Takagi Estate, about an hour before Kojou and the others arrived at the second Hayashizaki sector.

"Souichiro-sama, the barrier has been completed 20 meters from the mansion, and there are four guards stationed at each of the four gates," said a tall man dressed in white respectfully. This was not Souichiro's close aide, Yoshioka.

"That's good," Souichiro nodded with satisfaction, clearly pleased that the barrier was built to prevent zombies, as they had worked for two full days constructing it to guard against a sudden zombie breach into the mansion where they lived. "It seems you want to say something."

Without even looking at Yoshioka's face, Souichiro knew that his close aide had something he wanted to say but was hesitant.

"Do not hesitate to speak, you know I am always open to your opinions," Souichiro said in the same firm tone. Although many saw him as rigid and unwilling to listen to others, he was the exact opposite—always ready to consider advice, though only from those qualified to give useful counsel.

"Then please forgive my boldness," Yoshioka bowed respectfully to Souichiro and spoke earnestly. "I hope Souichiro-sama will reconsider including the Tanaka Group with us. Although they appear friendly and willing to cooperate externally, it's clear they would not hesitate to exploit the slightest opportunity to strike and take control of Takagi Estate."

"Tanaka Group… Huh…" Souichiro sighed tiredly at the mention of the Tanaka Group, as they were one of his strongest opposing factions. "Although Tanaka is extremely ambitious, he is not foolish enough to act recklessly while monsters roam outside. Even if he seeks my position, that won't happen anytime soon, so there is no need to worry too much—he won't do anything that could get him killed either."

Souichiro was completely confident in his judgment. Although Tanaka was ambitious and ruthless, willing to use all possible means to eliminate his enemies, he was not foolish enough to risk death for a trivial position, especially in such a critical time.

"Moreover, as the world grows chaotic, with corpses moving and attacking humans, what we must do is not fight over trivial authority. We must work together to save as many people as possible to survive," Souichiro said with conviction and confidence. These were his personal principles, and he would never abandon someone in need, except for a few of humanity's worst scum—and in Souichiro's mind, Tanaka had not yet reached that level. "So, understand this: I don't want you to bring this up again."

"... " Yoshioka said nothing and nodded silently, only feeling pity for Souichiro, who was kind and naive. It seemed this disaster had not hardened him; if anything, he had become even more gentle, allowing even his enemies to linger in the heart of his home.

Despite his thoughts, Yoshioka decided to remain silent and not voice them. Although his view of Souichiro had changed, he was still the man who had saved him in the past and commanded great respect.

At that moment, as if the world itself wished to emphasize Souichiro's naivety, a deafening sound echoed throughout Takagi Estate.

Boom*

A bright red color, like the sunset, erupted from the food storage area and rapidly spread across Takagi Estate. This color was nothing but the raging fire in the food warehouse, which consumed the trees and everything in the mansion, reducing it all to ashes.

"Food storage…" Yoshioka murmured in shock, staring at the place that contained more than 90% of the mansion's food and drink, which they had planned to use for their journey to the countryside. The first image that came to his mind was Tanaka, the only man capable and bold enough to do such a thing.

"This is bad…" Souichiro muttered, his stern face growing even harsher. He spoke in a deep voice: "Hurry and alert everyone to grab their weapons to fight, as the sound will attract many zombies. Make sure those unable to fight work on putting out the fire. Otherwise, we will lose more than just food and drink."

Although Souichiro was angry and saddened by the loss of so much food and drink, there was no time to dwell on it—they had to fight the zombies drawn by the explosion.

[You bastard Takagi, enjoy your beloved house. Foolish naive man, you shouldn't have let me into your home. Now deal with thousands of man-eating monsters.]

At that moment, Tanaka's voice echoed throughout Takagi Estate. Even the frightened cries of the survivors could not mask it, as he was using a loudspeaker.

Upon hearing Tanaka's voice, Souichiro could only clench his fists tightly, his face twisted with anger. This fury was not only directed at Tanaka but also at himself, for being naive enough to believe Tanaka would not do anything extreme. Unlike him, Tanaka had no principle of helping others in times of crisis—he was just an ungrateful dog biting the hand that fed him.

"Souichiro-san!!" At that moment, the room door opened, and Takagi Yuriko, Souichiro's wife, entered. Her beautiful face was marked by worry and panic.

"Yuriko…" Souichiro murmured, his voice conflicted, staring at his wife, unsure what to say. He felt he should apologize—had it not been for his naivety, this would not have happened. But did an apology mean anything when they were on the verge of death because of him?

Unfortunately, an apology carried no meaning, something Souichiro knew well. He quickly collected himself, fixed a resolute gaze on Yuriko, and stepped toward her.

...

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