The plan to depart from Beaver City directly was something I had contemplated last night as well.
According to the available information, pink eye disease is a mysterious ailment that only spreads within Beaver City. Since its emergence, there has been no indication of it spreading to other locations at all. Even now, when the pink eye disease is breaking out with an extremely high frequency, it is highly likely that it has not spread to other places and is only wreaking havoc in Beaver City. In other words, as long as we leave Beaver City, we can bid farewell to this accursed nightmare.
More importantly, since the route of infection for pink eye disease remains unknown, everyone present, including myself, has a probability of suddenly having red eyes and attacking others in the next instant. Mr. Miwa's onset was also quite sudden, and no one knows how he got infected.
As for countermeasures against pink eye disease, the only thing we know is to leave Beaver City.
Beaver City has never been a closed-off city. Like other cities, it maintains a high level of personnel movement with other places. But why are there no pink eye patients in other places? Perhaps there are no conditions for pink eye disease to flare up in other places. Even infected individuals can live as normal people.
Anyway, now let's discuss going to the research institute established by the city government.
"How do you intend to get there?" I inquired of Yukio.
"By car." Yukio replied promptly.
"Can you drive? Let me state upfront that I cannot drive." I said.
"I can drive." Yukio said. "I learned it previously, so you can rest easy."
So that's that. At least transportation is ensured now.
"I'll go upstairs and prepare first."
After saying that, Yukio left the living room first.
Aoba and I awaited in the living room.
"By the way, did you change your clothes?" I looked at Aoba.
"Eh? Um..." Aoba touched the clothes she was wearing. "These are actually Yukio's clothes. She prepared them for me before I took a bath last night and also gave me a pair of pajamas."
This morning, she is donning a sea-blue long-sleeved hoodie. Inside the collar, a white sweater is faintly discernible. She is wearing dark gray mid-length trousers. A pair of calves protruding from the trouser legs are swathed in black thermal stockings. Her feet are clad in a pair of fluffy white rabbit slippers.
"Because these mid-length trousers are a bit loose, I also borrowed a belt." Aoba added.
"These are mid-length trousers? Aren't they capri pants?"
"They are mid-length trousers. But when I wear them..." Aoba suddenly realized. "Ah! Ning Hai, are you poking fun at my short stature?"
"No, I'm merely stating that you're petite, and I'm not making fun." I explained.
"This is making fun!"
Since Yukio is taller and more curvaceous than Aoba, her clothes look loose on Aoba. No wonder I thought the hoodie Aoba was wearing didn't fit snugly either. The collar was a bit larger than normal, and the sleeves and hem of the clothes were also a bit longer. It turns out it's for this reason. In this way, Aoba, who already appeared diminutive... correction, Aoba, who already seemed petite, looks even more childlike visually. Is this person really a working adult older than me? Didn't she deceive me?
Aoba seems a bit irked.
Seeing this, I had to get down to business.
"Are you going to assist Yukio?"
"Um?" Aoba was taken aback for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"Yukio wants to enter the institute to search for the experimental stage pink eye disease specific drug that may or may not exist. She may hope to use that to cure Mr. Miwa." I said to Aoba. "But this has nothing to do with us. We can simply leave and depart from Beaver City on our own. After all, Yukio is not your true friend, right? She is only a friend of Aoba in this world. You actually don't know her at all and are ignorant of everything about her. Let alone talk about friendship or anything of the sort."
Now there are pink eye patients everywhere outside. Taking one more trip means taking one more risk. Do we really have to contribute to Yukio's personal plan?
"I want to assist her." Aoba declared firmly.
"What's your rationale?" I asked.
Aoba didn't respond. Maybe she couldn't answer my question at all and couldn't conceive of a rational motive. Her choice was solely due to emotion. But she didn't display a vacillating attitude because of this, which indicates that she insists that her choice is correct. She said, "I want to assist her."
"But you seem incapable of vanquishing those patients, right?"
"Uh..." Aoba was a bit dispirited. "I'll strive!"
There is no such thing in this world where simply striving will enable you to overcome everything.
"What about you, Ning Hai? Don't you want to assist Yukio?" Aoba asked.
"Me..." I deliberated briefly.
If Aoba insists on going with Yukio, then I can only act independently. The problem with choosing this course is that I can't drive and have never been exposed to driving skills. My understanding of driving is only limited to "There is a succession of five hairpin turns ahead. Let's have a showdown there, Fujiwara ○Hai!" and "Damn it, the car overturned again. If we drag on any longer, we will be caught up by the police car... There is a red sports car coming from the front. Watch me drag the owner down!" From this, one can perceive what kind of catastrophe will ensue if I drive. Of course, although I can't drive myself, I can seek out survivors who can drive. However, this will lead to a second problem, that is... Where's the car? Although abandoned vehicles are strewn about outside, I don't think survivors who can start a vehicle just by pulling out two wires and making a connection can be found with ease.
Even disregarding the issue of the car, the time it takes to find a survivor who knows how to drive may not be shorter than going to the institute.
"It seems I can only assist her." I said to Aoba.
"Great!" Aoba was elated and her countenance brightened considerably.
At this time, Yukio came downstairs and then halted in the middle of the stairs. She said to me, "Ning Hai, could you do me a favor?"
"What favor?" I asked.
"Dad is struggling incessantly. It's no easy feat for me to move him down." Yukio said. "Could you knock him out like you did yesterday?"
"Sure."
I followed Yukio to the third floor and entered the empty room where Mr. Miwa was locked. Aoba also trailed closely behind.
On the bed, Mr. Miwa was bound by a khaki-colored rope in a spreadeagled fashion and was struggling ceaselessly. Ordinary people would shout while struggling like this, but Mr. Miwa was like a mute. Even when struggling with all his might, he wouldn't emit a sound. This is also a common trait of all pink eye patients. No matter what they do, they will never make a sound, just silently and menacingly. Whether it's merely ambling about or brutally murdering people, they never exhibit any signs of being able to communicate.
Although Mr. Miwa has no mobility at the moment, Aoba is scared like a timid hedgehog and involuntarily retreats behind me.
If I didn't possess superpowers, I definitely wouldn't be willing to approach such a patient.
"Please assist me." Yukio looked at me.
"Leave it to me."
I stood at the door and made a grasping motion in the direction of the bed from a distance.
A hand-shaped indentation appeared on Mr. Miwa's neck. After a while, his struggle ceased completely.
Yukio was silent for a moment and asked, "What's this?"
"This is superpower." I explained to Yukio. "From now on, we are comrades who survive together. I won't claim that we should have no secrets from each other, but at least it is necessary to let each other know what they should know."
"So that's it. It's superpower." Yukio suddenly grasped. "No wonder before..."
She may have recollected many unusual occurrences that happened to me before.
"I hope you don't publicize it casually." I said.
"Sure. Since you have disclosed your secret to me, it is also my obligation to keep it confidential for you." Yukio nodded solemnly. "However, I still have a question."
"Ask it."
"Can superpower cure pink eye disease?" Yukio obviously didn't have much expectation when posing this question.
"Can't do it." I answered her. "My superpower can only manipulate objects from a distance. In layman's terms, it's telekinesis. It doesn't possess the effect of healing."
"So it is..." Yukio exhaled and said that it was not disappointment. It was just like getting a 'Thank you for your participation' when drawing a lottery. Even if she didn't win, it wasn't unexpected.
I walked towards Mr. Miwa.
"Let me assist you move him out. Are we putting him in the car, right?"
"Yes, please." Yukio said.
Next, we came to the garage.
Yukio opened the trunk of the car. I attempted to stuff Mr. Miwa in, but failed.
"It won't fit." I said.
Although I could occasionally witness the scene of bandits stuffing victims into the trunk of a car in TV dramas before, but when I actually tried it, I found it didn't work. Maybe it's because Mr. Miwa is relatively tall? Or maybe it's because this trunk is relatively narrow? Even if I adjusted Mr. Miwa into a curled-up position, the trunk lid still wouldn't close.
Yukio pondered for a short while.
"No way. Put Dad in the back seat of the car." She said.
"That's the only way." I said. "I'll sit with him. In this way, I can monitor him well after he wakes up."
"Eh? But in this case, it will be very uncomfortable for Ning Hai..." Aoba said.
Indeed, although there will only be me and Mr. Miwa in the back seat, seemingly effortless, but if Mr. Miwa struggles with all his might, the originally not very large back seat space will suddenly become cramped. Even if I can suppress him with telekinesis, I can only do so for a while. After all, I also need to rest. Telekinesis can't be activated all the time. But I can endure this level of inconvenience. Besides, there is no other option.
"I have no issue." I adopted an indifferent stance.
"Really? I have a perfect solution." Yukio said.
"What solution?" Aoba asked curiously.
One minute later.
"Why is it like this!" Aoba exclaimed.
At this moment, Yukio has already seated herself in the driver's seat, while Aoba and I are sitting in the passenger seat simultaneously.
What does it mean to sit in the passenger seat simultaneously? To simply describe it is... Yukio first had me sit in the passenger seat, and then had Aoba sit in, sitting in the seat vacated by me after I spread my legs.
And Mr. Miwa was bound hand and foot and placed on the back seat in a slightly curled up sideways position.
"This is the perfect solution I said." Yukio said earnestly.
"Ugh..."
Aoba seems to be looking crestfallen, but since I can only see the top of her head and the back of her head from my perspective, I don't know what expression she has.
It seems that she is very reluctant to have close contact with the opposite sex. But of course, I think as long as it's a normal girl, she will have this basic sense of self-respect, right? I don't have much interaction with girls, so I'm not very clear. Now it seems that Aoba can't say that I should sit in the back seat with Mr. Miwa. As long as she says it, I won't refuse. But her thoughtfulness has become one of the causes that make her fidgety now.
"If you don't feel comfortable, I can also sit in the back." I said.
"No, it's okay..."
Aoba chose to maintain the status quo.
Yukio in the driver's seat took out a small remote control and pressed it.
In front, the garage door slowly opened, and dazzling sunlight streamed in.
"Maybe I won't come back again..." Yukio murmured and stomped on the gas pedal hard.
The car immediately zoomed out.
"Wow!" Aoba cried out and was pressed against me under the inertia.
"Sorry, are you okay?" Yukio asked with concern.
"I'm fine..." Aoba quickly sat up straight.
Although I can't see it, I can feel that she is already shy to the point of trembling, as if she rarely has contact with the opposite sex. But I think it shouldn't be like this, right? Aoba said that she is already a working adult. Could it be that all the employees in the company where she works are also women?
The car quickly drove onto the highway.
There are many abandoned vehicles on the road surface and patients wandering around.
Just like Mr. Miwa did yesterday, Yukio today also adheres to the driving principle of avoiding cars and hitting people when seeing them. It's extremely aggressive.
Aoba couldn't bear to look at the patients who were knocked flying.
Mr. Miwa said that pink eye disease cannot be cured, and the specific drug is just a false promise played by the city government. But Yukio thinks that with the progress of technology, even pink eye disease can be cured. This may also be the reason why Yukio has expectations for the possible non-existent specific drug. Now she is crashing into the patients recklessly without caring about their lives and deaths at all, as if she also thinks they are beyond cure.
No, that's not right.
If Yukio thinks the patients are beyond cure, she wouldn't have expectations for the specific drug. She is hitting the patients with the car without hesitation on the basis of thinking that the patients can be saved.
I took a look at Yukio's profile.
Yukio's expression was impassive, as if those who were knocked flying by her were just obstacles.
She seemed quite normal before, but now looking at her again, her psychological state is obviously not right. I don't intend to be her psychologist. As long as she can help us leave Beaver City smoothly, there will be no need for further cooperation.
I looked at the patients outside again.
These patients, although they seem to be able to think and know how to use tools, but they are indeed acting with killing as the central motivation. As long as there is no one nearby, they will wander around like walking dead. Until someone approaches, they will seem to come alive truly and rush over with weapons in their hands and compete to start hunting.
Moreover, they seem not to know how to organize large-scale forces.
I recalled my previous encounters with the patients.
Although there were not many times, based on my observation, I can more or less surmise that when they act, they will at most cooperate in small teams. Sometimes they act alone, sometimes in groups of three or five. When there are more people, they will rush forward chaotically.
The weakness of cooperation consciousness may be caused by the symptom of pink eye disease that refuses communication.
No, it can't be concluded yet. How many pink eye patients have I seen? Maybe somewhere in Beaver City, there is a large-scale patient force. They hunt survivors in an organized and planned way and spread to the whole city like a silent shadow. Thinking of this, even I, as a superpowered individual, am chilled.....