How To Be Misunderstood as a Villain in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 21. The Art of Deceiving One Another (8)

* * * * *

Rumors reached the capital headquarters ahead of the fall, telling of something incredible that was happening in the Midwest.

There were rumors that he was the Messiah, a zombie immune being, or a secret weapon that would change the game.

Of course, since the capital is far from the front lines, fresh stories tend to be processed into wonderful rumors through a process of exaggeration, misinterpretation, and omission. Just as people eat fast food and throw away the packaging, people also heard this as a passing fad and passed it over.

But this rumor was a bit more persistent. The content was similar, but the source was different each time. First it was the National Military Police Intelligence Division, then it was a certain department of the Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and even the Army Air Reconnaissance Corps.

It wasn’t just the source that changed. The content also became a little more fleshed out. At first, it was said that only one person was like that, but a few days ago, it increased to five, and now it’s a story about ‘a large number of immune people.’

– Have humans finally figured out a way to fight the Cro Virus?

– Humans don’t disappear that easily. There’s a reason we’ve survived until now. It’s thanks to our superior genes.

Whenever civilians or officers gathered together, that was the sound. Now, the rumor had the power to roll on its own. They say that three people can make a tiger out of nothing.

But these hopeful stories soon turned to worry and concern.

– Surely it won’t be taken away?

Their gaze would soon turn to the martial law commandant’s office, or to the corridors of the building where it was located. If war broke out, Elsa would not be able to endure it. Even a civilian who had just enlisted knew this.

– Surely we won’t be taken over by Römer or Minsk again?

* * * * *

The observation officer glanced at the handsome martial law commander.

She was of average height, but had a great figure and a pretty face. Her foreign aristocratic air made her shine even more than the fact that she was the second most powerful person in the world after the president.

There were even rumors that she wanted to meet a good man and get married quickly.

So the observation officer extended his explanation, adding an editorial in a much more polite and sensitive voice than usual.

“This is a photo taken by a reconnaissance plane that was inspecting the Minsk border area. The black sesame-like things are all zombies, the gray squares here are the tops of vehicles, and the white dots here are people. If you just look at this, you might think that the people in the vehicles are surrounded by a horde of zombies, but if you look at the next photo, you’ll think differently.”

The background terrain remained the same, but the black dots, gray squares, and white dots were slowly moving upward. The zombies were not gathering to eat the people gathered in the center. They were all moving in one direction.

“Can you guess the direction of movement?”

“Yes. The Air Force constantly reconnoiters this area….”

“Just a quick conclusion.”

Virginia’s violet eyes glared at the observer. The officer swallowed dryly. The unapproachable majesty sounded like the hiss of an angry snake. It was a danger signal.

“A huge procession of zombies, people, and vehicles is spreading out into the surrounding small and medium-sized cities. It is occupying the area for a period of time, and then spreading out more branches in all directions. It is like an advancing army. In my analysis… … .”

The observation officer was ready to add ‘a more expert commentary on the current situation’. Virginia would certainly be impressed by his insight, and given a little more opportunity, she would probably invite him to ‘have dinner with me, I’m curious…’ .

“Understood. I will continue to observe you in the future. And I want to guarantee your working hours, so only brief me directly when I request it, and submit a brief report to my adjutant. That’s all.”

“yep.”

As soon as the officer left, Virginia dug through her uniform pocket and put a cigarette in her mouth. She had wanted to smoke for a while, but the tactless guy was dragging his feet, which made her quite annoyed.

“V. I told you to see what you can do….”

The plan went awry.

As soon as Elsa declares war, Minsk will launch an all-out war. Minsk, which lacks natural resources, has always coveted Elsa’s abundant resources.

There, the medical records of Cybele and the Disease Control Agency are resources that Minsk would covet. In the end, it ended in failure, but didn’t they hire mercenaries and search through every research institute?

If they completely take over Elsa, they will likely gain an upper hand in the vaccine war with their superior technology, talent, and massive funds.

If so, the ultimate winner of this chaos will be Minsk. War is ultimately fought by people. In a situation where people become zombies, no one can guarantee victory.

But to do that, Minsk will have to deal with the countless zombies in Elsa’s lands on its own, because Elsa has no intention of ever entering Minsk’s lands.

While Minsk wastes his firepower, manpower, and time on countless zombies, Elsa steadily gathers her forces and engages in battle. She uses the zombies to gradually eat away at the enemy, then delivers the final blow with the regular troops of the National Gendarmerie, and turns the battlefield into a swamp from which Minsk cannot escape…

Virginia knows best that Elsa cannot defeat Minsk in an all-out war. Minsk will know that too. That is why Minsk, knowing this, cannot help but fall into the trap.

But. To do that, there had to be zombies that were both meat shields and living traps. It was an unexpected situation for them to escape.

‘Too fast.’

Once the zombies clear the way, the Minsk regular army will rush through the empty land and invade.

Whether or not Elsa’s regular army can stop them is a second thought, but then they can’t bring in Römer. There are zombies on the Elsa-Römer border too.

‘I need to buy some time.’

In principle, if Minsk invades Elsa, Roemer should automatically join the war. However, Roemer may decide to postpone, saying, “I want to help, but there are too many zombies.” However, if Elsa opens the way, Roemer’s justification will disappear.

At least the situation in the east is better than in the west.

How on earth could this be possible? How is this happening?

‘Cassandra.’

There must have been something that gloomy doctor with a big, foolish heart did. But to use this level of strategy? That’s a different area.

Leticia? She’s good at what she’s told to do and has good planning skills, but that’s at the level of tactics, not strategy. It’s not that she lacks imagination. It’s that she lacks ambition.

Camilia? Propaganda model. A war-monger. How many young men fell for her and joined the liberation front. But now, they are followed by zombies. No matter how attractive Camilia is, zombies will not fall for such a thing.

Then there is only one thing left.

That guy.

Where on earth did he come from, what his purpose is, and how did he come up with this plan?

It was all unexpected. The thing kept escaping her grasp. The thing kept taking what was hers.

The cell phone rang.

What a coincidence, she thought, the timing was perfect. And then she realized that the caller was not Leticia but Roemer, and she bristled with irritation. Why did she think it was ‘him’ calling, she felt goosebumps.

“yes.”

– I told you to return home immediately. What the hell are you doing! How much longer are you going to embarrass and ruin your family? There is a limit to how long a prospective groom can wait, you useless thing!

“Then I guess we’ll have to wait a little longer.”

– what?

“As you know, I have other work to do at Elsa. There are things going on. I can’t go back until this is finished. And that’s because I will never lower the bride price for the groom, only raise it.”

– … I know the story. Of course I know what you’re trying to do. But you’re going to fail.

“Is that so?”

He is a great man who never once praised his father. I didn’t expect anything this time either.

– It’s easy to wield power! Just grab the hammer with both hands and swing it around. But the one who has to put it away is the one in power. You, because of all the things you’ve done, because of what you’ve done in the past and present, will be held back in the future!

“I don’t care.”

– Virginia, you really…!

A gasp of breath could be heard on the other end of the line. Her father, who had always given her orders, was now persuading her. She had gained the upper hand in her relationship with her father.

Virginia was satisfied.

“If I succeed, I will be president. If I fail, I will be a warlord. Just like the ancestors of the Helford family did. Please prepare my wedding dress. And tell the groom-to-be to bring an equal amount of dowry. Isn’t that befitting of the Helford family?”

– … … .

The phone hung up. Virginia was satisfied. She took a deep drag on her cigarette. She was ready. She was prepared. She had done all that, but she had spun enough webs. She had not expected that it would be today.

Virginia rang the call bell.

“Is there an adjutant?”

The adjutant who had been waiting outside came in. He was much smarter and more intelligent than the last adjutant who had turned into a zombie. Above all, he didn’t ask any useless questions.

“Have you found it, Commander?”

“Yes. This is a meeting of all commanders of the Capital Defense Forces, including those of the rank of colonel or higher. The current time is 3:30 PM. Please summon the conference chairman by 5:00 PM.”

“yes.”

The adjutant did not leave and waited for the next order. This was also satisfactory. Virginia took out a cigarette and put it between her fingers.

“And prepare all five rapid response teams. Teams 1 and 2 are to be stationed around the conference hall, teams 3 and 4 are to be stationed around the presidential residence, and team 5 is to be stationed at the martial law command center. Tell the response team commander that I will personally supervise the response team training today.”

“yes!”

“And, call all the leaders. That’s all.”

After a while, all five squad leaders gathered. They were the elite of the National Military Police, and as such, they were all quite rugged, but they were like docile lambs in front of Virginia Halford.

“Skip the salute. Everyone, take your seats.”

“yes!”

“Keep your voice small. Keep silence.”

The five captains sat down at the table. Virginia looked into their eyes and smiled as if receiving a pledge. Virginia ordered each captain to position their men in the locations she had previously designated.

“Is the delivery finished?”

“yes.”

“Then, place all the communication devices on this table now. Do it.”

“practice!”

Cell phone. Radio. Emergency transmitter. Everything was there. Virginia placed her long pistol on the table. One of two pairs that were hard to tell if they were pistols or hand cannons.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but you must remain in this room until 16:50.”

“it’s okay!”

“Do you know why I have gathered you together?”

“I was told it was for training and inspection!”

“Okay, Team Leader. Can I expect your loyalty in real combat rather than in practice?”

“Yes, Martial Law Commander!”

The other captains were questioned and repeated in turn. Virginia stood up. She closed the window, drew the curtains, and turned on the light. She gave each captain a cigarette and a glass of brandy.

“Smoke and drink.”

The leaders smoked cigarettes but did not touch alcohol. Virginia asked with a mocking sternness.

“Are you ignoring the martial law commander’s orders?”

“I’m sorry, Commander. However, it is military law to absolutely forbid drinking while on duty. Military law is above your orders, Commander, so I cannot disobey it.”

The first officer answered a little stiffly. Virginia nodded with satisfaction. But this time, she mixed the brandy with water and divided it into two glasses.

“You are excellent officers. I like you. However, if I am to accomplish the mission I am about to undertake, I will have to drink. Even in an actual battlefield, a moderate amount of alcohol acts as a stimulant or tranquilizer.”

The five officers looked at each other. The third platoon leader mustered up his courage.

“This is not a battlefield, Your Majesty.”

“This will be the front line tonight.”

The smile disappeared from Virginia’s face.