The Blighted security guard, formerly known as a perpetually grumpy Peterson if Axel recalled his ID badge correctly, lunged with all the grace of a sack of angry, rotting potatoes. Its groan was less a roar of menace and more a sound Axel imagined a blocked drain might make if it achieved sentience and a serious grudge.
Axel, armed with a fire extinguisher and a freshly minted, utterly ridiculous title of "Acting Chancellor," didn't have time for a heroic battle cry. He mostly just yelped – a surprisingly high-pitched sound that would have mortified his pre-apocalypse self – and swung.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Threat Proximity Critical!
Optimal Strike Point: Cranial Region (Compromised Integrity). Recommended Force: Maximum Applicable.]
"No kidding, genius!" Axel muttered breathlessly, putting his back into it.
The heavy extinguisher connected with Peterson's head with a sickening, squashy thwump that was far too organic for comfort.
The Blighted guard staggered back, its one good arm flailing, but didn't immediately go down.
Apparently, "Maximum Applicable" was more than a gentle tap.
Note to self, Axel thought, dodging a clumsy swipe, former campus security now require significantly more… percussive persuasion.
His inner monologue was already developing a gallows humor. It was either that or curl up and wait for the inevitable munching.
The guard lunged again. Axel sidestepped, the move less agile warrior and more "avoiding a particularly enthusiastic pigeon."
He swung the extinguisher again, this time aiming for the temple as the System had so helpfully (and a tad judgmentally, he felt) pointed out. CRUNCH.
This time, Peterson dropped like his strings were cut, landing in a heap that looked remarkably like a pile of laundry someone had forgotten in the rain for a decade.
Axel stood there, chest heaving, fire extinguisher dripping something he fervently hoped was just rust and extinguisher fluid.
Silence, thick and heavy, descended, broken only by his own ragged breathing and the faint, almost mocking hum of the one still-active monitor displaying his new job title.
[THREAT NEUTRALIZED. XP Gained: 15.]
[Objective Complete: Neutralize any immediate threats within the Sub-Station.]
[Stamina decreased. Minor Adrenaline Surge dissipating. Recommend brief recovery period.]
"XP? Am I going to 'level up' my ability to file paperwork now?" Axel quipped to the empty room, his voice shaky.
The absurdity of it all was a bubble of hysteria close to bursting.
Fifteen experience points for bludgeoning his first zombie.
What was the reward for successfully navigating a faculty budget meeting?
A legendary artifact?
He leaned the dented extinguisher against the wall.
"Right. Perks of the apocalypse: unsolicited promotions and a workout routine that'll kill you, one way or another."
His gaze fell on the monitor again.
"DESIGNATING ACTING CHANCELLOR..."
"Okay, System, or whatever cosmic prankster is running this show," Axel said, addressing the glowing screen.
"Let's talk about this 'Chancellor Override.'
What exactly does that entail? Besides, you know, fighting the recently deceased staff?"
[To Activate Sub-Station B7 Emergency Lockdown Protocol: Place designated hand (default: right) on the main console's bio-scanner.]
[Chancellor Authority will be verified by the Sovereign System. Sub-Station will then be under your direct control.]
A small, previously unnoticed panel on the smashed main console glowed with a faint green light.
A handprint symbol.
"Bio-scanner? In this mess?" Axel grimaced, looking at the general state of Blighted Peterson.
"Please tell me I don't have to use his hand."
The thought was enough to make his stomach churn.
The System, thankfully, offered no such gruesome suggestion. Taking a deep breath, Axel wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans and pressed it against the glowing panel.
There was a soft click, a whir of ancient machinery, and then a surprisingly pleasant female voice, synthesized but clear, echoed from hidden speakers.
"Chancellor Axel, identity confirmed".
"Welcome to Atheria University Emergency Operations".
"Sub-Station B7 lockdown protocol initiated".
"All external access points secured. Internal atmospheric controls online".
"Current Domain: Sub-Station B7. You may now access station resources."
Heavy thuds echoed from the corridor outside as reinforced shutters slammed down over the door and any potential weak points.
The flickering emergency lights stabilized, replaced by a steady, if somewhat dim, functional glow. For the first time since the world went mad, Axel felt a tiny sliver of something that might, in a very generous light, be called safety.
[Objective Complete: Activate Sub-Station's Emergency Lockdown Protocol.]
[New Resource Unlocked: Sub-Station B7 Security Network (Limited Access – Local Area Only).]
[New Ability Unlocked (Chancellor Level 1): Domain Awareness (Tier 1 - Local Structure). Allows basic sensory overview of any claimed and secured 'Sanctuary Node'.]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: Assess Sub-Station B7 Resources and Status.]
Axel blinked. "Domain Awareness?" He focused, and a faint, almost ghostly overlay appeared in his vision – a simplified 3D map of the sub-station itself, highlighting power conduits, ventilation shafts, and the structural integrity of the walls.
He could feel the station, almost like an extension of his own senses. It was bizarre, but undeniably cool.
"Okay, that's… actually useful," he admitted.
Maybe this Chancellor gig wasn't all undead HR issues.
He spent the next few minutes exploring his tiny, newly acquired kingdom. Most of the equipment was indeed smashed, but one terminal linked to the local security cameras was miraculously intact.
He brought it online, his fingers flying across the keyboard – a skill honed by years of late-night coding and gaming.
The screens flickered to life, showing grainy images from the cameras immediately outside the sub-station and in the surrounding basement corridors.
Blighted were still shuffling around, drawn by the noise of the lockdown, bumping uselessly against the reinforced shutters.
One was gnawing patiently on a steel door.
Definitely a long-term project, that one.
"Well, this is cozy," Axel muttered, a sarcastic grin playing on his lips.
"Secure, armed with a slightly used fire extinguisher, and a front-row seat to the end of the world. What every ambitious student dreams of."
He found a first-aid kit under a desk – minimal, but it had antiseptic wipes and bandages. His knuckles were scraped raw.
There was also a small cache of emergency rations – protein bars that tasted like sweetened cardboard and a few bottles of water.
Gourmet dining in the apocalypse.
The humor, however bleak, was keeping the sheer terror at bay. He was alive. He was (relatively) safe. He had a System that, while cryptic, seemed designed to help him. And he was, for better or worse, the Acting Chancellor.
A new thought struck him, sobering him instantly. The library. The quad. The screams. There were other people out there. Other students.
"Staff. Some of them might still be alive, hiding, terrified".
His little concrete box was safe, yes. But it was also a tomb if he was the only one in it.
A kingdom of one wasn't much of a kingdom. And a Chancellor without anyone to, well, chancel for? That was just a guy in a basement with delusions of grandeur and an XP score.
[SYSTEM QUERY: Define long-term strategic objective, Chancellor.]
Axel stared at the prompt, the weight of his new, unwanted title pressing down. The fun and games of immediate survival were over. Now came the hard part.
"Long-term strategic objective?" he said aloud, a new determination hardening his gaze as he looked at the screens showing the Blighted-infested corridors.
"Objective one: Find more fire extinguishers."
"Objective two: Find out if anyone else is smart, lucky, or heavily armed enough to still be alive in this 'Undead University.' And maybe, just maybe, make this Chancellor title mean something more than 'Chief Zombie Janitor'."
He needed a plan. He needed people. And he definitely needed a better weapon.