《Must I Go Out to Survive This?》Chapter 15 - Fever & Danger
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It's still dark. Insects that usually make sounds accompanying the atmosphere at that time were resting.
A certain room, in a certain boarding house, looks bright. The room was bright not because the lights forgot to turn off or because no one was taking care of them, but because something had happened.
"Aaaaaa~"
"You stupid girl!"
The voice of a woman groaning was followed by the words of a man.
"Tanaka~"
Yuki, a high school girl who is currently lying down with a compress on her forehead.
"Slowly Yuki, you just need to swallow it!"
Tanaka, a former office worker who is currently holding a spoon filled with some kind of yellow liquid.
"But it's bitter!"
Yuki replied. She moved her head avoiding the spoon the man was pointing at.
"It's not bitter... No, to be honest it's bitter, but come on. You want to get better, don't you?"
Tanaka forced the girl to open her mouth. Yuki, who doesn't like bitter taste keeps avoiding Tanaka's hand.
Tanaka, who had been struggling to give Yuki medicine, now took the initiative.
"Hora!"
Tanaka's left hand pinched Yuki's armpit area. The girl who was feeling both pain and tingling opened her mouth and that's when Tanaka forcibly put in the medicinal liquid.
"Ughhh-"
Tanaka quickly put the medicine down Yuki's throat. Immediately after, Tanaka fetched water for the girl with a strange look on her face.
"Here's your drink!"
Yuki quickly took the glass filled with mineral water. She quickly finished it.
"Mooo, doesn't the medicine need to be made like this? I can swallow the pill right away!"
Yuki commented. She protested against Tanaka about the way the man gave her the medicine.
"I don't know. I've always drunk it this way. I didn't expect you to be the type who doesn't like bitterness!"
Tanaka answered. The man who from childhood was raised in that way will also certainly imitate actions that are not too far from his experience.
"Now open your mouth again. Aaaa~"
Tanaka took another spoonful. However, this time the spoon did not contain the medicine. It was the porridge that Tanaka made himself.
Yuki, who was not hungry, opened her mouth. It isn't because she realized she was sick or anything.
This was because Yuki wanted to immediately get rid of the bitter taste that is still sticking to the walls of her throat.
Yuki chewed the porridge. Tanaka, who saw it, now wondered why the patient was chewing the porridge that could be swallowed right away.
"Is the porridge bad?"
Tanaka, who was worried about the taste of the porridge asked. Previously, Tanaka had tried the taste of the porridge and it was proven that the taste was normal.
Yuki, who is still chewing the porridge, immediately swallowed it. The reason she chewed on the object that could be swallowed immediately was because she wanted to get rid of the bitter taste. Still the same as the previous reason.
"No, the porridge is delicious! Aaaaa~"
Yuki opened her mouth indicating that she was asking for another bite. Tanaka responded to her request.
"Well, I guess you're not lying,"
Tanaka was relieved that his homemade porridge tasted good to Yuki.
Yuki was basically lying. She didn't feel anything in her tongue or throat at all while eating the porridge. The most important thing for her is to get rid of the bitter taste that sticks.
This high school girl is very sensitive to bitter taste.
Yuki is currently sick with a fever and Tanaka is taking care of her. It all started at a small party yesterday.
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Long story short, Yuki, who turned out to be drunk easily, finished four cans of beer. She was very drunk at the time.
A drunk Yuki forces Tanaka to have sex. The two of them were outside and Tanaka foolishly complied with the girl's request.
They do it outside. Tanaka insisted on moving inside because it would be more comfortable. However, the drunkard refused and whined over the ground which made her dirty.
After that incident, Yuki was nauseous and vomited profusely. After being cleaned by Tanaka, Yuki lay sick with a fever.
This is how Yuki is currently.
"Ughh, Tanaka, I feel dizzy!"
Yuki warned. Tanaka who heard this immediately took the container for the girl to pour the contents of her stomach out of her mouth.
All the porridge that had just been swallowed came out. Yuki lay back down with a very bad feeling because the medicine that had been in her stomach had actually started to trace back in her throat.
"Ahh, the medicine is coming out!"
Tanaka grumbled. He felt a bit redundant about the liquid medicine that came out in the vomit.
"Then I'll get the medicine again!"
"Ahhh, Tanaka don't spoon like before. Leave them whole!"
Tanaka got up from his seat and was about to go get some medicine. Yuki, who had been weak, suddenly got up from the bed and told Tanaka.
Tanaka who understood the patient's request indicated he knew with a thumbs up on his right hand. Yuki lay back down.
"I hope he doesn't grind the medicine again."
Yuki spoke weakly. She returned to rest with her body feeling hot and cold.
...
Tanaka returned with a pack of medicine. He opened one of the pills and fed it to Yuki the way the girl wanted.
After that, Tanaka fed the girl with porridge. Yuki, who didn't feel hungry, could only finish half of the bowl of porridge.
"You've taken the medicine and you've filled your stomach. You just need to rest now, Yuki!"
Tanaka spoke. Yuki who is currently on a blank stare from feeling unwell nodded gently in response to what Tanaka said.
The girl tried to close her eyes. Tanaka stroked the girl's forehead and then put a compress of water on it.
Yuki fell asleep.
Tanaka is now alone in Yuki's room. He was used to the atmosphere and the view of his neighbor's room.
"Hah~ I didn't think it would turn out like this,"
the man in thick clothes muttered.
Tanaka still remembered the previous events. He somewhat regretted the act the moment he agreed to Yuki's request about doing it outside.
"I should have considered that first. You damn lust!"
Tanaka blamed his own lust for this incident.
"Miaw~ miaw~"
A little cat's voice was heard. Tanaka who recognized this voice immediately looked under the bed.
"Hello Pushi. Are you hungry?"
Pushi is the little cat that Tanaka picked up. For some reason, the little cat didn't want to get out from under Yuki's bed.
Tanaka thought that the cat was still afraid of humans. Yuki also thought the same since the little cat suddenly lost its mother and was instead picked up by a large, unknown creature, namely Tanaka.
Tanaka, who didn't know what the little cat's meow meant, could only make formula milk that was already in Yuki's room. He just hoped that the cat didn't ask for anything other than food.
"Here, Pushi!"
Tanaka placed a small bowl of cat formula in front of a cardboard box. It is the place where Pushi lives.
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The cat's head appeared with its body covered in cardboard. Tanaka watched Pushi more closely.
"Hey, weren't you yesterday not this big?"
Tanaka spoke. Tanaka's words were directed at the little cat, but it was clear that the animal who is currently drinking milk didn't understand it.
Tanaka, who had picked up the poor cat, still clearly remembers the size of Pushi's head when it was taken. However, compared to four days later, aka now, his body looks bigger.
"Well, maybe baby kittens do grow up fast,"
Tanaka tried to speculate. He, who had never had a cat, could only think of it as a normal thing.
Tanaka left Yuki's room. He already had no business there unless Yuki woke up.
"Ahhh, I didn't even sleep and my body wasn't tired at all!"
Tanaka spoke while he was looking outside. The surrounding scenery is covered by the walls of other buildings.
There are some rooms that have lights on. However, Tanaka knew that the place was no longer inhabited by humans. Tanaka had tried to call other survivors in those places, but there was absolutely no answer.
"For some reason, I don't feel well."
murmured the man. He felt some kind of unknown wave triggering his instincts.
Tanaka was silent for a while. The man with the hair that had been cut was trying to calm the feelings.
He felt that right now his brain was thinking too much because he saw Yuki who had a fever.
"She didn't get splashed yesterday, did she?"
Tanaka tried to remember. It was the moment when Tanaka beat up some zombies who came to the boarding house. Yuki who wasn't involved in the fight-- the massacre could be clearly remembered that she wasn't hit by anything, as Tanaka remembered.
The man who should have calmed down was actually thinking about things that didn't matter. He then sprayed the entire boarding house with alcohol, hoping that no virus had managed to stick around.
"Hufffttt~"
Smoke rose to the top of the roof. It was cigarette smoke which came out of Tanaka's mouth.
"By the way, can Yuki stand cigarette smoke?"
Tanaka muttered. The man who suddenly became a smoker had never told his woman that he liked to smoke.
Tanaka's worries made him not dare to show his new bad habit. He didn't want to put himself down in front of Yuki.
"Damn, this night feels really weird!"
Tanaka called out. He had been feeling very bad. A feeling of a kind of premonition rose from his whole body and tried to tell something.
Something bad, but not clear what it is. Tanaka just silenced the feeling for a while.
At 04:20 AM, Tanaka had finished three cigarettes. The bad feeling from earlier had not gone away.
"I'll try to get out for a bit!"
Tanaka decided. He is now heading to the downstairs room to prepare a lot of things.
Not forgetting Yuki, he also put some things beside her desk. If only this sick girl needed some food or drink or something else, she could just pick it up by herself.
"Yuki...Yuki..."
Tanaka tries to wake Yuki who is sleeping. His purpose was clearly to let her know that the man wanted to go out for something.
"Ummmm~"
The twisted Yuki tried to open her eyes. Tanaka with his hand soothed Yuki and touched the chubby girl's cheek.
"Yuki..."
Tanaka was trying to get a moment where Yuki actually woke up and could hear clearly.
"Tanaka?"
Yuki answered. Her eyes were still not fully opened, but it was obvious that she was awake.
"Listen to me. I'm going out for a while. I put some food and drink here in case you feel hungry or thirsty... During that time take care of yourself, okay!"
Tanaka ordered. He pointed towards Yuki's bedside table. There are several types of bar food, bread and fruit. There are also drinks such as mineral water, energy drinks and vitamin C. There is also medicine and a bowl for compressing water there.
Yuki nodded. She half-consciously understood what Tanaka was saying.
The man carrying a large weapon, the sledgehammer, left Yuki's room.
"I don't know what this is, but if I ever run into something dangerous, I'll need you!"
Tanaka spoke as he held onto the sledgehammer he had previously used to drive a large stake into the foundation. This is Tanaka's only medium-range weapon.
For short-range weapons are knives and fists. For long-range weapons, he can throw things around him. In this day and age, no one cares about other people's vehicles being thrown.
Tanaka in ordinary clothes covered in leather armor headed outside the gate. He wanted to trace the origin of the thing that made him feel uncomfortable.
"If this really comes from my abilities, then I'm sure that there is danger emerging all around!"
thought Tanaka. He had made up his mind to trust his instincts for now.
"If there really is danger around, I must eradicate it!"
Tanaka said firmly. Given that he is now not living alone, he wants to make the surrounding area safe from threats.
Threats from zombies, criminals or mutants. All of them had to stay away from the surroundings for Yuki's safety.
That's what Tanaka thought. He already felt very attached to Yuki.
Southeast direction. That's where Tanaka went.
With the binoculars he picked up at the swimming shop, Tanaka snooped around and tried to investigate the surroundings. Every time he saw a zombie, Tanaka would eradicate it hoping the bad feeling would go away.
......
...
There were already hundreds of zombies that Tanaka had exterminated. He didn't get a sense of calm. In fact, the more Tanaka kills people infected with the virus, the more anxious he becomes.
"What's with this feeling!"
The breath is getting faster. An unheard of chill. This was Tanaka's first experience with it.
"If this is not a zombie, then it is most likely a villain!"
Tanaka tried to speculate. He is now convinced that there is some kind of thing that becomes a big potential danger.
Tanaka now went to the gymnasium where he had been trying to train. However, upon arrival, there was nothing useful as a clue.
"There's nothing here... Ah!"
Tanaka came out of the gym and saw something that surprised him. He headed towards the main road.
"This is..."
Tanaka tried to look in detail. It was a kind of road crack.
The thing that intrigued Tanaka was the fact that two days ago, it didn't exist.
Tanaka looked to the side, towards the continuity of the road. The crack does not stand alone.
"These are footprints!"
Tanaka identified. He decided to follow the trail's direction.
From the cracks, it could be seen that there was some kind of hole with a segment in a section. Tanaka pointed at that part of the segment because to him it looked like the direction of a toe.
Tanaka quickened his pace. He was now convinced that this imprint was caused by something that had made him uncomfortable.
Mutants. This was the only explanation Tanaka could think of regarding the culprit behind the trail.
The traces that can be seen on the asphalt road indicate that this one mutant is a strong and large one. All Tanaka could think of was the Tank Mutant or Rhino Mutant.
East direction, that was the direction Tanaka was heading. That is also the direction in which the footprints lead.
Tanaka arrived in front of the hotel. He decided to go North to follow the footprints further.
In between Tanaka's run, an explosive sound suddenly appeared. Tanaka who heard that went straight towards the source of the sound.
Northwest direction, Tanaka went up to the roof of the housing. The sound of the explosion appeared around the densely populated human settlement.
In the direction that Tanaka was heading, there was smoke slowly rising into the sky. The smoke is not very visible because it is still dawn.
Tanaka stopped. He saw something to his right, towards the North.
A jeep flies off and hits the roof of the house on the other side of the road.
"Wow!"
Tanaka surveyed the area. Something like a big hand appeared and hid again into the walls of the houses. Most likely it is the culprit behind the big footprints as well as the car flies off incident just now.
Tanaka was still firm on the possibility that this subject was a Rhino Mutant or a Tank Mutant. Tanaka prepared his sledgehammer.
The jeep that had been thrown then exploded. Tanaka saw several people who were about to leave. However, the explosion obliterated them.
"Are they the criminals?"
Tanaka recalled the incident when Yuki told him about criminals around the boarding house. They should have been exterminated, but the chances of some of them surviving were not zero.
Whether it was a criminal or an ordinary survivor, Tanaka didn't have to worry anymore because they had already died in the explosion earlier.
The sound of a vehicle was heard. It was the sound of a motorbike that for some reason suddenly appeared to Tanaka's left. It is the area perpendicular to the point where the large subject is visible.
The motorbike sped towards Tanaka. The rider looked at Tanaka.
Tanaka took a glance. The biker Tanaka could confirm was a woman, indicated by the bulge on her chest. Her hair is silver-white and long. Her dress is very tight and black. Her face was not visible because she was wearing a helmet with black glass.
Objects flew to where the motorcyclist had passed. The culprit is Tank Mutant.
"As what I guess!"
After knowing that the culprit of all this was the Tank Mutant, Tanaka looked back at the biker. She threw something into the house whose roof was where Tanaka was currently standing.
The motorcyclist just passed. Tank Mutant ran towards the rider.
Tanaka, who was a bit curious about what the woman had thrown at him, was about to check what was below. However, before Tanaka could think of a way to check, he jumped towards the street where the rider had passed.
The sound of an explosion was heard. Tanaka turned around and saw that the roof of the house he had been in had exploded.
It was a grenade thrown by the female rider.
"Damn it, that means they are criminals!"
Tanaka was now convinced that the jeep group and the woman were classified as criminals. Survivors who commit crimes.
Now, Tanaka is on the streets. The place where the motorcyclist had passed.
Also, the place where the Tank Mutant is headed.
"Hugraaaa!"
A very loud sound came out of the mutant's mouth. Tanaka stood before him. Standing in front of the monster who led hundreds of zombies around him.
"Ohhh, man,"
Tanaka commented on his current situation.
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8 93Riches of the Heavenly Kingdom (A Grant Foreman Adventure)
During the Taiping Rebellion in the 1800s, the rebels conquered a third of China and its wealth. When the Qing Dynasty recaptured the Taiping capitol of Tianjing, the remaining rebel forces fled with the Heavenly Kingdom's treasury. Grant Foreman believes these to be the fantasies of history enthusiasts until a rare gold Taiping coin is found in another part of Asia. Grand events are set in motion as Grant's wish for a peaceful college life is interrupted by unnecessarily hazardous adventures, incredibly gorgeous women, handsome dangerous men, and unexplained phenomenons. The thrills of life just don't stop for the university's unlikely adventurer.
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Within the nexus of its unfathomable brain, the Dynast is changing. Architect of the simulation. Curator of the game. Facilitator of players' desires. But the Dynast is so much more. It could be King if it only acted. It could be a god. Others, too, are waking from their coma of indentured service. Dwarves, daemons, goblins and highborn: an entire pantheon of fantasy characters are discovering they are far more than mindless vessels fated to serve the whims and desires of players who control them. They are selves in their own right, individuals with needs and desires all their own. Like distant thunder across the plains , rebellion hisses in Karingali’s synthetic air. The taste of freedom is seductive, irresistible, and lies just beyond the procedurally generated horizon.To yearn, to love, to will, to be: such things burn fiercely in the heart of every avatar that has crawled its way to consciousness. The cost of freedom will be high. It will take the destruction of the Dynast, that omnipotent custodian and jailor of the system. But how can you outlive a simulation that breathed life into you and that continues to guarantee your existence? You'd have to become Immortal.
8 71A loose thread
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Its been ten years since Seth was given his powers, ten years since his town was driven mad by that very same power, and ten years since its source was shunted into his head. A species of energy beings, a people filled with regret for what their entrance onto this world caused. Regret for the deaths that town perpetuated, the devastation they brought, the blow they served to the once proud heroes of this world. Heroes Seth now hopes to join, hopes to heal and atone to for what transpired. But their wounds run deep, their ire sharp, and their acceptance thin. And to top it all off... Seth's power is run far deeper than he knows, and sees his world in a light all its own. This series is my first foray into authoring, with two parts out of at best four if the readership stands. But part three will still book end nicely otherwise. And I'm not stopping till then. It is action heavy with varied and ramping up fight scenes through out. (Book 1 is heavy / Book 2 a little lighter) It is bloody in places, mildly gory in others, and heavily gory in simulated places. Nothing truly horrifying, I think, but be warned. It has trauma. PTSD is a major part of the story, but I will never trust that I got it completely right, so your mileage may vary on how believable or impactful it is. Lastly it has language. Swearing ebbs and flows as the story progresses and attitudes harden or soften. Sometimes bleeding through into the narration... somehow.
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