"Roger, hehe, how about that hotel over there, Commander~?"
"Don't joke. We'd have to clear a lot of zombies there. Would you really choose it as a resting place?"
Lux scolded her.
"Oh~ If the Commander wants to enjoy a little action, I don't mind showing off my skills, hehe. Of course, ammo is on you~"
UMP45 said with a grin, but the van sped past the hotel, UMP45 showing no sign of slowing down.
Ten minutes later, UMP45 braked outside an indoor vegetable greenhouse.
"Commander, your back is in my hands."
With that, she aimed her gun and shot several workers dressed in overalls.
"I'd pay more attention to your back," Lux said, quickly jumping out. He drew his katana and severed a zombie's head. With the morning's swordsmanship knowledge and the anatomical weak point diagram, the katana cut through like butter.
Within a minute, six zombies had fallen around UMP45. After clearing this side, she stopped shooting, letting the sound of gunfire attract more zombies for Lux to handle.
"Candice, I'll cut this zombie's legs. You finish it off, got it?"
Lux said as he leapt to a zombie, slicing its leg joints with his katana. The zombie toppled toward him.
A tiny figure dashed forward. The zombie swiped at Candice's slender leg, but she twisted to dodge.
"Die!! Die! Go die!"
With a piercing scream, the little girl drove her Nepalese Kukri into the zombie's head repeatedly.
"Done. It's dead, but next time, try not to make noise. Sounds attract more zombies. You might not face just one."
Lux reminded the little girl, who looked slightly crazed from hacking the zombie.
"Did… did I succeed?"
Candice stepped back, a small puddle of pale yellow liquid soaking her white stockings. Clearly, she had been scared and had lost control of her bladder once safe.
"You did great. You're safe now."
Lux gently placed her machete back in its shark-skin sheath.
"Waa, so scary… Why didn't you save me just now? I almost… almost got grabbed and turned into one of them!"
Candice clung to him, sobbing softly.
"I trust you to dodge. Not every time will I help. You must rely on yourself. If I had to assist even against a slow zombie, you wouldn't grow."
Lux stroked her head to calm her, speaking seriously.
He had been ready to grab her if she failed, but seeing her succeed, he withdrew his hand.
For humans, the best growth comes from walking the edge of death.
"Hey, who has a hydraulic cutter? Otherwise, we might have to break the glass."
UMP45 turned to ask.
"Here!" M99 pulled a manual hydraulic cutter from her rabbit doll backpack and clipped the lock on the greenhouse door.
"Commander, carry the little girl inside and comfort her. It's getting dark—zombies might sneak in."
Lux nodded, picking up Candice and heading into the greenhouse.
"Lianne, you should get out too. We're at the place to rest and eat."
Sideng called from the van. Lianne finally looked up, quickly climbing out and entering the greenhouse.
UMP45 got back in the driver's seat, blocking the van at the door. This ensured that the weaker humans, Candice and Lianne, were safe inside first.
Inside the greenhouse, Lux took out a smokeless stove, a stew pot, and a fridge taken from a vegetable store. MDR, familiar with hot pot prep from yesterday, started cooking.
HK416 prepared rice with a pot.
Candice still shivered in Lux's arms, quietly sobbing.
Lianne glanced at the crying girl, then used a small stone as a makeshift pen to calculate in the soil.
Having just joined the team, she wanted to prove herself without saying anything wrong. Being in this group greatly improved her survival chances.
She was also developing a hypothesis about the virus outbreak, and needed data to support it. She began calculating.