Then the sound of a gunshot, much closer this time, caught their attention."My God! Again?!" Aurélien exclaimed, spotting Takashi rushing down the stairs, pulling on his school jacket.
"Takashi? What's going on?" Aurélien asked as he was joined by Rei and Saeko.
"There's a little girl in trouble. I'm going to save her," Takashi told Aurélien, lowering his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not that kind of man," he added bitterly.
"You don't have to be, Takashi," Aurélien said with a smile. "It's good to know there are still brave men left in this world," he added. Even though he knew how important it was to be selfish to survive, he too wasn't comfortable with letting a child die if he could prevent it.
"Takashi, let me come with you to help!" Rei said, grabbing his arm.
"No. Stay here and keep watch," Takashi told her. "I'll go on the motorcycle. I'll be fine," he added.
"On a motorcycle? But you'll—" Rei began when Aurélien interrupted.
"Though I admire your decision, Takashi, you don't need to risk your life to save that little girl." The young man was about to protest, but Aurélien clarified. "What I mean is, I have a less dangerous method."
Aurélien walked toward the front door, the others following, curious about his explanation.
Suddenly, Saya joined them, looking tired and annoyed. "What's all this noise?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"Something good, Lady Saya," Aurélien replied.
Saya gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "Like what?" she asked dryly."We're showing that humans can overcome their selfishness to save one of their own!" he responded.
Opening the door, the Technopriest's companions were surprised to see a cloaked figure standing on the terrace.
Rei recognized it. "Wait! That's one of the guys who helped us escape the school!" she exclaimed.
Aurélien gave a smug smile. "Indeed, I ordered them to support us. However, this is not a guy..." He pulled back the hood and threw off the cloak, revealing the figure's true identity. "...but one of my creations."
The group was stunned to see a robot wielding a sword before them. They had seen such things in sci-fi movies, but it was a different matter to see one in real life.
The most shocked was Saya. "H-How!?" she gasped.Still smiling smugly, Aurélien replied, "Sorry, Lady Saya, but that information is restricted to members of my order."
"Why didn't you show it to us before?" Saeko asked curiously.
"I was keeping it as a last-resort card, and the opportunity hadn't presented itself yet," the Technopriest explained.
Kohta's gunfire intensified. "What are you doing down there?! My ammo isn't unlimited!"
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Aurélien turned to Takashi and asked, "Where's the child?"
Still shaken by the droid's reveal, Takashi quickly answered, "The 23rd house on the left of the street facing the house."
Aurélien turned to his droid and ordered, "Retrieve the girl via the rooftops. Avoid direct combat!"
"Roger! Roger!"
The group watched as the droid sprinted and leapt acrobatically onto the neighboring roof, speeding toward its target. Meanwhile, the undead horde crept closer to their shelter.
"We need to leave. It's no longer safe to stay here," Aurélien declared.
"That's true," Saeko said, nodding. "We have supplies to move, and the vehicle Miss Shizuka's friend left is our only way to transport them," she added.
"We'd better get started then," Takashi said as they moved back inside. Then, both he and Aurélien froze at the sight of a naked Shizuka following Saya, who looked even more annoyed than before.
Saeko noticed where Aurélien was looking and put a finger on his jaw, closing it. "Eyes on the job, sir," she reminded him.
"I'll… wait outside," he said in a small voice. "I'll… make sure none of them get too close," he mumbled.
"You do that, Aur," Saeko said with an amused smile. Aurélien went outside, dragging a stunned Takashi by the collar. Rei then cleared her throat to get Saeko's attention.
"Something wrong?" Saeko asked.
"No. Just thinking," Rei replied with a teasing smile.
"Thinking about what?" Saeko asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking how cute it is that you called Aurélien by that little nickname," Rei said slyly.
"He told me to be less formal with him, and it's faster to say," Saeko replied calmly.
"Really? I didn't know you were such good friends with him," Rei said, looking like a cat that got the cream.
"I'm becoming good friends with Aur, but there's nothing more to it than that," Saeko stated calmly.
"Well, if I wasn't with Takashi, I know I'd be going after Aurélien," Rei said mischievously.
"Is there something you wanted, Miyamoto?" Rei grinned at the defensive look on Saeko's face, knowing she had hit a nerve.
"No, nothing else, Saeko," Rei said cheerfully. "Let's hurry and get ready," she added helpfully.
...
Aurélien waited near the door, taking out any undead blocking the path. Looking over the wall, he saw that the horde was steadily growing. There were too many to fight, and while the Humvee looked sturdy, it was doubtful it could plow through such a mass of corpses.
Takashi, using binoculars, tracked the droid's progress. Finally, he saw it leap onto the roof of the house where the girl was. He lost visual contact as it dropped onto the front terrace, but he knew Kohta could see from the balcony. Moments later, the BX droid reappeared—this time with a terrified little girl clinging to its left hand, clutching a small dog.
Takashi breathed a sigh of relief and informed his companion, "He made it! Your robot is coming back with the girl!"Inside, he felt a pang of disappointment at not being the one to perform the heroic rescue.
Nodding, Aurélien shouted, "Everyone, move! The horde's nearly on us—we need to go, now!"
The girls exited the house with the last supplies, the bespectacled boy following behind. Kohta carried all the weapons and ammo, with a pair of flashlights strapped to his head.
Everyone stared at the chubby boy in surprise. "What? What is it?" he asked.
"You look like you're having way too much fun," Saya muttered.
Kohta grinned and replied, "You have no idea!"
Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the droid, gently setting the little girl down. She held back tears. She had just seen her father stabbed to death, and when monsters were about to get her, another monster took her—she feared it would devour her. Instead, it brought her to a group of people.
Kohta greeted her with a smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kohta," he introduced himself. Seeing a friendly face, the girl broke down, hugging the boy tightly. This eight-year-old had endured too much trauma too quickly. The others decided not to approach, to avoid overwhelming her.
Taking down what was likely his thirtieth zombie that evening with his mechadendrite, Aurélien received a message from his system:
[Quest Complete: Eliminate 100 Undead (100/100)][Reward Received: Construction Droid Blueprint][Reward Received: B1 Battle Droid Blueprint][Reward Received: E-5 Blaster Rifle Blueprint][New Quest Issued: Become Leader of a Community (0/100 people)][New Quest Issued: Eliminate 1000 Zombies Directly or Through Your Creations (0/1000)]
Aurélien tucked the new blueprints into his coat pocket, planning to study them later. Noticing five brutes—like the one that had wounded him at school—among the approaching horde, the Technopriest knew they had to leave now."Everyone, get in the Humvee! Now!" he shouted as he ran back to the group.
With danger closing in, they wasted no time. Kohta picked up the little girl and her dog, taking them with him to the gunner's post. The droid, unconcerned with comfort, settled into the rear storage.
Shizuka started the engine, and with the squeal of tires on asphalt, they crashed through the gate, sending pitiful undead flying. The vehicle turned, tires screeching, and faced an empty alley. It accelerated, speeding the group away from danger.