Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System

Two men stepped up, holding the cage carefully. Inside, the zombie snarled and slammed against the metal bars. Its skin was grey and peeling, and its eyes were cloudy and lifeless. But it didn't try to bite anyone. It just growled like it was angry… or in pain.

The people at the gate didn't flinch. They had seen zombies before. Plenty of them.

"What's this supposed to mean?" one Hope Base guard asked, unimpressed.

"This zombie," Leader Zhang said, voice low but clear, "was Zhao. He used to be a member of Luna Moon Base. He's one of the ones who left to join Hope Base."

Everyone froze.

The air grew quiet.

One of the guards looked at the zombie more closely. "That's… a big claim," he muttered.

"See for yourselves," Leader Zhang said and nodded at one of his team.

A man stepped forward and pulled out a photo from his pocket. It was old and slightly creased, but clear enough to see the face of a young man smiling awkwardly at the camera.

"This was Zhao," he said. "Taken a few weeks ago, right before he left our base."

He held the photo up for the guards and Hope Base members to see.

Everyone looked between the photo and the zombie.

The zombie's skin was ruined, sure, but the nose shape, the high cheekbones, even a tiny scar on the chin… they matched.

Slowly, one by one, people stopped talking.

They stared.

Even the ones who had been mocking Leader Zhang earlier fell silent.

The zombie growled again, pacing inside the cage, but it didn't change the strange stillness that had taken over the group.

"…It does look like him," someone finally said.

Another person nodded, quiet. "Yeah. That's definitely the same guy."

A third muttered, "So… he really did turn into a zombie?"

Leader Zhang didn't smile, but his voice grew firm.

"That's why I'm here. This isn't a joke. This isn't about money. This is about justice. Zhao was supposed to be protected. He came to Hope Base for safety. And now he's dead."

His voice lowered. "And no one even knew."

The silence deepened.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say next.

Suddenly, loud voices rose from the crowd behind Leader Zhang.

"Justice! We want justice!"

"You can't just let this go!"

"Zhao was one of us! He was our friend!"

Some of the Luna Moon Base members stepped forward, fists clenched, their faces full of anger.

"He was fine before he left to come here!" one of them yelled.

"Now he's like this!" another shouted, pointing at the snarling zombie in the cage. "We demand justice! If you don't give it to us, we're not leaving!"

More shouting broke out.

"We'll file a complaint to the Alliance if we have to!" someone screamed.

Hearing all this, the Hope Base members began to whisper nervously. Some looked at the zombie, some looked at each other.

"Do you think Boss Su really ignored a call for help?" one person asked, worried.

"I don't want to believe that," another said, voice low. "She's not like that…"

"She always keeps things cheap for us. She never raises prices for no reason. Even in this kind of world, she makes sure we can live without begging."

"But what if…" one person hesitated, looking at the zombie in the cage. "What if this was all planned? What if Leader Zhang is here just to get money?"

That idea hit everyone hard.

It did kind of make sense. This whole thing felt too perfect. A zombie in a cage? A photo that just happened to match?

But they had no proof. And Leader Zhang did bring evidence. Even if something felt off, no one could say anything without facts.

Then, just as the tension grew thicker, a calm and powerful voice echoed through the air.

"Leader Zhang," Su Jiyai's voice rang out from a speaker above the gate, "do you truly want to make this matter so ugly that you get slapped in the face with the truth?"

Her voice was smooth like honey, but carried a sharp edge that made the hair on the back of Leader Zhang's neck stand up.

It wasn't robotic or cold. It was graceful and confident, like someone who didn't even need to shout to make people listen.

Leader Zhang froze for a second. That voice… it sent chills down his back.

But he quickly clenched his fists and told himself over and over,

'Don't back down. Don't lose now. This time, you can win. This is your chance to rise.'

He lifted his chin and said loudly, "I'm not lying! Boss Su has to pay for what happened to my people. This is justice. Nothing more!"

Back inside the Hope Base, Su Jiyai sat comfortably in the monitoring room, legs crossed as she watched everything on the screen.

She let out a light chuckle.

It was true, Leader Zhang's words were loud, but her people didn't waver. Their faces didn't show belief. No one turned against her. Instead, they looked worried for her, not doubtful.

"I really have the best base," she said softly to herself.

But now, it was time to deal with the situation. Leader Zhang had crossed the line.

"System," she said calmly, "since he wants justice so badly, let's give it to him."

The screen flickered.

[Understood. Releasing hold on special guests.]

.........

Four minutes earlier.

The system had quietly informed Su Jiyai, "Boss, the people you rescued from Luna Moon Base are asking to go outside. They want to face Leader Zhang."

Su Jiyai had raised an eyebrow. "They want to go themselves?"

[Yes. They are quite angry.]

She smiled and nodded. "Keep them on hold for now. I'll call them when I need them."

............

Su Jiyai gave the order. "Let them out."

Outside the gate, people were still waiting, wondering what Boss Su was planning to do.

Then, the main building's doors opened.

Four people walked out quickly, faces full of fury. They stopped right at the gate and pointed straight at Leader Zhang.

"You're unbelievable!" one of them shouted. "We've never seen someone so shameless!"

Leader Zhang's eyes widened. He stared at the familiar faces.

"Wait…" he muttered, taking a step back. "How are you… alive?"

One of the Hope Base guards gasped. "That's… that's them! The people who left Luna Moon Base!"

Everyone turned to look.

More Hope Base members rushed out to see what was happening.

The man who had just shouted stepped forward again. "We did leave Luna Moon Base. We joined Hope Base. And guess what? We were rescued by Boss Su!"

Another beside him nodded fiercely. "We got trapped by a mutant horde. Boss Su's team came just in time. If it weren't for her, we'd be dead!"

A third one added, "Don't listen to him! Leader Zhang is just trying to scam Boss Su!"

The crowd gasped.

Leader Zhang's face turned pale. "No… this isn't..."

But the last member who came out raised her voice over him.

"Boss Su didn't abandon anyone. She helped us when you never did, Leader Zhang! In fact, he was the one who had drugged our group, making us helpless in front of a horde of zombies!"

The Hope Base crowd was silent at first, still taking in the sudden twist. But then the rescued ex–Luna Moon Base members began speaking up one by one.

"I can't believe it," one man said, looking straight at Leader Zhang. "We trusted you. We never thought you'd pull such a dirty trick."

Another woman followed, her voice sharp and clear. "All this just to frame Boss Su? You tried to use us, like we were nothing. That's too much!"

"I always thought he was fake nice," someone else muttered. "Now it all makes sense. Boss Su was a hundred steps ahead of this snake."

A small cheer broke out from the Hope Base members.

"Boss Su is amazing!"

"She saw this coming and even saved them early!"

"If she hadn't stepped in, who knows what kind of lie Leader Zhang would've sold us!"

The noise grew louder, voices rising with support for their boss. The trust they had in Su Jiyai had only grown stronger.

Leader Zhang's face turned red. His hands trembled slightly as he stepped forward, trying to keep calm.

"I don't know these people," he said quickly, shaking his head. "They aren't part of my base. I've only seen them once or twice. They're just… acquaintances. That's all. I swear."

The ex–Luna Moon members all froze. Then, like someone had stomped on a cat's tail, they all shouted at once.

"What did you just say?"

"You liar! How dare you deny us after everything?"

"You told everyone we were dead, and now you say you don't even know us?"

One of the men stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "Do you really want to see the coffin before you admit the truth?"

Leader Zhang's face twisted into anger, and he glared at them. "I said I don't know you. If you keep making things up, we'll sue you too."