Gun Shop

After looking over the remaining patients, he selectively gave up on the two with cerebral palsy and the one in a vegetative state. Patients like them could not survive in this world.

By that logic, Rick, who had been unconscious in his hospital bed for a month and a half, should have been treated the same way. But Leon knew that he was one of the protagonists of this world and would wake up soon.

Besides, someone would pay for the supplies he wasted.

Miss Kevira was the one who surprised him. He had not expected that woman to still be in the hospital.

He pushed open the door to Kevira's room. A woman with fiery red hair lay on the hospital bed. She wore a blue hospital gown, a blanket covered her chest, and all four limbs were wrapped in thick bandages, held up by the four metal poles of the bed. She looked like a turtle turned onto its back.

Hearing the movement at the door, she turned her head and saw Leon entering. The corners of her beautiful face lifted slightly as she said, with a hint of disappointment in her voice:

"So it's you, Dr. Castor. When I heard the gunshots, I thought the rescue team had arrived."

Leon looked at her pretty face, now much thinner from hunger, and shook his head regretfully.

In his memories, this girl seemed to be only in her twenties. She was the daughter of a wealthy family and loved all kinds of extreme sports: street racing, hunting, mountain climbing, and wilderness survival.

A few days before the disaster, she had gone street racing with a group of underground racers. Her sports car malfunctioned, and the multimillion-dollar vehicle was wrecked. The girl had been lucky enough to survive, but all four of her limbs had suffered severe fractures.

The original Leon, Doctor Leon, had been her attending physician. They had spoken a few times and were somewhat familiar with each other. He had assumed Kevira had been transferred to another hospital.

When the girl had first entered the hospital, she had been accompanied by two bodyguards and two professional caretakers. It was obvious that she was not the sort of person who would normally stay in a county hospital.

After something happened to Leon's parents, he had never returned to the hospital.

It seemed the disaster had arrived too quickly. Even the wealthy could only go with the flow.

Leon approached Kevira. As he examined her recovery, he spoke:

"There's no rescue team anymore, no government, and no army. It's just like those apocalypse games you young people used to play. The zombies have destroyed all order. The survivors left behind are struggling desperately to stay alive."

After conducting a rough examination, he looked into the girl's calm eyes and continued:

"Your fractures have deteriorated again. Because you've been malnourished for so long, you'll need at least another two or three months to recover—and that's assuming there are sufficient supplies."

"In the world as it is now, most people are homeless and barely able to protect themselves. No one will take in a cripple who needs to be cared for by others for several months and cannot even move without assistance."

"Is there anything you want to say, Miss Kevira?"

The girl remained silent for nearly a minute. Then she raised her head and looked into Leon's eyes. There was neither panic nor pleading in her sky-blue eyes. Instead, she spoke with absolute certainty:

"Mr. Castor, you should save me. I'm a very talented person. My value is greater than that of ten ordinary people."

"I'm an expert hunter with excellent marksmanship. I'm good at concealment and proficient with all kinds of traps and firearms. I've also trained in hand-to-hand combat. If I were physically sound, my combat ability would be no worse than that of special forces soldiers."

"Besides, you must be short on firearms. As a firearms enthusiast, I've visited many gun shops. I know where many of them are, and I also know some illegal gun-modification shops. There's one nearby."

When Leon heard that the girl knew the locations of many gun shops, he could not help raising an eyebrow. Kevira noticed the change in his expression, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth as she continued:

"As the child of a wealthy family, I can pilot a yacht and fly a private plane. My driving skills are no worse than a professional racer's."

"Besides, I'm very beautiful, aren't I?"

"If my abilities earn your approval, I don't mind becoming your partner. In an apocalyptic world, finding a doctor to partner with is also very safe, isn't it?"

After saying that, the girl pressed her lips together and stared intently at Leon with her glistening, sky-blue eyes.

"If you save me, Dr. Castor, I absolutely will not betray you first, no matter what happens."

After hearing her first point, Leon had already decided to take the girl in. He gazed back at her with his deep, emerald-green eyes, which swirled like whirlpools. The corners of his mouth curved upward, and his voice was deep and rich.

"Then I look forward to seeing what you do from now on, girl."

A few minutes later, Leon carried Kevira in his arms to the hospital's first-floor lobby. After briefly introducing them to one another, he placed her in a wheelchair.

After everyone enjoyed the hearty lunch brought from the base, Leon issued a new order. He would take Daryl's team with him to search a gun shop five kilometers away, while the other seven people continued moving the hospital's supplies.

At dusk, he would bring the scavenged supplies back and meet up with them.

The employees naturally did not dare object to the boss's orders. They all nodded and agreed.

After instructing Old Merle to pay attention to everyone's safety, he drove his modified heavy-duty Jeep, with Kevira seated in the passenger seat, and brought a heavy truck along as they headed to the location the girl had provided.

The gun shop Kevira had mentioned was about eight kilometers from the center of King County. It was in a relatively desolate part of town, with no small shops nearby. There was only a small chain supermarket and some ordinary residences.

When Leon and the others arrived, the situation there was not good. The gun shop's entrance was tightly locked, and fifty or sixty zombies wandered across the road in front of it. Near the small supermarket a short distance away, there was also a horde of forty or fifty zombies.

If their actions made even the slightest noise, they could easily draw the attack of more than a hundred zombies at once.

There were only four combat personnel on their side, along with one cripple, and they had no heavy weapons. Once surrounded by a massive horde of zombies, most likely no one would survive.

At a time like this, Leon did not dare play the hero. If he charged in with his abilities, he could probably chop down a dozen or so before dozens of zombies overwhelmed him and tore him to pieces.

Leon's thoughts raced. Since they could not fight head-on, they could only lure the enemies away. He came up with several plans, but rejected them all because they were not safe enough.

Just then, Daryl walked up beside him and said:

"Boss, I saw several large speakers in the supermarket. Why don't I disguise myself and sneak over there, use the speakers inside to lure the zombies away, and let you search the gun shop for firearms while you have the chance?"

Leon turned his head and saw the firm, fearless look in Daryl's eyes. He thought for more than ten seconds before saying:

"All right. But after you enter the supermarket, don't rush to deal with the speakers. Find the back door first and make sure you have an escape route. Then take action."

"After we finish carrying the supplies, we'll wait for you in the vehicle. If you run into danger, contact us by radio."

He patted Daryl on the shoulder and said:

"Don't act recklessly. Be careful. Now that we know where the gun shop is, we can come back for it anytime. Your safety is the most important thing."

Daryl nodded and said:

"All right, Boss. I'll be careful."