Chapter 61: Hidden Agendas

After being scolded, Akimoto didn't get angry. Instead, he scratched his head sheepishly and watched as Ryoko slipped her hand into her blouse, fumbling around her undergarments before pulling out a small metal device. Akimoto's gaze locked on her trembling chest, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. "You're slow in most things, but your reaction speed at times like this isn't bad." Ryoko lazily shot him a glance and tidied her clothes. "Uh, haha..." Akimoto laughed awkwardly, quickly looking away. His eyes instead focused on the thin metal tracker in her hand, excitement lighting up his face as he rubbed his hands together and grinned ingratiatingly. "You're incredible, Boss. That kid only checked us physically, he didn't know we installed a tracker on the car. No matter where he goes, we can find him." "Heh, let him run for now. Once we catch up, I'll show him who he's dealing with." Akimoto smugly shook his chubby cheeks, but his satisfaction quickly vanished when Ryoko's next move startled him. She swiftly disabled the tracker. "Boss, what are you doing? If you destroy the receiver, how are we supposed to track him?" Akimoto exclaimed, utterly confused. Without even looking up, Ryoko stuffed the broken receiver into the glove compartment. "Who said we were going to chase him?" "Huh?" "Don't act so shocked. He's already suspicious of us. If we chase him, how would we explain another 'coincidence'?" Ryoko said flatly. "But our weapons are still in our car." Akimoto pouted stubbornly. "He can't win against two M4 carbines, right?" "There's no need to escalate this. Our mission is to monitor him, not capture him." Ryoko quietly calculated. "According to intel, that kid was injected with the first-generation antibody. The defects are massive. Even if he survived the initial procedure, he will eventually die. The first-gen antibody trials are already considered failures." "So how do we report back?" Akimoto scratched his head, still unsure. "Boss, I'll follow whatever you say." Ryoko's eyes flickered with a rare hint of approval. This new partner was a bit dim but self-aware. He knew his place. He might not be much help in strategy, but at least he wouldn't drag her down. Though if Akimoto knew what Ryoko really thought, he definitely wouldn't agree. "When we report, we'll say the target drove into a zombie horde and we lost him. But we left a tracker in the car, and the rest is out of our hands." "Won't HQ push back?" Akimoto was still worried. "Do you think this is the old days?" Ryoko's tone turned cold. "They won't push back. They'll probably commend us and give us a few days off. From what I know, a new round of antibody trials is about to begin, and they'll soon be desperate for manpower. Don't underestimate your value." "Besides, I have a really bad feeling. Things might already be spiraling out of control." Ryoko stared blankly at Akimoto. "Just remember, in future missions, your number one priority is to stay alive. Everything else comes second." The timing might have been strange, but Akimoto quickly nodded. "Got it, Boss." Honestly, from the start, he thought the guys issuing orders from their underground bunker were useless. In his mind, only people like Ryoko smart and strong deserved to be in charge. And he himself, with his second-best combat skills, should naturally be next in line. But now, both of the most capable people were taking orders from others. That told him the leadership structure had long been rotten. Akimoto grinned. "If it ever gets too bad, I'm out. As long as I can follow you, I'm good." The sound of their departing vehicle had attracted nearby zombies. Just around the corner, a dozen zombies appeared in their view some missing limbs, some with intestines and bones exposed. "Enough flattery, get us out of here." Ryoko frowned slightly, annoyed by his theatrics, though somewhere inside, she appreciated it. The guy might be a headache at times, but he was surprisingly reliable when it mattered. That kid though, his killing intent really was something else. Ryoko relaxed into her seat, replaying the moment Sosuke Kitahara pointed a gun at her. Back then, her entire body had tensed. Her instincts screamed that if she so much as twitched, he would have pulled the trigger without hesitation. But that was all. Ryoko's lips curved faintly. Just like Akimoto, Sosuke had strength but lacked professional training. He missed subtle details. He probably still didn't know his home was already under surveillance. Young. "What are you doing? Hurry up and drive!" Ryoko snapped, frowning at Akimoto, who was still fumbling with the keys. "The key won't fit!" Akimoto was frantically trying each key in turn, but none worked. A horde of zombies was now charging at them, close enough that he could see their rotting, yellowed teeth. More zombies were steadily pouring around the corner. If they got surrounded, they were dead. Akimoto felt sheer panic, his bladder nearly giving out as he desperately jammed keys into the ignition. "Stop! That brat tricked us. The key doesn't fit." Ryoko's face darkened as she flung open the car door. "Move! Hurry!" ... "Hey, Sosuke, I think you have a key under your seat." In the speeding black sedan, Utaha sat up in the passenger seat and fished out a shiny key from beneath Sosuke Kitahara. The sunlight gleamed off its surface it was unmistakably the key to the Suzuki MPV. "You did that on purpose?" Utaha realized instantly. "They aren't ordinary people. I don't know why they're hiding their identities either." Sosuke admitted without hesitation. The aura of an expert was something that couldn't be easily concealed. No matter how well they acted, their confidence still shone through. In his past life, he had seen that woman named Ryoko in a survivor camp. They never interacted, but he later heard her squad suffered heavy losses during a city scavenging mission, and she vanished after that. "They won't die that easily. Besides, we didn't see many zombies on our way out." "But what if they do die?" Yukino asked subconsciously. Sosuke glanced at the rearview mirror and said indifferently, "Then it means they shouldn't have crossed paths with me in the first place." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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"