At 2:40 p.m., we finally reached our target location. But before we even got close, a group of five men appeared in front of us.
Just looking at them made something feel off. Each of them carried their own weapon, but it wasn’t the weapons that unsettled me—it was the way they moved, the way they stared. I’m not trying to be judgmental, but sometimes… you can just tell when someone isn’t going to do good things. That kind of vibe doesn’t always show in normal times, but in an apocalypse? It’s like their true selves bleed through.
Their whole group was made up of men.
I used [Identification].
Levels: two were 7, one was 8, one was 6, and the st was 9.
‘Shit… they don’t even have abilities. Not even level 10. No cores either.It’s happening again… Are zombies and humans really no different to me now? Or is it because I’m not from this world? Maybe this system, these powers—maybe none of it feels real to me anymore.’
I stayed at the back—just like some average Joe—barely noticeable. It made me feel more like an invisible observer. The group ahead scanned us, but their interest clearly leaned toward the girls. I could see the unease in Zach’s posture, and both Ethan and Nath had already taken subtle defensive stances.
My group wasn’t stupid. The atmosphere was off. One of the men even had a grin pstered across his face, like he was walking through some kind of happy fantasy nd. That smile said more than words—it screamed danger.
Ethan stepped forward. “Boss, we’re just here to look for food.”
‘Shit… Ethan knows how to act like one of them. Or is he one of them? I don’t even know anymore.’
The level 9 guy replied, “Okay, come with us. We’ll take you to our boss—let’s see what you’ve got.”
They started walking. Ethan followed without hesitation. I moved to follow too, but just before I passed them, I gnced around.
‘Does Ethan know these people?’
Looking at the others, it didn’t seem like anyone recognized them.
Lena tugged on her father’s arm. “Are we really going with them? I don’t like the way they looked at me, Dad.”
Samantha chimed in, “Yeah, I felt that too.”
‘No shit—we all felt it. Even a blind guy could hear the threat in their tone.’
Nath just shook his head. Then he looked at me. I caught his gaze, but I didn’t stop—I kept walking, following the others.
Nath let out a quiet sigh. “Alright… let’s go. We don’t have food, after all.”
---
We walked for about ten minutes, passing the food shelves, until we reached a section that looked like an office or storage room.
One of the men stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door.
“TOCK! TOCK! TOCK!”
The door creaked open—and I immediately heard a weak, muffled cry for help. Then came an irritated voice from inside.
When the door fully opened, the stench hit me first—rot, sweat, something worse.
What I saw next was pure horror.
Three men were inside. One stood by the door, while the other two were on top of two barely-conscious women. I couldn’t even tell if those women were still alive. Off to the side, I saw three more women. Motionless. Probably dead.
Everyone inside was naked.
I stared in disbelief.
‘Man… what kind of twisted, open-minded freaks are these? How can they even enjoy this? It reeks like hell in here. If that guy invited me to join and there weren’t corpses, maybe—maybe—I could pinch my nose and pretend it’s fine…’
I froze.
‘Wait… what the fuck am I even thinking? There’s seriously something wrong with me. Am I this messed up… or is there someone else in my head? System!'
> Ding!
Host Negative.
---
The man inside didn’t even bother walking toward us. He just gred at the Level 9 guy and barked out:
"What the fuck are you doing? Why’d you bring them here?! Catch them!"
I thought, ‘No shit—your people are doing this kind of thing, and you expect them to be smart? Guess that’s on me for underestimating you.’
And just like that, I was tackled to the ground.
I stayed down, but I kept my eyes open—I wanted to hear how this was going to py out. Ethan was still fighting—three people piled on him, and he was holding his ground. Zach? That bastard was almost at the exit. I didn’t even realize he could run that fast.
Nath had his arms wrapped tightly around Lena, shielding her. Samantha stood frozen, staring at me with wide eyes. I could tell—she was smart. She just copied what I did, pying it passive until things became clearer.
'this girl is watching everything I do'
But Ethan, he didn’t stop. He thrashed, kicked, bit—even when they got tired of trying to hold him down.
It took five whole minutes before the Two men inside stepped out and helped beat him into submission. They didn’t stop until he was broken, until he stopped fighting, until they were satisfied.
Looking at the man pinning me down—naked, sweating—something cold and wet slid down my
back. I didn’t even want to know what it was.
‘Shit… what kind of luck is this?’
