Trapped

Bang! Screech—!

Several Dead Bodies stood in front of the wire fence as a buffer, but they also became one of the factors that would make the vehicle uncontrollable!

Screech—!

The side of the vehicle slammed into the Dead Bodies being used as a buffer, impaling them directly on the wire mesh. Under the immense pressure, blood splattered across the windows! Hirono Toda hurriedly covered Shiri Alice's eyes, refusing to let her witness such a cruel, bloody scene.

The wheels seemed to have run over something like wire and severed limbs. Blood kept spraying as the tires spun, while the modified Hummer continued to skid. In her panic, Shizuka Marikawa slammed on the brakes, her voice tinged with terror. "Why won't it stop?!"

Hirono Toda felt the vehicle shaking abnormally and immediately discovered the cause. "The tires must be locked up! Let off the brake and press the gas lightly!"

"Locked up? Huh?!" She immediately released the brake and gently pressed the accelerator. Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei, gripping the steel plates, naturally tightened their holds.

At that moment, the front of the vehicle was already close to the tall wall ahead. The airheaded Shizuka stomped on the brakes in fright! The modified Hummer avoided the fate of being wrecked in a collision, but the massive inertia caused by braking did not simply disappear.

Screech—!

Powered by its immense momentum, the rear of the vehicle lifted high into the air. Miyamoto Rei, lying on the roof, was carelessly thrown straight off! Komuro Takashi reflexively reached out to grab her, but he was just a fraction too late, and she crashed hard to the ground!

Bang! Bang—Bang!

Miyamoto Rei's back slammed directly onto the hood before she fell to the ground again. Fortunately, a few hard falls were no big deal for a young person and would not cause serious injury—at most, some fractured or numb bones and scraped skin. Not to mention that Miyamoto Rei had protective gear around her joints.

A huge cloud of dust rose from the ground. Though she had not hit her head, the impacts still left her dizzy and dazed. When she opened her eyes in a haze, she saw... several Dead Bodies not far away walking toward her, drawn by the sound she had made!

The roar of the modified Hummer echoed through the abnormally quiet streets like thunder on level ground! Dead Bodies hundreds of meters away were moving in this direction in fits and starts, while those not knocked down earlier were already faintly forming an encirclement around Miyamoto Rei!

She wanted to stand, but the intense numbness in her joints made sweat bead on her face. She simply could not exert any strength!

"Pull the bolt, aim, pull the trigger." A familiar voice reached her ears. Miyamoto Rei saw Komuro Takashi jump straight down from the roof, raise the rifle hanging before his chest, and prepare to fire!

Komuro Takashi naturally knew he had no talent with firearms. Even if the target was only a little farther away, he might miss! But the firearm in his hands still gave him tremendous courage. Seeing his beloved childhood friend suffering right before his eyes, how could he not lend a hand!

Bang—!

It had to be said, that shot was "absolutely beautiful." It hit the shoulders of two Dead Bodies at once, but unfortunately, it did not strike their heads and kill them. They merely paused for a moment before continuing forward.

Click—

Komuro Takashi ejected the spent casing, his face full of disbelief. "I was clearly aiming at their heads! Why didn't I hit even one?!"

"Because you're too stupid! Recoil, stability, and wind direction all affect whether a bullet hits its target! Aim at the chest below the Dead Body's head and try firing again!"

Hearing Hirono Toda's voice from where he lay atop the sunroof, Komuro Takashi immediately adjusted. He kept turning those words over in his mind as his right index finger fiercely pulled the trigger!

Bang!

This time, he truly took down two of them. The tremendous impact of the firearm at close range sent the Dead Bodies with their heads blown apart flying backward through the air. Like that, under Hirono Toda's guidance, Komuro Takashi kept firing and dealing with the approaching Dead Bodies.

Bang! Bang! Bang—!

Though he was still somewhat lacking, the vibration of bullets leaving the chamber and the exhilarating thrill of killing a Dead Body in one strike was something no one who had never experienced the charm of firearms could understand. Komuro Takashi let out a roar. "Woo! This feels amazing!"

Just as he pulled the bolt, ready to keep firing, he realized... he was almost out of bullets! In a moment of carelessness, the bullets he took from his pocket rolled away. He was instantly horrified as the Dead Bodies drew closer and closer.

At that moment, Busujima Saeko stepped out of the vehicle. "Komuro, go save Miyamoto. Leave the rest to me."

"Huh? No! There are too many Dead Bodies. There's no way blades can deal with them all!" From Komuro Takashi's perspective, he could faintly see sweat on Busujima Saeko's stern face. She clearly was not very confident about this battle.

"Oh dear, oh dear. How could you leave me out of something as wonderful as hunting Dead Bodies~"

Who else could speak in such a relaxed, charming tone but Kurumi? The first thing that entered Komuro Takashi's sight was a pair of black Martin boots, creating a striking contrast with the slender, jade-like legs above them.

Her twin ponytails, one long and one short, still hung before her chest. Only her wine-red eyes were visible, brimming with laughter, yet the danger within them was like a Viper poised to strike!

The dazzling sunlight shone upon Kurumi. As she walked forward wearing a black glove on her left hand, even Busujima Saeko found her exceptionally cool. The gold embroidery on it faintly gleamed, dazzling Komuro Takashi's eyes.

"Ku... Kurumi? Can your hand still fight?"

"Of course—" Bang! A side punch struck the left temple of the Dead Body before her. A mixture of brain matter and blood sprayed from the other side, splattering filth all over the ground! "It's nothing~"

Watching the smiling girl before her, Busujima Saeko returned a gentle, Yamato nadeshiko-like smile.

Bang! The hilt of the Steel Katana rammed directly into the lower jaw of the Dead Body behind her, sending several teeth mixed with blood flying away!

Hirono Toda kept pulling the trigger from atop the vehicle, firing at the Dead Bodies rushing over from afar and occasionally easing the pressure on the three in front of the vehicle. But... there were simply too many Dead Bodies. From above, they looked like a blockade formed by a small army!

And Kurumi and the others were the last few resilient warriors who would rather die than yield! The disparity in strength between the two sides was indeed enormous, but their opponents held an absolute advantage in numbers! One person might be able to kill ten, even a hundred! But what about thousands?

Even Kurumi would eventually exhaust herself! The saying that enough ants could bite an elephant to death was no empty phrase! She could easily break through alone, but as long as she was not with the protagonist's group, who knew what obstacles the World Consciousness would throw in her path!

Compared to unknown dangers, Kurumi preferred dangers that were real and right in front of her!

Even if it was somewhat difficult...

She would treat these Dead Bodies as fodder for charging toward the "Beginner Hunter" medal!

Her figure constantly darted and weaved through the mass of Dead Bodies, elusive and unpredictable. Hirono Toda did not dare support Kurumi at all, afraid that one careless shot would hit her! His mind frantically calculated every possible attack, while the various branches of Mastery of Combat flowed forth one after another without obstruction, so long as they could blow apart the Dead Bodies' heads!

A faint layer of blood covered the Black Gold Gloves. Her already injured right hand trembled nonstop, and even clenching her swollen red palm into a fist hurt, let alone striking the skull, the hardest bone in the human body!

Her left fist slammed into the abdomen of the Dead Body before her. The massive impact sent it flying backward through the air, knocking down a whole swath of Dead Bodies. Taking advantage of this brief chance to catch her breath, she raised her head and looked toward the street ahead...

It was packed densely with Dead Bodies!...