(Side Story — January 18)
While Kyoko's squad was temporarily resting at home, let us follow the river that cuts through all of Fukushima Prefecture—the Abukuma River—and head north.
Passing through the main urban district of Fukushima, now turned into an ocean of the dead, we arrive at the border between Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures.
There stands a museum in Date City.
At present, it is the largest survivor refuge in the Fukushima region.
Thanks to its thick walls, effective management, and the addition of members of a local Self-Defense Force garrison who had fled here, its defenses were extremely tight.
Even after enduring several assaults by the Apostles and repeated encirclement by the infected, although ammunition expenditure had been enormous, the casualties here had, comparatively speaking, not been too severe.
And since most of the survivors here were strong, able-bodied men, the shelter had managed to hold out until now.
Looking down from the upper floors, the view outside was one of corpses, anti-vehicle barricades, barbed wire, sandbags, abandoned cars, armored vehicles, and other such obstacles.
On the rooftop, a group of men were sitting around a bonfire. Though heavy snow was falling, the sheltering canopy above them successfully kept the worst of the weather off.
The men gathered around the fire were surrounded by bottles of liquor. The sharp smell of strong alcohol hit the nose the moment one approached.
"Come on, Zeteng, why the long face? Have a drink, have a drink—"
A man holding a large wooden mug was offering a toast to another man named Zeteng.
"Much obliged, Dazheng. I'm deeply grateful. I'll drink to that!"
Under the dim orange light of the bonfire, the man called Zeteng—his face gloomy as a wilted bitter melon—lifted his cup and drained it in one go.
Dazheng clinked mugs with Zeteng, sloshing liquor everywhere. Around them, several others holding drinks joined in as well, the crisp ringing of mugs striking one another sounding again and again.
Then a brightly dressed woman appeared at the rooftop entrance, carrying a great stack of alcohol. She set it down on the ground and said in a flirtatious tone,
"Drink—go on, keep drinking, boys! The scavenging team found so much booze and food yesterday, and the people upstairs handed out this much to everyone. Tonight, eat and drink your fill."
At that, the whole group burst into cheers.
With liquor flowing freely, this was the most extravagant day they had enjoyed since the end of the world began.
"So why're you wearing so little in weather this cold, boss lady? Want a few of us brothers to come warm you up?"
One of the men, probably too drunk, let the words spill out. Worse, his hand started wandering somewhere it absolutely should not.
"Aw, little brother, are you planning to become one of our customers? My room is always open for a man like you—"
As she bent over to set down the bottles and cigarettes, the rough soldiers around her took the chance to grope her. She did not get angry. Instead, she twisted her body in a deliberately enticing way, making not only her hips sway, but the heavy curves of her chest roll with them as well.
Watching that alluring, shameless display, the man abruptly sobered. A shiver ran through his whole body. Some instinct deep inside him screamed that this woman was not someone he could afford to touch.
"Tch. Here I thought you were some kind of real man. Turns out you're just a turtle hiding in its shell. Heehee."
Covering her mouth, the woman laughed at his cowardice, then turned and walked away.
Only then did the man who had tried to flirt with her realize his back had broken out in cold sweat.
The companions around him were worried for him too.
That woman was not someone ordinary men could provoke. She was the cherished darling of one of the top figures in the local defense force. If you fooled around with her and she decided to regret it later, then your head would not be staying on your shoulders for long.
The man was profoundly relieved that his little head had not managed to fully overrule his big one. Otherwise, it would have been a disaster.
The drinking party continued. Quite a few people were already dead drunk, sprawled by the fire and insensible.
"Shouldn't those of us on night watch be drinking a little less? What if—"
One man felt uneasy and stood up, heedless of the mood.
Before he could finish, another man reeking of alcohol clapped a hand onto his shoulder and shoved him back down.
"Oh, come on, what danger could there be? Even if we're all plastered, there are still three scouting posts nearby. Why're you getting so nervous?"
"Lately the infected have been getting fewer and fewer. They're all heading south. The Apostles have disappeared too. In my opinion, before long this whole world will belong to us."
"Hahaha! Don't worry so much. Those infected that do nothing but howl, and those anti-human bastards as dumb as donkeys—how could they ever break this place?"
Everyone was in high spirits.
They had lived under pressure for so long. This was the first time they had truly relaxed. How could they let a few unpleasant concerns ruin the atmosphere?
Eat. Drink. Be merry.
What was there to worry about?
The entire shelter was steeped in excitement and pleasure tonight, as though the zombie apocalypse had never happened at all.
Drink, smoke, sleep with women—they intended to enjoy it all to the fullest.
And yet while everyone else drowned in liquor, the man called Zeteng quietly slipped away from the drunken rooftop gathering.
In a hidden corner of the roof, he met with someone.
A soft, fragrant breeze brushed past him.
Wasn't the person standing there the very same woman from earlier?
Gone was Zeteng's former gloom. In its place was boundless excitement. His relationship with this woman had been kept extremely well hidden.
With so little electricity available, the rooftop was lit only by torches. In a narrow, shadowy corner like this, one could do almost anything without being seen.
"Impossible—"
Just as Zeteng was about to say something, the woman lifted a hand and covered his mouth.
"I know. Relax. There's no one else here."
The man hurried to assure her.
"Mm. Tomorrow morning, we leave at four. The preparations are nearly complete. You can bring your wife and daughter and come with us."
"I'll keep doing my part. Thank you!"
"Don't say that to me. Your skills are your capital. Let all those useless people stay here and die."
After saying that, the woman turned and left without another word.
She still had another target to speak to.
Why had they arranged such a large supply of alcohol tonight?
It was not because they had found a mountain of provisions yesterday. In truth, they had found nothing at all. Everything being handed out tonight came straight from the shelter's remaining stores.
And it was the last of those stores.
So had the higher-ups gone mad, scattering their supplies to the survivors?
No.
Not at all.
The people at the top were playing a very large and very dangerous game.
Unlike those below, they were not starved of information. Intelligence gathered through various channels over the past days all pointed to the same conclusion:
The infected were moving south.
Whether to escape the cold or to launch an attack on Shikoku, the great corpse tide was real.
And its advance elements had already reached Miyagi Prefecture.
They were planning to flee.
But there were not enough vehicles.
There were only three armored vehicles, and only one of them—a MAV-type armored carrier—could transport passengers. The others were a Type 89 reconnaissance vehicle and a Type 16 armored gun vehicle.
The civilian vehicles would have to carry supplies and the trusted people around them.
There was absolutely no way to take more than a thousand people.
They could only take the useful ones.
And Zeteng, as an auto mechanic, had made the cut.
Because of him, several vehicles had been repaired. That alone earned him a place—and a place for his wife and daughter too.
The others would not be so lucky.
Tomorrow, early in the morning, the people left behind would discover that most of the shelter's leaders had gone out on some "mission."
And never come back.
The lights went out.
It was now two in the morning.
And even as those below still dreamed, those above had already begun secretly preparing to leave.
The fate of this survivor shelter might soon be sealed.
The southbound corpse tide would tear apart everyone still sleeping inside.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
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Uma Musume: I Want All 80
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My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
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Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
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