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Having emerged from the consciousness space, Jin was still somewhat surprised; he could clearly feel that the synchronization might not necessarily be due to his own abilities, but rather that the skills of the Summon inherently had the potential to synchronize, provided one could successfully comprehend them.
"If that's the case, the strengthening of humanity will not be limited to physical fitness. As time drags on, there will likely be more powerful individuals emerging."
After a moment of thought, Jin realized that this situation was a double-edged sword: the chances of humans surviving would increase, but as individual power grew stronger, the destruction of order would become more complete.
However, this was a good thing for him since the presence of Fusion ability gave him the possibility to acquire more skills.
Possibly, in this apocalypse, he might even achieve a status beyond his previous imagination.
Dong dong dong.
The room's door was suddenly knocked on. Jin's expression tensed, and he instantly activated Metal Body, turning his body a dark hue; the Summon also transformed, positioning itself in front of him, facing the entrance.
"Jin, it's me and Lisa," Mark's voice came from outside the door.
"What is it?"
"Lisa heated up some canned food this morning—made extra, and we brought over a portion for you."
Jin was a bit surprised, but after a brief moment of thought, he seemed to realize something, then dispersed Metal Body and ordered the Summon to go and open the door.
The Summon moved the sofa that was blocking the door and then opened it.
Outside, Mark and Lisa were both there, Mark holding a bowl of canned food in his hands.
"Come in."
The Summon led the two past the entrance, always maintaining a distance between Jin and them.
Though Jin's strength had advanced further, and he had synchronized with a life-saving skill, being careful was still no issue.
Mark and Lisa sneaked glances at the living room, noticing that the hundreds of pounds of metal from yesterday had vanished by nearly ninety percent, and thought to themselves: He really is no ordinary person.
"This is some canned food I just heated up this morning. The conditions are simple—there aren't many options."
Mark placed the bowl on the living room coffee table, both of them standing at one side of the sofa, their attitude very humble.
The canned food was steaming hot, just ordinary canned meat and vegetables, freshly heated, with a simple preparation—quite good indeed.
"You two, please sit."
Jin sat opposite them, and the two sat on the sofa, appearing somewhat restrained, although Lisa seemed a bit more composed.
"Early in the morning and you're already heating up canned food—must have been tough."
He said it was tough, but he didn't touch the food, his eyes fixed on the two of them.
Mark and Lisa, having been in the workforce for a not insignificant amount of time, naturally understood the implication.
Even in peaceful times, one worries about delivery personnel or kitchen staff tampering with takeout food, let alone now during the apocalypse.
Of course, the canned food wasn't important; it was the pretext for today's meeting that was significant.
"Jin, you are a clever man, and I'll get straight to the point.
We don't know how many monsters are out there, and rescue might not even be possible, so the two of us want to form a team with you for mutual support," Mark stated their intent, adding at the end: "You being a capable individual, teaming up with you is us seeking a chance to survive, whether working as assistants or carrying things, it's all no problem."
Although both had the Crimson Book, actually taking down a Zombie like Jin had wasn't easy.
There wasn't just one monster, and even having contracted a Summon, one's own Summon might not necessarily be more formidable than a regular Zombie; being surrounded would mean death.
Having more people, sticking together—that was the most likely way to keep alive.
Jin didn't speak yet, just pondered; gathering resources alone was slow, and some items indeed weren't easy to move, being with more people had its benefits.
But with more people, resource distribution and some matters needed extra attention—there were advantages and disadvantages.
Seeing him in thought, Lisa suddenly spoke up, her voice soft yet clear: "Although Mark is a software engineer, he often runs outsourced projects, can drive, and has an SUV parked in our building's parking lot, filled up with gas the day before yesterday, so he can be our driver.
I used to work in real estate sales, I frequently visited this area, so if we really need to move, I can also be of help."
Jin took another look at Lisa, not because she was beautiful, but because she indeed had something about her, having been a salesperson who knew how to grasp people's psychology.
In a few words, she had clarified what she could offer.
Lisa paused, then added, "And I also know some news."
Jin's eyebrows moved. "Let's hear it."
"There might be survivors gathered in the first-floor lobby, or possibly a large number of monsters."
Jin looked surprised and asked, "How do you know this?"
Lisa answered, "We are the homeowners. Many people were in the lobby looking at the fog and making a fuss about it yesterday morning."
With that, Jin understood. When many people gather together, regardless of the mutation rate, there definitely would be Zombies generated.
If people killed the Zombies, naturally survivors would gather. If the Zombies killed all the survivors, then there would certainly be a considerable number of monsters.
After the appearance of the great Eye yesterday, the first floor turned into a major battleground.
"Do you have any backpacks in your room?"
Jin suddenly asked the question. Mark was initially stunned, then a broad smile appeared on his face as he quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, I always use backpacks when I travel, and I have several, including hiking backpacks."
"Go back and pack up first. I'll clean up the corridor. Today, we're going to clear the floors below."
Lisa was startled, then nodded, "Okay, thank you."
Since Jin had agreed, it meant he had saved their lives, at least reducing the danger significantly. They were indebted to him now.
Time was limited, so the three of them decided to form a team and didn't continue to chat. According to their roles, Lisa went back to get the backpacks first.
Jin took Mark to the end of the corridor on the seventh floor, where they had killed Zombies yesterday.
"Ugh."
Mark nearly gagged as soon as they approached, overwhelmed by the stench of blood and rot, and he leaned against the wall to vomit.
His face was deathly pale, his stomach churning tumultuously, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.
Having lived for nearly half his life, it was the first time he had seen a person with their stomach hollowed out.
Jin patted his back. "Get used to it. You'll see this sort of thing a lot more in the future. There's a Zombie over there—try if you can form a contract."
He pointed to the corpse of a Zombie next to the woman's body, which his Summon had killed yesterday.
Mark wiped the vomit streaked with saliva from the corner of his mouth, his heart bitter. Easy for you to say—how could anyone be as composed as you?
"I'll try. Jin, do I need any sort of ritual?"
"Just call me Jin. No ritual needed—just give it a try."
Though Jin could form contracts with his Summon, he was still half-knowing about many things, so he also needed a reference.
Teaming up made searching easier and was also part of this consideration.
Mark gathered his strength, then squatted down beside the Zombie, whispering, "Sorry about this."
He placed his hand on the Zombie, trying to connect with the red Crimson Book on his hand, but after a long time, there was no response.
He was puzzled and looked back at Jin, shaking his head. "Jin, it doesn't seem to work."
Slaying the Zombie didn't work, and Jin thought for a moment about his experience with his roommate, then said, "I think I know what's happening. You need to kill a Zombie yourself. Go home and grab a kitchen knife or an iron bar—you'll have to do it yourself later."
When they returned to Mark's home, Lisa had already found the backpacks, preparing a mountaineering bag for Mark and a regular backpack for herself.
"You should go to my place and grab some kitchen knives for weapons. We'll need to clear some Zombies later."
Lisa paused, looked at Mark's expression, nodded, and said, "I'll get ready right away."
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End of Chapter 6