—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Things were naturally going downhill.
The 12-lane road had narrowed to 10, then 8, and now 6 lanes, but there seemed to be no clear escape route.
The military police hadn’t blocked off the major intersections. Instead, they were pouring patrol cars, motorcycles, and military trucks into the narrow streets.
It felt like a noose tightening around their necks.
“We’re going in circles,” Camilla snapped. “If we keep this up, we’ll end up trapped in District 17! Genius doctor, any bright ideas?”
The car in front was desperately trying to force its way through, but to no avail.
“I warn you again. Halt your vehicle. This is a lawful arrest! If you don’t stop, we will fire!”
Virginia, the captain, shouted from behind.
Camilla’s hand twitched towards the door handle each time she heard her voice.
She looked ready to jump out of the car and shoot at Virginia.
“Cassandra,” Camilla said, “just for a second. Angle the car slightly so I can get a shot at her. I can take that bitch out.”
“Impossible,” Cassandra replied coldly.
“The car’s already pretty high. A sudden maneuver like that could flip us. Not only would we die, but the cars behind us would get caught too. Even I want to turn that woman into zombie food, but I don’t want to die with her.”
“She killed my teammates!” Camilla pounded the seat with her fist. “And she took Cassandra’s name!”
Her green eyes, dull and lifeless, betrayed a clear hostility.
Cassandra wanted Virginia dead just as much.
But why weren’t the military police firing?
It was strange. They kept signaling them to stop, getting closer and closer, but they weren’t shooting.
It wasn’t like they were short on bullets, not like us.
Maybe the zombie outbreak had depleted their ammo as well.
Just as I was thinking that, my phone started ringing. It was Letitia, or Reti.
I couldn’t answer.
The siren and the persistent demands to stop blared in my ears.
It would be foolish to talk to a military officer while being chased like a criminal. It would jeopardize our hard-earned deal.
I quickly sent her a message instead: “Sorry, driving. Talk later.”
Her reply came instantly: “Aww, sorry! Didn’t know you were driving. ㅠㅠ I was watching the news and got worried about you.”
News?
What news?
I searched my phone for “breaking news.” I found a live stream similar to YouTube.
“Wow, we’re on TV.”
The helicopter above wasn’t military; it was from a national broadcasting company.
A caption at the bottom read: “Major Criminal Pursuit in Hampton.” There was a shot of our convoy, with military motorcycles surrounding us and other vehicles following behind.
Was this really that big of a deal?
Was Cassandra really that important?
While I was distracted, I heard a faint voice.
The live stream switched to the news studio.
Four panelists were sitting there, each giving their opinion.
“As you know, Captain Kamio Minto of the 8th Military Police has declared martial law in Hampton. The fact that a large southern city was breached so easily by the zombie outbreak is simply unacceptable. So, we could say this is a way of tightening control, couldn’t we?”
“I agree. The citizens must be feeling very uneasy and inconvenienced, right? Zombies are incredibly persistent, after all.”
“For them, this is like a police parade. It’s a way of saying, ‘We’re here to protect you,’ and I think that’s what Captain Minto is trying to do. Look, they’re not even firing their weapons.”
“I think they’re avoiding using firearms because it could backfire. As you know, civilians in Hampton are also armed.”
“And of course, imposing martial law restricts people’s freedom, so it’s bound to cause discontent. Especially since the military police are treating the people of Elsa like they’re occupied citizens…”
The screen switched back to the live broadcast.
“What the hell? Are we being paraded around like criminals?” Camilla sneered.
“No. More like a hunting party.”
That seemed more accurate.
“Even more annoying.”
The screen switched again.
One of the panelists was missing.
The remaining three continued their discussion as if nothing had happened.
“Look, the military police have already blocked off the highway exit. They’re trapped. Ha, even with a truck blocking the road, it’s going to be hard for three pickup trucks to get through.”
My phone buzzed.
It was Cassandra.
“Yeah, what is it? What? No way. Don’t be ridiculous. Absolutely not.”
I’d never heard her sound so resolute.
But as soon as she finished speaking, we reached a wide intersection.
“No!” Cassandra shouted, her voice almost a scream.
Before she could do anything, the car in front of us swerved.
The cars behind us did the same.
They were trying to create distance between us.
They were planning to split up and evade the police.
In other words, they were out of options.
Cassandra tried to turn the steering wheel, but I held it firmly.
“What are you doing? Don’t!”
“Look,” the newscaster said, “They’ve split up! Smart move, but they’ll be picked off one by one.”
“Actually, they’re all going to get caught eventually.”
The panelists were getting noisy.
I was starting to get angry.
I wanted to know where that broadcasting station was.
I’d show them. Especially since almost everyone was watching.
“Hey, that’s a popular channel, right?”
“It’s the only news channel.”
Cassandra replied immediately.
“Cassandra, slow down a bit.”
“What?”
“Camilla, I’m going to the back. Can you free up the left seat?”
“Huh?”
I opened the window and moved to the back seat. It was a bit cramped, but it was doable.
“Why?”
“I’m going to open the left window and provide cover. The sidecar police might shoot at us, so just protect me. Cassandra, slow down a bit more and stay closer to the center line.”
“…Give me a logical explanation or I won’t do it.”
Instead of explaining, I just showed her.
“Damn old man.”
Virginia thought to herself as she followed on her motorcycle.
Captain Kamio Minto had reacted faster than she’d expected.
But since he’d taken a beating from her last time, he hesitated to confront her directly.
Instead, he had sent a news helicopter.
Everything Virginia did would now be seen as a victory for Minto. It was like she’d done all the work for him.
“I’ll get rid of him after this,” she thought. “I’ll just find some corruption charges and force him into early retirement.”
With the helicopter in the sky, Virginia and her squad were limited in their use of firearms.
Now, the whole of Elsa was watching her every move.
Everyone knew that Hampton had been overrun by zombies.
If she was seen firing indiscriminately, people would say, “The military police can’t even stop zombies, but they’re quick to shoot at their own people.”
“That stupid old man from Elza!”
Cassandra was far more valuable to Romer than Elza.
But even Virginia, who knew Cassandra’s background and origins, couldn’t simply “extract” her.
She’d have to harass and torment Cassandra until she left Elza on her own.
The plan was working well.
She’d expected Cassandra to react this way.
But she had wanted a quiet arrest, not this public spectacle. It was cumbersome and inefficient.
As the three vehicles split up at the intersection, Virginia made a decision.
She had 14 squads under her command now, but they weren’t quite used to such delicate operations like this manhunt.
Her subordinates were already doing as well as she could ask. So, she decided to take a bigger risk.
Virginia pulled out her revolver.
It was a smaller model than the one she used in the helicopter, a custom-made .357 with a 20cm barrel.
It was designed specifically for her, with a 7-round cylinder and the ability to fire standard .357 rounds without issue.
And of course, this gun also had a long snake engraved on it.
With this, she might not be able to penetrate the bulletproof glass, but taking out a tire would be easy enough.
Even though the tires were armored, there had to be blind spots.
Suddenly, the car slowed down.
“Are they stopping? Now?”
With the revolver in one hand, Virginia slowed down her motorcycle.
The other motorcycles and vehicles did the same. But she had to be careful.
If she accidentally drew her gun and shot one of her own men…
“That’s right. Good. Now slowly guide the car to the side of the road…”
Something felt off. The car didn’t slow down any further.
Virginia decided to move closer to the driver’s side.
Since the lane was already blocked off, it wouldn’t be a problem to be slightly off-center.
And then it happened.
Something was scattered out of the car window.
Thankfully, it wasn’t an explosive.
It was much smaller, sparkling, and multicolored.
Jewels.
The car was throwing handfuls of jewels out of the window.
“What in the…” Virginia wondered.
Was this some kind of trick?
Was he trying to bribe the police with money?
It wasn’t impossible.
BANG!
Virginia fired a shot into the air.
She increased the volume on her helmet’s microphone to maximum and spoke through it.
“Anyone who stops to pick up those jewels will be shot immediately!”
“Yes, ma’am!” came the reply from one of her squads.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Civilians are running onto the road! They’re trying to grab the jewels!”
Virginia scanned the surroundings.
Civilians were pouring out of their homes and into the streets, drawn by the promise of treasure.
“Patrol cars! News! What’s the news saying?”
“They’re broadcasting live that they’re throwing out jewels! Please wait a moment!”
The radio crackled as a patrol car answered.
It was so close that they had put the radio right up to the car speaker.
“Uh, what’s going on? Is that… jewels? They’re throwing out jewels? Ha! Whoever grabs them first gets them! People are already running onto the road!”
“Hey, this is dangerous! This is very dangerous! The citizens of District 17, please stay indoors! You could get hurt trying to get those jewels!”
“Cut that broadcast! Now!” Virginia yelled, furious.
More and more civilians were flooding into the streets, some even armed.
The car in front sped up.
“I’m going after them! Block the civilians!”
Virginia’s motorcycle roared as it sped off in pursuit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
