Ch.24Chapter 4. Lambert Drive (9)

I drew my gun and pressed myself against the wall. I crept sideways like a crab, moving stealthily. Voices could be heard from inside. It was a woman’s voice, seemingly terrified and whimpering.

“P-please don’t do this.”

A voice that sounded like she was forcibly dragging out words she wanted to swallow.

“Please don’t do this.”

A voice like a snake slithering into a mouse hole. Carefully, I peered inside through the open door.

The first things I saw were brilliant, square-shaped safes. Warm sunlight streamed in through the opaque bars.

I spotted a member of the Lambert Gang standing flush against the iron bars. His gun was leaning against the wall, and he held a hunting knife in his hand. The way he stuck his butt out toward me was an unsightly view. Another reason to kill him.

But when I saw the woman inside the cell, I forgot about all that.

She wore a loose shirt that didn’t fit her size and blue cotton pants. And I could guess why the shirt was so baggy. Her breasts were large.

Looking at them, they were large enough to calm my anger. Her head was rather small, but she kept it bowed down, making it difficult to see clearly. Her straight black hair hung like a curtain. Her eyes were a pretty green.

“Can you hear the noise outside? We’re screwed. It’s all over now. We’re going to die.”

“D-d-d-die? Is C-Cassandra g-going to d-die?”

“Yeah. We’ll become zombies and go ‘rawr’ before we die.”

“What? Z-zombies d-don’t work like that.”

I wasn’t the only one who thought something was off, judging by how the man straightened up. But the woman, despite her timid voice, spoke with surprising conviction.

“Z-zombies don’t g-get infected that way. Y-you’re not even a z-zombie.”

With her fists clenched tight against her body, she pointed this out with the demeanor of a helpless baby predator.

“E-even if you were a c-carrier, putting a v-virus in a c-corpse wouldn’t make it a z-zombie. Are y-you perhaps a c-carrier?”

“No, look. Who cares about that stuff? We’re going to die. Both of us.”

“I’m C-Cassandra, not ‘look.’ S-Senior Researcher at the Disease Crisis Management Bureau, C-Cassandra. A-anyway, you d-don’t die by b-becoming a zombie. Y-you’re wrong. Liar. Cassandra knows everything.”

None of that mattered. It was mystifying how her breasts could bounce so dramatically with just the simple motion of placing her hands on her hips.

The man seemed to share my sense of awe, as he appeared momentarily at a loss for words.

“So let’s do it once before we die!”

The man tried to fling open the barred door.

“F-f-f-fuck off!”

The woman kicked the barred door. Caught by surprise, the man clutched his nose and backed away.

The woman kicked the bars more violently. The man dropped his knife. The woman quickly grabbed it and plunged it right into the man’s groin.

“Aaaagh!”

And then into his neck.

“Y-you… c-crazy… bitch…”

“I-I’m not a crazy bitch, I’m C-Cassandra, like I s-said! I-idiot, you d-dog!”

“Shit… big tits are all you’ve got…”

The man breathed his last.

“Th-they’re also p-pretty shaped.”

The woman held up the knife. Knife in her left hand, she brought her right fingers to her mouth, nibbling on the fingertips. Wow, even in that posture, her breasts could be compressed.

No. That’s not right. I snapped back to reality. Anyway, like that apple storage incident, I didn’t want any misunderstandings.

It seemed this woman was the original owner of this jumper.

I unwrapped my handkerchief and threw off my poncho. After placing them carefully outside, I knocked politely and entered.

“Excuse me.”

“Eeeek!”

“You’re Cassandra, right?”

To show I meant no harm, I held my M4 in one hand and my rifle in the other, with the barrels pointed skyward. The woman nibbled on her fingers while holding up the knife.

“D-did you come to k-kill me too? Or m-maybe do this and that b-before killing me…! Oh, that clothes…?”

“You’re the owner of this jumper, right? I came to return it. I heard it was taken from you.”

I twirled around once while wearing the Disease Crisis Management Bureau jumper. Cassandra’s expression didn’t look good. Did I do something wrong?

“A-are you crazy?”

“…Pardon?”

“Or a p-pervert? What’s with the b-bag? Are you some m-middle-aged man into schoolgirls?”

“Life has led me to this point.”

I really need to tear up this damn bag or something. How have I not found a replacement bag yet?

“G-give it back.”

“That’s why I’m here. But it’s a bit scary with you holding that knife like that.”

“Y-you’re holding g-guns.”

No, your knife is dripping blood, which is scary. My guns don’t do that.

“Hey, what’s going on in there!”

A rough voice.

“Excuse me.”

The door here is thick. I crouched down, stuck out just the gun barrel, and fired roughly. “Aagh!” I hit him with a ta-tang before he could return fire.

“Kyaaaah!”

Cassandra screamed and made a fuss.

“It’s okay.”

There didn’t seem to be more coming, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

“Bug! Get the bug off! There’s a bug on me! I hate bugs! I hate them!”

There was indeed a spider on her back. It was quite large. But before that, this person seemed a bit… off.

I can forgive stupidity. I can tolerate wickedness. But strangeness should be kept at a distance, even if she’s bouncing her breasts while running toward me and turning her back to me.

“Wow. That spider is big. Where did it come from?”

“Kyaaaah!”

Her shirt was soaked with sweat, revealing her black bra straps. The palm-sized spider clinging to her was too distracting to ignore.

“Hold still.”

I set my rifle down on the floor. I knocked the spider off with the butt of my rifle and crushed it under my foot.

“Is it d-dead?”

“Yes.”

Right then, I wrapped my arm around her neck and squeezed firmly. I’d done this enough times to have gotten the hang of it.

I didn’t break her neck, just applied enough pressure to make her pass out. The woman collapsed.

Whistling, I opened the safes one by one.

“Wow.”

Jewels poured out. I packed them into my bag one by one. Gold ornaments in particular are lightweight but valuable. I also took currency, just in case it might be useful.

I hope there’s still a black market somewhere.

I also collected USBs and hard drives. These require a bit of luck. Leaked documents are especially helpful, as they’re like treasure maps to valuable hidden items.

For example, if there’s content like “Suspicious activity spotted at the Lambert factory district,” it means illegal weapons or food might be well-preserved there.

“…Ow ow ow.”

I felt a chill.

“Ah, my head hurts. I f-fell asleep.”

The woman rose smoothly, still holding the blood-dripping knife. Strange. I was sure I knocked her out properly, so how did she get up?

“Did you k-kill the bug?”

“Yes. Look at the floor there.”

“It really is dead.”

There was a cracking sound. She seemed to be adjusting her neck bones in a brutal way.

“You’re a thief, right? Cassandra saw you breaking into the safes. Stealing is bad.”

The blade touched my neck. I gulped nervously.

“…Want to share?”

“Cassandra has lots of money. Don’t need it. Just give me back my clothes.”

“I can’t give you the clothes with a knife at my throat.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

She backed off surprisingly easily. She tilted her head slightly, looking at me sideways. She had a pretty face, but my gaze kept drifting to her chest.

Because they’re big? Well, they are, but that’s not all.

Her green eyes were frightening.

Eyes that swirled slowly. Eyes that pulled you in. Eyes that made you feel like a water ghost would jump out with a “boo” and drag you away by the crotch.

I took off my bag and removed the Disease Crisis Management Bureau jumper, handing it to her. She shook it once, put it on, and zipped it up. Her expression brightened a bit.

“Sniff sniff.”

“…Sorry. I sweated a bit.”

“Smells good. You’re a healthy man.”

The crazy woman approached me, seeming more at ease. Was my scent that pleasant? I’m not sure. It’s just sweat smell to me.

“Cassandra likes this jumper. It holds my bouncing breasts in place. Women don’t like people staring at their chests. Remember that.”

Her speech had become more refined, which seemed to confirm it. But there was no need to tickle my nose with the knife while saying it.

“…Understood, so let’s loot these safes together.”

“Okay.”

Though this contradicted what she said earlier, I didn’t argue. This woman seemed to have a good eye for things. She would toss some items away with a dismissive “hmph.”

“That’s a waste, why throw it away?”

“Fake jewels. I can tell. Real ones have intentional flaws in this part. It’s like a signature that only experts can recognize.”

I couldn’t tell if she was being truthful or just showing off, so I quietly went to pick them up. Fortunately, she didn’t say anything about that. She even showed the courtesy of placing them on the desk instead of throwing them. She was a good woman.

I also collected USBs with unknown contents and jewels. When I pulled open a desk drawer, I found a car key. ‘Cash Transport Vehicle Key.’ Good. These vehicles are well-reinforced, very sturdy, and spacious enough to carry a lot.

“Well, good luck.”

As I was about to leave, she grabbed me.

“Hey. Are you abandoning Cassandra?”

A foreboding feeling made me shiver. It was purely because of that feeling that I reflexively said, “No.”

“I’ll escort you outside.”

“Take Cassandra with you.”

“Your colleagues are looking for you outside. Go back to them.”

“…I’ll let you touch my breasts.”

“What?”

“I’ll let you touch my breasts if you take Cassandra with you. I don’t want to see those idiots. Cassandra is a capable doctor. I won’t starve even if I go far away. But I’m not going back to the Disease Crisis Management Bureau.”

“No, if I travel with you, I’ll be the one starving. Food isn’t plentiful, you know.”

“…Didn’t you hear that Cassandra is rich? I’ll feed you well. I have a house in the city too. I’ll let you sleep, give you food, let you use the bathroom, and let you touch my breasts if you take Cassandra with you.”

She bit her red, thin lips.

“Please. I’m begging you. If you want, you can touch them now. Here.”

“Why are you so fixated on your breasts?”

“Because Cassandra is that desperate. I know. Men and women, they all look at my breasts. Everyone covets them. Like you. But I’ve never allowed anyone. Except you. That’s why I’m giving you this opportunity.”

“Why me?”

“Your smell is nice. You’re safe. You won’t eat Cassandra.”

Choking her wouldn’t work, and she seemed skilled in combat, so fighting wouldn’t be effective either. I’d have to abandon her along the way.

“Alright. Let me touch them.”

“Touch from the outside. Gently. Don’t squeeze too hard. It hurts.”

The jumper felt smooth to the touch.

Thinking about it, traveling together might not be so bad. In this harsh world, it’s good to have someone you can trust and touch. Of course, I’m a person who values fair exchange.

“You’re Cassandra, right?”

“Yes.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Johan. You can touch my chest too. That’s only fair.”

Cassandra didn’t refuse. She kneaded it a bit and said matter-of-factly:

“Smaller than Cassandra’s but firm. I like it.”

“I like yours too. By the way, we need to lift some heavy things. Can you help?”

“Why?”

“Let’s load these into the car. We need food, right? And ammunition too.”

I pointed to the food boxes and ammo crates on the floor. There were also what looked like new firearms.

Cassandra shook her head and dragged something over from the side. It was a cart.

“Wow.”

“Cassandra is smart.”

“Indeed. Well done. As a reward, you can touch my chest again.”

Her fingers were white and slender. But the bruises on the back of her hand were clearly visible. Marks from intravenous injections. Not a drug addict, but perhaps something even more dangerous.

“It’s firm. Good job. Pat pat. From now on, let’s greet each other by fondling each other’s chests.”

“Okay.”

Cassandra and I loaded boxes onto the cart. She was diligent, didn’t try to slack off, was helpful, strong, had large breasts, and was quite pretty.

Plus, she was crazy. What kind of woman lets you touch her breasts and touches you back so readily?

My instinct, optimized for avoiding scammers, warned me. This woman is strange. I should abandon her once we finish loading.

Just then, a red light flared up beyond the translucent window. It wasn’t a simple fire. It was a flare.