No such thing as over-prepared

(You know. In retrospect, I should have expected for this to happen. I mean, this is Saya we're talking about.)

Thankfully, the mask absorbed most of the impact, as the book crash-landed on my face. After placing the book she just threw at me in front of me, I shook my head and focused my eyes back at face, yeah. Pretty much like looking at a pink-haired tomato.

"Ok ok, I get. No pink tornados. So please, no violence in the library." I say as I lift both hands in a surrendering motion. She just huffs at me before turning her attention back toward the textbook that was in front of her.

"Still. Why must I be the only one with a weird nickname… " I say as I nonchalantly open the book she just threw at me.

"Because you're..."

"An idiot, I know..." I cut her off as I keep looking at the book.

(Talk about a short fuse. The only way to tell her a joke is by posting it online and then sending her the link from a safe distance…)

I tried not to chuckle as I took a look at the book's index. And then, it hit me.

(Posting, videos? Wait a minute.)

"Hey, are there any recent videos uploaded? You know, post-outbreak." I look up from the book towards Saya. She stops writing and turns her attention to the phone.

"Yes, if you go to the main page of the site I'm checking. The latest videos are from a couple of hours ago." She kept writing something in the notebook as she spoke.

(Hmm, I wonder.)

"Did you watch any of them?" I ask. Saya lifts her head and looks at me, her face still with a slight shade of red on it, nothing like the 'tomato' red she had a minute ago though.

"No, we don't have time to waste, remember? You said so yourself." She said as she kept looking at me.

"True, but right now this could be our best, and only chance of finding information on what these things are. Out of all the people in the world, there must be somebody with medical knowledge. That has had the chance to well, find out something, anything about the corpses." I close the book as I speak. Saya just keeps staring at me for a few seconds before finally picking up the phone.

"There are thousands of videos uploaded herε, just from the last day alone. How are we going to find something like that without wasting all of our time?" She waves the phone at me as she speaks.

"Easy, just look for the most viewed videos from the last two days with tags that match what we want to find. Things like Virus, Infection, Bacteria, Dissection, Medical. You know, stuff like that." I point my finger at the phone as I lean on the desk.

Saya lets off a sigh before bringing the phone close to her face as she starts typing.

(Why didn't I think of this earlier. Actually, why didn't SHE think of this earlier? Ain't she supposed to be a genius or something?)

And a few minutes later, Saya's eyes go wide.

"Found something?" I ask.

She just passes me the phone without saying anything, I take it and look at the screen. The words 'Scientific explanation for the new unknown pathogen' typed on the search bar. Under it, an unending number of videos. Most of them looked the same though, recorded by a cellphone in the middle of a street. Except, for the first video in the lineup.

That one was taken inside a laboratory of some sorts. While the uploader's name was, 'ADSGNF'? The video itself had more than three billion views. That was three billion, in two days. I glanced at Saya, who just glanced back at me before looking back at the phone. I then also look towards the screen, and press the play button…

The video opened with the shuffling sounds of a camera being set up. Then, a man in a white lab coat walked into view. He looked like he was in his late fifties, his hair was a medium shade of gray, and he was wearing a pair of thin, round glasses.

"My name, is Alex Xenogios, I'm a pathologist." The person in front of the camera looks around him before turning back to the camera.

"Me and a group of fellow doctors were inside our workspace when this outbreak started. And now, we have been stuck here for two? three days? Matters not, from what we have been informed, we are not getting rescued. At least, not before we die of starvation, dehydration, or this infection. And as the facility is overrun, and currently working on backup power. Figured I should let people know what we found out before it's too late. And, before any of you get your hopes up, we don't have anything close to a cure. We don't have the necessary personnel or equipment to even try… " The man raises his head and looks behind him for a few seconds before looking back at the camera.

"Not anymore… " He takes a deep breath before grabbing the camera by what I suspect was a tripod and begins walking towards a corpse that was tied up on an operating table. Its torso was cut open, internal organs in full display. It was also missing its right arm. The corpse, upon hearing the doctor, turned its head towards the direction of the camera and started groaning as Alex moved near it.

"Ok, as you can see, the subject is still 'alive', and oblivious to the fact that it's missing its front rib cage and right arm." He shakily placed the camera on the ground and positioned it so that we have a clear view of the corpse as he spoke.

"So what did we find? For starters, for anybody still wondering, the infected are in fact, dead. This 'thing' right here, is nothing more than a husk that is being controlled by 'something'. A virus? A parasite? Bacteria? We don't know. What we do know, is that whatever it is, it's in the brain." He walks away from the camera for a few seconds, and upon returning, he brings a lump of meat near the camera. A heart.

"You all know what this is right? But, just to clarify, it's a heart, his heart." He then points at the corpse.

"Even even after removing the main method the body uses to circulate blood, nothing changed. Because these things don't need blood to 'live'. The moment they get up again, they have no heartbeat, no blood circulation, 'they' are not alive by our normal clinical standards. That is also why they won't stop even if they get their limbs chopped off or are riddled with bullets. Blood loss means nothing to them. We also found that… " The scientist then turns around and grabs something from the small operating table that was set next to the corpse, and then brings it close to the camera.

A syringe. He, then stabs the corpse with it and proceeds to draw blood, until the syringe was full. Pulling the it back, he then shows it to the camera again, as if to show off the blood inside. Then, after taking the needle off he puts the tip of the syringe in his mouth. And empties the contents of the syringe.

(Am I, actually seeing this?)

He winces as he swallows the blood he just drew from a corpse.

"UGHH. It tastes like shit. But, it is not infectious. Blood, is not infectious. Only saliva can spread this 'disease'. Like some sort of beefed out super rabies." He starts speaking again, while his expression remains that of a person who just ate a lemon.

"They don't use blood, they are not alive. Yet, they do not decay. No, actually they do decay, but only partially. Their nervous system, for example, still works as if the person never died, if just being a lot clumsier. And their muscles are also still functional, and if any of you noticed, these things are much stronger than the common man. That is because their muscles no longer work under the normal human limits. Limits that are normally placed by our brains to avoid overexertion and damage.

Now, from all the tests we have done. The only thing we could conclude, which is pretty much a speculation mind you, is that whatever has invaded the host's brain, is also nurturing the nervous system and muscles to keep them running." And as the doctor keeps speaking, the camera's battery sign starts flashing, signaling that it was close to running out.

"Also, cutting a limb after a bite, won't work. Save yourself the trouble and pain. The person you see chained up on the table. We cut his arm off in less than twenty seconds after he got bit, you can see how that ended. And lastly, people that died from other causes, such as gunshots or blood loss do not 'get up' again. Now, there is a chance that this facility is just not contaminated by whatever this is, but then, this could also mean that this disease can't spread by any other means other than an infected bite." The doctor leaves the syringe back on the table before turning to look back at the camera.

"We were already overrun when we discovered that people that died by other means other than a bite did not get up again. So if, if that is also true for the outside world as well. Then there is a good chance that the virus might be lab-bred. As whatever this is, it has a very inefficient way of transmitting itself." He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh before shaking his head.

"And for it to spread globally, and this fast. All without the ability to travel by air or water. Even if it did 'hijack' our methods of long-range transportation like planes and ships to spread itself. It should not have popped up everywhere at the same time as it just did. Add the fact that it's incubation period is just way too fast to be normal. But again, I must emphasize. This is just speculation. There are too many holes that I can use to prove myself wrong for it to be conclusive proof. But still, for it to turn global, so fast..." He then looks at the flashing battery warning sign, before he brings his hand on the camera for a close-up. I could see the bags under his eyes, and the gleam of resignation as he spoke again.

"I don't expect to survive this, but to whoever is left alive, may God be w… " And the video cut off, the camera probably running out of battery…

I, just stayed silent. Looking at the 'replay' sign on the phone.

"Lab, made?" Saya was the first one to speak. I must have been more surprised than I expected to be. As, I could only hear her from my right ear right now.

"We should take that with a grain of salt. As he said, it was only speculation. But, even if it is true, there is nothing we can do about it. Don't let this cloud your judgment and derail you from the task at hand." I speak up as I lift my head and look at an, empty chair?

(Huh...?)

"Ughh. I know, you don't have to tell me. It's just, the idea that all of this is happening because a bunch of idiots decided to fuck up everybody's life… " She speaks up again. And again, her voice comes from my right side.

I turn my head to the right to find Saya's face right next to mine, still looking at the phone.

"OH HOLY F! When did you even..." I shout as I lean my body back. Saya winces and turns to me with a glare.

"Ughh! Don't shout next to my ear idiot! I kept telling you that I can't see the video but you keep ignoring me." She says as she frowns.

"Ohh… sorry. I kinda got sucked in, didn't hear a thing." I respond, she just rolls her eyes with a sigh as she pushes herself away from the desk and walks back to her seat.

"Figured as much. Can I have the phone back now?" She extends her arm as she 'asks'. I just nod and slide it to her.

(Well, That was quite the bomb to drop on my face internet. In the anime and manga, nothing was ever mentioned on how all this started, so I don't know what's going on either. Shame the author died mid-way. I could have had a very big advantage if there was an actual end to the manga with an explanation. Or even just a place that is verified to be a safe haven or something. But as I said to Saya, I need to focus on the task at hand. What's the point of knowing that if I die tomorrow.)

I return my focus to the book about the H.A.N.E.S. After reopening it and reading the index, I turned to the page that had information on E.M.P. range and the damage it can cause...

(So, based on what the book says. A well placed high altitude blast with a standard thermonuclear yield, can pretty much fry a whole country as big as the US. It also mentions that small scale items like phones should normally withstand an emp, also includes most cars in that group. Weird, as in the anime both phones and cars, hell even the gun dots got fried. Actually, that got me wondering. Are solar panels affected?)

I pull out my second phone from my pocket and open it. Then proceed to open the browser and type 'Emp on solar panels'. And after a couple of good hits and a quick read. It pretty much tells me that solar panels are mostly unaffected, but that it would maybe still kill the batteries and such.

(Hmm, nothing too complex to fix if we can find working batteries in a store. I will keep this in mind. The article did also say something about diodes, wiring and something about a controller? I have information on what all that crap is from the notes I jotted down from the other videos, but I got no idea what they are right now.)

I put the phone back in my pocket and continue reading the book.

(Power plants, fried. Telephone lines, fried. Anything hooked up on the main power grid, a larger chance to fry. Also, things that are not on the grid and things that are not powered on have, hypothetically speaking, a higher chance of surviving. So, raiding an electronics store after the blast might not be such a bad idea after all. It does also say that the military probably has emp-proof electronics. Which makes sense. I mean even our humvee is supposed to be emp-proof, even if it is kind of custom made, as I noticed it has ignition keys. Normal military ones do not have keys if I remember correctly.)

"Why are you reading that?" A voice snaps me out of my thoughts, I raise my head to see Saya staring at me.

"Whatdya mean?" I ask, slightly confused.

"I mean exactly what I asked. Why are you reading about E.M.P.s?" She asks as she points at the book with the pen.

"Uhh, good question. I just picked it up after watching that video without thinking. And then one thing leads to another..." I say with a shrug as I close the book.

(I did manage to read what I wanted to know. So it should be fine skipping the rest, for now at least.)

Saya just sighs as she rolls her eyes.

"Sometimes you act like the most irresponsible person on the whole planet..." She then turns her attention back on the textbook.

"Ehh..." With nothing to say I just lean on the desk and I try to see what she was writing about.

"Say, did, anything happen while I was gone?" I ask as I sit back down normally. Saya looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

"Anything? Anything like what?" She asks back.

"If you have to ask me to define 'anything' then I guess nothing did happen..." I pull out the second phone and stare at the browser's text insert box.

(So, while I was gone, the group did not fight? That's good. Means me being here changed something for the better.)

After that, both of us stayed silent for some time. I used the second phone to search for more information on E.M.P. and how to deal with it. Though, everything ended with the same info. Either military-grade stuff or a faraday cage. Both things that are out of my reach.

(Making a faraday cage would make me too conspicuous on why I wanted to make something so specific. Only to then have an emp go off sometime after. And military-grade stuff. Heh, yea good luck with that.)

So, I decided to switch to something different and search for more things you can do without electricity.

(Though, you never know. Maybe after finding Rei's mother and arriving at that school where her dad was, in we won't have to do anything. Maybe we'll get extracted by the army and get sent to a refugee camp or something. Though that would lead to other problems. God, even in the middle of the apocalypse, I still hate being around a lot of people. Talk about a hardcore antisocial.)

Saya sighs as she stops writing, I lift my head and look at her.

"I think. I think we need to leave… " She speaks up as she raises her head.

(Hmm leave? She means the estate? So something DID happen. Maybe that part with the mechanic and Kohta? Or did she actually fight with the group and got manhandled by Takashi. Though the latter would make little to no sense as being the reason to want to leave the estate.)

"You mean leave the library?" I ask as I tilt my head. Saya just frowns.

"No you idiot, I mean the estate..." She lowers her head as she answers.

"Your explanation about staying here when we were in the yard with the rest of the group was actually pretty much head-on. Staying here would put us under the whims of the adults, and they see us like we are just a bunch of useless kids. Deadweight to be carried around..." She kept staring at the textbook as she spoke.

I also lower my head and look at the closed book next to me.

(Well, that is true. But is doing nothing really that bad? I mean, we won't be in constant danger and will have food and maybe even electricity. Though I guess, we will have to deal with a couple of bad apples. And the truth is, we really are 'just kids'. But I say that, Saya will flip out...)

I lift my head to see Saya staring at me, waiting for my reply.

"Well. Leaving, is indeed an option. As long as we can get supplies and a target destination, I don't see why not. But we would need ammo, food, water, fuel. Lots of fuel, you don't know just how much of a gas guzzler the Humvee is. Which is going to be a major problem if we don't have a surplus of fuel." Saya just nods at me as I speak.

"The car is already ours so we should be able to leave with it. I, I could speak to my parents about the supplies… " She averts her eyes from me as she speaks.

(She is not even sure herself if her parents would agree huh. Not surprised, supplies are not something that will come about easily now. And I can't ask for supplies as payment for that crazy-ass mission either, as it was my idea, and Yuriko was obviously against it. I'm gonna turn like those annoyingly forceful window cleaners if I do that. And yeah, no. End of the world or not I am not doing that.)

"We also need to consider the pros and cons of such a decision. Leaving would indeed let us make our own decisions. Along with also being obviously less prone to being overrun because there will be less noise produced by a smaller group. But it will also mean we will have to constantly scavenge for supplies and that we will mostly have to stay on the move." I fold my arms as I lean on my chair.

"With a small group like ours we need to find an already well-fortified place if we want to hunker down. And a place like that. Well, it will most definitely be already occupied. And if not, it will be a prime target for, not so 'friendly' people." Saya just stared at me as I spoke, no snarky comebacks or groans of annoyance.

"On the other hand, staying here. It will probably keep us relatively safe, and give us a steady supply of food, along with electricity. As we don't know if any power plants have already failed after all. But, this decision will also lock us down to staying here. We won't be able to, for example, look for Komuro's and Miyamoto's parents… " Saya looks back to the phone as she nods at me.

"Also, there is something else I need to tell you. This has nothing to do with staying or leaving though. It has to do with you and the group." I say as I get up from the desk. Saya looks back at me with a slight frown, but stays otherwise quiet.

"I understand how you feel about your parents. But you must not snap out in front of Komuro or Miyamoto the same way you did with me." Saya's frown deepened as I spoke, but still stayed quiet.

"Contrary to my situation, whose family is on the other side of the globe, theirs might be far, but they ain't beyond reach like mine. If you snap at them about your parents, who are here, alive. They will lash out back at you. Because they still don't even know if their own parents are alive or not. And you know. The hardest time, is usually the time you have to spend waiting." I start walking towards the door after I finished speaking. Saya, not saying a word.

(Out of all the times she could act meek, it had to be now?)

After reaching the door. I turn around and look at Saya, who was staring at the phone in silence...

"After all, the only one allowed to piss off everybody in the group is none other than the penguin. Wouldn't you agree, Saya?" I say as I lift my hand and point at myself with my thumb, grin hidden behind my mask. Saya lifts her head and looks at me for a few seconds, before looking away.

"...Idiot..." She lowers her head and stares at the phone again.

"The one and only." I turned around and opened the door, my finger pointed towards the ceiling.

(And I just changed my title to 'clown ninja penguin'. Well, as long as our little tsundere stays out of trouble. Now, what time is it?)

Upon exiting the library, I reach for the second phone in my pocket and find, nothing...

(I forgot it on the desk? Ehh whatever. There should be a clock around here somewhere. Or if not, I am just going to ask some random dude, I get the feeling that Saya will throw another book at my face if I go back inside right now.)

With that, I start to aimlessly wander around the mansion again.

(I also need to figure out what to do with the E.M.P. blast. How can I make Souichiro E.M.P proof the barricades? Right now, they use the forklifts to move the giant concrete blocks or whatever the crap those things are. If they somehow have a barricade open when the blast happens. Yeah, trouble on the horizon.)

I keep thinking with my head slightly lowered as I keep walking down the hallways.

(I wonder where the rest of the group is at. Saeko is probably with Souichiro. And, from the looks of it, she might be getting a new sword. Or, is she at the dojo thinking of various ways to kill me for being late. Hope it's not 1 pm yet. Shizuka is probably on the second floor? I remember she went through a crisis while staying here in the manga. Something about her age and helping people? Or about being a role model? I don't remember. It was something that made her depressed though. Kohta, probably somewhere tweaking his guns. I just hope he stays out of sight from the adults. Lest we have the whole 'gimme your gun' charade. Saya is at the library, unless she has teleportation or fast travel skills. Rei and Takashi are probably in a room or something, doing god knows what. And Alice is. Hell, I don't know, running around with Zeke I suppose?)

I decided to go to the second floor, half hoping to find Saeko on the way to see if she is still pissed at me. Or well, that was what was my initial aim. As after I got to the second floor and started walking around, I spotted our dear airheaded nurse through the windows, leaning against the balcony.

(Huh? The only time I saw her on a balcony in the manga was when she was in the middle of her midlife crisis. Can't have our airhead be depressed now, can we?)

I nod to myself and head towards the room that led to the balcony where Shizuka was at. And after reaching the room, with the door wide open, I walked inside and headed straight to the balcony. As I got closer, I could hear Shizuka sighing. I, uhh, pretty much crept up next to her until I could actually look at her face. Apparently, I really am a ninja. Because either she just ignored me, or she never realized I was there. Or, it might have been because she was holding a smartphone and was so engrossed in something that she missed me completely.

I lean in, and look at the phone's screen.

(She's reading something off of the internet? Guess she did take my words seriously huh? Then why is she… )

I focus on the written text on the screen…

(Hmmm?... How… to run fast… when… you have… giant… boobs...)

I quickly put my hand in my mouth to hold back myself from laughing. But, eh. You know, mask.

"PPPFFFTTTT!" I quickly turn around as I lean on the marble railing and keep my other hand on my mask, to where my mouth would normally be.

Shizuka reacted with a loud 'EEP!'. Probably getting startled by my sudden 'appearance'...

After I calmed myself down, I turned to her. And uh, Shizuka was now holding the phone with both hands as she was leaning over the railing. While she was doing that. She was also bending over, in a rather provocative way. She then turns her head to me and puffs her cheeks.

"Uuuu. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that Serpfiferi! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She 'glares' at me while still staying in that pose...

"You are going to fall if you stay like that. Also, it's Sepfier. You also do remember that I already told you, you can call me Naier." I say as I lower my hand and try not to stare… too hard. Shizuka finally pulls herself away from the railing, and turns to me.

"B,but I am a teacher, and you're a student, we mustn't… " She lowers her head with a slight blush, then looks at the phone in her hands as she 'wiggles' slightly.

(No, you are a school nurse. And what does that have to do with my name anyway?)

"Fine, then please, just stop feminizing my already weird surname. Hell, call me ninja penguin if you must, just sto… " And, as Shizuka opened her mouth, I instantly regretted my words.

"Ninja penguin!" She cuts me off with a shout. I stared at her excited face for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh.

(...I regret everything.)

"Uhh. Would you kindly just tell me what time it is?" I ask as I shake my head. Shizuka lifts a finger to her lower lip as she opens her mouth.

"Hmm. OHHH, YES! You must be careful, being late on your first date with a girl is bad manners you know." She says as she looks at her phone with a serious face.

(My brain, it hurts.)

"You know it's, uhh. Forget it. Just, tell me what time it is please." I sigh as I just stop trying.

"Ten past Eleven." Shizuka answers as she lifts her head to me with a wide smile.

"Thanks." I turn around and wave at her as I start walking away.

"Have fun at your date!" She shouts while I had my back turned to her.

(You know, I would normally be enjoying this right now. If I didn't know that Saeko gets her kicks by turning people into mush. Anyway, I got some free time. What should I do?

Hmmm, well I still need a change of clothes. Guess I will pay Yuriko another visit. Though, I don't know if asking her for clothes is the correct thing to do. It feels like I'm asking the CFO of a company what shirt color I should buy. But, I have not seen any maids walking around. Soo yeah, to Yuriko it is. And then I also need to find out how the barricades work. I could ask Souichiro, but Saeko also might be with him, I shouldn't risk interrupting them. So first, going to Yuriko. Then, a trip to the barricades, to check them out from close by. )

Decision made, I nod to myself and start moving towards the room I last found Yuriko in...

And once there, I knock on the door and speak up.

"Uhh miss Takagi. It's Naier, again." A couple of seconds later...

"Come inside." I heard Yuriko answer from over the door. I then opened the door slightly and looked inside.

"Sorry to bother you, it's actually a lame question but uhhh. Where can I find some clothes? Preferably black. Also, you might want to burn the bed I used. You know, just in case." I look around the room as I speak. Yuriko just looked at me for a couple of seconds.

"Well, I guess it was partly my fault you didn't get the chance to change and clean up yesterday. Hmm, are you going to be occupied after an hour or so? If not, then come back here in an hour. I should have some clothes for you, just tell me what size I should ask for." Yuriko keeps looking at me as she speaks.

(My 'date' with Saeko is still a bit far off so… )

"Uhhh, medium? And sure, I don't think I'll have any problem coming back here in an hour, thank you." I thank Yuriko and close the door, then head down the stairs so I can exit the estate.

(Hmm. So how do I go about asking about the barricade? Should I ask some of the guards roaming about? Fat chance they'll tell me anything though. Hmm...)

A couple of minutes later, I was out of the estate's main building, and started heading towards the main gate. To my luck, I saw a jeep driving away towards said gate as well.

(Jackpot.)

The jeep, after leaving the estate's front gate kept moving forward, until it took a turn to the left about three? Four? Intersections down the road. Exiting the estate myself was no real trouble. Probably because I was also carrying a rifle with me. Though I did get a couple of side glances from the guards.

(Kids with guns huh? Wonder if Souichiro said anything to them. Staring aside, nobody tried to do anything.)

After leaving through the main gate, I kept going forward until I took a turn to the left, at the same intersection the jeep turned to some time ago. And now, I could see a forklift in the distance, closing down a barricade as well as a jeep that was parked in the right corner.

(Bingo~)

I start walking towards the barricade, and upon closing in, I spot the same two guards I met yesterday.

(Are these two stuck in perpetual guard duty or something? No matter, this is good.)

"You two are stuck in guard duty again! Who did you piss off to suffer this fate!" I shout as I keep walking towards the barricade.

The guard that was not driving the forklift turns around, and waves at me.

"OI! Ninja boy!"

After reaching the barricade, I walk up to the guard.

"Naier." I say as I point at myself.

"Nahhh, Ninja boy sounds better." The guard speaks up again as he folds his arms.

"What are you doing here anyway? Off to another secret mission?" The second asks as he gets out of the forklift.

"Yea as if. I already have my group shouting my ear off because of my last 'secret mission'. They will probably tie me up to a pole if I go off on my own again." I say with a shrug.

"You gonna let the girls tie you up to a pole? Damn, you're one kinky dude." The guard next me nods to himself as he speaks.

"At least I'm not stuck in permanent guard duty." I fold my arms and stare at the nodding guard.

"You wish, this is actually much, much better than the alternative. Having to drive out there, surrounded by them ugly bastards. At least all we have to do here is switch between the entry points and open them to let the cars in or out." The guard by the forklift speaks up.

(Hmm? Switching entry points? Interesting...)

"Huh? What do you mean by switching entry points?" I ask as I look at the guard by the forklift.

"Yeah man, I mean. If we used all three exits at once we would get surrounded in a matter of hours. While if we keep rotating the one we open, the source of noise would be switched around, causing all those freaks to constantly move around. It also helps in keeping the roads relatively clear for the cars to pass. Boss's words" The guard next to me starts explaining.

(So, we have three entrances that are opened in rotation.)

"So what, you move the forklift around every hour when you need to move to the next one? I mean, I have not seen any other forklifts around here." I ask again as I turn my head towards the guard that was next to me.

"Nah, each entry has its own forklift, they are just far apart. If you go back towards the main road leading to the mansion, you will find the next entry point to your left, one intersection after you see the mansion to your right. And if you keep going straight, you will find the third entry point on your left again. The reason you don't see any other forklifts around, is because the entry points can't really be seen from the mansion."The guard next to me points his finger behind me as he talks. I turn around and look at the street that extended straight ahead.

(So, we have three potential ways for the horde can come through. Two things left to find out. Time between rotation and how to manually close the entry point. The forklifts won't be of any use after all.)

"Still, isn't that risky?" I say as I turn back and look at the guard next to me.

"Huh, well everything is risky now." The guard answers.

"No, I mean, from what you're telling me. The only way to manage the barricade is with the forklift. What if it gets busted while the entry point is still open?" I ask as I fold my arms. The guards look at each other, before turning back to face me.

"What are the chances of that happening though? Guess we will just push the forklift up to the hole to block it or something." The guard next to me shrugs.

(Or something? That's all? No plan? Just, or something? Ohh, this is bad. Still, I fail to believe that Souichiro has no backup plan for this. So, last question.)

"So you guys will move to another entry point after some time and keep rotating like that ?" I ask again.

"Yep, we will go to the one in the middle in about an hour, as we've been here for about two hours or so. Why? you're interested in sticking around here and becoming a Ninja Guard boy?" The guard chuckles to his own joke.

"Nahh, just wondering how this whole thing worked. This is, after all, something like our first and also the last line of defense… " I say with a shrug.

"Don't worry, you're safe in here. Safer than being out there at least." The guard by the forklift speaks up.

(Yeah. For now… )

I just nod back at the guard.

"Well, I'd love to stick around, but I got things that need doing. Good luck." I wave at the two guards as I turn around and start walking away.

(So, let's rehearse what I've found out. First, there are three potential 'holes' that lead to the mansion. One here, one straight from here, one after one intersection after the road that leads to the mansion's main gate. And the last one is further off on the same road and to the left again. Each barricade that gets used has its own forklift and they rotate between them every. Hmm, three hours? Shizuka told me it was ten past eleven back in the mansion, and it's been twenty minutes or so since then? So I guess it's about half-past eleven now. They told me they were gonna move in an hour. So that makes it half-past twelve for the next switch, then a switch every three hours. Now, to the main problem. Do they seriously have no backup plan for manually blocking the barricade other than using the forklift?...

I will have to think of something. I'm not going to leave anything to luck, not this time. Not when the whole estate is at stake. Not when this could be my proof that I can change the way things play out.)

I keep moving past the estate and head straight towards the other entry point. And as the guards mentioned, one intersection straight after I passed the estate and to my left. There, I saw the other entry point with another forklift, as well as another jeep.

(Hmm. The entry points have jeeps parked next to them? I'm pretty sure that this was not the case in the anime. Then again, the only barricade we did see there looked nothing like the ones here. That one was on a narrow downhill road. And while these roads are also one way. They are much wider. To the point that two or three cars could, hypothetically, squeeze side by side. I guess in the anime they were aiming to use a barricade that was not normally used to kick Shido out? Or was it the same barricade they used to let him in? It would explain why a forklift was present there as well. No matter, I'm wasting time thinking about this. Focus on the task at hand.)

I move closer to the barricade and peek inside the jeep.

(The keys are in the ignition? These guys are really lax when it comes down to their cars. First the ones in the powerplant and now here. Hmm, if there is a jeep on the last entry point as well, I will take a guess and say they are there for safety reasons. A fast escape if things go south. Shame that they will probably be useless after the emp. Though, these cars kinda look like Mitsubishi Type 73s. That car was supposed to be pre 2000. So, it might work after the blast? If they didn't add any custom electronic parts post basic production that is. Anyway, one last thing.)

I open the jeep's door, release the handbrake, then try to push it by placing my shoulder in the jeep's door frame. The jeep, albeit a bit slowly, did move forward.

(Hmm, as a last-ditch effort, I could use the jeep to block a hole in the barricade. If things get to that.)

I nod to myself, re-applied the handbrake and close the door. Then turn around and leave. After reaching the first intersection, I turn left, towards the last entry point.

(I should check the last barricade as well, just to make sure.)

As I kept walking down the road I looked at my rifle, which was hanging on my side.

(I also need to get myself a better close-range weapon. The knife is nice and all, but it gets my hand way too close to the face of whoever is trying to bite my fingers off, and I don't think my gloves can save me if I stick my hand in a corpse's mouth. I saw that some of Souichiro's men were walking around with katanas. Wonder if I can get one for myself. Though, I suspect the ones that had a sword with them were high-ranking members, as not all of the guards had swords with them, an example being the lookout duty duo.)

After passing a couple of intersections, a barricade with a forklift appeared to my left again. And just like before, a jeep was parked by the barricade.

(Well, that seals the deal. Time to get out of here.)

I turn around and start my trek back towards the estate.

(I should also return to Yuriko to get my new clothes before my. Uhhh, 'Date' with Saeko. Maybe I should also ask for a full-body riot armor while I'm at it… )