From the 5th floor down to the 1st, Ayn's team did not encounter any more zombies, and that was perfectly understandable. As mentioned before, when the disaster first broke out, most people were still asleep at home. Even if some of them had turned into zombies, they would have done so inside their own apartments. After all, zombies had no intelligence, so how could they possibly open doors like humans?
As for the situation on the 5th floor, Ayn made his own guess. It was probably like this: an unlucky resident discovered that their roommate had turned into a zombie and, terrified, rushed to open the door and flee. Ironically, that moment of panic gave the zombie the chance to rush out through the open door. The corpse that had been devoured earlier was most likely that unfortunate roommate.
Of course, the building was not home to just those two people. Many residents were still alive, and it was impossible that everyone had turned into zombies. So why hadn't Ayn and the beautiful captain run into a single survivor on their way down? The answer was simple: every survivor was staying quietly inside their apartments.
Ayn guessed that the government must be using every kind of media to calm people down, telling them that staying home is safer and urging them to wait patiently for the military and police to take control of the situation. If he didn't have the system as his "cheat," he probably would have done the same, staying inside, obediently following official instructions, instead of running around outside and risking being bitten. After all, everyone understood one simple truth: zombies were far more dangerous than great white sharks. A shark bite might cost you a chunk of flesh, but a zombie bite would turn you into a flesh-eating monster yourself.
In short, Ayn and his beautiful captain safely reached the 1st floor. After confirming that no zombies were nearby, the captain finally let out a breath of relief and turned to look at him. Perhaps because the situation seemed safe for the moment, she finally spoke: "Let's introduce ourselves. My name is Fushimi Ren."
Hearing that, Ayn deliberately replied in a flustered tone, "I, I'm Ayn. N-nice to meet you."
When she heard his name, Ren instinctively gave Ayn a careful look. She felt that "Ayn" wasn't the kind of name a Japanese person would have, yet after examining him more closely, she realized that neither his appearance nor his demeanor seemed foreign. That contradiction made her a little curious, but since it wasn't something that really mattered, she decided not to think too deeply about it. Then Ren lowered her voice and said, "Alright, Ayn, let's skip the small talk. I'm planning to leave Tokyo. What about you?"
When faced with Ren's question, Ayn had already prepared his answer. He said, "I'm also planning to leave Tokyo. I'm going to Osaka to find my family."
Ren paused for a moment, clearly surprised. "Osaka? You're going to Osaka? I'm heading to Kobe… In that case, we can travel together."
Ayn was a little surprised as well; he hadn't expected Ren's destination to be Kobe. However, he didn't show that surprise on his face. Instead, he put on a look of delight and said, "That's great. We can travel together and look out for each other."
Ren nodded lightly after hearing that, seeming quite satisfied with Ayn's attitude. However, she didn't stop to think about why she felt that satisfaction, nor did she realize why she had taken the initiative to invite a man she barely knew to travel with her. As for these questions, the meticulous Ayn noticed them all, and he sighed inwardly: Everything, as expected, is following the system's script.
Ren then asked: "Do you have a car?"
Ayn shook his head awkwardly but quickly added, "No car, but I do have a driver's license. I can drive."
Hearing that, Ren's tone softened with a hint of regret as she said, "Unfortunately, I don't have a car either. I only have a motorcycle."
"A motorcycle?" Ayn repeated unconsciously, picturing the small commuter bikes often used by office workers. A faintly helpless expression crossed his face: "Well, it's better than nothing."
Ren nodded in agreement and said, "We can think about the vehicle later. What matters most right now is getting out of here first."
Ayn immediately nodded and followed her as the two of them made their way toward the parking area. The so-called "parking lot" wasn't for cars but rather a small corner near the bicycle racks, marked as a section reserved for motorcycles.
Ayn usually almost never came to the bicycle parking area, since he didn't even own a bike. That wasn't surprising at all—there was a supermarket near his apartment, only about a ten-minute round trip on foot, so he had never needed a bike to buy groceries. As for commuting, he always took the train, and the nearest station was only a few minutes' walk away. And precisely because he almost never came here, Ayn froze the moment he saw Ren's motorcycle: Σ( ° △ °|||).
Why was he so shocked? Because the machine before him was nothing like the "small commuter scooter" he had imagined. It was a full-blown beast. Its jet-black body looked like a fighter plane, its lines so sharp they seemed capable of cutting through the air. The seat was broad and sleek, with foldable rear footrests and a safety handle—clearly designed for two riders.
Even though Ayn wasn't a motorcycle enthusiast, he could tell at a glance that this bike was worth no less than twenty or thirty thousand dollars. By comparison, after all his years of work, the total in his bank account barely reached $23,000. The realization made a ridiculous thought flash through his mind: (Maybe… I should ask if this boss lady needs a lackey? If I work for her, I might actually make more money and skip a few years of struggling…)
Ren seemed to notice the fleeting thought behind his eyes. The corner of her lips lifted slightly in a faint smile—but it vanished as quickly as it came, and Ayn didn't notice it at all. When he came back to his senses, he saw Ren holding a motorcycle helmet, her expression a little apologetic as she said, "Ah, sorry. I only have one helmet."
That snapped Ayn completely out of his daze. He quickly waved his hands and said, "It's fine, it's fine! It doesn't matter whether I have one or not—I can't ride anyway."
In response to Ayn's words, Ren simply gave a light nod. In fact, she had never planned to let anyone else ride the motorcycle. Before leaving, she had deliberately changed into a biker jacket and leather pants, clearly intending to drive the motorcycle herself from the very beginning.
She first handed her katana to Ayn for safekeeping, then gathered her loose hair into a low ponytail, tucked it inside her jacket, and pulled up the zipper. After that, she asked for Ayn's backpack, forcibly stuffed it into the storage compartment beneath the seat, then took off her own tactical backpack. With practiced movements, she secured Ayn's bat and her own katana to the straps on the outside of the pack.
Judging from how skillfully she handled those actions, it was obvious that Ren often carried a katana with her and had therefore specially chosen a tactical backpack designed to hold one securely. When Ayn noticed that the same straps could also hold a bat in place, he couldn't help but suspect that she might sometimes carry more than one katana when going out.
After finishing all that, Ren handed the tactical backpack to Ayn and told him to wear it. After all, she was the one who would be driving, while Ayn could only sit behind her. If she kept the pack on herself, even though the motorcycle was a two-seater, Ayn probably wouldn't be able to sit properly.
Once Ren had put on her helmet and mounted the bike, she turned back to signal Ayn to get on. For a moment, he froze, not knowing what to do. Why? Although the motorcycle had two seats, the space was still tight, and he had never been this close to a woman other than his family.
Ren immediately noticed his hesitation and urged him impatiently, "Hurry up. We don't have time to waste."
Ayn had no choice but to climb on, though his movements were stiff. Seeing that he wasn't sitting securely, Ren reached back, took his hands, and wrapped them around her waist. Her tone was calm yet carried the firmness of command: "Stay close. That's the only way you'll sit steady and we'll avoid an accident. Understand?"
"...Got it," Ayn stammered, his cheeks slightly flushed.
However, Ren still didn't seem satisfied. She added, "The bike will be going fast later, so keep your face close to my back and grip the bike firmly with your legs, understood?"
Ayn has no choice but to comply. He adjusts his position, his body pressing tightly against Ren's back, his cock even snug against her ass. Though separated by her leather pants and his own trousers, that thin layer of fabric seems to block nothing; he can still feel the soft curves of her buttocks and the faint warmth radiating from her, that subtle heat seeping in quietly, throwing his heartbeat into a slight disarray.
It is at this moment that the system alerts Ayn: [Warning! Warning! Your emotional desires are about to exceed the tolerance limit of Heart of the Strong (Lv1)! Please upgrade this skill to Lv2 as soon as possible! (Note: This skill cannot control your emotional desires; it remains effective for all other aspects.)]
Seeing this alert, Ayn's heart jolts in surprise, a single thought flashing through his mind: (Where the fuck do I get the money to buy a skill book!) Yes, Ayn is flat broke; the system coins in his possession aren't nearly enough to afford the [Heart of the Strong Lv2] skill book. So, with no other option, Ayn can only try his best to suppress his desires, to keep his cock from getting hard and alerting Ren.
However, no matter how hard Ayn tries, his cock still gets hard, stiff as a stone pillar and pressing firmly against Ren's ass. Ren definitely notices, but she says nothing. At first, her thought is simple: (I'm not some ugly freak, so it's normal for a guy to have this kind of physical reaction.)
But just as that thought settles, Ren senses something off. Why? Think about it, an ordinary person who just witnessed that bloody scene on the 5th floor, how could he still be in the mood to get hard right now? Whatever your answer is, Ren's is: Getting erect in this situation, with his cock rigid like a stone pillar, this guy... might not be as simple as he seems on the surface.
Because of this realization, she can't help but reexamine Ayn, replaying every event since they met, every expression on his face. These memories trigger Ren's transcendent intuition, which tells her three things:
First, this guy is definitely suspicious—not just because he's hard now, but because he had the guts to step out risking being gnawed by zombies. If he didn't have enough confidence, he shouldn't have left the house at all; he should've stayed inside waiting for the military rescue.
Second, this guy might be strong, because before he got hard, we couldn't even see through his disguise—and we're not ordinary people, we're transcendents with [Transcendent Intuition]. To fool our intuition, to fool our eyes, can only mean he's actually pretty damn strong.
Third, this guy is smart, because he's deliberately hiding his strength—he probably worries that once exposed, it'll draw the gaze of those big shots, bringing endless trouble. That's undoubtedly a wise move, after all, those big shots would crave that transcendent power the moment they learn of it. At that point, they might even hunt down transcendents, treating them like lab rats. So, hiding his strength is basically self-protection.
As for the transcendent intuition's warning, what does Ren think? Her lips curve into a slight smile. She's a bit curious about just how strong this guy really is. If he's strong enough, then with her charm, couldn't she conquer him, keep him under her thumb? After all, look, his cock is pressing against her ass right now—it doesn't seem that hard to conquer him, does it?