~ Chapter 27: Not the best place to farm
[Kardian’s point of view]
The Resonance High School was located at about 3.4 kilometers from where we found Zuiza and Yumino. The road there was clogged up with cars and busses that were tipped over or left abandoned after the outbreak picked up the pace. The shops and apartment buildings were broken into and teeming with Nano-Z, however, the overall numbers were far too small in comparison to what should have been in this area.
“There are just three of them in that shop... and four over there.” Nataly noticed.
“Yeah... And if you count the ones on the street from here to the next intersection, there are less than 20...” I said.
“The density of Nano-Z per square kilometer would indicate that large hordes are beginning to form, or that Mutated Nano-Z are appearing in higher numbers. I estimate that within a month from now, there won’t be any small camps of survivors within the city.” Xerya offered her analysis.
“Unless they become like us...” I mumbled.
“Or if they have access to stronger and more powerful equipment. With a higher chance of infection among those who augment their bodies, I really doubt anyone will risk going down on that path. Power Armors, however, might be a valid option, but not everyone has access to them.” Nataly explained.
“Power Armors? The rich folk should have some, since the recreational models can be bought from various companies. I think there was even a game in which everyone wore them and ran after a ball?” I scratched the back of my head.
“Are you talking about MetalBall?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, that...” I nodded.
“The players do wear Power Armors, ExoSuits, and MechDrivers, depending on the type of competition. Once on the field, they are positioned the same way as the players in American Football, then they are given a Magneto-Sphere instead of a football. The Magneto-Sphere can be pulled closer by the right glove of the armor, while the left one repels it when turned on. Keeping the ball in the magnetized glove is part of the strategy, but most experienced players would run on the field with the gloves turned off unless it’s for special moves. Scoring is done similarly to how it’s done in American Football.” Nataly gave me a rather in-depth explanation of the sport.
“Are you a fan?” I asked.
She smiled at me and then cheered “Go, HAWKS!”
“Your favorite team, I take it?” I giggled.
“What gave it away?” she giggled.
“Anyway, as long as we don’t do anything stupid, we should be able to pass with ease through this mess...” I said as I then looked ahead at the road filled with wrecked cars and Nano-Z struggling to move around.
It was technically impossible to move through here without attracting their attention, at least for normal humans, for us, however, it was like a walk through the park as long as we didn’t bother to annoy them or kill them. They were also mostly healed, so the nanobots in their systems were either close to turning them into Mutated versions or into faster and slightly stronger Nano-Z. Whatever the case, it was also clear that no survivors dared to cross this path. The stores and even apartment buildings around this area appeared to have been teeming with them.
“We should have questioned the two teenagers about the path they took when they fled Resonance High .” Xerya commented and Nataly nodded.
“I forgot, alright!” I let out a sigh. “Besides, this was the path I took to school before... I didn’t think it would get so clogged up... with this.” I pointed at a Nano-Z that was staring at his reflection in the rear-view mirror of a car.
“Isn’t it normal for the main arteries in the infrastructure of a city to get clogged during an emergency situation?” Nataly asked raising an eyebrow.
“Sigh... Alright, it’s my fault for forgetting about it. Anyway, we just have to make sure not to hunt any of them...” I said as I decided to take a step forward.
“Sure! Sure!” Nataly giggled.
“Hunting would have been beneficial.” Xerya complained.
“Well, technically, we could hunt these Nano-Z as well, they aren’t really that many here... They might be too much for ordinary survivors, but not for us, right?” I tried to see the positive in this.
“The terrain is a bit tricky, and we are not familiar with how many of them could be hiding inside the buildings. There could be even a mini horde patrolling the area without us knowing.” Nataly looked at this from her point of view.
“But this wouldn’t be the first time we do it, right?” I pointed out.
“The area where you previously hunted was not one that could be considered close to any of the main arteries in this city. What we have before us is one of those streets which can lead us to the highway. The number of cars here is higher and despite the limitation of the scanner of only 230 meters, I am currently detecting around 1578 Nano-Z on the street and inside the buildings in front of us.” Xerya told us.
The number surprised me, and I looked at her in shock, but when I was met with Nataly’s eyes, she let out a small sigh.
“It sounds like a reasonable amount given the fact that no survivor stepped onto this street before.” she told me.
“Yeah, no matter how strong we are, we can’t handle that kind of amount...” I looked down.
“Do note, that I only specified the number within the buildings on this street. The scanner can determine the living beings underground and in the other buildings as well. In this area alone, we are talking about 4784 Nano-Z in total that I can detect given my current technological limitations.” she explained and then pointed toward my head.
When I looked up, I didn’t see anything.
“On top of your head.” Nataly said with a giggle.
“Huh? What’s this?!” I said as I felt a strange spike coming out of the top of my head.
“That’s the scanner. I could turn your head into a satellite dish if you wanted to scan a larger area.” she told me.
“Huh?” a weird image of a human with a strange metal disk for a head appeared in my mind, and I quickly shook my head to get rid of it. “No, thank you!” I declared as I made a big X sign with both of my hands.
“Leaving jokes aside, at least now we know how an untouched area of the city looks like. The number of Nano-Z is truly staggering... and we can’t really fight them all, can we?” Nataly asked as she looked back at me.
I wanted to say that we could, but we had to take into account that all of these Nano-Z were in the process of transforming and evolving. We could already see that most of them were completely healed and with the exception of the empty look on their faces, gapping mouths, and gray skin, we had no way of really telling who was still alive and who wasn’t.
“Looks can be deceiving, but yeah... I don’t think we’re strong enough to take on these Nano-Z...” I replied.
“In one day, that’s a negative, but if we were to concentrate our efforts into one building at a time as we did up until now, we could technically manage to clear out the area of Nano-Z and make it safe for survivors once again.” Xerya suggested.
“Sounds good, but... right now I don’t want to delay our trip to Resonance High. We postponed it long enough, and honestly, I feel a bit guilty that I didn’t head there sooner rather than latter...”
“If you did that, you would not have met me, right?” Nataly asked.
Looking back at her, I nodded and then let out a sigh “Yeah, and I would have been weaker too...”
“It was a good decision then to stay back and farm for nanocores. They upgraded our strength, as for the choices of the survivors, you are not to blame for them. It is the survival of the fittest, after all.” Xerya comforted me.
“Although, you also have to mention that not everyone will take the path of adaptation that you see fit... Everyone has their own idea of becoming better and stronger.” Nataly told me.
“You are both right, it’s just that... Sigh.” I scratched the back of my head as I straightened my back “I still have this desire or rather hope inside me that maybe... just maybe, things aren’t as horrible as they sound. After all, I can still remember like it was yesterday how those kids were running down the hallway, complaining about the latest fashion trends, or trying their best to confess to a senior or junior. Thinking that they were forced to become cannibals and the teachers were the first to push them in that direction is just...” I stopped and shook my head.
Nataly showed me a soft smile “You are a good man, Kardian, but on a battlefield, many would call you naive. Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. The ones who I find truly unbearable are those who are willing to give up hope and their own humanity with their first step onto the battlefield. At that point, I don’t think it matters if you win the war or not if you return to your home with the desire to kill other humans... You will simply feel like you don’t fit in... like something is missing.” she looked down with a bit of sadness in her eyes.
“Thank you, I... I think that if things really turn out to be so horrible to the point where my own hope in them was nothing but my own delusion, I will be able to make the right choice and see reality as it is... even if it’s terrible and twisted.” I told them.
“Just in case, we’ll be there to remind you of your own words.” Nataly declared.
“I already recorded this statement.” Xerya added.
“Thank you.” I smiled and then laughed “And here I thought that I might end up hearing Drill Sargent Yuriscycho screaming back at me to get my head back in the game before it’s too late! Hahaha!”
“Well, acting with a civilian who never took a step in the military as you would with someone who was trained as a soldier or a mercenary had always been counterproductive simply because there’s a big difference in the perception and understanding that’s been formed by our experience on the ground.” she explained.
“I never thought about that. Heh, the more you know.” I said as I scratched my chin.
In the end, we decided not to challenge the dangers hidden on this piece of unexplored terrain. While we could have saved up on time, it was also a very risky area for us. For the Mutated Nano-Z our camouflage function meant nothing. We were prey either way. So, we decided to head towards one of the nearby streets where the number of Nano-Z was smaller and the chances of encountering a Mutated one were lower. On another note, if we did stumble into one, we could also fight better without having to worry that we would attract a generous amount of normal Nano-Z there.
By the time it got dark, we were less than a kilometer away from the High School’s campus. We settled inside an apartment building that seemed to hold a small number of Nano-Z when compared with the others and proceeded to barricade the lower floors while we ascended one floor at the time. When night fell and the Rabid Mode was activated, we cleared up the rooftop and setup camp there. The weather was good.
Xerya kept watch for us, so while the two of us fell into a deep slumber, she consumed a good amount of nanocores. When we woke up, she told us that she managed to improve the structure of our Nano-Coat, Nano-Fiber, and Retractable Blades. We were both now slightly stronger and more durable than before, but she expressed her displeasure in regard to being unable to create proper shielding for the Exo-Armor program.
I didn’t feel the difference, honestly, but maybe that was just my perception. Xerya explained that for the next upgrades, she would try to increase the length of the blade until it became closer to a sword rather than a dagger. Nataly thought it was a good idea, but she asked her to make it possible for us to choose the length at will since it’s use could be limited depending on the environment we were in. The hallways of an apartment building weren’t exactly the perfect place to swing around a sword. When faced with that reasoning, I had no choice but to agree as well. Besides, depending on the situation, the ability of the blade to expand or retract beyond its initial length could prove to be a useful tactic. At the same time, I wanted some sort of long-range weapon as well like a pistol or an assault rifle. Nataly, of course, also agreed that long-range weapons could prove to be extremely useful for us, even something as simple as a bow or a crossbow.
The following day, we woke up at around 8 AM in the morning, a bit later than usual because Xerya wanted to absorb a few more nanocores. After a modest breakfast, we proceeded with clearing up the Nano-Z that were roaming near the barricades at the lower floors and then continued on our way towards Resonance High.