Ch.71Chapter 9. How to Bake an Apple Pie (End)

The major tasks are done.

The meeting with the client went well, and I earned their goodwill. All I need to do now is maintain a good ongoing business relationship. Since they enjoy drinking, we should get along fine.

There’s a small commotion with zombies approaching, but it’s not really a big issue.

Zombie birds, dogs, and cats are coming? And what exactly can they do? Nothing but howl and scratch at walls with their claws and beaks.

Humans are the real problem.

They’re panicked and frightened with automatic pistols in their hands. And bullets are democratic weapons—even a monkey can commit mass slaughter if it knows how to pull a trigger.

So I hid Letty in the women’s restroom and headed to the men’s. I plan to stay here until people evacuate.

Buzz.

My phone vibrates. Text messages from Camilla. Three of them.

– You’re doing well, right? Everything’s fine here. No need to worry.

– Bird alert. They say zombie bird flocks are coming. Have you heard? Are you somewhere safe?

– …You are okay, right? Right?

“I’m fine. Inside a building. In a safe place. I’ll be there soon. There are zombies around, so I’m switching to silent mode.”

<Message sent.>

The situation outside seems pretty bad. Still, I need to do what I came for. After confirming all the store’s people had left, I slowly looked around inside.

Nobody here.

Now it’s collection time. First, I picked up a large black backpack.

I neatly placed the workbooks and textbooks that were inside on a chair. Judging by the dense notes, someone had been studying hard—stealing those would make me a terrible person.

Table. I started by stashing cookies and pies. This one was tasty, that one not so much… I mixed them appropriately, considering Camilla’s preference for whipped cream.

Next, the cash register.

I stuffed rolled-up Elza and Römer currency into my bag. Römer currency is the reserve currency—the dollar position—so it holds value everywhere.

Elza currency is somewhat less prestigious, but it’s still widely used within the city. I can use it at the Continental Hotel.

Of course, just taking it would be theft and wrong. So I left a jewel in its place. Taking bills and leaving a jewel makes this a “trade.”

Wait, didn’t Cassandra say this was fake? I’m not sure. Anyway, I believe it’s real, so it must be.

Bang!

Suddenly the women’s restroom door opened. I hid under the counter.

My client was walking out, dragging a metal pipe along the floor.

Blonde hair reaching her shoulders, blue eyes, a teardrop mark under her right eye.

It’s her.

‘She’s prettier than I thought?’

Without glasses and makeup, she was actually quite pretty. But she’s wearing a military uniform. Did she really wear other clothes over a military uniform?

– “Actually, I’m a hero, you know?”

‘She’s more unhinged than I thought’

What kind of experience makes someone wear casual clothes over a military uniform? I can’t understand it. I should just meet her for business and not get too friendly.

The woman dragging the metal pipe left the store. A loud shout came from outside.

“I’m Leticia, Intelligence Staff Officer of the 8th Military Police Special Task Force!”

No wonder her leg-sweeping skills weren’t ordinary. So she was a soldier, and a high-ranking officer at that. Hmm, I probably shouldn’t tell Camilla too much about this woman.

But what if, by some chance, it wasn’t her? What if it had been someone else who happened to be in the restroom?

I opened the women’s restroom door and looked inside. Discarded clothes were scattered on the floor. On the mirror, words were written in red lipstick:

“Don’t worry about me. Looking forward to our next date! :)”

…I definitely shouldn’t get too friendly with her.

From outside, I heard someone shouting through a megaphone.

“Civilians, please evacuate to the top floor! The 14th Military Police will establish defensive positions on the top floor and the floor below it!

Gather all available forces in the building! Dismantle all skywalks leading to the central area! Unscrew the end bolts, throw them down, and close the doors! Move now!”

I heard the stairwell opening and people moving while shouting “Order! Order!” Civilians climbed the stairs in formation, escorted by soldiers.

Seems she’s not just a drunken loudmouth after all.

The top floor is where people feel safest. Placing civilians there makes management much easier.

Moreover, with soldiers forming a dense defensive formation on the floor below, it’s easier to fend off attacks from zombie dogs, cats, or infected individuals. The only ways up are narrow stairs or escalators.

Even if defenses are breached, they’ve removed the skywalks to the safe zone, eliminating the risk of internal infection and giving both civilians and soldiers the motivation that “this position must be held.”

“…She’s quite competent.”

Come to think of it, she said 8th Military Police Special Task Force. Between her and that silver-haired, purple-eyed woman, things seem strangely connected.

A soldier, huh.

That’s a bit uncomfortable. Of course, maintaining black market dealings isn’t a soldier’s duty. But judging by the “staff officer” title, she’s clearly high-ranking.

I need to maintain a safe distance—not so distant that I get caught, but close enough to benefit.

“It’s just like apple pie. Bake it too much and it burns, but if you bake it too gently, it loses its flavor.”

Maintaining the right distance is key.

Anyway, if everyone from the lower floors has gone up, that means this area below is completely empty.

“Where should I start?”

* * * * *

When you have many items to take but limited bag space, there’s a principle: prioritize items with high value relative to their size.

Unlike unprotected zones where I have to provide for all my needs myself, this city has markets and exchangeable goods.

That’s why cash and precious metals work well here. I scooped up plenty of Elza currency, as well as Römer currency.

It’s not theft. I’ll use what I need urgently and pay it back later. There are countless safes in the human unprotected zones.

Next, I gathered electronic components and survival supplies. In the human unprotected zone, finding working electronic devices was quite difficult.

I especially collected computer-related parts. RAM, CPU, graphics cards, tablets and smartphones. Chargers…

“Oh.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim. This is something I’d actually have to pay for. A small solar panel and power bank set.

I took out bills from my bag, placed them where the item had been, and covered them with nearby merchandise.

The importance of electricity in daily life cannot be overstated. But you can’t run generators for everything.

“Ugh.”

It’s quite heavy, and carrying it means both hands are occupied. I had no choice but to put it in a cart and cover it with a torn Elza national flag from the store wall.

Since I was taking it anyway, I grabbed another solar panel too. I was a bit short on money, so I took some from the counter of the neighboring store and placed it on their display.

“Fire starter.”

A tool to make fire when matches or lighters aren’t available.

“USB rechargeable fan.”

I nearly died from heat without one of these.

“USB rechargeable lantern.”

Without this, I had to endure Camilla playing ghost games with a flashlight.

“Multi-tool.”

Mostly junk, but sometimes better than nothing.

“Lighter.”

The more you have, the better.

“Grrrr…!”

That’s something I’d rather not buy.

This is a third-floor store. A zombie dog that came in from outside is glaring at me. Its face looks like ice cream that melted and refroze. And in my experience, dogs like that don’t roam alone.

“Grrrk! Kyaak!”

As expected, another one crawled out. Looks like a bulldog breed with a wide-open mouth.

I didn’t bring a rifle here, and I’m short on ammunition. My 1911 pistol has only one spare magazine, and the Beretta 92 I got from Letty has no spare ammo at all.

I must never turn my back. I backed away while keeping my eyes on the dogs. With the cart behind me, I won’t fall.

My target is the chicken pop-up store in the middle. Sorry, but I don’t have time to pay—I just flung open the display case and threw a chicken.

The hesitating dog approached and chomped on the chicken. After one bite, it seemed to like it and ate enthusiastically.

The bulldog growled a bit discontentedly, but when I threw it some spicy chicken, it also chomped happily.

“Grrrr…”

And behind them, a human zombie walked out. Seems like it just turned after being bitten and left. I threw it a chicken too.

But it didn’t eat the chicken. It stared blankly at the fried chicken that hit its chest and fell to the floor, then frowned and walked toward me.

“Sorry. Eat this. It’s butter garlic.”

“Kyaaak!”

For a zombie that doesn’t like chicken, bullets are the only option. I aimed carefully and fired one shot from my 1911 into its head. The zombie with a hole in the back of its head fell backward.

“Grrrk!” “Woof! Woof!”

That’s when it happened. The two zombie dogs put down the chicken they were eating and glared at me. Baring their teeth and rolling their eyes,

“Kang!”

They charged at me. Bang! Bang bang! I aimed quickly and fired. The big one took two shots, the bulldog one, and they collapsed.

“…Wait a minute.”

Didn’t those creatures just drop what they were eating to attack me? In the human unprotected zone, zombies would even eat other zombies shot dead beside them.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

I wonder if this is the difference between protected and unprotected zones. In unprotected zones, both humans and zombies are hungry, but maybe not in protected zones. Not that they don’t have an appetite, but they don’t prioritize it above all else.

Thud.

It’s coming from the exterior glass wall. A zombie crow is staring blankly at me. Soon there are two, three, six, twelve… their numbers keep growing.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

They’re hitting the window. Tap tap tap. A clamorous sound like heavy rain. Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap! More of them join in. Crack—the glass window develops lengthening fractures. An ominous noise.

It’s breaking. That thing is breaking!

I pushed the cart hard and ran toward the center. I cleared obstacles from the moving walkway and pushed downward. Clunk. The cart wheels caught on the anti-slip magnets. I forced it with a grunt, and the cart moved with a jerk.

I maintained momentum downward. It felt like my wrists and ankles were twisting. Still, I had to run.

Crash! The third-floor glass window must have finally broken. Caw! Caw! Caw! The damn birds make a racket as they push into the third floor!

I half-mounted my body on the cart. Pushing steadily downward. I read the guide sign on the wall. Underground parking. I need to get there and close the doors.

Or hide in any car. I can’t risk getting turned into a zombie by bird bites.

Fortunately, I managed to push down to the B2 moving walkway without any problems. I pushed the cart along and opened the door to the underground parking.

The moving walkway platform and parking area are separated by a partition, so I can block the bird swarm’s attack for a while.

But it won’t last long. Who would have thought those clever creatures would break through windows?

“Damn… I wonder if that woman is holding up well?”

She’s not the only one I buy drinks for in Hampton City. But if not her, I’d have to get acquainted with someone else, which is troublesome.

I should call to check on her later.

I entered the parking lot. There were quite a few cars, but judging by the dust, they seem abandoned.

That means if I find a car without dust, it should be fine.

‘They say cars with unfolded side mirrors are more likely to be unlocked.’

Just then, I heard a screech of a car coming down into the parking lot. The words “14th Military Police Operation Vehicle” were clearly visible.

A four-seater jeep, similar to the Gladiator model. They had attached a waterproof tarp to the cargo area, but it was full of holes, probably from birds pecking at it.

Of all things, it had to be the Military Police. Nothing good would come from an encounter. I hid my body in the space behind a pillar.

Four soldiers got out of the car. It’s not great weather for driving, so I wonder if they came after receiving some communication.

They lift the canopy and open the cargo area. One reaches in and pulls something out.

They’re people.

Dead, with their bodies tied with ropes and necks broken. Four corpses. Four soldiers.

After removing the bodies, the soldiers pulled out something larger and heavier. Two duffel bags. They were so heavy that all four soldiers strained to extract them.

“Damn, this is heavy.”

One of them unzipped a duffel bag. And from inside, he took out a familiar item. Something I’ve used occasionally.

C4 explosives. Both duffel bags were filled with C4.