Amid an endless stretch of grassy plains under the bright midday sun, Issy turned the steering wheel left, passing a broken gate post at the security booth marking the entrance to a vast warehouse complex off the main road. Someone had clearly rammed through the barrier long before—but Issy didn't care. She calmly drove the Hummer over the splintered wood, the crunching sound echoing against the concrete.
The four-lane road cut through a massive parking lot on the right and a tall perimeter wall on the left. The towering trucks and container stacks looming along the roadside dwarfed the Hummer like tanks in a military parade.
They continued driving toward a large logistics facility that looked more like an airport terminal than a shopping mall. Issy curved right with the road, passing a row of over a hundred inbound loading bays on the left that stretched seemingly without end. Rows of truck cabs nestled into the loading docks like turtles tucked inside their shells. She passed them all, reaching the far end of the facility before turning left again, rounding the north side of the building.
"Stop here,"Gantsuke, sitting in the passenger seat, pointed to a spot near a steel door atop a small stairway with metal railings.Above the door hung a yellow sign that read:
"AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY"
Gantsuke chambered a round into his Kukki rifle and checked his ammo and armor one last time. Someone had broken through the inbound gate, but since the outbound gate remained intact, there was a chance whoever had done it was still inside.
And today, the iron-legged man hadn't forgotten to bring grenades.
The outfits of Mari, Meenda, Molly, and Issy—tank tops under tactical vests, each cradling a rifle—made them look less like civilians and more like a busty all-female commando unit about to rob a bank.
"This doesn't look like a mall…"Mari's face twisted in disappointment, like a kid whose parents promised pizza for lunch but took her to a noodle shack instead.
"It might not look like a mall, Mari,but this is where most of Terra's consumer goods get shipped from,"Gantsuke explained, though Mari didn't seem cheered in the least.
"Okay then…"she pouted, but her sulking expression was so endearing that the others giggled affectionately at her.
Lemo had told them to come to the Mountain Grand Distribution Center, which was far from what anyone would consider a "mall." He'd rented five secured storage vaults here for his arms-dealing business, each one the size of a shipping container. Originally, he hadn't planned on having Gantsuke pick up anything from here yet—but after the hellish night they'd just survived and the girls' intense firearms training, he'd reconsidered.
Molly was posted in the security room, monitoring what limited surveillance existed. Meenda and Mari teamed up to gather supplies for the ladies, while Gantsuke and Issy were assigned to retrieve weapons and ammo. Lemo stayed behind to look after Dr. Sophia, whose physical and emotional condition remained fragile.
The storage facility was a massive warehouse separate from the main structure. The rectangular lot spanned hundreds of acres and was filled with container-sized vaults stacked five levels high—labeled A through E. There were 112 rows, each row containing 100 vaults, resembling the towering bookshelves of a colossal library.
"Stop right here,"Gantsuke said as Issy gently tapped the brake on their small electric Suzuki Carry truck. To her right, a large green LED sign on the wall displayed: 111, formed from two containers back-to-back stacked five high.
They barely needed to search. The moment Gantsuke inserted Lemo's keycard at the entry gate, lights had automatically turned on to illuminate their assigned row. Rows of electric cargo vehicles stood waiting along the right, ready for use.
"We need to get to 111B/57,"Gantsuke told Issy. She steered the truck onto a large metal lift that could fit two vehicles. Gantsuke leaned out to press the B button on a square panel designed for drivers to access without leaving their seats.
The red light blinked as the rear lift doors slid shut. The platform lifted them smoothly to level B, where the red turned green and the front gate opened fully.
The vehicle glided silently down the wide concrete aisle, which was broad enough for two cars to pass. Within moments, they reached vault 111B/57, the first of Lemo's five rented units.
Gantsuke inserted the keycard into what looked like an ATM terminal. A touchscreen keypad lit up, prompting him to enter the code:
LoveCamelon1212312121
He hit Confirm and the button beside the door turned green. He tapped Open, and the vault door slid aside.
Inside, bright LED lights revealed three long rows of shelves, each fully stocked with ammo crates—each containing 1,000 rounds. They looked like car batteries, neatly arranged by caliber and weapon type.
Gantsuke let out a low whistle.By rough estimate, they now had over 300,000 rounds—more than enough to rain hell on both zombies and Amun forces alike.
Just then, from the far end of the aisle, he noticed a white Suzuki Carry approaching slowly.
"Looks like we're not the only ones picking up supplies,"he said calmly. Issy immediately switched her AK to full-auto.
Due to privacy policy, the facility had no surveillance cameras. Molly, busy in the security room giggling at Mari and Meenda's shopping spree, had no idea what was happening.
Gantsuke gently raised a hand to stop Issy before she took aim.
"We don't know if they're friendly or not,"he said coolly, lifting his hand to wave at the oncoming vehicle, which was about 50 meters away.
A small hand emerged from the passenger-side window, waving a white cloth.
Gantsuke could see it belonged to a teenage girl.
Both he and Issy let out quiet sighs of relief.At least, for now, they wouldn't have to shoot anyone.