Chapter 19

The city hall has a wide parking lot in front, and next to it is the police station.

I was observing the scene from one of the nearby buildings.

I focused my gaze, infusing my eyes with magic.

"…I should have put a pair of binoculars in the item box."

I had dismissed the need for them, but I'll try to get some from the hardware store where Kaede is later.

Even if I don't use them, I think I'll be fine with the physical enhancement from my magic, but there might be a time when I need them.

First, I looked at the city hall. Its front lobby is made of glass, and it doesn't seem like it could withstand a zombie attack.

In fact, the glass doors were broken, and I could see zombies inside the lobby.

However, on the roof, I saw someone with binoculars, probably a lookout, given the direction from which I felt the gaze earlier.

"They must have survived by blocking the stairs with fire doors or barricades…"

The roof didn't seem particularly chaotic, and it didn't look like they had seen me clearly just now.

Indeed, in this dark night, that worry was probably unfounded.

When I turned my attention to the police station, I saw that the entrance was barricaded and the first-floor windows were reinforced from the back.

I could also see someone on the roof, carefully observing the outside.

It seems there are survivors in the police station as well.

This building might be in a relatively safe condition.

However, how many survivors are inside those buildings?

Unfortunately, from here, they are out of the range of my presence detection, so I can't know.

I wonder if my junior is safe.

I don't know where their house is, but even if they lived nearby, it would be quite difficult for an ordinary person to get here.

Even if they managed to reach this place safely, the city hall has a good view and a wide parking lot, making it easy for zombies to spot and surround them.

If they are in hiding, it might be at the police station.

However, given that situation, it's questionable whether they managed to get inside successfully.

The destruction in the city hall's lobby and the barricades at the police station's entrance suggest that these were set up soon after the pandemic began.

Even if they wanted to take refuge inside the buildings, it's unclear how they could have done so.

The one thing that gives me hope is the numerous zombie corpses on the ground around here, which I didn't kill.

There are many around the city hall and police station, and there are also a few bullet marks, suggesting that the survivors inside have ventured outside several times.

If that's the case, there's a possibility that my junior was rescued in some way.

It's a series of assumptions, but if there's even a slim hope, I might as well hold onto it.

Since I became their mentor, my junior has been clinging to me more than I can handle, and I hope they are still alive.

I watched the two buildings for a while, but there was no particular movement. Glancing at the watch I brought from the hardware store, it was already almost 2 AM.

I must have spent a lot of time searching the shelters.

At least I now know that there are survivors and that these shelters are functioning.

I didn't think about how to make contact when I rushed out, but I'll consider that later.

If this is a truly safe shelter, I might be able to get Kaede accepted there, and my role would be over.

For today, I'll head back.