The cold metal of Ivory pressed against Teruma's head.
Teruma felt his body turn cold as the illusion that this group had come to help them shattered.
*Clic*
The sound of the trigger being pulled stole Teruma's last breath. He died without being able to do anything—
—or that's what should have happened, if Ivory had actually been loaded with bullets.
"Yep, you're dead."
Allen pulled back his pistol and holstered it.
"W-what?!"
Teruma fell on his back.
"What did you expect? A heavily armed group shows up, and the first thing you do is open the door for them," Allen mocked mercilessly. "Don't you have any survival instincts? At this rate, you'd die really fast."
Teruma gasped and tried to stand, but his legs failed him.
Seeing this, Allen shook his head and offered him his hand. "You're lucky we're not that kind of people, but at this point the odds that we are are about fifty percent."
Along the road, Allen had encountered three survivor groups—Soichiro's, the deserting soldiers, and the lunatics. Counting his own group as one of the good ones along with Soichiro's, that left a fifty-percent chance that whoever showed up next would tie you to a post for target practice.
Teruma accepted Allen's help.
"Welcome, man. I'm Teruma," said the twenty-five-year-old dressed like a rapper. Though still nervous, he understood that Allen was only warning him to be careful with strangers.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Allen Walker, leader of this survivor group."
Allen glanced at the other survivors keeping their distance. "Teruma, can I assume you're in charge?"
Teruma looked uncomfortable. Technically he was the leader, but half the group ignored him and only complained.
Saya looked around. 'An elderly couple, a young woman, and five men.'
Teruma coughed. "I'm more of a representative..."
"I see." Allen didn't comment further, but he understood the difficult situation this survivor group was in.
The survivors welcomed Allen as if he were some evacuation unit. They didn't even hesitate to let them in.
They were still in the denial stage. They still believed the military would arrive, wipe out all the zombies, and that within a month they'd return to their normal lives. They acted according to that belief.
A way of thinking that is both problematic and dangerous. Even after Allen pointed a gun at "their leader," no one stepped up to defend him, not even with a look of dissatisfaction.
There was no sense of loyalty, unity, or belonging. Calling them a group was even incorrect—these people wouldn't hesitate to run if things got dangerous. And this proved they still hadn't seen how dangerous, cruel, bloody, and ruthless people could truly be in an apocalypse.
Teruma's eyes shifted from fear to distrust, then suddenly lit up with the fanatic shine of someone who idolizes a culture they've never experienced.
"Brother Allen, I can tell you're not from Japan. Tell me, where are you from?"
"Well..."
Allen hesitated. Saying he wasn't from this world wasn't an option, so he chose the easiest answer. "I'm from New York."
"Oh my god!" Teruma reacted like he'd met a celebrity and grabbed Allen's hand again. "You know, I'm a huge fan of the New York lifestyle! Look, I've got this imported gold chain. My dream is to go there and launch my rap career!"
Allen stayed silent, trying to remember if there was anything admirable about the place. The first memory that came to mind was when he saw a rat eating out of a drunk guy's mouth in the subway.
"Relax, man." Allen patted the guy's shoulder.
This guy had already forgotten Allen had just pointed a gun at his head.
"He won't live long..." Saeko thought.
"Oh, sorry!"
Teruma smiled awkwardly. He had the image of being a tough guy, but suddenly he turned into Hirano's rapper-otaku equivalent.
"Well, you're all welcome. There's plenty of space for our small group anyway. We've just been waiting for the evacuation. I'd introduce you to the rest, but… that doesn't seem possible."
The other survivors kept their distance out of caution. Naturally—they were facing a group armed to the teeth. Though among them, two didn't show fear, only distrust.
One was a young man crouching in a corner, watching everyone suspiciously. His eyes were dangerous, revealing an unstable mindset. Allen signaled Teshima, who understood and kept an eye on that survivor.
The other was Shimoda, who looked extremely distrustful, keeping his distance. However, his gaze lingered on Shizuka, Kyoko, and Yuriko far longer than it should have, a glint of greed and lust flickering in his eyes.
Saeko shook her head and whispered, "Some people were never meant to survive long."
Yukki shrugged, amused. "If this guy knew what happened to the last dude who tried touching Shizuka?"
"Heh, even as a zombie he must have retained some understanding of his place," Saya smirked, recalling the brutal beating the chimera received.
"Who cares about the life of a bastard," Rei huffed, remembering the creep at the gas station who had bad intentions toward her and Saeko.
She knew this kind of thing was common in the apocalypse. Many women would have to endure humiliation just to survive. It was a harsh reality. Not all women were like Saeko and Anemone, who could easily kill dozens of bastards like him.
Even the rest of the women in Allen's group, with a few exceptions, were already capable of defending themselves against an abuser—something not all women in the apocalypse could say.
Allen gave Shimoda a single look. The man trembled and dropped to his knees. Having never experienced killing intent before, he had no idea what had happened, and quickly ran to the bathroom thinking he was sick or something.
"Coward," Anemone said coldly as she flicked her cigarette butt away.
....
Tony – Malls always seem like good shelters in apocalypses.
Kratos – Girl, you know anything about this place or these people?
MJ – Are you talking to me? Well, in the original story, Teruma is a good guy who dies trying to get blood for the old lady at the clinic.
Rogue – Shimoda, on the other hand, is trash. He tried to assault Shizuka. I hated how the author tried to make him look good by giving him a heroic death saving someone, as if that erases what he did :(
Akeno – I see. In that case, I hope Allen shows no mercy if he tries anything.
Diana – I guess from here they'll go for Rei's mother, right?
MJ – Yes. Before that, I don't know if Allen will go to the clinic. The reason to go there is to help the old lady, but maybe he can heal her without needing that. Afterward, they should go to Rei's house, then the police station, then Elementary School No. 3, where Takashi's mother worked… and that would be it.
Kara – By the way, I don't see the purpose of the mall arc. I mean, what was the conflict in the original story?
Rogue – It's true it may look like it has no purpose, but that's because of Allen's presence.
Originally, at the mall, both Takashi and Hirano clashed; their perspectives were opposed.
Hirano wanted to help the old lady, but Takashi disagreed.
Takashi understood—after rescuing Alice—that being a hero in the apocalypse buys you a one-way ticket to hell, since he almost died. So he decided to harden his heart even more.
This arc also involved Asami. Back then she still wanted to be a police officer. She still clung to the idea that helping was her duty. This influenced Hirano even more. So going to play the hero had a price: Teruma died in the clinic. They lost a strong, capable man just to give an old lady one more week of life.
This angered Takashi, since he disagreed from the beginning with risking themselves to help everyone. Asami broke down, and Hirano was frustrated—he didn't think they were wrong even with that result.
This caused cracks in the group to grow. In the end, Asami died, Hirano nearly broke, but the group managed to continue thanks to Shizuka stepping in as the adult.
Of course, none of that happened here—just because Allen exists.
This indestructible pillar, this mountain, this well of certainty and decision-making.
They may not always agree with him, but both Hirano and Takashi respect Allen's authority, and that prevents their ideologies from clashing.
The final word is always Allen's—
And unlike Takashi, Allen is a well-rounded and experienced leader.
....
The mall had a large number of shops of all kinds—food, clothing, tools, equipment, etc.
The only drawback was that its huge size made the place difficult to secure, and depending on the time of day, it could be a death trap if it happened to be open when the disaster occurred.
Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, since inside there were only a few traces of blood, probably from the unlucky few who had died here.
When asked about it, Teruma said that when everything started, the mall hadn't opened yet. There were only a few employees inside and some security staff.
On the first day, the two security guards left to look for their families and never came back. Later, a group of survivors arrived, including Teruma, but half of them decided to head to the police station where a supposed shelter had been set up.
Upon hearing this, Anemone sighed, Asami made a bitter expression, and Rei lowered her head.
On the third day, Teruma's group decided to wait for some sort of evacuation, so they were simply stuck in that stage.
Teruma had some questions—where they got all the weapons from, what they knew about the apocalypse, and whether there was any hope.
Allen looked at the group of survivors. He could be honest and tell them the harsh truth: there would be no rescue, the zombies were observing them and were extremely dangerous, and at this point, even if there were JSDF personnel still alive, they definitely had other priorities besides searching for survivors.
However, Allen didn't say that directly. Instead, he took Teruma to a private spot so he could explain things only to him, letting Teruma decide how much the others should know. After all, it was his group.
Once that was done, Allen's group split up and explored the mall. Some of the girls went to look for camping tools that would be useful, others went for clothes, and some of them went for feminine products. Of course, Allen didn't let them go alone, even if they were armed and able to defend themselves, especially with that Shimoda guy wandering around.
...
Shizuka stepped out of the fitting room wearing a bikini.
"Allen-kun, how does it look on me?"
"Beautiful and sexy, but I wonder what kind of scenario would require a bikini in the apocalypse."
"You never know~" Shizuka blushed while smiling. She was just about to approach Allen to rest in his arms when another fitting room curtain opened.
"Ta-dah!"
Kyoko walked out wearing a secretary's outfit, complete with an office blouse and skirt. Her voluptuous figure made her curves stand out even more in that outfit. She had also tied her hair up in a bun, and her glasses now had a golden frame.
"Allen-san, what do you think~?"
Kyoko smiled and winked at Allen. She had decided to take the offensive after realizing she was starting to fall behind.
"Gorgeous and charming, if I were your boss, I'd call you into my office right away."
"You rascal, thank you~"
The world had ended—who cared if she was older than Allen? In this world, everyone had to learn to survive.
Shizuka frowned. "You look like... a slutty secretary."
Allen widened his eyes—the sweet nurse had just insulted Kyoko in a jealous outburst.
"Ara, look who's talking—the woman who can't help using her gigantic cow breasts to seduce men."
"Correction, I only do it with Allen-kun~"
Kyoko took a step back after receiving the counterattack. Shizuka had openly admitted she was trying to seduce Allen.
"I see, it looks like Shizuka-san has awakened. I was getting worried seeing you always acting like you had flowers growing in your head."
"Kyoko-san, I'm surprised too. I thought you'd never make a move and would settle for being a side character."
Both women had enormous busts, and they bumped against each other as they tried to intimidate the other. Unfortunately, the only victim was Asami, who had been looking for more underwear; when she saw the confrontation between the two titans and realized she wasn't even qualified to stand between them, she retreated in defeat.
"Ara ara, you two should calm down. This isn't a competition~"
The third curtain opened, revealing Yuriko wearing a nightdress with a deep neckline. It was both sexy and elegant, with a touch of maturity and motherhood that only a real mother could possess.
Even though Shizuka and Kyoko were full-fledged women, they were still ten years too young to be milfs, so they had no choice but to step back before this woman.
Yuriko approached Allen and placed a hand on his cheek in a provocative way. "Dear, I know a strong man like you in this apocalypse is tempted to have more than one woman. I only ask you not to forget about my Saya. She tends to be dishonest with her feelings, and even if she denies it deep down, she ends up accepting that you have other women."
Allen smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
Yuriko was surprised. Allen didn't deny the possibility of having more than one woman—in fact, he seemed to have decided that long ago.
"Hehe, it seems my daughter set her sights on a bad man~"
"Nobody's perfect." Allen grabbed Yuriko's hand, catching her off guard. "But I'm confident that all my virtues outweigh a couple of small flaws. Don't you think so, Yuriko?"
Yuriko was left breathless, lost in those clear and piercing eyes, hypnotized by that arrogant, teasing smile, captivated by that face made to inspire envy in men and sighs in women, trapped by that irresistible aura—and that strange scent that made her want more.
[Shit...]
The system knew, the Chat knew, his girlfriends knew, his dolls knew—Allen had been provoked enough by this woman and wanted to show her what he was capable of.
Yuriko's mind went blank. She had been listening to Kyoko and Shizuka fighting obviously because of Allen. That kind of shamelessness made her strangely angry—on behalf of her daughter, of course. Saya lacked the charm of both women, so she was at a disadvantage. So Yuriko, out of noble intentions and with absolutely no ulterior motive, tried to put the two women in their place and teach this young womanizer a lesson.
Big mistake…
Yuriko understood—she had made a terrible mistake. Allen wasn't an indecisive young boy or some inexperienced popular kid—he was a wolf, a veteran one. He was a monster. A dangerous man.
She tried to pull away, but Allen held her by the waist and pulled her into his arms.
"That was dangerous, you almost fell, Yuriko~"
The movement was so natural that, to everyone watching, it looked like Yuriko fell into his arms of her own will.
"I didn't—wait—"
Yuriko tried to leave, but Allen didn't let her. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered.
"I talked to Soichiro about taking responsibility."
"...!"
"Regardless of the circumstances, I spent the night with his wife. That's not something I can let slide."
"You did what?!"
"I expected him to jump at me, shoot me, or threaten my life, but instead he stayed calm and told me he wasn't your owner, that he knew your marriage had ended a long time ago, that he never intended to stop you…"
"I…"
"Yuriko, this might sound shameless, but since things have progressed like this, I'd like to take care of mother and daughter."
"Shameless!" Yuriko pushed Allen away and ran out of the place with a bright red face.
Kyoko and Shizuka, who saw this, were left with their mouths hanging open. That femme fatale, that milf, that woman who had survived the wolves of Wall Street, was running away like an embarrassed teenage girl.
"Well, I didn't expect it to be that easy." Allen shrugged, then gave both women a look, and they immediately ran back into the fitting room to change. They had provoked Allen too much.
[Host, you're truly terrifying when you want to be.]
Allen, for his part, felt a bit frustrated. The trio of women seemed full of confidence when trying to seduce him, but the moment they realized they were the prey, they immediately ran away.
"Women..."
Allen walked out of the clothing store in a good mood. If there was something better than embarrassing a cute girl, it was embarrassing a beautiful woman.
[As always, you have questionable habits.]
"Haha."
"Don't laugh, mou~" Shizuka pouted.
"Sorry—" Allen stopped speaking and looked up at the ceiling, prompting confused looks from Kyoko and Shizuka.
"Get inside the store!" Allen shouted.
....
High in the sky, an object was descending at great speed—a large metallic capsule.
When it hit the mall's roof, it broke through and fell to the first floor. Everyone came out to take a look at the different shops.
No one understood what was happening. Allen, for his part, frowned. This kind of technological shit reminded him of the invisible drone that attacked him.
"Everyone, take cover!" Allen ordered from the second floor.
Nobody knew what was going on, but Allen's group obeyed.
The metallic object released smoke while remaining silent in the middle of the mall.
"What is that?" Teshima panted from his hiding spot.
Saeko tightened her grip on her katana.
Hirano held his Springfield, ready to shoot.
Even Anemone tensed up.
The silence didn't last long, because the capsule began to open.
===