Chapter 25

I turned around and embedded the crowbar into the head of a zombie that was attacking from the darkness behind me.

Quickly pulling it out, I kicked the zombie’s body, which was slowly collapsing onto the road, forcefully, sending its corpse flying onto the sidewalk.

The crowbar, being originally sturdy, and perhaps because of its sharper shape compared to a bat, or maybe due to the not-so-bad permeation of magic, could actually "cut" through a zombie’s head, unlike a metal bat. However, I deliberately did not do that now.

At least, given the current situation where there might be survivors at the city hall or police station who are venturing outside, I thought it would be unwise to create unnecessary suspicion by having zombies with cleanly severed heads scattered around the city.

Of course, if one could look at the results of this work with a calm eye, the fact that the zombie’s head was split in two might be a trivial issue.

Since Kaede fell ill, I had spent several days without leaving the home center. Kaede’s apologetic words, “Can’t you stay with me a little longer?” had delayed my actions somewhat, but now that Kaede’s condition has improved, I have come out alone.

To transport Kaede to the city hall, I decided to use a car straightforwardly.

However, there are two main issues. First, whether the survivors there will accept us. Personally, even if they don’t accept me, it’s fine as long as I can leave Kaede in their care. Second, whether that place will be safe for Kaede if they do accept us.

The words left by Kaede’s deceased father, urging her to survive, must be realized in a place where she can truly live.

Moreover, it’s not just about surviving; it’s also about ensuring that Kaede is not treated unfairly. In this world, people might not always act as they did before.

There’s a possibility that someone who has broken down might come to the home center in the future. No matter how much food is prepared, it wouldn’t be right to leave Kaede there.

At the very least, I need to go and check the situation there to determine if it’s suitable.

The second issue is quite simple: the cars abandoned in a panic on the road between the home center and the city hall are a major obstacle. While it’s not impossible to find a route, unfortunately, there are also zombies walking on the road. So, I decided to reduce the number of zombies and move the cars blocking the road to make it easier to transport Kaede.

It’s impossible to do this without making it look unnatural, but I will clear the obstructive cars to create a passable route. Of course, this will be done manually.

Throwing cars would be too noisy, and there’s a risk of gasoline leaking and causing an explosion, so I will move them as quietly as possible. It’s a tedious and labor-intensive task.

I could check the situation at the city hall first, but I planned to make contact once the sun rises.

I told Kaede that I might be away for a few days when I left the home center and brought additional food from the lower floors. If we end up spending some time at the city hall, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, since she looked at me with a face that seemed about to cry, I felt a bit guilty leaving, and it might hurt a little if I return late.

In any case, I decided to do this work while moving at night.

Tonight, the moon is hidden behind the clouds, making it a truly pitch-black night, which is very convenient for this task.

“... Don’t get in my way.”

While lifting a car and moving it to the sidewalk, a zombie’s hand reached out from the side. I kicked it in the stomach while still in that position, and the zombie flew horizontally, taking down several other zombies in its path.

Of course, since I didn’t destroy their brains, they will stand up and come back towards me.

I had sensed their presence, but I’m quite surrounded.

I put down the car, took the crowbar from my belt, and infused it with magic.

“It’s a hassle, but I’ll clean this up... Come on, hurry up.”

Surrounded by silent undead on all sides, I sighed.