Days in the Infinite

"...A miner?"

Tsunade's eye twitched. She had already decided to retire as a ninja, leaving that career behind.

But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she'd end up as a miner—or worse, a construction worker.

At the very least, she thought she'd be doing something like practicing medicine. Yet here she was, entrusted by Li Ke with the grand responsibility of becoming a miner. She didn't even know how to respond.

"Well, considering that a horde of zombies will be upon us in just a few days, we'll need your strength to dig up enough materials to build defenses... Of course, I'll help too," Li Ke said quickly, flashing an ingratiating smile.

"Fine, I suppose in my current state, I'm not much use in a fight anyway."

Tsunade sighed, slinging the shovel Li Ke handed her over her shoulder. Resigned, she nodded and accepted her new reality.

"And what about me, Li Ke?"

Lady Kiri suddenly popped up, slapping a hand on Li Ke's shoulder, her face full of eager anticipation.

"Well, actually, it's the same for you. Since you're not able to take on missions right now, you'll have to dig as well. Don't worry—once I finish my task, I'll join you. Besides, you also have the important role of protecting Lady Tsunade," he said, handing an iron shovel and pickaxe to the hopeful Lady Kiri.

Lady Kiri stared at the tools in her hands, glanced at Tsunade, and the two exchanged a look of shared resignation before both sighed deeply.

"Alright, fine. This world is already weird enough anyway. But you mentioned building a fortress—why not start that now?" Lady Kiri asked, hefting the pickaxe onto her shoulder.

"Yes, that's part of the plan. But first, we need to gather enough materials to make reinforced concrete. For now, just focus on mining. Here are your supplies—eat when you're hungry."

Li Ke smiled, handing over a pile of food, water, two short iron pipes, and over a hundred rounds of ammunition to Lady Kiri.

After finishing the last piece of roasted meat from his bowl, he pointed toward a nearby store.

"I'll go handle my task first. Once you've mined enough iron ore, you can start making ammo for the automated turrets. That'll earn you some money to buy things you want."

"Fine, fine..."

Lady Kiri rolled her eyes, downed the last of her soup, and tossed the empty can into the nearby camp.

"So basically, focus on development first, right?"

"Exactly."

"No problem."

With that, Lady Kiri and Tsunade headed toward the mine Li Ke had previously dug, while he watched them descend before making his way toward the store.

As per routine, he shut the door, greeted the merchant woman, then vaulted over the counter with practiced ease. He opened his skill menu, allocated points, and...

"What's he doing in there? He's been in that merchant's place for a while now."

Lady Kiri glanced curiously at the shop's closed door, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"No idea, but it's probably nothing good," Tsunade replied after a pause. In her opinion, Li Ke wasn't exactly a model warrior. What else could someone like him be doing in a place like this?

"Oh, I think I know."

Lady Kiri's face twisted into a look of disdain. She might be relatively disciplined herself, but having lived through war, she was no stranger to what stressed-out male soldiers often got up to.

At least in her world, there were distractions like music, simple video games, comics, novels, and comrades to bond with.

But for this guy...

"Well, I can't say I don't understand, but... wait, does that merchant woman really offer those kinds of services?"

Lady Kiri muttered, patting her pockets in search of a cigarette, only to come up empty. She sighed in frustration.

She'd been hoping to find some tobacco for a while now, but it was impossible to locate. This world was strange like that—on the surface, it seemed full of life and resources, yet many basic items were inexplicably missing.

Take a lathe or even a simple vise, for example—nowhere to be found. All she could do was rely on the machine gun Li Ke provided, unable to modify it or craft a revolver from scratch.

"I wouldn't know," Tsunade replied curtly.

Tsunade diligently dug at the mineral deposits. What took Li Ke three or four strikes to break apart was reduced to rubble with just one blow from her. Even nearby sections of the rock would crack under the sheer force of her strikes. Her speed was astonishing.

She now understood why Li Ke wasn't rushing to build the fortress. At this pace, they could likely construct one in a single day.

As they worked, Li Ke finally emerged from the merchant's shop. Waving at them briefly, he quickly headed toward the mission site.

Watching him leave, Lady Kiri seemed to ponder something before turning to Tsunade.

"Hey, interested in checking it out?" Lady Kiri asked, pointing toward the merchant's building.

Tsunade shot a disapproving glance at the well-built gunner standing next to her.

"Not interested."

"Well, I am!"

Lady Kiri tossed her pickaxe to the ground and marched toward the merchant's shop. Tsunade sighed, watching her companion's retreating back, and reluctantly followed.

The two entered the merchant's small building. A peculiar smell lingered in the air, but the merchant herself was fully dressed, with no visible signs of anything amiss.

"She's completely motionless…"

Lady Kiri waved her hand in front of the merchant's face, even giving her a light push, but there was no response.

Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her massive chest rising and falling slightly as she observed Lady Kiri's behavior.

"So, what exactly are you expecting to find? And aren't you worried you might touch something… unusual?"

The faint scent in the air didn't escape Tsunade's sharp senses as a medical ninja. From the moment Lady Kiri opened the door, she'd understood what had transpired here. That knowledge was precisely why she stayed outside at first.

Lady Kiri, however, was far less sensitive to such things, having grown accustomed to all manner of unpleasant odors during her time in war zones. Unbothered, she continued to inspect the merchant's body from head to toe, eventually sighing.

"No cigarettes, huh?"

She groaned in disappointment, only to pause as another thought occurred to her.

"Wait a second… it doesn't look like he did anything to her."

Lady Kiri tilted her head, inspecting the merchant's pristine condition. Her observation made Tsunade pause as well.

When Lady Kiri tugged at the merchant's clothing, Tsunade took a quick glance and confirmed that there were indeed no signs of tampering or mistreatment. Realizing this, she rubbed her temple in exasperation.

"Why are you even worried about something like this?"

"Simple—I want to know what kind of person he is," Lady Kiri replied casually. "Let's not kid ourselves, we're both attractive and in good shape. If one day I'm sent away, and you're left alone, what's stopping him from acting on impulse? I want to figure out if he's the type to let his urges take over, and if he has, let's say… an outlet. But judging by this, he's way too restrained. Those calluses on his hands..."

Lady Kiri shivered slightly, recalling the rough scars and hardened skin on Li Ke's palms.

Tsunade fell silent. She couldn't deny it—that was simply the truth.

"It doesn't matter. Even if it came to that, I wouldn't care," Tsunade said flatly. She was, after all, someone who had already resigned herself to death. She'd left her world behind, and as long as she could survive, she didn't see much point in worrying.

"How can you say that? As long as you're alive, there's always a chance to turn things around. Don't you have people who still care about you?"

Lady Kiri waved dismissively as she spoke, then opened the merchant's inventory. She purchased two beers with the money she'd earned from selling scrap iron and producing ammunition for the automated turrets.

Her main reason for coming here, though, was to check if the merchant carried her preferred weaponry.

The answer was yes—though the prices were astronomical. A single gun cost over ten thousand credits, far removed from the few hundred she was accustomed to paying in her own world.

"Ugh…"

Lady Kiri sighed heavily.

Tsunade chuckled softly but said nothing.

Those she had loved—and those who had loved her—were gone.

Lady Kiri, however, was different.

Handing one of the beers to Tsunade, Lady Kiri raised her own.

"As for me, I plan to make it back home alive."