Chapter 4

Defending the bus from the zombies in the streets wasn't the only reason Jin anchored himself to its roof. His group still consisted of only four people, excluding himself, and he needed at least five to complete his Scenario. With his selection of the Disadvantages that made zombies stronger, Jin was sure that almost all humans will soon turn into zombies. If he wanted to recruit people to his group, he needed to do that as quickly as possible, and now, at the beginning of the outbreak, was his best chance.

Jin's dark blue wings, which looked as if they were made out of fleshly crystals, popped out of his back. He could probably keep up with the bus if he had to, but he preferred to stay on top of it. Dealing with the zombies that were already making their way towards the vehicle will be done through ranged attacks.

With a flex of his ukaku kagune, Jin willed his wings to crystallize before he started shooting large blue crystals from them at the zombies. Each zombie took two projectiles to the head before they fell down unmovingly on the ground.

Jin kept killing any zombies that neared the bus while focusing on his senses and searching for any living humans. He wasn't even picky at that point and would take whoever he found. Unfortunately, he had very little luck with that regard.

"What is he?" Kyoko murmured to herself, watching blue crystals pierce the heads of any zombies that neared the bus.

The day had just been one thing after the other. It had started off like any other before it turned into a nightmare. Kyoko still had faint hopes that this was one very vivid dream, but... her wet and smelly panties disagreed with her. She couldn't be blamed for pissing herself after almost being mauled by the hulking zombies. Obviously, they were that - zombies - and anyone who had watched horror movies would be able to say the same.

Then they met Jin... Kyoko wasn't sure what to think of him. He gave off this aura that he could be trusted, and it drew her towards him. Jin also saved them all and was leading them to safety... hopefully. However, seeing a purple... thing come out of his back and turn into a weapon was surreal.

Jin's story about him being experimented on had some holes in it as he seemed too sane for someone that been a captive for all of his life. However, how else could his abilities be explained? And his words of humans being the reason for the outbreak because they wanted to make more of him also made sense. This was definitely not natural. Unless the planet decided it had enough of the parasite known as humans and decided to take care of it.

"A monster like he told us," Saeko said next to her as she watched the zombies fall down from the window of the bus. There was no fear in her eyes. Instead, there was appreciation and maybe even happiness. The world had gone to hell, and Saeko looked happy? Kyoko wasn't sure what to think of that, but the purple-haired girl wasn't normal.

"Only a monster can fight other monsters. We should be happy that Jin is on our side. At least I am," Saeko continued and looked at the sharp katana next to her.

Saya opened her mouth, about to say that Saeko had no trouble fighting the zombies with the weapon as well. However, she stopped herself. Saya was smart and made the connections quickly. Saeko informed them in her own way that she believed she was a monster as well. She wasn't sure why, but the purple-haired beauty probably had her reasons.

Shaking her head and not commenting on that tidbit, Saya turned to Shizuka and continued navigating her towards her family's estate, hoping that her family was safe. The school nurse was a bit of a ditz, but so far, she hadn't crashed the bus, so at least one thing was going their way.

Jin also picked on their conversation with his enhanced senses, but he didn't dwell on it too much as he was too busy trying to find any living humans. He heard the screams of people ahead of them, but he didn't get his hopes up due to what else he heard. It was the sound of something large stomping on the ground, and they soon saw what it was.

The zombies they had encountered so far were taller than any man with limbs as thick as tree trunks. However, the one that just grabbed three humans and threw them in his mouth was absolutely massive. The zombie was so large, the school bus only came up to its waist at most.

"So this is what the bossier part of BBB meant," Jin murmured to himself as the boss zombie turned towards them. This one had to be dealt with immediately, as he didn't wish to see what it could become with the Evolution Disadvantage.

"Continue driving towards the estate! I will catch up with you shortly," Jin ordered as he lightly hopped off the bus. He still didn't have perfect control over his enhanced body and didn't want to risk caving in the roof if he put too much strength in his legs.

Landing on the ground with bent knees, Jin erupted in a mightly leap towards the zombie with his ukaku wings carrying him in the air. No ghoul could fly even if they had wings, but one can glide and have better maneuverability in the air with them.

The boss zombie reached out with his hand towards Jin with surprising agility for its size. This just confirmed to Jin that the zombie had to die today. If it was left to evolve further, it could become a true terror even for him.

The zombie's monstrous hand almost caught him, but Jin's tentacles came out of his back and gripped onto its flesh before he flung himself with even greater speed towards the zombie's head. Mid-air, Jin released his koukaku, forming a large sword and aiming to slice the zombie's head into two.

Jin's sword pierced the zombie's flesh with ease, but it actually got stopped by its thick skull. He was more than confused by that as he knew that his koukaku should be able to even pierce heavy metal doors.

This outcome caught him by surprise, startling him just for a moment as the zombie's hand was aimed towards him once more. However, his instincts - from the fighting Perks and all the memories he had absorbed - took over, and he reacted by swinging himself away from the zombie's hand with his tentacles.

"This one has to die!" There was just no other way around it. The zombie was too dangerous to be allowed to evolve even further. Jin released all of his tentacles, which pierced the zombie's back and anchored him in such a position that the zombie couldn't reach him with its hands easily.

The elk-like horns across his tentacles helped Jin stay attached as he moved up and down whenever the zombie came close to catching him. At the same time, he released his koukaku fully in the shape of two large swords with which he kept slashing at the zombie's neck.

Like a madman, Jin kept swinging his swords with all of his strength, turning him into a whirlwind of blades. Dried grey flesh flew everywhere around him as he quickly reached the zombie's bones. It took him multiple hits, but he finally managed to sever its head, and the boss fell on the ground with a heavy thud.

Before rushing after the school bus, Jin quickly took a bite of the dried flesh. He knew he couldn't turn into a zombie due to his Pureblood Perk, and he wanted to test how zombie flesh tasted and if it could be used as food.

With a grimace, Jin chewed it up, almost puking from how awful it tasted. However, his stomach did rumble in appreciation, and he felt some kind of energy being absorbed in his bones.

This little experiment proved that Jin could eat zombie flesh if worse comes to worst, and he could even gain something from it, but... he would avoid it if possible. Though, eating zombies would be a good way for him to save valuable resources.

Not willing to stay there and experiment any longer, Jin quickly dashed towards the direction the school bus had gone. He was worried about the girls, not because he was attached to them, at least not yet, but because he absolutely needed them to finish the Scenario.

Maybe Jin could find other people in the future, but he didn't wish to risk it. What if he was left as the only human, err, half-human alive? He didn't even want to think of that outcome.

Swiftly running down the street, Jin got worried for a second as he didn't hear the vehicle's engine. Instead, there was the sound of flesh being torn by a sharp object.

Turning a corner, Jin spotted the yellow school bus stopped on the street. He let out a sigh of relief as it didn't seem like the vehicle was damaged from what he saw. Three of the girls were also safely inside, although they looked scared out of their minds.

Outside the bus, Saeko was facing off against a group of zombies with Beef in her hands. Jin was about to jump in when he saw the look in her eyes. She was entirely focused on the task at hand, but there was also a faint madness in her sapphire orbs.

Saeko dodged the zombies' lunges by bobbing and weaving with expert footwork while slashing with Beef whenever she got the chance. Her strikes were precise and quick, aiming to either take a limb or decapitate a zombie with one hit.

From the dozen memories of CCG members Jin had, he knew that Saeko would've been able to become a First Class Investigator with ease. Her technique and instincts were top-notch, and she only lacked real fighting experience. In the Tokyo Ghoul's world, Saeko would've ended becoming one of the best CCG members, and she would've fit right in, especially with that little bit of madness he saw in her eyes.

Soon enough, the last zombie fell to her blade, and Saeko stood there, breathing heavily but looking no worse for wear. The corpses of her slain foes laid around her, and in Jin's eyes, she looked even more beautiful.

"That was great," Jin said as he walked over to her.

"I told you, didn't I? I can handle myself," Saeko said with a grin as she looked him up and down.

"That you did," Jin grinned back at her.

"And I take it you deal with the monstrous zombie back there," Saeko's eyes shined as she said that.

"I wouldn't be here otherwise," Jin replied and saw Saeko fidget as if she was restraining herself while her blue eyes took on an almost hungry look.

"We'd best be on our way. Staying in the city any longer would be dangerous for our little group," Jin said and jumped back to his spot on the roof while Saeko entered the bus. Shizuka started the engine quickly, and Saya continued giving her directions to her family's estate.

"Thank you," Kyoko said to Saeko in a low voice filled with gratitude. If it hadn't been for the purple-haired beauty, the zombies would've made quick work of the small group.

Saeko didn't reply as she carefully cleaned the katana on one of the seats. She didn't feel that she should be thanked for what she had done. Saeko hadn't fought the zombies out of a selfless desire to protect the three inside the bus.

No, it was her selfish want to test her skill in battle. Seeing Jin slaughter hundreds of zombies at this point lit up a fire in Saeko she hadn't felt in years. She wanted to prove to herself... and to him that she wasn't a damsel in distress. Saeko wasn't a weak little girl that will stay behind Jin's back and let him do all the work. No, she was strong and was willing to dirty her hands, and she will prove that to herself and him.

'If anyone could understand me, it will be him,' Saeko thought to herself as she watched any zombie that neared the bus fall down with blue crystals sticking out of its head. 'Only a monster can understand another monster.'

Jin was getting frustrated the longer they traveled. This was the start of the zombie outbreak and the best chance for him to recruit members for his group. Yet, the only thing they encounter was zombies, zombies, and more zombies.

'Maybe I shouldn't have picked all of those Disadvantages.' That thought passed through his head before he squashed it down. Due to Disadvantages, he got to pick more Perks that would be helpful for his future. They were worth it, and there was still hope that they will find more people at Saya's family estate.

Finally, they left the city, and shortly after, they reached their destination. The Takagi estate was large, with a magnificent three-storied mansion with beautiful fountains leading to it. However, the gates were torn down, and zombies were aimlessly walking around the property. Until they heard the sound of the engine and turned their attention to the bus.

"No..." Saya uttered with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her family should've been safe here with all of her guards. Maybe... maybe there was still hope, and they were hiding inside the mansion.

Shizuka immediately rushed the crying girl and brought her in for a tight hug, rubbing Saya's back reassuringly with one hand as she tried comforting her. Saeko silently walked out of the bus and stayed there guarding it as she watched Jin in fascination as he jumped in the middle of the zombies. Blue crystals flew out of his wings, accurately piercing the heads of many zombies while he sliced any that came close to him into two.

After all the zombies roaming the property were cleared, Shizuka drove the bus in, stopping it next to a large garage. The group left the vehicle, and Jin ushered them inside the garage after making sure it's safe.

"I will check the mansion for any survivor and clear it of any zombies I find," Jin said and turned to the purple-haired beauty. "I trust you will protect the group if I've missed any stragglers."

Jin didn't pick up anything with his enhanced senses, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Saeko gave him an almost maddening grin as a response as her hand grasped Beef tightly.

Just as Jin turned around, ready to rush into the mansion, a song started playing from the bag Shizuka was carrying. Everyone turned towards the blonde nurse as her cheeks blushed in embarrassment. She clumsily reached into the bag, avoiding looking at any of them, and took out her phone.