What the hell is this place?

Standing in the gas station, Kuse Daisaku frowned deeply, a wave of unease in his heart. Although he rarely came to the shopping district, he had some impression of it. But the shopping district in front of him gave Kuse Daisaku a feeling of ambiguity. At first glance, it seemed to be the shopping district he knew, but upon closer inspection, it appeared completely different.

"Big brother..."

At this moment, the driver and the other two underlings also took out baseball bats from the trunk and came up to Kuse Daisaku.

"Alright, hurry up and smash open that broken door, turn on the power, and refuel!"

"Yes."

Hearing Kuse Daisaku's words, the other three hurriedly carried their baseball bats to the tightly locked gate of the gas station, lifted their bats, and smashed it open with a series of bangs, then went inside with flashlights.

"A bunch of idiots."

Kuse Daisaku withdrew his gaze, snorted coldly, and leaned against the car. He wanted to light a cigarette, but realizing it was a gas station, he dismissed the idea. He just leaned against the car, bored, looking around.

The more he scrutinized the surroundings, the more Kuse Daisaku felt something was wrong. He spent most of his time in Kamurochō and wasn't familiar with the shopping district, just passing by occasionally. But looking closely now, he found it didn't resemble the shopping district at all. Or rather, the buildings around seemed like a shopping district at first glance, but on closer look, they weren't.

Moreover, these buildings seemed uninhabited for a long time. And whether it was an illusion or not, Kuse Daisaku felt as if someone was watching him from the shadows. Yet, when he glanced around, he saw no one's shadow. The windows of the nearby buildings and shops were pitch black without any signs of life.

After all, it was in the middle of the night, people were probably asleep.

Speaking of which, those guys are really slow.

Kuse Daisaku complained about his slow-witted underlings, then walked to the side of the gas station and bought a can of coffee from the vending machine. Since he couldn't smoke or drink at the gas station, he could only drink something else to refresh himself.

To Kuse Daisaku's surprise, the coffee seemed exceptionally delicious. As soon as he poured it into his mouth, he felt a soothing sensation, a cool, tasty, smooth feel sliding down his throat into his stomach, making every pore in his body seem to exude a sense of relief.

"Gulp gulp gulp..."

Though it was just a small can of coffee, Kuse Daisaku held it in his hand, gulping it down. Closing his eyes, he felt the sensation melt through his stomach and permeate every corner of his body, every blood vessel...

"Click!"

The bright incandescent light snapped on, interrupting Kuse Daisaku's drinking. He opened his eyes in dissatisfaction, glaring at the glaring light, mentally cursing those idiots for not waiting. But soon, he realized something was amiss. What he held wasn't a coffee cup but a gas pump. In fact, he was holding the pump nozzle to his mouth, the other end connected to a dusty gasoline dispenser beside him...

"Ugh———!"

Upon realizing this, Kuse Daisaku smelled a strong gasoline scent, prompting him to toss the pump away and fall to the ground, vomiting uncontrollably. The cold, clear soothing sensation turned into a thick, irritating, nauseating stench. His stomach felt like it was churning, and every blood vessel seemed scoured by steel brushes into fiery pain.

Gasoline mixed with gastric juices and blood spewed from his mouth, forming a vile mess.

"Damn... damn...!!"

Uncertain how long he knelt there vomiting, Kuse Daisaku wobbled to his feet, covering his mouth with one hand as his stomach continued to churn. There was nothing left to vomit, but his stomach didn't think so. Covering his mouth, enraged, he glared at the gas pump lying quietly on the ground, its connections to the dispenser under the light looking like some creature's thick veins.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on!? Where is everyone? Are they all dead?!"

Kuse Daisaku staggered to his feet, yelling loudly, but his voice quickly faded into the silent street. The surrounding buildings remained unresponsive, like old tombs.

Damned bastards!

Raging internally but unsure whom to blame, Kuse Daisaku staggered to the gas station store entrance, clenched his fist, and went inside. He had decided that if he saw those unobservant guys, he would beat them thoroughly, teaching them to listen to him properly!

"Hey, where are you?!"

Surprisingly, the gas station store was empty. Typically, it would have shelves like a supermarket, selling foods and such. But here, there was nothing, not even a checkout counter. The store interior was empty, like an unfinished, abandoned shell rather than a gas station.

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