Chapter 41: Chapter 41
The journey toward the survivor settlement turned out to be longer than expected.
Not because of danger, but because conversation gradually replaced the tension present in everyone’s bones.
"So is this your entire group?" Lena suddenly asked.
The woman walked beside Evelyn while occasionally glancing toward the others.
Andrew paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, our neighbors... took their own path. And one of the kids with us decided to follow them too in the end."
Lena nodded, understanding the situation.
Evelyn thought about the kid as she kept moving.
The apocalypse had only begun a few days ago, so expecting someone to abandon everything and follow people he barely knew wasn’t realistic in any manner.
Still, a small part of her had hoped that Ethan would’ve stayed because she had considered him as her own little brother.
The conversation quickly shifted to other topics and apparently, Kaelan’s group wasn’t the only team searching around the settlement in a defined radius.
Multiple squads like theirs had left the shopping mall every day to gather supplies, search for survivors and investigate nearby districts.
The system sounded surprisingly organized, far more organized than Evelyn and the others had expected it to be.
Before long, another encounter interrupted their discussion as a low grunt echoed nearby.
Everyone immediately turned, only to find a two-headed mutated dog emerging from a narrow alley.
Its body was also nearly the same size as the previous dog. Dark scales covered portions of its hide from above while its tusks had grown long enough to resemble curved blades extending from its mouth.
It’s slightly different than the last one.
The creature charged.
Andrew immediately released a scream without waiting, making the creature stumble. Blood started flowing down its ears as it howled in pain.
At the same time, Kaelan and the others moved. A spear of earth erupted beneath the creature’s feet and impaled its unprotected stomach.
Lena released a blade of wind simultaneously, slicing its neck with a clean swipe.
The combined attacks tore into the creature and killed it in an instant.
The battle ended almost as quickly as it began. One of Kaelan’s companions approached the corpse before drawing a knife.
Andrew blinked. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for Awakening Orbs."
The answer made Lucien’s eyes flicker.
Of course, the mutated sea creatures had carried them before so why shouldn’t these creatures carry one too?
Now that the Black Water had vanished, these should logically become the new source.
He had completely overlooked this matter, causing him to forget to check the corpse of the two-headed dog from earlier.
Several minutes later, the man stood up and shook his head.
"No orb?" Kaelan asked, slightly disappointed. He had never kept too high hopes because the chances of finding one were less than ten percent.
"Yeah, I found nothing."
But the creature wasn’t wasted as they quickly skinned and butchered the mutated animal before packing the meat into several bags.
Evelyn watched the process.
"...People are actually eating those things?"
Kaelan shrugged. "We’ve been doing it for days. You might’ve been surviving on packaged food but it’s bound to finish sooner or later."
She turned towards Lucien, who thought for a moment before nodding.
"It’s probably safe for consumption, and it’s not like they have any other alternatives."
That was enough for her to understand, though she visibly recoiled at the sight of the dead creature.
An hour later, the shopping mall finally appeared in the distance.
The place looked different enough to be recognized at once, for every glass wall had been covered with cardboard, sheets of metal and scavenged materials.
Barricades were used to surround the entrances while makeshift walls blocked several vulnerable openings.
Armed and awakened survivors patrolled the perimeter.
There weren’t many of them outside, but they were enough.
Lucien silently observed the defenses as he kept advancing together with everyone. The gates opened shortly after Kaelan identified himself and the moment they entered, several curious gazes followed them before eventually moving back elsewhere.
People were busy, each group occupied with different things. Children ran between stores while others carried supplies.
Some rested while others argued over inventory.
It wasn’t a paradise, but in times like this, it felt close enough to one.
Emily’s eyes gleamed in excitement as she saw a group of children spoting Snowy and waving towards her.
The white ferret instantly became the center of attention.
"Can I go daddy, please?" she asked in a pleading tone.
Andrew followed her gaze before a smile broke out on his face and he nodded.
"Stay where I can see you."
Emily practically ran away while Snowy leaped from her shoulder onto her head.
Several children immediately surrounded them, while Mira sighed before quietly following behind.
She had to make sure nothing happened to Emily.
Andrew watched his daughter disappear into the crowd with heavy eyes, and for the first time in days, some of the tension left his body quietly.
"You have been doing your best. Don’t worry so much. She will surely grow up to become a beautiful and smart young lady."
Evelyn patted the man from behind with a small smile present on her lips.
Meanwhile, Mark had already found a group of survivors nearby and begun asking questions in an attempt to gather information.
A few minutes later, Kaelan returned with an ordinary-looking man walking beside him.
Average in height, average in appearance, and nothing about him immediately stood out.
Yet the moment he appeared, conversations naturally shifted and voices lowered slightly.
Not because people feared him but because they respected him and showed their loyalty.
The man exchanged a few words with Kaelan before his attention eventually settled on Lucien.
The leader nodded and walked forward.
He extended a hand.
"Are you Lucien?"
Lucien shook it as he checked the man’s stats.
---
[Name: Damien]
[Race: Human]
[Talent: B-grade talent(Influencer)]
[Combat Power: E++]
---
"I am." Lucien spoke, suppressing the surprise in his words as he read the words before him.
A smile appeared on the man’s face as his gaze sharpened slightly. He had noticed the small change in expression immediately.
"Good, I’ve been hoping to meet the man who survived an encounter with one of the Kings."
The surroundings immediately became quieter, several nearby survivors looked over.
The leader continued.
"Even if he was one of the lower-ranked Kings, surviving at all in itself is impressive."
The smile never left his face, but the one on Lucien’s faded away in an instant.
—
A/N: Sorry for not uploading yesterday as I was sick. I will try to make up for it by uploading one more Chapter today.
