To his surprise, the first person to catch up wasn't Keiji Koyama, the first to give his name, but the bespectacled nerd with dark circles under his eyes. Si Ming ignored him. He didn't take offense; instead, he quickly worked out a whole explanation in his head, then looked as if he'd suddenly understood.
"So I'm the type with a low starting affinity, huh... Wait for me! Big brother, where do I get the starter gear and the big welcome package?"
He hurried after Si Ming. Next came the tall, thin office worker and the glamorous woman. The high school girl in her uniform was a little slower. Even the American soldier, who had been groaning on the ground, managed to struggle back to his feet and bellow at the chubby white-collar worker he had kicked over, though his voice lacked some of its usual force.
"Bastard! Get over here and help me up! Don't you know how to show some respect?"
He was clearly used to doing this sort of thing, throwing his weight around and bullying people like his target. And with plenty of experience, he'd developed a decent eye for it.
"Yes, yes." The chubby office worker wore a fawning smile, as though he hadn't just been kicked. He helped the American soldier up carefully and deferentially, only for the soldier to shove him aside, sending him sprawling. It took him several seconds to struggle back to his feet again, by which time the others had already reached the area near the shopping mall entrance.
He glared at the American soldier's retreating back, then nervously looked away and glanced at the others. A vicious expression flickered across his face, but he quickly hid it behind a mask of numbness and ingratiation.
A cold gust of wind blew by, and he suddenly felt a chill down his back. An indescribable silence filled the deserted street, making his heart tremble with fear.
"W-wait for me!" He scrambled after them as fast as he could.
Si Ming pushed open the glass doors, their hinges rusted through, and a harsh, grating squeal immediately echoed through the mall. He didn't even need to turn around to know everything that was happening behind him. At that moment, he probably had no other thought than to sigh.
What else could he do?
Even so, the situation had to be a little better than last time, didn't it?
At least this time these idiots knew to follow him instead of standing still and waiting to die. Though that might just be because last time they'd been in a modern city, while this time they were in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
He inhaled, suppressing his irritation and killing intent. Even useless people might have their uses. He should focus first on the things he could accomplish according to his plan.
Clack. The armored sole of his boot hit the floor.
With a group of clueless companions like this, there was no need to sneak around or disguise himself. He casually kicked aside several cans blocking the way. The shopping mall lobby before him was even more spacious than he'd expected.
The first floor housed showrooms for various appliances and jewelry. Light streamed through the translucent ceiling, illuminating the area. A few blades of green grass had already sprouted from cracks in the floor, while the shelves and the goods scattered across the ground had rusted beyond recognition.
This place really did look as though it had been abandoned for three years.
With the Nano-Biochemical Suit's help, Si Ming extended his senses outward. He didn't immediately detect any breathing or heartbeats other than those behind him. At least not on the surface level. The mall's underground, however, might be another matter.
"Be careful," he said casually. "Night Demons are mutated creatures that fear sunlight. As long as you stay somewhere lit, the chance of being attacked is very low. I'm going upstairs to set up a temporary safehouse. You can discuss the plot and details of I Am Legend with each other. And it'd be best if you stayed out of the basement."
A word of warning.
Warnings didn't necessarily earn you anything in return.
"Pretty realistic props." The picky, glamorous woman looked around with her arms crossed. "How much did they cost? This reality show of yours must have quite a budget." In psychology, crossing her arms was a sign of unease. She was indeed only complaining, though; she wasn't wandering around on her own.
Someone else was the one who started wandering.
"Then that means there's treasure underground! It's an abandoned city, right? I know this stuff, it's just like the Nier series!"
The young man with dark circles shouted excitedly, then charged without hesitation toward the nearest escalator, down into the gloomy lower level. Perhaps he really was immersed in the world of video games. Perhaps he was trying to test his own status.
Whatever the truth, the world would teach him a lesson in Si Ming's place.
Si Ming didn't wait or pay him any mind. After stating his plan, he simply headed up the escalator.
"Um... shouldn't we wait for him?" the high school girl in uniform asked timidly. "That being called the Main God said we were all... on the East Sea Team, right? Since we're all on the same team, wouldn't it be better to act together?"
"Who's on a team with a man like that?" The picky woman scoffed, looking completely unconcerned. The other three men said nothing.
One second, two seconds.
Si Ming didn't pause. He simply walked from the first floor to the second. He heard the dark-circled man run back up even faster than he'd gone down, then act nonchalant as he reached the landing.
"It's too dark down there. I can't see anything. I need the key quest item."
No one answered him. The JK girl's lips moved, but in the end, perhaps because her first impression of him had been so bad, she didn't say anything else.
The group continued upward. The second floor was mostly clothing stores, and there was no need to linger there either. The third floor was more open, with a wide view across the top level. Sunlight filtered through the ceiling, and there was also a small movie theater. The theater was well enclosed, and the counter still held several bottles of mineral water and bags of snacks that had been sitting there for years. Quite a few unopened cans were stored in the cupboards as well.
This place would do. It should make a decent safehouse. Unfortunately, there weren't quite enough supplies to keep six people comfortable here for half a month.
"Next, I'm going to explore the basement and clear out anything dangerous."
Si Ming checked every corridor on the third floor and opened every door, whether it was ajar or locked. There were no dried-up skeletons on the floor, no scraps of flesh on the walls or in the corners. It was as though the mall had simply been abandoned instead of swallowed up by a disaster. Si Ming knew why: Night Demons, mutants infected by the KV Virus, had extremely fast metabolisms. They collected all the fresh or stale flesh they could find and ate every last bit of it.
His gaze swept over the newcomers. Even now, none of them had discussed I Am Legend at all.
"So none of you have seen I Am Legend?"
"I don't watch stuff from the real world."
"I'm sick of having men bothering me all the time. I don't have time."
"Sorry, I have no habit of watching films."
Three different replies, all with the same answer.
The JK girl nervously glanced at the others, then hesitantly opened her mouth.
"Um... I think the movie only came out near the end of this year. It's not surprising that not many people know about it..."
A pointless but accurate statement.
But the American soldier, who had taken a palm strike from Si Ming, straightened up proudly.
"Ha! I've seen every one of Will Smith's movies. It's just a story about a guy and his dog fighting vampires in the wasteland that is New York. Those monsters are afraid of light, and they're weak. Give me a gun and I could take out a dozen by myself!"
Si Ming glanced at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He did have quite a few spare firearms in his Dimensional Ring, but he wasn't planning to share them with this bunch of clueless idiots just yet.
"Night Demons have a keen sense of smell, but disinfectant can keep them from noticing the safehouse. Also, dogs and other canines can be infected with the KV Virus and turn into Night Demons, just like humans. Felines like lions, on the other hand, don't seem to be transformed by exposure to the air or water."
Si Ming filled in the information the American soldier didn't know or hadn't mentioned. He checked the perimeter of the third floor. He marked several cracks around the windows, then pulled down the curtains to make sure the shelter stayed dark.
"They have sight and a rudimentary intelligence. So at night, don't make noise or use lights. Fresh flesh is very tempting to them, especially human blood. It can even wake these nocturnal monsters during the day. So don't do anything unnecessary at night. And don't argue or make a racket."
"Wait!" The picky woman suddenly looked up, alert. "Why are you telling us this? You're not staying with us tonight? You men don't even know how to protect women?"
"I have tasks for you," Si Ming said, ignoring her.
"Before I get back, sort through the useful supplies on this floor, pile them together, and make a list. You can go to the clothing stores on the second floor and look for fabric, then head to the appliance stores on the first floor and see if you can find anything useful. A generator or solar panels would be ideal. Then find some materials to patch up the gaps I found earlier and block them off."
"I want you to get at least one of these things done. Even if you can't do it well, at least make an effort. I'll be back after clearing out the underground supermarket. It won't be quick. When I return, I'll discuss our next move with you."
He paused.
"Of course, if anyone wants to come with me, I'll do my best to keep them safe. Unless we encounter something extremely unusual, I promise you won't get bitten by a Night Demon."
His gaze swept across the group, but only the dark-circled young man looked eager, practically itching to volunteer.
"I can go with you, but you have to give me that Nano-Biochemical Suit first. And that gun." He looked Si Ming up and down, only spotting the AA12 Shotgun from the previous world that Si Ming carried with him. "Big brothers like you usually die in the tutorial, anyway. Better to get it over with now than make me deal with your corpse later."
Si Ming looked at the young man, brimming with confidence and eager to get started. Then he looked at the shotgun in his own hands.
He let out a mocking laugh.
I've eaten too much meat. I'm starting to think like a monk and take care of my health.
Click. The gun was loaded.
He was using ordinary 12-gauge buckshot, not the more powerful explosive rounds. The next moment, the muzzle pointed at the young man's feet and spat fire!
Boom!
The advantage of buckshot was that it didn't kill someone instantly. A burst of fire and a spray of pellets tore through the young man's feet.
His feet, not his legs.
He let out a horrified, disbelieving scream. The other newcomers screamed in terror as well, but Si Ming merely raised the muzzle a little.
Boom!
Now it was his legs, his lower legs. Buckshot still did a fine job of tearing up flesh.
"Waaah—p-please, spare me! I won't do it again—"
He screamed.
The scream ended when another burst of fire erupted.
First his left leg, then his right. After his right leg came both his arms.
Only when the fool had been reduced to writhing and moaning in a pool of blood did Si Ming turn toward the newcomers, who had shrunk into a terrified huddle.
"Fresh blood needs to be dealt with immediately. You have to do that. Oh, and..."
He flipped his hand, and a silenced Glock Pistol chambered in .22 LR dropped out of the Dimensional Ring into his palm. It was one of the weapons he kept for special situations, and it would come in handy now.
"Hey, you. The woman."
The glamorous woman, who had been running her mouth several times now, looked up instinctively. A moment later, a series of glaring flashes lit up her eyes. A sharp pain tore through her body, and she fell to the ground.
She let out a muffled cry of pain.
"I really hate it when people tell me what to do." Si Ming put away the Glock, his voice almost cheerful. "I hope you remember this lesson. Don't worry, it isn't a fatal wound. You won't die just yet."
Just yet.
Si Ming's gaze swept over the newcomers, who didn't dare so much as breathe too loudly.
"Your second task: when I get back, I don't want to hear her making a racket. Use whatever method you like. Of course, if a Night Demon gets in before then... the odds are very low, but they're not zero, are they?"
He nodded to the newcomers, picked up the dark-circled young man, who could no longer even moan, and headed downstairs.
He was in a better mood now, and he had bait to lure out every Night Demon hiding nearby. As for the dark-circled young man's earlier question, Si Ming now had a clear answer.
This was a win-win.
Before you continue