Zombie Survival System

At long last, the tests were over. Everyone standing in the loose crowd of candidates had made it to the end, had qualified after so much suffering and tension.

Yet, the atmosphere was far from happy. Many of the young men and women were still in shock from what they'd endured, especially the most recent process of being hunted down like game.

Alexandre, for his part, felt disappointed by Professor Hart's speech. She hadn't explained anything he'd actually wanted to know—there'd been no mention of the Aurora system, for example, which was a biotechnological program which somehow allowed Hunters to control the evolution of their abilities.

In fact, gaining access to Aurora had been Alexandre's main reason for participating in the game that was the Hunter Exams. While it was simple to get ahold of Hunter items on the black market if you had enough money for it—and it was, of course, possible to get an injection of modified Virus Z this same way—it was completely impossible to obtain a functioning version of the Aurora system or a license for it.

Despite all sorts of other things making their way onto the black market, the Hunter Association had managed to keep a tight grip on Aurora licenses which would allow someone to access it legally, as well as any properly functioning bootleg versions of Aurora.

And because Aurora was required to control the evolution of the Z Virus, even getting a proper dose of the SGC variant was useless on its own—at best, like driving a car without fuel. At worst, it was deadly, like stepping into a burning building without a fire suit.

Alexandre wondered if this same tight-lipped security was the reason nobody had mentioned Aurora to the candidates before now. Everyone knew that Hunters were biologically evolved humans as a result of being injected with the modified Virus Z, but very few knew the exact mechanism behind that biological evolution—and the fact that the Hunters themselves could control their own growth.

But Alexandre's thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed his shoulder and said, "Yo, man!"

Alexandre turned to find Marlon standing there and grinning. Alexandre, pleased to see him, said, "I see you made it too! Congratulations."

Marlon replied, "Thanks, brother. Have you heard anything from that pasty-ass kid?"

Alexandre shook his head. "William? No, but I'd bet my life he's qualified, too."

Marlon replied, "I'm sure of it too. That little bougie boy's pretty clever." Then he added, "What are your plans now, huh? You gonna sign the contract right now and start onboarding?"

Alexandre shook his head. "No, I have some business to attend to first. Actually, I have a date on the island this evening."

Marlon raised an eyebrow. "Hang on. After all the stuff we've been through over the last few days, you've got time to get a date with a chick? How the hell'd you manage that?"

Alexandre replied wryly, "A Hunter must hunt, old chap."

Merlon shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy, man."

Alexandre only replied, "Well, it's time for me to go. Here's my mobile number. See you soon, old chap." After exchanging numbers, Alexandre left in the direction of his hotel in the town of Hunter's Paradise. He wanted to get ready for his appointment, but first he had something to do...

***

After a long walk, the town came into sight. Alex gave a small shudder when he saw the small shopping town surrounded by an endless stretch of deep blue on either side, as though the ocean were about to swallow it whole. But enough time looking at the scenery! Alexandre had an errand he needed to take care of. Before meeting up with Latika, the young woman he'd spoken with during his infiltration mission, Alexandre wanted to exchange his current hotel room for something better. It'd be nice to be able to impress her, as well as to spend the night in luxury for the first time in his life.

He gathered his belongings from his current hotel and checked out. Then he chose the most luxurious resort on the island, the Crown Plaza Hunter Island, and made his way there on foot, still clothed in his torn, bloody rags.

As strange as it might seem, there were many wealthy inhabitants and visitors to the Hunter Island archipelago, so the five-star Crown Plaza Hunter Island did quite a lot of business among those who valued comfort and luxury. The moment that Alexandre stepped into the hotel lobby, a butler stepped close to him and looked at him critically from head to foot. "Good morning, sir..." He didn't seem to be very enthused by Alexandre's bloody rags—he certainly looked more like a beggar than someone who afford this hotel.

Alexandre looked at him confidently and said, "I've come to take a room for the night."

Alexandre thrust out his bag, but the butler didn't move to take it. "The reception desk is over there, sir."

Alexandre felt anger rise within him, and he allowed his eyes to glow light blue. "Will you please take my bags? I just told you I'm a customer."

Seeing that Alexandre was a Hunter, the butler immediately paled and took the bag. "My apologies, sir." He shot a look to the receptionist, whose expression immediately shifted from one that seemed like he was about to tell Alexandre there were no rooms available, and instead became one of gracious hospitality.

As Alexandre approached, the receptionist hurriedly said, "Sir, our only available suites are $800 a night. Is this acceptable to you?"

Alexandre nodded without a moment of hesitation. "I'll book for tonight and will check out tomorrow."

Still seeming hesitant, the employee placed a small bank terminal on a silver platter and offered it to Alexandre, who put in his thumb to be scanned.

A moment later, the terminal displayed the message, "Payment accepted."

The receptionist seemed relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with a Hunter demanding a room he couldn't afford. The next moment, a bit of annoyance entered his face as he realized he'd have to keep dealing with a customer who was the kind of person to walk around such a prestigious location in rags.

Nonetheless, he picked up a magnetic card with fancy embossing on the front and handed it to Alexandre. "Thank you for choosing the Crown Plaza, sir. We have prepared Room 393 for you."

Alexandre wordlessly took the card and walked toward the elevator, followed by the butler who was trying to not think about what Alexandre might have put in the bag.

After the elevator door closed, the receptionist muttered, "Filthy uneducated nouveau-riche... All these Hunters think themselves rockstars."