The scenery outside the car window flashes by at high speed.
"Will outsiders come to the rescue soon?" Aoba murmurs to herself.
If the red-eye disease is only ravaging Beaver City and other places are unaffected, then the Japanese government should have started organizing rescue efforts for Beaver City.
In this era of extremely fast information flow, sensational news can be transmitted from one side of the earth to the other in less than a minute through the medium of the internet. The fall of a peaceful city is even more self-evident. Now that nearly twenty-four hours have passed since the outbreak of the red-eye disease, it should be a time when it is not strange to encounter the rescue troops entering the city at any moment. However, looking around, there is not the slightest sign of such.
Several hypotheses quickly emerge in my mind: Perhaps the outbreak of the red-eye disease is not limited to Beaver City but has also spread to surrounding cities. The rescue troops are busy providing emergency assistance in other places. Perhaps the outbreak of the red-eye disease is on a global scale, just like in many end-of-the-world disaster movies. Human civilization is on the verge of destruction. Perhaps the truth behind the red-eye disease is a biochemical weapon of an evil organization. The current outbreak is a large-scale experiment by this force. The absence of troops is because there is also an interest chain of this force within the government... and so on. I can't finish talking about them all at once. They are purely the imaginings of someone who has read too many fictional stories like me.
But what is the real situation? I am just an ordinary person with only one specialty, superpowers. The scarce clues I currently have cannot support me in making deductions.
"Perhaps it will be soon." I casually respond to Aoba's murmur.
"Um." Aoba is absent-minded.
Yukio glances hastily at our side and then looks back ahead, driving and avoiding the abandoned vehicles on the road.
"Ninghai, your Japanese is very good." She says.
"Come to think of it, it really is." Aoba also reacts. "Have you been learning for a long time?"
"Well, I had special training before coming to Japan. Then I have had many practical experiences here, so I gradually became proficient." I answer Aoba's question.
But this is a lie. I haven't learned Japanese. The reason why I can converse so fluently in Japanese is the result of a certain supernatural power that I don't know. This must be directly related to the mystery behind transporting me and Aoba to this world. Perhaps because the place we were transported to is Japan, I was automatically instilled with Japanese language ability. Since Aoba is originally Japanese, everything remains the same for her. And if we were transported to the United States, perhaps we would be speaking fluent American English.
I didn't mean to lie to Aoba. It's just that Yukio is also present now. If I tell the truth, I won't know how to explain the origins of me and Aoba to Yukio.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive in front of a facility.
Yukio steps on the brake, and the car stops abruptly.
"Ah!" Aoba lunges forward all of a sudden.
Because we are sitting together, although I am wearing a seat belt, Aoba sitting in front of me can't wear one. Due to the inertia of braking, she uncontrollably lunges forward.
I quickly hold her.
When I hold her, I realize that I should have fixed her with telekinesis. But in an emergency, I still reflexively use my body. After all, human instincts don't prioritize using telekinesis. Reacting with the body at the first moment in an emergency is the most normal response.
"Sorry, are you okay, Aoba?" Yukio looks over.
"N-n-n-n-no problem..." Aoba's voice is trembling, and her body is stiff.
Since we are very close, I smell the shampoo Aoba used yesterday. Also, her body is very soft. To be honest, I don't really want to let go.
"It's good that you're okay." I still let her go.
Then, we all get out of the car.
"This is the research institute established by the city government..." Yukio looks ahead, her face without much expression, not knowing what she is thinking.
Aoba, who finally gets out of the car, looks relieved.
I also observe ahead.
There is an iron fence gate in front. On the left is the security room. On the right stands a stone tablet with the words "Beaver City Second Biochemical Research Institute". Opposite the gate is a four-story white building with a large floor area. It is probably the research institute.
On the road surface from the fence gate to the research institute lie more than a dozen corpses in a tragic state. Flies are disgustingly swarming around the wounds.
"Probably people who didn't have time to escape." I say.
Aoba notices this scene and covers her mouth. Her face looks very ugly.
"Perhaps because the gate here didn't open in time, so they couldn't escape and were surrounded and killed by the patients." Yukio says calmly.
"The patients who killed these people may still be inside." I think of this.
At this moment, several figures run over from both sides.
I look around. They are all patients with red eyes. They are dressed differently and are holding weapons found on the spot. They are only about twenty meters away from us and are approaching rapidly.
Yukio frowns and takes out a pistol.
This pistol should belong to Mr. Miwa. Now she has taken it.
"Wait, don't waste bullets." I stop Yukio. "I'll send you in first."
As soon as I finish speaking, I easily lift Aoba with telekinesis.
"Eh? Eh eh eh!" Aoba is greatly surprised.
Thanks to her light body, I quickly put her on the other side of the iron fence gate.
Then, I lift Yukio with telekinesis.
Having seen it once already, Yukio naturally isn't too surprised. However, because she is wearing a skirt, there is a risk of exposure. Of course, I won't look up. Frankly speaking, I am not interested in girls' underwear and never think there is anything good-looking about that kind of thing. Aren't collarbones and legs more worth looking at than underwear?
The patients are only ten meters away from me.
When Yukio is put on the other side of the iron fence gate by me, the iron pipes, wooden sticks, and bricks in their hands are about to fall on me. At the moment before being attacked, I attach telekinesis to the surface of my skin like an invisible shield.
"Ninghai, be careful!" Aoba loudly reminds.
Boom boom boom!
All the attacks of the patients are blocked.
"Don't worry." I say.
It only takes five seconds. I knock down all the opponents one by one and then make them faint with telekinesis.
"So amazing..." Aoba exclaims in admiration.
If I can't deal with them even with superpowers, then I really am a superpowered being in vain.
I levitate with telekinesis, cross the iron fence gate, and come to Aoba and Yukio's side.
"So superpowers can fly too." Yukio says.
"It's just lifting myself up with telekinesis." I say. "Moreover, lifting one person is very tiring. If I suddenly can't hold on at a high place, it will be terrible."
"Even so, it's still very amazing." Aoba is extremely envious.
Then, we come to the entrance of the white building.
Yukio faintly shows a nervous expression. Whether Mr. Miwa can be saved depends on whether there is a specific medicine here.
"By the way, is it okay to leave Mr. Miwa in the car?" Aoba looks back.
"It should be okay." I say. "The ropes are tied tightly, and the car doors are confirmed to be locked. He can't escape."
"No, that's not what I mean..." Aoba is a bit worried. "What if patients attack him?"
"Patients won't attack patients." Yukio says.
This is a fact that can be known just by simply observing the movements of the patients. Aoba can't not know this. I think she doesn't have much confidence in her own reasoning, so she asks this question. As long as people around her also say the same conclusion as her, then she can accept it with relief.
In this team of three, Aoba is the weakest link. Her lack of confidence in herself is understandable.
We pass through the main entrance and come to a lobby.
The door is made of glass, but now it is completely shattered. The lobby is also in a mess. There are several corpses lying scattered on the ground. The air is filled with a disgusting stench. The damaged fluorescent tubes on the ceiling are flickering on and off, illuminating the dark red pools of blood and bloodstains everywhere.
"Where should we start looking?" I ask.
"Look for survivors first." Yukio answers.
It sounds like a non sequitur, but in fact, as long as we find survivors of the research institute, we will naturally know the storage location of the specific medicine. So it can be considered as an answer to my question.
"Will there still be survivors here?" Aoba's face turns pale as she looks at the tragic scene here.
"There should be." I think for a moment. "Perhaps someone has locked themselves in a certain room and isolated themselves from the patients."
"That's right." Yukio nods.
Next, we investigate on the first floor. We finish the investigation in only fifteen minutes.
"We didn't find anything." Aoba sighs.
The first floor is all filled with reception rooms and lounges and the like. Not to mention specific medicine, we didn't even see research equipment. Of course, we didn't find any survivors either.
Not only that, there isn't even a single wandering patient.
"Let's look upstairs again." Yukio says.
Then, we come to the second floor through the stairs.
Although there is an elevator, in this horror movie-like scene, we subconsciously avoid choosing the elevator. In fact, the elevator doesn't seem to be damaged. At least when we pass by the elevator, we don't see any signs of damage. The digital screen is also lit up normally.
After arriving on the second floor, we pass through a white corridor with flickering lights. We step over several corpses that died tragically and come to a crossroads.
Yukio stops.
"From here on, let's split up and investigate." She points to one of the roads. "I'll investigate here."
"Then I'll investigate here." I point to another road.
"Then I'll..." Aoba is about to walk towards the last road.
How can I let her go alone? I immediately turn around and grab her, but accidentally grab the strap on the back of her underwear.
Aoba freezes.
"Ah, sorry." I let go.
Snap.
The strap of the underwear springs back and makes a sound.
Aoba turns around and faces me, looking extremely shocked.
I decide to ignore this expression and just talk about business.
"Although we didn't see patients on the first floor just now, it may not be the case on the second floor." I say. "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Come with me."
"What Ninghai said makes sense." Yukio says.
Aoba looks at me and then at Yukio. She seems to want to complain about something very much, but in the end can only nod silently.
Next, Aoba and I separate from Yukio.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it just now." I say to Aoba.
Aoba is walking on my right. Her face is turned to the right, not letting me see her expression.
Is she angry?
But just now that really wasn't on purpose.
After two minutes of silence, I bring up another matter.
"Before, I told you that I had learned Japanese, but that was actually a lie." I say.
"Eh?" Aoba looks over in confusion.
I look at her, and she turns her face away again.
"It seems that the mystery behind all this has the ability to instill language knowledge in us." I continue. "Perhaps because this time we were transported to Japan and need Japanese conversation ability, so the mystery provided me with this convenience. Since you are originally Japanese, you didn't get this."
"So it is..." Aoba says softly.
"There was Yukio around just now, so it wasn't convenient to explain." I say. "Now that there are only the two of us, so I'll tell you the truth."
Aoba doesn't speak.
Another minute of silence.
"Sorry about what happened just now." I say again.
"...I'm not particularly angry either." Aoba seems to finally calm down. "I should say sorry. I've been relying on your protection all the time, but I lost my temper at you... I'm sorry."
When she speaks, her tone has a bit of a self-loathing and negative color.
"It's okay. I..."
Before I can finish speaking, there is suddenly a new commotion.
Boom!
"Ah!!!"
A loud gunshot and an unignorable male scream suddenly come from behind.
Aoba and I look at each other.
It's the direction where Yukio separated from us!
We immediately run towards the source of the sound. After a while, we run to another corridor and come to a door that is slightly ajar.
Bang.
I push open the door and enter the room. Aoba follows closely behind.
This is a small laboratory with several tables. On the table are rows of test tube racks and various experimental equipment. On the other side, a man in a white lab coat is sitting against the white-painted wall, looking at Yukio standing in front of him with fear.
Yukio is holding a gun in her right hand. Her beautiful face looks extremely fierce at the moment.
"What did you say just now! Explain clearly!" She yells furiously.
I notice that there is a small smoking hole next to the man's head.
"I said it very clearly!" The man cries out in a venting manner. "There is no specific medicine at all! There is no specific medicine!"
"No specific medicine? Then what was said on the news?"
"The news... That's just a lie from the city government!" The man hugs his head in fear. "There is no specific medicine! No breakthrough! No American medical team! They are all lies, lies!"
Looking at this scene, I more or less understand what has happened.
After separating from me and Aoba, Yukio quickly found a survivor of the research institute, that is, this man. She learned from the man the truth that there is no specific medicine. The hope of saving her biological father is shattered like a bubble, making her fall into a hysterical psychological state.
"Lies? Lies! Damn lies!" Yukio grimaces and presses the muzzle of the gun against the man's forehead.
The man trembles all over and shouts: "It's useless! Even if you kill me, it's useless. The red-eye disease cannot be cured!"
"Shut up!" Yukio is furious.
"We've tried many times, many times! We've tried everything!" The man wails. "The red-eye disease can't be cured! Even if the current technology is countless times more advanced, it still can't cure the red-eye disease! The red-eye disease... is not a disease at all! We can't find viruses, bacteria, parasites, or even a single diseased part! We can't find anything! The red-eye disease is not a disease at all. It is a complete and utter - curse!!!"