One after the other, the survivors moved into the gym building.
Some came limping, others rushed through the entrance as if something was still chasing them, while a few had to be dragged inside because they were still frozen in disbelief at the reality of the world they now found themselves in.
The apocalypse.
Many people were injured. Others were freezing from exhaustion, fear, or the simple realization that the world they had known only hours ago was gone.
None of them were in great shape.
Thankfully, they had the gym.
It was far from comfortable, but at least it offered them walls, a roof, and something resembling safety. Anything was better than remaining on the harrowing roads outside, where danger could appear from anywhere.
At least they were safe for now.
Once everyone was accounted for, the doors were barricaded with whatever gym equipment they could move. Benches, heavy racks, weights, and anything else capable of slowing down an intruder were dragged toward the entrances.
The locks were far too broken to be useful anyway, thanks to Richard’s extreme use of force when he had torn the doors open earlier.
Mrs. Blossom had also managed to retrieve the keys to the main entrance from the corpse of the Grotesque zombie. She had secured the main entrance with them before locking it and, with John’s help, adding another layer of barricade behind it.
It wasn’t perfect.
But perfect had become a luxury.
Afterward, they proceeded to salvage as many materials as they could from the gym.
Every useful thing mattered now.
From the cafeteria, Richard was able to find weeks’ worth of food.
Grey turned to stare at the numbers of food supplies they had gathered.
Scratch that.
’Days’ worth of food... At most four.’
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Grey still had a small amount of resources inside his backpack. If he rationed them properly, they could last him about two days.
Two days.
That was barely enough for himself.
Yet now, he was travelling with a large group.
And the more Grey observed them, the more he realized that travelling with so many people came with far more disadvantages than advantages.
’Yes, more protection and less stress in surviving is guaranteed... But what about important stuff like food and water? Rations won’t last considerably longer. Arguments too.’
His gaze slowly moved across the gym.
People were sitting against walls, some tending to their wounds while others simply stared into space.
’And most of the people here are dead weight. None of them have abilities worth mentioning.’
Grey grumbled inwardly.
He wasn’t being cruel.
At least, that was what he told himself.
This was the apocalypse.
Resources were limited, and every mouth required food. Every injured person required attention. Every weak person could become a liability during an escape.
And yet, despite all his calculations, Grey couldn’t simply walk away.
Alas, just like every human in the waking world, he felt compelled to follow the masses.
Playing it safe wouldn’t hurt.
At least for now.
It was still the early days of the apocalypse.
Things could get much worse.
"Mr... Uhhh... Dagger."
Richard’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Grey turned his head toward him.
A little annoyed.
And even more curious as to why the man had decided to address him with such an awful name.
"I am Grey."
"Oh, sorry. Grey."
Richard stuttered, rubbing his fingers through his hair awkwardly.
"Yes, Grey. Mrs. Veronica would like a word with you."
Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He looked past Richard and finally noticed the small circle of people gathered several meters away.
Mrs. Veronica stood among them.
Taylor was there.
John was there.
And one other person Grey didn’t recognize was also standing among the group.
Grey stared at them for a moment.
Then he sighed quietly before nodding.
He followed Richard toward the circle.
As he approached, Grey was immediately met with multiple gazes.
Almost everyone there turned to look at him.
Some were curious.
Some were grateful.
Others were harder to read.
It didn’t make Grey uncomfortable.
It simply made him curious.
He stopped before Mrs. Veronica and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Mrs. Veronica seemed to realize she hadn’t properly introduced the reason for calling him over.
"Oh, sorry, Mr...?"
"Grey."
"We are thankful for your assistance against the horde, Mr. Grey."
Mrs. Veronica slightly bowed her head.
"You saved many of us back there."
Grey didn’t respond.
"We called you here to plan our next move."
Grey stared at her.
He could tell.
It was obvious.
’What else would they plan here? Definitely not a birthday surprise.’
Mrs. Veronica cleared her throat before continuing.
"All the routes we can use to leave the university have been blocked. The path through the hostels, the lecture halls, and the other three paths... all of them are blocked."
She paused.
"At least for now."
Grey’s expression remained unchanged.
"So there is no way we can escape this place. Not with the size of our group, and definitely not with the non-Trait users among us."
John hissed through his teeth.
"Why carry them, then?"
His voice was low, but everyone nearby heard him.
"They are nothing but weights to us."
The moment those words left his mouth, Richard’s expression darkened.
His hands clenched.
His jaw tightened.
For a second, it looked as though he was about to launch himself at John and use his ferocious strength to shatter the man’s neck.
Taylor immediately stepped between them.
"We are not letting the innocent be slaughtered. Not on our watch."
His voice was firm.
"We can’t forget society’s rules, even in a crisis like this."
Grey scoffed inwardly.
’Right words, coming from the wrong person.’
"I agree with Taylor."
The unfamiliar man spoke up, raising one hand slightly.
Grey’s gaze shifted toward him.
The first thing he noticed was the man’s appearance.
The entire outfit was black.
Dark hair.
Black T-shirt.
Black trousers.
Even his arms were covered in tattoos, the ink stretching across his skin in intricate patterns.
From looking at him alone, one could almost identify his character.
Or at least, the type of character he wanted people to believe he was.
Mrs. Veronica raised her hand next.
"I agree."
Richard followed shortly afterward.
A few seconds passed.
Then, slowly, every eye in the group fell onto Grey.
Waiting for his decision.
’Of course it’s me that gets dragged into this.’
Grey grumbled silently.
He glanced around the group before his eyes finally settled on the man dressed in black.
"Do you have a Trait?"
His question was brief.
His voice expressionless.
The man hesitated for a second.
He blinked several times before turning toward Veronica.
She immediately gave him a small nod.
Only then did he turn back toward Grey.
"Yes, I do."
He paused.
"I am thankful for your help during the horde battle too."
The man extended his hand slightly.
"I am Fredrick."
Grey stared at his hand for a moment before simply nodding.
"Fredrick."
Then his gaze shifted toward Veronica.
"What about you?"
Veronica seemed stunned by the question.
For the briefest moment, her expression changed.
But she quickly recovered.
"No, I do not."
Her answer came almost immediately.
Grey folded his arms across his chest and glanced at everyone else.
"I have an ability."
His voice remained calm.
"I have a family. I have my own problems."
He paused.
"Don’t put your problems on me."
Silence descended over the group.
Grey’s gaze moved from one person to another.
"I am a man, with a dog and a girl."
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
John’s expression contorted into a deep frown.
Richard, on the other hand, looked somewhat relieved.
Fredrick’s expression also showed something Grey could easily recognize.
Approval.
His response had landed quite well with them.
Grey slipped both hands into his pockets.
’Both sides were right.’
His eyes narrowed.
’But the more logical answer is leaving the useless people for dead.’
His gaze swept across the survivors.
Still...
He didn’t say it aloud.
Instead, his eyes dropped toward the system hovering within his vision.
A notification was already waiting.
{Bloodline System: Form a bond with Fredrick to copy his ability.}
{Progress: 24%. Fredrick has admiration.}
Grey’s eyes flickered.
There were several other notifications.
He had received them earlier after observing the group of people scattered throughout the gym, huddling together for warmth and comfort.
Some had appeared after the meeting started.
Richard.
John.
Fredrick.
Taylor.
And...
{Ding!}
Another notification appeared.
{Bloodline System: Form a bond with Veronica to copy her ability.}
{Progress: 5%. Veronica has jealousy.}
Grey stiffened.
His eyes slowly lifted from the system.
He stared directly at Veronica.
The woman still had that encouraging facade plastered across her face.
Her expression was gentle.
Almost motherly.
She looked like someone genuinely concerned about the safety of everyone in the gym.
Yet the system had just told Grey something completely different.
Jealousy.
His eyes narrowed.
’Jealousy?’
Grey studied her silently.
There was something wrong.
Very wrong.
He replayed their conversation in his mind.
Her immediate response.
Her calm demeanor.
The way she had agreed with Taylor.
The way she had supported the idea of keeping everyone together.
And most importantly...
The fact that she had an ability.
Yet she had hidden it.
Grey’s fingers curled slightly inside his pockets.
’Why was she hiding her ability...’
His gaze remained fixed on Veronica.
’And what really was her motive?’