An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Zombies, Shotguns, and Me – Chapters

Chapter 69 Zombie mansion

“When in a bind, turn to the divine.”

Facing a dilemma, I’m resorting to divine intervention. I retrieve the radio from my magic bag and decide to reach out to Nanotesu.

“Nanotesu, Nanotesu, this is Nakajima. Requesting response.”

…Silence.

“Nanotesu, Nanotesu, this is Nakajima. Requesting response.”

“Hello, this is Nanotesu speaking!”

…It does make you wonder about the goddess who answers via radio transmission. Every single time.

“Speaking of which, Nanotesu, you mentioned before that your blessing extends to the guns retrieved from the magic bag, right?”

“It’s not a blessing, it’s a consecration.”

“What kind of effects does it have?”

“It allows you to pierce through enemy’s negative magic.”

Dark side, huh? Are we dealing with Jedi Knights from some other realm?

“What happens if you hit a zombie?”

“Well, I would assume it works like hitting an ordinary human, but that depends on the specific magic affecting the zombie.”

“So, regular attacks against zombies?”

“They don’t feel the sensations of being shot or slashed, so they’ll just keep coming at you.”

“There’s a zombie that appeared. It’s a pigeon.”

“Yes, that would suggest someone using black magic to create it.”

“As I suspected…”

Is there a mastermind behind this? What kind of person could it be?

“So, who’s the culprit?”

“That’s something to look forward to later.”

“Hey, come on! We don’t need unnecessary twists and drama!”

“Well, Nakajima-san, you were practicing so hard to fight zombies, weren’t you?”

…Did I get caught?

“That’s because Nanotesu-san said things like ‘Now you’re ready to handle zombies,’ clearly setting some kind of flag!”

“All across America, gun enthusiasts(*) are arming themselves and training day in and day out to fight zombies, so you could at least appreciate it a little…”

“I’m not dreaming about that! It’s more like a nightmare, really!”

“Well then, do your best. End of transmission!”

“Wait, wait a moment! The question I wanted to ask wasn’t about that!”

“Cut!!”

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

Saran rides over on horseback.

“We’ve tracked it down! It’s at a rundown house in a distant village!”

…Why does it have to turn into a biohazard scenario?

It’s an abandoned mansion with overgrown ivy and a neglected garden.

Windows are boarded up, and the whole place has a sense of desolation.

“That’s the old estate of Baron Genial. Look over there.”

Bal pointed, and I saw that the mansion was partially buried by a landslide from the rear hill.

“It got like that after a typhoon hit and was left abandoned.”

Hmm, what a waste.

“There are signs of people coming and going.”

Yes, indeed. Footprints.

“It’s a woman… She was alone.”

Seems like high heels. Quite a fashionable individual, I assume.

“And the pigeons?”

“They entered from over there.”

The attic window is wide open.

It seems the pigeon coop has turned into a haunt for zombie pigeons.

So that’s how they managed to get in from there.

“…Pigeons have a strong homing instinct. For instance, they can build their own dovecotes, place the pigeons they raise there, even take them to unfamiliar places in bird cages, and when released, they will invariably return to their original dovecotes.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Where I was, we even had a system called ‘messenger pigeons’ where we attached a small container to the pigeon’s leg, enclosed a rolled-up note with the message, and used them for communication.”

“The pigeon carries the letter in its beak?”

“Not exactly. It’s more like tying a small container to the pigeon’s leg and placing a rolled-up note inside with the message you want to convey.”

“…Messenger pigeons. That sounds quite convenient. Maybe we should give it a try.”

Messenger pigeons were used even after the invention of wireless communication, dating back to before the Roman Empire and lasting until World War II.

So, in this world, no one had thought of this before, or could it be that pigeons in this world are smarter than pigeons in my world? Perhaps these pigeons have found better feeding grounds, favorable environments, or places without natural predators, and that’s why they return without hesitation.

“In other words, the culprit catches pigeons in the city, perhaps from churches or guilds, brings them here, turns them into zombies, and releases them. Pigeons fly back and forth between their nests and feeding areas every day.”

“For what purpose?”

“Presumably, they want to infect the churches and guilds, turning them into a horde of zombies.”

“So, someone with a grudge against both the churches and guilds?”

“Yes, that’s possible.”

“There might be individuals who hold grudges against either the churches or the guilds, but it’s a bit hard to imagine targeting both.”

“There could be many other places being targeted as well. It’s a simultaneous multi-attack, like a terrorist act.”

“Simultaneous attack?”

“When planning something like overthrowing a nation, you attack multiple targets at once, not just your main objective. It spreads resources thin and paralyzes urban functions. The real goal might be something else entirely.”

“…You seem oddly knowledgeable about this.”

9/11, right?

Similar to the simultaneous attacks in the U.S.

This time, it’s a bio-terrorism aimed at zombification. However, pigeons aren’t naturally aggressive toward humans. They’re not carnivorous.

…It might be a campaign aimed at spreading nuisance.

I wonder if it can infect through droppings? In some bio games, mice were used to spread infections.

Pigeons are often disliked by livestock farmers in disease-related contexts, sometimes referred to as “flying rats.”

“Pigeons might have been a test. It could still have been in the preparatory stage.”

“Shall we proceed?”

Bal-san taps his sword against his hip and speaks.

“I suppose there’s no other choice. We can’t waste time calling for backup.”

Taking out my magic bag, I ask Saran,

“What will Saran use?”

“I’ll go with a sword as well. Can’t swing a spear indoors.”

Saran puts away the bow and quiver she had been carrying and then used her custom-made sword attached to a barbed mace. Now that I think about it, this is the first time it’s being used in actual combat.

I load my familiar Remington M870 with a smoothbore slug barrel. Ammunition choice… perhaps slugs after all.

I pull back the forend, chamber a slug from the ejection port, return it to its original position, and load seven rounds into the tube magazine with a rattle.

In situations like this, it’s foolishly honest to charge straight through the main entrance hall.

Anyone would expect enemies entering from entry points to be met at those entry points. A breach should be made from an unexpected angle. Even an amateur like me understands that.

This is where my experience with games becomes useful.

Zombies lose when surrounded. Intercept and attack unilaterally from a distance.

Thank goodness for my experience playing bio games!

“Everyone, fall back. Put these on.”

“What’s this?”

“Earplugs. There’ll be loud noises.”

These are sponge-like earplugs. Made of memory foam, they fit perfectly in your ears.

You can still hear normal conversation with them, but they provide solid protection against the deafening sound of gunfire.

There’s no need for specialized shooting earplugs. Regular construction or industrial ones from a hardware store work just fine. The same goes for earmuffs and eye protectors – all of them are better bought at a hardware store. Buying them at a gun shop will cost five times as much.

I take aim and blow away the hinges of the casement window on the east side of the first floor, which is not yet buried in debris, in two places with my shotgun! (Note 2)

Bang!

“With me!”

Saran pulls the window off and leaps inside.

Following her, I go in, and then Bal-san.

Saran illuminates the interior with her flashlight.

Bal-san tears down the curtains, brightening up the room.

Seems like all the furniture has been removed. It’s a spacious room, empty and dust-laden, devoid of any sense of habitation.

We open the door and peer into the corridor.

Ugh… Guahh…

Something is approaching. We step back into the room, leaving the door ajar.

“Let’s counter them here. When they enter this room, I’ll take the first shot. If they get close, the two of you should take them down.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

Shuffle. Shuffle.

A dragging sound, and what entered the room is…

A zombie——!!

A real one——!!

Gamers would probably be thrilled, but for me, it’s just plain nauseating!

The smell of decay, tattered clothing, peeling and crumbling skin, milky white eyes. Some kind of juice drips from the open mouth, not saliva!

With a creaking sound, it turns its face slowly towards us.

Its movements seem quite sluggish.

Bang! Crack!

I’ll take a shot straight to the head.

Thud.

Fell backwards.

Firing a gun indoors, you can clearly feel the sudden increase in room pressure throughout your body. It’s like a momentary shrinking sensation. A peculiar feeling.

It would be quite a problem without earplugs.

One more target!

Targeting the zombie that entered right after, aiming for its head again.

At close range, aligning the sights and shooting ensures a precise hit.

Bang! Crack!

Ugh―――― I blew its head off, yet it’s staggering this way――――!

I was starting to panic, but then Saran swung her sword down!

Truly my wife!

Incredible power!

With a force that slices down like a falling priest’s vestment, she pushes it back and it too falls down, immobilized.

As I approach, I notice that half of its head has been blown away.

At this level, it won’t stop moving immediately…

Took down one and got a bit carried away. Saying “precise hit” won’t cut it if you don’t aim properly.

Yet, the slug round truly lives up to its reputation. Its close-quarter punching power might surpass that of a rifle.

Saran’s sword, too, seems to be genuinely blessed by Nanotesu. One hit, and it’s done.

“Thanks, Saran.”

“Leave it to me.”

“I should have a role to play too…”

Well, it’s better if you don’t, Bal-san.

“Let’s move on. Saran, light the way from behind.”

“So, this is a zombie… I’m seeing it for the first time too. They’re really corpses that have rotted and are moving.”

“This might be the burial suit they wear at funerals. Could be corpses dug up from a graveyard.”

“If corpses can be turned into zombies, there might be quite a few. You can make plenty.”

“Don’t say scary things, Shin.”

Having entered from the easternmost room, we leave each door open as we cautiously survey the interiors. We don’t want to foolishly step into an ambush, caught between rooms. It’s better to clear them one by one, starting from the corner rooms.

I wonder if there’s some kind of trap? Like a room locked with a key.

Such gaming thoughts do cross my mind from time to time.

Only the first two have come out; the rest haven’t shown themselves.

We proceed with caution.

A grand door.

Judging by the distance, this must be the main entrance hall.

Since it’s unlocked, I slowly and carefully open it.

The hall is dimly lit, thanks to the intertwined ivy and the grimy, neglected windows.

Swaying gently…

Something rose to its feet. A silhouette brandishing a sword!

Without hesitation!

Bang! Crack!

Four shots in rapid succession, and it tumbled!

Why hold back at all!

Initiative attack is the only choice!

Closing in, aiming for the fallen head!

Bang! Crack!

…It’s no longer moving.

“Is this… the hero?”

Bal-san uttered in a hoarse voice.

――――Author’s Note――――

※1. Gun Nuts

Gun enthusiasts, or one might say “gun geeks” in the Japanese context.

However, over there, gun enthusiasts are naturally dealing with actual firearms.

It seems that Americans are genuinely concerned about what would happen if their towns were overrun by zombies, to the extent that they’ve even commercialized “zombie-specific ammunition.” Reputable companies, even those known for high-quality products like light field ammunition, are taking this endeavor seriously. It’s a case of catering to the consumer demand to an extreme degree.

Of course, in the true spirit of America’s litigious society, the packaging carries the disclaimer, “Do not shoot at anything other than zombies.”

※2. Hinges

For those familiar with the knowledge that “In special forces, shotguns are used to blow doors open when entering rooms. Therefore, there is always a member carrying a shotgun, who shoots the lock on the door. A shotgun capable of opening any door is referred to as a ‘Master Key,'” please take note.

The side you shoot is opposite the side with the lock, where the hinges are. It should be apparent that shooting at a locked door or its doorknob will only transform it into a “door with a broken lock” if you think about it for a moment. The situation won’t improve at all.