The matter of gathering supplies was left for the students to handle themselves.
While Zeroy waited outside, she kept an eye on the radar, monitoring the students and their surroundings.
As she watched them, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Even though she didn't have anything like a Main God wristband, the appearance of that large sphere of light—along with its claim to be the Main God—meant this was likely a variant of the Main God's space.
Which meant she had to be wary of the possibility of other reincarnators.
Given the Main God space's "raise-the-poison" style, other reincarnators' missions might very well be to sabotage hers.
The apocalypse was already dangerous enough for ordinary people—and with reincarnators lurking, the threat would only grow.
So the real difficulty of this world lay there? Probably.
Then there was the matter of where to establish a survivor base…
Zeroy pulled out her phone and connected to this world's network.
It was one of the basic starting gear granted by her [Sky Striker Ace LV1] talent, like the tactical dagger she'd thrown to Shido earlier.
Although unlike the Striker Unit, these were blank, mass-produced items—easily replaced or discarded.
The network was still functioning, and Zeroy could pull up a map of Tokonosu City.
Using it, she carefully searched for a location suited to establishing a survivor base.
Her past experience with zombie survival games now paid off.
She quickly sorted through the top priorities for a base.
First—food.
The base should be near a large supermarket or warehouse. Normally, this would be a bad idea, since such areas were densely populated and swarming with zombies.
That said, for Zeroy, zombies were never the problem—she could sweep away any threat.
Second—water.
A location near a river would be best. While supermarkets could supply drinking water for quite some time, daily water needs would require far more. Bottled water alone was unrealistic. A river could solve that.
Of course, the river water would be contaminated and couldn't be used directly.
Lastly—energy.
A nearby gas station would be ideal.
It could fuel generators and vehicles, keeping the base running and ensuring mobility.
Twenty minutes passed in a flash, and the students returned to gather before her.
Each carried bags of supplies. No one tried to escape or dawdle.
The fear and intimidation Zeroy inspired were simply too great. She had never hidden her inhuman side—summoning weapons from thin air, slaughtering over a thousand zombies in five minutes without so much as breaking a sweat.
More terrifying still… if someone hid in the school building, she could detect it instantly and mete out destructive punishment.
Under that kind of pressure, no one dared take chances.
...
Once everyone was assembled, Zeroy's gaze swept the crowd, her eyes cold and scrutinizing.
A moment later, her brow furrowed.
She was almost amused… many of their bags were stuffed with snacks.
Snacks weren't inherently bad—they were easy to eat and could slightly relieve the stress of the apocalypse.
However, many were puffed foods like chips—pathetically low in calories, offering little survival energy.
Worse, most came in inflated packaging, bulky yet with little inside—highly impractical.
In Zeroy's view, in a biohazard apocalypse, choosing high-energy, portable, filling foods should be basic survival sense.
Only idiots—or those with an overabundance of resources—would waste space on such hollow junk.
Indeed, she had overestimated them.
Like they were out on a school trip.
"Next time, take fewer things like chips… they're neither portable nor useful for survival."
...
The students didn't dare argue—just stood trembling, afraid she'd take off a head for sport.
"Alright, you can go back to the school now."
Once they had gone inside, Zeroy turned, swung her Striker Unit, and precisely sliced a corner from a nearby building.
The massive chunk of debris was as light as nothing in her hands. She carried it to the school gate and sealed the entrance completely.
"Next, I'm going to handle the survivor base. I'll probably come get you this afternoon or tomorrow."
"Um..."
Just as she was about to leave, one student mustered the courage to step forward, voice trembling.
Zeroy glanced over—it was one of the heroines, Rei Miyamoto.
"I... I want to find my family..."
Rei lowered her head, hands clenched, worry and tension in her tone.
"Find your family?"
Zeroy's gaze fell on her, cool.
"And then what? What can you do once you find them?"
"Eh...?"
Rei froze—clearly not expecting that response. She hadn't even considered the question.
"With no ability to defend yourselves, even if you find your family, you'll only be their burden. And they, barely able to protect themselves—what could they do for you?"
Her voice was calm, without warmth or displeasure.
But her words were blunt as a blade, mercilessly shattering Rei's—and the others'—illusions.
She paused, sweeping her gaze over them all. "Staying here quietly is what you should be doing. As for your families—"
"I will gather all survivors at the base. If they're still alive, you'll reunite there."
Rei opened her mouth to speak, but under Zeroy's unyielding stance, she lowered her head.
Zeroy reached out, manifesting and sending forth seven or eight small mechanical bees.
These too were standard Sky Striker Ace gear—good for basic reconnaissance, but with little other use.
A freebie.
"They'll watch you for me, so don't think of doing anything stupid."
"Of course, you can ignore my warning. These drones can't harm or stop you—but you'd better pray I don't find out. If I do, I'll consider you, and everyone around you, unstable threats."
"You can try. My blade has never dulled."
...
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