After the meeting, Anna and Cassie stepped out of the conference room and went to their personal quarters on the top floor.
Standing by the glass wall and looking down at the city, Cassie gave a wistful smile.
"This is where my brother loves viewing the city from, right?"
Behind her, Anna hummed, her eyes oddly melancholic.
"I guess he was an arrogant person?"
Cassie laughed, low and amused. Then, she turned to her friend with a bright expression.
"It doesn't matter right? Brother's going to come soon. I just didn't expect his evolution to take this long."
The blonde girl regarded her with a peculiar look, then began walking away.
"Have absolute confidence in your brother. From what I've seen, he's not someone who'd fight recklessly and get himself killed. In fact..."
She stopped.
"I can say that he's overly cautious and cooks up too many backup plans."
Cassie stayed silent as she watched Anna go into the kitchen. Her expression was a bit thoughtful, then turned peculiar.
"Muu, I'm the sister here, y'know. I should be the one reassuring you."
Pouting, she skipped after Anna with joyful steps.
Far below them, a camp of over fifty people was being structured according to the layout Leon had prepared.
"These are simply unbelievable. It feels like a small part of a larger piece." Ye Ming, also nicknameed Daddy Ye, spoke as he rubbed his beard.
"Sure. I've never seen any plan structure like this. It's almost futuristic."
Professor Oliver (Old Pipe) admitted, his white brows locked.
"Is it really that impressive? I mean, it could have been dubbed online right?" Amelia asked, doubt tainting her voice.
"Oh kid," Ye Ming shook his head, "These building plans were personally drawn by Leon. At least, he's good. He even integrated our ideas into it. See this?"
He showed her a small storage unit attached to each building in the layout.
"I suggested it."
"Wow. But shouldn't you be more subtle when you want to boast, Uncle?"
Amelia sighed with a look of disappointment.
"Wait a minute! I wasn't boasting! I was really the one who suggested it!" Ye Ming waved his hands in the air as if to prove his point, a comical sight for a mature man.
Ignoring him, Amelia turned to Professor Oliver. "Where's Little Tiger? I haven't seen him around."
The old man waved indifferently, "He's out with Shadow. Training their assassin class skills. Though I'm curious, are assassins needed when facing zombies?"
Ye Ming's expression turned smug, "Oh my, old man. Don't let your worldview be narrow. This whole apocalypse wouldn't be about zombies alone."
Amelia's expression turned serious. "Leon mentioned it too. We might clash with other shelters."
"Well, when they come... We'll simply handle them."
A sly smile was on Professor Oliver's face as he said this, unbefitting of a scholarly old man. His hands tightened in the familiar hold of his hammer's handle.
....
Some distance away, a group of male evolved moved down the streets, cutting down zombies left and right.
"Don't you guys feel like zombies here are getting scarce?" A guy with only one eye functioning asked, his expression mildly confused.
"Don't look so bewildered, Johnson. This place must have been visited by several people. You don't know, an evolved might have passed here too."
Another guy with red hair answered him, his eyes bloodshot.
"Is that so?" The one-eyed man said, then turned. "Hey Scarface! I hope you're sure about this tower stuff. It better get some goodies in it."
The man in question, Scarface, was a giant in physique, standing almost two meters tall with the body mass to compensate it. He'd have looked like a worthy bodyguard if not for the scar running down his face. His eyes held the intensity of someone already accustomed to the harshness of the apocalypse, and a little bit of madness.
"Don't question my words. If you want, you can go back."
"Tch, suit yourself."
This group of three evolved were a ragtag bunch, wandering around and never staying in one place. Acquainted before the apocalypse, they quickly hit off and hunted down zombies, getting enough crystals to purchase potions from that strange machine.
With their abilities, they were able to move freely without fear of zombies. Their main goal was to collect things that were expensive and unattainable before the apocalypse. Things like gold, diamond, expensive watches or cars, even popular women.
"I just hope there's a model woman or actress over there. The last one didn't entertain me at all."
Red Hair snorted, eyes filled with laziness.
Ignoring him, Scarface checked his system interface.
[Name: Simone Richards]
[Race - Human]
[Class: Earth Mage]
[Attributes: |Limited Rock/Soil Manipulation|]
[Level: First Level Evolved]
'This system... I feel like we're pawns being controlled. Even then, we're powerless to stop it. Sigh.'
The large man sighed, surprising him friends.
"Yo, Scarface. Any problem?" Johnson asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Nothing. Nevermind."
"If you say so. Suit yourself."
....
Meanwhile, in another city...
After Leon became a second level, he discarded his armor and broken swords, then changed into comfortable clothes which he had picked from someone's wardrobe.
'Not a theft, right?'
In that white shirt and cream colored trousers, he looked odd in the apocalypse. Like he was an innocent human transmigrated into an apocalyptic world. Well, he certainly looked like one except his eyes that held a deep intensity of detachment.
'Hm?'
As he watched zombies roam the streets while ignoring him, he set down the Pringles he was eating. A particular sound of battle had attracted his attention.
He stood up, then went to the scene. There, a small group were fighting against some zombies. The group only had two evolved with the others wielding firearms. And most astonishing, was the fact that he recognized one of the evolved. An amused smile spread across his lips as he watched their battle.
Very soon, the zombies dropped like flies, dying either by bullets through their skulls or from the evolveds' blades.
When the group finally cleared the zombies around them, they became aware of someone observing them.
The female evolved turned, tense and alert. Then she saw that familiar face and hair.
White hair, Violet eyes, and a handsome face.
"Leon?"
"Mira."
They called out simultaneously.