In an open field, three military trucks were arranged in a rudimentary triangle formation, the sound of gunfire ringing out occasionally from their backs whenever monsters popped up.
Outside the trucks, a few groups of brave volunteers were engaging monsters in close range, preventing any ambushes.
Among them was Lu Chunxia, or as everyone knew her, Chloe.
Chloe hacked into a charging bison-like monster's head, her hatchet shattering its skull as a ruby crescent cleaved the rest of its giant body in half. The two halves of the creature slid past her ineffectually as she charged at another monster without wasting time.
[Ira Taurus Lv 7 killed!]
[Level Up!]
Suppressing the urge to puke at the offal, Chloe cut apart another beast, hacking and slashing away again.
The sticky feeling of warm blood and guts covering her arms didn't help at all.
As soon as the last of the charging bulls were cut down, she immediately threw up whatever remained of the few military rations she had eaten on the way.
"Here." A familiar, comforting voice rang out as Adam patted her back, offering her a bottle of water.
Ever since accepting his offer, Chloe had faced a lot less alienation from the group. With Adam's support, most of the people were willing to put aside their apprehensions about her.
To Chloe, it was like finding a family again. Calling it a family may be a reach, but it was true that she found comfort in having people around her.
"Thank you."
'For saving me.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How much farther do we need to go?" Ethan asked the truck driver, holding on to the seat for some semblance of stability amidst the bumpy ride.
"According to the location we got from the military guys, we should be close," said the driver, focusing on the road in case of any sudden monster attacks.
Ethan slumped into the seat next to him, "That's good. We don't have an infinite amount of ammo to use recklessly like just now."
"The faster we reach, the better."
The two sat silently, watching the scenery pass by.
"Is it just me, or is the number of monsters way too little here?" Ethan noticed. Not just monsters like the Ira Taurus, but even the ubiquitous hounds were nowhere to be seen.
"Even the sky is clear," the driver remarked. "It's almost like..."
'Like everything was normal again.'
They both knew what he meant, but neither dared to voice their hopes.
"What the-"
The driver's curse wasn't without reason, since the lead truck had suddenly lost control, flipping onto its side.
The driver grit his teeth as he hit the brakes. A loud popping noise revealed what had caused the first truck's issue.
Ethan leapt out of the window to see small caltrop-like protrusions rising from the dirt, clearly human-made.
'This is...'
Lu Chunxia had leapt out of her truck as well, hatchet in hand. Ethan raised his arms, signalling everyone to stop.
It turned out to be the right decision, as dozens of laser sights suddenly focused on them.
From the bushes and grassland surrounding the narrow road, soldiers arose. Wearing ghillie suits and camouflaged, their guns were still clearly visible to the group of survivors.
Amidst the confusion, a baritone voice was heard over a loudspeaker.
"Cease your movement. Lay down your arms and surrender. You are surrounded."
"Surrender and you will not be harmed."
The remnants of the military bared their fangs once more.
As Adam walked out of the toppled truck, his eyes held a strange glint as he looked at the men gathered around them, the faintest hint of a smile dancing at the corner of his lips.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humans can survive without society, but they can never become fully human without it.
Without civilization, a group of humans is no different from a pack of animals.
In truth, all laws are merely promises upheld by human beings, upon the fear of punishment or a sense of duty and belonging. Yet this very sense of belonging is what allowed humans to become the dominant force on the planet in a world governed by beings stronger than them.
Because they cooperated together under a shared set of such 'promises', binding themselves for the sake of the collective.
Adam firmly believed in such a systematic philosophy, yet even he felt his head ache slightly as he was led in to meet the person in charge of the military base, flanked by Chloe and Ethan.
Even after half an hour of safety checks and bureaucracy, they had yet to see the face of the Brigadier General leading this research base.
'Strange. None of them are above level 2 or 3,' Adam noticed as they walked, his mind piecing small clues together.
'Aside from the initial zombie conversion, did they not have to deal with monsters? Why?'
From the disorganized scurrying and the errors being made around them, he hypothesized that they must have lost many more soldiers than they were showing.
'Perhaps this whole thing is just a skeleton crew, concentrated in our path to give the false image of an untouched military base.'
'Smart. But unnecessary.'
Even from the faces, equipment, and attire of soldiers merely passing by, Adam could read their emotions and put together a general outline of their situation.
'The basis of negotiation is the amount of collateral you hold. Risk, value, power, information.'
And he wasn't too bad at collecting information.
"Please remain seated here until the General calls for you," said the female soldier who had been guiding them, before leaving.
Three soldiers remained nearby, keeping watch over them from a respectable distance.
'It's probably bugged.'
Adam looked around, before smiling gently. He turned to Chloe.
"Do you know why I brought you with me when they allowed me to bring two people?"
Chunxia looked worried out of her mind, but focused on his words, "Because we're strong?"
"Because I only trust you."
Seeing the glimmer in her eyes, Adam relaxed a bit more. After all, he had already won.
Seeing him sleep peacefully in what was effectively hostile territory, even the soldiers were a bit off-put.
Although it was anything but peaceful for Adam himself.
In his dream, he was confronted with the half-eaten group of people he had abandoned back in the city, deeming them unfit or troublesome to take.
Blonde hair that shimmered in the light, matted with blood.
She had been a disruptive element that Adam had decisively cut off from the group entirely as soon as possible, and even then she managed to convert a few able-bodied people into her clique.
She had been a social threat, but at the end of the day, she was a child.
Elderly people, unable to perform any tasks needed. Simply due to lacking usefulness, he condemned them to death.
Worst of all was perhaps the man who had chosen to stay behind to protect them, despite having a choice to come with him.
Faced with their condemnation, Adam could only remain silent, his throat constricting painfully.
He acted decisively, but how could one ever know if their actions were the right choice?
He wasn't some sort of psychopath without guilt. He regretted not being able to save people. He disliked having to manipulate and kill for a chance to survive.
But no matter what, he would survive.
And in surviving, he would do his best to allow those who believed in him to make it through this crisis as well.
Adam was about to say something in his dream, but was awoken by Ethan.
It was time to meet the Brigadier General.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Name: Adam]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: 7]
[Speed: 9]
[Intelligence: 19]
[Endurance: 8]
[Stat Points: 15]
[Mana: 190/190]
[Skills: Inspect Lv 8, ???]