Chapter 179 - Hello?

I was looking at the message on the phone for about half a second and then I was dumbfounded. I was simply looking at the notification on the above part of the phone when a certain camera app started on loading up. I think it was a different app from the stock apps since it already captured several pictures of my face. I was too late to react to everything when the phone started to send an email towards a different address.

I tried to do something but my inputs weren't even recognized. The person behind this, this 'Ana71' has been controlling this phone remotely from somewhere and must've been hearing and possibly seeing everything when the camera is facing a certain direction.

It only took a moment for another message to pop up.

[Genius.]

"What?" I muttered.

Another one followed.

[Wimp.]

"Wait..." I thought to myself.

[Murderer?]

I was stunned.

"Hey, is she looking into your background?!" Kaley exclaimed.

I just nodded.

"She definitely is." I thought to myself.

"Don't we need to turn that thing off?! Like, right now?!" she grew worried.

"Not right now, no. She can't do anything to us at this point." I replied.

[Interesting.]

"She could probably hear everything we're saying and this is a surprise. You can hear us yeah?" I said.

[Actually, yes. That your woman? I could look into her background as well, she's Kaley, right?]

"What do you want?" I asked as Kaley grew curious but still taken aback.

[Nothing in particular.]

"You wouldn't contact me if you don't need anything in particular. Get to the point." I replied. It was silent for a moment and she gave another reply.

[I want to trade.]

"Trade? What do you need?" I asked.

[My area of influence.]

"So, increasing the range of your network. I'm guessing you're probably inside one of mine from back home. What do you think?" I asked.

[It's adequate but I want to reach farther.]

"No, I'm talking about my place. Want to join me?" I said.

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

[...]

"Not talking now? We could use a person of your expertise." I said.

[Too much people.]

"So, she knew how many we are already? It's dangerous if she decided to share it with other people. I have to get her to side with me or at least some sort of agreement." I thought to myself.

"Too much people? Yet you wanted the help of said people. Are you alone or do you have more people? I think you have a few but maybe they're too far away? Are you from that hacker group then? If you are, huge fan." I replied.

[...]

"We literally have everything there. Want a room for yourself where no one can bother you all day? We have it. I don't know your situation there but I think you have already had access to our cameras. I've passed the files you sent to this phone to Ken and Kris and I think what it contained are codes to be able to bypass everything in my place without our notice." I said.

"Well not necessarily 'everything'." I thought to myself.

[...]

"Regarding on expanding your 'influence', the best I could do for now is to set up a few Raspberry Pi units modified to do it. I could set it up near a few cell towers here and they could start on relaying any information you want to go across though it would be much slower than what we're usually used to. I'll attach it to a small solar panel so they could run indefinitely. I can't do that right off the bat since we're in the middle of something and have more important things to do but is that... adequate enough? Anyway, you have a Sat Phone? I like reading a lot of stuff but I want to hear your voice as well, or potentially see you if possible." I said.

[...]

"Hello~? Are you still there? 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 00100001?" I replied.

"What does that even mean?" Matthew asked.

"Hello. In binary." I replied as Kaley rolled her eyes.

[Fine, I get it! Stop talking so much!]

"Why would I stop? Can you even hear my voice? It's too magical, I like the sound of it." I cheekily said then my shin got kicked by Kaley again.

[...Let's see what happens first.]

"Sure." I replied.

After a few moments, several more files have started to get downloaded into Jared's phone. My eyebrows raised in surprise as I checked each file she sent to it. What I saw are pictures with several personal information and it is better than the files from the DDR Camps since we're sure that this is accurate. The personal information from the DDR Camps are just filled in by the civilian and I could sift through this to check for any inconsistencies.

[Those are 10% of the files from the City Hall. Let's start with that. Take care of that phone. Don't lose it.]

"Thanks, if you were back home, I'd let you pick your own loadout from the armory." I said.

We were waiting for her response but she stopped sending the messages altogether. I handed the phone back and everyone else was just looking at me.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

They were all trying to pass information as they've kept on giving weird hand gestures to avoid speaking.

"If she's a bad guy, she would've started with, 'If you don't give me everything you've got, I'll send to everyone I could information about your compound.' But clearly, she didn't do anything of that sort. Besides, only a few people would have their phones on their person. I think we're the last few people she could contact." I explained.

"Kid! She could still hear us, right?! Start shutting up and avoid talking so much!" Matthew exclaimed and he immediately closed his mouth.

I was shaking my head in amus.e.m.e.nt as they still threw worried glances at me. I was still nonchalant from that encounter and it seemed to tick them off.

"Yeah, I'm sure she still could. But you're forgetting that who would even listen to someone from a phone when trusting people outside is already a huge issue? We have no problems from that thing so far but it isn't the same outside. Whether she gives us the rest of the files or not or whether the files she had given us is real, we will still clear that place across the street, we will still set up our own communication system, and we will still recruit more people that would let us benefit each other. It's her loss if she doesn't want to ride this thing out with us. It's up to her to do her end of the deal and if not, we'll move on. She's not the only one with expertise on that field." I explained.

"On what field?" Matthew asked.

"If she has access to everything else back at home, why didn't she just contact my phone directly? She could've easily done that. I have my own countermeasures even if I'm not a master of that subject." I replied with a smile.

I'm waiting for the phone to vibrate but there was no response.

They gave a look of understanding and their worries lessened. While we waited for the guys to load the trucks, Lois started on shooting a lot of the bloody figures roaming the road. The sound coming from the suppressed .22 almost never attracted them aside from the ones that are very close to us. Matthew helped him reload the other magazines with the .22 as he would borrow the Ruger 10/22 to pick a few of the zombies to thin their numbers as much as possible.

Kaley joined them while Jared and I started to drive the drones on the other buildings which are close to the City Hall as well to gather more information. We're looking for extra exits or entrances, vantage points, blind spots and any other things that could give us an edge. Tatiana went down to give more cover towards the guys loading the truck and we never heard a shot from below.

Aside from the essential items that we always take, we took extra clothes, blankets, different kinds of tools, different kinds of lightbulbs, extra containers, a few toys, and some luxury items. Each box is stacked nicely as we prepared to head home. We drove by the People's Park as we leave the Parking Area and then Jared and Lois tapped me at the same time.

"Bro, want me to take a few shots towards that place?" Jared said.

"Bro, want me to take a few shots towards that place?" Lois said.

"Nah, just focus on the ones on the road. They'll get their turn when we come for them. Hope they don't turn tail and run in the opposite direction." I replied.

They started on sniping a few we would hit on the road while I still kept my eye looking towards that mass of zombies. They still seemed to be doing nothing at the moment waiting for people to wander inside accidentally.