Before the Hybrid could scamper to his feet, Kazuichi was already standing in front of him, kicking his head off with insane strength, causing it to fly off into the distance. Hybrids were known to stay alive even with their head severed. They could live until they reconnected with their bodies as long as their head remained intact.
However, Kazuichi didn't want this to happen, so he walked toward the head and stomped his feet on it. It was a pretty brutal thing to do, but it was better than letting such a wild Hybrid, well, run wild.
As soon as he finished the job, Tris appeared from the shadows, slinging a bag on her shoulder while he tried to catch up to her companion. Kazuichi approached the two men a second time, repeating his question. "Were any of you bitten?" He asked, concerned that one of them had already been infected.
The two men shook their heads before bowing toward Kazuichi to express their gratitude. It totally flew out of their minds that Kazuichi moved at inhuman speeds and brought down a Hound in an instant. They were so preoccupied with the thought of dying that they overlooked the fact that Kazuichi was stronger than the Hound.
"You're part of the Scarlet Blood Stronghold, right? We also belong in that Stronghold." The first man spoke. "The name's Iwasaki Jun. I'm part of the scouts in a neighboring shelter. We are tasked with strapping these bombs all over the place."
"And I'm Taketa Minori. You're probably sent here to assist us. Thank you so much. You came just in time." Minori bowed a second time before handing Kazuichi a couple of bombs. "There's about four of them. Here are the locations. We're going to hit all of them before sunset."
"We're not actually—" Tris was about to tell the two men the truth— that they weren't part of the Scarlet Blood Stronghold— but Kazuichi cut her off, stepping in front of her before she could utter another word.
In response, Kazuichi nodded. While he seemed nervous to be talking to two strangers and his nature as a shut-in started kicking in, he was able to maintain his composure and work his way into their friendliness. He figured it would be easier for them to gain access to the Scarlet Blood Stronghold if they were already in it. And what better way to get there than these two who had already assumed that such was the case?
Fortunately, Tris somehow understood what Kazuichi was trying to do and decided to keep quiet. After a brief glance at the map, the four of them made their way around the Scarlet Blood Stronghold.
"Which shelter are you staying in?" Tris was the first one to ask. She already had a brief background of the Scarlet Blood Stronghold, and she knew that there were a couple of shelters around it. She asked the question first so the other two wouldn't bother asking them first.
"We're by the east, the last shelter there. It's pretty scary since the Scarlet Blood Stronghold is quite far from where we are, but we've never had any issues with the infected. We don't really have the right to complain." Jun explained. Life in the apocalypse was already hard as it is, and he already came to the realization that they had it easier compared to people who were still roaming around the empty streets in search of a stronghold.
"Our shelter is assigned with warning the stronghold whenever a horde comes around. That's why we're strapping bombs all over the place." Minori added as he balanced one of the bombs in his hand. "These bombs could only be activated if a certain amount of pressure was applied to its surface; we call it the weight bomb. We position the bomb facing outward the stronghold so when a horde comes rolling in and their bodies pressed against the bomb... it will go off, warning everyone."
"How about you? Which shelter are you from?" Jun asked, still convinced that Kazuichi and Tris did come from the same stronghold.
"We're from the stronghold itself. We're part of the Scarlet Blood Stronghold." Kazuichi replied before Tris could say anything. It was a perfect cover-up, but it was by far the riskiest lie that Kazuichi could've ever told.
Tris, wide-eyed, stared at Kazuichi in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he would blatantly lie about something so dangerous. If it was known that he was lying, there was a good chance that they'll be captured by the Scarlet Blood Stronghold. Who knows what kind of fate would await them if that were to happen?
It seemed like Kazuichi didn't think about the consequences when he blurted it out. The moment he stole a glance at Tris, she was scowling, glaring at him as if he was worse than the Hound he just killed a moment ago.
"I see. No wonder you're very strong. Those in the Scarlet Blood Stronghold are especially talented." Jun said, nodding his head along. "There's even a rumor that if your talent is recognized, the Scarlet Blood Stronghold would recruit you and bring you in as one of them. Not only would this guarantee your safety even more... but you can also eat delicious foods over there."
"I think those are just rumors, though. Every supply brought into the stronghold was evenly divided amongst shelters. Unless they have a secret team of scouts and scavengers..." Minori trailed off before he looked at Jun. "Of course! Of course, they would have that. No wonder... I guess those rumors have a bit of truth to them."
And with that, Kazuichi and Tris got out of the sensitive topic without any difficulty.
It didn't take long before they hit all the spots and planted the bombs where they should be. It was time for them to head back to the shelter.
"You should come with us. We can have a meal together before you return to the stronghold. I'm sure that fate had blessed us with this meeting." Minori offered, patting Kazuichi on the back.
"Consider it as our thanks. You did help us with our duties, after all." Jun added, making it harder for Kazuichi and Tris to reject their offer.