Chapter 10 - 2
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Shizuka was unwilling to gamble her life, so she pulled the shotgun from the bag behind her and turned off the safety before aiming.
"EH?!"
*DZOOP*
12 pellets hurled at 1050 feet per second right into the strange zombie's mouth, shredded its throat and blew the back of its skull. Such is the power of a shotgun fired at close range, if not point blank.
There wasn't enough time for the payload to spread, and the mixed chunk of mass retained its velocity through a soft target like a knife through butter.
She put the safety on again and put the shotgun back where it belonged, much to the confusion of Aikawa. Shizuka ignored him and rejoined her students in a pitched battle.
"Aikawa! What are you loligagging for?!" Chief of the police screamed.
"My apologies!"
In all honesty, Shizuka didn't expect they'd face such a fight before they could arrive on site. This lines up with the report that zombies love to wander around at night but prefer to stay indoors during the daytime.
"You guys tired yet?"
"Not particularly, Sensei," Yui said as she smacked away a zombie. "We were just a little surprised."
"Totsuka! Don't screw around! Bash them properly!" Yumiko yelled.
"On it!" Saika decided that an overhead swing would work this time, and it worked too well, causing him to get splattered. "Eeek!"
"Why are you still squeamish? Nevermind!" Shizuka thought.
The reinforcement came in the form of a flood patrol car. Which is really just a tiny police truck with floodlights. However, at the back of the car were a couple of hunters with their guns pointed forward.
"Why are you so late?!" The Chief of the police screamed.
"Apologies! We mopped up the stragglers in the back. There should be nothing left within 300 meters of this area!"
Shizuka noticed that the 'hunters' looked suspiciously young when it was well-known that most hunters in Japan have aging problems. Young people don't consider the profession worth the hassle or something that warrants a future.
Oho.
While that early fight was unexpected, it might be a blessing in disguise. By the time they secured the fabrication site, there was little to no possible threat of zombies, giving them time to rest and recover.
"Have a cool drink, everyone." Yumiko carried the icebox with her. "Good job!"
Everyone immediately drank a bottle of electrolytes. Their clothes were drenched as if they walked out of water.
"Give some to the police as well. The sealed bottles." Shizuka told Yui.
Yui nodded. While bottled drinks are precious, it was a brilliant way to secure goodwill. Not just to work together seamlessly but also to be polite.
...
"Sensei, about the gun..." Chief of the police asked. "Could we see the papers?"
Shizuka grinned but swore inwardly. "Bastards."
The police were clearly suspicious. But they refused to say anything, and Shizuka knew why. So they returned the paper to Shizuka with a polite smile after they inspected it, and unable to confirm without directly asking Chiba Police HQ and the Prefectural government.
Legal documents sure are handy!
"Speaking of which, we heard a gunshot, but that was quite faint. Was it Sensei's gun?"
"Well, it's loaded somewhat mild. 1.5 ounces, 12 buckshots at 1050 feet per second." Shizuka told them as she showed her empty shell. The shell she fired to kill the weird zombie. "Works well with the suppressor."
"Since we're here anyway, it's a good chance to resupply," Aikawa said. "I'm pretty sure they're pretty interested in your loadout."
"Eyy." Shizuka winced when she saw the glistening eyes of the hunters. "Are you talking about reloading or trading?"
"To be honest, we have an excess of bird shots. And we haven't secured the reloading equipment, so exchanging load is difficult." One of the more aged-looking hunters said. "If Sensei is so kind, we'd like to trade some of them."
"Ish, really?" Shizuka couldn't believe what she heard. "My apologies, but I know my way around firearms. Birdshots are literally useless against zombies at a range beyond 5-6 meters."
While there are myriad types of shotgun load, it can be split into three common categories: slug, buckshot, and birdshot. A slug is a fat bullet shoved into a shell. Buckshots are big pellets for hunting medium game like deer, elk, etc. Bird shots are tiny pellets to kill birds and other small animals.
Most shotgun shells are often loaded by weight instead of quantity. However, 1 ounce slug, 1 ounce worth of buck shots, and 1 ounce of bird shots behave differently. Bird shots already have a hard time killing a living human beyond 10 meters because they spread the damage too much. Against zombies which require headshots, the estimated range is 5-6 meters.
Trading buck shots for bird shots in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Scam. Pure scam.
"Two to one!" One of them said. "I'll trade one birdshot shell for two buckshot shells!"
Two to one? Interesting proposition.
HOWEVER!
"Three to one." Komachi stepped up. "Three birdshot shells to one buckshot."
"Oh shit." Hachiman scoffed and walked away. "I am not getting involved with Ms. Hard Bargain. Have fun."
Komachi managed to fool her big brother into joining this summer camp event. His statement wasn't an exaggeration.
"Please don't be unreasonable! Three-to-one trade is too much!"
"Yeah, that's unfair."
"Ah, ah, ah. Uncles and grandpa, do you prefer three ammo you don't want to use or one you want and can use anytime." Komachi winked and wiggled her finger.
"Think about it. Sensei is a monster in close combat. She barely needed a gun to begin with. We survived this far without one. Without the helicopter, this gun would have been stuck in Chiba!" Komachi said as she slapped the gun bag.
What Komachi said had another subtext. In Shizuka's hands, the bird shots can still be utilized in close-range gunfighting. But the hunters have neither the fighting skill nor the courage to face the zombie yet.
And who can blame them? Shizuka's group is considered convenient nutjobs. Even the local gangs are now interested in them.
"We might or might not meet again in the future, but are you going to gamble it?" Komachi pointed. "For survival, there's nothing too expensive."
It was scary how compelling Komachi was. These hunters were about to give up any second.
"Alright. How many birdshots are you willing to trade?" The Chief of the police tried to mediate. "For public interest, I will record this transaction as legally protected firearm trade."
The hunters talked with each other and decided they offered 25 birdshots for 8 buckshots. That's one extra shell higher than the trade offer. They must be desperate to get these buckshots shells.
But that's understandable. Shizuka estimated that the maximum effective range of 00 buckshot against zombies is 20-30 meters, depending on luck.
"So, how about it, Sensei?" Komachi asked. "Am I getting ahead of myself or not?"
Tempting. It's not like Shizuka has an infinite supply of ammo herself. Even if they're only effective up to 6 meters or less, the birdshots shells packed a 12 gauge punch of pure destructiveness.
Also, Komachi literally crossed her fingers as she grinned at Shizuka. This kid is playing the devil right now.
Terrifying, indeed. No wonder Hachiman ran away. Shizuka will make sure to throw Komachi at future trade negotiations.
"Sensei. I'm going to the factory to check the truck with the workers." Tobe said. "Is it fine?"
"I'll see if there's anything I could help in the fabrication," Hayato said. "If we could learn something, that would be helpful."
"Eh? You guys think we should spend a night?" Yumiko asked. "Although... I guess it would be useful to stay."
"I'm kinda worried about our base camp," Hina mumbled. "We did bring sleeping bags, but... what about food?"
"Knowledge is power. Let's go cook dinner, Komachi." Hachiman said as he passed by.
"Right. We did bring some food with us, did we? Time to find a kitchen." Komachi shouted. "What about it, Sensei?"
"Well..."
Shizuka was conflicted. On the one hand, they brought their radio equipment, medicine, and a quarter of their food supplies here. On the other hand, they left three-quarters of their food supply in the camp, plus hard-earned luxuries.
While replaceable, it would still be a significant loss if they got robbed.
[ ] Trade out Subsonic Buckshots shells (T3 Shells, 8)
Execute the trade as Komachi arranged. 3:1 trade.
[ ] Trade out Subsonic Buckshots shells (T3 Shells, 10)
Throw out a few more to gain reps and build trust. 5:2 trade.
[ ] Don't trade
It's not worth it.
[ ] "We should stay."
While staying would be uncomfortable, they could learn something from experience.
[ ] "We should return."
Nothing can beat the safety and comfort of the home base.
[ ] "Maybe we can split the group"
Hopefully nothing bad happens. Big risk, big return.
"EH?!"
*DZOOP*
12 pellets hurled at 1050 feet per second right into the strange zombie's mouth, shredded its throat and blew the back of its skull. Such is the power of a shotgun fired at close range, if not point blank.
There wasn't enough time for the payload to spread, and the mixed chunk of mass retained its velocity through a soft target like a knife through butter.
She put the safety on again and put the shotgun back where it belonged, much to the confusion of Aikawa. Shizuka ignored him and rejoined her students in a pitched battle.
"Aikawa! What are you loligagging for?!" Chief of the police screamed.
"My apologies!"
In all honesty, Shizuka didn't expect they'd face such a fight before they could arrive on site. This lines up with the report that zombies love to wander around at night but prefer to stay indoors during the daytime.
"You guys tired yet?"
"Not particularly, Sensei," Yui said as she smacked away a zombie. "We were just a little surprised."
"Totsuka! Don't screw around! Bash them properly!" Yumiko yelled.
"On it!" Saika decided that an overhead swing would work this time, and it worked too well, causing him to get splattered. "Eeek!"
"Why are you still squeamish? Nevermind!" Shizuka thought.
The reinforcement came in the form of a flood patrol car. Which is really just a tiny police truck with floodlights. However, at the back of the car were a couple of hunters with their guns pointed forward.
"Why are you so late?!" The Chief of the police screamed.
"Apologies! We mopped up the stragglers in the back. There should be nothing left within 300 meters of this area!"
Shizuka noticed that the 'hunters' looked suspiciously young when it was well-known that most hunters in Japan have aging problems. Young people don't consider the profession worth the hassle or something that warrants a future.
Oho.
While that early fight was unexpected, it might be a blessing in disguise. By the time they secured the fabrication site, there was little to no possible threat of zombies, giving them time to rest and recover.
"Have a cool drink, everyone." Yumiko carried the icebox with her. "Good job!"
Everyone immediately drank a bottle of electrolytes. Their clothes were drenched as if they walked out of water.
"Give some to the police as well. The sealed bottles." Shizuka told Yui.
Yui nodded. While bottled drinks are precious, it was a brilliant way to secure goodwill. Not just to work together seamlessly but also to be polite.
...
"Sensei, about the gun..." Chief of the police asked. "Could we see the papers?"
Shizuka grinned but swore inwardly. "Bastards."
The police were clearly suspicious. But they refused to say anything, and Shizuka knew why. So they returned the paper to Shizuka with a polite smile after they inspected it, and unable to confirm without directly asking Chiba Police HQ and the Prefectural government.
Legal documents sure are handy!
"Speaking of which, we heard a gunshot, but that was quite faint. Was it Sensei's gun?"
"Well, it's loaded somewhat mild. 1.5 ounces, 12 buckshots at 1050 feet per second." Shizuka told them as she showed her empty shell. The shell she fired to kill the weird zombie. "Works well with the suppressor."
"Since we're here anyway, it's a good chance to resupply," Aikawa said. "I'm pretty sure they're pretty interested in your loadout."
"Eyy." Shizuka winced when she saw the glistening eyes of the hunters. "Are you talking about reloading or trading?"
"To be honest, we have an excess of bird shots. And we haven't secured the reloading equipment, so exchanging load is difficult." One of the more aged-looking hunters said. "If Sensei is so kind, we'd like to trade some of them."
"Ish, really?" Shizuka couldn't believe what she heard. "My apologies, but I know my way around firearms. Birdshots are literally useless against zombies at a range beyond 5-6 meters."
While there are myriad types of shotgun load, it can be split into three common categories: slug, buckshot, and birdshot. A slug is a fat bullet shoved into a shell. Buckshots are big pellets for hunting medium game like deer, elk, etc. Bird shots are tiny pellets to kill birds and other small animals.
Most shotgun shells are often loaded by weight instead of quantity. However, 1 ounce slug, 1 ounce worth of buck shots, and 1 ounce of bird shots behave differently. Bird shots already have a hard time killing a living human beyond 10 meters because they spread the damage too much. Against zombies which require headshots, the estimated range is 5-6 meters.
Trading buck shots for bird shots in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Scam. Pure scam.
"Two to one!" One of them said. "I'll trade one birdshot shell for two buckshot shells!"
Two to one? Interesting proposition.
HOWEVER!
"Three to one." Komachi stepped up. "Three birdshot shells to one buckshot."
"Oh shit." Hachiman scoffed and walked away. "I am not getting involved with Ms. Hard Bargain. Have fun."
Komachi managed to fool her big brother into joining this summer camp event. His statement wasn't an exaggeration.
"Please don't be unreasonable! Three-to-one trade is too much!"
"Yeah, that's unfair."
"Ah, ah, ah. Uncles and grandpa, do you prefer three ammo you don't want to use or one you want and can use anytime." Komachi winked and wiggled her finger.
"Think about it. Sensei is a monster in close combat. She barely needed a gun to begin with. We survived this far without one. Without the helicopter, this gun would have been stuck in Chiba!" Komachi said as she slapped the gun bag.
What Komachi said had another subtext. In Shizuka's hands, the bird shots can still be utilized in close-range gunfighting. But the hunters have neither the fighting skill nor the courage to face the zombie yet.
And who can blame them? Shizuka's group is considered convenient nutjobs. Even the local gangs are now interested in them.
"We might or might not meet again in the future, but are you going to gamble it?" Komachi pointed. "For survival, there's nothing too expensive."
It was scary how compelling Komachi was. These hunters were about to give up any second.
"Alright. How many birdshots are you willing to trade?" The Chief of the police tried to mediate. "For public interest, I will record this transaction as legally protected firearm trade."
The hunters talked with each other and decided they offered 25 birdshots for 8 buckshots. That's one extra shell higher than the trade offer. They must be desperate to get these buckshots shells.
But that's understandable. Shizuka estimated that the maximum effective range of 00 buckshot against zombies is 20-30 meters, depending on luck.
"So, how about it, Sensei?" Komachi asked. "Am I getting ahead of myself or not?"
Tempting. It's not like Shizuka has an infinite supply of ammo herself. Even if they're only effective up to 6 meters or less, the birdshots shells packed a 12 gauge punch of pure destructiveness.
Also, Komachi literally crossed her fingers as she grinned at Shizuka. This kid is playing the devil right now.
Terrifying, indeed. No wonder Hachiman ran away. Shizuka will make sure to throw Komachi at future trade negotiations.
"Sensei. I'm going to the factory to check the truck with the workers." Tobe said. "Is it fine?"
"I'll see if there's anything I could help in the fabrication," Hayato said. "If we could learn something, that would be helpful."
"Eh? You guys think we should spend a night?" Yumiko asked. "Although... I guess it would be useful to stay."
"I'm kinda worried about our base camp," Hina mumbled. "We did bring sleeping bags, but... what about food?"
"Knowledge is power. Let's go cook dinner, Komachi." Hachiman said as he passed by.
"Right. We did bring some food with us, did we? Time to find a kitchen." Komachi shouted. "What about it, Sensei?"
"Well..."
Shizuka was conflicted. On the one hand, they brought their radio equipment, medicine, and a quarter of their food supplies here. On the other hand, they left three-quarters of their food supply in the camp, plus hard-earned luxuries.
While replaceable, it would still be a significant loss if they got robbed.
[ ] Trade out Subsonic Buckshots shells (T3 Shells, 8)
Execute the trade as Komachi arranged. 3:1 trade.
[ ] Trade out Subsonic Buckshots shells (T3 Shells, 10)
Throw out a few more to gain reps and build trust. 5:2 trade.
[ ] Don't trade
It's not worth it.
[ ] "We should stay."
While staying would be uncomfortable, they could learn something from experience.
[ ] "We should return."
Nothing can beat the safety and comfort of the home base.
[ ] "Maybe we can split the group"
Hopefully nothing bad happens. Big risk, big return.
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