Of course, while his intent was for Rikka's good, Takeru didn't dictate her actions. He let her make the choice herself.
"I understand," Rikka said after a moment's hesitation, nodding in agreement with Takeru's suggestion.
"Good. Be careful. If anything happens, just call out loudly. We'll meet back at the stairwell," Takeru said, giving her a deep look before speaking.
Compared to the upper floors, the first floor undoubtedly had several times more monsters. Most zombies didn't deliberately climb stairs, and those wandering upstairs were likely there when the virus broke out or had stumbled up by chance.
However, confident in his own strength, Takeru felt no fear.
Aside from the initial discomfort, these zombies were now merely potential items for improving his mission evaluation.
He and Rikka quickly reached the second floor. After bidding her goodbye, Takeru headed down to the first floor.
Unlike Rikka's cautiousness, Takeru moved openly, walking directly towards the zombies.
Hearing the commotion and seeing Takeru, the zombies slowly shuffled towards him.
Facing dozens of zombies, Takeru's expression remained unchanged.
"Poison Dragon," He murmured softly. Instantly, three terrifying purple poison dragons materialized above him. They surged forward, crashing into the horde. Zombies touched by the dragons were violently thrown back, and those splashed with the venom began to rapidly dissolve...
Clearly, besides immense toxicity, the poison dragons possessed extremely corrosive properties. Takeru's eyes narrowed slightly. This power seemed a bit too overwhelming; he'd have to remember not to use it during any friendly sparring later.
After clearing the area with one move, Takeru didn't dwell on it. He began searching the first floor.
About ten minutes later, he had roughly checked everywhere, storing all usable supplies in his item slots.
He also found two cars using keys discovered upstairs, planning to drive them later.
As for location, a map confirmed they were in the city of Megurigaoka. Takeru's next planned destination was the city's large shopping center, followed by Megurigaoka High School, where the main characters survived...
After reviewing his plans, Takeru headed to the second floor.
He saw several zombies that had died in gruesome ways but remained expressionless, walking past them until he saw Rikka emerging from the fourth apartment.
"Takeru, just a moment, please. There are two rooms left," Rikka said, looking somewhat apologetic.
"Never mind. Let's go. We're heading to the shopping center next. We have enough supplies for now," Takeru said, gently shaking his head.
"Okay!" Naturally, Rikka didn't argue.
Downstairs, Rikka stared at the heavily corroded surroundings, shocked, wondering what terrifying technique Takeru had used.
Takeru offered no explanation.
Soon, Takeru led Rikka to a car, tossed some supplies that weren't in his item slots into the backseat, and started the engine.
"Eh, Takeru-kun, you can drive?" Rikka asked in surprise.
"Yes, a little," Takeru nodded lightly. Driving was a skill from his previous life and posed no problem.
He started the engine. Though the car had been idle for a while, it still started. Checking the fuel gauge, he saw it was half full, which is enough.
After letting the engine run for a bit, Takeru drove off.
Exiting the building, the most striking sights were the dilapidated structures and roads littered with debris and wreckage, along with the aimlessly wandering zombies.
Though there was much debris, the car could still drive normally.
Following the map, Takeru headed toward the shopping center, running over several zombies attracted by the sound along the way. He paid them no mind as long as they didn't impede his progress.
As time passed, around 3:00 p.m., Takeru finally saw a massive shopping center, somewhat familiar to him. Without much thought, he parked the car.
"Takeru, are we stopping here?" Rikka asked as he stopped the car.
"Yes, we've arrived. Let's get out," Takeru nodded.
Exiting the car, Takeru casually dispatched a few enthusiastic zombies. Looking at the desolate shopping center, he waved for Rikka to follow and strode boldly inside.
"Hello! Is anyone there?" Takeru called out loudly upon entering.
"Takeru!" Rikka broke out in a cold sweat at his shouting, but Takeru ignored her.
Looking around, his shouting had drawn many zombies, now converging on their position.