"Ah, thank you. Let's work hard and survive together."
"Mm. Please rest well, Commander."
"Then you two sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."
Lux pointed at his bed.
"Commander, Tactical Dolls only need a place to sit in order to rest. You don't need to worry about us."
HK416 said.
"Well, even so, sleeping comfortably helps recover fatigue, right? It's decided then. Good night."
After saying that, Lux walked toward the living room.
"When it's time to change shifts, I won't let you keep sleeping."
MDR said, then left the room and went to the doorway.
HK416 looked at the bed and fell into thought.
Carefully placing her weapon aside, HK416 suddenly leapt into the air and pounced onto the soft bed.
After taking a deep breath, HK416 quietly closed her eyes.
---
Early in the morning, Lux sat up from the sofa and grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the coffee table, taking a few big gulps.
He had to admit, last night was the most peaceful sleep he'd had in days. He didn't have to worry about zombies breaking in and dismembering him in his sleep.
However, today was the day fate would be decided. Stepping out of this relatively safe room to face zombies that devoured living people alive still made Lux feel anxious.
When he walked out into the living room, HK416 was standing guard at the door with her rifle.
"Good morning, Commander. Today, I won't lose to anyone."
Her clear voice, without the slightest hint of confusion, gradually calmed Lux's heart.
"Yeah. I believe you're the best."
"MDR is still in sleep mode. I'll go wake her."
HK416 headed toward the bedroom.
"Wait until I heat up the food first. After that, we probably won't be able to sleep in such a safe and comfortable place."
"Alright."
In the kitchen, Lux reheated last night's leftovers and brought them to the living room. MDR soon came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, oh, is it time to eat? Looks like Miss MDR woke up at just the right moment!"
"You woke up because you smelled the food, didn't you…"
HK416 commented flatly.
"Ahahaha, anyway, an energetic day starts with a delicious breakfast!"
MDR tapped her bowl with her chopsticks, humming an unknown tune cheerfully.
After cleaning up all the leftovers, Lux placed the system-generated ammunition supplies and HK416's five rifle grenades on the coffee table.
"Next, HK416, come with me to the back balcony. We'll trigger a car alarm inside the residential area. After that, we'll collect the nearest vehicle."
"I can't be sure how long that car can withstand zombie attacks, but under the impact of hundreds of zombies, it probably won't last even five minutes."
"Yesterday I found a tenant's car keys in a second-floor room. Luckily, his car isn't broken."
"That's great! With a vehicle, escaping will be easy!"
MDR said happily.
"I do not have a vehicle operation module."
HK416 said calmly.
"I don't either. Commander, y-you can drive, right?"
MDR looked at Lux with hopeful eyes.
"I do have a driver's license."
"But realistically, escaping by car won't work right now. First, although I have a license, I've never had money to buy a car after driving school, so I'll need time to get familiar with it."
"Second, the disaster has already been going on for two days. While we probably don't need to worry about panicked people crashing into us, the streets are full of unhandled wrecked vehicles. Even if we get onto the road, we could be blocked by abandoned cars."
"With my driving skills, if we're unlucky, I might even crash into them."
Lux said with a bitter smile.
"Eh, eh, eh! We have a vehicle, but we can't use it?"
MDR pounded the table in frustration.
"I really feel sorry for being so useless…"
"Ah, I'm not blaming you, Commander. It's more like I don't have that kind of authority. Miss MDR just dissatisfied with the current situation."
"The rough route to the phone store is like this. If we're forced to split up due to unforeseen circumstances, we can meet here."
"Ha! Ha! Ha! You're underestimating Miss MDR's strength, huh? Saying we might be split up—Commander would be torn apart alive if that happened."
"Hey, hey, you really look down on me, huh."
Lux was speechless. Although MDR was right, being dismissed to this extent still made him a bit upset.
"I admit, Commander, you're great at cooking and very gentle with people. But someone like you is the first to die on the battlefield."
"Enough of the unlucky talk before a mission. Let's get ready to go out."
"Rest assured, Commander. I will absolutely not leave your side."
HK416 placed her hand firmly on Lux's shoulder, squeezing it hard to convey her determination.
"By the way, try not to fire your gun. That will make the three of us a target."
"And also avoid close combat with zombies. It slows down our escape. If possible, just kick them down and run."
Lux racked his brain, thinking of every precaution.
"Understood!"
"Everyone ready?"
"Mm."
HK416 and MDR nodded simultaneously.
Lux opened the security door and led HK416 to the back balcony.
HK416 loaded a high-explosive grenade, aimed, and fired.
Boom! A deafening explosion rocked the residential area, followed by the shrill blare of a car alarm.
MDR had already dashed out of the security door, clearing the path ahead.
Lux followed quickly with HK416 down the stairs.
Fortunately, they weren't stopped by any zombies until they reached the unit door.