After parking the motorcycle near the dungeon, Ryan returned to the high road and then followed the direction that would lead him back to Shreveport. Using the vehicle would be faster, but Ryan wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible since he wanted to return before sunset. Besides, that was the perfect moment for him to train his Stealth and Dash. By combining the two, he would be able to move without making much noise, and that kind of ability was what he needed now that the world had who knows how many dungeons spawning monsters every single minute.
Congratulations! The skill Dash has leveled up.
Dash Lv 2 ➞ Lv 3
Effect: Increases your speed by three points per level.
Cost: 0,7 stamina per second.
You obtained 01 status point.
Congratulations! The skill Stealth has leveled up.
Stealth Lv 3 ➞ Lv 4
Effect: Increases the chances of you causing critical damage when attacking first by one percent per level.
You obtained 01 status point.
Fortunately, Ryan managed to train his skills quite a bit in just one hour. He also found a gas station in the middle relatively small residential area a few kilometers away from Shreveport. However, something was off… Ryan couldn't tell what exactly was off, but he could feel that the place was weird. He could see some signs of blood near the houses and some… human parts lying on the ground. Again, he was having a hard time controlling his upset stomach thanks to that sight, but at the very least, Ryan couldn't see any monster nearby.
"It didn't look like things could become even worse…" Ryan muttered while looking where Shreveport was supposed to be.
Ryan couldn't see the city per se, but he could see from that distance several smoke screens rising to the skies until they all found themselves in a single place and then headed in the same direction. Ryan was fully aware of where the smoke screens were coming from. They were coming from several gas stations in the middle of the city… maybe that was why Ryan was feeling weird while observing that one.
After a while, Ryan concluded that he was being watched. Even though some of the houses nearby had been destroyed, others looked pretty much fine and closed tight. If humans were watching him, it wasn't a problem as long as they didn't try to do anything to get his weapons. However, Ryan couldn't confirm that… He had some skills, but none of them could help him confirm that.
"Oh, well…" Ryan shrugged. "I can't spend all day here worrying about what might happen or not."
Gasoline doesn't have a long shelf-life, and given that dragons were prioritizing for some reason destroying gas stations, Ryan made a mental note to use that kind of fuel as much as possible. With his current speed, he could move a little faster than most vehicles, but he couldn't keep that speed for even a minute. So, it was only obvious that he had to rely on other vehicles.
Ryan approached the gas station and the convenience store near it. As expected, the place had been ravaged by what seemed to be giant bees. Ryan couldn't see signs of them, but he didn't find food either, so he concluded that it was their fault. He would have to find food and water somewhere else, and he would prioritize anything that wasn't cookies.
"Why did they even take the water bottles and even soda?" Ryan frowned.
Based on what Ryan heard from Tristan, giant bees could eat humans. Still, they also could eat human's food… which was very suspicious since other monsters like velociraptors and pterodactyls only hunted humans. Besides, they were focusing on storing food more than anything else.
"I don't like this…" Ryan muttered.
Despite his worries, Ryan decided to finish the job he came to do. After collecting some plastic bottles, he filled them with gasoline. Although he couldn't suddenly increase his Flame Arrow's power, he could make the flames last longer by using that fuel.
Suddenly, Ryan began to hear something approaching. He looked in all directions, but he didn't see anything. Despite that, the sound was increasing, and Ryan began to sweat cold, imagining himself have to fight an invisible enemy. However, such thoughts disappeared when Ryan saw a remote-control car crossing the street and moving toward him.
"What the hell…" Ryan frowned.
Ryan had played around with remote control cars in the past, but that one made him recall those that were used in competitions. The speed was pretty impressive, and as if that wasn't enough, he could see four small cameras at the top of the toy. It had been custom made… and considering the four cameras, it had been made rather recently by someone who was aware of the monsters' existence. It was only obvious that those who were still alive were aware of their existences, but…
The remote-control car stopped in front of Ryan, and then its cameras moved to the left side two times in forty-five degrees. Since before moving the second time the cameras returned to the original position, Ryan concluded that whoever was controlling that toy wanted to make Ryan follow it. However, Ryan ignored it.
"No sense in meeting a weirdo…" Ryan said.
With the world in that state, humans had to stay together whenever possible to fight the monsters. Ryan wouldn't mind helping a few other people like he helped Tristan and his sister. However, those who were too afraid to leave their homes when the world was in such a state wouldn't be of any help.
That was cruel; indeed, Ryan was fully aware of it. However, he already had decided that he wouldn't die trying to play the role of the hero and saving people. Again, he would do his best to help the human side, but only the things that he judges necessary.
"Do-don't ignore me… pipsqueak!" A kid's voice came from inside the remote-control car.