minutes as we all kept staring at her before she finished and returned it to me.
"What’s Ebon Thorne’s number?" I asked.
"Huh... Ebon Thorne... 918**08**1," she replied.
"Marie Sue?" I asked again. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"54...22**0*1!!!" she answered again, this time a bit alarmed than before.
I passed the catalogue to Eva. "Angelina Jolie?" Eva asked curiously.
"56*1901*1!!! How can I remember it so clearly?!!!!!" Natalia was far more shocked than the others, while Eva understood the situation. Giving me a knowing look, she waited for me to speak.
"I think my powers allow me to see other’s powers, while hers is enhanced memory," I responded.
There were many reasons why I said that.
For starters, it would look odd if I didn’t have any powers while the others were developing it so fast. Adding to that, with this power, I can help them gauge the enemy and their powers, allowing us to plan better without me needing to explain it to them later. Lastly, with this, if we happen to encounter an enhanced [Thinker] living among the humans, I could pinpoint him out of the normal humans.
"Uuuunnnnn," I heard the disheartened sound of Natalia as she looked down in despondency.
"Why did I study all those nights memorizing? If I had known..."
Then I ignored her.
"So does that mean you are cured?" Eva said as she looked at me with a bright smile. Looking at her happy, I nodded.
I mean, according to the system, I am still dying, but it’s not like all hope is lost.
Hopefully...
Probably...
-THUD!!!
"AAAAA!!!!"
And as we were talking, a zombie landed outside the window, crashed on the glass outside the room before getting stuck on it.
My heart skipped a beat as I subconsciously used inspect on him.
And what I saw next was...
[D-Grade Zombie: Jumper!]
