Chapter 12: Akira's Driving Skills! The True Judgment Day!
After properly defining the route, Akira and the girls meticulously loaded and carefully organized all the equipment, and also carefully packed every single necessary supply.
And so, Akira and his group officially left the apartment building of the girls' dormitory, where they had been living for the past ten full days.
The initial destination: the underground parking lot.
There, around a few dozen zombies were wandering aimlessly, scattered all over the area.
The moment they sensed the presence of humans, those filthy creatures instantly rushed over at full speed, like real scavenger animals who, after starving for days, had finally spotted fresh meat — in this case, human flesh.
Taking the lead, Hinata moved like lightning. Her agile figure became practically a blur in motion, and with every precise kick, a zombie head either flew off completely or shattered right there on the floor.
Alyna was not far behind. She charged forward in a hurry, opening the path as fast as possible, leading with remarkable efficiency.
After going around several corridors and sharp corners, Akira finally located his car.
And there it was — an absolutely imposing machine, with a black body full of aggressive and sharp lines, reinforced with anti-collision armor both at the front and at the rear. That metallic beast looked as though it had been specially crafted just for the apocalypse itself.
Without any exaggeration, it emitted the aura of a genuine "Chariot of Judgment Day."
Although Alyna did offer to take the driver's seat, Akira refused without hesitation. He was genuinely worried about her driving skills — and this was absolutely not the right time to gamble on risks like that.
He decided to take the wheel himself. After all, there was a time in his life when he worked part-time doing substitute driving jobs to earn extra money.
Naturally, Akira also had a perfectly valid driver's license — and, to be honest, one that he had earned through plenty of sweat and effort.
He got inside the vehicle together with the girls, took his seat behind the wheel, and swiftly turned the key in the ignition.
The digital dashboard lit up instantly, displaying that there was still more than half a tank of fuel remaining. For now, that was definitely more than enough.
Wasting absolutely no time, Akira hit the gas, driving the Land Rover straight toward the parking lot's exit.
However, right as they passed the security booth at the exit, they were met with an unexpected obstacle: the old building's security guard, now completely zombified, was standing directly in the middle of the road, blocking the way with his staggering movements and his hollow, lifeless eyes.
He let out an extremely shrill scream while running, wildly waving the QR payment code in his hand as if he were still seriously working.
Even after having completely turned into a zombie, his legs and feet somehow seemed to have become even faster and sharper than before.
— He turned into a zombie… and yet still hasn't forgotten about charging the parking fee. — Akira commented, using that same half-sarcastic, half-amused tone.
— Truly… extremely dedicated… — added Hinata, crossing her arms, visibly unsure whether to laugh or feel pity for that scene.
Without thinking twice, Akira slammed his foot hard onto the gas pedal.
The old zombified security guard was instantly launched high into the air like some kind of ragdoll, spinning awkwardly before crashing violently into the toll gate pole.
The Land Rover's engine roared fiercely inside the underground parking lot, thundering like metallic thunder, as the vehicle shot out at full speed toward the campus exit of the University of Tokyo.
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Outside the campus...
Through the car window, I could finally see, with my very own eyes, how the outside world had truly become.
Zombies were absolutely everywhere on the streets, walking erratically or chasing after any slightest sign of life.
Abandoned vehicles — some completely destroyed, others wrecked — were randomly scattered all over the cracked, winding, and almost unrecognizable road.
Department stores were set ablaze, releasing thick, dense columns of pitch-black smoke. Billboards that once showed the faces of famous celebrities now lay collapsed, fallen, twisted, and burned.
Everywhere the eyes could possibly reach, the scenery was nothing but pure devastation, endless chaos, and absolute death.
It was impossible not to feel a tightness in the chest — a suffocating, heavy feeling that seemed to squeeze not just the body but the soul itself.
But… upon looking at Akira, holding the steering wheel firmly with both hands, focused, wearing that serious and determined expression… the hearts of the three girls gradually, little by little, began to calm down.
Throughout these recent horrific days, they were no longer alone anymore.
Akira had become their safe harbor, their unshakable anchor… their physical protection, and even more importantly, their emotional and mental support.
— Rrrrraaaaaghhhh! — The grotesque roar of the dead echoed far and wide.
Drawn by the loud engine noise, dozens… no, actually, hundreds of zombies began a frenzied pursuit, desperately chasing right after the car.
The problem was that the road was absolutely full of obstacles — wrecked cars, broken rubble, piles of trash, fallen utility poles… Even with driving skills that were clearly way above average, Akira simply couldn't accelerate too much — the risk of crashing was way too high.
Even so, thanks to his incredibly precise maneuvering, he managed to maintain a safe distance from the horde of undead chasing them, controlling every sharp turn, every sudden brake, and every dodge with absolute mastery.
But it only took a few more minutes, and when they looked through the rearview mirror… the sight was something completely surreal.
The entire road behind them was fully overtaken, absolutely packed with zombies, all running and stumbling over each other, forming a grotesque horde that looked like a tsunami made entirely out of rotting flesh in unstoppable motion.
It was… visually spectacular. Horrifying, yes. But also undeniably impressive to witness.
Following the navigation coordinates, Akira drove the car all the way to the area near the warehouse supermarket.
However, there was now a critical problem.
The zombies who had been chasing the car not only refused to disperse — instead, they somehow seemed to multiply at every single street corner.
Now it was crystal clear… there were at least thousands of them!
Akira frowned deeply, gritting his teeth hard.
— Damn it… — he muttered under his breath.
They needed to lure them away, fast. If this absurd horde managed to flood into the supermarket, it would become practically impossible to guarantee the safety of the entire group.
The danger was very real. And it was only getting worse by the minute.
I quickly glanced around, carefully evaluating all possible options.
It was then that I realized that, right next to the supermarket, there was an enormous commercial district, completely filled with buildings, alleys, and various structures that could be extremely useful right now.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped up inside Akira's mind.
Wasting no time, he deliberately slowed the car down just a little — only enough to keep the zombies more excited, more aggressive, and very much interested, making sure they would continue chasing the vehicle relentlessly as he drove it deep into the commercial district.
The zombies' running speed varied a lot — some were surprisingly fast, while others, either badly damaged or half-rotted already, moved extremely slowly, dragging themselves.
Naturally, they started splitting into two groups.
Those who were still capable of running faster stayed glued closely to the rear of the Land Rover, while the slower ones — the ones with broken legs, dangling limbs, or just heavily damaged bodies — gradually fell far behind, unable to keep up.
After several laps, going around streets, squares, and narrow back alleys within the district, something rather interesting happened.
The zombies at the front — the faster ones — started meeting those in the rear, who were being caught up due to the tight, looping corners along the path. Slowly, little by little, they all began merging into one single, gigantic, massive horde.
Akira, always paying close attention, noticed the perfect moment.
He pressed the horn hard.
— BEEEEEP!
Instantly, every single zombie in front twisted their heads in perfect sync, howling and sprinting like lunatics straight toward the Land Rover, reacting exactly like wild animals drawn by the loud sound.
— Ho ho ho ho! — Akira let out a dry, slightly mocking laugh.
Even while being just seconds away from being swallowed by that terrifying tsunami of corpses, he remained absolutely calm, cold, and calculating.
With the corner of his eyes, he had already mapped out a possible escape route — an entrance to an underground parking garage located right ahead, perfectly positioned on the side, strategically placed between a "gap" in the cluster of zombies ahead and the massive group coming right behind.
Without the slightest hesitation, Akira slammed the gas pedal down hard.
The engine roared furiously.
The car shot forward like a bullet, made an incredibly sharp maneuver, and dove abruptly into the underground parking garage entrance.
The zombies on both sides were completely caught off guard. Many tripped, crashed into each other, fell over… a truly chaotic scene, absolutely reminiscent of the legendary "Red Sea" closing after Moses's miraculous passage.
The gigantic tide of undead, of course, did not give up. They recklessly threw themselves after the vehicle, flooding into the underground parking lot like a massive, unstoppable swarm.
However… there was one very serious problem for them.
The inside of the parking garage was extremely complex — packed full of columns, dividers, ramps, obstacles, and extremely tight spaces.
On top of that, the car alarms from other parked vehicles started blaring loudly all over the place, echoing non-stop and creating a completely insane acoustic effect.
The zombies, immediately attracted by every single different noise, began scattering, totally losing track of the Land Rover. They smashed into one another, crashed into walls, spun around in circles like dizzy cockroaches, completely confused.
Meanwhile, Akira drove with absolute mastery, circling quickly until he reached the third basement floor and, through a side exit, returned straight back to the main road, far away from the terrifying horde.
Now, thousands — literally thousands — of zombies were completely trapped inside the underground parking lot, with absolutely zero chance of getting out anytime soon.
The road, which was previously terrifyingly dangerous, was now completely clear. Free. Honestly, it even felt refreshing.
The threat surrounding the supermarket had been dealt with in a way that was clean, precise, and absolutely genius.
It might have seemed like an unbelievably dangerous maneuver — and yes, for anyone else, it absolutely would be — but in practice, everything had been under Akira's absolute control from the very beginning.
His perception, his composure, and his intelligence were simply astonishing.
— Master is absolutely amazing! — Hinata exclaimed, her eyes literally sparkling with tiny, glittering stars.
Overwhelmed by excitement, she couldn't help herself and threw herself right into Akira's arms, squeezing him tightly in a hug full of admiration and joy.
Akira responded with the same intensity, pampering her with a loud, affectionate kiss on the cheek, completely unashamed.
Alyna and Aya, who had been watching everything from the side, exchanged glances — a very clear mix of admiration… with just a tiny hint of jealousy that was honestly quite impossible to hide.
Although all of them were absolutely loyal followers, the relationship between Hinata and Akira… was definitely something far more special.
Akira had never been this close to them like this before.
After carefully parking the Land Rover at a very well-hidden spot, in a narrow alley right beside the supermarket, Akira and two of the girls quickly got out of the vehicle.
They left the strongest one, Alyna, guarding the car, protecting both the supplies and their rear, while also carefully monitoring the surroundings.
Without wasting a single second, Akira moved directly toward the supermarket, with Hinata and Aya closely following by his side.
...
Inside the supermarket's storage area...
The manager, a middle-aged man wearing the typical employee uniform, was collapsed on the ground, lying in a growing puddle of blood, agonizing, already on the verge of death.
— Wouldn't it have been better to cooperate from the very beginning, you idiot? — said a guy with a grotesque scar crossing his face, smiling in a sadistic, cruel, and merciless way.
Standing right behind him was an entire group of henchmen — all with nasty faces, radiating malice and bad intentions.
Several store employees and a few survivors who had managed to hide inside the supermarket were trembling, cornered, completely dominated by sheer terror.
When the zombie virus first started spreading throughout the city, this group of people reacted quickly. They ran and hid in the basement — exactly inside the supermarket's storage area.
After all, that place not only had food, water, and more than enough supplies, but it also offered safety and protection against the zombies outside.
They didn't run around like headless chickens, like other desperate civilians.
For a few days, everything was relatively calm.
But... since every good tragedy never comes alone, Scarface — that bastard with the scar — suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leading a group of armed thugs.
They came banging on the doors, threatening, demanding that they hand over absolutely every single supply stored inside.
Naturally, they refused.
The result?
The bandits simply poured gasoline all around the entrance, threatening to set the entire supermarket on fire, burning everyone alive inside.
With no other option left, completely taken over by absolute despair, the survivors had no choice.
The manager, swallowing all his pride, opened the door with a tiny bit of hope to negotiate... but he didn't even get the chance.
The very moment the door opened, he was brutally struck down to the ground with an axe blow — without even hearing a single offer or negotiation attempt.
Blood splattered everywhere.
— Brother Scar, so... what do we do with these useless pieces of garbage? — asked one of the bandits, a skinny guy with poorly bleached yellow hair.
Scarface casually waved his hand, smiling like a true psychopath.
— Trash... every single one of them. None of them are worth anything. Kill them all. — he replied, with absolute coldness in his voice.
— Yes, sir. — the group answered in unison, already sharpening their knives, tapping baseball bats against their palms, and advancing forward like hungry hyenas.
The eyes of the survivors immediately filled with pure, absolute terror.
They escaped the zombies... only to, ironically, die at the hands of other human beings.
Life during the apocalypse... definitely made no sense at all.
Screams started echoing through the entire place.
Crying, desperate pleas for help, begging... and the grotesque sounds of the very first violent hits and brutal aggressions.
Scarface simply closed his eyes.
Smiling, breathing in deeply, savoring that chaotic sound of pure despair, as if it were classical music to his ears.
For a miserable creature like him — cruel, petty, and fully psychotic — the zombie apocalypse was not an end... it was the true paradise on Earth.
He had finally gotten a world where he could freely be the monster he had always secretly wished to become.
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