Jessica blinked twice. "Eh? Are you really going to send someone as frail as me out there?"
Marco sighed and thought, "Who are you kidding? I once saw you flip a drunkard that tried to hit on you and you're trying to say that you're frail?"
Still, he couldn't really send her out since it was true that the ground level was dangerous. In the end, he could only accept that he had a temporary tenant in his room. "Okay, okay, fine. You can stay in the meantime, but you'll have to move out by noon. I'm going somewhere and I expect you to be out of here. I can accompany you to your unit if that makes things better."
"Okay~" Jessica nonchalantly answered as she sat on the other end of the sofa and opened the TV. She browsed the available channels and stuck to national news coverage.
A nationwide terrorist attack prompted the government to declare martial law and citizens were obliged to follow orders from the military.
Currently, the local councils and offices were planning appropriate measures and counteractions towards the attacks. They also gave reminders and precautions during the live broadcast.
The government advises everyone to stay at home and wait for local authorities to resolve the riots and terrorist attacks in their area. Individuals are expected to stock on food and conserve until the situation has calmed down. If you encounter a deranged individual on the way home or to someplace safe, it is advised to run into the nearest building and request help from the locals.
Every news channel was showing the same message. Stay at home, stock up on supplies, and wait for things to calm down.
Marco grabbed his backpack and headed for the kitchen. He destroyed the broomstick and used the long stick together with another kitchen knife to create a makeshift spear.
He doubted whether things would work out, but upon seeing the finished product, he became elated.
Makeshift Broom-spear(Normal-grade)
A spear made from daily materials. It has average sharpness thanks to the knife being in top condition(unused). Unfortunately, the shaft used was low-quality and already damaged, resulting in lower durability.
Damage: 6 Durability: 60
The damage was higher than a stone ax since spears create more momentum before impact. If Marco used another material than a broken broom shaft, he could get better durability for the output item.
Satisfied with his creation, Marco headed for the door ready to leave when suddenly, a confusing notification appeared in front of him.
-[The user has been very cooperative in our data collection. You have been promoted to Beta Access+! As a thank you gift, we considered what problems you encountered most and created a feature to help you work efficiently. Good luck survivor!]
[New feature unlocked! Helper function has been turned on. Due to the user's curiosity and longing for information, a helper guide was created to answer your questions and give you informational advice.]
Before he could celebrate, another notification appeared and this one made him frown deeply.
Ding!
[Tip: Acid Rain Event is about to begin in one minute. Acid rain can corrode one's skin if you don't have proper resistance. You can wear thick clothes for better defense, but you would still receive skin damage. You need better gears if you want to walk freely during acid rains event.]
He was just going to think about what kind of advice he would receive but now he already got his answer.
Jessica turned her head, confused as to why he was standing idly by the door. "Where are you going? The officials already said to stay at home, so why are you leaving?"
Marco turned around, not paying attention to her. "Lend me your umbrella for a minute. I need it for something."
—
Jessica clicked her tongue as she leaned back on the sofa. Though she doesn't visit too often, she was familiar with the place after barging in several times.
"That fatty dared to ignore me? He would usually stutter the moment I talk to him. Now, what? He acts like he's someone else!"
She continued switching the channels but can't find anything interesting, Most of the content was news about random attacks all over the country and it wasn't something reassuring to watch.
"Uggh!"
Bored, she stood up and went outside where Marco was pushing a sofa, to barricade the stairway. The stairway was on the other end of the hallway. If they want to make sure that no zombies could sneak up to the second floor, then they only need to block the stairway and they would be safe.
Marco noticed her and moved next to her after setting the sofa against the wall. Going down would be easy and all they need was to climb the sofa and jump down. However, climbing became difficult and one actually needs to climb over the guard rails for easier and faster results.
"The next unit is vacated. You can move there if you still feel that the ground units are prone to danger. Since we're under difficult circumstances, I don't think the apartment manager would mind.
"Also, I haven't explored the other two units, so I don't recommend making too much noise. You can try knocking on them to see if there are people inside. Just make sure to deal with them if they're already dead."
Marco walked past her and headed back to his unit.
Jessica's eyes bulged out with her mouth opened. Her head turned and followed Marco's receding back. When she recovered from the shock of being treated like someone unimportant, she exclaimed. "The audacity! I just saved you earlier, so you don't get to act all-powerful in front of me, okay?"
Clack.
The door closed and she was left alone in the hallway. After getting snubbed, the falling rain entered her ears.
Pita, pita. Clang, clang.
On the railing, the red umbrella she lent Marco swayed left and right, as several holes caused the gathered rainwater to pour out from them.