The Drop Pod that landed inside the mall was the most absurd and out–of–place thing Allen had encountered since arriving in this world. Wasn't this supposed to be a zombie apocalypse? What the hell happened?
At Allen's command, his entire group hid, but the mall survivors did not.
"What are you doing?!" Toshimi shouted when she saw the survivors walking toward that object.
"Shut up, girl!"
"This must be something from the government. I knew they hadn't abandoned us!"
"We're saved!"
"What are they talking about?" Asami gasped.
Everyone could clearly tell that what was happening wasn't normal. That metallic Drop Pod wasn't something anyone had ever seen before. Everything about it screamed danger. But blinded by fear of dying and desperation, the survivors abandoned common sense and clung to any hope of survival.
That mentality is what Shido exploited to manipulate the students in the original story.
Among the survivors, only Teruma, the elderly couple, and Shimoda hesitated to approach.
With a metallic sound, the Drop Pod opened, and soon mechanical noises echoed, followed by several objects shooting out.
"Drones!" Saya exclaimed.
Ten drones appeared and began hovering around. They were metallic and equipped with red sensors. At first, no one understood what was happening, but one of them stopped in place and seemed to analyze the area. It scanned everyone present, focusing on the stunned survivors.
Allen and Saeko were the first to feel the danger thanks to their instincts. Saya reached the same conclusion.
"Run!"
Saya's shout fell on deaf ears. One drone lit up and fired a laser beam that sliced one of the survivors in half.
It was a grotesque sight — both halves of the body fell to opposite sides.
"Ahhhh!"
"Nooo!"
By the time the mall survivors realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Another drone, equipped with a turret, opened fire and riddled another survivor with bullets.
A third drone shot out two blades that sliced off someone's leg. The survivor collapsed onto the floor, screaming in agony as he bled out.
"AAAHHHHH!"
Two more drones aimed at the stores and began firing. Bullets shattered walls, glass, and storefronts.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"We have to do something!"
Bang!
One drone was hit in its camera lens, losing stability. More bullets hit it, smoke burst out, and shortly after it exploded.
"What are you doing?" Allen stood on the second floor, scolding them. "Why did I give you weapons?!"
When the drones saw Allen, three stopped chasing the survivors and headed toward him.
One fired, hitting the wall behind Allen. He fired back, hitting the drone precisely.
[It's impressive they don't fall with a single shot.]
Allen ran as the laser drone aimed and fired at him. He ducked, letting the beam pass over his head.
The laser sliced through walls and storefront windows like they were butter.
Allen fired at the most dangerous drone, but unexpectedly another drone moved in front of it and took the bullets. As that drone exploded, a red glow shone behind the smoke — the laser drone aiming directly at Allen, who, despite the situation, remained calm, as if he could see the eyes of the person controlling it from the other side.
The drone fired — but at the same time, it was struck by bullets that threw off its aim.
"Bastard, don't risk yourself like that..." Anemone growled. She had shot the drone from another angle.
"Thanks, nee-san." Allen smiled and proceeded to finish off the laser drone.
The remaining drones attempted to attack Allen, but a rain of bullets came from all directions. Soon, they too were destroyed, leaving the mall in silence.
....
– Sir, we lost contact with the drones. –
– Seems the element of surprise didn't work... no matter. –
....
Once the danger passed, everyone came out of hiding, their faces filled with disbelief at what had just happened.
"What happened?" Teshima exclaimed, but no one could answer.
"Like I said, the drone that attacked me was similar," Allen said, examining the bodies of the survivors.
The result was three dead. Even the one whose leg was cut off died from blood loss. Considering the situation, perhaps it was better that way — losing a leg in a zombie apocalypse was practically a death sentence unless you had people willing to risk their lives to protect you.
"How cruel..." Shizuka murmured as she grabbed Allen's arm. The most disturbing body was the one split in half by the laser.
Anemone reloaded her M4 while glancing sideways at Allen. "Tsk, it's obvious these people know about us. It's no coincidence they attacked twice. What do we do?"
"We're moving. If they attacked once, they'll attack again. The mall roof isn't that sturdy."
The safest buildings in this case would be prisons, police stations — or Allen could buy a shelter if needed.
"Wait, before that, we need to talk about the reason for the attack," Saya said as she approached one of the drones. "I know it's uncomfortable, but everyone is already thinking about it..."
Allen smiled. "That's true. This could cause problems among us, so I'll be clear. There are two possibilities. The first one — the attack might've been because of me..."
The young man in front of them was abnormal. That was already known. So it made sense they were attacked because of Allen.
"That's..." Rei lowered her head. In fact, Allen had warned them that it might be safer not to travel with him. He just didn't know when something like this might happen.
The group's atmosphere grew heavy. Allen was a reliable leader, a capable guide, but...
"And what's the second possibility?" Kyoko asked, looking at Allen. She didn't want anyone blaming him.
Of course, everyone already knew this possibility, yet they had still chosen to follow Allen.
Allen's gaze shifted to Alice, who was sitting on a bicycle.
"Alice..."
"Y-yes?"
"Don't be scared. What I'm going to say is related to your father. I could've asked Shizuka or Kyoko to take you somewhere else so you wouldn't have to hear it, but I wanted to give you the choice. Do you want to hear it?"
Alice got off the bicycle and approached Allen, gripping his clothes with a determined look.
"I promised I'd be strong."
In the original story, although Alice seemed weak at first, she was extremely strong. She had witnessed the horror of zombies, been caught in the middle of gunfights, seen mutant monsters — and yet she was still able to smile.
"Alright. Kenji Maesato entrusted me with two things. One was his lovely daughter." Allen patted Alice's head. "The second was a container filled with samples of different viruses — the ones responsible for the zombie variants."
"Huh?..."
Everyone was stunned. What Allen had just revealed was too shocking.
"Wait, are you saying someone caused all of this?! That everyone died because of someone??!" Hisashi clenched his fist, then pointed angrily at Allen. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"
"Hisashi!" Takashi placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Stop!" Rei yelled. "Allen is telling us now, and how much time do you think has passed since this all started?!"
Hisashi backed away. It was true that only a couple of days had passed since Alice joined the group. But seeing Rei defend Allen so fiercely irritated the boy, who had been bottling up frustration for a long time.
"Why are you taking his side?"
Rei widened her eyes. "What do you mean by why? He's our leader."
"Lies! It's because you like him!" Hisashi narrowed his eyes at her.
"Hisashi, stop before you say something you'll regret!" Takashi tried to restrain him, but Hisashi pushed him away.
"Shut up, coward! Stop being a hypocrite. I'll say what you don't have the guts to say." Hisashi turned toward Rei. "This man with supposed amnesia is a stranger! He appeared out of nowhere, no one knows where he came from! He has superhuman strength, and he's unbelievably suspicious! I admit he saved us more than once — we owe him our lives — but that's exactly why none of you dare question him."
"Are you implying that I have something to do with the apocalypse?" Allen mocked him. "Aren't you just jealous, Hisashi Igo?"
Hisashi clenched his teeth, but then relaxed his jaw and looked at Allen seriously. "I am. I admit it. I'm jealous that after years with Rei, she chose a guy she barely knows over me. I'm jealous of that strength that lets you help Rei in ways I couldn't. I'm jealous that even now I feel inferior to you… and I'm jealous of seeing the girl I love defend you."
"Oh? So what do you want to do? Are you going to shoot me?"
Allen had given Hisashi a Glock, and he could've done it at any moment. Hisashi hesitated for a moment before grabbing the gun and pointing it at Allen, but Rei immediately stepped in front of him.
Saeko drew her katana almost at the same time, ready to cut off Hisashi's hand, but he dropped the Glock.
"Stop," Allen said.
"But…" Saeko's eyes were murderous as she stared at Hisashi, but his gaze was hollow—like he was prepared to die.
"He had no intention of pulling the trigger."
If Allen had sensed even the slightest killing intent, he would've killed Hisashi before he could even shoot.
"Are you stupid?!"
"What are you doing!?"
"Why!?"
The whole group burst into anger. Arguing with Allen was one thing, questioning his identity was another—but aiming a gun at him was unforgivable.
Hisashi stood up, looked at everyone, then turned away without a word. He understood perfectly that if Allen had wanted to kill him, he'd be dead already.
Hisashi understood he couldn't stay with the group after that.
"Wait…" Allen said, stopping Hisashi mid-step. "You can take the Glock, a motorcycle, and supplies."
"That's not necessary…"
"Idiot, I'm not doing it for you. Your sister isn't at fault for your decisions. You're still going to help her, right?" Hisashi bit his lip. "…Thanks."
The young man picked up the Glock and walked toward the exit.
Some still hadn't processed what had happened, and now they were watching a companion leave. But that was how apocalypse groups worked—you couldn't trust your back to someone you doubted.
Rei saw Hisashi walk away but didn't stop him. Everyone was free to make their own choices. Showing pity right now would only make things worse.
Takashi walked past Rei and headed toward Allen.
Rei reacted immediately, using her spear to press its tip against Takashi's back. Unlike before, she didn't hesitate. She also had to make a decision—one that would break a friendship of many years.
"What are you doing, Takashi?"
Takashi smiled when he saw Rei's sad but determined eyes. "Don't worry. I just wanted to say something."
Allen gestured to Rei, and she lowered her spear.
Takashi took the shotgun off his back and extended it toward Allen. "Thanks for everything."
"I don't take back things I give away."
Takashi smiled, accepted the gift, then turned and walked toward the exit.
"Shit," Morita muttered as he shook his head. "Sorry, boss, but that idiot is my best friend."
"Don't worry. Watch them so they don't get killed."
With that, Morita also left the group.
Inside the mall, the atmosphere was gloomy. Not only did they have a dangerous unknown enemy, but three companions had just left.
"Excuse me…" Teruma approached. His pale expression made it clear he had heard everything.
"Well, first of all, listen to my theory."
Allen sighed and proceeded to explain what he suspected about the whole situation.
The container must've had pure samples of the viruses. Something extremely valuable—stolen by Alice's father from wherever they were kept. Now those people were desperate to get it back.
Here came the problem:
If they were an independent organization, they could bring the samples to the government hoping to find cures.
On the other hand, there was also the possibility that the government had started all this. In that case, contacting them would be dangerous—they might shoot them on sight.
"So what do we do?" Saeko asked.
Anemone laughed. "That container could be the key to salvation or a ticking time bomb. Depends on who we give it to. What a load of crap."
"One more thing. Kenji Maserato said that if I wanted answers, I had to go to Shibuya."
"That's insane. That's central Tokyo. There must be millions of zombies there."
"I know. I wasn't planning to go. My priority is survival. But with these people sending killer drones after us, I'm not sure we'll ever have peace."
Saya adjusted her glasses. "For now, let's stick to the plan. We'll search for everyone's families, then return to my house."
Allen nodded. "Let's do that."
....
Outside the mall, Morita and Takashi followed Hisashi. The three took two motorcycles and were about to leave, but as soon as they reached the street, they were horrified to see a massive horde heading straight for the mall.
"Shit!" Morita shouted.
"We have to draw them away!" Hisashi yelled, causing the other two to grin.
Unfortunately, their actions didn't change much—on the opposite side, another horde was also approaching the mall. A tidal wave of zombies—counted in the tens of thousands.
....
Inside the mall, Rei's phone rang. She was shocked to see Takashi calling. She almost didn't answer—everything that needed to be said had been said.
Allen noticed, approached her, grabbed her by the waist without warning, and snatched the phone from her hand.
Rei blushed hard from being watched by everyone and buried her face in Allen's chest.
"I'm sure calling you is the last thing either of them wants right now, considering how awkward they must feel."
Rei's eyes widened—he was right. When she answered, Takashi's desperate voice came through.
"Rei! There's a huge horde headed for the mall! We drew part of them away, but you have to leave now!"
The call cut off before Allen could reply.
"Everyone, we're leaving!" Allen turned to Teruma. "What will you do?"
Teruma hesitated for a moment. "Take us with you."
....
The mall had two entrances—north and south. The north was where Allen's group had entered, and it was clear thanks to Takashi's group.
But the south entrance was being overwhelmed by a massive horde of zombies.
They must not have been far away—or perhaps someone intentionally lured them to the mall. No matter, they had to leave immediately, but they wouldn't have time!
Outside, a group of a thousand zombies smashed against the building, shattering the doors. These weren't Rage Zombies—they were Hunters. Fast, lethal, and extremely violent.
Amid savage growls, many Hunters slammed into the reinforced glass doors, dying instantly and staining the glass. But little by little, cracks spread—and when the rest of the horde arrived, the doors gave way.
They began flooding inside the mall, while on the other side, everyone ran toward the vehicles.
"Leave us… We'll only slow you down," the old man said, seeing his wife struggling to walk.
"We can't! That would be too inhumane!" Shizuka protested. She had taken on the role of medic, always trying to save lives whenever possible.
"It's impossible. Even if we make it out of here, we won't survive long. This world isn't meant for us," the old woman said with a smile as she held Shizuka's hand.
"Shizuka-san, we have to go!" Saya insisted. Judging by the Hunters' speed, she calculated they'd flood the place in under a minute.
"Shizuka…"
Allen's voice cut through the discussion. When she saw his expression, Shizuka bit her lip and turned to leave.
"Everyone go ahead," Allen said, staying behind with Saeko and the elderly couple. Everyone knew what was about to happen.
"I can do it," Saeko said. She felt she had to—that it was her duty as his woman, that her nature allowed her to carry this burden.
"It's fine." Allen smiled, unable not to soften at Saeko's gaze. "You're a girl too. If you do this, it will haunt you forever."
Allen looked at the elderly couple and raised Ebony.
The couple smiled.
"We're so sorry you have to bear this."
"Thank you. You're a splendid young man."
"No… It's my responsibility."
Two gunshots echoed behind them, making the rest of the group go pale. Many were still underestimating the brutality of the apocalypse.
===
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