章 27: The Train Home
The group looked around, eyes hopeful, and searched whether the zombies had indeed been taken care of.
Once confirmed, they almost cried in relief. They also saw that the two men handled so many zombies with completed limbs, and hope filled them.
Especially the girl, who had been hopeless and found capable men nearby. How could she not jump at him?
Especially… how handsome the red-haired man was!
"Thank you for coming here for us." She mumbled, blinking her eyes cutely. And she was indeed a bit good-looking, despite her chapped lips and ruined makeup.
"We literally just passed by." Ansel said bluntly, "We didn't even know anyone else was alive.
"..."
How Ansel scored so many women with his bluntness was a mystery to many men.
Was doing anything with a good face considered handsome?
The others weren't so cool however, and they immediately approached the two of them when they realized they were somewhat amicable.
"Heroes! Please help us!" the middle-aged woman said, and she was followed by the dark-skinned man.
"Please take me to City A! I will pay you whatever!"
Afraid that the two men would take his offer, the middle-aged man immediately made a counter-bid. "We need to go to City S. Please! It's on the way."
The old man was the only one who stood still, observing, but without hope in his eyes.
Ansel and Tom looked at each other with complicated expressions. "We have our own families to go to, sorry."
The other survivors frowned, but they refused to give up.
Not reconciled, the pretty girl shifted targets instead. The girl even held Tom's arm, knowing he had the softer heart of the two based on his very guilty expression.
"Mine is so close, please!"
Tom looked very conflicted and Ansel patted his shoulder. They couldn't stay here. They didn't have the time or energy to help others.
"Let's go." He said, gesturing at the door.
The duo then went to the door, followed by a few. Of course, not before taking some food from the convenience store to their spaces, as they consumed most inside the freezer.
Ansel didn't mind being followed. He was still human, but he needed them to manage their expectations.
"You can come with us to where we are heading. But we won't get out of our way to protect you."
This naturally stopped a lot of them from following to the door.
Instead, some even looked at them indignantly.
"How could you leave us like this?!" the middle-aged man yelled.
Ansel rolled his eyes. "It's not our duty to save you." He said, "You can only depend on yourself in this world."
He then pulled Tom and they went out together, not caring whether they were followed or not.
Fortunately, none did.
What they didn't expect was that as they left, the jerks inside threw some canned goods in their direction, making noise.
As if choreographed, the zombies turned their heads simultaneously in their direction.
This made their hearts drop.
"Damn it!" Ansel and Tom cursed, gesturing to dart ahead. Those jerks!
But what else could they do? They could only curse, and head to their target destinations regardless.
…
.
.
Half an hour later.
After some time of struggle, the duo eventually managed to reach their planned intersection in the middle of the city.
It was called Rosewood Intersection.
This was the intersection separating the path walk to Mocci town and the train station.
The two men looked at each other, feeling a little melancholic.
Although it had only been a few hours, the two still felt a bit sad at their separation. They found a relatively hidden place to chat and say their goodbyes.
"Well, goodbye. It was good to meet you," Tom said, extending his hand for a firm handshake.
"I hope you survive," Ansel said as he took it. Tom let out a light laugh.
"Likewise."
And so, Tom turned around (though not before giving him another look and a nostalgic nod) and went on his way.
Ansel then heaved a sigh, pulling his eyes away from his new friend, and heading to a very different direction towards the train station.
Now, alone, he was extra careful in getting the attention of the upgraded zombies. Fortunately, the concourse was mostly clear and had few things to hit.
[01:45:34]
He eventually found the north-bound train heading to Aberdeen City.
His goo-covered shoulders slumped in relief to see the train was working.
Except for hundreds of normal zombies walking about, everything seemed to be in place.
Even the train seemed to be following the set schedule.
While waiting for his train to come, which was set to arrive in 5 minutes, two upgraded zombies managed to find him.
With his level though, he could deal with them by himself.
After killing the damn things, he climbed up the vending machine nearest the train tracks.
Five minutes felt like forever to arrive, and when it did, he immediately threw a can just outside the door to attract the zombies inside the train outside.
He watched as they swarmed out of the car and he jumped above surfaces, getting closer and closer to the open door.
Roar!
He flinched but did not halt, darting to the open door.
He entered the AI-operated train with a quick beating heart.
Bump!
The door closed, and the hand of the closest advanced zombie that went after him was stuck at the door, twitching creepily as it tried to reach him.
The train surged forward with a gentle lurch a moment later.
This was followed by a squelching sound and the twitching hand dropped down to the floor, no longer moving.
Ugh.
Ansel couldn't move for a while, still waiting for his wildly beating heart to calm.
But as he felt the train move under him at a constant pace, his whole body started to relax a bit, and he entered a state of temporary peace.
He dragged his body to a nearby seat, using a rail to support himself as he flopped down the vinyl-covered seat.
His head turned and watched outside the window as it moved.
Dimly lit tunnels flashed by in a blur of darkness. The occasional flickering lights lining the walls of the tunnel illuminated the dark outside, reminding him of the light that still existed.
He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, resting the back of his head against the window.
He knew that he had done all that he could.
Even if he didn't make it, it was fine. He just needed to be as close as possible.
クリエイターの想い 
NispedanaSan
NispedanaSan Ansel: Finally on the train! How far can I go?
Cheer me up? Golden tickets, power gems, and gifts would REALLY cheer me up!!
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章 28: Final Hour
[01:39:02]
In sharp contrast to, well, everybody else, Althea and her group settled down in the nearest luxury hotel.
It took them quite a fight with a few more upgraded zombies, but they got out of it unharmed.
Althea also used this time to train both Fufi and Sheila, so except for the most troublesome upgraded zombies, all the others were dealt with by the two.
At first, the nurse was very scared. She also didn't have very good body coordination either, so she missed too many shots and got almost-bitten too many times.
So even when she was covered with goo, it was still not easy for her to deal with normal zombies, let alone fight an upgraded one.
However, hearing Althea's voice beside her let her gather some courage to take that brave step.
Sheila did not realize her timid personality was slowly undergoing a subtle change.
And the further they stepped closer to the hotel, the more stable this change became.
The hotel was called Niana Hotel, a five-star hotel very popular in the city. It was a very expensive and luxurious building, and it gave prestige to those who used it. It was the type that was fully booked until at least a week later.
They chose this place not only because of the estimated quality of the products but also due to its exclusivity. There should be a lot fewer zombies inside than others.
Sure enough, when they entered, they realized they had a much easier time inside the hotel.
After dealing with the zombies, they decided to go to the hotel's back-of-house and fill up the remaining spaces and the hand-carry bags they had.
They went to the housekeeping and laundry facilities and took cleaning equipment, sewing kits, linens, duvets, and towers.
Of course, they also gathered more hygiene products. Mostly for Sheila, some stocks, and the bags though, because Althea had her favorite brand—her own WittBeauty—packed in her own space.
They also went to the storage and receiving rooms where food and beverages were stored. Luxury hotels often stockpile non-perishable food items in their storage areas. They managed to find a mountain of canned goods, dried food, snacks, bottled water, and others. They chose the ones they liked most due to their limited space.
They took a set of hybrid-powered radio equipment used by the staff as well, just in case.
There were also first-aid kits and medical supplies. However, their space was limited so they could only get a bit of bandages, antiseptics, and basic medications. Besides, Sheila also agreed that these things may no longer work well for their changed bodies.
After this round, the girls finally filled up all the empty space they had on hand.
The two girls and a dog went to the elevator after taking a card from the reception desk, choosing the largest suite room on the penthouse floor, just because.
Who knows what kind of place that Other World was? They ought to enjoy these luxuries while they could.
The suite welcomed guests with a shared intricately-designed living area and kitchenette. Overall, the shared space was no less than 100 square meters in area.
There were doors to the two deluxe rooms with their own premium bathrooms and lounge. What's more, each room was complete with its own entertainment facilities, jacuzzi, and the like.
Sheila couldn't help but feel emotional. She had dreamed of staying in this type of room after seeing an internet influencer brag about it, but she didn't think she'd experience it in this circumstance.
Althea's thoughts, on the other hand, were going in a very different direction. Her eyes couldn't help but stay on the time counter floating in front of her.
As they reached the final hour, she couldn't help but recall the number of those zombies, and the number of survivors still alive.
She knew the initial transformation had to do with genes, and not too much on physical fitness. After all, she saw bodybuilding ordinary zombies, but the meek Sheila as a survivor.
Still, she wondered how many really survived in the end?
The planet had 16 Billion people. Her city was small but it still had at least a million population. How many people had she encountered so far?
How were her family and friends? Did they survive the first wave? What about now?
She shook her head, not thinking about it anymore.
The final hour was for relaxation. They didn't know what would happen in that Other World, they ought to get some proper rest.
"Use that room and clean yourself up," She said, giving Sheila the duffel bag that had been in the motorcycle the whole time.
It had two sets of clothing change for each gender as well as some other basic supplies. Not to mention, the hotel had its own supplies so they were sure to be able to clean up well.
Althea and Fufi went into one of the rooms. She cleaned Fufi up well first, then they showered together for a basic rinse, making sure that the disgusting goo had been washed off their bodies.
Then, using the advanced hairdryer, she quickly fixed him up, happily pushing him out of the bathroom afterward for her own moment of respite.
Fufi: ???
Now alone and without a dog, Althea pampered herself well. She took a long bubble bath and scrubbed herself in every nook and cranny of her smelly body.
Who knew when would be the next time she would get such rest?
As she sighed in happiness, patting her stomach in relaxation, she finally took time to study her own status.
[STATS:
Name: Althea Witt
Age: 25
Level: 3 (1125/5000)
Life: 280/500
Spirit: 280/500 (-5%)
Physical: 80 (-5%)
Agility: 77 (-20%)
Defense: 64
Mana: 300
Physical Potential: B
Mental potential: SS+
Skills:
Active: None
Passive: None
Elemental Affinity: Wood, Water, Earth
Titles: None
Overall rank: S
Current Status: Gestating: two life forms, weakened state ]
[WEALTH: 9,711 gold and 79267 silver, 14233 copper]
She didn't know these would all fare in that Other World, but she had already done her best considering the time and resources she had access to.
If it wasn't enough, she couldn't blame herself.
クリエイターの想い
NispedanaSan
NispedanaSan
Fufi: Woof! Woof! Grrrr, Woof-woof!!
Althea: *looks at Fufi* *Turns to you* *smiles*
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