An Encounter with a Human Group

After helping her open the can, Rendell's eyes turned cold. "I need to find someone there."

Looking at his expression, she couldn't tell what was going on in his mind. She also felt that it was inappropriate to ask for more information so she just quietly drank her cola.

The unique taste of the cola made Rendell remember the good times. He didn't want Aurora to see his emotional look so he lowered his head.

"I'll help you change your bandages later."

"Mn."

***

In the next three days, the group equipped the items they got from the rat colony. Even Sherry and Goldie received a knife each to protect themselves in case of danger.

During this time, Celine also taught them how to fight. She was trained by her father at a young age so she was incredibly skilled in martial arts. Even Rendell couldn't win against her in terms of pure technique.

Under Celine's guidance, everyone gradually learned the most basic principles of martial arts.

Three days later, everyone left the basement.

The sun was high up in the cloudless sky and the searing heat made the group complain. However, there was nothing they could do. They could only endure the high temperature and move forward.

At this moment, the group was resting underneath a collapsed building. There was a small space that was enough to provide them with shade.

"How far are we from the elevated railway?" Ralph asked as he wiped the sweat off his daughters' faces using a washed handkerchief.

Kent grabbed the map inside his pocket and put it down for everyone to see. "We are currently here. We need to pass by two more streets to reach the elevated railway." He said as he pointed at their location on the map.

"Two more streets, huh? I just hope that we won't encounter some evolved creatures." Ralph muttered while shaking his head.

They took numerous detours to avoid the evolved creatures. Luckily for them, Aurora could now detect enemies under Level 10. They didn't want to exhaust themselves so they chose to avoid most of the evolved creatures. The only exceptions were some beasts that were moving alone.

With everyone's levels, dispatching a few weaker monsters was an easy task.

While everyone was eating, Aurora suddenly jolted.

"What's wrong? Did you see something?" Celine asked when she noticed Aurora's startled expression.

Everyone stared at her with serious gazes.

"I see a group of humans, but they don't look like good people…" Aurora muttered with a frown.

Using her Mystic Eyes, she saw more than twenty well-equipped men. Based on their equipment, she could tell that their levels were almost on par with her group. However, what made her feel sick was that there were more than ten women tied up in chains.

These women weren't fully clothed and she could see traces of abuse in their bodies. She couldn't begin to imagine what they had gone through at the hands of those men.

Her words made everyone frown.

"Can you tell us the situation?" Kent asked with a stern look. Meeting a group of humans was not within his expectations. He thought that they were the last living people in Lochwall. It turns out that there were still a few who had survived.

Aurora told them about what she saw and when everyone heard her words, they couldn't help but feel nervous.

"What should we do?" Phillip stared at Kent while clenching his fists. He wanted to go there and rescue those girls, but he also had to think of the group's safety.

Kent thought deeply. 'Facing twenty armed men will be troublesome. We need to know their levels first.'

After a moment of thinking, Kent turned his head to Aurora. "Can you determine their levels?"

Aurora nodded her head. "Give me a minute." She used her Mystic Eyes and scanned the direction where she saw the armed group.

"Eight of them are at Level 6, six at Level 7, four at Level 8, three at Level 9, two Level 10, and two more people with levels that I can't determine."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but breathe deeply.

Kent pushed up his glasses. 'They are much stronger than I thought.' This filled him with worry. He wanted to help the women, but fighting those men would be dangerous for the group. They also didn't have any experience in fighting with other humans. Just the thought of killing another person sent shivers down his spine. Not everyone was like Rendell who could remain calm in such situations.

Kent thought deeply, but he couldn't make a decision. He turned to Rendell and said. "What should we do?"

Everyone looked at Rendell with nervous gazes.

Sensing their gazes, Rendell spoke. "In this kind of environment, it is inevitable that we will encounter some evil people. The old laws that once bound these men are gone so they can now roam unhindered without having to worry about getting caught. You guys need to fortify your minds and steel your hearts when facing these kinds of people. If you hesitate even for a second, you might lose the person sitting next to you. If you don't want this to happen, you need to fight back with all that you've got!"

His speech made them realize that the old world was now gone. They were now living in a world overrun by evolved creatures. To survive this harsh environment, they needed to let go of their old beliefs and embrace the change.

"We have to rescue those women even if it means killing those people," Rendell muttered in a cold voice.

"Alright. I'll come up with a plan." Kent felt his blood boiling for some reason.

"Aurora, can you tell me their exact location? Which direction are they going and what equipment do they have?"

While they were busy thinking of a plan, Ralph hugged his wife and daughters. "I will protect you guys. I won't let anyone harm you." He muttered while rubbing their back.

"Dad, I'm scared."

"Dad, are we going to fight?"

"Don't be scared. Daddy will protect you. Uncle Rendell is also with us. He is strong. The bad guys can't beat him."