My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 239: Ch 239: Follow the Lead

"How is data analysis coming along?"

Rin decided to finally visit the PC room that he had been neglecting until now. He did not want to distract the dedicated team while they were working.

The hard-working workers did not even acknowledge him at first, which made Rin want to remind them that he was still standing behind them, waiting for an answer.

Thankfully, they did not keep him waiting for much longer and finally looked up from their work.

"We are almost there. It took us a long time to set things up because the stupid program kept crashing without the internet. Ugh, it was a nightmare to debug."

Mira complained as she kicked her chair.

The guy she had dragged here to help her out flinched at her action but did not say anything else. Rin noticed his nervous expression but chose to ignore the pleading-for-help look he caught.

"So, what’s the verdict?"

Reina asked from Rin’s side. Both she and Shelly had decided to accompany Rin to make sure he did not do anything stupid.

He did not need their constant supervision, but somehow, the pair had made it their mission to make sure he got it anyway.

However, even their presence did nothing to pressure Mira. She did not look intimidated by Shelly and Reina’s presence and ignored them without a care in the world.

"We are almost there. You see this? It’s a pixelated map of the world. It can help us narrow down where we need to go from here. However, finding the main location is not going to be easy, even with this. We will need more clues."

It was not a pleasant thing to hear, but it was not unexpected either. Honestly, it was a lot better than Rin had expected in the first place.

[Don’t worry, Rookie. You will get more opportunities to narrow down the location of your destination. Just keep clearing tasks and you will keep finding clues.]

Rin had to question himself at this point. Was there even any merit in finding these clues? He already knew what was causing the apocalypse.

[Tsk, that is an arrogant way to think. Just because you know a few things does not mean you know everything. Quit your arrogance and follow the lead the system is providing you.]

[Who knows? You might find something worth thinking about.]

The system was making Rin curious now. It knew how to work him up and get him to agree to walk into a trap.

’You are unfair!’

Rin complained, only for the system not to take his words seriously.

[Please do not blame the system, Rookie. All I am trying to do is help you out. The outcome depends on your decision.]

"It seems like we will need to go through a few more tasks before we can pinpoint the location of the lab we need to head to."

Shelly pointed out what Rin had been dreading saying all this time. Her words made him sigh, and he felt like he had to mentally prepare himself for what was to come next.

__________

[Task 12 will begin in 3 days. Task details: Snake and Ladders]

[Play a game of Snake and Ladders with the system and make it to the other side in time. Challenge your luck by avoiding the traps and be rewarded by reaching the ladders.]

[Click here for task details.]

Rin clicked on the list quickly so that he could read it.

The game sounded rather simple. It was a board game-style task intended for a single player. There were no dice to throw. Instead, players had a timer and needed to run through stages, make it across the tiles, and reach a safe place before the timer ran out.

It seemed like a tedious game, but thankfully, it was not complicated.

But the simpler a game sounded, the harder it was likely going to be.

"Everyone, be careful while you play this game. We cannot anticipate what kind of danger you might face. If you feel like you are in danger, then stop at a safe space, even if you have time left on the clock."

Rin warned his group, and everyone nodded to show that they understood.

"I wish I could accompany you to this task. Why did the system have to make it a solo task? Isn’t Snake and Ladders a multiplayer game? It feels irritating."

Shelly complained with a pout on her face. She was not the only one who felt it was unfair that he could not keep an eye on his group.

But he did not voice his thoughts like she did.

[Well, having more than one person would give the players an unfair advantage. It has been 12 rounds of tasks. Surely humans would have learned to look after themselves by now? If not, then it is time to start pruning them.]

The system said these cruel words in a mocking voice. It was easy to see that it did not view humanity as anything more than its puppets meant to succeed.

But perhaps, for an entity such as the system, they were no different from ants.

[Don’t think such things, Rookie. The system does not care for most humans because they are arrogant and useless, but you are special. Do not compare yourself to them.]

The system consoled Rin, but he did not feel even a little better.

Somehow, he had a feeling it would have been better if it had said nothing at all. Not that the system took his feelings into consideration.

The next three days were too busy for Rin to remember much.

All he could recall was heading from one place to another to check up on things and give orders. The others were also undergoing special training for Task 12. Those who were not up to par for this round needed survival tips to make it through.

However, even with the sudden training, there was just not enough time to ensure they would survive.

’Realistically speaking, what are the chances of these people making it out alive?’

Rin sighed, not looking for an answer, but the system gave him one anyway.

[Since you asked for a real answer, the system will give you one. Realistically speaking, only 10% of them have a chance of making it across.]

10%? That was even less than what Rin had been expecting.

He suddenly felt like he needed a drink or ten to ease his tension.