"Komuro Takashi, when we go into the supermarket to rest later, pay attention to the situation."
As everyone was clearing out the zombies outside, Inaba Tsukiyo came to Komuro Takashi's side when he took a breather and whispered.
Komuro Takashi, who was originally about to rush up to deal with more zombies, stopped and scratched his head in confusion.
He didn't understand what Inaba Tsukiyo's words meant, but he knew very well that Inaba Tsukiyo wouldn't say such things without reason.
"Do you remember what I told you all on the school bus back then? Some of the survivors in the supermarket have the tendencies I mentioned."
"You mean… these people are eyeing the girls in our team?"
Komuro Takashi, with a rare moment of clarity, immediately understood what Inaba Tsukiyo wanted to say, and his expression turned a bit grim.
"Hmm. I think you've noticed too, Officer Nakaoka, despite being a good person, is too soft-hearted and lacks any real deterrent. After being stuck here for so many days, what kind of thoughts would people have when they see beautiful, young female students appear?"
It was as if the entire world was left with only one girl. Among these survivors, there were bound to be many dishonest individuals.
After dealing with the zombies outside, the group went to check the other entry and exit points.
Besides confirming the sealed conditions, it was also to identify all safe exits. If this place were breached, they could immediately find a route to leave.
Soon, everyone returned, reporting that the security doors were mostly fine.
"Right, pay attention. The people here seem ordinary, but they definitely have many ulterior motives. They brought their firearms with them, and if any opportunity arises, someone will surely try to snatch a gun."
Although this supermarket seemed safe, it used glass doors.
If a gun were fired inside the supermarket, the gunshot would definitely attract the surrounding zombies. When the zombies poured in like a tide, the glass doors certainly wouldn't stop them.
So, they couldn't stay in this place for long. If others wanted to wait for government personnel here, they could.
After the electromagnetic pulse attack, it was largely confirmed that the government had collapsed, and environmental sanitation had reached its worst state.
The fresh food would quickly rot, and coupled with the unhandled Corpse of zombies outside, serious diseases were bound to break out.
Before things got worse, they had to leave here quickly. The main threat in the early stages of the disaster was zombies, but in the later stages, after people got used to the zombies' presence, the danger posed by them decreased significantly.
The coming diseases would be their most important test, and they would likely need to search for necessary medicines next.
"Tsukiyo-chan, I just took a look, and many people here don't welcome us."
Takagi Saya secretly approached Inaba Tsukiyo and the others, telling them what she had seen and heard.
"It might be that they feel our arrival will increase the consumption of food and other supplies. Try not to act impulsively later, or we'll definitely stir up trouble. Besides, they have a lot of internal problems too. After so many days here, some people must be at their wit's end."
Everyone learned a lot from Takagi Saya, mostly about the survivors inside secretly discussing Inaba Tsukiyo's group.
A small portion of people felt they couldn't stay here forever. Even students like Inaba Tsukiyo were taking control of their own destinies, so what did it say about these adults staying put?
However, the vast majority still believed they should remain here and await the government army.
The army existed to handle these problems; they just needed to wait here. There was no need to sacrifice their lives to deal with these zombies.
"Actually, I think there's something else Miss Takagi didn't notice. These people might have vaguely sensed that the police are no longer useful."
Shizuka Marikawa secretly glanced at those people and whispered.
"Their purpose in staying here is to 'wait for rescue'. Some people might still be waiting for the army to arrive, but many already know that's impossible. It probably won't be long before that group starts to split."
"Then… what should we do? That female officer is alone and only has one pistol. If these people riot, she'll definitely be restrained, and her pistol will be snatched away."
Hirano Toda said nervously. If these people really went wild, what would Nakaoka Asami do?
Watching the anxious Hirano Toda, Inaba Tsukiyo narrowed her eyes, walked up to one of her team members, and whispered a few words.
The person nodded, looked at Hirano Toda ambiguously, and handed the pistol they had received from the police station to Inaba Tsukiyo.
Inaba Tsukiyo, holding the pistol, opened the magazine and found it was fully loaded. She nodded in satisfaction and walked over to Hirano Toda.
She handed the pistol to Hirano Toda while whispering something.
Hirano Toda was startled at first, then blushed and waved his hand, trying to explain something.
Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. Hirano Toda flinched, turned around, and found many men had gathered behind him without him noticing.
They looked at Hirano Toda with smiles, giving him a thumbs-up, seemingly hinting at something.
They had all learned the situation from that Boy and understood why Hirano Toda had become so nervous.
So, they were a little envious, but they also understood Hirano Toda's thoughts. This was also a way to thank Hirano Toda for his contributions to the team.
"Um, you guys misunderstood. I didn't…"
"Alright, we all misunderstood. So, hurry up and go. This is a task Miss Inaba gave you, isn't it?"
Komuro Takashi took back the firearms hanging from Hirano Toda and gave Hirano Toda a forceful push.
Hirano Toda stumbled a few steps, finally regained his balance, looked at the firearm in his hand, then turned to look at the Boys in the team. He saw them standing in a line, smiling and waving their right hands at him.
He scratched his head awkwardly, knowing that whatever he explained would be useless. He swallowed, then turned and walked towards Nakaoka Asami.
As he approached, a small friction occurred within the other group. Many people began to scold Nakaoka Asami, blaming her for her inefficiency.
"Um, excuse me for interrupting. I just found this over there, and I think it belongs to this officer."
With a peaceful smile, Hirano Toda approached the helpless Nakaoka Asami and placed the pistol in her hand.
"Eh? A pistol? When did this happen?"
Looking at the weapon in her hand, Nakaoka Asami scratched her head in confusion. Her service pistol should still be on her.
However, her service pistol was just a low-powered firearm. The one Hirano Toda gave her was a proper pistol.
The people who were causing trouble all fell silent upon seeing the weapon in Officer Nakaoka's hand.
"If it's a pistol, then we can use it against those Dead Body outside."
"We can, but these Dead Body are very sensitive to gunshots. As soon as a shot is fired, more Dead Body will gather. I wonder if the supermarket's glass can withstand the Dead Body's attacks."
Hirano Toda calmly tapped the supermarket's glass, producing a crisp sound, which made the guy who wanted to use a gun against the zombies shut his mouth.
"Although the pistol's magazine is full, it can't deal with so many zombies. But if you shoot them in the head, they'll still die, you know."
These people understood Hirano Toda's hint, especially those who were planning trouble. They glared at Hirano Toda unhappily and returned to their original positions.
Nakaoka Asami and Hirano Toda went to a nearby spot, and she offered a somewhat awkward bow of gratitude.
"Thank you so much for your help this time. Without your assistance, I really wouldn't know what to do."
Nakaoka Asami said tiredly. If it weren't for Hirano Toda's help, she truly wouldn't know what to do.
Although her service pistol was still with her, she had already used some ammunition to deal with the zombies, and there wasn't much left.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. As long as you don't mind me meddling."
Hirano Toda scratched his head awkwardly. Nakaoka Asami was amused by Hirano Toda's gesture, and the two of them chatted cheerfully.
This scene was witnessed by the Boys nearby, who all wore 'I understand' expressions and chuckled slyly a few times.
Only Komuro Takashi, thinking of the gun in Officer Nakaoka's hand, said with some confusion.
"Won't giving the gun to that police officer make the situation worse?"
"But the situation is already quite early, Komuro. That police officer originally lacked deterrence, and the handgun she carried hasn't been drawn, so she probably doesn't have many bullets."
Shizuka Marikawa patted Komuro Takashi's shoulder and explained.
"The reason Inaba let Hirano give the officer a weapon, besides the purpose of setting them up, was also for others to see. To give them the idea that the police have guns and can't be messed with."
"So... the purpose is to stabilize these people's emotions. That way, they won't scold the officer like before, and they'll be more likely to accept the officer's opinions."
Hirano Toda nodded, finally understanding what Inaba Tsukiyo meant.
After understanding these things, the The Boys left and walked towards the girls.
The girls had all gone to change clothes; so much time had passed that they should have finished by now.
Just as Inaba Tsukiyo and the others arrived, Marikawa Shizuka rushed towards Inaba Tsukiyo, but Busujima Saeko held her back.
"Alright, Tsukiyo's clothes are so dirty. Can you let Tsukiyo change first before hugging her?"
"Boo hoo hoo~ Okay then."
Seeing the bloodstains on Inaba Tsukiyo's clothes, Marikawa Shizuka nodded helplessly.
Inaba Tsukiyo nodded, took the clothes from Busujima Saeko, and was about to go in to change when she heard something, instantly drew her weapon, and rushed towards that spot.
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