Adam is seated against a heap of zombie corpses in the parking lot of the national park. Covered in blood and utterly fatigued, he gazes up at the morning sky. The sun's rays bathe his eyes with a radiant glow, prompting him to shut them.
Suddenly, he awakens in a sandy desert and scans his surroundings, noticing a gleaming tree nearby. Rising to his feet, he approaches it, only to have Gand descend from the tree and inform him that his powers can no longer be used on others. Perplexed, Adam inquires why he was chosen by Gand to be resurrected. Gand clarifies that Adam wasn't chosen, but rather, they were inherently connected.
Adam further questions why Gand didn't simply let him die peacefully. Gand reveals a grand plan unfolding, where the world will soon become a battleground for numerous deities, and both of them will play a role in that conflict. Disinterested in Gand's words, Adam nonchalantly sits next to the tree, expressing that perhaps if he had been allowed to die, he wouldn't have suffered the torment of Sam and his family's memories.
Gand advises Adam to overcome this hurdle in his life, emphasizing his crucial role in the future. Adam responds, stating that Gand should know what needs to be done. Gand agrees, encouraging Adam to do what is necessary, as it will only make him stronger. However, Adam asserts that before involving himself in the matters of gods and battles, he must first address the trivial problems of ordinary humans.
Suddenly, Adam snaps back to reality, finding himself trapped in a cocoon of spiderwebs within a cave. A spider zombie approaches him, expressing its desire for human blood. The creature's upper body resembles a human, while its lower half consists of spider legs. As the spider zombie bites into Adam's body, it recoils in pain, disgusted by the burning sensation of Adam's blood.
Using the bat he still holds, Adam breaks free from the cocoon. The spider zombie acknowledges that Adam is not human but something else entirely. Adam swiftly strikes the spider zombie's face with the bat, shattering its skull and sending it hurtling out of the cave, crashing into a tree. The spider zombie's head gradually regenerates, and it remarks that Adam's blood has poisoned it, rendering it immobile.
Calmly, Adam exits the cave, carrying the bat over his shoulder. The spider zombie protests, claiming the situation is unfair and vowing not to let Adam escape. Locked in a stare, Adam and the spider zombie create a magical connection beam between their eyes. However, Adam seizes the connection and dismissively discards it, stating that he has no time for everyone's stories.
With its spider legs, the zombie lunges at Adam, piercing his body with multiple stabs. Adam questions why the spider zombie didn't simply meet its end peacefully. In response, Adam plunges his arm into the spider zombie's chest, retrieves its shiny heart, and shatters it, causing a gory explosion. Despite its pleas of unfairness, the spider zombie's spider legs are shattered into pieces by a single swing of Adam's bat. Overwhelmed by fear, the spider zombie collapses.
Adam steps on its neck and reiterates his inquiry about its reluctance to die peacefully. The spider zombie reveals its desire to become like a spider and fully comprehend the wild existence of arachnids. Unsatisfied with its reasons, Adam smashes the spider zombie's head into fragments with his bat, concluding that they are insufficient grounds for it to continue living.
Weary and growing paler, Adam proceeds onward. He spots a deer nearby and swiftly dispatches it with his bat. Holding the deer's head, he considers biting into it but realizes his humanity and remarks that he is not a zombie. Later, Adam cooks the deer meat over a campfire and consumes the cooked meal.
Seeking shelter, he locates a large tree, breaks off a section, and settles into a hollow within it, reminiscing about the past when he carved a similar hollow for Conor at his old house. With these thoughts, Adam drifts off to sleep.
Megan and the rest of the group stroll down the lengthy corridor of stores in the mall until they reach a restaurant. At the eatery, Mai requests the Chef to prepare six bowls of black bean noodles. The Chef promptly starts making the noodles while everyone, except Xai, settles down at the tables.
Xai mentions that he needs to complete some paperwork and encourages them to begin eating without him. Kiren expresses surprise at the existence of such a place amidst the current circumstances. Frank, on the other hand, remains captivated by Mai's every movement.
Megan seizes the opportunity to inquire about the term "Star," prompting Mai to promise a detailed explanation once they reach her room. The Chef reemerges from the kitchen with a tray holding the six bowls. Introducing himself as Chef Spice(44), he reveals that he heard Ezzy is from the mansion that the Riders stole.
Ezzy recounts her harrowing experience of returning home on the day of the apocalypse, where her parents and the maids valiantly defended the mansion against zombies. However, when the Riders arrived with a massive ship, they quickly took control. Ezzy's father concealed her in a hidden room before attempting to rescue her mother from the Riders. Tragically, they never returned, leaving Ezzy alone.
After weeks passed and supplies dwindled, she made the decision to escape the mansion, which led Megan and the rest of the group to discover her near the forest. Spice reveals that his own daughter was captured by the Riders a week ago, making him grateful for Ezzy and her group's determination to bring down the Riders. Ezzy asserts her resolve to rescue his daughter.
With their meal finished, Mai proceeds to give them a tour of the mall. Their exploration leads them to a blacksmith shop, where they encounter two children waiting in the reception area. Mai greets them and introduces the girl as Kayla(11) and the boy as Jean(13). Megan nudges Duke forward, and he introduces himself to the children. Duke looks at Megan, who nods approvingly, before joining Kayla and Jean at their table.
Mai and the rest of the group continue to explore the various stores, leaving Duke behind with the two other kids. Duke asks Kayla why they are waiting, and she explains that they are waiting for their master to finish his daily job. Jean adds that their master is almost done with his work.
A short, stout man emerges from the blacksmith workshop, tying his long hair in a bun. Kayla and Jean stand up from their seats and bow down to greet their master. The master approaches Duke, who introduces himself, and the master introduces himself as Simbad(25). Duke inquires about what Simbad teaches, to which Simbad responds that he teaches swordsmanship. Duke's interest piques, and they all head to a dojo workshop where Simbad takes out a wooden sword and demonstrates sword techniques.
The group arrives at the daycare location, where they find several patients gathered in the lobby. Mai introduces the owner of the daycare, Barbra(43), as the only other magic user in the Berry community. Barbra specializes in healing people's mental health and takes care of those who are unable to care for themselves.
The group then notice a member of the Berry combat team engaged in conversation with one of the patients. Barbra explains that the two individuals, Agustin(27) and Angel(26), are brothers. Agustin, being a member of the Berry combat team, does his best to look after his brother Angel, but in his absence, Barbra takes on the responsibility.
Curious, Kiren asks Barbra about her method of healing people's mental health. Barbra approaches Kiren and places her hand on his head, causing her hand to emit a magical glow. With her eyes closed, she informs Kiren that she senses some mental issues in his brain and offers him the opportunity to schedule an appointment for healing if he requires it. Surprised by the offer, Kiren enters the daycare to set up an appointment.
Later the group arrive at the combat workshop, where they find several heavily geared individuals. One of them introduces herself as Stella(30), the commander leader of the Berry combat team. Mai reminds everyone that people in this area refer to their group as the Berries. Stella then introduces the group to the strongest member of the Berry combat team, named Runica(26), or Rune for short.
Rune suggests sending a second team now to investigate the whereabouts of the first team. Stella agrees, and Rune will lead a group of his choice for the task. Rune bows and starts to walk away. Ezzy volunteers to join Rune on his mission, seeking approval from Stella. Stella realizes that Rex had informed them about a new group joining with Rune, and Rune decides that he will only have two people from the new group accompany him to maintain stealth. Ezzy and Kiren join Rune, and they head to the dojo workshop.
Mai announces that Rune and his team need to depart within the next hour. Mai, Frank, and Megan enter Mai's room, filled with files of papers, computer screens, maps, and notes on the wall. Mai explains that she operates all the cameras in and outside of the mall and the Berry combat team, showcasing live footage on multiple screens. Frank is amazed by the array of screens. Mai adds that she also keeps records of any new "A-Stars" that appears.
Mai proceeds to provide a detailed explanation of what Stars are. She takes out a whiteboard and writes down the word "Star," explaining that zombies are called Stars due to their shiny hearts. She shows a video clip of herself cutting open a zombie's chest to reveal its glowing heart. Mai mentions that walking zombies are called Stars, the weakest form of zombies. As zombies consume blood, they can transform into "L-Stars," running zombies with increased energy. The next stage is the "A-Stars," stronger zombies capable of using magic, has increased strength and speed, and they still have a small part of their humanity. Mai assumes that the final form a zombie can reach is a "G-Star," zombies with powers rivaling the Big 3 or even the Gods, although she has never encountered one.
Frank reveals that they have encountered a G-Star, which intrigues Mai. She retrieves her notes and asks for more information. Megan adds that their former group member, Adam, had powers comparable to the Big 3. Mai inquires about Adam's current location, and Megan informs her about the Cabin. Mai sets her notes aside and promises to return to the topic, then presses a button to display more clips on the computer screens.
Mai goes over the Star system once again, showing clips of different zombie types: walking zombies labeled as "Stars," running zombies labeled as "L-Stars" or "Lesser zombies." She explains that Stars and L-Stars can only be killed by blowing out their brains. However, A-Stars or "Awaken zombie" require the destruction of both their brain and heart for complete elimination. A-Stars also possess the ability to regenerate body parts.
Mai further explains that anyone can become any Star when bitten by a zombie, but a Star can be upgraded through the consumption of human blood, depending on the specific zombie. Frank questions how Mai knows about the process of how zombies can be upgraded, to which she replies that she has conducted numerous tests observing Stars becoming L-Stars. She can only speculate that a L-Star can eventually become an A-Star by consuming more blood. However, for a human to become an A-Star, it primarily depends on luck, willpower and their desires.
Mai then shows them a video clip of a zombie humanoid dog, explaining that the individual was obsessed with dogs, and when bitten, he transformed into a dog-like zombie. She proceeds to show more clips of A-Star zombies, including a bull zombie, a zombie with arms resembling tennis rackets, an ATM zombie spewing out human flesh money, a dancing zombie, a zombie with a human flesh car as its lower body, a zombie with arms emerging from its stomach holding a human flesh chainsaw, a zombie with a head resembling a poker deck of human flesh cards, and police zombies who are guarding the prison.
Mai shares that her inspiration for the labeling of the Stars system comes from her fascination with auto-battler games and their Star level systems. She proceeds to show another video clip on the computer screen, where she is seen walking through the streets of Old Berry town. Mai explains that she unintentionally captured this footage when the apocalypse began.
The video zooms in on a corner of the footage, revealing a man wearing a hoodie sweater with a crown symbol on his back. The man touches another person's neck and walks away, causing the person to start twitching and transform into a zombie, attacking nearby people. Mai identifies this individual as the "zombie maker" and holds him responsible for the world's downfall. Mai retrieves some papers and asks Megan to describe how Adam looks. Megan begins providing a detailed description while simultaneously drawing an accurate portrait of Adam.
Meanwhile, Rune, Kiren, and Ezzy make their way to the dojo workshop and observe as Simbad concludes his swordsmanship lesson with the children. Afterward, Simbad dismisses the kids, and Rune approaches him, requesting his presence for a new task. Simbad agrees, but their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of another man named Will(37).
Will introduces himself and expresses his desire to join the group, revealing that his research has led him to believe that the prison is controlled by his old friend, who has turned into an A-Star zombie. He also mentions his personal Berry bodyguard, Agustin, and suggests that Agustin should accompany them. Rune agrees, recognizing Agustin as a skilled fighter. With Agustin now part of the group, they gather in a weapon room to discuss their plans and equip themselves. Rune grabs his imposing butcher blade sword, leaving Kiren impressed by its size and amazed by Rune's proficiency with it.
Leaving the mall building behind, the group embarks on a lengthy walk along a forest path. Eventually, they find themselves hiding atop a grassy hill. Will peers through his rifle scope and informs the group that the road ahead is heavily guarded by a significant number of police zombies. Will speculates that the previous team that ventured in that direction might have been captured by these police zombies, who, despite being A-Star zombies, still possess a sense of justice and tend to apprehend trespassers.
Ezzy, using her own rifle scope, realizes that the police zombies have spotted them. She quickly warns the group that they have been discovered, and suddenly they find themselves surrounded by a sizable group of police zombies. One of the police zombies steps forward and demands that they surrender their weapons, claiming they are being arrested for trespassing. Rune assesses the situation and determines that there are too many police zombies to engage in combat. Concerned for their safety, Kiren promptly complies and sets down his weapon. Rune then instructs the entire group to surrender their weapons, and the police zombies proceed to handcuff them using restraints made of human flesh.
Perplexed by how swiftly they were located, Rune looks up and discovers a human flesh camera installed on a nearby tree.