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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Today’s destination was a small village about 10km from the research facility.
It was more of a reconnaissance mission to see what was left and what we could use, rather than going in to grab a haul and come right back.
Camilla and Cassandra had never been to this area. I had come after this area had been devastated, so I didn’t know the situation well either.
So we went to a real estate agency to get a paper map, and also accessed the internet with the program Letitia gave me to find satellite photos.
Of course, the satellite photos weren’t in real-time. They showed pictures taken a while ago, about three years ago.
I did my best to learn the terrain by comparing and contrasting the paper map and the satellite photos. I especially muttered and memorized landmarks that would be helpful for finding my way, such as bridges, mountains, and bell towers.
That way, it would be easier to figure out my current location and to find the right path in the off chance I got lost.
“Be safe.”
With Cassandra seeing us off, Camilla and I each got on our bicycles.
They were electric bicycles we had acquired while advancing to this research facility.
You could charge them by pedaling, but we decided to use the small solar generator we brought from Hampton. As expected, it was much more convenient.
Human zombies spotted us and gave chase, but it’s hard to catch up to a bicycle at a human’s running speed. Especially now, with the electric motor running, it was no different from a small motorcycle.
If our life had been more nomadic like before, we would have taken a car from the start.
We would just neutralize the zombies with Camilla as usual, then groan as we moved the luggage. There was no need to tidy up or to think about the aftermath.
But now we were in a situation where we had to stay in this area for a while.
The situation was now reversed. We couldn’t just go around killing zombies indiscriminately.
Aside from the fact that more and more zombies would be drawn to the fight, we could also be tracked by skilled human hunters.
So, we moved as stealthily and quietly as possible. We were turning a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one.
For now, we wouldn’t kill zombies, nor would we unnecessarily provoke them; we would just leave them be. Zombies, by themselves, had the effect of deterring human marauders.
If a marauder saw a zombie and shot at it, that was a thankful thing in its own way. It was no different from an announcement saying, ‘I’m here, so hurry up and kill me and take what I have.’
So there was no need to rush at all. All we had to do was ride the 100% electric motor-powered bicycle, comfortably observe the surrounding scenery, and greet approaching zombies by raising a middle finger. This, too, was rather lyrical in its own way.
Though it would have been even better if I could have known what Camilla was thinking.
Camilla and I were equipped with our usual protective gear. Meaning, even on this hot day, we wore balaclavas and safety goggles.
Because of that, I couldn’t read Camilla’s expression at all to know what she was thinking.
‘I wish we could talk a little.’
Ever since she saw me and Cassandra tangled up, Camilla hadn’t said much.
She answered in short, single words like ‘Yeah, okay,’ just as she did when she was displeased, but she didn’t postpone what we had decided to do today.
But I was sure she was bottling it all up inside. If I subtly brought my bicycle close, she would either deliberately slow down or just zip ahead.
To be honest, it was a bit unfair.
After all, Cassandra and I had only done that to find a clue for humanity, medicine, and a cure.
So the fact that just one of Cassandra’s breasts was enough to cover my face, or something like that, was not an intended realization. It was a product of chance.
Still, tonight, I would have to spend it with Camilla.
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It was an unremarkable village.
About ten houses were clustered together, and all there was was a small chapel, a village hall that also served as a police substation, and a convenience store. Other than that, it was just fields.
We hid our bicycles at a small bus stop about 200m from the village.
Keeping a slight distance from Camilla, I approached the village.
The first target was the police substation. Here, I planned to get self-defense weapons, ammunition, and firearms.
The second target was the convenience store. There were no large supermarkets around here. So we had to check these small businesses one by one.
Lastly, the private homes. As is typical of country houses, many had separate garages and warehouses. In these houses, they stored not only food but also crops for the next year’s farming, so we could get well-preserved ingredients.
I was on guard, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be very dangerous. It was a village with few people to begin with. The number of human zombies would be much smaller. So I wasn’t too worried.
But as we got closer to the village, the feeling was a little strange.
The back of my head seemed to itch slightly, and I became unduly sharp, becoming conscious of my surroundings.
I gave a signal to Camilla. ‘Let’s move cautiously.’ Camilla nodded and hid behind a truck parked on the side of the road. I joined her.
“What is it?”
She whispered.
“I just have a bad feeling. Let’s not go in openly. I think there’s something here.”
“What. Zombies?”
“People.”
This was the presence of people.
First of all, the road was too clean. The houses also had all their windows and doors intact, and even had curtains drawn.
Most importantly, the main gates.
“There are no old gates. They’re all new. The fences are so old, but only the gates are new, isn’t that strange?”
Hearing my words, Camilla nodded.
“Then for now, let’s just…”
Crunch.
Both Camilla and I stopped talking and raised our guns. Crunch. Crunch. It was the sound of someone walking and crushing twigs. It was rhythmic and they weren’t dragging their feet, so it was the sound of a person.
Soon, a male soldier appeared. He looked to be in his mid to late 20s.
He had an M4 rifle slung over his shoulder and a cigarette in his hand. Click, click, he lit a lighter and whoosh, took a deep drag.
“I heard something. Is it them again?”
I observed the man carefully. His top was too big, and his bottoms were rather small.
They didn’t fit his size at all. On top of that, his combat boots were worn out. No matter how I looked at it, it felt like he had just worn whatever he could find.
And that attitude, as if he had come out reluctantly.
He must have been on guard duty before we arrived. The fact that he had to be on guard meant there was an enemy to deal with.
Seeing him smoking so openly on the street, it seemed the opponent was not human, but a zombie.
And being so confident meant there were more of them behind him. And I didn’t know how many of them there were. I gave Camilla a hand signal.
‘Let’s look for an opportunity and retreat. We’re at a disadvantage.’
We could take that guy out right now. But no one knew how many more were behind him. Camilla seemed to want to move her hand to do something, but she just clenched her fist tightly and nodded.
“Is there anything special?”
A small woman approached. She was also in military uniform with an M4 slung over her shoulder. She looked to be about the same age as the man, but she was holding a bag of roasted peanuts.
The man naturally reached his hand into the bag.
“No, nothing. I heard something and woke up from a doze. Maybe I heard wrong. It would be nice if there were just CCTV or something.”
“If there were, you’d be dozing off sitting in the living room. Think carefully. They’re cunning. You know that.”
“I know. Yawn, I’m hungry.”
At the man’s complaint, the woman slapped the back of his hand.
“Did you already forget that saying you’re hungry is forbidden? You want to skip lunch and dinner again like last time? The Founder emphasizes it!”
“I know. That temperance will lead us to heaven. But what can I do when I’m hungry no matter how much I eat.”
For someone suffering from constant hunger, his nutritional state looked relatively good. Most of all, that kind of cheerfulness and optimism was something that couldn’t come out in a situation where one’s nerves were on edge from hunger.
“…I just wish we could dig up the statue and go somewhere else. I’m sick of this place. Nothing to do, nothing to see. When are those people coming, anyway? Did they get bitten and killed by zombies on the way? Ow, ow!”
“I told you to watch your mouth! Did you forget again that the Founder told us to pity the zombies? How can you not listen to a single thing?”
“Ha, pity them? Pity the things that bite the back of a guy’s neck while he’s on guard duty alone at night, drag him away, and chew him up without leaving a single bone? That Royce fellow was lucky his bones were thick!”
Camilla covered her mouth. It was a horrible story to hear. But I couldn’t do that.
Something was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t quite grasp it; it was frustrating. But like words erased with correction fluid, I couldn’t remember the whole thing.
All I could recall was a part of it.
‘Enhancement of instinct.’
The fact that wolves hunt in packs is a result of learning. But if they didn’t have the instinct to live in a pack, pack hunting would be an impossible dream.
And now, the zombie virus had entered the picture. If Cassandra was right, all the Cro-viruses in the world were trying to become the dominant species, and their mutations were happening incredibly fast.
And the virus dwelling in my and Camilla’s bodies had made ‘cooperating’ with us its own survival strategy.
But was that something that only happened to us?
What if the same thing happened to other zombies? Like the wolf zombie, the parrot zombie, or… the human zombie?
“Anyway, be careful. The excavation team said they saw zombies that climb like monkeys or orangutans. They’re such big talkers, I don’t know if I can believe them.
And honestly, anyone can climb things if they have a little bit of balance, right? I guess a zombie could do it too. As long as they don’t eat the ladder…”
Ding. Dong. Ding.
A bell rang. The woman stuffed a handful of peanuts into her mouth and held the bag out to the man. The man tilted the bag and poured the rest into his mouth. He chewed and walked, even tearing up a little as if it were incredibly salty.
“Behind the red-roofed house! Zombies in the back!”
Someone shouted with a megaphone from inside the village. The man and woman, as if they had exprienced this many times, slowly walked toward the village.
“Let’s fall back.”
I whispered to Camilla. Camilla also nodded. Nothing good would come from staying here long. Most of all, that group was suspicious as hell.
We carefully moved back. We got into the shallow ditch by the side of the road. It was bone dry, so dust rose up instead of moisture. But it was enough to hide our bodies.
It was about 20m to the bus stop where we had left our bicycles. But since there was nothing to cover us, we had to run at full speed.
Camilla, who had brought a sniper scope separately, slowly scanned the area.
“Johan. The hill on the opposite side.”
Camilla whispered urgently. I looked in the direction she pointed with the binoculars I had brought just in case.
It was an unremarkable hill, overgrown with small shrubs and long weeds.
But on that hill, dark things were moving cautiously.
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