Leo watched from the roof of the truck as the horde chased after it. The vehicle made a few sharp turns here and there, and gradually, the zombies lost their trail.

​Once he felt there was no longer any immediate danger, he instructed the system to open the driver’s side door. As soon as the command went through, he slipped inside the cab.

​He sank into his seat but left the auto-pilot in control. Instead of driving, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. A heavy weight pressed down on his chest, and his mood was incredibly grim.

​Right on cue, the system’s voice echoed inside his throbbing head:

​[ Host the system congratulates you on finally achieving LVL 10]

​[ The system is ready to upgrade to the next level ]

​[The system requires 1000 nucleus crystals for the upgrade ]

​[ There is currently 749 nucleus crystals with the host ]

​[ The system once again reminds the brooding and grumpy host to quickly acquire the remaining crystals ]

​Leo snapped his eyes open. The system’s mocking tone hit a painful nerve.

​" Fuck you , Don’t you realise the situation. Have you any idea what the fuck just happened. Can’t you just give me a moment of peace"

​He rubbed his temples. " Always yapping about this and that . Can’t you just shut up for a moment"

​Leo breathed heavily, his chest heaving up and down. Surprisingly, the system didn’t mock him or pass any sarcastic comments after his outburst. Instead, a quiet notification appeared:

​[ The system is sorry for your loss . Take your time . We can discuss this after you are ready ]

​Leo paused. Sighing, he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He shook his head as his own thoughts began to consume him.

​" Why am I even snapping at others . This was all my fault . If I didn’t get greedy to farm more cards and crystals . If I hadn’t decided to take the risk and enter the city . None of this would have happened. Everyone would be alive ."

​With a bitter smile on his face, he muttered aloud, " Everything was going so well that I let down my guard . I had begun to think , I was invincible."

​He shook his head again. " I am still pathetic and weak "

​Slowly, without meaning to, he drifted off into a deep sleep while the system guided the truck toward the city entrance.

​A Memory of the Past

​While asleep, Leo dreamed of a scene from long ago.

​In the dream, a younger Leo was kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face. He was holding the body of a girl close to his own age. Leo’s face was marred with dust and dirt, mixed with streaks of blood on his skin and clothes.

​The girl had short, dark brown hair and matching eyes, with an average, ordinary face. She was bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds to her stomach. Not far from them, the corpses of two men lay on the ground.

​Leo frantically tried to stop the bleeding with his bare hands, but all his efforts bore no results. The girl smiled up at him and gently placed her hand on his cheek. She opened her mouth to speak.

​" Leo , it seems I don’t have much time left ."

​" Stop Stop talking .. nothing is going to happen to you . Hang on , i will take you somewhere and get help "

​" Silly , this is a lone forest . There isn’t even a village nearby much less a hospital . Listen to me . Leave me here and escape before the elders come here "

​Leo kept shaking his head, refusing to accept it. " No ... No , I am not leaving you here . I don’t care about them . I will kill everyone who comes . I will fight them till my last breath "

​The girl kept trying to convince him. " You can’t even fight one of them , much less all of them . Listen to me and escape . Survive and live the rest of your life peacefully, away from the killing."

​She took a shallow breath. " Leo , remember when we were kids , I always had that wish to go to the biggest amusement park in the city and ride the Ferris wheel "

​Leo quickly nodded his head.

​" It appears I won’t be able to fulfill that wish . Promise me you will go there and ride the Ferris wheel for me"

​Leo broke down in tears again, still shaking his head. " No .. No , I won’t go . If you want to go , go by yourself . Don’t worry you will be fine . I will get help "

​Tears threatened to spill from the girl’s eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. " Ok , I know you will help me complete my wish . No go , don’t look back . Live well and enjoy my portion too "

​" And one last thing . Don’t think about taking reven....."

​Before she could finish her sentence, the light in her eyes dimmed. The hand resting on Leo’s face fell away, and her body went completely limp.

​Return to Rendell City

​Leo woke up from the dream with a jolt, breathing heavily. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

​With a bitter smile, he muttered, " Haven’t had that nightmare for a long time "

​He took a minute to steady his breathing. Once he felt completely calm, he spoke aloud to the empty cab.

​" System , cancel autopilot . I will drive "

​A cold look settled in his eyes as he took control of the steering wheel.

​"Moping and grieving around would achieve nothing. What has happened has happened. Can’t change that ."

​" This world is also shitty like the previous one . But I will survive . I won’t give up ."

​" I will become stronger and then beat up everything that stands in my way with absolute strength "

​Chanting these phrases helped lock his focus. He quickly formulated his next course of action.

​The truck had already reached the entrance of Rendell City while he was asleep. He turned the vehicle around and drove back inside. After navigating the streets for a while, he arrived back at the familiar location of the intelligence shop.

​Stopping directly outside, he rolled down the window and slammed his hand onto the horn repeatedly.

​" HONK HONK HONK "

​The man inside the shop seemed to be taking a nap, but the loud honking jolted him awake. He scrambled to his feet instantly and rushed out into the street.

​" Hey man stop , stop . Are you trying to invite the zombies for a feast here "

​" Less bullshit . I want to sell some intelligence. Tell me where can I find the top brass of the military here ."

​The man’s eyes sparkled at Leo’s words. He immediately figured that if the military would be interested in it, the information had to be massive. He could smell a golden opportunity to make a huge profit.

​The man quickly put on a friendly, flattering smile. " Sir , why don’t we discuss this . Along with selling we also buy intelligence."

​He leaned in a bit closer. " If you don’t do this the proper way then you might be ripped off by the military guys ."

​The informant thumped his chest proudly. " Sir , you can trust me . No one in this entire city can offer you more than me "

​Leo’s irritation grew. He was already in a terrible mood and had absolutely zero interest in wasting time with this guy.

​" Leave it , if you won’t tell them I will ask someone else" Leo replied coldly.

​The man stood stunned by the icy response. He was completely confused. Just a short while ago, even though Leo hadn’t been overly polite, his tone had been calm and relatively warm.

​Realizing something was wrong, the informant peered inside the truck. Noticing that William was missing and hearing Leo’s freezing tone, he pieced together the grim reality of what must have happened.

​The man lowered his voice and offered his condolences. " Sir , I am sorry for your loss "

​Leo gave him a cold, hollow smile. " I have to thank the intelligence you provided for that , we went to the safest location mentioned on it and then this happened "

​The man froze. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but the words died in his throat.

​" Don’t worry , I don’t blame you . We were weak , so we were eliminated "

​With that, Leo started up the engine and prepared to drive away.

​The man quickly spoke up before the truck could leave. " You won’t find the top brass inside the city . Outside the city , there is a huge tent pitched in the middle . Go there "

​Leo didn’t say a word. He simply nodded his head and drove off into the distance.

​The man stood on the pavement for a long time, watching the truck disappear around the corner before turning back to his storefront.

​" Aww , what bad luck . I should just close for today . Better hurry and inform the boss . It looks like something big is going to happen "