Chapter 59: Hotel Escape

"Seriously, it's really your first time? I was waiting for you to ask me how to start the car!" Yukino Yukinoshita gave Sosuke Kitahara a skeptical look as she watched him skillfully press the "Start" button near the steering wheel. The engine roared to life, and the Flying Lady emblem smoothly rose from beneath a small cover on the hood. Normally, when the car was turned off, the emblem would automatically retract. The design was not only a mark of luxury but also a clever way to protect the emblem truly a classy feature. "Haven't eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run, right?" Sosuke smiled at Yukino through the rearview mirror. "Is there anything you can't do?" Yukino sighed, genuinely impressed. She turned to Sosuke and Utaha Kasumigaoka, speaking apologetically, "If I had listened to you and taken the yacht in the first place, we wouldn't have gone through all this for nothing." Hearing this, Yukino nodded in agreement. The last two days had been a rollercoaster of danger and emotion. Sosuke turned to look at Yukino's apologetic gaze and shook his head. "It wasn't for nothing. Even though we didn't manage to leave Tokyo by helicopter, we still gained something valuable friendship." "Don't you think so?" Sosuke smiled. "Yeah, we gained friendship." Yukino smiled back and nodded firmly. Yukino felt her cheeks flush for some reason. She gently lowered her gaze, her eyes glimmering with unspoken emotion. Utaha Kasumigaoka, on the other hand, turned away and snorted quietly, her brow twitching as she thought, "Seriously, he's only being this enthusiastic because they're pretty sisters. Look at him, grinning from ear to ear. I'd like to see his face when this all comes to nothing." Sosuke's mood was undeniably cheerful. The system had already registered the Yukinoshita sisters as his teammates, which meant any zombies they killed from now on would also provide him with points. Yukino's trust level had even reached 80%. Her sister, Haruno Yukinoshita, however, was a different story. Her trust level was only 60%, barely meeting the minimum threshold to be recognized as a teammate. "What a difficult woman," Sosuke mused inwardly. "I've done so much for them, and that's all the trust I get?" Still, building trust always started somewhere. He could work on it over time. "Seatbelts on, we're heading out." Sosuke's eyes sharpened as he gazed at the sunlit exit. He smoothly shifted the car into drive, slowly pulling out of the parking space. A few zombies loitered near the exit. In the passenger seat, Utaha Kasumigaoka took a deep breath. The exit ahead no longer seemed like just a doorway it now felt like the dividing line between life and death. "Help us! Please, wait!" Just as Sosuke stepped on the gas, a desperate cry for help echoed from deeper within the garage. Frowning, Sosuke glanced at the side mirror. Within moments, two frantic figures appeared, their speed astonishing even as they stumbled and scrambled to their feet. Behind them, an overwhelming horde of zombies surged like an endless wave, their footfalls shaking the ground. "I feel like I've seen them before..." Sosuke narrowed his eyes at the approaching man and woman their builds and faces were vaguely familiar. There was no time to think. He swiftly shifted gears and stomped on the accelerator. The tires screeched, smoke trailing from the sudden burst of speed as the car shot backward like a released spring. "Sosuke! The horde's closing in!" Utaha's urgent voice rang out as she turned to look behind them. "Hold on tight!" Sosuke's gaze remained locked on the rearview mirror. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes and quickly pressed a button, popping open the trunk. The two fleeing figures didn't hesitate. They dove headfirst into the trunk, and before they could fully settle, Sosuke shifted gears again with a heavy jolt. The car shuddered violently, the engine roared, and the black sedan shot forward like an arrow. "Aah!" The two in the trunk screamed uncontrollably, their voices echoing into the car. The zombie horde pursued relentlessly, making it clear that if they fell behind, they would surely die. Up ahead, the zombies that had been wandering near the exit turned at the sound of the engine, their pale eyes fixing on the approaching car as they lunged forward with guttural growls. "Bang! Bang!" The car barreled into them, sending the zombies flying like bowling pins. Their oozing pus smeared the windshield, the repeated impacts syncing with the pounding of Sosuke's heart. "Thud~" They struck two more zombies head-on. One was flung away, but a larger zombie managed to latch onto the hood. Utaha's heart leapt into her throat as she stared directly at it. "Roar!" The zombie let out a frenzied howl, its half-missing face revealing a jagged row of teeth. Driven mad by the scent of living flesh, it clawed wildly at the windshield. Sosuke remained unfazed, his grip on the steering wheel firm, keeping the car perfectly on course. It wasn't until they hit the spiral ramp that he sharply turned the wheel, using the car's momentum to fling the zombie off the hood. "Finally lost it." Utaha exhaled deeply, her heart finally settling back into place. She glanced at Sosuke, her admiration for him growing. Emerging from the underground garage of the Chizuru Hotel, they found themselves on a deserted street. Sosuke immediately reduced their speed, keeping the engine noise as quiet as possible, even though no zombies were in sight. He hadn't forgotten the sheer number of zombies gathered at the hotel's front entrance. Most of them had likely been drawn there by the crashed helicopter. Carefully avoiding stray zombies, Sosuke circled back to where they had parked the Suzuki MPV earlier. A wall conveniently blocked the horde's line of sight. "Haruno, give me the gun," Sosuke said in a low, serious voice. "Oh, okay." Though unsure of the situation, Haruno immediately handed him the submachine gun, sensing the urgency in his tone. "Utaha, stay in the car and keep watch." Sosuke opened the car door and jumped out. His katana hung at his waist as he leveled the submachine gun at the trunk, his voice low and commanding. "Come out!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster! [email protected]/_theon Change @ to "a"