When he dived into the terminal with Cassie, he was forced to pause for a moment. The entire place was dark, with only a few lights flickering. The place was also eerily silent, causing a frown to appear on his face.

He had expected the place to have a few zombies since it was originally a commercial terminal. However, the dark silence somewhat unsettled him.

’Can’t think too much about it. Let’s go.’

He continued sprinting, his footsteps echoing against the cold tiles of the terminal.

"It’s really dark..." Cassie whispered, her tone subdued.

Leon didn’t answer her and continued running, until he almost tripped. He immediately shifted his center of gravity and balanced himself. Then, he felt his surroundings properly.

With the flickering lights, he could barely make out the water that had pooled on the ground.

’Really. How did water get into this place?’

He frowned, and just as he was about to step forward, he sensed something move meters away from him. He immediately grew alert and set Cassie down, holding her waist with one hand.

Meanwhile, he reached for his sword with the other hand.

"Cassie, stay alert."

The girl nodded and reached for the dagger strapped to her waist.

While Leon was alert and watching, one of the fluorescent lights suddenly flickered, revealing a tentacle larger than a human, slithering across the ground.

Instantly, Leon’s heart sank. His gaze snapped to one of the smaller entrances on the left of the hallway, and he carried Cassie.

With full speed, he darted through the doorway, feeling something shoot at him from behind.

A split second after he entered into the door, a wall of flesh slammed into the wall, blocking the exit.

Leon looked down the tunnel they had entered and realized zombies were already there. However, he wasn’t fazed. Cassie was already handling them, after all—carving a path ahead.

’Could it be an octopus?’

He thought as he cast one last glance at the tentacle that was trying to fit into the small doorway.

He shook his head, then followed after Cassie while she surgically took down the zombies.

He was finally given a moment to rest and think about their next route after leaving the Grand Central Terminal.

’Tsk. I used to dream of visiting this place with Clara. But with the way things are spooky here, that idea is gone.’

Sighing, he made a mental map, then raised his head when Cassie kicked open the emergency door that led outside.

The two paused to catch their breath.

"Wow. What was that thing, boss?" Cassie asked, blowing air on her face with her hand.

The interior of that escape passage had been hot and uncomfortable. So, she felt relieved to finally be out in the open.

Leon clicked his tongue and glanced back.

"I don’t know. Probably a mutated octopus or something."

He surveyed their surroundings, seeing nothing but parked buses and crashed vehicles all around.

He said, "Looks like the zombies around here were also lured away by their leader towards Hudson River."

After resting for a few more minutes, the two began sprinting and headed east. After leaving the terminal, they once again descended into a maze of tall office buildings and skyscrapers that seemed to be reaching towards the heavens.

Thankfully, the scattered zombies hadn’t reached this side, so their journey was relatively safe. At least in the beginning.

Soon however, he noticed blurs that were following them. He could also hear skittering sounds, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

’Oh? Mutated Rats?’

From the shadow of an abandoned shop, a dog-sized rat lunged at him, its thin sharp claws ready to tear him apart.

Leon didn’t even flinch, and he didn’t pause. Just as the mutated rat was about to reach him, Cassie appeared and drove her dagger into its chest, precisely striking its heart and killing it.

[You have slain a Level...]

The duo didn’t pause and continued running. However, that single mutated rat was just the beginning of their problems.

More mutated rats began ambushing them until it became difficult for Cassie to fend them off alone.

In the end, Leon had to join in. He clicked his tongue and drove a punch into a mutated rat’s torso, feeling its ribs crumble inward.

The monster was launched into the building opposite him, paralyzed but not dead.

He turned to Cassie and said, "No need to focus on killing. Just cripple them and move."

She nodded, slashing at the back legs of a mutated rat that stubbornly harassed her. Instantly, it collapsed to the ground, unable to drag itself to chase after her.

’This place is filled with rats, probably because the zombies here migrated early.’

She thought to herself as she kicked a BMW car at the beasts chasing her, stalling them for a moment.

She soon caught up to Leon and said, "Do you think we’ll still catch up with the others who are heading—"

Suddenly, Leon reached out and pulled her close. She felt a wind behind her, and something slammed into the place she had stood just a few seconds ago.

Pushing her behind him, Leon whipped out a kick and smacked the gigantic mutated rat in the head.

It was instantly forced back, a pained sound escaping its maw. Cassie’s eyes narrowed, and she tapped Leon’s shoulder.

"Let me handle it."

He glanced at her, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"You’ve got three minutes. We can’t afford to delay for too long."

Cassie nodded and stepped forward to confront the mutated rat. Unlike the others, this one was twice as large as a bulldog, its long snout dripping with saliva.

On its head was a yellow crystal, signifying its level of power. Cassie’s eyes glinted with glee, as this was her first time fighting a Tier One Evolved Beast.

She grinned, then charged at the beast. At the same time, it lunged at her as if intending to tackle and pin her down.

Cassie made a seemingly impossible turn, twisting under its sharp claws and slashing at its torso instead.

The rat howled in pain and jumped back, but it didn’t retreat. Instead, it rushed forward and attacked her again. Cassie gladly welcomed it.