Chapter 42 - Chapter 40: A Tale of What Must Be Done
Having regained my crossbow, I continued walking south along the road. The brush ended partway through, so I was forced to walk across the empty wasteland, but no human figures were in sight. Furthermore, while I was disposing of the two corpses, the sun had completely set, and the area had become pitch black. In this darkness, no one should be able to find me.
...Such an optimistic prediction was wiped away in the next instant by a white light that suddenly filled my vision. The streetlights, which had been part of the background until just now, suddenly flickered to life.
"Ugh... My eyes, my eyes!"
My eyes, which had become completely accustomed to the darkness until then, couldn't withstand the sudden light of the streetlights. My vision turned pure white, and black spots covered my sight as if I had looked directly at the sun. As I instinctively went prone on the spot, a dry popping sound reached my ears.
It was a gunshot. And not just one, but several. All the gunshots I heard were single shots, likely from hunting rifles or handguns. Since the gunshots were heard alternately, it seemed a gunfight was taking place.
The infected don't have the intelligence to fire guns, so the opponent the guards are fighting is human. The young man said Naomi-san had stolen a gun and fled, so perhaps the person behind the other gunshots is her. I was relieved that Naomi-san and the others were safe, but the fact that it had developed into a gunfight meant they had been discovered by the guards.
The gunshots were coming from the south. It was the center of the village, where the government office was and where there were many buildings. There would certainly be many places to hide there, and above all, it was close to the house where we had lived. Perhaps Naomi-san hadn't fled the village immediately after getting a gun but had waited for me. It might just be that she couldn't escape because the enemy's vigilance was too strict, but I was happy just not to have been left behind.
Still, in this situation, they would soon run out of options. Looking around, streetlights were beginning to turn on everywhere, and the center of the village was also being bathed in light. Until yesterday, no matter how late it was at night, almost no lights were on in the village. Yamato must have taken the situation seriously and started the emergency generators to make it easier to find us.
With this, one of my advantages was lost. While the lights made it easier for me to see the enemy, they conversely made it easier for the enemy to see me. I had been making the most of my night vision to attack from the darkness, but now that tactic could no longer be used. The experience of fighting the infected in the dark meant nothing in the dazzling light.
I had lost my greatest shield, the darkness, while the opponent had the home-field advantage, numbers, and powerful weapons. To be blunt, there were almost no points where I was winning; it was beyond just being at a disadvantage. If this were a game or something, the difference in power between friend and foe would be so wide it would be treated as a trash game.
That said, I couldn't surrender to Yamato and the others now. If I had agreed to his talk, we might have been spared, but it was too late for that now. What I must do is meet up with Naomi-san and the others and escape the village—that's all.
After a few minutes, my vision finally returned to normal, and I took the village map I had received from the young man out of my pocket. Various information that the young man seemed to have drawn in was recorded on the village map, and I didn't miss the word "Power Plant" among them.
Now that the infrastructure was dead, the giant steel towers for power transmission standing on the mountains had turned into mere lumps of steel frames. Since electricity wouldn't come from outside the village, if they wanted to use power, they had to generate it themselves. However, I didn't think a power company would go out of its way to build a power plant in such a remote little village, so this "Power Plant" likely referred to a private power generation device or a place where collected generators were gathered.
I've heard that public institution buildings like village offices and city halls are equipped with private power generation devices in preparation for disasters. In fact, for a while after the infrastructure died due to the spread of infection, lights were still on at the city hall. However, since a private power generation device should only be able to cover the power consumed by that building, separate generators would be needed to distribute electricity throughout the village. That might be what the power plant is.
The power plant is southwest of here, northeast of the town center. It's quite close to where I am now. It would probably be about a twenty-minute walk.
In that case, what I have to do is decided. I'll infiltrate that power plant and cut off the power supply to the village. If I do that, the village people will fall into great chaos, and it will be easier for me to move. Naomi-san and the others might also be able to take advantage of the enemy's confusion and avoid combat. Naomi-san also said that the first things to be destroyed in a war are infrastructures like the power grid.
But can I really do such a thing? If I were an experienced special forces member with a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and explosives, destroying a power plant might be possible. However, I'm a high school student, and today is the first time I've fought against humans. As for weapons, I have a crossbow, an axe, and a knife—hardly equipment that could blow up a building.
I regretted, too late, that I should have borrowed at least one stick of dynamite from the young man. Though as an amateur, I might have only succeeded in blowing myself up at best, but even so, there's a big difference between having a means and not having one.
But well, I'll just have to manage somehow. At worst, I'll end up literally smashing the generators one by one. Even so, if the power supply to the village is cut off, there's a high possibility that we'll gain the advantage. I have no choice but to bet on that possibility.
Resuming my movement along the side of the road with my posture low, a cluster of agricultural plastic greenhouses began to appear ahead. However, perhaps they were currently fallow, as there was no sign of crops being cultivated inside; some greenhouses were abandoned, with the plastic torn to shreds and only the metal frames remaining.
However, thanks to them serving as obstacles, I can move without having to go prone or lower my posture every single time. The road had changed from gravel to asphalt pavement before I knew it, but I didn't feel like walking on that.
"Hm?"
As I was moving through a plastic greenhouse where weeds were growing unchecked, I felt like something moved beyond the transparent sheet. I went prone and moved forward while imitating a low crawl, then gently lifted the sheet covering the entrance to check the situation outside.
There was a crossroads right next to the plastic greenhouse, and I saw two human figures with flashlights approaching from the east. They were indeed guards; one was carrying a crossbow. And what was gripped in the other's hand was a revolver-type handgun.
The pair was approaching while peeking into each of the plastic greenhouses lined up on the left and right of the road. They were lifting the sheets covering the entrances and illuminating the interiors with flashlights. Because there were many plastic greenhouses, they seemed to be doing a rough check, but they would almost certainly come to the plastic greenhouse where I was hiding.
"This is bad..."
The opponent is a pair, and one has a handgun. The odds are too bad to fight them head-on. I hurriedly retreated while keeping my posture low, and immediately after I stepped out of the plastic greenhouse, I heard the sound of the pair rustling the plastic.
"Not here."
"That's why I said he didn't come this way, didn't I? Hasn't that kid already escaped outside the village?"
"Maybe, but it's better to be cautious."
"The other three are still on the run, right? Shouldn't we go as backup?"
"Don't be stupid, there's no way we can leave our post without permission. Our job is to monitor this whole area, not to track them."
Along with those voices, a faint circle of light appeared through the transparent plastic. If I hadn't noticed the pair's approach just now, I might have been found by now.
However, with this, I can no longer move carelessly from this spot. To go south where the power plant is, I have to cross the road, but if I do that, even those two would surely notice. After checking the plastic greenhouses in this area, the pair moved to the nearby crossroads. If it were pitch black, they might not have noticed if I moved away from them, but unfortunately, all the streetlights are now lit. In such a situation, if I try to cross a straight road with good visibility, I'll be found in an instant.
"What should I do..."
To make matters worse, because the surroundings are bright, I can't even move from this spot. The pair at the crossroads hasn't shown any sign of noticing me as I watch them from the shadow of the plastic greenhouse while prone. Even in a bright environment, I can blend in with the surrounding scenery if I stay still, but the moment I move, the pair will notice me. If an object larger than a dog moves sluggishly, anyone would notice.
"Shall I just do it?"
Even if I were to pass through here without them noticing, the threat of being attacked from behind would always follow me. If I were discovered, I want to avoid being caught in a pincer attack at the very least. If I finish off the pair here before that, I can set about destroying the power plant with peace of mind.
Besides, having only a crossbow and an axe as weapons was also unreliable. After all, the opponent even has submachine guns capable of rapid fire; as long as my only ranged weapon is a crossbow, I have no chance of winning if a fight breaks out. In that regard, if I had even a handgun, I might be able to narrow the power gap, even if only slightly.
However, the problem is how to take down the pair, both of whom have ranged weapons, together. If one survives, they will surely call for reinforcements. If that happens, I'll be surrounded in no time and it'll be the end. I have to finish them off without giving them the luxury of calling for backup.
The first one I should target is the man with the handgun. If a gunshot rings out, it might be deemed that something happened and reinforcements might come. Also, unlike a crossbow, a handgun can fire several shots without having to reload every time. If it comes to a shootout, it's unavoidable that I'll fall into a disadvantage.
First, take down the man with the handgun, and while the other is in a panic, quickly load a bolt and shoot him dead. That was the plan I made. Even trained special forces members will have a gap of about 10 seconds if suddenly attacked. Naomi-san said so.
However, partly because there have already been deaths, the current pair will surely be wary of me. Even if I shoot one dead, the other might immediately recover and call for backup or return fire. The grace period to take down the second person is about 5 seconds. I have to assume that if I take more time than that, backup will arrive.
The pair was just wandering around the intersection right in front of me, with no sign of going anywhere. Each was facing a different direction, and if someone tried to cross the road, they would find them immediately.
That said, I can't throw a stone to distract them like when I took down the guards earlier. That worked because the surroundings were dark; I can't throw a stone well while prone, and the movement would inevitably be large. Now that the streetlights are lit, being found the moment I throw it would be the end of it.
As expected, I have no choice but to shoot the man with the handgun dead while one is facing the other direction. The other's weapon is a crossbow; at worst, even if we get into a shootout, we can wage an even battle.
I slowly readied the crossbow in my hand. I pressed the skeletonized metal stock firmly against my shoulder and peered through the dot sight. I aligned the red dot floating in the center of the lens with the chest of the man holding the handgun.
The distance was 30 meters or so, well within range. After shifting slightly and poking my face further out from the shadow of the plastic greenhouse, I pulled the trigger the moment the man with the crossbow turned his back to me.
Ping! Along with the sound of the string ringing, the bolt was launched and pierced the right chest of the man with the handgun. At that moment, the man had a face as if he didn't know what on earth had happened, staring at the bolt that had suddenly sprouted from his chest.
"Guh...!"
Perhaps it pierced his lung and blood flowed back into his trachea, as he spat out an amount of blood that would fill a cup and fell to his knees. The man with the crossbow next to him noticed the sound and turned around, his eyes widening as he saw his comrade spitting blood and falling to the ground. Not missing that moment when he stood rooted to the spot, I quickly pulled the string, loaded a bolt, and took aim.
I pulled the trigger again. But, I had put too much strength into the hand gripping the crossbow, and the aim shifted slightly the moment I pulled the trigger. By the time I thought "crap," it was already too late. The launched bolt grazed the front of the other man's eyes and flew into the plastic greenhouse behind him.
As expected, he must have realized what happened with a bolt flying in front of his eyes. The man turned this way as if tracing the trajectory the bolt had flown, and our eyes met. We were staring at each other for only a moment, and by the time I realized it, the man had readied his crossbow and pulled the trigger toward me.
Because he fired without even taking aim, the bolt flew far over my head, but my existence and location were certainly exposed to the man. I clicked my tongue and tried to quickly reload a bolt. However, in the next instant, the man took an unexpected action.
Throwing aside his crossbow on the spot, he lunged at his fallen comrade. Looking closely, he was trying to pry the handgun from his comrade's hand. He must have thought even the time to reload the crossbow one by one was precious. However, since the handgun his comrade held was loaded with bullets, he could attack me faster than reloading a crossbow.
I, who hadn't anticipated the action of the other person taking a weapon from a corpse, cursed my own carelessness. However, if I leave him alone, the man will get the handgun. If that happens, far from the man turning the tables, the guards who heard the gunshots will gather.
"Dammit...!"
I stood up and sprinted toward the man. The crossbow was still hanging from my shoulder by the sling, but the time to reload this was also precious. Unlike a crossbow where it takes time until the next shot if you miss, a handgun can be fired continuously without pause as long as bullets are loaded by continuing to pull the trigger.
I took the axe from the belt holder, and when the distance became less than 10 meters, I swung it back broadly. By then, the man had already pried the handgun from his comrade's hand and held it in his right hand.
A black, round muzzle, so small it was doubtful if a pinky finger could fit, pointed this way. If the man pulled the trigger, a lead ball of only a few grams flying out of that muzzle would take my life.
An instant before the muzzle was pointed at me, I had thrown the axe at the man. The man, who was suddenly thrown an axe, must have prioritized protecting himself instinctively rather than pulling the trigger. The axe, spinning, struck the man's left arm, which he had hurriedly raised in front of his face.
Unluckily, what hit was the metal handle part. However, even though the blade didn't hit, it was the same as having a metal lump of nearly 1 kilogram thrown with force, and a dry sound of something breaking like stepping on a branch rang out from the man's arm that the axe struck.
The man clutched his left hand with a scream, but he hadn't lost his fighting spirit yet. The man was trying to ready the handgun with a pained expression, but by then, the distance between me and him had almost disappeared.
"Oraa!"
Along with a shout of spirit, I swung down the bolt I was gripping with all my might toward the man's face. A bolt removed from the crossbow holder is a sufficient weapon on its own.
The swung-down bolt pierced deeply into the man's left eye. It must have burst the eyeball and also penetrated the skull. A dull sensation of something crushing was transmitted to my right hand gripping the bolt, and the man's body convulsed greatly. The sharply pointed arrowhead must have reached the brain, as the man, shedding red tears from his left eye, fell to the ground and began to convulse slightly.
However, he seemed to have already departed for the next world. The man lying on the ground with a bolt growing from his left eye showed no sign of standing up or firing a gun. His body was moving, but it was likely post-mortem convulsions. The other man whose right chest was pierced by the crossbow bolt had also died, perhaps because a hole opened in his lung and he could no longer breathe.
With this, I've killed 4 people. However, just like when I killed the first person, my heart remained calm. Like moving a pebble rolling on the roadside, I killed those who interfered with my survival. That was all.
Returning to my senses at the gunshot ringing out again in the distance, I picked up the handgun from the hand of the fallen man. If I don't quickly destroy the power plant and turn off the town lights, not only me but also Naomi-san and the others will remain in danger.
What the man held seemed to be a police revolver. It had a round, lotus-shaped cylinder at the rear of the short barrel. Fortunately, I had previously been taught the structure and usage of the gun by Naomi-san in preparation for obtaining a handgun from a policeman's corpse or the like.
As taught, I pressed the lever above the grip and tilted the cylinder to the left, revealing the 5 handgun bullets loaded in the swung-out cylinder. I returned the cylinder and searched the corpse of the man who originally held the handgun, finding about 20 handgun bullets the size of a fingertip in his pocket. It's uneasy to have only 20-odd bullets against dozens of people, but even so, there's a big difference between having a gun and not having one. But since firing it would tell the enemy my location, the crossbow will still be useful. I tucked the handgun bullets into my pocket and searched the corpses for anything useful.
However, the only thing that seemed worth taking was the crossbow bolt that the man I just killed had held. I have a knife, and I just stole a radio. I don't need two crossbows. After returning the axe that had fallen on the ground to its holder, I put my hand on the bolt stuck in the corpse's eye.
I thought about leaving it since I got new spare bolts, but as long as I don't know how many enemies I'll face from here on, I can't afford to waste even a single bolt. If I can recover it, I need to recover it. If I could get plenty of bullets, it would be a different story.
"Ugh..."
When I pulled with force, the bolt came out of the corpse's eye socket along with the crushed eyeball. At the tip of the eyeball, which looked like a red-stained golf ball, a bundle of nerves of a color I couldn't tell if it was red or pink was connected. I've seen various corpses until now, but it's the first time I've damaged a corpse even if it was to pull out a bolt. I instinctively grimaced and lifted the bolt straight up.
Since there's no barb on the arrowhead, the bolt came out easily when pulled. The stretched bundle of nerves and the eyeball connected to it rolled onto the ground, and a sticky liquid spilled out from the hole where the bolt had been stuck. I wiped the blood and body fluids on the bolt with the corpse's clothes, cocked the string, and loaded it into the crossbow.
Even though I got a gun, I still couldn't afford to be careless. I've taken down 4 people so far, but I don't think things will go well from here on. Especially the power plant will likely have strict security, so it will surely develop into a gunfight.
Tucking the revolver handgun into my belt, I sprinted toward the southwest direction where the power plant was. Gunshots were still ringing out from the center of the village. To give Naomi-san and the others a chance to escape, I have to put the power plant out of commission as soon as possible.