Rescue III

"Ah!—Mm~"

The figure on the second floor was clearly startled and hurriedly covered their mouth, beads of sweat rolling down their forehead as they slowly backed farther inside...

Boom! Bang!—

No skill was needed. The power stacked by the Black Gold Gloves alone was enough to smash a Dead Body's head apart!

The Dead Bodies in the yard were quickly cleared out, but there were still many more on the street outside the apartment, drawn over by the noise.

Shiri Alice watched everything in disbelief. If this beautiful big sister had not smiled at her, she would have thought she was dreaming. Big sister was really so pretty, even prettier than Mom...

"How is it? Can you still stand?" Kurumi smiled faintly and held out an arm to her. In Shiri Alice's eyes, she was no less than the purest angel. "Hm?~ Mm!"

Blushing under Kurumi's gaze, she nodded shyly, then stood up and dusted off her clothes. Without the slightest disgust, she picked up the little dog and held it in her arms. After all, the dog had been protecting her the whole time.

Vroom~! Bang!

"Ow, ow, that hurt..." Komuro Takashi had sped all the way here, showing off his superb driving skills, only to flip over while entering the gate. The motorcycle he had found in the warehouse had thrown him off and crashed into the wall.

"Oh my, Komuro, did you come here to make us laugh?"

"How could that be! I came to support you!..." Hearing Kurumi tease him, Komuro Takashi ignored the pain in his backside and loudly retorted. But as Kurumi's gaze shifted toward the motorcycle lying against the wall, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

Click—

They firmly locked the iron gate of the yard. Though it was somewhat low, it was indeed an insurmountable obstacle for these brainless Dead Bodies—unless the horde grew so large that it simply crushed the lock apart!

But things did not look much better. The iron gate kept swaying, like a lone boat in a raging storm that could be swallowed by enormous waves at any moment!

Kurumi looked outside. The entire apartment had already been surrounded, and the densely packed Dead Bodies left no place to step. Even if she wanted to carve out a bloody path through them, there was still a chance she could get hurt... And if she got injured, who knew whether this virus would affect a Spirit!

Still, caution was best. The top of the wall was the best choice! As for Komuro Takashi, that would depend on his luck!

The growing number of Dead Bodies gathering in the street made everyone at Nanri's residence uneasy. Takagi Saya went inside and woke Shizuka Marikawa, who was still deep in dreamland. Seeing her like that, she pinched her cheeks hard for a long time before the airheaded woman finally came somewhat awake.

"What's wrong?~" The sleepy airhead still had no idea what was happening.

"There are too many Dead Bodies outside. We need to keep running for our lives! Wake up already!" Seeing Shizuka Marikawa showing signs of falling asleep again, Takagi Saya shook her shoulders hard until some of the drowsiness finally faded.

She then hurried to the balcony and told Hirono Toda to prepare to flee before walking, panting, to the front entrance. "S-so... how is it? Once Tokisaki and Komuro get back, we can keep escaping toward the bridge, right?"

Busujima Saeko, standing atop the gatepost, fell silent for a moment. "The Dead Bodies were drawn away by Komuro's motorcycle, so we're relatively safe for now. As for whether they can bring that little girl back unharmed..."

"Then why don't we go pick them up?" Everyone turned to look at Shizuka Marikawa, who was still somewhat dazed. She did not seem to care at all as she fastened the buttons of her white shirt one by one. "There's a car, and we have the keys too."

Busujima Saeko pondered for a moment. "Mm... that is indeed a good idea."

"Then what are we waiting for? We'll rescue Tokisaki and the others, then flee all the way across the river!" Hearing that, Takagi Saya was clearly excited, because... once they reached the other side of the river, her home would not be far away!

As long as they were found by her father's subordinates then, they would definitely make it back safely! Then she could finally relax completely!

"Big sister." Shiri Alice tugged at Kurumi's pant leg. "Dad... is he dead?"

Kurumi gently stroked the little girl's hair. "He died protecting you. He was an admirable father. But in this world, the dead cannot come back to life..."

Komuro Takashi picked up a white shirt nearby and covered the man's head. At last, the little girl could no longer hold it in and threw herself into Kurumi's arms, sobbing bitterly...

To be honest, Kurumi could not say she felt nothing, but it was only the faintest stir. She had seen too many similar scenes. It was like watching a movie while completely immersed in it—you would not cry every time, nor would you feel sad every time. Time would give you the best answer...

Everyone at Nanri's residence began moving stealthily. Taking advantage of the Dead Bodies being drawn away, they quickly reached the military Hummer outside. It was even a modified version; from the outside, it looked like a small armored vehicle!

Busujima Saeko stood guard while Takagi Saya and Miyamoto Rei carried the necessary supplies. Shizuka Marikawa, meanwhile, naturally plopped herself into the driver's seat. Just as she was about to insert the key and start the engine... she froze.

She had never driven one of these before! Even a school bus had some familiar features, but this...

Hirono Toda, still on the second floor observing the Dead Bodies, did not look relaxed in the slightest. Especially that group surrounding the apartment—their numbers were a little too great... He glanced at the modified Hummer again. Though it looked incredibly fierce, he was not very confident in it.

"In a situation like this, we'd need a tank to rescue them safely..." It was only when light shone on his face that he realized Takagi Saya was urging him to leave.

He quickly packed up his firearms and ammunition, casually slung his backpack over one shoulder, and moved with the efficiency of a battle-hardened soldier... if one ignored his build.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. You'll attract the Dead Bodies, you know~" Kurumi spoke in an unusually gentle tone. The little girl was still sniffling. "I-is it those monsters outside?"

"Mm. Komuro, we're getting ready to leave!"

"Hm? How are we leaving? The gate is blocked, and it's not like we can fly..." Before Komuro Takashi could finish, he saw Kurumi leap onto the wall with the little girl in her arms and land steadily. "What are you waiting for? Get up here!"

"Ah!~ Big sister, we haven't taken the dog!"

Kurumi looked at Komuro Takashi in the yard. Without needing any signal from her, he immediately picked up the little dog...

Kurumi lightly covered her forehead. "I meant for you to hand me the steel pipe beside the clothes rack while you were at it."

The wall was not very high. The Dead Bodies could touch it just by reaching up. For safety, Kurumi chose to carry Shiri Alice on her back. With coordination far beyond that of an ordinary person, she felt no discomfort at all standing atop the narrow wall like it was a balance beam.

Komuro Takashi, on the other hand, was facing a great enemy. Looking at the horde of Dead Bodies below, if he slipped and fell, there probably would not even be any bones left to see. He kept swallowing hard, concentrating with all his will and forcing himself to look only at the wall.

"Big sister, you smell so nice... just like my mom."

"Heh." Kurumi turned her head slightly, allowing Shiri Alice to see only her exquisite half-profile, like that of a moon goddess. "Do you want to avenge your father?"

"Hm?" Before the little girl could understand what she meant, Kurumi shouted to Komuro Takashi behind her, "Komuro! Throw me your gun!"

Though he did not quite understand what Kurumi wanted it for, he still carefully tossed it over.

Smack! She caught the gun steadily, casually spun it a few times, then looked at the several figures hidden in the darkness on the second floor and smiled at them.

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots rang out. One bullet shattered the lock on the yard's iron gate, while the other pierced the wooden door's lock. The Dead Bodies streamed inside.

"Sweet dreams~"