Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Sudden Disaster
"Thank you for your advice. I'll seriously consider it."
Yukino Yukinoshita smiled warmly. Though she was used to making decisions on her own, she wouldn't openly reject someone's kindness.
She looked at the exhausted Utaha Kasumigaoka and offered, "Why don't you rest for a bit? Don't be shy. There are two beds here. Feel free to use them."
"I'm not tired. Sitting for a while is enough," Utaha shook her head. Physically, she wasn't that exhausted. What weighed on her more was mental fatigue.
"The big screen across the street usually broadcasts an emergency update around noon. The zombies are drawn to loud sounds. Once they move away from the door, we'll make our move," Sosuke Kitahara said as he wiped his neck with a bath towel. He couldn't wash the bloodstains out of his clothes, but at least cleaning the blood off his skin made him feel much better.
"You're in charge. We'll follow your lead. But there's one issue: the hotel elevator doesn't go directly to the rooftop helipad. The highest it reaches is the 18th floor, but the helipad is on the 29th. To get there, we'll have to pass through a hallway and access it from the other side of the building," Haruno Yukinoshita explained with a helpless expression.
Seeing Sosuke's puzzled look, she added, "This building used to be an office tower. It was bought and renovated by Akasaka Corporation, which converted the lower eighteen floors into a hotel. It's said that the CEO of Akasaka reserved a private suite here for himself."
"The helipad isn't part of the hotel's facilities. It's exclusively for Akasaka Corporation's most important guests. Only a special access card and the VIP elevator can reach the top floor."
"Damn greedy capitalists..." Sosuke muttered, but as long as they could get up there, it didn't matter. There might be dangers ahead, but to evolve faster, some risks had to be taken. He couldn't play it safe forever. Hiding was only a temporary strategy.
The problem was, he had never been to this hotel before and knew nothing about the upper floors.
"Do you know what it's like up there? Is it all office space?" Sosuke asked, wanting to figure out if there were any potential hiding spots.
"We're not exactly sure, but since it's an office building, the layout probably won't vary much," Haruno replied.
"That's good enough."
Suddenly, Sosuke's eyes widened in shock. His face instantly changed.
Without warning, he lunged and tackled Haruno Yukinoshita to the ground.
"Yah…"
Haruno's expression twisted. Is he… assaulting me!?
There's no way she'd just let that happen!
She immediately tried to fight back.
"Boom!"
At the same time, a massive explosion erupted near the window. Utaha and Yukino, both startled by Sosuke's sudden move, instinctively crouched and covered their heads.
The powerful shockwave rattled the doors and windows, and the entire building shook. Just where Haruno had been standing, a sharp piece of black metal pierced through the window, cutting through the glass like paper. It smashed into the wall with a loud clang and quivered violently.
"What… what is that?"
Pinned beneath Sosuke, Haruno stared in shock at the piece of metal lodged in the wall. A wave of cold sweat ran down her back. If he hadn't tackled her just now, she would have been nailed to the wall.
Her feelings became complicated. She looked up at Sosuke pressing on her and realized she had completely misjudged him. Her pale lips moved slightly before she whispered, "Thank you… Kitahara."
"It's nothing. Just instinct."
Sosuke casually shrugged and got off her. Yukino quickly ran to the window, her face full of shock. "It's… it's a plane! A plane exploded!"
Everyone rushed to the window.
Flames soared into the sky. Thick black smoke spiraled upward, forming a small mushroom cloud.
"Look out! Another one's falling!"
As Sosuke shouted, another deafening explosion rocked the building. Their ears buzzed from the blast, and a violent shockwave shattered all the remaining windows.
"Crash!"
Glass shards rained down like a storm. Sosuke reacted quickly, grabbing a blanket from the bed and tossing it over the three stunned women, pulling them together under the cover.
The shards hit the blanket, sparing them from the pain, but the sudden chaos sent the women into terrified screams. They clung tightly to the blanket, huddling as the building violently shook.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The explosions came in waves, like artillery fire bombarding an enemy base. Caught near the epicenter, they were like a tiny boat in a raging storm, repeatedly battered by the shockwaves. Their hearts pounded wildly, and no one dared to move. All they could do was pray the hotel's construction would hold that the building wouldn't collapse.
Minutes passed.
The explosions gradually subsided. Even then, the four of them stayed huddled under the blanket, too afraid to move. Only when their ears stopped ringing did they slowly lift the cover and cautiously get to their feet, exchanging wide-eyed glances filled with lingering fear.
The once-luxurious room was now completely wrecked. It looked like it had been ravaged by a massive tornado. The chandelier had shattered on the floor, the TV was covered in cracks, and random debris was stuck in the walls.
"How… how did the plane fall from the sky…?"
Yukino rubbed her stiff neck, still in disbelief as she looked at the building across the street.
A massive airliner had crashed into the office tower, gouging out a huge hole. The nose of the plane was embedded deep inside, while half the white fuselage dangled precariously from the exposed wall.
Though the explosion hadn't collapsed the building, it looked like it had taken a direct missile strike. Thick black smoke poured from the structure, and flames quickly engulfed it. The dangling half of the plane creaked loudly, then suddenly snapped in half. The tail slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
People, if they could still be called that staggered out from the plane wreckage. Some were still ablaze but moved as if they didn't even notice. One by one, they stumbled out and fell from the gaping hole, crashing to the ground below with sickening splats. Not a single scream was heard.
But what made Yukino freeze was seeing some of those fallen bodies slowly rise again.
Those people… were no longer human.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
A military helicopter flew past. Desperate cries for help erupted from countless buildings all around. Even above their heads, people were waving and screaming for rescue.
But the helicopter didn't stop. It circled for a moment and then quickly flew away.
"Was that the helicopter coming to pick you up?" Sosuke asked grimly.
"No. That was a JSDF attack helicopter. The one picking us up is a small private helicopter," Haruno answered, steadying herself. Although the scene had shaken her deeply, she wasn't the type to be paralyzed by fear. She quickly regained her composure and suggested, "I recommend we head upstairs immediately while the area is still in chaos. When the helicopter arrives, people will definitely rush to the elevators in a panic. It'll be impossible to get through."
Sosuke picked up his backpack and smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"
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Oops, I mistranslated Haruno Yukinoshita's name in Chapter 30. My bad! Here's an extra chapter to make up for it! I hope you can guys forgive me, Thanks for understanding! >-<
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going