Chapter 198 - To Fort Yano (8)

<Author's note: The things (racism, s.e.xism, political views, etc.) depicted or mentioned in this story do not reflect the real world and are purely coincidences. If they do, please keep in mind that they are simply for world-building and are only work of fiction. Thank you for your understanding.>

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

Nathan and Zita ran inside a convenience store to take shelter from the rain.

In actuality, it was just one of the shops of a two-story building.

The building itself had three stores on the first floor and two on the second.

On the first floor, the first store on the left was the convenience store, in the middle was a money-transferring shop, and on the right was a boutique shop.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, there was a massage parlor and a computer shop.

Nathan stared outside.

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

The rain became heavier and it was now partnered with strong winds.

'Typhoon…?'

'Well, it's rainy season...'

'Sigh… Normally, I wouldn't mind getting wet in the rain. But the last thing I want is Zita to catch a cold or something and collapsed -- again...'

'Yes, there's the Antidote from the System but having a naturally healthy body is just different from one that just recovered with the use of the System Potions…'

"Zita, wait here. I'll check if there are any enemies. Don't let your guard down. The rain covers noise so you won't hear the enemy coming. Be sure to keep a very watchful eye."

"Okay."

Nathan didn't use [Coward's Way] as he proceeded to check the store.

In his mind, in case there will be an enemy, given that he was the a.d.u.l.t and Zita was a child and assuming the enemy isn't sick in the head, they would target him first.

Nathan swept his gaze as he looked around the convenience store.

'All the food and most of the basic essentials have been taken…'

When he reached a corner, he saw two shelves tumbled down to the floor along with some items and a large hole on a wall.

He squinted his eyes.

'Hmm… Based on the size of the hole, a D1 or D2 must've charge right through this wall and a fight broke out…'

'However, I don't see any blood stains or body…'

He massaged his growing beard.

'This doesn't add up…'

'Where is it…?'

He shook his head.

'Who cares? It's not like we're to stay here forever.'

'We're only here to take shelter from the rain until it stops.'

'However, given that there's a hole here, that would mean we would have to watch out for two entrances. The main entrance and this hole.'

'Totally not safe.'

'Hopefully, the other shops are still intact.'

He went back to Zita.

When he got back to her, he found her at the entrance staring intently outside in case there were enemies nearby or coming.

Pah!

He face-palmed.

'This kid…'

Hearing the slap, Zita turned to him.

"Zita, I appreciate you watching out for any enemies. However, what you were doing was very stupid because of two things," he said as he went over to her.

"Relax. Don't get so worried. Just know your two mistakes."

Zita relaxed her facial expression and said, "Okay…"

"Your first mistake: Why are you standing in front of the entrance? Are you trying to be a bait or something? Find a spot where you can hide and also look outside.

She looked down.

"Your second mistake: Didn't I give you thermal goggles? Use it. Use every item I gave you. I didn't bring you along to be a porter. Those items are to be used, not kept. You only have one life. And on top of that, you're also a Chosen One. So you're really special. Don't be afraid to use the items I've given you. They are there for you to increase your chances of surviving, not carrying."

"I'm sorry, mister."

Pat.

Pat.

He smiled as he patted her head.

"It's okay. What's important is that you learned something. Come on, raise your head. If you keep looking down you're going to turn into a hunchback. Do you want that to happen to you?"

Zita raised her head.

"No."

"Good. Let's move to another shop. There's a hole at the back so it's not safe."

"Okay."

***

Nathan and Zita passed by the money-transferring shop that was located between the convenience store and the boutique shop.

Looking at the money-transferring shop, Nathan suddenly felt this sense of irritation.

Although the money-transferring shop would seem to be an ideal place to hide, the entrance was a see-through glass and the counter looked like there wasn't that much space.

However, that wasn't the cause of his irritation.

'Sigh… I worked and worked, even went to another country so that I can earn money as quickly as possible to secure a better future…'

'But thanks to this zombie apocalypse, all that effort and money saved went to waste…'

'Well, at least I became a Chosen One and got out of the endless rat race…'

'So I guess in a way you can consider it as a blessing in disguise…'

'Yeah, definitely a blessing…'

'I'm happy this zombie apocalypse happened...'

Nathan and Zita entered the boutique shop.

Just like the money-transferring shop, its walls were also see-through glasses. However, given the mannequins and the clothes hanging by the walls, it more or less covered what's inside that one had to get close to the glass walls and peer through in order to see the interior of the shop.

'Hmm…'

Nathan swept his gaze on the interior of the shop.

It was painted in bright pink and was organized in a way where everything was visible, save for the storage room and the locker room for the employees.

In regards to the changing rooms for customers to try the clothes on, their feet would be visible.

And speaking of the clothes, most of the items inside the shop catered to female pre-teens and teenagers.

Nathan turned to the long couches where customers can sit and wait.

"Let's wait here until the rain passes," he said as he went to sit on one of the couches.

"Okay," Zita said and did the same, but her eyes were glued to the clothes, accessories and etc.

"Do you want to pick out some clothes?"

Zita turned to him, her eyes sparkling.

"Go pick some new clothes. Get as many as you want. I'll carry them. After all, the clothes that you have were made for a climate like in Womania, not for a tropical country like Muwin. Go now. I'll stand guard."

Zita's eyes lit up even brighter and she got up.

"Okay~!"

"Be sure to try them out first, okay? You see, size L in Asia is size M in Western countries. Remember that. So you better try them on before keeping them. Also, just pick the clothes within this room."

"Okay~!" she said and went out to pick out some clothes.

Truth be told, before Nathan went to Womania, he used to wonder why a majority of Asians, especially the men, in Western countries look stupid. And by stupid, he meant they look like kids wearing oversized clothes for a.d.u.l.ts.

But when he got to Womania and shopped there, he finally figured out the reason.

There, he got to experience for the first time in his life the trouble of having to find a clothing shop, be it offline or online, that specifically cater to Asian bodies.

Although Nathan has an above-average body because he exercises and diets, he was neither ugly nor handsome, rich nor poor. So the last thing he wanted was to destroy his image by wearing clothes that made him look less presentable.

Nathan looked outside the glass walls of the shop.

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

Pitter-patter!

'I hope this rain won't last long…'

He glanced at Zita who was still busy picking out clothes.

"Don't forget to pick out some slippers or sandals as well."

"Okay~"

He returned his gaze at the rain outside.

'I just realized something…'

'In all honesty, before I decided to travel with this kid, this thought never came across my mind until now…'

'It never occurred to me what would I do once I'm traveling with my family and we had to find shelter for the night or something but there are no available buildings…'

'I seriously never thought about this possibility…'

He knitted his brows.

'Hmm… Maybe it's because I was so focused on my own Chosen One skill and my identity as a man?'

He glanced at Zita who was happily busy picking out clothes.

'It never even occurred to me what if there was no toilet nearby and we needed to use one…'

'What, just hold it in and wait until we find one?'

'I mean, as a man, I wouldn't mind doing my business anywhere…'

'It's just acceptable…'

'As simple as that…'

'But a woman?'

'A little girl?'

'A female Chosen One?'

An image of Zita with her pants and u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r down squatting and relieving herself on the side of the road flashed inside his head.

'Oh my God, f.u.c.k no!'

'Never!'

'Like hell I'm going to let that happen!'

'Over my dead f.u.c.k.i.n.g body!'

'I would literally die from shame!'

'Zita would also die from shame!'

Despite his experience in life, even living in Womania for 8 months where it's a super liberal and politically correct country, and also the sick and evil things he has done ever since the zombie apocalypse happened, at his very core, Nathan's views about life in general, like gender, is still that of a brown-skinned Asian, or a Muwinian to be exact.

It had its advantages and also its disadvantages.

'But…!'

He closed his eyes and held his head down in complete and utter defeat.

'Sigh…'

He opened his eyes.

'Had I thought about this issue before, I would've brought along an RV with me before coming here to Muwin...'

'There were so many RVs there in Womania…'

'But here in Muwin? Not just in Muwin, in all brown-skinned Asian countries, there is no RV culture here…'

'Oh wait, I think there is one…'

'Yeah, the homeless people with their wheeled crates that they push around or their bicycle rickshaws…'

'That's the closing thing to an RV culture here…'

'There's also the sea gypsies or nomads…'

'But they live in boats so that doesn't really count…'

'Oh my God…'

'I'm really, really -- I mean, despite all of my powers, I can't even properly provide for a single person…'

'Even just provide a proper toilet…'

'No, forget about the toilet, even just a roof over our heads…'

'If this not so sad, embarrassing and pathetic, then what is?!'

'Tell me!'

'Ugh!'

'Nathan, why are you so stupid?'

'Why are you so useless?'

He held his head down even further.

'Sigh…'

'You wasted an opportunity back at Womania, you dumbass…'

'Hmm… What if I just cut down a small house and carry it around inside my Spatial Finger?'

'Yeah, that would be a good idea…'

'But what about the bathroom, the water pipes, the plumbing?'

'Well, I guess I can get those portable toilets…'

'But how do I clean those?'

'I seriously have no idea…'

'Also, brown-skinned Asians have their own style of using a toilet…'

'Compared to water, the use of tissue paper should only be for emergencies because it's limited…'

'As for the soap, well, there's bound to be soap!'

'This is Muwin after all...'

'There's also the issue about the electricity and electrical wirings…'

'I really need to find a generator or solar panel soon…'

He massaged his forehead.

'Ugh…'

'Oh my God…'

'F.u.c.k me sideways…'

'My head is starting to hurt…'

'The more I think about it, the more complicated things seem to be…'

'Lady Luck, if you can hear me, please, give me some blessings…'

'I seriously, seriously need it…'

*********************************************

Author's thoughts:

Hello, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!

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