of paper, while drying with a towel
my hair, which refused to dry easily, and looking at the sheet in my hand.
"This... this is!!!"
The contents shocked me so much that I instinctively read them aloud.
"To all citizens, in the face of this war, all we can say to those who have survived is... our condolences."
This was... the first sentence on the sheet.
"For unknown reasons, a virus began spreading among humans. At approximately eight in the morning on August 11, scattered outbreaks began in various
locations, continuing until approximately nine
the following morning, August 12, when the virus, previously spreading on a small scale, erupted into a widespread outbreak. For the victims of this
disaster, we in the government express our profound
grief..."
"Although we would very much like to drive these inhuman monsters out of our towns immediately, unfortunately, during the outbreak,
most military bases also came close to
falling. Thus, over the past month, we have been clearing the military bases and constructing defensive facilities."
"Survivors... if you are fortunate enough to see this notice, please take up your weapons, avoid contact with monsters and
zombies whenever possible, and seek refuge at the survivor
settlements or military bases listed below. There is ample food and water there..."
"These living corpses, which have lost their lives yet retain the ability to move and spread the virus a second time,
have been described to some extent in a certain
game. We have decided to adopt that designation and call them 'zombies.'"
"As for the various other mutant monsters, through the military's best efforts, we have begun gathering information on them.
Survivors, please do not be afraid. Be
sure to remember the habits of each kind of monster clearly and avoid contact whenever possible. If contact occurs, under no circumstances should you
fight. Please retreat immediately. Remember! Please
retreat immediately!"
Did... did this mean the government was still around?!
"Are there... really survivor settlements?"
I looked down at the listed regions. There were... more than fifty survivor settlements and military bases in all, but they were all
far from my location. And
I had never even heard the names of many of them.
"These... were probably named after their towns..."
My fingers tapped unconsciously against the paper, making it rustle and snap as I began working through a series of deductions.
Starting on August 11... through August 12, the virus had broken out twice. According to this, the first outbreak
had been small-scale, causing chaos
within the towns. Then, the next day, a large-scale outbreak had occurred...
"This... why does it feel... less like something that happened naturally, and more like..."
My tapping fingers paused. The bold idea in my head startled even me, but for some reason, I
kept feeling that my guess
was very close to the truth.
"Could... someone really have caused this?"
"But if that's really the case... then... who did it, for what purpose, and by what means did they
create this virus? Or discover
it, then carry out a series of terrorist attacks?"
I thought for a long time... without reaching a conclusion. I knew far too little right now. Besides, all of this was merely speculation,
and there was no evidence that
the current situation had been caused by humans.
"Forget it... thinking so much won't help. Let's keep reading."
The upper half of this side of the paper contained what I had just read, while the lower half listed survivor settlements
and their locations, along with detailed information such as their current
populations. Even their safety ratings were listed, with the lowest being D-class and the highest S-class...
And that S-class survivor settlement was actually...
"XZ!?"
Could it be... a secret military base belonging to Hua Nation?
I turned it over... When I picked up the sheet, I had noticed writing on both sides. Once I flipped it to the back,
there were printed
color pictures and tiny letters.
Squinting, I examined it closely.
There were labels and pictures for eight kinds of monsters, each with a name. The two kinds I had seen, including the green monster and
the gecko monster, were both recorded there.
"Code name: Gecko..."
"Possesses sharp claws and a keen sense of smell. Habitually uses camouflage to conceal itself and launch stealth attacks against enemies.
Moves swiftly and adapts well
to terrain. May appear in the following areas..."
"Urban areas: city centers crowded with tall buildings, or among clusters of high-rise buildings."
"Attack methods: uses its tongue, which measures up to five meters long, to pierce or wrap around enemies, or uses its sharp
claws to tear
human bodies."
"Countermeasures: leave clusters of high-rise buildings and avoid approaching them whenever possible. Do not casually enter such areas at night."
Below that was information on the others, including detailed information on the green monster, the areas where it might appear, its attack
methods and characteristics, and countermeasures,
all recorded in detail.
Deductions
I lightly tapped a picture on the paper with my index finger and began to ponder...
*It looks like the military is also doing everything it can to investigate these monsters. They must be preparing for a large-scale counterattack.
So... distributing these
leaflets now... are they planning to recruit survivors and expand their fighting force?*
That was all on the upper half of the reverse side. The lower section took up almost half the sheet, yet contained only two statements.
"Additional note: all male mutant monsters exhibit aggressive sexual behavior toward women. Female survivors are advised to
avoid contact whenever possible. If
escape is impossible, we recommend... taking your own life."
That statement gave me a fright. Then... came understanding and silence.
That was right. Ever since I first encountered mutant monsters, all these male mutants with reproductive organs had harbored some kind of subconscious
urge to violate me. This was also
one of the most important reasons I had escaped death twice.
The green monster and Gecko... no, the official code name for that green monster was Toad.
Neither of these two mutant monsters, Toad and Gecko, had immediately tried to kill me in a single blow. Instead, they had dealt
blows meant to incapacitate me, never
targeting my vital points. That gave me a much more direct understanding of this warning.
The military must have deliberately left the rest unsaid.
Logically speaking, if these monsters had no need to reproduce, they would not have that urge toward women. In other words... those women who had been captured
and violated
had all become breeding machines for the monsters.
The military must have wanted to prevent that, too, but they could not spell it out.
"You will make an enormous contribution to increasing the monster population, so before that happens, you would be better off killing yourselves."
If words like those got out, this nation, whose credibility was already close to zero, would completely
lose the people's trust.
Only after thinking for a long time did I turn to the second statement, which was printed in bright red.
"Additional note: as we are unable to provide support to the public, the military, for humanitarian reasons and to better enable citizens to protect
themselves, announces that, effective today, the nation
will lift all restrictions on weapons, including firearms and bladed weapons. To make up for our inability to carry out rescue operations, in three days
we will drop
basic survival supplies over towns and cities."
My eyes lit up, and I hurriedly continued reading.
"These will include... firearms, ammunition, military knives, entrenching shovels, food, and clean water, along with other survival
equipment. We ask all citizens to do their utmost to help themselves
and leave their towns as soon as possible, heading for the nearest survivor settlement to ensure their personal safety."
Finally, the line at the bottom read:
Issued by the government of Hua Nation, September 11, 2027.
After I finished reading the sheet, my thoughts were a complete mess.
In short, there were three main points.
First: it declared that the government still existed and was actively working to combat the virus.
Second: it notified everyone to head for survivor settlements whenever possible.
Third: it would distribute survival supplies and provide weapons.
All three points were contained on this tiny sheet of paper, and almost every piece of information on it was
closely tied to survival.
And the fundamental reason the government was expending so much time and effort, and committing so many supplies, was probably the population base.