Ch.202Chapter 21. The Art of Deceiving Each Other (14)

* * * * *

We entered the resort. We quickly changed our clothes, but Camilla still seemed to have difficulty moving. However, she refused when I told her to take cover quickly.

“I’m a sniper. If I can find a good position, I’m worth a hundred soldiers.”

In the end, both of us hid by the window, occasionally peeking outside. The helicopters had now approached close enough to see their unit markings. The “Elza Army Aviation Corps” emblem was clearly visible.

There were three helicopters in total. Two were attack helicopters laden with weapons, and one appeared to be for troop transport. Shortly after, a loud siren blared through the helicopter’s loudspeakers.

“They’re circling around. Looks like they’re searching for something.”

Camilla whispered. The helicopters were already noisy, but with the added siren sound, zombies that had been hiding crawled out in droves. The minigun attached to one of the helicopters rotated and rattled, scraping the ground. The zombies were shredded like rotten tomatoes.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

After the first wave was shredded, the helicopter began hovering in the air.

『This is the Elza Army Aviation Corps. This is the Elza Army Aviation Corps. If there are any survivors, please come to the rooftop. This city is scheduled for indiscriminate bombing. We repeat our warning. If there are any survivors, please come to the rooftop immediately or wave your hands outside the window. We will give you 3 minutes.』

After 3 minutes, one of the attack helicopters veered off to the side, then returned making a large arc. Multiple rockets spewed fire. They flew into abandoned vehicles, LPG gas tanks, and gas stations.

An entire city block exploded.

The ground shook from the shockwave. All the glass windows of the resort shattered despite being quite far from the blast. Fortunately, Camilla and I weren’t injured as we had covered ourselves with blankets before the rockets hit.

“Those crazy…! They don’t care whether there are civilians or not!”

Camilla was right. Fortunately, only zombies were in the area where the bombs fell. The problem was that those helicopters would be moving to other areas.

Cars started departing from various locations.

– Johan!

Leticia’s urgent radio call came through.

“Yeah, we’re okay!”

– Get out of the resort! I just intercepted their communication channel, and it seems like they’re primarily targeting vacation spots!

Vacation spots?

But it seemed we were a bit too late. The troop transport helicopter was already flying toward us. The two attack helicopters surrounded the perimeter as if escorting it.

“Oh no.”

The bombing was a distraction from the beginning. Zombies tend to follow loud noises and vibrations. The area where the explosion occurred was on the opposite side of this resort.

Escape by car? That’s nonsense. Cars are two-dimensional, but helicopters are three-dimensional. There’s no way we could outrun them.

Then the remaining option is to hide in the resort, but that’s not ideal either. It’s not like this place was in normal operation, and unfortunately, all the furniture had been removed for remodeling.

“Johan. I’ll hold them off here…”

“No.”

Of all times, they had to come right after everything had turned into a complete mess.

Still, it’s not like we have absolutely no options.

* * * * *

On the resort rooftop. A Black Hawk helicopter hovered silently. Eleven National Military Police officers descended simultaneously along the rappel lines. All wore gas masks to avoid infection.

Landing. They made almost no sound, like cats settling on the ground. Three headed toward the stairs, but the remaining eight secured ropes firmly to the railing and descended headfirst. They looked like spiders dropping down on their silk threads.

Swoosh, click.

They gently opened the glass windows and entered one by one. The lead officer raised his fist in the air. A blanket had fallen beside the bed, clearly indicating someone had been there just moments ago.

The hand signal for ‘caution’ spread quickly. Someone put their hand to their ear. It meant they heard something.

Thump… bang… clang…

The officers all looked up at the ceiling. The ventilation duct. Someone, or something, was clearly moving through the vent and making noise.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

This time it was an obvious sound of someone pounding with their fist. The officers raised their gun barrels toward the ceiling. However, one officer raised his hand and wiggled his fingers.

“Rooftop team. Respond?”

Someone sent a quiet radio message.

– Confirmed.

The response sounded like someone mumbling with a cloth stuffed in their mouth. The officer who had wiggled his fingers made complex hand signals.

‘Rooftop team’ ‘Captured’ ‘Danger’

The other officers stared blankly at the signaler for a moment, but quickly regained their composure. The officer who had sent the radio message continued.

“Noise coming from the ventilation duct, requesting confirmation.”

– Confirmed. Over.

More complex hand signals followed. Three officers positioned themselves by the windows. Two on either side of the entrance. The remaining three aimed their guns at the doorway.

– Requesting backup. Repeat. Requesting backup on the rooftop.

The signaler nodded and gave the signal for ‘caution.’

“Confirmed. Coming up.”

The signaler made hand signals. ‘Hold position. Fire with caution. Prepare for close combat. When I signal, only open the door. Three. Two. One.’

The officers standing beside the entrance flung the door open.

Click. Click. Click. A small canister rolled into the room.

It was a flash grenade.

BANG!

They had anticipated it and turned their heads away, but there was nothing they could do about the deafening explosion. The tactical headsets they wore reduced the impact somewhat, but a firefight had already broken out at the entrance.

Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!

“Aagh!”

“Uwaagh!”

Three soldiers fell in an instant. They were wearing bulletproof vests so their lives weren’t in danger, but their opponent seemed to have noticed this and targeted their arms, legs, and feet instead.

That’s when it happened.

“Urrraaagh!”

The signaler suddenly let out a roar and charged into the wall. Though it was painted, that section was different from the others—it was a temporary wall. Easily breaking through, the signaler military police officer lunged at the person firing from the entrance.

A brawl erupted.

Some of the military police officers hurriedly pulled the wounded back. Blood streaks marked the floor, but they quickly sealed the wounds using Kivelle Company’s emergency kits. Strangely, the flesh regenerated rapidly, closing the wounds almost immediately. The other officers tried to join the fight in the corridor, but the two combatants were fighting so fiercely that no one dared to intervene.

“Get down!”

Just then, the signaler shouted. Almost simultaneously, a bang sounded and one soldier fell. It was a sniper. A bullet aimed at the neck had hit the bottom of the helmet and ricocheted. Miraculously, the soldier survived, but staggered from the impact equivalent to being punched in the neck.

A second shot followed the impact. The signaler’s helmet flashed and flew off. Then, a third shot came. Part of the flowing silver hair was cut off.

– Virginia!

Outside the resort, from the water tank of the adjacent building, a loudspeaker boomed. It was Camilla’s voice.

– Try anything funny and your head will explode! Hands up and on your knees!

Virginia growled for a moment but complied. The person who had been in the brawl staggered to their feet. They wiped the nosebleed from their face with a fist.

* * * * *

Like a wild boar, that woman.

Her grip was so brutally strong that I felt like my nose had been flattened. It’s Virginia. Of all people, Virginia came here in person. But how?

“How did you find me?”

“…Where else would a debauchee go but a place to eat and play? It wasn’t difficult to pinpoint your location.”

“Is that so, dear wife? Why are you here? Why. Did you come to fulfill your marital duties?”

“You bastard…!”

What a shame. If she had moved her hand just a little more, Camilla would have put a hole in her hand. Virginia showed superhuman patience and didn’t move a finger. I kept my gun aimed, targeting each military police officer one by one.

“All of you. If you don’t want to die, put your guns down gently. That’s right. Good job. Virginia. My goodness, why are you carrying three guns? A rifle and two pistols? Are those even pistols? More like hand cannons, aren’t they?”

What’s with that barrel length? If someone took a direct hit from that, even an elephant’s head would be shattered. But I don’t dare try to take that gun from her. If I approach carelessly, she might break my wrist.

“Let me ask again, dear wife. Why are you here?”

“To talk.”

“You don’t seem to understand. Dialogue happens between people of equal power. I have nothing to say to someone who can tear apart metal plates with her bare hands.”

I mean, it’s scary.

Virginia still glares up at me with murderous eyes.

“No. There is something. A great war is coming. Minsk’s forces will advance on Elza’s capital. According to the original plan, they would have had to waste their firepower on the zombie barrier in the west. But you, by clearing out the zombies, have disrupted that plan. Now there’s no good way to stop Minsk’s forces.”

“Yet you had no problem bringing helicopters here? Wasting plenty of firepower.”

“Because I think capturing you is worth it. And surely, you don’t think I came here without any basis?”

Virginia gave a chilling smile. Her gaze was directed at me, but it was subtly off. Cautiously maintaining my guard, I glanced slightly behind me.

“…Leticia?!”

Leticia was standing there, aiming her rifle at me.

“Hello, Johan.”