Backing up!

Dilan didn't notice the drama he had been missing out on as he entered a much deeper slumber than he had wanted to.

Oliver was already enraged by the entitled behavior of some Survivors. However, the youngest nurse was downright rude and ungrateful in his opinion.

He was furious and had every right to do so. They had endangered their life in order to defeat the Gluttonous zombie, and kill numerous other zombies.

In the end, they even accepted that the three nurses could join their group of Survivors, even though nobody knew whether they were trustworthy enough to be allowed in their group or not!

Strangers could always be like Jack, or possibly even worse. The chances to encounter insane Survivors in the Rian mountainside hospital were not little, after all!

Nonetheless, with Dilan's help, everything had been fine, and he had taken responsibility by allowing the nurses to join them.

As such, the nurses should be thankful to Dilan and try their best to make themselves useful, but the youngest was behaving as if she was a five-year-old.

Oliver felt immense gratitude towards everything Dilan had done to help him become the person he was.

Others such as Ailee, Pierre, and a few more felt the same, including the two nurses, who had operated on him not too long ago.

"We did our fair share of work as well, so why are you acting like this? It's not like we have anyone here, who does nothing! Can't we, at the very least, hope to get a few Essence crystals?" One of the older men suddenly asked in an annoyed voice.

He had been in the group of Survivors since the beginning, but nobody really took notice of him.

But that was only obvious because he was always quiet owing to Jack's domineering manner.

Even after Jack was no more, he preferred to stay unknown, as Dilan attracted the attention of everyone, turning into their leader that they all had accepted without even realizing to have done so.

That annoyed the old man, which was why he wanted to gain something from the so-called leader.

Yet, his words were too much even for Sarah, who was now beginning to feel bad about her demand for Essence crystals.

Only now did she understand that most of them were acting like spoiled kids in a world where everything had to be earned through hard work.

As such, Sarah felt even worse the moment he heard Ailee's angry outburst in response to the old man's demands.

"So far, Dilan has killed hundreds of zombies, protected us from getting exploited, possibly raped, and even killed.

All of you should know that he finished off the other beasts as well…and he gets what from us? Bianne makes him food, Oliver and a few others are also fighting to give him an easier time, but you? You made ONE fucking rat horn dagger in the last two days…woah, amazing! I am impressed!!"

Ailee clasped her hands together, looking at the old man with fiery eyes as if she would skin him alive then and there. She clearly knew just how much Dilan had to suffer because of them.

She also knew that Dilan's original plan, before he was somewhat forced to enter the hospital, had been to go to the supermarket to get some groceries and leave afterward.

But fate had something else in mind and had sent him inside the hospital. He had been suffering ever since entering the hospital and choosing to stay behind, even after the incident with Jack!

Everyone who had spent some time with Dilan understood that he wanted to fight, become stronger as quickly as possible, and continue to advance.

As such, the stronger beasts inside the hospital and the Gate on the second floor might have been the reasons for him to stay back despite Jack's betrayal.

After today, she even doubted that there was another reason for him to continue staying with them.

And if Ailee were to be honest, she was also fed up with some of the Survivors, and the only thing that held her back from throwing them out was the fact that they were bound to die if they would try to survive even one day on their own outside the hospital.

"Don't think I didn't notice your lazy ass! And the others as well…To be honest, it really is ridiculous that nobody tried to get their hands on new clothes, a mattress, maybe even shampoo or some other stuff from the rooms we cleared today.

We are not running after you to give you guys tasks, but please use your brain to ease everyone's burden just a little bit, to give those that risk their lives for everyone's safety some relief and respite.

I am way too exhausted after fighting just a little bit, and I can not even imagine just how dead-tired both Oliver and Dilan are after fighting for several hours with little to no break!"

After Ailee stopped speaking, an awkward silence spread throughout the cafeteria.

Some of the survivors looked at Oliver, and everyone could see the dark circles under his eyes.

It was clear that he was beyond exhausted.

However, the comments of some Survivors, especially the young nurse and the old man had just been too much.

As such, he couldn't help but be thankful that Ailee was on their side, and that she was trying to put some sense in those who were just empty vessels that made noise but did no substantial work.

There were a few more Survivors that nodded their heads in response to her fierce speech, which was even more reason for Oliver to feel slightly better.

'Even if it's just for a few… it is certainly worth fighting for!'

This gave him the necessary reassurance to leave their small circle and find a nice corner to take his share of much-needed rest as well.

Ailee left as well, and so did both Sarah and Bianne.

With this rather intense discussion, the day ended and everyone's mind was filled with a wide variety of things to think about.

Some Survivors were simply angered by the behavior of Oliver, and Ailee, but deep down they knew that they were correct.

Meanwhile, others were simply ashamed because they had been too scared to take even a single step in front of the cafeteria.

Their fear had overwhelmed their ability to show some confidence, even after Ailee, Pierre, and Sarah told them that the entrance hall was cleared and that the hall on the second floor would soon be fully cleared as well.

On the other hand, the three newly arrived Survivors couldn't help but feel as if they had left one hell, just to enter a different one.

But this time, there was a trace of hope within them as the older nurse of the three remarked,

"I think it will be necessary for us to adjust as well, otherwise, everything will only get worse…"

With that being said, the old nurse stacked the plates before starting to do the dishes.

Not many would see her do something, but as long as all the necessary chores would be completed, nobody would complain, and trouble could be avoided.

And trouble within their own rows was something they didn't need to add to their growing list of problems, they were already struggling to save themselves from the dangers of the outside world!

*[Several hours later, early in the morning]*

Dilan was having a headache owing to the banging noise that came from the left corridor's door, and the frustration from the behavior of some Survivors.

The banging sound and his raging emotions prevented him from sleeping any further than the few hours that his body desperately required.

As such, he got up from the ground and grasped the Reinforced Stone Spear instinctively before he moved outside the cafeteria.

Contrary to before, a huge metal chain held the cafeteria doors closed.

This made it easier for him to leave as he opened the doors using the key that was hung near the doors.

To avoid making noises, he told one of the three nurses he had saved in the afternoon to come and help him.

She was unable to sleep due to the events of the last few days that terrorized her mind the moment she closed her eyes.

Thus, despite being dead-tired, she tried to keep her eyes open and follow Dilan's command to open the door quietly without having the energy to think what was happening.

"Lock the doors again!"

He instructed after stepping through the doors.

The nurse did as said, only to spend more than ten minutes putting the chains in place to lock the door before she mumbled,

"Is he still angry about last evening? I guess he needs some time for himself."

Shrugging her shoulders, she put back the key before lying down on the hard ground.

'Maybe we should have brought a few mattresses to the cafeteria after we finished dinner…'

Just a moment later she fell asleep, giving in to her exhaustion.