Ryujin, along with a few others, eventually found a police officer who simply told them to stay indoors and only leave when necessary. The officer also informed them of where to go in case of an emergency.
It turns out that the government was admittedly incapable of immediately adjusting to the sudden events. All they could do was put the whole country in a somewhat lockdown-like state. Everyone soon parted ways, leaving Ryujin alone in the nearly empty streets.
He was at a loss at what to do afterward, all he wanted was to reach Chiyoda, and now that Ryujin was here, he had no clue what his next move should be.
Not wanting to stay in the streets, he decided to stop by one of the nearby convenience stores where he'll think of what he should do. While Ryujin was browsing through one of the shelves, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two women.
"Hey, did you watch the latest news?"
"No, why?"
"It seems like the government is putting Shinjuku under quarantine."
"What? Why? One of my friends just went there a few hours ago."
"They said there's a virus that's spreading there, and they said it might've come from the dragon."
"What? Isn't Japan in danger then? From what I've heard, the dragon has flown past different cities."
"Some say it's just an excuse by the Prime Minister, and they have no clue where the virus came from."
"I just hope things don't get worse."
One of the women sighed before the two went to the cashier. Ryujin was flustered. He knew that whatever it was that he saw wasn't caused by a virus. If he were to label it, it would be a mutation.
'Are they trying to conceal the information so no one would panic?'
He thought to himself on his way to the counter when he saw military vehicles along with a Toyota Century car driving past the convenience store. Ryujin had a bad feeling when he saw the cars passing by.
'No, it can't be.'
"Wasn't that the official state car? Does that mean the Prime Minister is leaving."
"Why is the JSDF with them? Isn't the SP's job to guard the Prime Minister?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone is trying to assassinate the Prime Minister."
"God, I hope not."
He was horrified, and his face turned pale. He went to Chiyoda because he thought it'll be safe around the Prime Minister, but now that the Prime Minister was leaving, he felt hopeless.
The people that he saw in Shinjuku that reminded him of the undead in movies made him fall to his knees and puke. Everyone around him was concerned and asked him if he was okay, but their words went in one ear and out the other. He shook like a leaf when he thought about the reasons as to why the Prime Minister was leaving.
'They are probably going to check the situation in Shinjuku, right?'
He tried to persuade himself, but he knew that wasn't the case. Just as he managed to get a grip of himself, he heard someone shouting.
"Hey, look at that! There's a building burning over there!"
Ryujin looked at the direction the person was pointing at and, at a distance, saw a burning building. Not long after he saw the fire, did he saw a car covered in flames on its way to the convenience store.
At that moment, Ryujin felt like the world slowed down as he jumped to the side and watched as the car burst through the windows. The vehicle was inches away from Ryujin's face just as it crashed into the wall.
He stood there blankly staring at the car, no to be precise, he was staring at the arm sticking out between the wall and the vehicle. It didn't register in his mind until he heard someone screaming. The employees immediately tried to help, but then the driver of the car got out, its bloody appearance scaring the crap out of them.
The driver was a woman who's hair and clothes were a mess, her clothes covered in bloodstains. Her body was wounded everywhere, but her eyes made everyone stay away from her. Her eyes didn't have an iris, and her pupil was tiny that it was barely noticeable.
She swayed from left to right on her way to one of the employees who braced himself and approached the woman.
"Hey, Are you alright? Rest for a while. Help is on the way."
The man said as he held the woman's shoulder and tried to help her get away from the vehicle. Just as the man tried to put the woman's arm around his neck, the woman growled before biting the man's neck.
"Aghh! What the f*ck, it hurts, stop biting me!"
The man screamed in pain before pushing the woman away—the woman's teeth torn off the man's skin on the neck that it exposed the man's flesh. The man was bleeding profusely and was asking for help while he tried to cover it with his hands.
The woman stood up almost immediately and pounced on the man before biting the man once more this time in the chest. One of the women before screamed in horror while the other employees snapped out of their confusion, rushing to the man's aid.
"Hey! You there! What are you standing around for go call some help!"
One of the employees shouted as soon as he noticed Ryujin. Two grown men were holding the woman on the ground while the one who ordered Ryujin was trying to apply first aid on the man who was turning pale. Ryujin wanted to help, but he knew that the man was beyond saving. Unlike them, Ryujin had an idea as to why the woman did it. It didn't take him much effort to connect what happened in Shinjuku to their current situation, so he decided to warn them.
"No, there's no use. We need to get away from here!"
"Huuhh?! What the f*ck are you talking about hurry up and call for some help someone's dying here!"
Ryujin was just about to try and persuade them when the man suddenly stopped moving. The man applying first aid noticed it immediately, and he immediately tried waking the man up.
"No, we need to go now, or we'll be in danger!"
"Like I said, what the hell are you talking abo-."
The man was just about to snap at Ryujin when the bleeding man started to twitch. He released a low growl before pouncing on the man helping him and biting him in the shoulder. The man screamed in pain as the teeth sunk deep into his shoulder.
How long has it been? Seconds, minutes, Ryujin had no idea, but he watched as the man bites the man to death, no instead, he was eaten alive. This time everyone was petrified. They couldn't comprehend what just happened and were scared out of their wits. Everyone felt an instinctual fear, and their minds unconsciously recognized that their lives were in danger, causing them to back away without taking their eyes off the two.
Ryujin wanted to abandon everyone and run away, but his morals made it unable for him to leave. He was not the type to save his skin, besides his parents have always taught him to help other people in need. Their teaching deeply ingrained in his mind.
Of course, not everyone was like Ryujin. Some were willing to abandon their kind if it meant saving their life. One of the employees who held the woman immediately ran away when he saw the two approaching them.
"Hey! Where are you going! F*ck, let's run away as well!"
His coworker shouted before him, but that didn't stop the man from running. The man said before running away, Ryujin, and one of the women who were the only ones left immediately followed the man.
That was when they realized how chaotic it was outside. It was like a scene from a movie. Cars were crashing into buildings; everyone was running away. A group of people similar to the ones in the convenience store ate anyone who they can reach.
A few police officers were shooting them, but the guns weren't working, none of them was dying. The police officers were the ones who had casualties after they ran out of ammo. Realizing how futile it was to keep on shooting, the officers started running away.
Ryujin turned pale when he saw how useless the guns were. They might've been using sidearms, but that doesn't make it any less deadly. Guns have been a symbol of power for a long time, and they're only getting better. In a fight where one side has more numbers than the other, if one group has guns, then they'll most likely be the victor. Various aspects will also contribute to the fight, but in most cases, those with guns are more likely to win.
The trio continued to run, avoiding every single one of those "cannibals." It seemed useless no matter how far they ran since the number of "cannibals" just continues to increase. Unwilling to give up, they pulled out all stops, just as they felt like they were getting away, Ryujin and the man leading heard a scream behind them.
"Kyaah! Help me!"
They turned around to find the woman on the ground. Her foot was being grabbed by a "cannibal" under a flipped car. Ryujin was frozen stiff as he saw behind the woman was the group of "cannibals" catching up to them.
His mind was in turmoil. He knew he needed to abandon the woman and run away. However, a part of him wanted to save her. In his moment of being indecisive, he felt someone push him away, and he saw the man leading them running towards the woman.
The man was repeatedly stomping on the arm until it eventually let go. Helping the woman up, the man held the woman's hand before running past by Ryujin, who stood there blankly. Realizing that he was left behind, Ryujin started running to catch up to them.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time, the trio reached an empty apartment. There were bloodstains everywhere, but they found no "cannibals," so they assumed that they have left.
It was just when they were safe that Ryujin noticed it, the difference in treatment. He had already seen it before, but it wasn't until now that he had confirmed it. The two didn't like him. They never asked for his opinion when they were discussing where to go, nor did they care if he was left behind. Those were not the only signs, but it was apparent that they were blatantly ignoring him.
Of course, it's not like he couldn't understand why. So far, whether it was in the convenience store or when the woman was in danger, he couldn't do anything but stand still and watch. True, it may not have been his intention, but without any doubt, he was a dead weight, so it wasn't a surprise as to why they were treating him coldly.
Ryujin wasn't complaining, though, and he was already thankful enough that they didn't force him to leave. Just as he was about to distance himself from the two, Ryujin heard the man calling him.
"Hey, do you mind checking the other rooms? I'm just so tired, and my body is aching all over."
The man said while circling his folded arms before putting his arms around the woman's neck. Ryujin didn't mind since he already felt quite guilty, besides he wasn't dense enough to realize that the two wanted him far away from them. Though the man indeed did a lot of things, he was the one who checked for "cannibals" and distracted them when they were on the way.
Without any complaints, Ryujin simply just nodded before heading to the other rooms. It didn't take him long to check every room since the apartment wasn't big, and just as when he was about to return, he heard gasps and moans coming from the other side of the door.
He was just about to leave when he heard them talking through the gasps and moans.
"H-hey, why don't we just-Ahh! make him leave."
"Why it's not like he's causing us harm. Ughh, we might also be able to use him for errands and stuff. Worst case scenario, we'll use him as a distraction to escape."
"Aren't you afraid he'll hear you?"
"So what if he hears, he's a pussy he probably doesn't even have the guts to separate from us. Now forget about that guy and come here!"
'If only they knew that these "cannibals" aren't the worst out there.'
Ryujin thought to himself, before going to a different room when he felt the building started to shake intensely.