January 18
Never mind the undercurrents stirring in the distance—for now, let's turn our eyes back to Xiangzi's home, still glowing warmly with lamplight.
Near the window sat Xiangzi, surrounded by bookshelves and light, studying a map.
She was planning their escape. And if you were going to plan a getaway, how could you do it without a map?
With a marker in hand, Xiangzi drew and circled across a large administrative map of Japan spread flat over her desk.
By her estimation, the infected would most likely follow the existing transportation routes as they moved south. Wandering aimlessly across wilderness clogged with obstacles would simply be too foolish.
Ever since she learned that the infected could be controlled—and that the Apostles existed in the shadows behind them—Xiangzi knew things were far more complicated than they appeared.
It was normal enough for scattered infected to drift southward on instinct, trying to escape the cold.
But if entire hordes were moving in organized masses, then someone had to be directing them from behind the scenes.
Perhaps they were being driven south to attack the surviving enclaves still functioning on Shikoku.
If that were true, then their route would absolutely be arranged along the most convenient transport corridors.
A bizarre image suddenly floated into Xiangzi's mind:
A train full of infected rolling south.
Or ferries packed with them, crossing from island to island.
"Oh, hell no."
She shook her head hard, banishing the thought.
"First, we cross out the east."
With that, Xiangzi drew a huge X over Tokyo.
Why so decisively?
Because the Tokyo refuge zone had already fallen. That was why.
Japan was a country short on broad plains, so every stretch of coastline suitable for large-scale urban development had been exploited to the limit.
The Tokyo metropolitan area alone accounted for more than thirty percent of Japan's total population—over thirty-seven million permanent residents.
In ordinary times, it had been the heart of prosperity, wealth, and opportunity. A place people dreamed of reaching.
But in the apocalypse, it was the opposite.
Once a population on that scale turned into infected, it became a nightmare beyond measure for the living.
Even if only one in a thousand became a special infected, the total would still be terrifying. And the Sumelo virus didn't only infect humans—cats, dogs, and all manner of other creatures could be infected too.
Xiangzi didn't even want to imagine how many infected now crowded Japan's eastern seaboard once all those variables were added in.
Other cities were no good either. If they ran to another city, it would be no better than staying in Nihonmatsu and meeting the corpse tide there.
She crossed off the east.
The north was even less worth considering.
What—was she supposed to march straight into the oncoming infected host and fight it head-on?
Then her eyes settled on a broad stretch of green across the map.
"Maybe here…"
That green marked Japan's forested land. After all, more than sixty percent of the country was covered in forest. Vast portions of Japan's territory were blanketed in dense woods.
And inland Japan was full of low mountains and hills. Surely the infected couldn't gather into tens of thousands deep in the mountains.
Besides, it was winter now. Heavy snow would make entering the mountains difficult.
Of course, if it was hard for the infected to get in, it would also be hard for Xiangzi's vehicle to get in. The roads would be terrible, and they would have to be careful.
Still, after staring at the map a while longer, Xiangzi finally settled on a temporary destination.
The western mountains of Fukushima Prefecture.
They could take Route 115 into the hills, then go deeper by Route 459. There were parks, scenic areas, and resort villages scattered throughout that region.
At that point it would not even count as roughing it anymore. It would practically be a vacation.
The place Xiangzi picked was the Oguni Snow Resort.
It was remote, surrounded by no large towns, close to water, and since it was a resort, it ought to have stockpiles of supplies.
She was not afraid of infected or survivors. She planned to stock the armored vehicle with cannon shells. She refused to believe her luck was so bad that the first thing she ran into would be some monster capable of shrugging off artillery fire.
And even if something was there, she still had backups.
The mountain region was full of small villages.
"I'm getting sleepy. That's enough for now."
After agonizing over it for so long, she finally had a workable plan.
She rolled up the map, switched off the desk lamp, and returned to the bedroom.
She opened the door very carefully, not wanting to wake Huaxiu. She barely made a sound.
Quietly lifting the blanket Huaxiu had already laid out for her, Xiangzi slipped under it, then felt around and tossed aside the last of her clothes piece by piece. She had to sleep naturally. She couldn't stand sleeping in clothes.
Even tiny scraps of fabric like panties and a bra made her uncomfortable in bed.
Mmm… warm.
Having a girlfriend really was wonderful.
Only half a month into the apocalypse, and while Aunt Chiyo had disappeared into the unknown, Xiangzi's household had somehow grown larger instead of smaller.
Huaxiu went without saying. Her parents' fate was unknown, and she had already become Xiangzi's lover. She was hardly about to run off on her own.
As for Miranda's trio, they were foreign tourists. Their home was far away in Italy. With both air and sea travel shut down, returning home was impossible.
…Enough. No more thinking about that.
She needed to sleep early. She still had to drive tomorrow.
But the moment Xiangzi closed her eyes, Huaxiu woke up beside her.
No—more precisely, Huaxiu had been pretending to sleep. She opened her eyes and stared at Xiangzi lying beside her.
There was a faintly aggrieved look in those bright eyes.
Her eyesight, which had once been damaged by too much phone use, had mysteriously recovered after that earlier collapse. Now she could see clearly even in the dark without turning on a light.
Xiangzi's fine nose.
Her soft, rosy lips that looked so inviting.
And the modest, perfectly palm-sized curves of her chest.
No, Huaxiu couldn't ignore those slender fingers either.
Honestly, Huaxiu, get a grip.
Xiangzi, how could you be this impossible?
They were girlfriends already—how could she look at such a beautiful lover lying right beside her and simply fall asleep like nothing was wrong?
Back in the earlier days, Huaxiu could understand. There had been too much to do. Every day brought a new crisis for Takajo Xiangzi to solve.
But now? They were already preparing to leave this place. Nothing too urgent had happened today.
Could it be Xiangzi really had no such thoughts at all?
Still, Huaxiu was a considerate girl.
Since Xiangzi had gone to sleep, all she could do was take care of herself quietly.
Breathing in Xiangzi's scent, Huaxiu closed her eyes. Beneath the blanket, faint movements rose and fell.
If the sheets got damp tomorrow… well, that would be a disaster.
If Xiangzi found out, Huaxiu would probably die of embarrassment on the spot.
Though Xiangzi had been a lifelong single in her previous life, in this one she still had not fully adjusted to using her beautiful-girl body to get too physically intimate with other women. Any fantasies about reversing the balance of power could wait until the day Xiangzi was somehow thoroughly seduced out of her senses.
And besides, Xiangzi had always had excellent control over her desires. Usually, she never used herself as the material for such experiments. Not that she lacked theoretical knowledge, of course—she was practically steeped in eroge, uncensored manga, and the teachings of countless illustrious masters.
So why was she leaving such an appealing morsel untouched?
Because life had been exhausting lately.
In ordinary times, warmth and comfort led naturally to desire. But every day now was packed with labor. Even a Kentucky superhuman like Xiangzi could hardly be expected to enjoy a lively night after all that.
These past few nights, Xiangzi had not had a single proper rest.
The night before, there had been a wave of infected raiding in the dark. Last night, they had only just made it back alive from escape and pursuit.
Where was she supposed to find the energy for anything beyond sleep?
Before long, Huaxiu quieted as well.
Her breathing, which had grown ragged for a while, finally evened out.
The night deepened.
Everyone in Xiangzi's household had drifted into sleep.
Good night, all you survivors of the apocalypse.
Tomorrow's sun was already on its way.
But would it be trouble—or surprise—that arrived first?
Fast asleep, none of them knew what was happening in Nihonmatsu under cover of darkness.
If you want, paste Chapter 67 and I'll continue in the same style.
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 (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
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
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
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