Bio Defense ~A City Built in a World That Has Ended~

Chapter 4-1 NO.4

About thirty minutes had passed since Tachibana-san came to inform them that they would soon arrive. They informed the family they were traveling with and started packing their belongings. The truck slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop.

The door opened, and several men in work clothes stood there, led by Tachibana-san. Everyone on the truck got off, and the workers hurriedly unloaded the supplies.

“Welcome to NO.4. This area will be the center.”

Tachibana-san said this, spreading her arms wide and pointing around. Kanata and the others looked around, following his gesture.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary town. Except for the fact that there were hardly any people in sight. In front of them was a building that looked like a school, and the main gate was visible in the direction from which the truck had entered. The gate, made of iron, was now closed but could slide horizontally to open.

There were also sheets of board surrounding the gate and the visible range, not very thick but reinforced with single-tube pipes between the adjacent boards and the ground. Even with a slight breeze, they didn’t sway at all, indicating a certain level of strength.

It seemed that these boards were installed along the road, but the ones ahead were hidden by the shadow of the building.

“Those are new-type temporary fences that were supposed to be used in the facility construction plan.”

Tachibana-san came next to Kanata and explained, checking the file in her hand. There was a plan to build a large-scale resort and amusement facility in various locations across Shikoku, covering a wide area. The construction, which took into account its impact on foreign countries, had already begun.

Materials, supplies, and personnel had been sent to each planned site. Then, the panic that occurred interrupted these plans, and the focus shifted to survival.

The three major construction companies involved in the plan and Hinotori held a meeting, and they came up with a plan to survive.

The plan was to use the temporary fences, which were usually set up as sound and dust barriers around construction sites, as a defensive wall to surround the planned urban areas against the infected individuals. Once completed, the interior of the temporary fence would become a safe zone where people could live without worry.

The temporary fences, which were newly introduced in this construction project, were easy to move and connect, and once fixed, they could become a solid wall, making them ideal for this purpose.

With this in place, they planned to create a place to gather evacuees and supplies in Shikoku, which was easy to cut off external contact, and to accept them there. They would combine their strength to survive and work towards resolving the situation. To this end, they would fully utilize the facility construction plan, materials, personnel, and construction vehicles that were already in place.

Furthermore, they planned to build three cities at the points of contact between Shikoku and Honshu, with the meaning of a fortress, and then gather them in the center, creating a total of four cities. Additionally, as there were four companies involved, each company’s representative would take the lead in building each city.

As it was a sudden decision, they thought it was important to keep things simple and easy to understand, so each city was given a number as its nickname.

NO.1 city was in the southern part of Shikoku, in Kochi, where the major general contractor (Stock) Horai, which was at the center of the facility construction, was located. NO.2 city was in western Ehime, where Yamato, which mainly undertook construction and management of drawings, was located. NO.3 city was in northern Kagawa, where Yamashiro Kensetsu, which had the largest number of personnel and construction machinery, was located. And as for NO.4 city, it was in Tokushima, the eastern part of Shikoku, where the Hinotori Foundation was located, and they decided to create a city in Naruto City, which was at the eastern end of Shikoku and connected to Hyogo Prefecture via the San Naruto Bridge.

Well, each company probably had its own motives and ulterior motives, but Shikoku was a convenient location to protect themselves from the infected individuals.

After explaining all this in one go, Tachibana-san closed the file. Then, she took a step closer to Kanata and the others and said in a low voice,

“Also, the chairman has a special request for you. If your schedule allows, I’d like you to accompany us all after this.”

It seemed that “all of you” meant that they would wait until Subaru and Daigo arrived and then go together.

Of course, Kanata and the others, who had just arrived as evacuees, had no plans, and since Tachibana-san offered to prepare a place for them to live in the meantime, they had no choice but to accept.

When Kanata and the others agreed, Tachibana-san asked them to wait for a moment and explained to the family who had come on the same truck where the evacuees were being gathered.

“Hey, isn’t the chairman the old lady you guys saved? She seems like a really important person. Are we okay?”

While waiting, Haruka asked this question, sounding worried.

“No, we didn’t know she was such an important person either. She looked like a friendly old lady.”

Kanata replied to Haruka’s question.

Just then, Subaru appeared, carrying his luggage and calling out to them with a loud voice, “Hey, Kanata! Haruka!” Daigo was also by his side.

It seemed that Subaru and Daigo’s truck had also arrived. The unloading of their supplies had also begun.

It seemed that there were also five evacuees on that truck, and after getting off the truck, they looked confused, but a woman like Tachibana-san came and guided them somewhere.

Subaru and Daigo tried to follow them, but Kanata and the others stopped them and explained what had happened, deciding to wait there.

NO city… Kanata and the others looked around again, and it seemed that the area inside the fence was now safe, as people were walking around normally.

However, they occasionally saw groups of 5 to 6 people wearing matching uniforms and carrying weapons.

These groups, who looked like security personnel, gave Kanata and the others suspicious looks as they passed by, which made them feel uneasy.

“They give off a bad vibe, don’t they?”

Haruka, who had also felt their gaze, came closer and said this.

“Yeah, I feel like they think we’re suspicious. If that’s the case, they should come and talk to us, right?”

Haruka pouted.

“That’s right. If they have something to say, they should just talk to us normally and ask.”

Just then, Subaru suddenly said, “Hey, you guys, you’re getting pretty close, aren’t you? What’s this, did you finally get together?”

Kanata and Haruka quickly turned around, and there were Subaru’s smirking face and Daigo’s troubled expression trying to stop him.

“What! What are you talking about all of a sudden? That’s not true!”

Haruka, who reflexively took a step back, argued.

“Come on, Subaru-kun.”

Daigo was trying to stop Subaru by grabbing his shoulder, but it seemed like he was enjoying the situation, as he showed no signs of stopping.

Since that night on the truck a few days ago, Kanata and Haruka had felt like they had understood each other a little better, and Haruka had started to feel closer to him. It was true that his attitude might have shown it, but why did he have to notice these things so quickly?

Kanata was about to retort with a mix of exasperation and embarrassment when Daigo suddenly stood between them.

“Come on! Stop it. It’s a good thing, you know. In this situation, if you have feelings for someone, you should tell them, or you might regret it later.”

Daigo was trying to support them, but he was already talking as if they were already together. Haruka’s face was turning red by the second.

“Wait, wait, you guys…”

Kanata was about to argue, but Tachibana-san came over with a very warm look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation. I was actually planning to watch quietly for a while longer, but the chairman has finished preparing, so may I guide you?”

Tachibana-san said this with a smile. Kanata felt like she had been listening the whole time and sighed, agreeing. Next to him, Haruka was blushing and looking down.

Tachibana-san guided them, and they began to move away from the spot.

Kanata felt awkward, but Haruka didn’t seem to mind, and she walked next to him, saying,

“Subaru-kun made us say weird things, didn’t he?”

Haruka was still blushing slightly, but she was smiling.

Kanata also started to realize that it wasn’t so bad, and he noticed that he didn’t mind being close to Haruka.

The group was guided by Tachibana-san and entered the school building. It was probably originally an elementary school, as there were still many remnants of it, even after various modifications. They were led to a room at the back, and there was a sign that said “Principal’s Office” at the entrance.

“Tachibana here.”

Tachibana-san stood at the entrance and said this, and the sliding door opened, revealing two muscular men standing inside. They could only hear Matsushiba-san’s voice from the back.

The voice said, “Come in,” but the two men didn’t move.

“I told you it’s okay. You can go in and take a break.”

This time, a slightly stronger voice was heard.

“But Chairman…”

The men still seemed hesitant, but they were told again, “I told you it’s okay!” They looked at each other and then stepped aside.

As they entered the room, Kanata and the others were once again given suspicious looks.

The room was spacious on the left side from the entrance, and Matsushiba-san was sitting at the desk in the back.

“Phew, this is exhausting…”

Matsushiba-san sighed, and her face looked a little worn out.

TIPS: The Setting Collection Part 7: Temporary Fences and Protective Walls

These are the fences commonly seen at large construction sites. They are usually fixed with scaffolding, but the ones used in the NO. cities are a new type with wheels attached to the temporary fences, allowing two adults to move them. When fixing them, the wheel parts can be removed and driven into the ground, and the adjacent temporary fences can be joined together, making them much stronger than they look. Fortunately, a large number of these had been prepared for the construction of large facilities.