Rescue I

"Hmm?"

Hearing the gunshots, Kurumi turned to look out the window, a faint curve rising at the corner of her lips. "Looks like there's something to play with again..."

Komuro Takashi hurried to the balcony and saw Hirono Toda's grim expression. "How bad is it?"

"Not good..." Looking over the railing below, the dead drawn by the gunshots and barking were slowly increasing in number. They were already showing signs of surrounding the apartment building. To make matters worse, the dog had stopped running and was simply howling at the dead nearby.

"Ah!—Ah!"

A young man's terrified scream came from nearby, then fell silent. He had probably been surrounded and eaten by the dead. Even under the bright moonlight, the ground below remained dim, and visibility was severely limited.

"That... that sound was close to us, wasn't it? Maybe there are other survivors?" Standing on the balcony, Komuro Takashi could only vaguely make out an indistinct shape surrounded by the dead, and a chill crept into his heart.

"That's the retribution he deserved!" Hirono Toda and the others turned around just in time to see Kurumi push open the door and step onto the balcony. "If nothing unexpected happened, he was probably the one who fired that gun just now. He got what he deserved. Otherwise..."

Though Kurumi did not finish speaking, Komuro Takashi and the others could still guess what she would have done. A gust of wind passed by, raising goosebumps on the backs of their necks. Compared with the dead, Kurumi before them seemed even more dangerous...

More and more dead gathered downstairs, their noisy clamor grating on everyone's nerves. Even Kurumi had to become cautious. If she jumped down in an environment like this, her chances of surviving would be slim.

If one caught you off guard and swiped at you, it would probably be over. When Kurumi spotted the wall, her eyes lit up. Perhaps she could easily break through from there! These idiots did not know how to climb walls yet.

"I'll get the guns and take out those dead!" After saying that, Komuro Takashi turned to head for the bedroom, only to be stopped by Hirono Toda. The fat nerd stared at him with utter seriousness. "We can't use guns unless you've gone insane!"

"What are you talking about? We use guns to kill the dead, then everyone..." Komuro Takashi grew agitated, but before he could finish, Kurumi's expression—like she was looking at an idiot—made him swallow the rest of his words.

"Are you mentally disabled?"

"Huh?"

"You already forgot what happened this afternoon? The dead react to sound. Also, go turn off the lights."

Though he did not understand Kurumi's last remark, he did as she said. Just as he was about to head into the bedroom, he noticed that the light inside had already been switched off.

"When the living see the lights and our silhouettes, they'll gather here. Besides, we don't have the power to save every living person."

Busujima Saeko walked out from inside and explained it to Komuro Takashi as well. "Take a look." As she spoke, she handed him the binoculars in her hand. "This world is no longer a place where courage alone can keep you alive."

Kurumi walked over, patted his shoulder, and pointed at her pretty little head with her other hand. "What matters more is your brain. Think things through. I don't want you to die because someone else outsmarted you."

Though her words cut deep, Komuro Takashi accepted them... He had to learn how to survive in this brand-new world!

Kurumi returned to the sofa in the living room, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her ivory-like slender legs. There should be a new side quest soon... That little girl? Too bad there's no reward. It'll probably be counted in the final evaluation...

When they returned to the balcony, Hirono Toda was already crouched in a corner to keep others from seeing him. He also reminded the newly arrived Komuro Takashi, "If you're going to observe, be careful. Don't let anyone else see you."

Komuro Takashi nodded toward Hirono Toda in the corner, crouched down, and carefully raised the binoculars to look outside...

One or two houses still had their lights on. They appeared to be survivors like them. Looking to one side, he saw two figures flash past. After searching farther back, he spotted a man in his early thirties running with a little girl.

The man held a pair of heavy-duty pliers, which were probably his weapon. When they saw a house with lights on, they pushed open the outer gate and went inside...

The little girl being led by the hand was still rather innocent. After entering the yard, she asked the man, "Dad, where's Mom?"

The man closed the iron gate, crouched down, and smiled at her. "You'll see Mom soon. Come on, over here."

"Bang bang bang! Bang—bang... Please, let us in! I have a child with me, and we have nowhere to run..."

From Komuro Takashi's angle, he saw the two figures who had been on the second floor slowly disappear. It seemed they had gone downstairs to open the door. He let out a long breath. "Looks like there are still plenty of kind people around."

After knocking for a long time without getting any response, the man pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear movement inside. The little girl, frightened, clung to his waist from behind as footsteps slowly drew closer...

Delighted, the man knocked on the door a few more times and shouted, "Please, let us in!"

"Don't come in. Go somewhere else!" A somewhat panicked voice reached the man's ears. His expression immediately froze, but he still refused to give up hope. Pleading softly, he said, "Please, I don't care what happens to me. Just let my daughter inside..."

There was no further response. Instead, the lights inside went out. The man clenched his fist tightly, veins bulging across it as his expression gradually turned feral. Even the little girl beside him sensed that something was wrong...

Gripping the heavy-duty pliers with both hands and gritting his teeth, he roared into the house in desperation, "Open the door! If you don't open it, I'll break it down! I'll break it down!" As he spoke, he raised the pliers high, about to smash them against the door...

"Wait... wait, I-I'll open it now." The people inside seemed to have compromised. The lights came back on, and hearing the lock turn, the man relaxed...

But by then, the noise had drawn the dead beside the apartment building over...

The door slowly opened. The man was somewhat happy, and the little girl's smile reappeared on her face. He put on a humble expression. Perhaps his earlier behavior had truly been born of desperation. "Thank you, we're saved..."

"Stab!" Before the man could finish, the sound of a blade entering flesh rang out. He looked down at his abdomen in disbelief... A fruit knife was buried there, with only the handle exposed. His white shirt was stained red by the flowing blood...

"I'm sorry... P-please forgive me..." The little girl standing to the side had not been noticed by the people inside. She stared blankly at the blood dripping from the blade, drop after drop splashing onto the ground...

The knife was pulled out, and the door slowly closed. Apologies continued to drift out from inside from time to time. The man staggered backward, his eyes filled with despair...

"Bang!" He crashed into the wall beside the iron gate, knocking open the gate that had not been fully latched. Only then did the little girl react. Crying, she ran to the man's side, at a complete loss when she saw him covered in blood.

The man wore a smile as he forced out the last of his strength. "Dad... Dad's fine. Find a place to hide... hide. Don't let anyone find you..." His pupils slowly dimmed, and his hand no longer had the strength to hold itself up as it slid down...

"Dad? Dad?... Dad?! W-Waaah! You said we'd always be together, didn't you? Dad, wake up!... Waaah!" The little girl clutched the man's head and cried loudly. More and more dead gathered outside, about to reach out and grab her...

"Damn it!" Komuro Takashi lowered the binoculars, his face full of fury. Hirono Toda beside him had already set up his sniper rifle, the bolt pulled back. The crosshairs were firmly locked onto the dead closest to the little girl...

"Bang!"

Ding~ You have a new side quest. Please check it.

In the darkness, Kurumi's lips curled up slightly, both hands already covered in black...