Khalifa: Queen in the Apocalypse

Chapter 141: Peace Base (Mild R)

The morning light filtered through the curtains. Combined with the sound of frying, it gently nudged the beautiful woman on the bed awake.

Khalifa opened her eyes, slowly, and lethargically turning to the source of the sound.

It was Jacob, who seemed to be preparing a simple breakfast for her.

From her angle, she could see it was hotdogs and eggs, one of the few dishes that he could do well other than instant ramen.

He set up the table and smiled at her, walking to her bed with all his naked glory. He sat down next to her to kiss her face, then her lips.

She cutely wrapped her arms around his head and responded, with several gentle pecks.

"Good morning," she said, licking the side of his lips. He groped her breast in response and kissed her even deeper.

Their kisses naturally became more and more fervent as the seconds ticked by.

She could feel Hugo’s hard shaft rubbing against her legs, and she was prepared to take it in.

However, before they could do anything more, a knock sounded on the door.

Jacob growled and glared at the door. It made Khalifa worried that he’d behead whoever was on the other side.

She sighed and sat up. "Get dressed," she told him, pushing him away, and gestured to take her nightdress.

Before she could, Jacob took it and threw it on the laundry, taking the more conservative jerseys in the cabinets.

Her lips twitched and did as she was told, opening the door after a couple of minutes, revealing a shy-looking Mira, with an expression of valiance.

Khalifa wanted to roll her eyes.

After her ’prophetic dreams’, did she change from being a shrew to a green tea?

Well, it was a better idea, but Khalifa didn’t appreciate the fly bugging her so early in the morning.

The other girl had teary eyes and was biting her lips. "I’m willing to buy a hot meal."

Khalifa nodded with a deadpan face. "I can give hotdog and eggs with rice, for fifteen crystals."

"What?" She mumbled, "The last time…"

"The last time were bite-sized dumplings. This is a full meal."

"But…"

"You don’t think it’s fair?" Khalifa asked and Mira raised her head to see Khalifa’s expression of watching a show.

Mira bit her lips and her fists clenched. After a thought, she reluctantly took out the amount out of her pocket.

"Here," Mira said, and Khalifa’s eyebrows rose and looked at the few young men watching their interaction. She handed her the styrofoam bowl filled with food, its aroma enticing everyone who could smell it.

She smiled. "Enjoy your breakfast."

***

"Bitch! Slut!" Boba mumbled as she sat next to Mira, subtly eyeing the food she had on.

She watched as Mira divided the food and gave some to her suitors.

"Where’s mine?"

"Here, only a little. After all, the boys did all the work, right?"

Boba’s lips formed a line and saw how the boys looked at her guardedly. She shut her mouth and ate.

"Are you not thankful?" Mira asked and Boba flinched.

"I… I am. Thank you."

Mira smiled, and Boba blushed a little.

"I didn’t do anything. You eat this," Boba said in the end, biting on her small biscuit, her ration for this morning.

Similarly, the boys took only half of what she handed to them, asking her to eat the rest.

She appeared guilty and very thankful, and they humbly told her it was for everyone’s sake that she was well.

Mira’s eyes sharpened a bit as she ate, holding back her smile.

…

Half an hour later, the team—now a total of a score of soldiers and about a hundred fifty survivors—started moving again.

Such a large number naturally attracted a lot of zombies, but they were theoretically manageable because they were in the suburbs now.

Sadly plenty of these people, even after a week, were still cowards who couldn’t carry their own weight.

Ryo frowned, disliking them but as soldiers, they still did their best to protect.

Khalifa saw a lot almost dying and she frowned. She looked at the civilians. Specifically, the newcomers.

"We, and the soldiers, are only responsible for leading the way and making the journey a bit safer." She said,

"Everyone’s safety is still their own responsibility."

Someone hiding behind the others spat back. "Easy for you to say! You have a strong guard!!"

A woman yelled as she pointed at Jacob who was easily beheading zombies.

She then raised her hand and a dozen ice knives floated around her beheading zombies without her moving another finger.

"..."

"What!!"

"Magic!!"

"How??"

From the side, Mira gaped at her, disbelief pasted all over her face.

Someone already has powers?? It was still Khalifa!!

But Khalifa didn’t care for anyone’s heart and just smiled. More ice picks floated around her, fascinating all those who saw.

"It’s called a supernatural ability, a sort of evolution for us humans." As she said this, she beheaded another batch of monsters.

She looked at them slyly, looking seductive.

"Not everyone can inspire it." She told them, "But I heard people who fight monsters head-on have higher chances of activating the power."

She said so and killed another batch to make her point.

This inspired the movement of the people, even the cowards, considerably lightening up the load.

***

The Peace Base was not on the mountains but on hilly terrain of moderate altitude.

It was originally an abandoned barracks, Ryo told them.

As they approached, they soon met with massive walls enclosing the compound, and she could see some remnants of its former defense system maintained and reused.

The walls still stood tall and imposing against the terrain, its weathered facade showing signs of time.

Once a military outpost, it was perched at a relatively higher altitude than its surroundings, giving a good strategic view.

Unlike Hugo’s mountain base though, which should focus more on anonymity, this was a fairly obvious and easy-to-find place.

She read in the book that this former military facility, nestled in rugged hills, was a sprawling complex with a capacity to accommodate thousands of survivors, just slightly inferior to the Capitol Base in size.

For now, though, it was still undeveloped with a couple of hundred refugees.

Their group was led to a tent to check for fresh wounds. Fortunately, they didn’t have a blood test yet, or Jacob would’ve been in big trouble.

The gate creaked open to greet their party revealing a thriving community most of the people hadn’t seen for days.

The once barren courtyard was now a bustling hub of activity with tents and makeshift stall areas with people selling valuables for food as she saw in the Capitol Base.

The barracks were converted to makeshift dormitory rooms with at least 8 people squeezed in per room.

The main hall became a communal place for survivors, where people would meet and get jobs for food. Here, there were neatly arranged wooden tables and benches, and a crackling fireplace stood at the end.

In each of these spots, there was a group of people or a flurry of activity. They were either chatting, exchanging information, or trading goods.

Overall, although the people were still unkempt and thin, their outlook was much better compared to the newcomers.

Khalifa smiled. It was good to know there were still many decent places for humans to live.