Ch.404. The Rooftop.

# 04. The Rooftop.

[What is this video?]

“Oh my goodness.”

A living person… Could there still be others?

Was I truly not the only one left in this godforsaken world?

“Is this real?”

It’s been a year since I woke up in the frozen, abandoned Research Lab.

Days spent wandering desolate streets filled with nothing but collapsed civilization and extinguished life, searching for traces of humanity.

But everywhere I went, I saw nothing but death.

In this depressing world where hope only brings greater despair.

While searching for survivors, I often found myself thinking that I was already the only one left in this world.

Fortunately, it seems the world hasn’t completely ended.

As memories of my painful, lonely time flash before me, tears of joy form in eyes I thought had dried up long ago.

“Wait, wait, this isn’t the time.”

Even before the joy streaming down my face could fade, I hurriedly activated the Drone.

I’d worried it might have broken down while I slept, or the connection might have been lost.

Fortunately, the Drone worked well, suggesting yesterday’s luck wasn’t just a one-night wonder.

“Hello, good morning. So… I just realized someone was watching this video! That text in this window, you sent it, right? If you’re still watching, could you send another message?”

After leaving that message, I wait for a response.

Contrary to my expectations, a message didn’t come right away, but it was still early, and I hadn’t turned off the Drone while sleeping.

Given that the video transmission had been interrupted once, it wouldn’t be strange if it took time for them to notice me again.

“Hmm…”

…But no matter how much time passed, no message came.

I’d been waiting since sunrise, and even when the sun reached its zenith, the translucent window remained unchanged.

“Can we actually communicate in real-time with this thing?”

Unfortunately, the Controller didn’t have a function to check when messages were received.

But considering the Controller was quiet until I fell asleep last night, the message most likely came while I was sleeping.

Perhaps the Drone simply records video while it’s on, and only transmits the footage when it’s turned off?

That would somewhat explain why no messages came during daylight hours but arrived while I was asleep.

“…No, that can’t be right.”

The blueprint clearly stated it could perform “real-time communication,” and when connecting to the network, it said it would “transmit” video.

If it was designed to record and upload, it would have said so.

And this isn’t the 21st century—while it might do both real-time streaming and later uploading simultaneously, it seemed unlikely it would do just one or the other.

“Well… I see, there’s no immediate response. It’s still early, and you all probably have your own things to do, which is natural. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting an immediate reply anyway.”

Now that I’ve confirmed I can receive messages, if I keep the Drone on and wait, someone will eventually send a message.

Still, after waiting this long, I thought at least one message would come—

“Hmm. Waiting until nightfall would be a waste of time… I’ll start moving. By then, you’ll probably finish your tasks, see my video, and send me a message. I’m sure of it.”

…Before disappointment could paralyze my thoughts, I forced a smile and got up.

The cold stove. I packed the map I’d been doodling on while waiting and the pencil into my bag, and before leaving the house, I checked the cupboards and refrigerator one last time. There might be something useful.

But all I found was dust, dead insects, and empty food wrappers.

“Looks like there’s nothing to eat, as usual. Most homes are like this. Bodies present, food absent, nothing useful.”

People probably wouldn’t choose death easily if supplies remained.

Even for those who didn’t choose death themselves, for different reasons, their homes often contained nothing.

“Usually there are at least some spices or sauces left, but whoever lived here must have really wanted to live until the very end.”

I slammed the completely empty kitchen cabinet shut and left the house.

“May you have gone to a better place.”

I wished peace for the homeowner who had lent me their house for the night.

“Before going outside, I should go up to the rooftop and see what’s around.”

The wind is stronger than yesterday, but it’s not snowing heavily, so I can look around.

I put down my bag and took a water bottle, telescope, and a sheet of paper for mapping, then started climbing the stairs.

“I don’t think I mentioned this to you, but I was actually cooped up for quite a while fixing the Drone. It’s about time I found a superstore.”

Thanks to the food I fortunately gathered at the last superstore, I’m not about to starve, but in a world where you can’t immediately get what you need when you need it, preparation is essential.

Getting lost, not finding buildings with food.

Or preparing for when you’re injured or sick and can’t move—you need to carry at least five days’ worth of food in your bag.

“Phew…”

This city truly had an excessive number of people living in it.

Residential buildings routinely exceeded 20 or 30 floors.

Even with improved stamina, climbing a building with more than 20 floors in one go is difficult, and sweat inappropriate for the weather soaks my body.

Since no one knows when the weather might turn, I keep moving my feet diligently.

“Huff, huff, you look so comfortable.”

I felt slightly annoyed at the Drone hovering effortlessly in the air.

“I always think this, but isn’t the scenery absolutely magnificent?”

Although it’s a fallen city, the sight of numerous buildings and massive structures standing densely together was truly spectacular.

“In the past, each of those buildings, each street light in the city must have shone brilliantly.”

Buildings glowing with colorful lights, people living without worries, laughing and thriving—this city must have had such a past.

If enough time passes, could we return to those days?

…Will I live to see such a sight?

“Let’s stop imagining and focus on what needs to be done. I have a feeling there’s a superstore nearby.”

I bring the telescope to my eye and look around.

With so many tall buildings, the view wasn’t completely clear, but the climb was worth it—I could see every corner of the immediate area.

“Finding a superstore… or a shopping mall… somewhere to get food is actually easier than you might think.”

Many buildings are tall and wide, making them hard to distinguish just by their exterior.

Nevertheless, commercial buildings like shopping malls and superstores have characteristics that make them recognizable from a distance.

“I think you probably know this… or maybe not, if you’re living in a peaceful place unlike mine?”

Just because the cities I’ve passed through look like this doesn’t mean every town and city across the globe looks the same.

If the person watching my video isn’t in a similar environment, they might not understand what I’m talking about.

Or they might be offended if I suggest their peaceful town resembles this place.

“Alright. I don’t have much to talk about by myself anyway. I’ll occasionally teach you tips for surviving in a city like this.”

People living in a world completely different from mine can learn about my situation by listening to my advice.

And if anyone happens to be in a similar situation, they might survive thanks to my videos.

While I inform others about my situation, I can also ramble on about anything to forget my loneliness. It’s a win-win.

“First tip… unless you plan to eat rotten sauce or frozen corpses, don’t enter private homes looking for food.”

As I saw earlier, most homes have nothing that could be called food left in them.

Whatever remains has rotted over time, so it’s safe to assume there’s not a single proper food item left.

“The same goes for small markets or convenience stores. Places with high accessibility and moderate amounts of goods are just a waste of time and energy to visit.”

Of course, if you’re lucky, you might find some canned food someone dropped while carrying it…

It’s fine to look around if you’re passing by, but it’s not worth climbing to the top of a building or making plans just to visit such places.

You’d have better luck checking suspicious warehouses, security offices, or storage rooms in less frequented areas.

“Of course, people flocked to shopping malls and superstores too. In terms of crowds, these places had far more people than the two I mentioned earlier.”

It’s natural since these are the places with the most food accessible to ordinary people.

“But because of that, there’s food people couldn’t take away. Honestly, you probably don’t understand what I mean. It’s hard to understand until you see it firsthand.”

Seeing is believing—rather than just explaining, it would be easier for both of us if I just captured the scene on camera.

“Well, I think I can show you soon.”

Found it.

I removed the telescope from my eye and grinned.