Ch.29Chapter 4. Lambert Drive (End)

“D-down! Get down!”

Camilla muttered like a broken doll. The man with the rifle toppled forward. Clutching the steering wheel with both hands, foot still pressing firmly on the pedal, he collapsed onto the horn.

“No. No, no, no!”

Bang. Bang. BANG! Everyone screamed at the violent vibrations. The tires. Both the front left and rear tires had burst.

The fire truck tilted instantly. The water in the tank surged to one side, causing the vehicle to tip over. Camilla’s world spun around. Painful. Sticky. Dizzy.

Something struck Camilla’s head. She screamed at the pain—severe, but bearable. Please, someone end this. Just stop this pain.

As if her desperate wish was granted, something hit her head again. The impact was much stronger than before, but it didn’t hurt. Instead, her eyes slowly closed, and the world went dark.

* * * * *

One shot.

It wasn’t a sound that could come from a pistol. It was more like the sound of a cannon. Yet Virginia didn’t flinch, firing the toy-like pistol with ease.

Did she miss? At first, everyone surely thought so. Or perhaps even that ridiculous pistol bullet couldn’t penetrate the armor plating and bulletproof glass in one go. Either way, that fire truck was a monster.

Two shots.

Bright red blood splattered across the windshield. The driver’s head had been blown off, visible even from here. Yet that stubborn fire truck kept trudging forward.

Three shots. Four shots. Five shots.

The fire truck’s wheels were also protected by armor plating. Only about 1/4 was exposed. No matter how large the fire truck’s wheels were, hitting them with a pistol at this distance, especially from a shaking helicopter, would be difficult.

But Virginia did it. Not a single shot missed. She popped them like piercing balloons with a needle. With all its left wheels blown out, the fire truck wobbled and then slid sideways.

Unfortunately, it didn’t crush the van. By the time the first bullet hit, the van had already raced ahead. A quick-witted one.

“V is pushing into the gang territory.”

He was doing something reckless—going against the flow of the gang. Beyond that was nothing but zombies. It was practically suicide.

The gang members were already out of their minds. Those still alive couldn’t even look up at the helicopter. They were either wasting bullets on zombie hordes and self-destructing, or crashing into each other while moving around.

The black van skillfully weaved through them. If anything, the gang seemed to be getting caught up in the van’s movements.

“That damn…”

But whenever they approached, rifle bullets flew at them. It was understandable when he was lying down to shoot, but this level of accuracy while driving was bizarre.

Crack!

“Ah, really! That damn bastard!”

A bullet hit the co-pilot’s canopy too. It was near the ankle area, so even if hit, it wouldn’t be fatal, but the psychological pressure was enough.

Leticia shot at the van’s roof with her rifle, but it didn’t penetrate. The words “EMERGENCY CASH TRANSPORT VEHICLE” gleamed mockingly.

“Just a moment.”

Before she could answer, Virginia’s gun swept past her face. Startled by the engraved writhing snake, Leticia stepped back. The snake’s head wore a crown, with small letters engraved on it.

It was the language of Römer. Leticia immediately understood what it meant. For her, who was from Elsa but wanted to be from Römer, the Römer language was as good as her mother tongue.

Thunk.

A hole appeared in the van’s driver-side roof. It seemed effective as the van slammed on its brakes. That made six shots.

The van slowed down, then spun 180 degrees. Unfortunately, it didn’t flip over.

“Did we get him?”

Leticia thought the commander had said something she shouldn’t have. She tried to dismiss the ominous thought, but by then it had already become reality.

The van hadn’t stopped. It was reversing after changing direction.

“What a persistent bastard.”

* * * * *

“Wow, wow! WOW! That woman is insane!”

I never expected a bullet to land between my legs. No, more than that—it’s a special bullet. A cheat weapon that performs like a decent sniper rifle despite being just a pistol, the kind only bosses carry.

“…Is that woman a boss, then?”

That silver-haired woman. She’s terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. I was already shocked when the helicopter appeared, but then she started throwing grenades too. Unbelievable. If she hadn’t missed, I would have been finished.

Fortunately, she’s not using the minigun. No matter how sturdy this car is, it couldn’t handle being raked by a minigun. Same goes for rockets.

“This isn’t going to work.”

Gang members whiz past around me. They seem to have lost their minds, so I’m not concerned about them, but the zombies are a problem.

Even now, with the windshield gone, the wind blows straight in. But what if I hit zombies? I’d become a human drive-thru.

“…This is really just for show.”

After watching a killer movie about someone destroying the world after losing his dog and home, I was so moved that I drove in reverse for a while.

Of course, only within the Erisichthon Protocol. In reality, I’m just a pedestrian who stumbles after three steps of walking backward, but with a keyboard and mouse, I become an unstoppable driving god.

“Oh crap, whoa, whoa, WHOOOOAA?”

The steering was fine, but the car is wobbling. I desperately shift my weight and lean to maintain balance. If this flips over, I’m really dead!

…THUD!

Wow. Thank goodness. The boxes in the cargo area slid and helped balance the vehicle. I’m reminded of Cassandra’s bouncing chest when she was moving cargo. I regret not just staying as her pet human, fondling those breasts. What an idiot I am.

“…Well. If fate allows, I’ll see her again. If I survive this.”

Wooong! The van makes a strange noise as if in disbelief, but perhaps tired of always driving forward, it responds well to reversing.

Of course, I can’t continue like this forever. As I hit zombies, the car will slow down, and if I get trapped at low speed, I’ll be packaged food.

I navigate around obstacles. No need for high speed. Just keep moving erratically. One shot, one shot. I hit zombie heads at regular intervals.

As expected, the zombies don’t just come straight at me. They gather around fallen ones like iron filings to a magnet.

Carefully backing up, I fired one shot at a time. Eventually, a dam formed—a dam made of snarling zombie masses.

That mass held back the wave.

Zombies not blocked by the dam still rushed forward. A gap appeared in the encirclement, like the edge tearing when rubber is pulled.

I shifted back to forward gear and stepped on it hard.

* * * * *

Virginia watched the van’s movements with wide eyes. One bullet remained in her revolver’s 7-shot cylinder. The muzzle slid along with the van, then stopped. She had finished aiming. Leticia thought this shot would hit too.

“…He’s out of bullets.”

But Virginia lowered her gun.

‘Doesn’t she have one left?’ The other military police soldiers seemed to share the same question, but none were brave enough to ask.

“Intelligence Officer. What do you think of his strategy?”

“…He seems skilled at handling zombies. He’s not shooting randomly, but with clear intent—gathering zombie masses to form a barrier. And…he’s escaping. But he’s still within minigun and rocket range.”

The minigun gunner had also finished aiming. They could take him down with just an order. But instead of giving the order, Virginia asked:

“Battalion Commander, what’s the situation? Do we have enough leeway to pursue him?”

“No. We’re leaking fuel slightly. Considering we need to eliminate the remaining zombies and escort the Disease Control Bureau, we’re already cutting it close!”

“And firepower?”

“With one of Angel 4’s rocket pods gone, we’re a bit tight.”

“Then we’ll abandon the pursuit. Proceed with the original plan. White Knight to Angels: Continue with the original operation. Escort the Disease Control Bureau personnel to Hampton, gather the zombies together, and eliminate them. Angel 11 will focus on hunting stragglers in the wasteland. Over.”

The minigun spewed fire. Riflemen calmly aimed for zombie heads. Grenades and grenade launchers were fired at concentrated groups.

Multiple rockets whipped through zombie hordes, destroying and burning them. The zombies didn’t flee. Even with limbs torn off, they crawled, trying to bite any nearby body.

Even while firing her rifle, Leticia glanced at Commander Virginia. The commander was still watching the retreating van. Her lips twitched, but it was hard to tell if she was suppressing a smile or holding back words.

But her eyes seemed more alive than ever before.

“Leticia.”

“Yes.”

“I was hasty.”

“…What do you mean, suddenly?”

“I need to revise my assessment of Elsa people. Not all Elsa people are weak fools. Though cowardly and tricky, some are quite cunning. Ah, this doesn’t apply to you. You’re a person of Römer.”

“…Thank you for your consideration. Those words were about V, weren’t they?”

“If I return, I should learn more about the moderate faction of Elsa. I should track them further. The Elsa Intelligence Bureau’s moderate faction that went underground. If someone like V is at that level…”

Virginia smiled brightly.

“I might be able to enjoy myself in this land after all.”

* * * * *

The helicopter left. A festival of miniguns and rockets unfolded behind me. They seem to be pouring their firepower there, not wasting it on me.

“I survived. Holy shit.”

The last time I checked, my playtime had well exceeded 1,100 hours. I often felt depressed and sad thinking about how I’d wasted my life, but not now.

Without that wasted life, I couldn’t have shot down an incoming grenade, nor broken through zombie waves so easily.

“…It’s actually quite manageable.”

Fortunately, the tactics I learned and practiced are working. Life in the wasteland shouldn’t be difficult. Hunger is a bit of an issue, but following Cassandra’s advice might make a difference.

The real problem lies elsewhere. The world I don’t know. The half of the world that hasn’t collapsed yet.

To sell the jewels stuffed in my bag, I’ll need to meet people one way or another. I also need to find a PC or laptop to access the USB data, so there’s much to find and many to meet.

It would have been better if the world had completely collapsed, with a network already established for the fallen. I know how to use such networks.

But this isn’t the case. I need to learn and adapt. There’s still much to learn and face…well, if nothing else, I need to get a new car. Driving with a broken windshield is making my eyes dry.

The boxes of guns, ammunition, and food in the back rattle in agreement. Even the Barbie doll thrown on the passenger floor mat looks refreshing.

There’s much to do and much to gather. Many places I want to go and must visit.

But there’s no need to rush.

Whistling, driving this van with its missing windshield through the wasteland doesn’t seem so bad.

In the distance, a zombie staggers. It seems to be waving. Feeling friendly, I raised my M4.

* * * * *

– Name.

– Römer bastard. Ugh!

– Again. Name.

– R-Römer b-bastard! Gaaah…

– NAME!

“AAAGH!”

Camilla woke from the nightmare.

Her stomach turned from dry heaving. Her body was soaked, and an unpleasant smell filled the air. Smelling it made her retch again.

The smell of tear gas.

“Ugh, uuugh!”

Since being waterboarded in a pool filled with tear gas, she couldn’t even look at swimming pools. Just hearing the sound of flowing water gave her goosebumps. Dancing in water had once made her feel freer than on land, but now it felt suffocating.

Römer, and puppet Elsa, had taken away her life. Her past. Her present. And her future.

“Get up.”

And now they had taken her comrades too.

“Get up, get up, please. Open your eyes…your eyes…”

No one stood up.

“…It’s my fault. If I…if I had been honest. If I had just said forget the hostages, let’s go back. If I had. Then you…you wouldn’t have died.”

More water from the tear gas tank poured in. Overcome with fear, Camilla struggled to her feet. Habitually grabbing her rifle, she raised both arms and yanked open the passenger door.

“Uuugh!”

The world showed only horror to her as she barely crawled out. The smell of burning flesh resonated from all directions. Nothing but burnt, shredded, scattered zombie corpses.

“AAAAH!”

Even the sun seemed to be bleeding as it collapsed on the horizon.

“AAAAAAAH!”

Camilla looked up at the sky and wailed.

“…Camilla?”

A hoarse voice. Camilla looked down at the ground. On the earth, which seemed to have more flesh and bloodstains than soil and dust, she saw a cage moving.

“…Camilla.”

After fully escaping the fire truck, Camilla reloaded her rifle and pistol. There were still twitching zombies, but not enough to be a threat. She approached the cage.

“Grr, grrrr.”

On the opposite side of the cage, a zombie was convulsing. Its body was shredded by minigun bullets, and the cage wasn’t intact either.

Yet the zombie was only trying to devour the naked man on the other side. Its teeth were broken, and its gums were bleeding from being pressed against the wire mesh.

“Hoot.”

Hoot’s appearance was difficult to look at.

“…Camilla. K-hack.”

“Why did you betray us, Hoot?”

“Khiik. Be-betray? Heh. Hehehe…the real tr-traitor is Hans. Camilla.”

“What?”

“…Bo-bomb. Kyaak…”

Hoot was turning into a zombie. His eyes rolled wildly, and his teeth chattered. His stomach inflated like a balloon, then deflated. He was already losing his sanity.

“You ran away scared of explosives, and now you say this.”

“Kik. Kikikik…that bomb…. It had the virus in it. You thought it was just a bomb? Kik, kikik…”

“What are you talking about?”

Hoot tilted his head back and shook it painfully. If she could, Camilla wanted to pull Hoot out. To grab him and demand what he meant, to make him spill everything.

“What are you talking about?!”

“…I-I told everything. I-I told everything. The hideout. The safe house. How Hans deceived us! Camilla. Camilla. Camilla…”

“…Tell me.”

“Kill me.”

Hoot was crying.

“Please, I don’t want to live as a zombie. Camilla. Please kill me. I know. I’m an idiot. A fool who spilled everything under torture. But, but I couldn’t let the zombie virus spread in a city where people live. That, that wasn’t right.”

“You’re lying. Hans said there was a bomb in there. Just to assassinate key figures…!”

“…Do you really think that’s what Hans wants? No. Kuluk, kuluk! Don’t, don’t believe me? There’s e-evidence on my phone. That video…the moment I saw it, I, I knew everything…knew…ah, Goddess of Hunger…why…AAAGH!”

Hoot’s lips dried up. He gnawed at the wire mesh like a hideous dog. But his eyes still looked at Camilla, filled with tears.

Camilla raised her pistol. The silencer did its job. Hoot died with a smile. Camilla slumped down.

She looked alternately at the dead Hoot, the still-moving zombie, and the overturned fire truck.

Grrrr.

A zombie crawled toward her. Its lower half was completely blown off. It drooled as if Camilla was a delicious special meal.

The muzzle flashed. Thud. The zombie fell. Camilla removed her soaked balaclava. Her sunset-red hair shone brilliantly.

Where should she go?

She spotted a motorcycle standing upright. In this sea of flesh, it stood erect, intact, and still shining like an idol. It was as if the devil had thrown it down from heaven, saying ‘Catch me.’

Swish.

She scanned the surroundings through her rifle scope. Beyond the bodies strewn like trash washed up on a beach, she saw tire tracks deeply carved into the wasteland. In this chaotic world, only those tracks were straight and true.

Impulsively, Camilla mounted the motorcycle. The key was already inserted. The motorcycle docilely accepted its new rider.

The name “Warmonger” was inscribed on the body—such a tasteless name. She could scratch it off with a knife later, Camilla thought. The motorcycle surged forward powerfully.

‘The phone.’

Hoot had said V had his phone. And following these tire tracks would lead her to V.

Camilla had many questions for him. Who he really was. What kind of life he had lived. How he had managed to escape from such a situation.

And whether he could show her the way.

The motorcycle, with the evening glow at its back, traveled alone through the wasteland, being sucked into the deep, deep darkness.