Chapter 24 – Prepare Umbrella Before Zombie Apocalypse

"You don't need to thank me. It's my pleasure to be of assistance." He replied, then he turned to me. "I believe you have a plan to protect yourself in the middle of this crisis, yes?"

"Yes, sir. We are planning on leaving the city." I replied, nodding my head. "We have prepared supplies and weapons for our journey."

"Where do you plan to go?" He asked.

"Somewhere far from the city, preferably near the water plant." I answered, "That place is a good place to get water supplies and there are lots of food sources there too."

"I see. It's a good plan." He nodded. "Should I say a brilliant mind has a similar thought? Son of Busujima isn't famous for sword, but I heard from your father that you are pretty smart."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Come with me. I'll show you something." He replied.

We followed him outside and he led us to a large building, a warehouse, where many refugees were resting.

They were all injured and sickly, lying on the ground with bandages around their bodies. Some were crying while others were sleeping peacefully.

"We have so many survivors here."

Don Takagi Souichiro said and we continued to walk around.

There were some guards patrolling the area, keeping an eye on the survivors and the zombie-filled street outside the wall. They greeted Souichiro respectfully when we walked past them.

When we reached the garden, I saw some people gathered in a group and arguing. The content of their argument was, of course, zombies.

Apparently, they heard the government's announcement that zombies were people who got sick and not undead. They wanted to save them, saying that they were fellow humans.

Upon hearing that, I couldn't help but chuckle. Zombies were the result of a virus and there was no way to cure them. Even if they could, there would be no point in doing so.

What was the use of saving a zombie? They would not turn into humans again. It was useless and a waste of time and resources. Not to mention that they were dangerous creatures and could infect us with a single bite.

"What do you think?" Souichiro asked, his gaze focused on me. "As someone who has fought by himself in hell and reached here without any help, what do you think about their opinion?"

[Make your choice!]

1. These people are stupid. No need to entertain them. (Reward: 10 Shop Points)

2. Some of their talk made sense. Maybe the cure is possible. (Reward: 20 Shop Points + 1 Dexterity)

3. They are right. You fully agree with their opinions and support them! (Reward: 50 Shop Points + 1 Strength)

Ah, so stupid.

I looked at the system and thought about the choices. I had no idea what the correct answer was, but I knew the right thing to say.

Following the highest reward didn't always lead to the best outcome. Sometimes I had to sacrifice something to get what I wanted.

"Sir, I believe there is no need to entertain their idea." I said. "We should focus on saving ourselves and other survivors. Zombies are dangerous creatures that shouldn't be taken lightly."

Stupid people would only invite trouble.

What if they got bitten and hid it because they thought it wouldn't become a problem?

That could endanger everyone in the group.

I wasn't a saint, snipping them out was a mercy.

"I see. What is the reason?" Souichiro asked.

"Sir, as a politician, you know the current situation better than me. Surely you understand the danger of the zombies, and the fact that humans who couldn't understand that are more dangerous than them."

[Ding! You have received 10 Shop Points]

My words made him smile. He laughed and patted my shoulder.

"Right. I'll make sure these idiots won't ruin our plan." He said, "We have a plan to scout a new place for our base. A water treatment plant in the mountains. A good place to hide from zombies. It has its own power plant, enough to supply us."

Why did he tell us this? I was confused.

But then it dawned upon me.

'So he wants us to join his group?' I asked myself.

I looked at Saeko and she nodded. She had understood my intentions and agreed with them.

"We will join you in your plan. But we have a condition." I said to Souichiro, looking him in the eye. "We want to bring our friends along. She's a nurse, so she would be a great help in case we got injured or sick."

"Sure, I don't mind." He replied. "Besides, I'm not sure how many of them are willing to join our plan. I also plan to invite Saya's friend, Takashi. He's green, but he has the drive. It's a good quality to have in this situation."

"I understand."

In the end, I agreed to his plan. I knew that we couldn't just stay in this place forever, so it would be best to go with the Takagi group. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The supply I hid in my house, food and other necessities such as medicine, was enough for us to survive for a month. I wouldn't use them unless I absolutely needed it.

'It's the only thing I have as my safety net beside the system shop.'

With the Takagi group, we didn't have to worry about food and water supply, and protection from zombies.

All we had to do was cooperate and work together. It was a good deal, I had to say.

Anyway, we were given a place to rest inside the mansion. I stayed with Saeko while Miss Shizuka helped the refugees with Miss Yuriko.

Left alone with no one to disturb us, I sat down on the bed, thinking about the events that had happened so far.

'Everything went according to plan.' I mused, 'I'm glad I chose to come here.'

Grinning, I opened the system and checked on the shop. I had quite a few shop points now, 380 points to be exact.

Scrolling through it, I found many things that I hadn't managed to find back then. Food, water, medicinal supplies, even the basic necessities such as clothes.

However, their price was ridiculously high, ranging from 50 to 250 points.

What caught my attention was Zombie Serum. I clicked on it and the item's details appeared.

[Zombie Serum (5,000 points): An incomplete research from Umbrella Corporation to cure the zombie. It is highly volatile, capable of mutating the patient into something... else.]

The description was a bit ominous, but I didn't care. I just focused on the corporation that created this serum.

"Fuck."

A curse escaped my mouth.

***

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