[Bang!]
Before Hirano Toda could arrive, a gunshot rang out, piercing the zombie's head.
"Asami! Are you alright! Asami!"
Hirano Toda finally reached Nakaoka Asami's side. He wasn't a Boy who was good at exercising; just this short distance had made him break out in a sweat.
"Mr. Hirano... I, I did it." Raising the handgun, Nakaoka Asami said, crying and laughing, "I followed Mr. Hirano's instructions, released the safety, and fired."
This was a very basic thing, yet it made Hirano Toda unable to hold back his tears. He nodded in satisfaction, continuously praising Nakaoka Asami, praising her for doing well, praising her for doing a great job.
However... Hirano Toda clearly noticed the bite mark on Nakaoka Asami's hand. It was a wound from a zombie bite.
The moment he saw this wound, Hirano Toda's eyes widened. He reached out to wipe the wound, thinking it was just zombie bloodstains, not a wound.
But no matter how he wiped, the wound remained unchanged. A row of teeth marks was clearly imprinted there, as if mocking Hirano Toda's persistence.
"Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it's irreversible, fatty," Inaba Tsukiyo came to Hirano Toda's side and said softly, as if stating a fact.
"Just as you thought, she was bitten by a zombie. Although the wound isn't very deep, the seed of the virus has already been planted and will soon take away her identity as a human."
"Miss Inaba!"
Hirano Toda looked at Inaba Tsukiyo unwillingly, tightly hugging Nakaoka Asami in his arms, wanting to deny this reality.
But the increasingly weak Nakaoka Asami's face was already growing paler and paler, and she was even coughing intermittently.
The virus had already destroyed her immune system. If the body was a city, then the zombie virus had already begun to wreak havoc, constantly multiplying, wanting to eliminate Nakaoka Asami's humanity.
Hirano Toda had killed many zombies, but those zombies were all strangers. In his eyes, these monsters could no longer be considered humans.
But Nakaoka Asami was different; she was the only person who had shown him affection in over a decade. Hirano Toda couldn't possibly view her as a Corpse.
This was Hirano Toda's destiny, but it was tragically short. Perhaps the goddess of fate didn't favor him, or perhaps this was something Hirano Toda had to experience in his life.
Inaba Tsukiyo opened her eyes, looking at the constantly weeping Hirano Toda and Nakaoka Asami, who was being devoured by the zombie virus in his arms, and recalled her own happy times.
She was lucky, at least she had spent decades with Victorica, but Hirano Toda had only found this destiny less than two days ago when such a disaster struck.
It must be said, fate was truly cruel to Hirano Toda.
"Miss Inaba, is there really no other way? Is there really no way to save her?"
Hirano Toda asked. In his eyes, Inaba Tsukiyo was omnipotent. As long as she was there, any difficulty could be overcome.
Even though he knew this hope was very slim, he still hoped for a miracle to happen.
"Mr. Hirano, don't be like this."
Nakaoka Asami, lying in Hirano Toda's arms, opened her eyes, forced a smile, and reached out to caress Hirano Toda's cheek.
Just like a scene from a Korean drama, in the face of death, Nakaoka Asami showed no fear, but rather felt relaxed, just a little tired and wanting to sleep.
However, she had one wish: she hoped Hirano Toda would kill her. She didn't want to become one of those Corpses; she wanted to live as a human.
Hirano Toda initially refused this request, but then, thinking about Nakaoka Asami potentially becoming a Corpse, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Even for Nakaoka Asami's sake, Hirano Toda didn't want her to turn into a Corpse, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. What should he do?
"This is... I can't watch this anymore. We don't have that much time for you to delay here."
Although the current situation was still under control, lingering here would only attract more Corpses.
Inaba Tsukiyo drew Mikazuki Munechika, opened her eyes, and looked at Nakaoka Asami.
Hirano Toda thought Inaba Tsukiyo wanted to kill Nakaoka Asami in his stead. He looked up and noticed that Inaba Tsukiyo's pupils were not their usual crimson, but a captivating ice blue.
"Everything will eventually meet its end. To thank you for your contributions to the team, I'll meddle a little."
"She's only just been infected; she should still be salvageable."
The blade plunged straight into Nakaoka Asami's chest without any hesitation. Hirano Toda didn't even have time to stop her.
Soon, the team left the supermarket. A small number of survivors in the supermarket who wanted to live joined the team, walking cautiously near the hummer, armed with weapons.
Hirano Toda, armed with a weapon, was vigilant about his surroundings from the hummer's sunroof, his gaze occasionally drifting to Nakaoka Asami beside him.
Hirano Toda remembered that the stab Inaba Tsukiyo delivered to Nakaoka Asami's chest didn't produce the scene he had imagined, just like a magic trick.
But as Inaba Tsukiyo withdrew the blade, Nakaoka Asami, whose face had been pale, regained her composure, and a healthy flush began to appear on her face.
It was truly bizarre. Hirano Toda couldn't figure out what had happened, nor did he understand Nakaoka Asami's current condition.
The unconscious Nakaoka Asami was brought into the car and seated by the window, her left hand handcuffed to prevent any unexpected incidents.
The handcuffs were found on Nakaoka Asami. As a police officer, Nakaoka Asami's equipment was quite complete.
Busujima Saeko, walking ahead, couldn't help but glance at the situation inside the car. Noticing the unconscious Nakaoka Asami, she narrowed her eyes.
"Tsukiyo, Officer Nakaoka was actually caught by a Corpse, wasn't she?"
"...You saw it?"
"Even if I didn't see it, I could tell from Hirano-kun's tears that something must have happened to Officer Nakaoka; otherwise, he wouldn't be like this. However, I don't understand why you let her into the car, Tsukiyo."
The hummer was their only means of transport, their most important asset. Even if most people were outside the car, this unstable factor shouldn't be allowed inside.
"I know you're worried about whether she'll turn into a Corpse, but trust me, she absolutely won't transform."
"I've already 'killed' the virus in her body. As long as she rests well, she can recover completely."
"Killed...?"
Busujima Saeko tilted her head in confusion. What did that mean? What did it mean to kill a virus? Can a virus be killed?
Busujima Saeko thought Inaba Tsukiyo had used some special medicine to kill the virus in Nakaoka Asami's body before she completely turned into a Corpse.
But Inaba Tsukiyo's miko outfit had no other space. Besides Mikazuki Munechika, what else could she possibly carry?
'Kill... kill... Does Tsukiyo have some ability to deal with viruses?'
Staring at Inaba Tsukiyo's back, Busujima Saeko fell into thought.
Miyamoto Rei's house wasn't too far from the supermarket; it was only a ten-minute walk. Although it took a bit longer this time, they had already reached the street where Miyamoto Rei's house was located.
The team members looked at the nearby street with some tension. They were a little worried that the situation of being surrounded by a large number of Corpses, which they encountered last time when crossing Yubie Bridge, would happen again.
Miyamoto Rei looked nervously in the direction of her home. She didn't know if her mother was still alive, and her grip on Komuro Takashi's wrist grew tighter and tighter.
As the vehicle moved forward, everyone heard an angry voice.
"How can you do this! You're the ones who told me to go find necessities! Now that I've found food, why won't you let me in! Don't you underestimate me, Miyamoto Kiriko!"
Miyamoto Rei was very familiar with this voice. The moment she heard it, she excitedly looked out the window and told Marikawa Shizuka, who was driving, to head in that direction.
Soon, everyone arrived at the source of the sound and saw a woman in a police uniform, holding a rifle, constantly kicking at the door of a house.
"Mom!!!"
After confirming that this person was her mother, Miyamoto Rei leaned out, shouting and waving her arms.
"Hmm? Is that Rei's voice? No way?"
The woman first froze, then turned around to see the hummer approaching and the familiar figure on it. She excitedly waved her hand.
The moment the hummer stopped, Miyamoto Rei jumped out and rushed towards Miyamoto Mom.
The mother and daughter, separated for several days, finally met. They hugged tightly, and the worry that Miyamoto Rei had been carrying finally eased.
"That's great, Rei. Mom was really worried about you. I didn't expect you to organize so many people. You must be students from Fujimi Academy, right?"
Miyamoto Mom stroked Miyamoto Rei's beautiful hair, looking at the noticeably thinner Miyamoto Rei with some heartache.
"You've lost weight, Rei. You must have suffered a lot during this time."
"Mom..."
Miyamoto Mom's words made the tears that Miyamoto Rei had barely managed to hold back flow out again.
"Although I don't want to interrupt your reunion, can we continue this after we're safe? This isn't a safe place."
Seeing that Miyamoto Rei and Miyamoto Mom intended to continue talking, Inaba Tsukiyo quickly pulled them apart, pointed to the approaching Corpse, and said.
Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but glance at the situation inside the house. The people who had refused Miyamoto Mom entry were now peeking through the door crack, observing the outside.
Not only that, but these people were also holding guns, pointing them at them, ready to fire at any moment.
Miyamoto Mom followed Inaba Tsukiyo's gaze and noticed the situation at the door. Remembering how she had kindly brought food only to be blocked outside, Miyamoto Mom sighed helplessly.
"Hurry up and get in the car. There are other places we need to check. The most crowded areas nearby might still have other survivors."
The police station they passed had a marker indicating their plan to use Shinkawa Third Elementary School as a base. Perhaps other survivors had gathered there.
The relatives of others might very well be among those survivors. That place was also their last stop before establishing a safe zone.
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