The Daily Life of the Demon King

Chapter 197 - 197: Moving to a New Base and Rescuing Survivors

(Guys, I wouldn't mind your advice on what can be done in this world. I have a couple of ideas, of course, but maybe your advice will help me complete the overall picture. Peace.)

The girls, having received their weapons, immediately began examining them, marveling at the craftsmanship. The weapons particularly impressed Saeko and Rei, who already had experience handling melee weapons.

Saeko drew the katana from its sheath, running her fingers along the blade in appraisal. The more she observed, the greater her admiration grew. Her father, who had once taken her to a traditional swordsmith, couldn't have come close to such perfection. This katana was a masterpiece.

Rei, meanwhile, studied the folding spear. Her eyes sparkled with amazement—she had never seen such a versatile weapon, perfectly suited for both mid-range and long-range combat. She couldn't imagine a spear being designed with such brilliance.

Saya, who had received a submachine gun, confidently inspected it as though handling something entirely familiar. Alex watched her with mild surprise; her professional handling of the weapon left him nodding in approval.

After finishing her inspection, Saeko made a few smooth, precise movements to test the balance of the katana. Satisfied, she returned the blade to its crimson sheath. Alex couldn't help but wonder what his fiancée, Hephaestus, would say if she knew her katana was now in the hands of such a skilled swordsman.

She would probably just shrug and remind him, "The katana belonged to you, so you're free to do with it as you please."

Saeko noticed another katana at Alex's waist, one that hadn't been there the day before. The black sheath and white hilt complemented his style perfectly.

"I see you've got a new katana yourself," Saeko noted, pointing at Yamato.

"It's not new. It's a family heirloom. My father passed it down to me—it's sort of a coming-of-age gift," Alex replied, removing Yamato from his waist.

Meanwhile, Kohta, who had been carrying boxes, spotted the new weapon and immediately dropped his load, running toward Alex. This earned the ire of the others, especially those still hard at work.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Why'd you drop the box?" Saya yelled, giving Kohta a solid kick to the leg.

Kohta grabbed his bruised leg and hopped around, trying to dull the pain.

"Well, I just saw another iconic weapon! Isn't that reason enough?" he tried to justify himself.

"You'll have time to admire it later, Kohta. For now, we need to finish loading. If you keep slacking off, I'll take your weapons away," Alex warned with a smile.

Those words sent Kohta scurrying back to work, though he continued sneaking glances at the katana in Alex's hands. The other girls and guys also picked up the pace, eager to finish the loading as quickly as possible.

Kohta's face reflected pure horror as he dashed away, terrified of losing his new gear. Alex chuckled, watching his panicked retreat. He'd dealt with weapon enthusiasts before, so this behavior didn't surprise him. Rebecca was the same way—if he ever threatened to take her weapons, she'd instantly turn into a sweet, obedient girl. Of course, it never lasted long; she'd quickly revert to her usual fiery self.

As if sensing that Alex was thinking about her, Rebecca turned around and narrowed her eyes.

"Are you thinking something bad about me?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Not at all," Alex replied quickly, putting on an innocent expression.

"Alright, ladies, enough admiring the weapons. Time to join the others—help carry the boxes and gather what we need. Rebecca, get up on the roof and make sure no one's nearby," Alex said, turning to her.

"Then toss me up there. I'm too lazy to climb the ladder," Rebecca replied lazily, pointing first at Alex and then at the roof.

Alex sighed but complied. He approached the wall, crouched down, and cupped his hands for Rebecca to use as a foothold. She ran, leaped, and landed gracefully on the roof.

Once she disappeared from view, Alex turned to the girls and gestured for them to follow him to help load the bus. Inside the warehouse, he noticed Kyoko meticulously keeping track of supplies and giving instructions to the students hauling boxes.

"GIR, MIMI, Stitch, get to work!" Alex commanded.

The trio wasted no time, grabbing boxes and dashing to the bus. Alex, meanwhile, left the warehouse and entered the store,

"Rebecca, take Kohta and cover them. We need to figure out what's going on and how many survivors are up there," Alex ordered, stopping.

"Got it," Rebecca responded, opening the bus doors.

Alex and Saeko jumped off the motorcycle and, without wasting time, rushed toward the group of zombies breaking into the building. While they dealt with the nearest zombies, Rebecca and Kohta provided cover, accurately shooting the enemies. When the last of the zombies fell, Alex surveyed the area, wiped the blood from his katana, and turned to Saeko.

"Bring my motorcycle closer and tell them to move the bus here," he instructed.

Saeko nodded silently and headed toward the group. Meanwhile, Alex decided to check who among the survivors had called for help. Approaching the door, he knocked lightly with his knuckles.

"Hey, are you all still alive in there?" he called out loudly, trying not to scare the people inside.

After a moment, the door cautiously creaked open, and a girl with ash-blonde hair peeked out. She gave Alex a wary look, then scanned the surroundings, ensuring the threat had passed. Only then did the door open fully. Standing before Alex was a young woman in a police uniform.

"Thank you for helping us," she said with a slight bow. Her voice trembled from exhaustion. "There were so many... We just didn't know what to do. Fortunately, we spotted your group. My name is Officer Asami Naoko."

"It's alright," Alex responded, sheathing his weapon. "I'm Alex. You could say you got lucky. We were taking a detour due to roadblocks. Fate smiled on you. How many are here? If you don't mind, can we discuss it inside?"

Asami nodded and gestured for him to come in. Alex, remaining cautious, followed her inside, carefully scanning the room for any potential threats. Through their communication link, he asked Rebecca and the others to stay outside until he was sure it was safe.

Upon reaching the second floor, Alex saw a group of four police officers and about twenty survivors. Among them were men, women, and a few children. Alex quickly assessed the situation and addressed everyone.

"Who's in charge here?"

A woman with short black hair stepped forward.

"I'm Officer Matsuki Matsushima. Thank you for your help. But where is your group headed?"

"We're planning to set up a temporary base in a bank, then start rescuing our families and helping other survivors. If you want, you can come with us. We could use some extra hands," Alex offered.

The survivors began discussing the offer. Alex calmly waited, answering their questions. He explained that there would be work for everyone, including the children, though their tasks would be simple—helping with cooking and cleaning. He made it clear that he had no intention of burdening the children with hard labor. Alex wasn't a monster exploiting kids.

After a brief discussion, the survivors agreed to join Alex's group.

"Are any of you skilled in electricity or construction?" Alex asked.

"I worked as an electrician before this nightmare started," one of the men raised his hand.

"I've been working in construction with the guys my whole life," another man added, pointing to himself and his companions.

"Great. Take what you need and follow me. Leave the extra junk for now—we'll come back for it once we've settled in," Alex instructed.

The people eagerly began gathering their belongings, realizing that their survival was now in the hands of this organized group. Alex returned to Saeko and the others to prepare for the next phase.

Alex quickly scanned the group of survivors, noting that most of them were families. A thought crossed his mind: these people were incredibly lucky—they managed to escape with their loved ones in such a chaotic situation. But not everyone here could boast such luck; many had probably lost contact with their families forever. He didn't dwell on these thoughts, knowing that it was more important to focus on the survivors now than on the past.

Gathering the group, Alex started heading downstairs. In total, there were about twenty people, including five police officers who at least knew how to handle weapons. The group of builders and the electrician were of particular value—their skills would greatly ease the upcoming tasks. At the bottom, his team was already waiting, curiously eyeing the new arrivals from the building.

"We've got some new members," Alex began, nodding toward the survivors. "But you'll meet them later. The main thing right now is to get everyone settled and head out."

As the survivors exited the building, they were noticeably surprised to see that most of the "rescuers" were schoolchildren. The police officers quickly realized that everyone was listening to Alex and understood that he was in charge of this eclectic group. While the newcomers were settling into the bus and loading their belongings, Alex, Rebecca, and Kohta kept watch over the street in case zombies appeared.

When everyone was inside, Alex asked Kyoko to explain the group's plan to the survivors in more detail. She nodded and went to the bus. Then Alex turned to Rebecca:

"Keep an eye on the new arrivals," he said quietly. "If anyone seems suspicious, let me know."

Rebecca smirked but nodded.

"Got it. In times like these, not many people keep their sanity."

Once the bus was fully ready to go, only Alex and Saeko remained on the street, with Saeko already settled on his motorcycle.

"Why did you ask Rebecca to watch the newcomers?" Saeko asked, watching him.

Alex started the motorcycle and turned to her:

"Because in groups like this, you sometimes get... let's say, 'special individuals.' People are always more dangerous than any monsters. That's always been the case, it is now, and it always will be."

"And what will you do if one of them harms another or tries to attack a woman or a child?" Her gaze grew serious, and her hand rested on his shoulder.

"You'll see if that happens," Alex replied curtly. "But I can tell you one thing: they definitely won't like it. And the others will learn their lesson."

With those words, he signaled to depart, and the bus slowly began moving behind the motorcycle.

During the journey, Alex thought about the next steps. The first thing to do upon arrival at the bank was to ensure safety and find a place to sleep. The rest of the plans could be made after everyone had settled in.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the bank. Alex got off the motorcycle and called to GIR:

"Let's go check what's inside."

Inside, it was surprisingly quiet. No zombies were visible, which in itself was a good sign. Perhaps the bank employees had managed to block the doors and were being quiet enough to stay unnoticed.

Following the corridors, Alex and GIR arrived at a room where a group of bank employees had gathered. They looked frightened but calmed down quickly when Alex explained that his group was going to use the bank as a base. The employees asked to join the group, to which Alex agreed, laying out some simple rules:

"Those who don't work—don't eat."

The employees nodded in agreement and followed him to the bus to help unload the supplies.

Once outside with the bank employees, Alex gestured for everyone to gather around so he could explain the situation to everyone at once.

"First, we need to unload all the supplies and move them to the storage area. It's the safest place in the building," he began. "After that, we'll focus on reinforcing the bank so that no zombies can get in by accident. If it hasn't been explained to you yet, I'll say it again: if you have relatives nearby but haven't been able to contact them, reach out to my assistants." Alex pointed to the two robo-dogs—one pink, the other green. "They'll help you. If you manage to make contact, ask your relatives to hide for a couple of days until we get everything ready. Our goal is to organize a safe evacuation for your families."

There was a quiet murmur among the survivors until one woman, holding her child by the hand, spoke up:

"Isn't this the army's job? Aren't they supposed to save us and the others?"

Alex sighed, preparing for the unpleasant but necessary explanation.

"I don't want to shatter your hopes, but the army will likely fall first. No matter how much weaponry they have, it's not enough against an army of the dead that grows by the hour. That's why we have to rely on ourselves. We'll save as many people as we can, and then we'll begin the evacuation. But first—unloading supplies and building barricades. The first night in the bank will be crucial."

The survivors listened silently, many struggling to accept Alex's words. However, the truth was clear: outside help was unlikely to come. The army was focused on the major cities, and sooner or later, it would be powerless against the endless tide of zombies.

"Let's get started. We don't have much time. After sunset, zombies become more active, so we need to finish before the sun goes down." Alex concluded his speech, reminding the survivors of the main task.

He lifted Rebecca onto the roof of the bus so she could provide cover from above while the others carried the supplies. He assigned the police officers and Kohta to inspect the perimeter, reminding them not to wander too far or go alone.

As for himself, Alex took GIR and went to inspect the bank building. He checked the doors for sturdiness, examined the windows, and looked for weak spots that needed reinforcement. He also circled the back of the building to assess the situation and decide where to place additional barricades.

He moved quickly but carefully, mentally noting which materials could be used for protection. A long night awaited, and every step was crucial to ensuring the group's safety.

To be continued...