Chapter 20. Patriot (7)
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Leticia’s methodology was the exact opposite of what we had been doing so far.
My caution was, ‘You must always be fully prepared and not be greedy.’ On the other hand, Leticia said, ‘You have to push when you can. The opinion was, ‘Available resources should be used as much as possible.’
“We have a safe hideout, but there are many enemies around, so I think your methodology is correct, John. But now it’s the exact opposite. There is no safe place, but there are a lot of zombies instead. What are you doing to save money? “Just spend it!”
We did not transport zombies in trucks. Instead, the zombies were allowed to ‘explore’ the front lines on their own.
When the advance was stopped, the opened canned food was thrown forward. When there was a stalemate with zombies blocking the way, they provided support fire with a pistol with a silencer.
If there was a stone wall blocking the way, I pushed the car gently, and listened with my ears and looked with my eyes to see if gangsters or fanatics were coming.
The frequency of encountering patrols increased as you got closer to the center, but it was also easier to trick them. There were so many zombies here that scouting on foot was impossible.
For this reason, both sides chose to maneuver quickly by car or motorcycle, but there were too many obstacles on the road, so the sound was loud and the speed was not good.
“Let’s lie down.”
Every time, we lowered the driver and passenger seats of the car and lay down. While fully armed. A patrol vehicle passed by slowly, but there was no need to get out and open the car door.
Well, from their point of view, there was no reason to take the risk since they couldn’t tell whether there were hungry zombies or people inside.
As we got closer to the center, the number of zombies blocking our way increased. There were limitations to shooting with a pistol, so I quickly changed my strategy.
They threw lit Molotov cocktails and oil to cause confusion, and only shot those who escaped. Even though they checked for vehicles and explosives and only threw it in places they thought were safe, the effect of the fire was amazing.
Advance, infect, rest, then advance again.
The cityscape changed as we approached the center from the outskirts. Although the building on the outskirts was a bit dirty, the building itself was in good condition, so it looked like it would be possible to move in if it was cleaned. However, the buildings in the center were so unpleasant that even if you were paid extra, you would not want to enter them.
Because there was death everywhere.
Strangely enough, the most expensive places in the city pursue ‘natural beauty’. Not only do we simply gently cultivate the exterior of the building, but we also create a rooftop garden and cover the exterior of the building with ivy, or even plant large trees inside the building.
The plants that once provided green comfort to people with high salaries have now grown into bizarre shapes.
Overgrowth.
Tree roots grew unevenly and ruined the sidewalk. The ivy on the wall not only broke the glass window and seeped into the building, but also destroyed the window frame. One tree, which must have been a pine, had branches as drooping and twisted as a large zelkova tree in a gloomy swamp.
Underneath them were full of corpses.
Propaganda such as 『Free the people trapped in the central zone』, 『There is family there』 Are scattered around, while 『Guarantee property rights』, 『Sacrifice is inevitable』, 『Trust in the Goddess and lean on her. 』Propaganda materials of the same opposing nature were left scattered haphazardly.
Leticia glanced at the sight of the corpses and the direction from which they were shot, and said, “They’re protesters.” She concluded. It was divided into two sides based on the four-lane access road under the overpass construction site.
However, the military suppression was carried out equally on both sides. I thought I knew why it was like that. Infected people appeared at both sides of the protestors, and the National Military Police would not only select the zombies and shoot them, but would also shoot all the civilians around them.
Like fighting back an oncoming fire, killing people around the infected person in advance to prevent further spread.
So the pace of exploration was steady, and the number of infected zombies increased, but more zombies blocked our path.
Cassandra came up with a very special solution to reduce spray waste. Instead of washing the clothes I was wearing, I was told to distribute them to each person.
Camilla, Cassandra, and Leticia became somewhat comical, wearing outerwear over outerwear. It may have been difficult to move, but everyone tolerated it well.
“I want to wear your shirt too. “T-shirts are stuffy.”
Leticia stuck out her mouth and complained, but she couldn’t help it. The shirt is for Cassandra only. Because of her unique body shape, the t-shirt put too much pressure on her breasts.
“Doesn’t it smell bad?”
Even under the circumstances, it was quite embarrassing for them to give me clothes that were full of my sweat smell.
“Are you going to wear these clothes again?”
When Camilla asked and said no, she immediately grabbed her neck and stretched it. She took out a pair of scissors and cut an elongated triangle out of her side, which she folded and unfolded over and over again before draping it over her body. Then it became like an off-shoulder, exposing only one shoulder of hers.
“How about me?”
Camilla spun around. Clap clap clap. Cassandra lowered her hands in embarrassment as she had clapped them without realizing it. Leticia must have been itching to speak, but she said, “It suits me. “Her arms are a bit big, though.” It ended with this line.
“Would you like to decorate it too?”
Camilla asked Leticia, but she didn’t seem to have much expectations.
“It’s done.”
As if she knew that would happen, Camilla approached Cassandra. Cassandra wore her shirt over her own t-shirt, which was more like her cape than she was wearing it.
“This is a bit uncomfortable.”
Camilla straightened Cassandra’s t-shirt and stuffed her shirt from the bottom up. A bewildered Cassandra said, ‘Then she doesn’t get all buttoned up,’ but she didn’t seem to listen.
Instead, after fastening the three bottom buttons, she brought out a thin leather belt from a department store she had visited before.
“I was planning on doing this when, but it seems like it’s now.”
“Cassandra also has a belt….”
“I won’t leave it there, so don’t worry.”
Camilla tied her belt over her Cassandra’s shirt, as if it were a holster for a gun. Then Cassandra’s heart suddenly rose.
Her top unbuttoned shirt centered the shape of Cassandra’s breasts, and her waistband cupped her breasts to keep them out of the way. Then, her slender waist, which I had not noticed because her breasts were so big, was revealed.
“Instead of wearing something like a doctor’s gown all the time, try wearing something like this. “It’s pretty.”
Cassandra was at a loss. Because the color and shape of her bra were visible through her thin, white t-shirt. He seemed even more embarrassed because his shirt only covered half of it, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Thank you, Camilla….”
“It’s not my fault I was born with it…” .”
Leticia groaned, but it wasn’t a big deal to her.
“Aren’t you going to decorate me?”
I protested playfully to Camilla, and she shook her head.
“I can’t decorate it now.”
“Why?”
Camilla, with her eyes shining brightly, whispered in her ear, “You’re prettiest when I leave my lips and teeth marks on your body, but I can’t do that now.” She whispered.
Still, thanks to the fashion show, we were able to relieve our fatigue, depression, and anxiety. The overgrowth of plants became more severe, and the piles of discarded bones also increased.
But the most frightening thing was behind us.
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Finally we reached the ‘wall’. A huge iron wall that separates the central district from the four districts of the north, south, east, and west. A barricade made up of containers and damaged vehicles piled up haphazardly.
Seeing how the large cranes used in junkyards were left abandoned, it seemed as if they had been built deliberately. As if that wasn’t enough, they even built a concrete wall in front.
The wall was full of bullet marks, scorch marks, graffiti, and dirt. The scribbles were more dense than a child’s sketchbook, and the words 『Hell’s Gate』 Caught my eye.
“Ugh.”
And zombies.
The largest group of people I’ve ever seen, more than 100 people, were wandering around. They didn’t see us. He was looking at the fence with his back to us.
“Crrr.”
But eventually one of them saw us.
“Kyeah! Wow!”
They became hostile, but they didn’t rush in. Instead, they moved closer to the back, towards the wall.
It’s worth being scared.
Because there are 300 zombies behind us. Of course, I didn’t calculate it accurately. I counted by five and gave up. The last time I counted it was 300, so I guess there are more now.
This is thanks to the influx of zombies infected with ‘our virus’ from the previously occupied territories. He lured the military police and other leading zombies around with canned food cans to disperse them, and then led them to lead the others.
“What should I do?”
When Camilla asked, I pointed to the C4 bomb. Leticia asked, rubbing her eyebrows.
“I think it’s ambiguous. “Can I blow down that iron plate wall with this?”
“It’s not that one.”
I pointed to the concrete building facing the castle wall. The ceiling was high, probably because it was once used as a car showroom. It seemed like if we made a big hole in the wall, not only zombies but also our vehicle could pass through.
“It will be noisy.”
“It must be noisy. “Maybe, even the zombies in there are gathering.”
I grinned. The entrance is limited anyway, and we have heavy weapons. It doesn’t matter if a gang or a group of fanatics comes. If you shoot in vain, those guys will only be at a worse disadvantage.
“First, take control of the surrounding area and hide the vehicle. And….”
I took out a bunch of canned food.
“Let’s do it as usual.”