My Resolve

Jun overheard the survivors squabble over the loot, and a sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach.

He couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment and betrayal that gnawed at him from within, even as he struggled to understand its source.

"Why does this bother me so much?" Jun mused to himself, his brow furrowed with frustration as he tried to make sense of his conflicting emotions.

As he delved deeper into his memories, Jun's mind wandered back as far as he could. He remembered the bonds he had formed with the people around him, the camaraderie and trust that had once defined their relationships.

Those relationships... are they gone? Is there any chance to get them back again?

Would they still be the same people as before?

[No. The friends you had before will never appear again. They were shaped by every genuine interaction you had with them and even if you try to copy everything perfectly- the ambiance, the feelings, the sincerity, the need, for power. You already asked this question before, so you wrote an answer.]

"How do I write notes to my future self, or past self, whatever you want to call it?" Jun thought.

And he received an answer.

[You will know everything once you become stronger, or if he finds you first again.]

"Who is he?"

[Don't think. Don't ask. Become stronger quietly.]

Jun gulped, the heavy feeling in his chest remained, making his visage darker.

The manager's face paled as he tried to stick to the wall and make sure his presence was as small as possible.

Jun scoffed. "Go down and help the others."

"Yes, I should, I think I should go down and help them." the manager laughed dryly as he kept bobbing his head. Once he passed by Jun, he quickly ran down the stairs.

Next, Jun stared at the young man with the hood.

He remembered seeing the teenager below when he first arrived but lost sight of him during the fighting.

Now this teenager, was his right-hand man. Of course, a new line appeared on his note.

[Notes: 1. Complete the quest chain. 2. Found Black Haven. 3. Uprooting Trouble - Take the shotgun off the security locker and kill Pablo. If you don't, he will take over this group or create another group to make trouble for you. 4. Loyal Assassin - You can only recruit him indirectly by show of force. A master burglar, a great scout, he will do your bidding as long as you remain the most powerful in his eyes.]

Jun faced the hooded man and lay the baseball bat on his shoulder. "If you have something to say, you can say it now."

He didn't have to wait for long as the hooded young man just lowered his head and retreated.

"Did I overdo it?" Jun thought. "I'll just follow my plan for now. If he's still the same as before, he will join me later."

The locker room was nearby and Jun quickly searched each one for supplies.

"Aha! I found you." Jun stored the shotgun and two boxes of shotgun shells in his dimensional storage.

The shotgun took 2 spaces while the boxes took one each, containing 12 shells per box. Out of 40 inventory slots, the first 4 were already filled.

There was a way to increase the size of the dimensional storage but the materials needed are difficult to get.

A space stone.

It is a rare treasure that can only be found by luck, never sought out.

"Ohh, that reminds me I need other bags, so I can keep the same stuff together in one place."

He found two empty black duffel bags used for transporting money. The duffel bags took 2 spaces each but after transferring the boxes of shotgun shells, the inventory count only increased by two. (6/40)

Jun gazed at the vault then shook his head. "I don't need money since I'll be creating my own currency soon. Speaking of currency, that friend should be stuck somewhere at the plaza, babysitting her."

Jun suddenly remembered her beautiful smile, the last smile she made before disappearing.

A new note was added to his list.

[Notes: 1.2.3.4... 5. Help Your Gang Members - Your gang members are all located near the city plaza. You can try to go and save them or alleviate some of the pressure by luring away some of the dead gathered in their area. 6. Finding Friends - Evo and Marianne will get hunted by two evolved zombies, a destroyer and a hunter. Find them before it's too late.]

Jun went through his memories and remembered finding Evo and Marianne in an empty subdivision, inside an armored truck.

"I suddenly have a lot more things to do. Let's do it one by one, and hope I can start clearing blocks before afternoon."

Jun ignored the hooded man and headed downstairs. He didn't really need to rest and just wanted to loot the shotgun. With the dimensional storage, he can easily take things he wants when nobody is watching.

As for killing Pablo, he's still doubting whether to follow his notes.

The only plan he has right now is to get stronger, follow his notes, and find out what's going on with his life.

The squabble over loot has long ended. The middle-aged women and bank tellers stared at him strangely as they remained seated in a semi-circle. Pablo glanced at him once, then returned to guarding the door.

He eyed a secret spot where normally he would be blindsided. However, a question mark hovered in the air.

One thing that helped Jun survive the apocalypse was his ability to locate people and distinguish if they were good or bad.

Usually, he would see a name above a person's head if he knew the person. If he doesn't know them, a question mark would appear instead.

Then the name or question mark can change colors depending on what they think while in front of Jun.

White, yellow, and green, are mostly positive: neutral, happy, and contented.

Orange, red, and black mean that an individual is angry with someone, has thoughts of murder, or is scared/fearful.

And the question mark on the hidden spot was black.

Pablo had a mix of black and red.

As for the other survivors, it's either red or black.

Jun paid special attention to two people and was surprised to see the result.

Jake and the hooded teenager had white colors on their name and question marks.

"Interesting." Jun chuckled at the situation.

He continued going downstairs but after reaching the ambush point, he glanced slightly towards the hidden individual.

Jun's gaze locked with the chubby manager, holding a clay pot with a small thorny plant inside it over his head.

The two were in a deadlock for a few seconds, not knowing how to react.

Jun decided to humor him. "What are you trying to do?"

"Ah," the manager woke up from his stupor and looked at the potted plant. With a soft embarrassed chuckle, he set it down on a nearby table. "I was just exercising, please don't misunderstand."

Jun nodded in satisfaction.

Pablo seeing the manager cower back pulled his .45 caliber pistol from its holster.

"Drop the baseball bat and raise your hand where I can see them."

Tension suddenly filled up the bank lobby.

Jun stared at the pistol pointed at him and laughed. "I don't know if you have the guts to fire the gun and attract dozens of zombies here. I don't know how many bullets you have but I'm sure you'll run out before you can clear the people from this block. Do you really want to risk your life and everyone in here?

Pablo started thinking hard about Jun's words.

Though he didn't like the kid, he was right.

Examining the scared expression of the other survivors, he knew he couldn't expect them to suddenly start fighting zombies on their own. His group was heavily outnumbered compared to the calculated zombie population.

He can't fight a lot of zombies but he also doesn't want to take orders from a snobby kid.

Thud... Thud... Clang.

Suddenly, a baseball bat rolled to Pablo's feet while Jun became empty-handed.

"Do you really want to become the leader of the group?" Jun asked as he walked forward confidently and stopped a meter in front of Pablo.

He didn't wait for a response and continued speaking. "Been there, done that. Believe me, it's not fun. And besides,"

A black wormhole appeared in front of Jun and he expertly pulled something out.

In quick succession, a shotgun appeared and blasted Pablo's chest off his body. Everything behind him was painted red, pieces of flesh and blood slowly dripping down.

The loud sound reverberated not only inside the bank but also on the street outside.

Jun stared each survivor in the eye.

"The world HAS changed. You either follow someone strong and survive, or try to survive alone. Being indecisive has no place in this new world. If someone threatens me or someone I care for, don't expect me to play nice to them."