I’m In A World Infested By Zombies… But I Have Special Perks As A Formerly Isekai’d Person! - Chapter 20: Great Harvest

Chapter 20: Great Harvest

Hayato decided to search for supplies to conduct a transaction with Kirigaoka Agricultural High School.

What he desired was seeds for crops.

Kirigaoka Agricultural High School cultivated a diverse range of crops, and their collection of seed varieties was extensive.

– Rice: Japonica rice, glutinous rice

– Vegetables: Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, radishes

– Fruits: Strawberries, melons, oranges, apples, grapes, pineapples, papayas

– Others: Shiitake mushrooms, tree seedlings

Among these, pineapples and papayas required a greenhouse to grow.

Even with suitable land, Hayato, an ordinary student, might not be able to cultivate all of them successfully.

However, if he stored the seeds in the storage space, he could maintain their condition until the right environment was available, and then plant them in sequence.

If any of the crops grew, it would enrich their diet, and so it was an opportunity not to be missed to exchange for these seeds.

“Although, seedlings might be faster…”

There was the option of visiting a region famous for apples, obtaining seedlings, and then heading to their destination.

As the weather would soon turn hot, they could first move to Aomori Prefecture, and then move south after the summer.

While considering these possibilities, Hayato headed towards the home center where he had acquired the hose and pump.

The home center’s shutters were damaged, but Hayato had confirmed that he could enter.

There were still many supplies left inside.

Food and batteries near the entrances, of course, were long gone.

Other items had also been taken, but the hose and pump were still there.

Thus, Hayato hoped to find something useful to exchange.

“If only I could bring along teachers like Kobayashi, they would know what’s useful, and we could move faster…”

Hayato couldn’t determine what the agricultural high school currently needed.

Despite his concerns, he entered the home center, holding a lamp to light his way.

The interior remained dim, as before.

The fallen shelves and scattered merchandise remained untouched.

Hayato had visited this place a few times before the transfer, but he didn’t have a complete understanding of the store layout.

Since he had already checked that there was nothing of value near the entrances, he had no choice but to explore the interior.

“First, I’ll check the area next to the tools section.”

Holding the lamp, Hayato walked while recalling the store’s structure in his mind.

He remembered finding the hose and pump in the tools section.

Next to that area, he recalled seeing a variety of unusual tools.

Carefully stepping over the fallen merchandise, he noticed that several items remained on the shelves.

“Can this be useful?”

What caught his eye was a weed control sheet.

A weed control sheet is a sheet laid on the ground to prevent the growth of weeds by blocking sunlight.

It effectively inhibits the growth of weeds by blocking light.

Weeds could be removed by weeding, but the weed control sheet could prevent them from growing in the first place.

“The problem is that it looks heavy…”

Kirigaoka Agricultural High School could probably make good use of it, but without using the storage space, Hayato couldn’t carry enough to cover a field.

If he carried it himself, it would be extremely conspicuous.

Although it was useful, Hayato hesitated to retrieve and carry it.

“The weed control sheet won’t work.”

It would also be awkward to keep it for himself.

Hayato gave up on the idea and looked at the neighboring corner.

There, he found a small threshing machine for separating grains from the stalks of rice and wheat, a small rice huller for separating brown rice from rice husks, and a single-pass rice mill for polishing brown rice into white rice.

The threshing machine could process 100 kilograms of rice stalks per hour.

The rice huller could process 100 kilograms of brown rice per hour.

The single-pass rice mill could process 30 kilograms of brown rice per hour.

However, they required electricity, with the threshing machine needing 100V 400W, the rice huller 100V 250W, and the rice mill 100V 450W.

They seemed to be smaller machines designed for part-time farmers rather than full-time farmers.

“I’ll take the rice machines for myself.”

Hayato assumed that Kirigaoka Agricultural High School, being a more professional institution, would have better equipment.

However, since Hayato planned to grow crops himself, it wouldn’t hurt to have these machines for personal use.

There was only one threshing machine and one rice huller, but there were two rice mills, probably because some households used them at home, considering potential breakdowns.

The main issue was the lack of a power source, but that was a problem for another day.

As Hayato looked at the neighboring shelves, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

At the bottom of the shelf was a large inverter gasoline generator.

“No way…”

The inverter generator ran on regular gasoline for cars.

It had multiple outlets: AC/15A x 2 + 30A x 1, and DC/1.

Its rated output (kVA) was 2.8, which meant it could provide 2800W of power.

Thus, it could power the 450W machines.

Hayato had collected high-octane gasoline, but it would work just fine with regular gasoline.

The fuel tank capacity was 12.7 liters.

There were also two 20-liter cans of engine oil, “10W30SP (API) CF.”

Hayato couldn’t believe his eyes, but upon closer inspection, he found a thick security chain attached to the back of the generator, firmly connecting it to the shelf.

“The chain is connected to the shelf. That’s why it’s still here.”

Even with the tools inside the home center, it seemed impossible to destroy the chain manually.

Satisfied, Hayato pulled the long chain out in front of the shelf and took out his spear from the storage space. He swung it high above his head and brought it down with all his might.

A dull thud echoed as the chain shattered.

Hayato exhaled and sheathed his spear.

“Having a generator makes a big difference…”

Although it was a single unit, it would be useful once they started growing rice.

Hayato continued deeper into the store, his expectations rising with each item he found.

As he looked under the shelves, he noticed something fallen there.

He crouched down and reached out, finding a box of work gloves.

The box read, “Rubber-coated, smart touch, washable, 12 pairs.”

“Consumables like these are always useful, no matter how many you have.”

Kirigaoka Agricultural High School would probably use work gloves for various tasks.

Hayato believed these consumables could be exchanged for crop seeds.

After collecting the gloves, Hayato raised the lamp slightly and looked around.

He remembered that, according to his memory from more than three years ago, there were sundry goods placed at the back of the aisle.

Hayato began walking towards that direction.

Perhaps Hayato had let his guard down.

As he walked, distracted, something suddenly grabbed his foot.

“Ugh!”

Hayato pulled his foot back, and the zombie that had grabbed his ankle was dragged out.

It seemed the zombie had been trapped between the fallen shelves and couldn’t move.

Hayato, in a panic, shook his leg violently, tearing the zombie’s hand off his ankle.

The powerful kick sent the nearby merchandise flying, colliding with the door to the backroom at the end of the aisle.

The zombie’s body, which had been trapped under the fallen shelves, was pulled out, but Hayato managed to free himself from the zombie’s grasp.

“Ugh…”

In that moment, the zombie, which had been trapped under the shelves, regained its freedom and let out a raspy groan.

Its face, half-crushed, looked particularly eerie in the dimly lit store.

While Hayato put the gloves away, the zombie in front of him crawled towards him, reaching out with its grotesque hands.

Hayato felt a bad premonition and retreated, looking around.

In the dimly lit area, he could see the backroom beyond the aisle, where the merchandise he had kicked had collided with the door.

There, countless shadows were moving.

“Now I understand why so many items were left behind.”

There were a considerable number of zombies inside the home center.

That’s why people had a hard time taking items, and some were left behind.

The zombies in the backroom were probably there because the previous explorer had been chased and had run into the backroom for safety.

The zombies that had chased them had knocked over some shelves, and the zombies had been trapped in the backroom until Hayato kicked the door and released them.

The freed zombies were now drawn to the commotion in the store and were approaching in large numbers.

“How many of you are there?”

Hayato let out a low curse, picked up the lamp, and began to retreat.

He judged that it was no longer possible to explore and started running towards the entrance.

The zombies, in the dim light, were chasing him with irregular footsteps.

“I’m faster, but if I trip, it’ll be disastrous.”

Hayato imagined the zombies closing in on him in the darkness, and a shiver ran down his spine.

It wasn’t a question of whether he could win or not. Even if he was stronger than a small G-type creature, he didn’t want to be touched by them, just like with the zombies.

“I don’t like it, and that’s that.”

He absolutely didn’t want to encounter old man zombies.

Even former beautiful zombies were not welcome.

Hayato continued running out of the store, avoiding the piles of scattered merchandise at his feet.

Eventually, he spotted the damaged shutters and burst out of the store, not daring to look back.

Even so, he kept running.

From inside the shutters, he could hear the raspy groans of the zombies. The voices grew louder, and soon, zombies began pouring out of the entrance.

“This place is done for now.”

Hayato spat out these words and took out his bicycle, starting to ride down the country road.

He was probably being chased, but he intended to pull away with all his might.

Thus, the second Kirigaoka Citizen Marathon, organized by Hayato, began in grand fashion.