The room was gradually getting darker. In the quiet office, you could hear the stirring of people inside the museum.
Wishing everyone a good night, he left the unhappy team, alone with their thoughts.
While everyone was settling into the small office, Grey suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, did anyone happen to hear any mechanical voice?"
Both girls shook their heads.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing. Forget it."
'So I'm starting to see things that don't really exist... I should run to the nearest drugstore and get a couple of pills on the way.'
This was a significant problem for Gray. He had seen with his own eyes, throughout the apocalypse, how many people had gone mad.
And even the people with the strongest wills at the time-evolved ones were stricken by the affliction.
They were helped only by rare drugs and the special services of the evolved mental type, which were very expensive.
"I think... I heard something like that, but I'm not sure..."
Everyone turned toward the gray-haired man. A spark of hope flashed in Gray's eyes.
"Speak! Don't drag it out!"
Werner looked strangely at Gray, who jumped up abruptly and questioned him.
"I'm not sure... but when I was at the height of the pain from hell. There was some kind of system going on in my head."
Trying to remember any of the things that were going on at the moment. Then his mind was on the verge of its endurance.
"I thought I was already in delirium, but if that's what the conversation was about, then maybe..."
Trinity watched as the puzzled face of the gray-haired man suddenly changed to one of surprise.
"What on earth is that?!"
Werner waved his hand in the air and looked strangely at his team members.
"Do you see that?"
"Uncle Werner, what is it?"
"Uncle Werner, please don't joke around like that! There's nothing there!"
Gray frowned rather heavily.
'He can't in theory be a mental and physical type at the same time. And... I've never heard of mentalists being able to project anything into reality.'
"Explain what you saw."
Everyone was waiting for Werner to deal with something positioned in the air. But no one could see what was going on.
The girls already had time to think that he had gone crazy from the shock he received when he screamed so agonizingly in the warehouse.
"It says something about an auxiliary system. It also has my name and some additional information."
"Can you dictate them?"
"Sure. Werner Stefanno; 45 years old; condition - tired; Strength 14; Dexterity 11 and a bunch of other incomprehensible stats."
"Stefano? I thought you said your last name started with Bra..."
"Wait, Uncle Werner, you're 45 years old?!"
Gray was interrupted by a surprised Betty.
"Ho-ho, that's right, why? I look pretty good for my age, don't I? It's all grooming and gentlemanly style..."
He smiled broadly as he stroked his goatee, but the next second it was as if a flowerpot had been dropped on his head.
"Then why do you look like an old man in his sixties?"
Kayra collapsed on the couch with laughter in the midst of it all. Betty and Werner's flushed faces made her laugh even harder.
But Gray wasn't laughing. His mind was full of questions and assumptions.
"The auxiliary system."
As soon as he said it, a small translucent window popped up in front of his face.
He jumped away on instinct, but his aching arm and leg quickly gave way.
When he hit the table, he quickly regained consciousness and calmed down.
His habits might be dangerous in everyday life, but in a world where you don't know where from and don't know when you will be attacked. They were irreplaceable.
Everyone looked at his behavior strangely. Even Kayra, who had her hand cradled her stomach, ached with laughter. Finally, she stopped laughing.
Glancing at the panel in front of him, Gray saw presumably the same thing that Werner had.
[Status window.]
Gray Hart.
Level 1
Title: Heir...
Pedigree: Empty.
User Condition: Light Injury; Fatigue.
Infection Level: 15%.
Strength 6 [10].
Dexterity 8 [10]
Vitality 10 [10]
Stamina 4 /8 [10]
Spirit 11/11 [10]
Fortitude 10 [10]
Skills: Empty [1]
After reviewing all his stats, Gray walked over to Werner and grabbed his thick wrist.
'Fuck!'
Seeing the same system window in front of him, Gray cursed mentally.
He involuntarily remembered the events of his past life. In the past, the evolved had something similar. But only on an intuitive level.
Every evolved starting from the third stage could see their strengths through meditation.
It was also possible, through long meditation sessions, to increase one's level of contagion and then transform it into the energy of evolution, thereby increasing one's progress in evolution.
Looking at this picture, Grey was in a strange psychological state. A second window popped up in front of his face with the indicators.
[Status Window: Werner Stefanno]
Werner Stefanno.
Age: 45 [79]
Level 4
Title: Empty.
Pedigree: Empty.
User Condition: Emaciated; Severe Fatigue.
Infestation Level: 5%
Strength 14 [14].
Dexterity 11 [14]
Vitality 13 [14]
Endurance 3/12 [14]
Spirit 3/10 [14]
Fortitude 11 [14]
Skills: Empty [1]
"Kayra, Betty!"
"Y-yes?"
Jumping up slightly, Betty looked frightened at Gray.
From the very beginning, this guy had been scaring her. Always interrupting and doing whatever he wanted.
'Did I... did I do something wrong?'
"Say what I said earlier."
'Ah...'
Betty exhaled with relief. She was afraid this guy would throw her out of there, and she'd have nowhere else to sleep or eat.
From what she had heard earlier on the street, she no longer wanted to travel alone.
"What?"
"Auxiliary system, hurry up!"
Hurrying the girls, he watched as they tried in vain to call up the system window.
But when they failed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Relieved, Gray sat down on the couch and massaged his temples for a long time.
"What's wrong with you? Is everything all right?"
Everyone became alarmed at the strange, erratic actions of the young man. No one understood what was wrong.
"Gray, do you know anything about this?"
Squinting slightly, Werner clenched his palms tightly into fists.
"I'm all right. No, Werner, we'll talk to you later. In the meantime, let's all go to sleep."
Finally tired, he just sat down in a lotus pose and began to meditate.
***
Downstairs in the main hall of the museum.
A crowd of people surrounded a table and sofa with a single man in a white suit.
The man's expensive clothes were accentuated by his luxurious perfume, which was clearly overdone.
But this did not embarrass those around him in the slightest. On the contrary, everyone bowed their heads respectfully.
Everyone waited in silence for this man to say his word.
"Tomorrow there will be people coming to take us to a safe place. No one knows what has happened to our army and government. Nor how long this cataclysm will last."
Everyone listened intently as this gentleman gave them his thoughts. Some were nodding cheerfully, and some were frowning at something.
"Tomorrow I will go to the northern part of the city, my brother has a safe place to wait out this disaster. Anyone who wishes may come with us."
"Thank you, Mr. Milo, we knew you were a good man!"
"Yes! If it weren't for Mr. Milo, I don't know what would have happened to us now!"
"It's good that God sent us Mr. Milo and his brave guards! Thanks to you, we have food and protection from those crazy people!"
The crowd of people, with smiles on their faces, tried to suck up all sorts of compliments.
They knew that in this confusing and chaotic situation, the best solution was to enlist the support of an influential person.
Even a fool understood that right now it was safer to be around the professional security of this rich gentleman than to be on your own.
Especially since no one knew when this strange fog, which was causing incomprehensible chaos on the street, would end.
But there were those who disagreed with this position; they firmly believed that the army would arrive soon and evacuate everyone from there.
"Don't rush to rejoice, I have one condition. It is a condition for all those who wish to come with us."
As he waved to his guards, he looked everyone in the eye.
"My brother does not like his company to be a mess. He told me that I could only take those who would be obedient and not cause trouble."
Strangely, he looked at the disgruntled people on the far side of the hall.