Chapter 58: The Value of Canned Meat

Sosuke Kitahara couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, his heart leaping into his throat as he stared in disbelief at the shard of broken glass leaning against the opposite wall. The glass itself was nothing special, but the reflection within it made his scalp tingle. Just on the other side of the wall from them, countless shifting shadows filled the space. A massive horde of zombies was crammed around the elevator entrance, packed as tightly as commuters in rush-hour traffic, their muffled groans echoing ceaselessly. Thankfully, the wall was at least three to four meters thick. The zombies hadn't realized Sosuke and the others were just on the other side. Without hesitation, Sosuke motioned for the others to retreat. Once they returned to the stairwell, he whispered seriously, "We can't take that route. There are too many zombies outside. Forcing our way through would leave us surrounded it's too dangerous. We'll have to head for the underground parking garage. But we need to prepare for the worst if the garage is swarming with zombies, we'll have to fall back and figure something else out." "Why are so many zombies gathered there? Could there be survivors trapped in the elevator shaft?" Yukino was deeply puzzled as she looked at Sosuke. The zombies' behavior was odd. Sosuke nodded. "Probably. Maybe some survivors couldn't escape and got trapped inside maybe they're even injured. What? Thinking about saving them?" "I'm not some saint..." Yukino rolled her eyes at him, then straightened up and said, "You still have time to joke? Everyone's on edge here. Let's go! Whatever happens, it looks like we'll have to risk everything to escape this time!" "Yeah, we'll need to fight hard. I'll take point, you three cover the rear. Remember the rhythm we had when we worked together on the helipad watch each other's backs!" Sosuke gave the three women a serious look. Utaha Kasumigaoka raised an eyebrow playfully. "So we're your backup now? Aren't three women a bit much?" "Not at all, feels like I could use a few more." Sosuke chuckled, teasing her, and Kasumigaoka rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. Still, this lighthearted exchange helped ease everyone's tension a bit. Sosuke crouched low and led the way downstairs, while Kasumigaoka watched his back, then glanced at the Yukinoshita sisters following behind. She sighed deeply. Back to square one and now there were two beautiful sisters in the mix. What a complicated situation. "Shh! Watch your steps..." The four moved quietly into the stairwell leading to the underground garage. Sosuke, gripping his katana tightly, was once again on high alert. The overhead light was broken, with only the emergency exit signs providing a faint glow. Sosuke carefully descended, not daring to take out his flashlight for fear of attracting zombies with the light. He relied on the faint illumination filtering in from the garage, inching toward the exit. There were two turns on the way down. Sosuke, with his sharp hearing, detected nothing unusual. Gripping the cold hilt of his katana gave him a rare sense of security. He felt grateful that he had learned swordsmanship. With his enhanced physique, he could rely on cold weapons to fight. In situations like this, guns were practically useless. Forget marksmanship even a single gunshot would draw hordes of zombies like a tidal wave. It would be suicide. "Slow down! There's blood outside." As they neared the underground parking lot, a large dried bloodstain on the floor immediately caught Sosuke's attention. Yukino, following behind, furrowed her brow as well. They both knew that where there was blood, there had once been zombies. The bone fragments mixed in with the blood were undeniable proof. Whether there were still zombies nearby and how many that was up to luck. Sosuke pressed himself against the door and cautiously peered out. After a moment, he withdrew and seemed to relax slightly. Yukino immediately asked, "Are there zombies? How many?" "I can see less than ten, and they're pretty far from us, all scattered. If we're careful, we can avoid them entirely." Crouching low, Sosuke led the way out, quickly scanning the surroundings. The exit was on the opposite side, bright sunlight spilling in and clearly visible within the relatively small underground garage. About two-thirds of the parking spots were empty. Though not as gruesome as the upper floors, the garage was a chaotic mess, with cars smashed together in a haphazard tangle evidence that many people had tried to flee by car, but for various reasons, had failed. Some had turned into zombies inside their cars or were attacked by companions during the escape. Many car windows were still stained with dried, dark blood. When Sosuke peeked inside one of the cars, a trapped zombie immediately threw itself against the glass, pressing its decaying lips against the window, yellowish drool dripping steadily down. Their hunger for flesh was obvious. "Our car's over there!" With Yukino's direction, they quickly found the luxury car marked with the Flying Lady emblem. Just as they were about to open the door, a zombie in a white dress slowly crawled out from behind the car. The upper body of this zombie was relatively intact, but everything below the waist was gone. It was hard to imagine what kind of torture it had suffered to end up like this. Kasumigaoka couldn't bear to watch, gripping her bat and stepping forward. "Let me handle it, mine's quieter," Yukino interrupted, holding her sharpened wooden spear as she stepped up. "Make it quick," Sosuke urged. The zombie let out a low growl, dragging its bloodied, flesh-stripped arms across the ground with a scraping sound, stubbornly crawling toward Yukino. As Yukino got closer, the stench of decay was almost unbearable. Gripping the wooden spear tightly, she thrust it forward with all her strength, cleanly piercing the zombie's skull. Like skewering meat on a stick, the zombie collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, black blood gushing from its forehead and the back of its head. "All right, let's get in." Sosuke took the car key from Yukino and pressed the electronic lock. The car doors clicked open, and the three women quickly ducked inside. "Phew, this is the first time I've ever driven such a fancy car." Sosuke leisurely slid into the driver's seat, adjusting the rearview mirror. In it, the Yukinoshita sisters appeared, seated in the back. In his previous life, cars of this level were incredibly hard to come by. Not only were they rare, but in the apocalypse, their practical value was nearly nonexistent a luxury no one could afford. Back then, a sports car was only worth five cans of meat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going. 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