"How are they?" Michael asked Doctor Eric, who was standing beside him in front of the library, about the condition of the injured.
"Overall, they're in good condition, but Liam… honestly, the fact that he's still alive until now is a miracle. If you had been a day later, he wouldn't have survived." The doctor described their condition with a shocked expression on his face.
"As for Jin, all he's suffering from is some muscle strain that happens when the body is pushed beyond its limits. All he needs is a bit of rest."
– I guess taking down a giant husky in one blow makes sense now if it's due to a skill with these side effects – this was what Michael was thinking as he listened to the doctor's report.
"As for Sean, he has some rib fractures, but fortunately, his internal organs weren't damaged, at least based on what I was able to examine. Without my equipment, I can't confirm. Normally, this kind of fracture would take a few weeks to fully heal, but now, with everything happening around us, I honestly don't know… maybe a few days will be enough." Michael finally let out a sigh of relief when he heard Eric's last words.
"What about Liam? Will he survive?" Michael was worried about his new ally.
"In Liam's case, I would say you're all completely foolish. Don't any of you have even the slightest medical knowledge??
When I examined him, I found signs of infection in the wound. All you had to do was clean it with any alcoholic drink or something like that!!!" When talking about Liam's condition, Eric almost lost control of himself.
"Will he survive?" Michael felt embarrassed for making such a simple mistake.
"I don't know. I cleaned the wound, stitched it, and gave him some antibiotics. Now it's up to his body to either recover… or die." Eric regained his composure and straightened his clothes.
"Well, I'm truly grateful for your help." Michael smiled at Eric, ended the conversation, and returned to the library.
"Wait, Michael. I want to ask you for something." As Michael turned to leave, the doctor stopped him.
"Oh, go ahead. If it's within my ability, I'll do it." Michael couldn't refuse a man who was saving his closest friend. At the very least, he had to hear him out.
"I want you to help me level up… I know I missed the best opportunity, and I don't want you to repeat it for me. All I ask is that you give me a weapon and train me on how to fight." Michael was completely surprised by Eric's unexpected request.
"Alright, no problem. Once Sean and the others recover, I'll ask them to help you level up. That's the least they can do to repay you." After thinking for a bit, Michael agreed to the doctor's request.
"Thank you, Michael. I truly appreciate it." Eric smiled upon hearing Michael's approval, then went back to check on Liam and the others.
"Hey boss, Tony and Zola are back." Hank's voice came from the second-floor window, pointing toward the residential buildings.
"Michael, I'm sorry. You need to change the plan. Crossing through that route is impossible." The first thing Tony said when he arrived made everyone's expressions stiffen immediately.
"Tell me, what did you find there?" Michael was surprised when he saw the fear on Tony's face and wondered what could make him this scared.
"Don't ask me. All we saw were black dots from a distance. We didn't even get close." Zola shook his head in denial, completely contrasting Tony's terrified state beside him.
"There are around 100 zombies. Among them are two giants, a hunter, and another zombie I don't know what type it was—its head was a bone skull with burning flames in its eye sockets." Tony's words sent chills down everyone's spines.
– With all these threats nearby, even the library isn't safe anymore – the urgency to leave the city grew stronger and stronger in Michael's heart.
"Then we have no choice but to cross through the park. The nearest alternative route to reach the mechanical engineering faculty would require us to leave the university and circle around from the back gate." Hank suggested a plan that might seem crazy, but despite its risks and flaws, it was the only option they had.
"So after starting the buses, you plan to drive them through the forest back to the library?" Zola broke the silence, pointing out what he thought was a flaw in Hank's plan.
"And who said anything about returning to the library?" Hank smiled as he replied, clearly having intentionally withheld the full details of his plan.
"We can't move the buses to the library… but we can move the library to the buses." Michael stepped in and explained before Zola could explode and start beating Hank, while Hank sighed as if Michael had just ruined his favorite game.
"Leading all these people through the park might be even more dangerous than those zombies. I mean, we saw that giant husky and how that park grew into a massive forest. We don't know what kind of monsters are waiting for us there." Tony seemed to have regained his composure and analyzed the situation logically.
"That's why I'll form a small team of the strongest here to scout the park and the path first." Michael nodded in response to Tony and began thinking about potential team members.
"For now, I want you all to gather everyone. We'll meet here in front of the library in half an hour." Michael entered the library and saw Angela sitting alone in a corner.
– Oh, this is interesting – what surprised Michael was that Angela was already level three, even though when she returned after what happened with Marcus, she was still level two.
– Thankfully, checking everyone's status has become a habit for me – Angela's level greatly piqued Michael's curiosity, but he stopped himself from going to talk to her about it and continued toward Sean.
"Hey, have you noticed anything strange about Angela lately?" Michael approached Sean's ear and whispered.
"Hmmm… now that you mention it, yeah. She's become more withdrawn and disappears for long periods from time to time. But maybe she's just somewhere in the library—you know my field of view is limited since I'm lying here. Why? Did she do something bad?" Sean held his chin as he tried to recall.
"I noticed that she…" Michael told Sean what he had observed about Angela.
"That is strange… why would she go out hunting alone? …Wait, could it be that she blames herself for Marcus's death?" Sean's conclusion was logical, as there was no other explanation for hunting alone.
"Well, now let's get to the main topic. The road is blocked by a large number of evolved zombies. We have to cross the park." Confusion appeared clearly on Sean's face, so Michael retold everything that had happened outside the library earlier.
"I'm healing quickly. Delay the trip for two days, and I think I'll be able to go with you." Sean agreed to Michael's plan and informed him of his improving condition.
"You got it. We'll leave in two days." Michael agreed immediately. The only person he could trust with his life here was Sean, so of course he needed him on such a dangerous trip.
...
"I know you're confused, lost, maybe even afraid. That's normal. I felt the same way a few days ago when I suddenly found myself thrown into the middle of this hell."
"But now, here, you have a choice. Follow me to fight these disgusting monsters, to gain the glory and power that will allow you to protect yourself and your loved ones in this twisted world… or stay here and live miserably at the mercy of the strong." Michael stood at the top of the library stairs, looking at the gathered crowd below, delivering the best speech he could to recruit fighters.
"Well, this is better than I expected." In the end, out of 20 survivors, 8 fighters stepped forward—5 males and 3 females.
"Hank, Zola, you'll be responsible for the library's safety until we return." Michael set off with 11 fighters, including Peter, Tony, and Theodore, toward the university gate—the only direction that hadn't been cleared yet.
"Tony, stay alert. If there's any danger, inform us. Peter, take the lead." Michael organized the formation, placing Tony and Peter at the front for scouting and defense, Theodore behind them, while he himself stayed at the rear to protect their back.
"Don't kill it. Leave it for the newcomers here. If they want skills, they need to go through real combat." Soon, the group encountered their first zombie. Michael checked it—it was a normal level-one zombie.
"Now, who wants to deal with this zombie? You can use any weapon you want from these." Michael took out the weapons from his bracelet and presented them: spear, axe, saber, shield.
After some hesitation among the survivors, a beautiful girl with black hair in a ponytail and blue eyes stepped forward.
"Since no one wants to be the first, I'll go myself." She chose the saber and advanced toward the zombie.
"Come here, you ugly bastard." No one knew if this was her real personality or just an act to reduce tension, but she gave a completely different impression from her gentle appearance as soon as she spoke.
– Tsk, doesn't look as brave as she seems – this was what Michael thought as he watched Darla circle the zombie awkwardly, swinging the saber clumsily.
"Hey, open your eyes and look where you're hitting." Michael started massaging his forehead as he watched her fighting style—none of her swings came close to the zombie.
"O-okay." Darla stepped back and nodded. She gripped the saber firmly with both hands horizontally in front of her in a comical stance, then waited… and waited… until the zombie entered her range, then stabbed directly into its eye.
"Good job, Darla. Let's see what you got." Michael's smile widened when he saw the skill book drop near the dead zombie.
– Damn, damn, damn – when Michael read the skill description, he truly wanted to learn it himself and return to the library immediately, but he couldn't steal from one of his followers… at least not in front of everyone.
"Darla, this is your reward for your hard work." Michael reluctantly handed the book to Darla, who had collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily after killing the zombie.
"Thank you, boss." After hearing how she addressed him, Michael knew that this skill wouldn't slip from his hands anyway.
"Peter, escort Darla back to the library… Darla, you know what to do." This skill caused some changes to Michael's plans, but it was a welcome change.
"Let's continue. We'll level you all up and get each of you skills." After Peter and Darla left, the rest of the group continued clearing the area, grinding levels, and rescuing survivors they encountered.