A small black dot moved steadily down the wide coastal highway.

It was a sleek black sedan carrying Sosuke Kitahara and the other three girls, cruising smoothly along the seaside road. On their right, the endless ocean shimmered under the afternoon light, with ships sailing in the distance.

Farther out on the horizon, warships loomed silently like immovable fortresses, standing tall against the sky, solemn, unyielding, and imposing.

In the past, such a sight might've sparked curious conversations. But now, not one of them spoke. Everyone knew exactly what had caused this eerie peace. And as for those warships none of them had the qualifications to even set foot on one.

"The main road into the city is completely blocked. No wonder the coastal highway's so empty."

Yukino Yukinoshita pulled her gaze back into the car, lowering the binoculars she had been using. At the intersection ahead, all four directions were jammed with abandoned vehicles of all kinds. A massive pile-up sat dead center, dozens of cars crashed together some even flipped onto others.

"When the outbreak started, everything descended into chaos. You saw it too," said Haruno Yukinoshita, arms crossed as she leaned back. "People panicked. No one followed traffic rules anymore. Red lights? Lanes? They didn't matter. Cars sped wherever they could, people ran like headless chickens… A mess was inevitable."

"Some were trying to get into the city to rescue loved ones. Others were trying to flee. No one wanted to give way. Collisions turned into pileups..."

"Good thing we didn't go that way," Utaha Kasumigaoka said with relief, reclining in the passenger seat and letting out a long breath. "We'd probably still be stuck looping around the city right now."

"We were lucky."

Sosuke Kitahara smiled faintly, eyes on the road as he drove. No one in the car knew just how much planning had gone into this so-called "luck."

From the beginning, he had ruled out airports. Narita was too far, and Haneda, though closer, sat on an isolated strip of land connected only by a few bridges natural chokepoints. When the panic hit, those spots were guaranteed to become crowded warzones.

Even if someone managed to board a plane, there was always the risk someone had hidden a zombie bite. All it took was one transformation mid-flight, and the entire cabin would become a flying death trap.

As for taking the Shinkansen at Tokyo Station? Absolutely not. Sosuke had experienced that nightmare in a past life being trapped inside a train car as the infected closed in. Never again.

That left only one choice: a car.

Getting a vehicle in the apocalypse wasn't difficult. Even without a key, he had ways to get the engine running. He had studied Tokyo's road network in detail and originally planned to alternate between walking and driving use the car where it was clear, ditch it and proceed on foot when it wasn't.

That's why, when Haruno offered a helicopter, he'd been tempted but it turned out the destination was a pier, not a helipad.

A development he hadn't considered at all.

Maybe fate really was playing its hand.

Sosuke shook his head slightly.

"If only the roads stayed this clear, we could drive right up to the dock." Yukino leaned her head against the window, gently wiping down the pistol Sosuke had handed her. But then the car began to slow.

Sosuke glanced at the rearview mirror and sighed. "We're out of luck."

Ahead, the road narrowed and a series of cars blocked the path. Beyond them, the silhouettes of various yachts peeked through.

"Well, technically, we made it," Yukino said, her voice a little sheepish as she lowered her head. "At least we can see the dock."

"Pass me the binoculars," Sosuke said, pulling the car to a stop. He climbed out, and the girls felt the vehicle dip slightly as his weight left it. Haruno rolled her eyes and followed, only to see him perched on the roof, scanning the area.

"The coastal road's open, but we won't be able to drive down to the dock. It's completely blocked," he said, handing the binoculars to Haruno as she climbed up beside him.

The binoculars looked ordinary, but they were far superior to the cheap camouflage-styled ones you'd find at a convenience store.

"There are a lot of them…" Haruno muttered as she adjusted the focus.

"At least a couple hundred. And I'm sure there are more we can't see. Some could be hiding in the cars," Sosuke said. "Which one is our yacht?"

The way he said "our" made Haruno freeze for a second. Her mood lifted for some reason. She pointed cheerfully, "That one by the speedboat. The two-story one. You'll see the Yukinoshita family crest on the hull."

"That one?" Sosuke lifted the binoculars again and couldn't help but mutter, "Whoa, that's huge. I thought we were just getting a regular yacht."

It spanned dozens of meters in both length and height definitely not cheap. While not quite at the level of multi-million-dollar superyachts, it far exceeded his expectations.

The difference between people really was staggering.

A hint of envy crept into Sosuke's chest.

"Wait, does that mean we can finally take a shower tonight?!" Utaha spun around with wide eyes. "Yukino, tell me that's true."

Yukino nodded, a smile finally breaking across her face. After days on the run, none of them had time to properly clean up. Her clothes felt like they were rotting. It was unbearable.

But Haruno crushed their joy with a splash of cold water. "Don't celebrate too soon. That dock is swarming with the dead. And the road's jammed."

"Everyone out," Sosuke said as he dropped from the car roof. He checked the time it was already past 3 p.m. In late September, the sun would start to set around 5:30 p.m., which meant less than two and a half hours of daylight.

His expression turned serious.

"This area's too open. Once night falls, it'll be ten times more dangerous. No matter what's waiting ahead we get to that yacht before sunset."

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