Volume 4 Chapter 3 (1/2)
The air-conditioning was on andinside the empty casino where chips and cards were strewn everywhere But fortunately, there were no red slimes or half-melted victims
”Truth”
As we continued deeper in, Anastasia cliht the heavy case that reminded me of a container of industrial cleaner
”Orange juice?”
”It's important to stay hydrated Especially that Class Rep of yours since jetlag can be taxing on the body”
Since it came from behind the bar counter, was it a cocktail chaser?
”But how many liters is this? How many weeks does it take for an American to drink all of this?”
”I can't tell you anything about liters This is the country of pounds and gallons, remember?”
Even after I poured a glass for each of us, there didn't seem to be any less of it in the container It was too heavy and bulky to carry, so we left the bottle after drinking a glass each
”Oh, is that it, Truth?”
We found it in the very back, but in a location where the customers on the floor could see it
The thick metal door was of course closed, but that did not ht in
The secret underground passageway unavoidably reht Cross which had taken root deep below Kukyou City
The walls and floor made of silver stainless steel were lined with entirely sterile fluorescent lights
”(Tch I guess the floor isn't reflective enough to see up the Class Rep's skirt)”
”Truth?”
”No one cares about yours, little girl”
”That kind of hurts, you know!? It's not that I want you to see, but I don't like being entirely ignored either!!”
We continued our conversation while grappling a bit
”Is this a normal sort of facility that any casino would have?”
”Don't askto ensure our trust infor bank robberies isn't in transit or at the vault; it's when theloaded into the transport truck parked at the back entrance, so it would make sense to have a secret exit”
Anastasia smoothly answered me in her unnecessarily feminine japanese
Las Vegas was a casino city, so if each of those casinos had a secret like this, wouldn't the ground under the city be full of tunnels?
Once we entered a very long and straight passagee found a lot of people there A irl sat on the floor, and an elderly couple was holding each other close The people here were definite survivors When the co screams and prioritized their own safety And of course, ere no exception
Anastasia gestured us onward
”Focusing on the people here won't change anything Let's keep going, Truth”
”R-right”
I really didn't want to use this phrase ere up against those gels, but this was a fluid situation This place would not be safe forever and then the people here would leave like water being pumped out
I think the passageas
It took me a while to notice the rail embedded in the center of the floor There may have been an electric vehicle used to quickly travel its length
”Pant, pant We shouldn't have left that orange juice If I'd known this was co, I would have at least filled up a bottle with tap water I mean, that could make you sick if you're unlucky, but this is no time to be picky and deht, Truth?”
”Oh, that's right Water and food are going to become an issue from now on”
The gels see creatures, but it was unknown if they would eat ”dead” food such as the etables in the super, this would be a major problem indeed
Needless to say, we could not function without food and water That could lead to conflicts between huels
And if they could eat more than just humans, their movement patterns would be even more difficult to predict They would probably physically trap us and go in for the attack
”It's looking like Vegas ht be done for”
”Yeah, maybe so”
I chose not to provide a clear statement and stuck to a ”maybe”
”The situation is progressing at an accelerating rate,” said Maxwell ”If the dae spreads exponentially, it is easy to predict a scenario in which all people have vanished froels wander the streets”
”Maxwell, is the da anywhere else?”
”No There are so posted for amusement, but there is no objectivity to those reports For the tias only”
Contained, huh?
That s were a lot better than they could be
But to be honest, I found it difficult to i a counterattack I h even the tiniest gap Even if the actual danger went away, the dae place, so some would find it simpler to build a new casino city than to restore this one
Once our conversation started to die down, a stairway leading up finally caeway I had to wonder how eways ran below this city It felt like walking along just one of the pieces of yarn in a hand-knit scarf
We pressed our ears against the metal trap door to see e could hear outside
”I don't hear the wind anymore,” said Anastasia
”Let's hope that isn't just because the door is so thick”
”No Based on the personal site of a civilian ist, the sandstor several other sites to confirm”
I pressed ainst the door and took a deep breath After preparing myself, I slowly opened the trap door
A sudden galedid not blow us away
It was quiet
The sandstorm had apparently settled down But it was dark That had nothing to do eather conditions It was simply close to sunset But I could not appreciate the beautiful setting sun of that desert city At thefire
After I slowly cli my nose We were at a trash dump behind a restaurant The casino couriers s and buckets before sending theround
And a question occurred to me
”Why is it so quiet?”
Las Vegas was known for having e number on a weekday wasfro screams from every direction
”You're kidding, right?”
Anastasia sounded dazed as she nervously poked her head out
The Class Rep held that 11-year-old fro just feel that good to the touch?
”Satori-kun, does this mean?”
”Yes”
This was the worst case scenario
I placed that hurdle before us while praying that so
”Everyone has already been wiped out Those things have taken over Las Vegas”
That changed how I thought about any presences I sensed
The word ”survivors” vanished from my mind
I saw so move out of the corner of my eye
That presence was like a mass of fattened pride that did not even try to hide itself What was it that appeared from further down the alley? It was of course a translucent red slierator
It was bigger than they were before
Or was this several of them combined?
We did not have time to sit around and think about it
I kicked a rock at lass noisily shattered, the i, and the sandfor the gel to follow, I gestured the Class Rep and Anastasia
”(Run)”
The gel had come from further in the alley, so ere forced to flee toward the main road
But things were even worse there
The Class Rep flinched back like the sight had physically struck her
”Uuh!?”