"Everyone tired? Let's stop here and rest for a bit. We'll definitely reach the new settlement before tonight."
A little past noon, Kyoko drove into the Nakatsugawa area at the foot of Mount Izumori, deep in the Azuma mountain range.
There was almost nothing here—a parking lot and three small buildings, with dense forest pressing in on all sides.
After so much jostling on the road and with no lunch yet, everyone needed a break. It was not just the people; even the vehicles were reaching their limit. They still had not refueled them.
"All right, everyone out," Huaxiu said, motioning for the others to climb down from the back. One by one, they squeezed themselves out from between the tightly packed supplies.
Kyoko was the last to get out. The moment she stepped down, Miranda came over from the jeep.
"Kyoko, look at this map. I think the thing might be over there, beside that little hut." As she spoke, she pointed toward the small building nearby.
"Let me see… What a coincidence."
Kyoko had only given the map a quick glance the day before. After bringing it back, she had casually explained a few things about it to Miranda. Somehow, that had awakened Miranda's interest in treasure hunting. She had promptly borrowed the map. In the end, Kyoko herself was still vague about the exact location, while Miranda had memorized it.
"Nicely done. It really is here. Miranda, your sense of direction is seriously impressive. Come on, let's go take a look."
"Let's hurry, then. Otherwise Miss Baiheyuan and Dorothy are going to scold us again."
Hearing the praise, Miranda—despite being a university graduate—looked absurdly pleased with herself, to the point that her steps lost some of their usual composure.
That made Kyoko grin.
Look at her—just a week ago, she had been barely scraping by, uncertain whether she'd live or die. Now, after only a short time with Kyoko's team, all the tension of mere survival had faded enough for her to get excited about treasure hunts.
At this rate, was this pampered Italian lady going to forget all about home and start treating Japan like Rome?
Will all my teammates turn into Mirandas eventually?
The thought crossed Kyoko's mind for a moment.
Then again, she was not stupid. She had no intention of carrying a team full of freeloaders and parasites. She was not some saintly umbrella sheltering everyone unconditionally.
The people around her all had their own strengths. If she jokingly called herself a "protective umbrella," it was only because she happened to excel more than the others in combat. In other areas, she was not necessarily better than the rest of them.
A few steps later, the two of them reached the little shack tucked between the parking lot and the woods.
"It's locked. What a pain." Miranda stared gloomily at the large iron padlock hanging from the metal door. There was no way to open it. Had they come all this way for nothing? Her soft, fair face instantly shifted from sunny enthusiasm to disappointment, as if she bitterly resented the owner's decision to protect his private property.
Since the door was locked, Kyoko brought out one of her signature tricks: wire lockpicking.
To deal with locked doors, she had deliberately clipped a few paper clips to the tactical pouch at her side. She never wanted to be caught in front of a lock without the right tool again.
As she listened to the metal scraping inside the lock, her eyes sharpened. She had already gotten a feel for the key's shape. After a bit of deft manipulation with the bent clip, there was a click.
The lock opened.
"Unbelievable. Kyoko, your skills are practically supernatural. Someone as capable as you—I don't even know how to describe it. You're basically a universal genius."
Miranda did not hold back her admiration in the slightest.
"Nothing special. If you want to learn, I can teach you." Kyoko waved it off, making light of it, then casually tossed aside the paper clip that had just earned its keep.
Now all that remained was to open the door.
What exactly was inside this warehouse-looking hut?
The question hung in both their minds as the door slowly swung open.
The next second, both of them froze.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The sight inside left them staring, dumbfounded.
Walking in, they found shelves packed from end to end with agricultural supplies. Fertilizer, compound fertilizer, watering cans, hoes… and over there, packets of seeds.
"So we're supposed to start farming now? Did that survivor mark the wrong place on the map?"
"Probably not. There are plenty of useful tools here. If we end up staying in the mountains long-term, being able to live off the land wouldn't be a bad thing."
"We're actually going to farm?"
"Of course. Didn't we already plant vegetables on the rooftop back in Nihonmatsu? If we can't achieve some level of self-sufficiency, we'll really starve sooner or later."
Kyoko said it matter-of-factly. Even though their current supply levels were still acceptable, she had to think ahead. If they were going to remain in the mountains for a long time, scavenging runs would become increasingly unrealistic. With the infected tide roaming outside, heading back into human settlements would be far too dangerous.
Still, Kyoko had no intention of taking these supplies right now. The vehicles were already too full.
After locking the place back up, she decided they could come back later and collect it then.
When they returned to the vehicles, the others were ready to move on. Lunch had been nothing more than bread and sausage—just enough to settle their stomachs—and everyone was climbing back in.
But the moment the engine started, it shut off again.
"What is it?"
"What happened?"
Huaxiu and Dorothy looked puzzled.
"We forgot to refuel. Heh."
Kyoko gave an embarrassed explanation. She had only just noticed the fuel gauge swinging left, the tank already down to a third. Her foot, which had started to press the accelerator, immediately came back off again.
She had actually forgotten to fuel up.
Huaxiu had not expected that either, but human beings were not perfect. In her mind, it was only natural—Kyoko must have been under too much pressure lately. That was why she had forgotten.
In truth, it was just because the treasure-hunting distraction had thrown her off.
Poor Huaxiu, still inventing excuses for her.
Hopping out in a hurry, Kyoko quickly topped off the tank with dark fuel. A few short minutes later, the little interruption was over.
Then the convoy set out again.
They wound their way along narrow mountain roads, passing white trees and fields of silver snow. They went by Akimoto Lake, Lake Onogawa, Sohara Lake, and Hibara Lake; past Onogawa Village; then along the one road that climbed higher into the mountains.
At last, they reached the place they had chosen.
They had arrived.
Their three-day journey was finally over.
This was the Grand Snow Resort, tucked among deep mountains and dense forest, far removed from Fukushima City, Yonezawa, or Kitakata. The surrounding peaks enclosed it completely.
At the moment, the convoy was stopped on a mountain plateau nearly one thousand meters above sea level. Most of the resort's main buildings clustered here; higher up the slope were only a few scattered cabins. Since living even farther uphill would make future scavenging trips down the mountain a nightmare, they decided not to keep climbing.
The tire tracks ended here, no longer carving their marks into the snow.
The people in the vehicles hurried out, eager to move into their new home.
After checking the real-time map and confirming that no humans or other creatures had been active here recently, Kyoko finally relaxed enough to turn to the others.
She lifted her weapon and said brightly, "Ye Ling, you're with me. Bring your weapon—we're going to clean up the new house first. Huaxiu and Dorothy, stay in the vehicle and wait for good news."
"I can't wait to move in," Huaxiu said happily, hugging several bags at once.
Miranda and Brent stood ready beside the vehicles, waiting for Kyoko's instructions. After all, there were several buildings here—which one would they clear first?
"We're taking that multi-story building. Forget the others for now. That one's our safehouse."
Kyoko had already checked the real-time map. The other buildings were either too small or unsuitable to serve as a proper base. The large three-story building shaped a bit like a butterfly was by far the best choice.
There were no infected wandering outside. What remained unknown was the condition inside. To avoid having the infected smash glass windows or destroy other fragile features, Kyoko had no intention of luring them out.
"Right. Ye Ling, with me—move, move, move. Miranda and Brent, clear the left side."
Holding her rifle at the ready, Kyoko advanced with both hands on the weapon. Ye Ling, now clad in armor, gripped a detached spearhead as a short blade. Neither of them bothered with silent "cat steps" this time—speed took priority. In the dim interior, the tactical flashlight served less to illuminate and more to blind anything lurking inside.
"First floor clear!"
"Second floor clear!"
To their surprise, the building was almost empty. Not a single shot had been fired. No blades had been stained with blood. Aside from some clutter, and the once carefully cultivated houseplants now withered and yellow, there was no real sign of the apocalypse inside.
They had chosen well.
At last, they had found a place where they could settle down for a while.
Kyoko was thrilled.
She was going to live in a real big house now.
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 139)
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 (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
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 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
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 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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