"Commander, as Tactical Dolls, we cannot be infected by the zombie virus. One anti-explosion suit is sufficient."
"Heavy armor also reduces our agility and mobility."
HK416 reminded.
"Understood. If there are extra resources, you can get some grenades and ammo to increase survival odds."
"There are a few automated harvesters. With luck, we might get high-energy drinks and snacks."
"I understand. The second target is a wise choice."
HK416 nodded in approval.
"After that, there are several possible targets. I haven't decided the priority yet. They are a large pharmacy, a Walmart supermarket, and an outdoor supplies store."
"Medicine is a resource that's very hard to regenerate without factories. In the later stages of the apocalypse, it'll definitely be extremely valuable. The more we collect, the better. It can also be used for trading with others."
"Right now the disaster has only been going on for two days. Most people should still be struggling just to survive, so they probably won't deliberately go to pharmacies to stock up."
"As for the outdoor supplies store, it has camping tents, multifunctional military knives, and sturdy camouflage clothing with lots of pockets and good sealing. From a long-term perspective, there's no harm in visiting it."
Lux analyzed calmly.
"Commander, as far as I know, your system storage space is only five cubic meters. When it comes to choosing supplies…"
HK416 reminded him.
"That's not a problem for now. Upgrading the system increases storage capacity. If I used all three thousand resource points I currently have to upgrade it, the storage space could be expanded to one hundred cubic meters. The system is actually quite generous in that regard."
"However, considering that we might need to exchange important supplies at any time, I didn't use them to upgrade."
"The resource points we get from the museum should be enough to expand the storage space."
"Then I have nothing to worry about. I'll leave all decisions to you."
"There's a huge amount of food at Walmart, but in the early stages it'll probably attract a large number of refugee survivors. The danger level will likely be the highest."
"But if we're lucky, I could get a massive amount of resource points there and summon more Tactical Dolls. If we can take over a Walmart as a base, we won't have to worry for quite some time afterward."
"Walmart is high risk but also high reward. I can't decide on my own, so I hope you can give me some advice."
Lux put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked seriously at HK416 and MDR.
"Don't look at me. I know nothing, I want to say nothing. This food is delicious. Don't ask me to make decisions."
MDR said as she scooped herself another bowl of rice.
HK416 fell into deep thought.
"Is there anywhere that could replace Walmart?"
"Yes. Small roadside shops. But I estimate that most people would've gone there to get food and supplies at the very beginning of the disaster. If we're unlucky, we might get nothing."
"Also, clearing those small shops would be very troublesome. Gunshots would attract zombies from the streets unless we only use cold weapons to deal with the zombies inside."
"Commander, I'm very sorry. I can't accurately assess the danger of these two options. So I suggest we don't rush. With our current food reserves, we should be able to survive for a while. We can wait and decide after observing the situation."
"After all, we already have several operational targets. There's no need to plan everything for the future right now."
HK416 gave her opinion.
"Mm, that makes sense. Then let's rest."
"Alright. MDR, you take the first half of the night watch. I'll take the second half."
HK416 nodded and said without hesitation.
"There's no need to keep watch, right? This residential building has already been cleared, and the unit door downstairs is closed. We also didn't make much noise to attract zombies."
"This is a good habit. In a situation like this, we can't let our guard down. We must always be ready to respond to any situation."
HK416 said firmly.
"Alright then, I'll leave night watch to you."
Lux didn't argue anymore. He knew HK416 was right. In a world like this, vigilance was essential.
Since it increased their chances of survival, he chose to accept it.
That said, over the past two days he had been living in constant fear, worried that zombies would suddenly break in and tear him apart alive.
As a result, he hadn't slept well at all and was already mentally exhausted.
On top of that, he'd electrocuted himself during the day. To be honest, he was extremely sleepy now.
Rather than insisting on keeping watch together, it was better for him to rest properly so he wouldn't cause trouble for the two of them tomorrow.
After all, the entire building was safe tonight. The night watch was mostly for HK416 and MDR to maintain good habits.
"What is it, Commander? Are you worried about something? Please rest assured. No matter what, I will protect you by any means necessary."
HK416 looked at Lux and said firmly.
"Huh? Thank you. You really are amazing."
Lux said with a bitter smile.
"Of course. Excluding MDR, I am the most elite Tactical Doll."
"Hey, hey, Miss MDR is also very capable! What do you mean 'excluding me'?! Are you trying to start a fight?! I've never lost when it comes to trash-talking!"
"I have no interest in meaningless arguments. How boring. Commander, what are you worried about?"
Ignoring the noisy MDR, HK416 looked at the somewhat depressed Lux.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that compared to you, I'm really lacking. Stamina, courage… combat ability and all that."
"Being able to clearly recognize yourself and face your own weakness is not a bad thing."
"Commander, I hope you remember this. Only those who clearly understand their own capabilities and make optimal judgments based on that can survive in this world."
HK416 grabbed Lux's hand and said seriously.