He had dumped the snacks and light food from the bar onto the counter just as he had said earlier. It should be enough for the women left in the private rooms to last one or two weeks. He wasn't some cold-blooded demon.
Presumably, during that week, they would make their own decisions about how to survive in this world.
But that was no longer his problem. He was just another survivor scraping by in the apocalypse… he couldn't save everyone.
Back when life had still been stable, he liked reading all kinds of post-apocalyptic novels to relieve boredom. Because of that, Lux had known from the very beginning that blindly adding team members served no purpose.
Too many useless people would drag him down to hell with them when they were eliminated. That was what human nature was.
He didn't intend to blame them, because it was instinct. But he also didn't intend to help them.
So ever since HK416 and MDR had dragged him out of that seemingly safe nest that would slowly lead to death, Lux had deliberately begun training his judgment, learning how to decide whether the survivors he encountered were worth bringing into his team.
And he believed that those he judged worthy of becoming teammates would eventually fulfill their roles, perhaps even saving his life one day.
"Commander, I should remind you that just now we could have withdrawn first and then gone back in to clean up those scum."
"They only had a steel-ball gun. They posed almost no threat to us. But your impulsiveness put you in extreme danger. If that steel ball had hit your brain, everything would have been over. I hope you can stay calm at all times in the future."
UMP45 said calmly while driving.
What she had done earlier was meant to quietly shape Lux into a commander with a personality similar to her own, maximizing his chances of survival.
Sacrifice everything that could be sacrificed, and preserve yourself.
She knew exactly how cautious and cold she was. That darkened personality had allowed her to escape death time and time again.
She was counting on Lux successfully summoning UMP40. That was her only goal, and for that, Lux had to survive until the very end.
UMP45 believed that with her own strength, she would never be judged by Lux as a disposable tactical doll. Useful pieces survived until the final moment. As long as Lux kept living and kept summoning tactical dolls, one day she would be able to see UMP40 and UMP9 again.
That was why she wanted to push Lux's personality toward becoming more calculating and ruthless. Even though she had failed this time, she had no intention of giving up.
From their earliest conversations, she had already noticed that Lux leaned toward the tactical dolls' side. That was a good destination for her, and for 9 and 40 who would appear in the future.
In reality, Lux was only one step away from her own personality.
UMP45 didn't care about altering the commander's mental state. After all, only those who survived were entitled to talk about having a mind.
In a world where total annihilation could happen at any time, she intended to teach Lux to accept necessary sacrifices.
"Sorry. I was too impulsive earlier. I'll reflect on it properly… When I heard they were drug traffickers, hatred completely took over."
"It's good that you understand. We are your weapons. As long as you give the order, no matter what kind of enemy it is, we'll deliver death to them."
UMP45 said with a smile.
Lianne curiously examined the girls inside the van.
This kind of combination was just too strange.
Earlier, when she first saw HK416, she had already been puzzled. A silver-haired beauty, extremely skilled in combat, and the dangerous aura she gave off was no weaker than that scar-faced girl.
But when they walked out of the bar, she realized that Lux's side was practically a gathering of beauties. She considered herself fairly good-looking, yet not a single armed girl on guard outside lost to her in appearance.
Only then did she understand why Lux had shown no interest in the women in the private rooms who were wearing nothing but underwear. The gap in looks was simply too large.
Such a team was incredibly bizarre in the apocalypse. If these girls were just decorative vases, she could understand it as Lux being a womanizer.
But these beautiful girls all gave her the impression of elite special forces she had once seen on TV. That was what made it so strange.
And where had Lux gotten so many weapons to equip these girls? And why was Lux being called "Commander"? She had deep questions about all of it.
However, Lianne chose to set those doubts aside. She believed that when she truly needed to know, Lux would tell her on his own, just like how he had voluntarily explained his spatial ability in the cellar.
---
Lux leaned back in his seat and began browsing the exchange list provided by the system.
After four doll summons and the bullets spent on exchanging MDR and the others, he still had fourteen thousand resource points left.
Swiss army knives were far too ineffective against zombies. He needed to equip the tactical dolls, Lianne, and Candice with proper weapons.
Fortunately, most cold weapons only cost between one hundred and five hundred resource points. His current reserves were still enough.
Lux looked through the descriptions of various melee weapons, carefully comparing their performance.
A good weapon was extremely important. If he hadn't started with a sharp katana, he would have died long ago to the first two zombies.
However, katana-type weapons required both strength and skill. He himself could barely use one only because his strength, agility, and neural reaction speed had been enhanced by genetic modification fluid.
Therefore, katana weapons weren't suitable for the tactical dolls or for Lainne and Candice, who were both human.
At that moment, Lux's gaze was drawn to the Nepalese kukri priced at one hundred and fifty resource points.
This kind of blade was simple to use and extremely durable. Its only drawback was the lack of thrusting ability, but once accustomed to it, that shouldn't be a major issue.
"45, stop by the car ahead. I'll get out and test a weapon, and see if I can find any car keys on the zombies."
Lux opened his eyes and spoke after spotting several moving zombies in the distance through the windshield.
"Need help?"
"The new weapon might take some getting used to. If I'm in danger, help take care of it."
"Oh!"
Click, click, click.
A series of safety switches being disengaged echoed through the cabin.
"Cough… one person is enough."
Lux looked at the tactical dolls beside him with some speechlessness.
"I'll do it. Less noise means fewer moving obstacles down the road."
UMP45 stepped on the brakes, took the UMP45 from Candice's arms, and said with a smile.