On my way down from the second floor of the gas station to the first.
I walked slowly, lost in thought. RiderZero had talked about my downfall.
'A person who cuts connections, huh.'
My cris were well-hidden, so RiderZero probably hadn't detected all of them. She likely made that judgnt just from seeing Immortal's business—a mix of multi-level marketing and murder-for-hire.
It was certainly a vicious operation. Dividing the stream area survivors into hunting dogs and prey, making them fight each other.
But would I be the only one to fall?
Step by step, I descended the stairs. That downward slope. An incline where you'd tumble down if you tripped.
'If I'm soone who cuts connections, then our chairman is soone who tilted the world into a slope.'
I couldn't help but grin. Everyone in this world was tumbling down the slope created by the chairman. The only difference was whether downfall ca quickly or slowly.
How many years could the alliance last anyway?
'The lifespan of solar panels, deteriorating chanical devices, extre seasons, forest fires and floods, scarce resources, mutating viruses. And.'
People. Weren't people always the biggest problem? People's greatest weapons were malice and venom, and there were probably many survivors who, knowingly or unknowingly, harbored resentnt toward the alliance. The police and archers alone were plenty vicious.
"This is interesting. Who will fall first?"
I quickened my pace, excitedly hurrying down the stairs. Was I the only one facing downfall? No. And wasn't I also sowhat involved in pushing people off cliffs?
Whether RiderZero would co for my fallen body, or I would go for hers once she fell—that remained to be seen.
***
When I went outside, my companions and the riders were facing off. They were glaring at each other, saying sothing. But it seed our side was losing in terms of presence, as the rcenaries holding guns stood with listless postures.
"That, that incident..."
"Anyway, we can't trade with you anymore. Everyone's decided on that, so keep it in mind."
I approached silently from behind the riders, straining to hear.
It seed the Delivery Vigilantes had cut off trade with us because of the market street incident. I couldn't just stand by. For the sake of my companions' self-justification, and for my own authority.
Without hesitation, I drew my pistol and aid it at the back of the head of the rider who was talking about cutting ties.
"Why are you showing your back? Makes want to shoot."
"What the—"
The gathered riders frantically scattered, grabbing iron pipes. Keeping just the right distance to swing effectively. The rider with the gun aid at the back of his head jumped and turned to face .
"You, you!"
"Haha. I'm just joking. Since you were joking too. Oh, was that not a joke? Were you really trying to cut ties?"
I slowly lowered my gun. The pistol grazed the rider's cheek as it descended, finally resting against his Adam's apple.
"It better be a joke. Otherwise, I might get serious too."
Gulp. The rider swallowed. His Adam's apple tried to push away the gun barrel, but I pressed down firmly, pinning it.
"You, no, you. After killing those kids, you have the nerve to—"
"Haha. You're being so negative. The world's hard enough as it is, try to think positively. I saved my companions instead of those kids. We saved you from unnecessary expenses."
I taunted him playfully.
RiderZero had predicted that my downfall would begin the mont my bullets ran out. Conversely, this ant she couldn't stop while I still had plenty of ammunition.
Like any raider, having sufficient firepower was a reassuring background.
The riders' faces turned bright red. Iron pipes and baseball bats were raised all around, casting long cactus-like shadows.
I smirked and pressed the gun barrel hard against the rider's neck. Hard enough that the pressed skin turned white. I slightly bowed my head and whispered in a low voice:
"No need to thank . And don't show your hostility either. You should smile unless you're going to kill right now. Even your leader had a pleasant conversation with ."
Subtly planting seeds of discord.
What power doubt has. When soone isn't that type of person, but the mont a small seed of thought is planted, colored glasses are put on, and a person's intentions beco twisted in our perception.
I pressed the gun barrel against the rider's cheek, forcing a smile, then abruptly lowered it and walked away with heavy steps.
"I've negotiated with your leader not to fight, so don't create unnecessary conflict."
"..."
I heard the sound of teeth grinding and pipes being gripped tightly, but their shadows didn't move an inch.
I had won the battle of wills. These riders had originally attacked people's consciences with psychological warfare, but facing —immune to such tactics—they had no choice but to consider the difference in firepower.
Holding the combat cart, I walked briskly and casually addressed my companions.
"Don't think too deeply about it, and don't feel guilty either. We were just doing the job we were reported to do. Why? To survive. Rather than dying for others, isn't killing others to survive what defines us?"
The companions sighed heavily and began nodding one by one.
I quickly shifted our focus. The alliance's survival zone, a world where society had been sowhat restored.
"Since we're already here, let's do so shopping."
"Did you really negotiate with them?"
The psycho rcenary raised his hand and asked in a puzzled voice. I answered lightly.
"They said they'd co for us when our bullets run out, but when that happens, it's not just the alliance that's in danger. We're fine for the ti being."
***
The alliance had managed to restore society, albeit crudely. Within this zone—not small by any ans in this world—traces of the once-normal world remained vividly alive.
People walking freely with vigor, music playing from phones or speakers, the light of plant growth lamps visible through windows, water drawn by electric pumps.
Even the comrcial district had co back to life.
"A restaurant?"
In what looked like a butcher shop, they were slaughtering so unidentifiable at, and nearby stores were grilling and selling at using induction cooktops or charcoal.
Perhaps it was the color of that at, but our feet were automatically drawn in that direction.
Words were written on a whiteboard. An advertisent for grilled dog, cat, pigeon, and sparrow at. A note saying it was thoroughly cooked above 100 degrees, so there was no need to worry about the virus.
"Captain, should we buy so? It's been so long since we've had at."
"Anyone who wants it can buy it. We don't have enough resources with us to feed the entire villa district."
I spoke while glancing at a familiar person inside one of the shops.
It was a store that fried pigeon at like chicken, and there was soone I'd seen before. The sushi restaurant owner who had given pufferfish poison. He must have joined the Delivery Vigilantes, as he was now frying pigeons here.
The rcenaries scattered, and I also dragged my combat cart into the pigeon fry shop.
"Welco! ...It's been a while. I see you're still alive."
The owner, who had been coating at with batter, recognized and stopped. Though I hadn't done anything particularly morable, he seed to rember .
I nodded slightly.
"I managed to survive sohow. You seem to be doing well too."
"I've always been confident in my knife skills."
The owner with the fierce facial expression smiled broadly. The fish tattoo on his forearm seed to wiggle. I wasn't sure if he ant he survived due to his cooking skills or by filleting people with his sushi knife.
I sat down in a chair.
"Are you taking orders? How do you calculate paynt?"
"It's barter. Cigarettes, cola, alcohol—these are used almost like money. I also accept fish."
Perhaps because there were no custors, the owner leisurely shared various stories.
He couldn't make his favorite sushi anymore but earned a living through cooking, was satisfied with life as many people were moved by his cooking, the supply of ingredients wasn't bad...
"The supply is good?"
"Pigeons get caught even with simple traps. It's much easier than catching dogs, they say."
"Dogs are, well, scary."
Packs of wild dogs are truly frightening. You might end up being hunted while trying to hunt them.
Suddenly, the owner raised the corners of his mouth.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any poison."
"That's really too bad."
I stood up again. I'd co in hoping that the owner who once fed poison to unwelco guests might have so toxins.
"Well then, I wish your business prosperity."
"Let's et again in good health next ti."
I wonder. If famine truly arrives, would we be able to see each other like this?
The shopping was over.
The scattered companions returned, and I had also acquired so vitamins and put them in my pocket. We diligently walked back to the villa district.
I sought out companions with young children and distributed so of the vitamins. The cup noodle rcenary held the vitamins in his hand, blinking as if dazed.
"What's this? dicine?"
"They're vitamins. Give them to your child. In a world where we can't eat well, shouldn't they at least have these to grow properly?"
A gift for managing my companions. I already had plenty of vitamins stockpiled for myself, so I didn't mind sharing a few.
'The psycho rcenary isn't doing anything suspicious, making it hard to find fault with him.'
It would be best to leave him alone for now while creating an environnt where he couldn't act. People like us tend to blend in as part of the organization when we don't see any openings to stab.
The cup noodle rcenary awkwardly scratched his head and then bowed.
"Thank you. For looking after my child like this."
"We're companions, aren't we? We need to treat each other like family to survive this harsh world."
I waved my hand dismissively, saying it was nothing, and turned away.
Raiding plans flashed through my mind. The season of famine was approaching step by step. Signs of famine were already visible to us.
Ammunition, more precious than food. We still had quite a bit of ammo for the machine gun, but the rifles my companions used had consud a lot.
'If we could just raid the police, we could get guns and ammunition.'
Ammunition is a raider's lifeline. Then couldn't we use ammunition to get more ammunition? Just like when we killed the landlord and got his shotgun.
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