Lucas shook his head in mild irritation.
"Kind? Please. Morality died with civilization."
In this world, there was no good or evil—only survival.
He unfolded the newly acquired map and pinned it to the wall. Cross-referencing his memories of the area, he quickly pinpointed his location—the Riverview Bay residential complex, just 500 meters north of Tianyang University.
500 meters.
In normal times, an easy walk. Now? A potential death march.
The university would have to wait until he was stronger. For now, he studied his immediate surroundings—a small supermarket near the complex entrance, another down the street. Potential targets for tomorrow.
On a whim, Lucas listed one beer on the trading post with a simple demand: "Keys wanted."
Then he monitored the global chat.
[User: ThirstyGuy]: "Holy shit, someone's trading beer! That's basically liquid bread!"
[User: Regretful]: "I literally threw away a keychain yesterday. FML."
[User: Confused]: "Why keys? What's next, trading bottle caps?"
The chatter continued—survivors sharing horror stories, men clumsily hitting on women, everyone clinging to normalcy through digital connection.
Victor Cross remained conspicuously silent.
As dusk fell, Lucas observed the streets from his darkened apartment. The undead grew more aggressive at night, their heads snapping up to sniff the air. One whiff of human scent sent dozens stampeding toward the source.
[User: Panicked]: "They're breaking down my door! How are they tracking me?!"
[User: Hider]: "Seal all windows! They smell us at night!"
[User: Runner]: "They're jumping barriers now! Daytime rules don't apply!"
Then Ethan Cole reappeared:
[Ethan Cole]: "Night is dangerous but light is safe. Turn on lights to signal safe locations. Our survivor camp at the stadium is growing—safety in numbers!"
Lucas's eyebrow arched. A functioning camp already?
Around him, dozens of lights flickered on as survivors took Ethan's advice. The illumination revealed clusters of life—maybe thirty, forty people in nearby buildings.
Potential allies. More likely—competition.
Lucas remained in darkness, watching, calculating.