Heading to the Villa District

At that moment, I also noticed a faint stain on the floor tiles. It was probably

caused by water from inside the fridge melting and

running onto the floor.

"Clean it up... Never mind."

With a long sigh, I turned around and went back to the pot. I grabbed the sausage I'd taken from my backpack, tore open the wrapper,

then used my chopsticks to break the fragrant sausage into

pieces and toss them into the pot, all the while continuing to think...

"These Mutant Monsters are clearly different from Zombies in some ways."

I casually turned the knob on the gas stove. With a sharp click, the flame went out. At the same time, I

started eating straight from the pot...

"Slurp~~~ Hmm... These monsters have lives of their own. In other words... they aren't dead, but have become

another kind of... slurp~~~ species after the virus invaded."

Mumbling indistinctly to myself, I slurped down the noodles with my chopsticks. The steaming hot instant noodles, which I hadn't had in ages, tasted wonderful.

But...

"Smack..."

"Ah~~~~ Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! That's hot!"

One noodle hadn't been cut off, and it landed right on the two mounds of fat on my chest. I hurriedly slapped it away, then

blew on the spot. Only then did I see the

obvious red mark on those two mounds.

"Damn it!!"

I didn't know who to blame, but for now... I could only reluctantly accept all this and gradually get used to it. After all...

I couldn't just cut these two mounds off with a knife, could I?

That would hurt like hell.

Besides, my hair grew back even after I cut it. What if these two mounds of fat... got bigger too? What would I do then?!

I put down my chopsticks and, lost in thought, went back to the bedroom. I found a white shirt I'd worn before

and pulled it on. Although it made me look...

even more alluring, at least there wouldn't be any more instant-noodle burns on my chest... Ahem! Forgive my poor choice of words!

I coughed, then went back to the kitchen and continued eating.

Heading to the Villa District

"If that's the case... then it means... slurp~~~ these monsters should be able to reproduce and form their own species."

Eating like this was a little uncomfortable, though, so I had to pause my train of thought. I looked down at the instant noodles, which were already

more than half gone, then took another big bite.

In just a few minutes, I'd finished the entire pot of instant noodles. Most importantly, though, I didn't feel full at all.

That meant...

"...I didn't make enough."

I sighed helplessly. Still... after eating the noodles, my strength was steadily returning. I thought it over and decided I should take a shower first. No matter how

urgent things were, I still had to handle them one at a time.

I picked up the military knife and keys by the door and headed to Big Brother Liu's place next door.

I took a refreshing cold shower, making sure to wash the embarrassing parts in particular. I felt so shy that my cheeks were burning by the time I came

out of the bathroom. I quickly dried myself off, then took the military knife and went back to my own place.

As for why I always carried the military knife...

I was scared, too. If a Zombie happened to wander in here and I had no weapon, I'd be in trouble.

Back in my place, I thought it over, then opened four more packs of instant noodles. I didn't even rinse out the pot; I just added water and noodles.

After all... water was a precious resource now, and every little bit saved counted. Just think, I used only one basin of water

to bathe. That would have been unimaginable before.

With a click, the blue flame roared to life again. As I added the noodles, I began to seriously reflect on my actions.

After all...

I was the one who'd put myself in danger again and again.

"Leaving aside what happened before, just this time, when I tested the crossbow, I didn't immediately nock a second bolt. That meant the moment I encountered that

Gecko Monster, I was

already at a disadvantage. If I'd prepared a bolt sooner, things wouldn't have gone so badly."

"Also... I was careless. I always assumed that if I couldn't see something, it wasn't there. But these monsters have already shown that they can use camouflage

to disguise themselves. It's not impossible that even more outrageous ones will show up."

I took out another sausage and tossed it into the pot.

"Maybe... I should find a little notebook and write all this down."

I idly stirred the instant noodles with my chopsticks, thinking that there seemed to be a fountain pen and a small notebook at home. I'd originally meant to use it

as a diary, but maybe it could serve as a logbook now.

With a click, I turned off the gas stove and lowered my head to eat.

A few minutes later, I'd polished off another four packs of instant noodles, broth and all. Only then did I start to feel somewhat full.

Back in the bedroom, I took out a Changbai Mountain cigarette. With a crisp flick of the lighter's lid, it snapped open, and the flame

flared to life.

"Inhale... Exhale..."

I took a deep drag, closed the lighter, and set it on my computer desk. Then I sat in the chair and rummaged through the desk drawers.

Just as I thought... the notebook was still here.

I took out the fountain pen and filled it with ink, then opened the notebook and sketched the two kinds of Mutant Monsters I'd encountered. My drawing skills

weren't very good, though, so I could only manage a rough outline. I wrote down their main features beside the sketches.

After scribbling and drawing, I slowly closed the notebook, ground the remaining cigarette butt into the ashtray, and let out a long breath.

"Be more careful next time. Also... I might need to get another gun. It doesn't have to be too powerful; it's just for emergencies. If the crossbow misses,

I can pull out the gun in a pinch."

"And... this special state... Well, I'll call it 'superhuman state' for now."

I pulled out another Changbai Mountain cigarette and started on my second.

"A means of transportation... I need one. At the very least, it'll save me a lot of energy for other things, and I can carry some supplies with me, too."

"But it can't be too big. I'll have to watch out for other people, too. In a world like this, anything could happen. If someone steals it, then

I'll be left with nothing but tears."

I put the notebook and pen in my backpack, changed into another outfit, and wore another pair of ragged jeans, this time in a different color, with a slightly tight-fitting top.

I strapped all my gear back on, ready to head to the villa district again.

First, I wiped Big Black Eagle with a piece of burlap and nocked a bolt.

"Maybe... I should go back and retrieve the bolts."

I made up my mind, slung Big Black Eagle over my back, put on the quiver, and strapped on the katana and the military knife at my chest. Then I found a pair of slippers,

closed the door, and went downstairs.

A few minutes later, I reached yesterday's spot. There were still only a few Zombies here. Whenever I spotted one,

I could use the flies to tell where it was.

By then, the Gecko Monster's corpse was covered in disgusting flies, too.

I walked over to the Gecko Monster's corpse, covered my hand with a tissue, and pried open its mouth.

"Hmph!"

I gave a quiet snort and pulled out the bolt. A rank stench hit me, and I moved away from the Gecko Monster.

Still... before leaving, I took another look. The Gecko Monster was huge, nearly two meters tall. With those limbs,

it must have stood three or four meters tall.

No wonder it could lift me up. It was that big?

After retrieving the bolt, I wiped the dried blood off it with a wet wipe and inspected it carefully. Good—the tip was still very

sharp, so it should be fine.

I wiped off the grime, put it back in the quiver, then went over to the Zombie I'd killed yesterday while testing Big Black Eagle.

Just as before, I pulled out the bolt, wiped it down, and put it back in the quiver. Then I turned and headed for the villa district.

By now, I was only a few hundred meters from the villa district. In the distance, I could see the vast spread of buildings

and the nearly three-meter-high wall.

I stayed alert to the sounds around me. I'd notice even the slightest disturbance. According to my reasoning, ...