Fushimi extended a finger, first pointing at Minamoto Tamako: "The future famous detective and police chief, carrying a handgun with two blank rounds and three live rounds..." Then, he pointed at himself: "An ordinary adult male criminal police officer, healthy and capable of slicing bullets with a knife..." Finally, he concluded: "The two of us, facing a little girl holding a crossbow, indeed very dangerous, cannot act impulsively."

Minamoto Tamako had nothing to retort, she pouted and said: "Alright, shouldn't we take some protective measures before going down?"

"Makes sense."

Fushimi went to the kitchen and grabbed a fruit knife, weighing it in his hands, getting familiar with the short knife's weight.

Today, he went out in formal attire, as is customary for working in Japan, wearing a suit and tie. Due to the hot weather, he had taken off his jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to his arms, and tied them with sleeve bands, while tucking the shirt's hem into the belt buckle. He looked elegant, his physique outstanding, but in his hand, he held a cold and sharp knife.

Minamoto Tamako inexplicably found his outfit very appealing, with a strong sense of contrast. She secretly raised her flip-phone mobile, hiding behind the kitchen sliding door, and sneakily snapped a photo like an infatuated girl.

But she forgot to turn off the flash and also forgot to mute the sound.

Fushimi turned his head, making eye contact with Minamoto Tamako, suspecting that she was taking photos for evidence... In case he accidentally killed the little girl, Minamoto Tamako might take him to court.

It's better to be careful.

Minamoto Tamako felt very embarrassed, her face turning red, quickly pulling her head back, leaving only a single strand of hair swaying by the door. She turned around in place twice, feeling a bit at a loss, pretending to be busy but not knowing what she was actually busy with.

"Didn't you say we should take some protective measures?" Fushimi slid open the sliding door, poking his head in to inquire.

Minamoto Tamako felt like she was being cornered, even though Fushimi wasn't pinning her against the wall with one hand, nor was he standing directly in front of her, she just felt blocked with no way out.

"I, I... I was just about to get into the kitchen!"

She ducked her head and darted into the kitchen, looking around, grabbed a frying pan to use as a shield, padded a chopping board on her chest as armor, and put a pot lid on her head as a helmet, feeling fully equipped and secure.

"Ok! Let's go!"

Minamoto Tamako adjusted her mood, pretending the photo incident never happened, and took the lead saying: "You be careful, stay behind me, don't run around so I can protect you..."

She held the pan in her left hand and the gun in her right hand, tucked the folding phone into her waistband, turned on the flashlight again, and moved slowly into the basement.

Fushimi followed behind her, to avoid violating the rules of 'not overtaking the captain', 'not questioning the captain's abilities', and 'not talking back to the captain'.

The wooden staircase was old and dilapidated, creaking with every step, echoing clearly in the empty basement.

"Don't be afraid..."

Minamoto Tamako, while descending the stairs, tried to soothe the girl's nerves: "We are police... we're good people..."

She used the flashlight to survey the basement environment.

The space inside was not large, the four walls unpainted, with red bricks exposed, many shelves standing by the walls, filled with cans, compressed biscuits, emergency medical kits, and regular toolboxes... She twisted her waist, turned the light, and also saw a generator, a small TV, and a folding bed.

At this moment, Nishino Fuyu was huddled in the corner, holding the crossbow with trembling hands aimed at them.

Minamoto Tamako met Nishino Fuyu's gaze, it was evident the girl was extremely tense and scared, she quickly comforted: "We won't harm you!"

But this, like her previous two sentences, had no effect, Nishino Fuyu didn't even lower the crossbow.

Fushimi stood behind her, hiding the fruit knife behind his back to avoid provoking the little girl. He leaned past Minamoto Tamako's shoulder, taking the opportunity to ask: "Is your brother Nishino Ruta? He asked us to pick you up."

Upon hearing this, Nishino Fuyu's eyes lit up, and with surprise, slightly lowered the crossbow, excitedly asked: "Yes! Did my brother give you a code word?"

Code word? What code word?

Minamoto Tamako looked back, signaling Fushimi to continue speaking. But how could he know what code word Nishino Ruta had agreed upon with his sister, so he could only make something up: "No, we left in a bit of a hurry..."

Nishino Fuyu became nervous again, her small face full of worry: "Was it the zombie horde that separated you?"

What's a zombie horde?

Minamoto Tamako was about to ask, but Fushimi interjected: "Yes, we encountered a zombie attack, the whole city has been under lockdown for a month, and we cannot get out temporarily…"

He planned to go along with her words for now, to calm Nishino Fuyu's emotions. Unexpectedly, hearing this, Nishino Fuyu became even more agitated, trembling hands gripping the crossbow arrow: "I... I don't have enough food here! If you're looking for food, please go elsewhere!"

Fushimi immediately realized this, quickly changing his tactic, saying: "We're not here to rob; we have a base at the convenience store, with more supplies than you!"

"R-really…"

Nishino Fuyu hesitated for a moment and said: "Then please, police sir and police miss, take off your clothes and let me check for wounds..."

Minamoto Tamako was dumbfounded; she glanced at Fushimi, not able to refrain from interjecting: "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? We are different genders, you know."

"Then, you can come down one at a time…" Nishino Fuyu suggested.

"That's still not acceptable." Minamoto Tamako didn't want Fujimura-kun to appear naked in front of the little girl, whether subjective or forced; doing so was somewhat too perverse.

This statement agitated Nishino Fuyu, her hand shook, accidentally pulling the trigger, sending an arrow whistling through the air. Minamoto Tamako reacted swiftly, ducking her head as if a turtle was retreating into its shell, hiding behind the frying pan.

There was a clang, and the frying pan in her hand quivered, deflecting the arrow away.

Seizing the chance before Nishino Fuyu could reload the crossbow, Fushimi lunged forward, pinning her to the bed, and snatched the crossbow away.

"Give it back! Give it back!" Nishino Fuyu struggled and squirmed.

Fushimi greatly wanted to slap her twice, just as a lesson to the brat. But remembering that Minamoto Tamako was the captain, he could only maintain a blank expression and 'gently' restrain Nishino Fuyu, letting the Turtle Captain soothe the girl's emotions.

"We're really not here to hurt you…"

Minamoto Tamako consoled her a bit, but it was of little effect; Nishino Fuyu still squirmed incessantly. Fushimi, running out of patience, interjected: "Your brother is already dead."

Upon hearing this, Nishino Fuyu went quiet as though she were a puppet whose string had snapped, lying still on the bed.

Soon after, a low sobbing sound was heard from below her pillow.

Minamoto Tamako shot him a fierce glare but didn't call out Fushimi's mistake. She softly patted Nishino Fuyu's back, waiting for her to regain composure, then coaxed her again, finally breaking down the girl's resistance.

Fushimi thought of quickly wrapping up the case, proceeded to subtly ask what happened. Nishino Fuyu recounted her experience, and the two listened quietly. They exchanged looks, seeing anger and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

According to Nishino Fuyu, her brother was a fan of zombie movies, often renting videotapes and watching movies and drinking beer to relax after work.

Nishino Fuyu, influenced by her brother's habits, also watched quite a few, including classics such as "Night of the Living Dead," "Zombie Cage," "Walking with Zombies"… She frequently heard her brother claim that city dwellers are idiots and that living in the countryside is the safest if a zombie outbreak occurs.

Nishino Fuyu, still young, didn't understand what "lose" meant, nor grasped the "Ah Q spirit," but Fushimi had seen it often enough; such people are probably like those who think "Mercedes E is junk," "drinking tap water is the healthiest," or "living on the mountains won't get flooded if Japan sinks."

At this age, the girl greatly admired her brother, especially because there was nearly a generation gap between them, so she always thought her brother's words made a lot of sense.

Nishino Fuyu remembers, about two months ago, a guest came to their home, and her brother talked a lot with the guest about zombies...

Since that day, her brother changed.

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