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Julian looked around. No new zombies were being drawn over. It was about time to move.
"Vroom—"
He started the Jetta.
The engine's roar immediately caught the attention of the zombies not far away, the ones still crouched over half-eaten corpses.
Clutch in. Shift. Gas.
With smooth, practiced movements, Julian drove the Jetta out of the underground garage.
Aboveground was a wasteland.
Crashed cars were scattered everywhere, mixed with mangled bodies. To avoid the wreckage, he had to slow down, weaving in wide S-curves down the road.
The noise drew every zombie in earshot.
"ROAR!"
They howled and charged at the Jetta.
Before long, a long, writhing line formed behind him. Zombies poured out from nearby streets and buildings. At a glance, there had to be at least two hundred of them.
"Master… that's a lot this time," Mafuyu Kirisu muttered, her brows knitting slightly.
She was powerful, yes. But stamina wasn't unlimited. If they got surrounded, she might not be able to protect Julian completely.
"It's fine. I'm pretty decent behind the wheel."
He handled the manual transmission with ease, steadily widening the gap while dodging obstacles.
Soon, the supermarket came into view.
The front entrance was swarming with over a hundred zombies. The main door was out of the question.
Julian turned the car and circled the building's perimeter.
"Loading dock!"
His eyes lit up.
The loading dock connected directly to the warehouse—exactly where he wanted to go.
He glanced at the zombie horde in his rearview mirror. They were still over a hundred meters back.
"Mafuyu, they won't attack you," he said calmly. "Take the backpack and suitcase. Go wait for me at the loading dock."
Mafuyu obeyed without hesitation. She grabbed the bags and jumped out of the car.
Julian kept driving, looping around the supermarket several times. Eventually, he could see the tail end of the zombie horde up ahead. Hundreds of them had nearly encircled the entire building.
If he kept going, he'd drive straight into a wall of undead.
He cranked the car stereo to maximum volume, grabbed his Tang saber, and jumped out.
The Jetta, still in first gear, continued rolling forward, blasting music.
Most of the zombies followed the noisy car, but a dozen or so, eyes bloodshot, locked onto Julian instead.
He drew the Tang saber in one fluid motion and cut down a few that blocked his path before sprinting toward the loading dock.
"Master!"
Mafuyu exhaled in relief when she saw him. She'd clearly been worried these past few minutes.
"Hold off the ones chasing me. I'll open the door."
No time for small talk. Julian rushed to the warehouse entrance.
An electronic lock barred the door. A correct password was required.
Unhurried, he scooped up a handful of sand from the ground and sprinkled it over the keypad.
Human fingers always carry a bit of oil. After entering a code, faint traces remain on the buttons. With a light dusting of sand, the frequently pressed digits became obvious.
Four numbers.
Now it was just a matter of trying different combinations.
First attempt. Wrong.
An alarm blared.
Zombies in the distance immediately turned their attention toward the sound.
Second attempt. Wrong.
Third attempt. Wrong.
Mafuyu's pressure mounted. Dozens of zombie corpses were already piled at her feet. Ahead of her, more undead surged forward like an endless tide.
She was starting to breathe harder. The fight had clearly taken its toll.
Julian steadied himself and kept entering combinations.
"Beep!"
The green light on the electronic lock flashed.
Unlocked.
"Mafuyu, fall back!"
He tossed the hiking pack and suitcase inside, then waited at the doorway.
With a powerful kick, Mafuyu sent two zombies flying. She sprinted toward him and leapt—
Straight into his arms.
Julian caught her and immediately shut and locked the door behind them.
"Phew… finally."
He let out a long breath.
Mafuyu stayed curled against him, refusing to move. She'd used up so much energy just now. A little clinginess was only fair.
Suddenly, both of them sensed something off.
They turned in unison.
Several people in supermarket uniforms were staring at them, weapons in hand.
"Who are you?" a middle-aged man with a balding head demanded. "How do you know the password?"
Judging by his clothes, he was probably the store manager.
"We're survivors," Julian replied evenly. "We came for supplies."
The manager frowned.
When the outbreak had started, they'd been working in the warehouse. They'd immediately sealed the doors and narrowly escaped disaster. With plenty of goods around, life here had actually been relatively comfortable.
Then the warehouse door had suddenly opened.
He'd nearly wet himself from the shock.
Thankfully, these two had closed it again in time.
The howls outside made it clear—there were at least a hundred zombies out there. If those things got in, they were all dead.
"Survivors?" the manager scoffed. "I'm the manager here. This place runs by my rules."
His eyes swept over them—and stopped at Mafuyu.
Stunning.
Even TV actresses didn't look this good.
If he could just have a little fun with her, his life would be worth it.
"You can stay," he said slowly, chin raised. "But you'll listen to me."
"Supplies are precious now. We don't feed freeloaders."
Julian smiled faintly.
The bald man's gaze made his intentions obvious. He'd definitely set his sights on Mafuyu.
But Julian wasn't in a rush to kill him.
This warehouse could keep zombies out—but not humans. It needed reinforcement. And that kind of heavy labor required manpower.
These supermarket employees were perfect for the job.
After resting for a bit, he'd find an opportunity to subdue them. Then they could get to work.
His eyes drifted toward a large walk-in freezer in the warehouse.
There had to be plenty of meat and seafood inside.
In the apocalypse, that was a rare treasure.
Unfortunately, several heavy locks secured the freezer door. Old-fashioned mechanical locks. No keypad tricks this time. He'd need the key.
And the key…
It was almost certainly on the manager. Or hidden somewhere by him.
Once they'd rested a little, Julian would make him talk.
Even if it required… stronger methods.
"....."