Adam and Lyra cautiously opened the rooftop door, preparing for the dangers ahead. They moved silently down the stairs. Lyra instructed Adam to continue forward while she descended to a lower floor. Adam found a room with leftover canned soup and plain bottled water as Lyra had indicated.
Lyra then proceeded to an area with bags, planning to use them to carry supplies for their journey. She quickly removed papers and laptops from the bags, then moved on to rooms filled with snacks and small bottles of water. Lyra, sensing danger, informed Adam to move quickly to the stairs as zombies were approaching his area.
Adam swiftly and silently reached the staircase exit and descended to Lyra's level. He joined Lyra, storing the scavenged items in the bags. He noticed multiple five-gallon water jugs in a storeroom. Lyra advised him to use the universal tool to create tentacle arms to carry as much as they could. Both then carefully made their way back up the staircase to the rooftop.
Planning and a Sudden Attack
They set aside their collected supplies, planning to formulate a strategy after eating. As they shared the food Lyra had prepared, Adam asked if his status could be used to access shops and purchase items. Lyra unfortunately informed him that due to being in a different world, he couldn't connect to their old world's system.
Adam opened his status, noting he was still at Level 1. He tried accessing the shop and even the random box, but both were inaccessible.
Adam asked Lyra if there was any other way. They needed a secure base with shelter. Adam walked to the edge of the rooftop, snacking, and looked down at the streets swarming with zombies and variants.
He asked Lyra if she could scan for a usable vehicle with keys inside. Lyra located multiple available vehicles: bikes, cars, and trucks, all with fuel. She identified the best option as a brown truck on the right side of the building, noting its durability, storage space, and ability to withstand multiple impacts.
Suddenly, a tentacle shot out from the other side of the building, wrapping around Adam's neck and pulling him towards the edge. Lyra quickly grabbed Adam's hands, pulling him back as Adam instinctively activated his mana armor core, using its energy to cut off the tentacle.
On the opposite side of the building stood a variant, a creature with the ability to sprout tentacles, staring at Adam like prey. More tentacles grew, gripping the side of the building. It launched itself forward, swinging across the gap towards their building. Adam swiftly used the universal tool to sever the tentacle, sending the variant plummeting to the streets below, where it splattered into a bloody mess.
Lyra and Adam exchanged a look, realizing their vulnerability on the rooftop. Adam silently acknowledged that he could easily be pulled to his death from such a height if Lyra hadn't held him long enough for him to react. They quickly retreated from the edge of the building, returning to where they had been eating. It was no longer safe as their position are exposed at the rooftop. They would need to move to another location once they had enough resources.
Lyra sat beside Adam, holding his hands. "You can't afford to be careless, or I risk losing you, Adam," she said, her voice filled with concern. "We need to be extra careful given how vulnerable our situation is."
Adam squeezed Lyra's hands for comfort. "Thank you for always being by my side and protecting me," he replied. "I'll try to be more careful. I really didn't expect a variant to be able to reach us up here."
Lyra smiled, knowing Adam's occasional unawareness of danger all too well.
Lyra's deep understanding of Adam, from his old life to his current one, which she had accessed through their neuro-link. She fully grasped the profound importance of saving not just Emily, but their unborn child. With a renewed resolve, Lyra firmly decided to ensure Adam's safety and the salvation of his family.
Clearing a Path
Their immediate goal was to find shelter for the night. Lyra scanned the entire city, pinpointing a mansion with an underground bunker on the outskirts as a promising location. Returning to their scavenging, they ventured down the staircase, stealthily avoiding zombies and variants.
Lyra scanned the floor, finding the cafeteria empty. Adam entered, searching the fridge but finding only inedible or rotten products. Lyra, meanwhile, found canned goods and condiments. As they hastily collected everything, a loud thud startled them. Lyra scanned again, seeing nothing.
Adam, however, caught a glimpse of a translucent, blurred movement. He activated his mana suit and universal tool, preparing for an attack. Lyra, unable to see anything, wondered what Adam perceived. Using his mana vision, Adam saw the entity moving closer.
It was a variant zombie capable of invisibility through mana reflection, camouflaging itself like a mirror. It crept along the side of the room, preparing to pounce on Lyra. Adam prepared, warning Lyra not to move. In a swift motion, Adam's universal tool transformed into a spear, stabbing through the head of the variant as it lunged at Lyra. Its invisibility faded, revealing a zombie body struggling before finally going still. Adam retracted the universal tool.
"The variants may have unique evolutions that are more dangerous than we thought," Adam warned Lyra. "Their evolution is getting stronger and adapting to kill their prey."
Lyra, amazed by the rapid evolution, also grew weary of their situation and the potential threat to the human population.
"The rate of evolution is too fast and dangerous for the humans," she told Adam.
"They'll need to be prepared to fight and survive, or face extinction."
They quickly packed and moved towards the break room, stuffing packets of drink sachets and sugars into their bags before cautiously moving towards the staircase.
Unfortunately, zombies had now blocked their route back up. Lyra suggested an alternative: using the universal tool to escape through a window. Adam asked how many zombies were blocking the staircase.
"Three variants and seven regular zombies," Lyra informed him. "They're moving about on the staircase."
"I can kill them all with the universal tool," Adam declared.
Lyra assented, allowing him to take the lead. Adam donned his mana suit and wielded his universal weapon. He moved up the staircase, precisely slicing the necks of two zombies. Lyra followed closely.
A variant spat acid towards them, and Adam quickly jumped back. The acid burned through the staircase, creating a gaping hole. Adam aimed his weapon at the variant, launching a spearhead connected by chains. The spearhead pierced and instantly killed the variant, embedding itself in the wall.
Adam held Lyra as the weapon's retraction mechanism pulled both of them upwards to the next section of the staircase. "Two more variants, five zombies left," Lyra stated as they continued their ascent.