Ch.178Chapter 20. Patriot (30)

* * * * *

At the same time, in the City Hall archives.

Leticia paced around the room, while Cassandra was so focused on the monitor she looked like she might be sucked into it. And Camilla had just crushed a grip strengthener she’d found in a desk drawer. Finally, Leticia exploded in frustration.

“My God, they’re no different from zombies! What are those crazy people doing? Is this some kind of cult initiation ritual? I was worried about them getting bitten by zombies, but it looks like they’ll be worn away by human hands first!”

The footage coming from the RV helicopter was truly a spectacle.

Thirteen half-naked women surrounded the nearly naked Johan, touching his body. They didn’t approach within a certain distance, as if Johan were trapped in an invisible cage, but they stretched out their arms and kneaded at him from all sides.

That alone was absurd, but what came next was even more ridiculous. After thoroughly fondling Johan, the women brought their hands to their noses and sniffed them. Some women, unable to touch him due to too much competition, stuffed his clothing items against their bodies instead. And they all coughed loudly. All except one.

“This woman isn’t coughing.”

For someone who had broken three grip strengtheners, Camilla was remarkably composed. She pointed to a woman who had distanced herself slightly from the group. Unlike the other women who were fixated solely on Johan, this woman was surveying both the men with rifles and the women equally. She had the bearing of a commander.

“Quite interesting.”

Cassandra’s expression remained neutral. Camilla and Leticia stared at her intently, but Cassandra didn’t return their gaze. Instead, she pointed alternately at the women and men.

“Look at these women. Their symptoms are similar to acute zombification in many ways. They’re trying to remove their clothes because their body temperature is rising. The constant coughing is a symptom of viral infection.”

“Viral infection symptoms?”

“Yes. Johan poured an entire canister of pheromone spray on himself. A modified version, too. We knew it was effective on zombies, but we had little data on how it affects humans. Now we’re getting confirmation.”

Camilla mulled over Cassandra’s words.

If Cassandra was right, those women were now infected with Johan’s Chro virus. The pheromone that made even zombies—who would devour anything in the world—regard him as one of their own. It was now having a powerful effect on humans.

Cassandra calmly pointed to each person as she explained.

“It’s highly addictive, which is why they keep trying to touch Johan’s body. The virus is conflicting with the Chro virus already in their bodies, causing them to cough. And during the coughing, the virus spreads. Look. The men in the back are coughing too. It’s spreading.”

“What about this woman? She’s touching Johan too, but she’s not coughing.”

Camilla pointed to the woman who appeared to be the leader. Cassandra tilted her head.

“That’s why it’s more interesting. Why is she different? It would be good if we had a way to contact Johan. We could ask him to find out what difference there is between this woman and the other nineteen…”

“Impossible. Johan hid his spray, mobile phone, and other equipment in that chocolate shop. We all saw it.”

Leticia shook her head.

Johan knew the three women were monitoring him with the RV helicopter and RV car. He had waved at them deliberately, taken out each piece of equipment one by one, waved them around, and then hidden them in the store cabinet. Then he boldly approached the cultists.

“Just wait until he gets back. I’ll beat him to a pulp. For now, let’s stick to the plan we made.”

There was a cracking sound from Camilla’s hand. Leticia checked another camera. A military police zombie with chains wrapped around its arms was roaming the streets. Its combat uniform was tattered, but its appearance was almost the same.

* * * * *

Catherine made a polite proposal to Hoot.

“Our destination is the health center in Silvertown. I can’t tell you the details, but we’ll be doing a very brief operation there and then escaping from the central district. As a supervisor, I’m asking you, Hoot. I’d like you to accompany us.”

“That’s difficult. I wanted to save you all, but I don’t want to act with you.”

Hoot showed reluctance, but Catherine didn’t back down.

“We’ll protect you.”

Twelve women looked at Hoot, drooling. Hoot was about to shake his head again, but Catherine and Elian stepped forward with various proposals.

The reconnaissance team would supply Hoot with necessary materials, but Hoot wouldn’t have to share with the team. During collection, distribution would be fair, but if he needed something, he’d be responsible for getting it himself, and so on.

“But the condition is that you move with us.”

Finally, Hoot agreed.

“Alright.”

For several days, the group advanced slowly. The streets were crawling with zombies, and sirens wailed intermittently, making their progress painfully slow.

Eventually, the group had to use buildings as stepping stones. They would completely seal off one building to gather supplies and necessities, then move to the next.

It was easy at first. The gaps between buildings were relatively narrow, so they could cross using makeshift bridges of planks or metal sheets. But soon they faced situations where they had to run across the road on foot.

Hoot proved his worth in these situations. He was an incredibly clever man. He moved without attracting zombies’ attention and employed quiet combat techniques like strangling zombies with nooses around their necks. He would also set alarm clocks far away to divert attention and then escape.

None of his techniques were complicated; anyone could easily follow them. But Catherine and Elian’s reconnaissance team were impressed not by his flashy skills, but by his natural ability to act at exactly the right time and place. Even the men who were jealous of Hoot had to acknowledge his competence.

“Where are you from? Have you been to the central district often? You’re incredibly skilled.”

The thirteen women praised Hoot at every opportunity and tried to extract even the smallest bits of information from him. The twelve besides Catherine were particularly aggressive. They had even placed bets on whether what was hidden in his underwear when they’d removed his pants was a pistol or a sawed-off shotgun.

Each time, Hoot politely pushed them away, but he didn’t completely keep his mouth shut.

Thanks to this, Elian’s reconnaissance team learned that Hoot was the only man in his family, supporting his mother, aunt, and grandmother. They learned that he spent more than 20 days a month living outside, gathering supplies to deliver to his home before setting off again. They accepted his explanation that all three women had “bad illnesses,” which was why he had come to this dangerous central district to find high-grade medicines.

“Don’t you want to join the Order? We can take care of not just you but your entire family. Anyone would welcome a capable man like you.”

The invitations continued, but Hoot just smiled and shook his head.

“It’s the times we live in, isn’t it? Neighbors become demons, relatives betray us… our family has been deeply hurt. My mother, aunt, grandmother… someday we’ll have to return to society, but before that, we need time for our wounds to heal.”

“People who believe in the Goddess aren’t like that. We’re all family. We share and share alike. You too could become family in the embrace of the Goddess.”

“I don’t mind for myself. But my family comes first. Until they’re ready, I can’t decide unilaterally.”

Hoot was stubborn on this point. The women thought he was a bit old-fashioned, but they also came to understand his sense of duty as the only man in his household. In the end, they would lightly kiss his cheek and move on.

“The door is always open.”

But the women couldn’t get too close either. The male members were giving them jealous looks. Whenever the women wore slightly revealing clothes or rubbed against Hoot, there would be jeers or dry coughs.

“If your throat hurts, drink some water! Even a headless zombie would find you with that coughing!”

“You’re coughing too, why are you only picking on us?”

Catherine was the one who was troubled. Thanks to Hoot and Elian’s efforts, they were making progress, but the pace was too slow. They might somehow find food, but there was no way to get more bullets. It was also uncertain how long this luck would last. The coughing spreading among the members was another problem. Both male and female members were sneezing more frequently.

“Elian, the cold medicine isn’t working at all?”

Catherine looked at Elian with concern.

“They say a cold lasts a week with medicine and seven days without, but this one is strange. There’s a sore throat, mild burning sensation, dry throat causing coughing… and it’s not getting better at all.”

“You said it’s similar to the flu symptoms from before?”

“Except for one thing. Back then, we were too sick to move around, but now it’s not that bad. It can be suppressed just by drinking some water. But what really worries me is something else. The zombies.”

“What about the zombies, Elian?”

“Catherine, I think zombies can catch colds too. I’ve seen some of them coughing occasionally. I even feel like the number of zombies with colds is increasing.”

Zombies were originally people. And people become zombies when infected with the Chro virus. That was the common knowledge Elian and Catherine had. So if zombies get sick, it could be transmitted to humans. The reverse might also be possible.

Suddenly, Catherine realized something was off.

“This didn’t happen before that man Hoot joined us.”

“Yes. This didn’t happen before we came to the central district. And Hoot doesn’t cough, does he? Neither do you, Catherine.”

“…Well, that’s true. Ah-achoo! I do cough a little. No, and there’s something more important than that.”

What was it? Catherine couldn’t recall. She remembered writing down important information in a notebook, but she couldn’t remember which notebook it was—it felt like she was pulling out and flipping through every notebook she had. But it was definitely something related to Hoot.

“What is it?”

“Hoot…”

“Yes, he’s a good person. He risked danger to save us. He even supports three family members. We all do that too, but we have the umbrella of the Order. Hoot doesn’t have anything like that.”

“No, more than that… don’t you all like Hoot too much?”

A slight twitch appeared on Catherine’s face. Elian frowned, wondering what the problem was. But just then, a pleasant scent wafted from somewhere. Catherine’s eyes softened slightly. Elian’s face brightened.

“Oh, Hoot?! What happened to you?”

Hoot was standing in the doorway, his body drenched in sweat. Elian was unconsciously seized by the urge to lick that sweat. She came to her senses only because Catherine rushed ahead of her.

“Where did you work up such a sweat?”

Catherine wiped Hoot’s sweat with her sleeve. It was such a natural impulse. As natural as sleeping when tired or eating when hungry.

“I went, huff, on a reconnaissance. To find a quick way to the health center.”

“What?! Without saying anything?”

“You would have, huff, stopped me, right?”

Elian rushed forward angrily, but Catherine blocked her. Then she pushed her face closer to Hoot. The warmth of his skin made her feel very good, but now was the time for business.

“So did you find a path?”

“I did. There aren’t many humanoid zombies on the route. But there are beast-type zombies, so we’ll need firearms. A pack of leopards has set up camp there. But we’re short on ammunition, aren’t we?”

“Why are you worrying about us?”

Elian slapped Hoot’s arm. Or rather, she placed her palm against it and wiped it.

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about my family. I need to get back quickly. Don’t you feel the same?”

“…If bullets are such a concern, there is a way. We’ll have to take a detour, but.”

Finally, Catherine made a decision.

“But Catherine, that place!”

“I know. It’s a place we don’t touch unless it’s really dangerous. It’s also our savings for emergencies. And now is the time we need to withdraw those savings. We can’t have twenty-one people die here.

With this unknown coughing spreading and potential connections to zombies being suggested, we need to either complete the mission as quickly as possible or give up and leave. Above all, we don’t have the Humvee anymore, do we? To get it back, we need firepower. And you, Hoot.”

Catherine pressed her palm against Hoot’s chest.

“What is it?”

“We’ve granted you some freedom until now, but that ends here. You need to be under our surveillance. The place we’re going to is the Order’s supply warehouse, a location unknown to outsiders. If an outsider learns about it, it’s a death sentence. I don’t want to do that to you. Don’t make me hurt you.”

Catherine spoke rapidly, as if reciting insurance terms. Even Elian was a bit dumbfounded. Hoot sighed deeply.

“…You’re already watching me plenty. What more do you want? Should I hand over my gun?”

“No. Don’t leave my side… or at least Elian’s side. I don’t know what the other women think of you, but I’m different from the others. I guarantee your safety.”

Elian felt a strange sense of dissonance. ‘Didn’t Catherine just say everyone likes Hoot too much?’ The words she had spoken earlier came to mind. But she was more concerned with Catherine subtly trying to rub her chest against Hoot, so her first reaction was to gently pull Hoot’s body back.