Bayuda looked sheepish.
“I’m sorry for what I did in the past. I know I treated you terribly.”
Raiden studied him for a moment. Was this just an act, or was he being sincere?
It was rare for a bully to come to his senses and apologize to his victim of his own free will.
To be honest, Bayuda Gunawan had never physically abused him. However, the orders and assignments he gave Raiden had been so unreasonable that they nearly worked him to death.
Raiden had just opened his mouth to answer when another explosion rang out. Both of them were so startled that they rose to their feet without even realizing it.
This time, the sound was louder than before. The floor of the building beneath them even trembled from the blast.
“Hey, kid. What was that? Could there really be other people besides us?” Bayuda asked seriously.
Raiden still looked relaxed and lazy as he answered in a flat tone.
“Looks like you’re right, Boss. Oh, yeah, my name is Raiden Pratama. Just call me Raiden, not Coward, okay?”
Bayuda’s face flushed with embarrassment and guilt.
“All right. How about we go check it out? It’s not that I’m trying to be nice, but what if they have better supplies than we do?”
Hearing that, Raiden’s brow furrowed deeply. That didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
Honestly, he didn’t want to deal with other survivors if there were too many of them.
Not because he was arrogant or afraid of them, but because gathering too many people in one place could create a lot of unnecessary chaos.
Unfortunately, when he looked at his supplies, his expression turned gloomy. He had planted some vegetables and herbs and raised a few chickens and rabbits. But there was no guarantee that his supplies would last long.
He needed more supplies and better provisions. At the very least, he had to find a vehicle that could serve as a mobile home.
“Hey, what do you think?” Bayuda asked nervously.
Raiden nodded seriously and replied firmly, “All right, we’ll go check it out. Maybe if we help them, we can ask for food in return—assuming they have any. There’s nothing wrong with helping someone and asking for something in return, right?”
Bayuda Gunawan stared at him in astonishment. “What? If you’d helped me earlier, you would’ve asked me for something?”
The young man laughed. “Of course, Boss. Nothing in this world is free.”
The words struck Bayuda like a slap in the face. Back when they had still worked at the insurance company, he had cursed and humiliated Raiden in front of a crowd, telling him that nothing in this world was free. You had to work hard to get what you wanted, or trade something for it. Now, at last, he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
“What’s wrong, Boss? You look really ugly.”
Raiden pulled out a long-barreled weapon and checked its magazine.
Bayuda was startled. “Where did you get that?”
“Huh? I got it out there, of course. Don’t you have one at all, Boss? How have you survived this long?”
Bayuda was embarrassed to admit it, but he had rarely dealt with the undead directly. It was better to hide and avoid them as much as possible.
“Then how are we going to get there? When are we leaving?” he asked, trying to dodge the question.
Fortunately, Raiden didn’t care about his feelings, so he said while preparing the supplies, “You have a car, right, Boss? We’ll just use that.”
Bayuda looked nervous. “Yeah, but it ran out of gas. That’s why I got stuck down there.”
Raiden stopped frowning, turned toward the fence, and said quietly in a serious tone, “There’s a gas station nearby. I’m not sure whether it still has any fuel left. Before the zombie apocalypse, fuel was extremely scarce. Some gas stations even made vehicles wait in line for hours just to fill up.”
Bayuda’s face fell. He lowered his head in despair.
“You’re right. I got that fuel because I had stored some at home and also managed to get some from a small gas station.”
“Then I’ll go check it out by myself.”
Bayuda looked at him in surprise. “What? You want to go alone? Aren’t you scared?”
Bayuda wasn’t a brave man, but letting Raiden—the only human he had encountered in months—go alone didn’t feel right.
Raiden raised one eyebrow and said jokingly, “The only vehicle I have right now is a bicycle. Going there on foot would be too risky.”
Bayuda fell silent, then nodded with a defeated look on his face.
“While I’m gone, you’d better stay here and guard the supplies, Boss. If you try anything funny, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth,” he threatened seriously, making the other man turn deathly pale.
“No, I wouldn’t dare. Why would I try anything? Do you really think I’d leave this place without a vehicle?” Bayuda replied, shaking his head rapidly and waving both hands in front of his chest.
Raiden watched him for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.
“It’d better be that way, Boss. Just so you know, there are more zombies in this city than in any other city I’ve visited. Though, actually, the largest number might be in the country’s capital.”
When he left the country’s capital, many of its residents were still alive. But because of the city’s incredible population density, within a matter of weeks, the number of undead wandering around had exploded. That was why Raiden left the capital before the chaos reached its peak and began planning his traveling adventure.
“Wow, what kind of flashlight is that? I’ve never seen one before,” Bayuda said, awestruck.
The best time to travel was obviously at night. That way, he could hide if he ran into the undead. Fortunately, the streetlights kept the roads from being completely dark, making it easier for him to see his surroundings. But just in case, he carried an extremely bright flashlight that could illuminate up to a kilometer away.
Raiden turned off the flashlight and waved it through the air. “This is a very expensive flashlight, Boss. It’s practically as bright as daytime, right? You’re pretty out of touch too, Boss. You didn’t know they sold flashlights like this? Well, actually, I took it from a store. As if I had the money to buy one.”
Bayuda wanted to protest, but eventually said nothing, merely sulking. There were plenty of things he didn’t understand about the younger generation. Better to keep quiet than risk being insulted again.
“All right, I’m heading out for a while. I might not be back until sunrise. When I return, this place had better be free of trash.”
“Don’t worry! Don’t worry! I always clean up at home. Of course I can take care of things here and prepare the most comfortable bed for you,” he coaxed, his fawning tone unmistakable.
Raiden chuckled, then quickly grabbed his bag and weapon.
“Make sure nothing comes up to this floor.”
He handed Bayuda a firearm.
“There are twelve bullets. Use them wisely. If you don’t need to shoot, don’t,” Raiden said seriously as he placed it in the older man’s hands.
Bayuda gripped it with trembling hands. “It’s so heavy. I didn’t expect a weapon to weigh this much.”
After giving him a few instructions, Raiden hurried down the emergency stairs with a folding bicycle slung over his shoulder.
“Be careful out there!” Bayuda called from the edge of the fence, waving at him.
Raiden got his bicycle ready, climbed on, and waved back. Burning with enthusiasm, he quickly pedaled away. But before he had even gone a few meters, another explosion rang out, making Raiden stop and look back.
He exchanged a glance with Bayuda on the third floor. The two of them nodded in silence. Then Raiden immediately sped off toward the north.