The convoy reached Taiei Shopping Town just before sunset.
From the distance the mall still looked intact, the tall building rising above the surrounding streets like a lonely fortress in the dying city.
But the closer they approached, the clearer the problem became.
Zombies filled the parking lot.
Not thousands.
But enough.
Dozens wandered between abandoned cars. Others pressed slowly against the barricades that still protected the mall entrances. Their dull groans drifted across the open asphalt as the smell of living humans carried toward them on the wind.
The defenders on the mall roof had already noticed the approaching convoy.
Someone waved frantically.
"They made it back," Kohta whispered.
But the horde between them and the barricade had to be cleared first.
Alexander studied the situation for only a moment.
"Buses stop here," he said calmly.
"Humvee forward."
The engines rumbled as the vehicles slowed.
Children inside the buses pressed their faces nervously against the windows.
For many of them this would be the first time seeing a real battle against the dead.
The Humvee roared forward.
Two armoured police vehicles followed closely behind it, pushing through the first cluster of zombies like metal battering rams.
The dead staggered toward the noise.
Alexander stepped out before the vehicle had even stopped moving.
Saeko landed beside him a heartbeat later.
Takashi and Kohta followed.
Then the police officers.
The first wave of zombies collapsed quickly.
Saeko moved through them with frightening elegance, her blade flashing in arcs of silver that ended fights before the zombies even understood what had happened.
Takashi fought beside her with brutal efficiency.
Kohta's shotgun roared again and again, each blast dropping another corpse.
But it was Alexander who drew the attention of everyone watching.
He moved faster than anyone else.
Not recklessly.
Precisely.
Each strike landed exactly where it needed to.
Each motion flowed smoothly into the next.
Within minutes the asphalt around the barricade was covered in still bodies.
The remaining zombies scattered or collapsed beneath the combined assault.
When the last one fell, silence returned to the parking lot.
Behind them, the buses remained still.
The doors slowly opened.
Children stared in wide-eyed amazement.
Some of the adults looked just as stunned.
The rumours they had heard about Alexander Greywald suddenly seemed far less exaggerated.
The survivors from the mall greeted them with exhausted relief.
Asami immediately began coordinating the transfer of civilians from the mall into the buses.
Within an hour the convoy had nearly doubled in size.
People.
Supplies.
Weapons.
Everything that could still be useful was loaded.
Still, Alexander called for a short pause.
"One hour," he said.
"Eat. Rest. Gather anything we missed."
No one argued.
Even the most determined survivors were exhausted.
While the others rested, Alexander climbed to the roof of the mall.
The city stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Silent.
Broken.
And full of the dead.
Soon they would leave it behind.
For good.
Night had fully fallen when the convoy moved again.
The Humvee took the lead.
Two armoured police vehicles followed.
Behind them rolled the buses carrying hundreds of survivors.
The road toward the industrial port had to be cleared slowly.
Zombies wandered through intersections and abandoned streets.
Each time the convoy stopped, Alexander's group moved forward to clear the path.
Hour by hour the city retreated behind them.
They reached the port just before dawn.
And immediately saw something unexpected.
A helicopter.
It sat quietly on the landing pad near the docks, its rotors still.
Beside it stood two figures.
One of them raised a hand as the convoy approached.
Shizuka leaned forward suddenly.
"…Rika?"
The moment the vehicles stopped, she ran.
Rika Minami barely had time to brace before Shizuka collided with her in a tight embrace.
"Rika! You're alive!"
Shizuka began talking immediately, her words spilling out in an excited torrent that was almost impossible to follow.
"And then the zombies came and Alexander saved us and we found the mall and—"
Rika laughed softly.
"Slow down, Shizuka."
Behind her stood a tall man with a sniper rifle slung across his shoulder.
Tajima.
Police sniper.
And apparently Rika's partner in whatever mission had brought them here.
The leadership meeting began shortly afterward.
Inside a small port office, several key figures gathered around a table.
Alexander.
Rika Minami.
Souichiro Takagi.
Tadashi Miyamoto.
Officer Matsushima.
And several others.
Rika explained the situation first.
"Our base was attacked while we were scouting."
Souichiro frowned.
"Attacked by zombies?"
"Three of them," Rika said quietly.
"Evolved."
The room fell silent.
"We returned as fast as we could," she continued.
"But the base was already gone."
Souichiro slowly clenched his fists.
"No survivors."
Rika shook her head.
"None."
That information alone confirmed what Alexander had suspected.
The evolved zombies were increasing.
And they weren't all the same.
The discussion turned quickly to strategy.
"We can't stay on the mainland," Alexander said.
"Every city will eventually become like Tokonosu."
Rika nodded.
"Agreed."
The map on the table showed several nearby islands.
"Oshima would be ideal," Souichiro said.
"But it's large."
"Too large for our current numbers," Alexander replied.
"Three hundred forty people can't secure that much territory."
Rika traced a smaller island nearby.
"Toshima."
The population listed on the map was nearly identical to their current group size.
Souichiro nodded slowly.
"Small enough to clear."
"And if we gain more survivors later," Alexander added, "we move to Oshima."
The decision was made quickly.
For the first time since the outbreak began, they had a real destination.
The ships left port that evening.
The mainland faded slowly behind them as the boats cut through the dark water.
Some survivors cried quietly.
Others simply watched the horizon.
The dead world was finally falling away behind them.
Toshima Island appeared in the morning light.
Small.
Quiet.
And not entirely empty.
Several zombies wandered near the docks as the boats approached.
But something else stood among them.
A figure larger than the others.
Moving differently.
Alexander stepped onto the dock first.
The evolved zombie turned toward him immediately.
It moved faster than the others.
Stronger.
But not strong enough.
The fight ended quickly.
Alexander's blade struck cleanly through the creature's skull before it could land a single blow.
Behind him, the others cleared the remaining zombies from the harbour.
When the last one fell, the island finally fell silent.
Three hundred forty survivors stepped onto Toshima Island.
For the first time since the outbreak began…
They had a place that might actually become home.
Some of the adults still doubted Alexander.
But after everything they had seen…
Those doubts were growing quieter.
And the island stretched before them, waiting to see whether humanity could rebuild anything at all.