"There's nothing here Yuki, are you still going to look for it?"

"Ehmmm, I need some other variants, Tanaka. Be patient!"

This girl wandered here and there looking for plants that might be saved. I'm currently carrying the basket and I don't know how many in the back it's filled. I can't feel it.

"You know, Tanaka, when they wilt, some types of wilted plants can still be revived as long as the roots are still alive. And I'm looking for them... Wait a minute!"

So that's what she said. Since I'm currently only on duty as a carrier, then I just need to follow her.

One by one the row of potted plants we passed. Eventually it reaches the end and Yuki gets a sack full of seeds that will somehow turn out to be. However, when she saw that, she jumped up and down for joy and made the zombies come because of the sound of the armor that being worn. That's right, Yuki was currently wearing iron armor for extra security. I don't want mutants to suddenly attack.

It is 2:34 pm and we still have to go to one more place, the apartment which is said to be a place for rare radish cultivation which is the result of a hybrid of the Sakurajima variant and another type. That's what Yuki said while I was taking care of the zombies around. Ah yes, Yuki also somehow calmed down now when killing zombies. She had already defeated nine zombies, all of them using my katana. She looks like a European knight with an Eastern weapon, a katana.

"This hallway is scary!"

"And fishy smell!"

The two of us entered an apartment hallway. Yes, this is a double apartment model and to be honest the atmosphere here is quite scary. Similar to when I was in the hospital. However, something is different, I think this is the light. Yes, it's darker here.

"Remember Yuki, if there's a sound or whatever, run to me and don't run the other way!"

"I'll remember it!"

Room after room we passed. I opened them to check if there were zombies or not inside. Until I found a room that was quite tragic. Room with two people who seem to be a young couple hanging themselves.

"... They are under mental stress and run out of food. They have given up on living!"

Yes, that's very clear. I will most likely do that too. Unfortunately, I don't have family or anyone important that could make me stressed. However, not for now because I have a place I can call home now.

"I would have ended up like them if Tanaka wasn't around!"

"Shhh, we have to respect the ones that no longer exist. Let's take them down!"

We took the two bodies down and put them on the sofa where we were sitting. We cannot bury or burn them. We can only put them in a better position. Yes, hanging above is not a good thing for our tradition, or maybe just me. Rest in peace.

"After this we'll turn right and... Over there, that's the place called 'Nature House' in this place!"

After some time, we finally came to the final stage. After I finally killed dozens of zombies and took care of the five corpses that hanged themselves, I can finally rest.

"Graaaaaagh!"

"Wait, Yuki! That's a mutant!"

I kind of recognize this voice. It's not a Tank mutant, but it sounds a bit similar. I think he's a Rhino mutant, or maybe some other big mutant.

"What should I do?"

"Go into one of the rooms and I'll take care of it. I'll be back when I'm done!"

As I was about to go forward, someone grabbed my shirt.

"Tanaka... Be careful!"

"Of course!"

She was Yuki, and she was the first to know how strong I was. Even so, I'm still happy to hear that word.

In simple terms, the shape of this building is very stupid. I mean, an apartment which is a combination of ten buildings connected to an additional building in the form of a natural house whose entrance is not from below but from a connecting bridge. Seriously!

*From left to right is 1st and then 3rd floor

*Tanaka is on the 3rd floor, if the corner left bottom one is (0,0), then Yuki and Tanaka is on (0,1)

*What is in green area on left is isolated area of Nature House

*Purple is a ceramic path and grey is the road path. Pink is the upper stairs and magenta is down stairs

I'm on the third floor where this is the floor where the flyover is located. Yuki and I should have gone to the right after this building, but the screaming was definitely not something to be taken lightly. Mutants, whatever type is, would be very dangerous to bring Yuki along. I have to take care of it myself.

I've crossed the flyover and looked to the right. It wasn't the mutant like I had met before, it was a fairly small mutant that looked like a Rhino mutant. Yes, it's a Rhino mutant, only it's about two meters. He was standing in the corridor of the apartment and it seemed that the third floor of this building had been messed with by him. Honestly, how could a mutant be here?

He was aware of my existence. Yosh, my katana is ready and unfortunately the room is too small. Like it or not, I have to fight him.

"Come on!"

Rhino mutants, they are estimated to be roughly the same size as the Tank mutants. They were aggressive and seemed to have the same thinking abilities as the iron mutation. They are strong, just not hard skinned. If I compare my strength to the Tank mutant of the past, I'm clearly outclassed because our sizes and weights are vastly different. However, if I look at the mass of movement of this running mutant, I think I can match him.

Huge crash, my hand is holding his and our faces are facing each other. I can resist this mutant urge, yes, I can do it.

"A-hurrah!"

I slammed the mutant to the right. I'm stronger than him. Immediately, my right foot also moved to kick. It was the strongest kick I ever created in my life. The creature measuring approximately two meters was bounced as far as three meters. My feet felt hot after that and the sound of cracking like they were about to collapse was heard.

"Damn!"

I'm exaggerating. The weight of my attack plus the mass of the mutant rhino was enough to make the floor collapse. I let my guard down. The mutant fell into the hole that was created around him. Twice the sound of falling impact was heard. That means he's already reached the first floor.

I approached the hole. Dust from the debris blocked what was below. I could see it, human-like shadows.

Something crossed my left side. Wait, that's a knife!

"I forgot they were smart!"

I immediately took cover. No, I should attack. Could it be below that is the kitchen? If so, then this will be serious. I might be strong and can withstand strong attacks. However, sharpness is something else. I can still get injured from my own katana or even from throwing objects at a speed that isn't slow. And this time, there is an enemy who can throw objects at a fast speed while the objects being thrown are sharp.

"Found it!"

I'm currently in one of the rooms. That's right, I don't need to come there, rather I just need to make a new hole in a different room. I also need a protector and a swindler if I have to deal with him. This Fridge seems like a good fit, and sorry, I guess I'll have to use you, the zombie that I don't know what his name was.

I fell to the first floor, in a different room from the mutant. I've brought a fridge as well as a zombie that I happened to find on the second floor. Remember, throw this zombie then I'll run with the fridge shield towards the enemy. Okay, ready.

I still remember where it was, it was right next to this room... Wait, what!

"HraaaaannNn!"

"Fucking fortune!"

The rhino came to me first and threw the knife. Actually, how smart is this creature? No wonder the military and the blessed group must struggle against them. They are not monsters like the ones in the zombie games genre.

Luckily, what he threw at was the bait zombie and I managed to hide behind this big fridge. Well, I guess not for long... And it's true.

Cuts to the stomach, must be precise and fast. Fridge was lifted by him and immediately I aimed this super sharp katana at the line I thought earlier.

The cut formed, but unfortunately it stopped in the middle, right at the spine. That's very hard.

"Bastards, why are you guys so strong!"

I am strong and I know that. But, to fight an enemy bigger and stronger than me. They have intelligence and can use weapons. My only advantage is speed.

Dodge towards the left, the side where the piece still hasn't formed. Blood came out towards the front, it was very much and it seemed like there was another liquid that was also coming out. Could it be stomach acid?

No, it's not important. Right now I have to aim for the neck or the head. If only I had used a sledgehammer this might have been easy. However, I didn't expect that an enemy like this would exist in such a tight space. I left it in the truck, and the katana was my only weapon.

Moving around, he grasped what seemed to be crumbling from the rubble of the collapsed building earlier. Throw after throw at my position, but because of my fast movement, the debris didn't hit me. I could see that the surrounding debris was gone, and there was still so much blood that it created a kind of puddle.

Wait, he fell. He looked down like he was exhausted. It was like the position where a noble was about to be crowned to a higher position by his queen. Ah, that's right, I remember.

"Zombies and mutants are still like humans, needing blood!"

I managed to make a big cut on his stomach and blood came out. That's a huge amount and it's very likely that this mutant lacks blood so he can't move much more. He's stopped attacking and is in a very easy position to kill, so I'll just do it.

...

It was a pretty boring ending. Well, the combat is pretty fun... although I don't like it when the enemy throws sharp objects like these knives.

I learned a few things. The Rhino mutant was exactly as described, strong but not hard skinned. Even so, these mutant bones were as hard as steel. In addition, it was evident that if the mutants lost more than, hmmmm, let's say forty percent of their total blood, they would weaken and move more slowly. Also, lastly, rhino mutants can be smaller in size than Tank mutants and somehow can exist in such a narrow area.

I've taken a photo of the mutant and I will post it on the survivor community web. It's quite important to share information on a global scale because all of this happens suddenly and obviously information about all of this is not immediately provided. This wasn't a game or some kind of system that suddenly appeared in this world. I've made sure it's not like that. This is a zombie apocalypse which is most likely due to a viral enemy from another world. For some reason, I prefer this hypothesis over the others.

"Yuki, it's all over!"

"Tanaka, thank goodness you survived... You know, his voice echoed into my room. It was really scary, you know!"

"Hehe, I told you the mutants are big right. Well, but this one is easier than the Tank mutant anyhow!"

"It seems a bit pointless for me to worry about you. What kind of mutant is that?"

"Rhinoceros!"

"Humu, I recorded the voice so maybe it can be for reference!"

"Hey, good job Yuki!"

This girl is indeed reliable in some contexts.

I went to the building next door which was locked three times. This is quite strange, why is this building isolated and why is this building surrounded by thick walls that are over four meters high. I suspect, but there are only plants and plants here. This is truly a house of nature aka 'Nature House'.

Yuki, who was very excited, went to and fro looking at various almost dead plants. The roof of this house is glass and there are three hydroponic rooms. So, I can say that even if the electricity goes out here and the water stops flowing, sunlight can be a different source than artificial light. Maybe because the intensity and duration of the light was lacking, most of them withered and looked like they were about to die.

"Found them!"

Yuki shouted and her voice filtered through the helmet of iron armor. I don't know what she found, but I'm guessing it's some kind of radish she's been talking about.

"This is it, Tanaka, take a look. This is a special hybrid radish. I saw it on the pronountube of the Green Nature Hero channel, this is the thing!"

"Wait, who is the Green Nature Hero?"

"That doesn't matter. The point is she's the female pronountuber who developed this variety. She's also said to live around here and luckily this really is the place to be!"

Wait, this girl can doxxing too! Even though she has a trauma about doxxing, she actually has other people's private information. This girl, scary.

"What's so special about this radish? It looks normal to me!"

“You know what, Tanaka... This radish could grow bigger than your balls!"

"Hey, don't be like that with mine. His feelings can get hurt too!"

"Hehe, then I'll cheer him up later!"

"Stop that, it's getting late. We have to hurry!"

"Let's go upstairs!"

And we went upstairs. It was a garden full of potted earth with plants which were directly facing the sky. These pots circled around a place where there was no mirror, the opposite of what was below. They were lined up and most of them had dried up. However, I saw four plants that were still green. They must be plants that can withstand the heat of the sun.

"This is what I mean by big, Tanaka... Help me!"

Yuki tried to pull one of the plants from the pot. Looks like celery, but looks like it's a radish, again.

"What the actual fuck!"

It was really big!

"Yeah, this is what I mean by big!"

"Never mind my balls, they're even bigger than your melons being combined!"

"Hey, don't look down on me like that!"

"You started it first!"

But it's really big. Its diameter is about sixty centimeters with a globe shape. At least it could be used to feed one camp for one week. Of course only as a vegetable, not the main ingredient.

"This is said to be the result of a hybrid of the Sakurajima variant with the hybrid variant of the Black Emperor. Look, the underside is blacker than the top. It was developed by researchers in Japan and several have succeeded including one of the pronountubers I mentioned earlier. And here is the result!"

This is really something great. I've never studied anything about plants, but even me who is not very familiar with radishes knows that this is a very large radish. I think research is an interesting thing and it seems Yuki also knows quite a bit about this.

"I always thought that this kind of research would be nothing and just a mistake. But, not for what this vegetable monster is doing!"

"What are you saying, Tanaka? If you're talking about those pest plants being developed, I don't like them either. They're just parasites in the environment and sadly have been released in some Southern forests!"

"Yeah, that's what I mean. There's only that, and that on the news..."

The sound of the cell phone, it's from both of our satellite phones. Message from Taki.

[Haruka is feeling better and she can move a little. Even though she still can't get out of the room, she can play with her cellphone and she scored a high score in the X-Tarararara game!]

"... By the way, it's getting late too. We'd better head back!"

"Yup, I am now satisfied!"

We packed the things that were brought. That's a lot and to be honest I didn't feel heavy when I carried it. I just feel out of balance.

On the way home, it was 03:03 where the sun was in the direction of the West. During that time, Yuki and I were talking about how if we just set up a base in that giant apartment colony. I also thought about that for a moment, but considering the territory was still infested with zombies, maybe that would be the plan two or so months later.

We arrived and I went straight into the infirmary, where Haruka was. There were also Makise and Taki.

"Hey, are you feeling better?"

"This time I feel like cement!"

It was a real relief. She's getting better and I think she can reach a point where it's called recovering. What I thought that she would continue to get worse and become a zombie turned out to be…

"Damn it!"

… true.

At night, it's no different than before. Haruka didn't improve, but she didn't get worse either. She was in a constant state of pain. I can feed her antivirals every day, but how long do I have to do it!

"It's the same in the end, eh!"

That's right. This antiviral only works for infections that are not too late. Haruka's is already in too bad condition. I wish I could have gotten to that sooner, damn it!

~~~

The wind blows to the west. Somewhere, someone else felt a sense of despair. However, somewhere else, happiness is celebrated by others. And in yet another place, there is a walking silence. A person with a height of 150 centimeters. Its robe is black, its mask is red and its eyes are yellow. Walk through the night, through the wind and past hundreds of zombies. No danger can stop it. It moved, headed in the intended direction. The West direction, the place where the ocean side of the border is. However, that is not the point to aim for. Before that, there was still a place where it had to stop. Tonmachi City.