A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

The zombie let out a meaningless wail, collapsed on the road, curled up, and its intestines spilled out with a "plop" as it twisted.

The third zombie took a few steps closer, its pace unhurried, seemingly oblivious to the fact that its two brethren had already fallen, still determined to tear at the flesh of the living.

Uesugi Genshin twisted his body, smoothly turning around to avoid it, while simultaneously using the front of his sword to cleave its face, including an eye, nose, mouth, and chin.

The easiest way to strike is from the temple; he wouldn't be foolish enough to strike straight down from the top of the head.

The sound of the filling bursting out came with a moment of pressure.

It sounds disgusting, looks even more disgusting, and listening to it while watching it is more than three times more disgusting.

The commotion from the battle was so great that the zombies in front of him surged toward him, completely ignoring the two people behind him.

Blood flowed everywhere as zombies fell to the ground, making the ground wet and slippery.

Hachiman fanned his nose with his free left hand to dispel the smell of rust in the air. That's the downside of sharp weapons; they always make things too bloody.

In Chiba as well, every time the cleaning team dealt with a battle scene, they would make a basic guess about the large pool of blood at the scene: Ah, this must have been done by the vice president.

Not only did they have to transport the bodies to be burned, but they also had to clean up the mess at the scene. They worked very hard, and as the minister in charge of them, he knew it very well. Every day was like this, spending the whole day cleaning up yesterday's traces, and then cleaning up today's tomorrow.

It's probably similar to having to wash the dishes after cooking.

Seeing Genshin take a few steps back, intending to regroup, Hachiman quickly stepped forward to help relieve the pressure from the side.

Yukino's eyes were filled with appreciation, as if she were watching an artistic performance, and the crimson scene was so pleasing to the eye.

For the SIT group, it was a completely different story. The most obvious difference between fighting them and the SIT group was that there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

It sounds strange, but that's the feeling. When watching your own people fight, you feel terrified. If the fight gets a little intense, you worry that your own people will be tackled at any moment.

However, the other party doesn't feel this way at all. Despite the urgency of dancing on the edge of a knife, they don't sense that the other party is in danger. It's just like cutting vegetables and melons in a movie, making it exciting but not dangerous.

After Yukinoshita Haruno also stepped forward to help kill a few zombies, the zombies in front of the building were completely cleared away.

She looked down at the first floor of the building, at the room right next to the entrance. That was the duty room. The people on duty that day would regularly check whether all the access control areas were properly locked. Through the glass, she could see that there was no one inside, and no zombies either.

It's a bit of a shame, though; if there were any Self-Defense Force zombies around, the access card might be on one of them.

The SIT members stepped forward and were surprised to find that the glass could be opened directly. He looked back at his companions and Yukinoshita Haruno and the others.

"Go into the room and see if you can find anything," Yukino Yukinoshita said to the SIT team leader.

"I see."

Instead of entering the building, they climbed through a window.

"I've arrived at the regimental headquarters," Yukino Yukinoshita said over the radio.

Amidst the buzzing of electricity, Murai's panting could be heard, indicating that he was engaged in a fierce battle. "Roger that, I'll be there soon too."

Chapter 206: A Sacrifice from Long Ago

The claim that they were almost there wasn't quite accurate; from where they were standing, they couldn't even see the warehouse in the distance.

Meanwhile, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't take it seriously. She was more concerned about her own side, while the other team leaders had their own autonomy.

“Others, please report the situation,” she continued.

During this brief break, Uesugi Genshin and Hachiman were clearing out the zombies in the nearby parking lot.

The fact that the road in front of the entrance was blocked meant that every single car in the parking lot was parked there.

Most of the vehicles used by non-commissioned officers come to work from the vicinity of their garrison; they don't live in the dormitories here.

They killed several zombies in the parking lot, most of whom had wandered there unconsciously. Ironically, they themselves didn't know why they were there.

Uesugi Genshin pressed his face against the window of a Mercedes-Benz, peering inside. Japanese people have a great fondness for BBA (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi), especially Mercedes-Benz.

Sure enough, there were no car keys or anything of value. It seems that hoping to find something by chance is just wishful thinking.

Back in front of the building, they were greeted by Yukinoshita Haruno's smile, "Hmph~"

"Let's go." Uesugi Genshin gestured towards the building and then walked inside first.

"Hmm." Yukinoshita Haruno tugged at her slightly tight clothes, then looked away from him and followed behind him.

The afternoon was bright, and the sunlight, after being refracted, made the building bright as well, and it also suddenly became much cooler, not just because the sun was no longer overhead.

The environment was eerie, and the faint sound of zombie footsteps could be heard. There was a corner ahead, and no matter which way you looked, you could see several zombies in the corridor, still dressed as civilians. There was nothing standing on the stairs directly in front of you.

Uesugi Genshin crouched in the corner, observing them. Half of their bodies were soaked in blood, which dried on their clothes, turning into an ugly and abstract blackish-red, like scabs forming on a huge wound.

The strange footsteps and unpredictable movements, along with the persistent dragging sound of their feet in the corridor, were truly unpleasant to hear.

Because the walkway was bright, their faces were clearly visible; they were a sickly grayish-white, and their mouths were so badly covered that they were unrecognizable. In comparison, their eyes didn't seem so disgusting.

After ending his spying, Uesugi Genshin gently pushed away Yukinoshita Haruno, who was lying on his back. She had used her arms to keep her distance from him when she was on his back, but the distance was limited. It was hard to say whether she had a sense of distance or not.

Looking back at her, Uesugi Genshin made a gesture that seemed to suggest whether or not to kill them.

After receiving a clear answer, he walked out around the corner. At this point, the sound of a knife was quieter than that of a blunt weapon, and the aisle was not wide enough for them to stand apart.

So he only needs to be there.

As soon as he took that first step, the two zombies closest to him seemed to hear something, or perhaps they caught a glimpse of a moving creature out of the corner of their eyes. The instant they turned to face him, they pounced on him in exaggerated movements.

As if they were all bound by chains, after the first two zombies made a move, all the zombies in the corridor turned their heads in this direction at the same time, and the subsequent actions were exactly the same.

With a powerful strike, Uesugi Genshin cleaved the neck of the first zombie.

Then he spun half a circle to avoid the attack, and the blade pierced below the eye socket of the second zombie. Before it fell, he swung his arm, and the tip of the blade pierced the eyeball and was pushed into the zombie's skull.

After drawing the knife, he flicked his wrist, and the knife sliced ​​through the air. The next zombie that was about to attack staggered, and a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on its neck. Blood gushed from its throat, and it was kicked in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground.

After slashing down another zombie, Uesugi Genshin suddenly swung his sword and cleaved open the head of a zombie. The head that fell to the ground looked just like a watermelon with a missing piece, and even the white veins inside the watermelon were perfectly reproduced.

The sound of his breath was barely audible in the corridor where the battle had taken place; roars, chaotic footsteps, and the sounds of bodies or parts hitting the ground mingled together.

Hachiman scratched his earlobe. He had naively thought that leaving everything to Genshin would be fine, but it seemed that they wouldn't let him have his way.

Hearing the commotion, the zombies in the corridor ahead turned around and walked towards them. Upon seeing him and Ms. Yang, they began to speed up.

Then Uesugi Genshin heard a battle taking place behind him, and must have been attracted by the sound of his battle.

However, he only needs to focus on what's in front of him, and he believes that Hachiman and Yukinoshita Haruno won't let the zombies get close to his back.

As the last zombie staggered backward after being struck, Uesugi Genshin raised his sword, gripped the hilt, and threw it like a javelin.

The sharp blade pierced right through the center of the zombie's chest, and a hissing sound escaped its throat. It raised its head, then was kicked to its knees, struggling on the blood-stained ground. Uesugi Genshin trampled on the corpse that was still waving its arms on the ground.

Like an executioner, he chopped off its head.

Blood gushed forward from the severed neck, and the zombie's body went completely limp, lying powerless on the ground.

Turning his head to look behind him, he saw that the battle between Hachiman and Yukinoshita was still going on. Several zombies were lying on the ground, their leather-shoe-clad feet peeking out from the blind spot of his vision.

But it seems like we don't need any help.

He tore off a zombie's coat and wiped away the blood dripping down the blade.

The door to the duty room next door opened a crack, and Uesugi Genshin's gaze met his.

“It’s safe here now,” said Uesugi Genshin, casually tossing away his clothes stained with fresh blood.

The door was flung open, and the SIT personnel came out. "We didn't find anything, but we did have a map."

He stood side by side with Uesugi Genshin, then glanced at the battle over there. "Shouldn't we go help?"

"There's no room for me either," Uesugi Genshin shrugged, adding that it should be over soon anyway.

Thinking this, Hachiman turned around and beckoned, "The people from the second floor have come down too."

"!" Okay, Uesugi Genshin took a few steps forward, and accordingly, Hachiman and Yukinoshita Haruno tacitly stepped back, making room for the corner.

Some of the zombies saw him standing in the side passage, deviated from their forward path, and instead went to grab the man who was closer.

Some of the zombies were diverted to his side, which greatly reduced the pressure on Hachiman and Yukinoshita.

The battle lasted for two minutes, brief yet intense.

Yukino's forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and she was breathing heavily with a "haha" sound, her cheeks flushed.

Was it due to fatigue or just an illusion? In Uesugi Genshin's opinion, his eyes also looked moist.

He twisted his body, the T-shirt sticking to his back and making him feel a little uncomfortable.

Once the stuck T-shirt was shaken off, his back was instantly filled with cool air, since he was already wearing thin clothes.

The SIT personnel reported to Yukino Yukinoshita and mentioned the map in the duty room.

“Let’s go take a look,” said Yukino Yukinoshita.

They arrived at the duty room and, sure enough, saw the building's structural diagram.

Armory, where is the armory again?

Uesugi Genshin scanned the map from the top left to the right, because the armory shouldn't be near the entrance.

Sure enough, it was found at the top center, slightly to the right.

Yukino's slender fingers traced a line from the armory to the entrance where they were. Even without nail polish, her nails were beautiful, a lovely pink.

"Let's go check that out first." She pointed to the location of the armory.

She then looked at the upper floors, where the access cards might be kept, "the third and fourth floors."

This time, the SIT members took the lead in clearing the way. The ground was so slippery that they could use their feet to move aside the zombie corpses, and they all ended up on the far left.

This is the only way we can deal with them for now; they'll probably just rot here after that.

They originally intended to come and leave quickly, and wouldn't bother dealing with the aftermath here.

This is basically the only time I'll be here. The thought that these corpses will soon be infested with maggots and covered in flies only strengthens my resolve never to come back again.

I'm not exactly scared, but I'm really disgusted.

There were no more zombies ahead; those nearby were all drawn to the commotion at the gate. They had a basic ability to distinguish between meaningless noises from their own kind and the sounds of prey or hunters.

Only when they were almost there were a few animals wandering around in the distant corridor, while the ground was littered with corpses.

The people of SIT deliberately made noise to lure them over, and then successfully killed them.

“…?!” Then they saw the man sitting by the wall in front of them; he was a member of the Self-Defense Forces.

He was probably in his thirties or forties. He sat with his legs outstretched, his head tilted to one side, his hands limp on the ground, and a pistol with the safety off beside him.

At first, the people at SIT thought he was a zombie, but after a closer look, they realized that he had probably committed suicide.

The lividity on his face indicated that he had been dead for more than ten days. His body was exposed to the air and emitted a foul odor, making him somewhat different from a zombie.

He was wearing a Type 3 bulletproof vest and combat slings in a forest camouflage pattern.

There was an 89-type assault rifle at his feet. Why do I make this conclusion? Because anyone who knows a little about Japan knows that the 89-type assault rifle can be fitted with a bayonet.

However, this feature is no longer commonly found in newer generations of firearms.

The bayonet was placed next to the gun, along with several magazines and an unknown number of spent cartridges.

It seemed he had fought fiercely here before he died. Uesugi Genshin examined the corpses in the corridor with the tip of his knife. One of the zombies had several bullet holes in its face, indicating it was probably one of the first to charge.

"Was it suicide?" Yukinoshita Haruno stepped forward, while the two SIT members and the other two group members made way for her.

Ignoring the filthy environment, she knelt down on one knee. There was a large gash on the corpse's head, a bullet hole.

Her face was in terrible condition, but Yukinoshita Haruno remained unfazed.

Then she picked up the Type 89 assault rifle from the ground. She had used it at the shooting range before, and she checked the magazine with familiarity. "It's all empty."

The magazines on the ground were all empty, indicating that the Self-Defense Force member held out until the very last moment before committing suicide in despair.

Perhaps in his view, committing suicide with a gun was better than being torn apart by zombies, after all, it was the difference between prolonged pain and painless suffering.

But that's not necessarily true. Uesugi Genshin knew that if he hit the head but didn't destroy the pain center, the victim would suffer excruciating pain, even if only for a moment. Brain death takes time.

Just like people who jump off buildings naively believe that death is a simple matter, but perhaps while falling, they are already regretting it because of the fear and the discomfort of weightlessness.

Regardless, this was someone who had fought before his death, and he still paid tribute to this member of the Self-Defense Forces.