Suddenly, a zombie crawled out from the top of the oil truck behind Tajima... Stretching out its left hand, it lunged at him.
"Damn it..." Tajima was shocked, hurriedly stepping back and rolling down the iron ladder. The zombie's attack missed and it tumbled down from the truck, landing right at Tajima's feet. Without hesitation, it bit into his right ankle, tearing off a chunk of flesh as blood gushed out.
Gritting his teeth in pain, Tajima fired a shot, instantly killing the zombie.
"Is everything ready?" A voice came through Tajima's earpiece—it was Rika.
"Yeah... No problem! Just open the fuel valve, that should be enough!"
Following his instructions, Rika turned the valve and then quickly ran toward the rear. However, as she looked ahead, her pupils shrank in shock.
"...I'm still human, right?" Tajima leaned against the fuel truck, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"...Any last words?" Rika lowered her head, her hair covering her eyes.
Tajima coughed. "Well... I still have a way to use this thing." He picked up a grenade and glanced at his gun. "Burning it would be a waste... Take my gear with you."
"Haha... So I have to run back alone?" Rika forced a smile.
"Being the lone hero is a bit unfair to you, but you need to go now, partner." Tajima unscrewed the back of the grenade, revealing the fuse inside.
Clink— Rika's sunglasses fell to the ground. She gave him a crisp military salute and said solemnly, "You were my best partner!" Then, without looking back, she turned and ran into the distance.
Tajima watched her go, a trace of regret flashing across his face before he smiled and pulled the grenade's pin. "Man, I really wanted to rub her head one last time..."
BOOM—
A deafening explosion erupted behind Rika. The fuel truck went up in flames, sending fire and debris skyward. Zombies nearby were instantly engulfed by the inferno. Even as their bodies charred, they continued to stagger forward through the blaze.
Rika grabbed her earpiece and urgently reported, "Dahlia to Sakura! Even when set on fire, they can still move! This is extremely dangerous—prepare to suppress and extinguish immediately!"
"Understood... Wait, you—Ah! Damn it! Why is this thing here—Argh!"
Suddenly, screams and gunfire burst through her earpiece before it was drowned out by static.
"Hey! Hey! Damn it... What the hell is happening over there?! Answer me! Please respond!" Rika shouted desperately.
But she had no time to dwell on it—the zombies around her were growing in number, closing in fast.
"Damn it! Looks like Sakura's team is done for, too...!" She gritted her teeth as a bad premonition rose in her heart.
Two zombies lunged at her, but she swiftly drew her pistol—Bang! Bang!—blowing their heads off before fighting her way forward. With each shot, another zombie fell. Her movements were as fluid as a dance, a lone warrior fighting amidst the flames.
"Ah! Shoot! Don't let them inside—!"
Bang bang! Ratatatat!
From the hiding spot where Rika's team had taken cover, countless zombies flooded in. The people inside fought back fiercely, bullets flying, heads exploding, blood splattering—this place had become a battlefield of pure carnage.
"Wow, things are really getting intense over there."
Not far away, Goku casually swung his staff, smashing a zombie's head like a melon. He sighed, his Saiyan battle instincts slowly awakening. The sensation of crushing skulls was oddly satisfying... So much so that he got carried away, slaughtering every zombie in sight.
What he didn't realize was that the chaos unfolding wasn't just a coincidence—it was his fault.
Originally, the survivors had cleared out the zombies and blocked off the roads. But thanks to Goku, several of those barricades had been destroyed, and his mass killing spree had attracted a fresh horde of zombies.
Naturally, the survivors started shooting, which in turn lured even more zombies. The battle escalated, growing worse by the second, until it became the dire situation unfolding now.
Meanwhile, in a Hummer floating offshore, Saeko and the others were safely waiting. Goku had instructed them to stay at sea to avoid danger—zombies wouldn't reach them there.
"Alright, enough time wasted. Let's go find Rika!"
On the battlefield, Rika was locked in a desperate struggle. No matter how skilled she was, the endless waves of zombies were overwhelming.
"Damn it! If I don't leave now, the fire will spread to the fuel depot. When that happens, this whole area will be wiped out!"
"This fight... is about to get really interesting!" She flipped through the air, firing two precise shots that blew apart zombie skulls, then dashed forward again.
On the streets, Rika fired a few more rounds, eliminating the nearest zombies before leaning against a wall, panting. The prolonged combat had exhausted her.
She glanced at the street, now swarming with zombies, and chuckled bitterly. "I never expected this many... My ammo's almost gone, and my body is reaching its limit... Is this the end?"
Bang bang! She used her last bullet to drop another zombie, then swung her gun like a club, smashing in a few more heads. Looking toward the fuel depot, she realized—there was no escape.
If the fuel depot exploded, the entire hangar would go up with it. Everything here would be reduced to rubble.
BOOM—BOOM—
Just as she had feared, the fuel depot erupted in a massive explosion. Flames roared into the sky, a fiery shockwave sweeping outward, consuming everything in its path.
"...Is this the end? Shizuka... I'm sorry. I guess I won't be able to meet up with you guys after all... I really wanted to see what your boyfriend looks like... Ah, what a troublesome girl you are..."
As the firestorm bore down on her, Rika closed her eyes.
But just then—she felt a sudden force wrap around her waist. In the blink of an eye, she was lifted off the ground, soaring through the air.
The wind roared past her ears, and when she opened her eyes, she was stunned—she was now over a hundred meters in the air! Below her, the airport was being devoured by fire.
"This... I'm not dreaming, am I?"
The man holding her smiled. "Good thing I made it in time. You alright?"
Rika shook her head, suddenly realizing she was being held by a complete stranger. Her face flushed red, and she immediately tried to break free.
"You sure you wanna do that? We're a hundred meters up, you know."
She instinctively looked down—"AHHHHHH!" She screamed, clinging tightly to Goku, wrapping her legs around his waist.
Meanwhile, in the floating Hummer, the girls watched the fire with concern.
"Saeko, do you think Goku is okay?" Shizuka asked anxiously.
"That freak? No way he's in trouble," Saya scoffed, though the flicker of worry in her eyes didn't escape Yuriko's notice.
Saeko gazed at the flames. "I have absolute faith in the man I acknowledge. We just have to wait for him to return safely."
High above the fire, Rika's face was beet red. Their position was... compromising.
Trying to suppress her embarrassment, she recalled her conversation with Shizuka.
"...Flying? Kicking a bus into the air...? Hah, I thought she was joking. But it turns out... she was serious."
"You... You must be Shizuka's boyfriend, Goku, right?"
Goku grinned. "Haha! That's me!"
Rika narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe Shizuka's boyfriend is such a pervert! Did you trick her into this relationship?"
Goku looked genuinely offended. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm a man of honor! And besides, you were the one who jumped on me just now!"
"Then why are your hands—"
"I have to hold you, or you'll fall!"
Goku's hands tightened slightly around her hips as he began descending.
The moment they landed, Rika immediately aimed a kick at him—
"HEY! You trying to end my bloodline?!" Goku's body lifted slightly off the ground as he instinctively clamped his legs together, trapping Rika's foot between them. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't pull it free.
"Heh, trying to pull a fast one on me? Watch how I fight back!" Goku smirked as his right hand slowly moved toward Rika's long, slender thigh.
"You... what do you think you're doing?!" Rika's eyes widened in fury as she raised a fist and swung it straight at Goku's right eye.
"I'll catch it!" Goku easily blocked her punch, then shook his head and sighed. "Sigh… your temper is miles apart from sweet and obedient Shizuka."
"Hmph! Shizuka must've been blind to fall for a pervert like you. You must've used some underhanded trick to win her over!" Rika gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Pfft, as if! She was the one who made the first move, alright?" Goku said, putting on an innocent expression.
"N-no way..." Rika instinctively denied it, but her voice lacked confidence. She knew Shizuka too well. If something unusual happened and she had feelings for the guy, then maybe… just maybe… it could have happened. After a brief pause, she sighed. "Fine! I'll believe you for now. Just let me go and take me to see Shizuka."
"No problem!" Goku grinned, scooped Rika into his arms, and took off toward the ocean.
---
On top of a car, Saeko stood watching the figures approaching from the sky and smiled. "Looks like everything went smoothly."
"Goku-nii!" Alice excitedly stuck her head out the window, waving her little hands in joy.
"Ara~ Goku and Rika are both safe. That's such a relief!" Shizuka, sitting in the driver's seat, beamed with happiness.
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T/N: guys comment and tell me about this fanfic, by commenting you guys are keeping this fanfic alive. If not then I will start thinking that this novel is dead and there no point in continuing this fanfic.