My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 276: Ch 276: Miss Audit steps up

"Are you packed and ready to head out?"

Rin blinked as he looked at Shelly with a detached expression on his face. He had not even heard her speak properly, and hearing her voice suddenly made him blink and snap out of his daze.

He suddenly realized that everyone was looking at him with strangely concerned expressions, wondering what he was doing. That made Rin answer Shelly quickly so as not to worry the others.

"I am feeling fantastic. Why? Did something happen?"

Rin asked Shelly, and her concerned expression deepened. He had a feeling he had missed something important, and Shelly opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spoke again.

"There is...nothing—"

"Rin, you are behaving oddly. Not only are you spacing out, but your memory is also blanking. You told us that you needed to grab something almost half an hour ago, but you never left to get it. Nor did you move from your position."

Kyle pointed out, his eyes narrowing. He sounded concerned, which made Rin flinch.

It had...not been his intention to cause such trouble.

But hearing about his behavior from someone else did sound concerning, especially since Rin could not recall spacing out.

More importantly, he was surprised that the system had not pointed it out to him yet. Usually, it pointed out any strange behavior Rin displayed.

[Don’t worry, Rookie. You are behaving normally. It’s everyone else who is acting too sensitive when they don’t need to.]

The system assured Rin, but he did not believe a word that came out of its mouth. After all, the system was prone to lying whenever it suited it.

Rin remained silent for a long moment before finally forcing a smile onto his face.

"I’ll be fine. Maybe I’m just more tired than I realized."

No one in the group looked convinced by that answer. Shelly quietly moved to stand beside him, almost as though she was afraid he would suddenly lose focus again if she left him alone.

Even Kyle kept looking at Rin with narrowed eyes, clearly debating whether he should insist on postponing the trip altogether.

"If you don’t feel well, then we can leave another day."

Shelly spoke softly, but Rin immediately shook his head.

"There is no need. We’ve already delayed this journey long enough. Besides, the clue might not wait for us forever."

Kyle folded his arms across his chest before letting out a long sigh.

"If you start spacing out like that again, then I’m dragging you back to the settlement myself. I don’t care if you complain afterward."

Rin could not help but smile weakly at that.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

Although everyone remained worried about him, no one brought the matter up again. There was simply too much at stake for them to remain inside the settlement any longer.

After making a few final preparations, Collin handed Rin several newly prepared potions while Amelia insisted on checking everyone’s injuries one last time.

Even Reina reluctantly stepped aside after reminding Rin several times not to push himself too hard.

Soon afterward, the settlement gates slowly opened, allowing the small group to step outside.

The road ahead was surprisingly peaceful.

Perhaps it was because the recent monster tide had wiped out most of the nearby monsters, or perhaps there was another reason altogether, but they only encountered a handful of enemies during the entire first day.

The monsters they did meet behaved strangely as well. Instead of charging at them like usual, they merely watched the group from a distance before quietly disappearing back into the forest.

Kyle noticed it first.

"...Is it just me...or are the monsters not as aggressive as they usually are?"

Shelly looked away from the trees surrounding them.

"What do you mean?"

Kyle replied immediately.

"They aren’t attacking us."

Now that he mentioned it, Rin realized it as well.

Several pairs of glowing eyes could occasionally be seen watching them from the darkness between the trees, but not a single monster actually stepped forward to challenge them.

"They’re behaving as though someone warned them not to interfere."

Shelly tightened her grip on her sword.

"I don’t like this."

"Neither do I."

Rin quietly agreed.

If the monsters had attacked them, then at least their behavior would have made sense. Their current actions, however, made him feel far more uneasy.

Every instinct he possessed told him that something ahead was forcing even the monsters to keep their distance.

Unfortunately, that was not the only thing bothering him.

As they continued traveling, Rin found himself losing focus more and more frequently.

Sometimes he would suddenly realize that several minutes had passed without him remembering a single word of the conversation taking place around him. Other times, he would find himself staring absentmindedly at the scenery until Shelly quietly called his name.

Every single time it happened, he instinctively glanced toward the system interface.

Every single time, the system remained completely silent.

That silence frightened him far more than the messages ever had.

...

Two days later, the scenery around them began to change.

The dense forests gradually gave way to cracked highways and abandoned buildings that had long since been reclaimed by nature. It looked like an ordinary ruined city at first glance, but the system marker continued guiding them deeper until they finally reached the foot of a mountain.

Built directly into the mountainside stood an enormous steel structure.

The entrance resembled the blast door of an underground bunker. Thick steel plates covered every inch of the doorway, while faded warning signs hung crookedly on both sides.

Most of the writing had become unreadable after years of neglect, although a few scattered words still remained.

"...Research..."

"...Authorized Personnel..."

"...Containment..."

Mira slowly whistled.

"Well...I think we’ve found the right place."

Kyle stepped closer to inspect the massive door before frowning.

"I don’t see any mechanism to open it."

Mira immediately cracked her knuckles.

"That’s not a problem. If the door won’t open, then I’ll just make a new entrance."

Mira grinned mischievously as she rolled up her sleeves.

She had barely taken a step toward the bunker when an elderly voice suddenly echoed throughout the silent valley.

"There will be no need for that. You are free to enter."