Chapter 120 - Episode 107: A Story of Opening a Vent
The boy tried to pull the trigger of the brandished rifle, but he thought better of it. The opponents are three, and on top of that, all of them are armed with guns. They only have police revolvers or hunting shotguns and not a single military gun, but even so, the number of muzzles is greater on their side. If he fires poorly in this situation, he might be able to kill one, but he will take a counterattack from the remaining two.
"Don't move!"
Instead, the boy shouted. In the first place, the other side hasn't fired at the boy yet. Killing humans with a preemptive strike is a rule violation for the boy, and that fact made him hesitate to fire. In the calm part of his heart, it was insisting "fire quickly," but something welling up from the depths of his heart was stopping the finger that tried to pull the trigger.
"I said don't move! Put your guns on the floor just like that! If you point a muzzle this way, I'll fire!"
Among the men who set foot into the supermarket, there was no one pointing a muzzle at the boy. The youngest man among the three is looking at the boy, but the muzzle remains pointed in another direction. The remaining two also remained frozen with only their faces turned toward the boy while the muzzles were pointed in directions that were, from the boy's perspective, completely elsewhere.
"Hey, now, calm down..."
The young man said so, but the boy shouted "Hurry up!" and shook the muzzle up and down. Seeing that, the men finally seemed to have understood what was happening. After looking at each other's faces, they placed the guns they each held on the floor in a way that could be called fearful.
"Hey, I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but we didn't come here because we wanted to hurt you. We just want to get food."
The young man said so in a kind voice as if to calm the boy down, but he didn't listen to the man's talk. "Are there other comrades? How many people have guns?" he asked, thrusting the rifle's muzzle at the man. Seeing that, the man finally closed his mouth, but in those eyes, the color of dissatisfaction rather than fear was floating.
"Just as he said, we just happened to come here. We have no intention of doing anything to you, and once we get what we need, we'll go back immediately."
"That's right, won't you become our comrade? Looking at you, you're probably used to handling weapons, and the fact that you've survived until now means you can fight too, right? It would be a help if you came with us."
The other two say one after another. It didn't look to the boy like they were begging for their lives. This trio truly didn't come to kill the boy, and it seemed they weren't trying to kill him either. The boy judged it was likely truly a chance encounter.
"That's right. If you're alone, you should come to our place. If we're together, the probability of survival in the future will also increase."
"Our group has many people, and we have enough weapons too. You can live with peace of mind. It's hard to act alone, right? It's decided that it's better to have comrades."
In the eyes of the men who say so, no malice was felt. Are they purely worrying about me and inviting me to be a comrade? He thought such a thing, and then no, that's impossible, the boy shook his head.
Where is the fool who worries about others in this day and age? Everyone should have their hands full just surviving themselves. It's impossible to do something while thinking of the other person. Surely those fellows are trying to deceive me. The boy concluded so. Surely they are luring survivors out with sweet words like "won't you become a comrade?" and then killing them to steal their supplies and weapons. At least if it were me, I would do that, the boy thought.
"Don't screw with me! I won't be deceived! Anyway, you guys are planning to kill me and steal my weapons and food, aren't you?"
Yes, one must not believe anyone. The boy, who had tasted the experience of nearly being killed after falling for such sweet talk and then tasting the experience of his first murder in his life, thought that in this world, one must not believe anyone.
"Why won't you understand..."
The young man who first opened his mouth muttered so with a tone mixed with irritation. Behind him, in the entrance of the supermarket where the sunlight shone in, a single shadow swayed.
"Hey, what are you making a fuss about? The infected will gather..."
The one who set foot into the shop while saying so was a man wearing camouflage clothing and holding an automatic rifle. The man saw the trio standing with their hands up, and then he saw the boy who was thrusting a gun at them. And the moment he met eyes with the boy, the man shouted "Get down!" and suddenly fired the automatic rifle he held.
The moment the man in camouflage clothing brandished his gun, the boy had jumped sideways and hidden in the shadow of a shelf. Immediately after, he understood that bullets passed through the space where he had been standing until just now. If he hadn't fled the moment he met eyes, he would have surely had his stomach pierced.
"Pick up your guns!"
The man in camouflage clothing shouted to the three who still had their hands up while firing the automatic rifle in semi-auto. The three, who finally noticed that the muzzle pointed at them was gone, tried to pick up their guns that were tossed on the floor. The boy wanted to prevent that somehow, but the man in camouflage clothing is continuing to fire. It didn't seem like he was firing thinking to hit with suppressive fire, but even so, it was easy to imagine having his face shot through the moment he poked it out.
The man in camouflage clothing is likely a pro, the boy thought. That means he is a professional JSDF member. Except for the fact that he isn't wearing a helmet and is wearing a lightweight chest rig instead of a bulletproof vest, his appearance was the same as the JSDF members who were on public security maintenance missions in various places during the infection expansion. And the automatic rifle he held was also military, from the JSDF.
Above all, it was clear from the point he quickly judged the situation in that instant and fired accurately that the man in camouflage clothing was not a civilian doing cosplay. Whether he became a rioter after losing the nation he should protect and the organization or superiors he should follow, or whether he is truly acting as a member of a survivor group. In any case, the boy realized there was no way he could match a pro at anti-personnel combat.
"Come out with your hands up!"
The three who brandished the guns they picked up shouted one after another, and the boy felt the presence of the JSDF member, who finally finished firing, edging closer here. Whether in the number of muzzles or combat skills, this side is losing. There is no choice but to flee here. Above all, because the JSDF member fired flashily, it's not guaranteed that infected won't gather. It will also be necessary to leave this city.
First, fleeing is winning. The boy holds the rifle with one hand and draws a handgun with the other. And thrusting out only the arm that gripped the handgun from the shadow of the shelf, he pulled the trigger several times toward the direction where the men were thought to be. Along with the metallic sound of bullets hitting something, he could feel the presence of them hurriedly hiding in cover with a "Uwa!" There was no hit, but it's fine if he can suppress them.
The boy returned the handgun to the holster and, with rifle in hand, proceeded toward another exit in the shop. "Stop!" a voice was heard from behind, but he looked back and fired the rifle. The recoil of firing the powerful 7.62mm bullet pierced his right shoulder through the telescopic stock to the point of pain.
He fired several more rifle rounds, but the men had also begun to chase the boy. Along with gunshots echoing from behind, the items in the surroundings are blown to pieces. From the corner where the products are to the exit, the visibility is good and the distance is long. While running toward the exit, the possibility of being caught up and shot from behind is high. He has to somehow dazzle the eyes of the men chasing him...
There, the boy turned his eyes to a red metal box with a plate saying "Fire Extinguisher" on its surface, installed at the base of a pillar. Drawing the handgun again and firing with one hand to suppress the men, he unfastened the metal fitting of the box with the other hand and took out the fire extinguisher from inside.
In movies and games, scenes where one shoots through a fire extinguisher to make it burst and wipe out enemies appear, but that is nothing more than fiction. However, if one shoots through a fire extinguisher with a powerful rifle bullet, the chemical agent inside will be scattered in an instant, and it will be like laying a smoke screen. The boy threw the heavy fire extinguisher toward his rear with all his might.
"What is it...?"
The heavy metal fire extinguisher rolled toward the men's feet while gouging the linoleum of the floor where it fell. The men, who were hiding in the shadow of pillars while brandishing guns, were perplexed by the existence of the fire extinguisher that was suddenly thrown. And the boy aimed the rifle at the rolling fire extinguisher and pulled the trigger.
Along with a sound of something bursting with a bang, a corner of the frozen food section is enveloped in a white mist. The rifle bullet penetrated the fire extinguisher, and the high-pressure gas and powder chemical agent for fire extinguishing packed inside blew out all at once. "What?!" along with a voice close to a shriek this time, the sound of coughing from inhaling the chemical agent is heard.
The chemical agent for fire extinguishing is reportedly a component with no effect on the human body, but if one is showered with powder in the face suddenly, one won't be able to move for a while. "My eyes, my eyes..." along with a groan, someone fires, having been shaken. "Don't fire, it'll be friendly fire! The fire extinguisher powder is safe!" the one who shouted was likely the man in camouflage clothing.
Judging that now was the chance, the boy ran toward the exit all at once. The other exit, different from the one he came in, has been left with the door open beforehand. This was because he had anticipated a sudden attack, and it took the form of actually being useful.
He thrusts his body into the gap of the automatic door that was slightly open and jumps outside. Immediately after, a gunshot roared behind him, and at the same time, an impact as if he were struck with all one's might in the left flank runs. The flank where the impact ran suddenly began to hold heat, and the boy, who turned his gaze downward, saw the chest rig he wore and his trousers being stained bright red with blood.