The man in the business suit clicked his tongue in annoyance. The constant crying of the children and the women made him even more irritated.
His lips moved and it looked like he muttered something under his breath, but I was too far to hear what he said.
I ignored him and scanned the survivors, silently counting them in my head.
'1,2,3,4,…'
'…56, 57, 58…'
'…61, 62, 63.'
Only 63 people managed to reach the safe zone. Almost half of them were even injured and there were seven who were still unconscious. I didn't want to be pessimistic, but I was sure that some of those critically wounded would die. We didn't have any medical tools or even medicines so their chances of survival are slim.
I shook my head and sighed.
Our fate was grim.
I was the only fighter in the group. Martin and the muscular guy could hold their own against a Devourer, but the others were not the same.
'I don't know how many of them will survive the next stage.'
I rubbed my chin and frowned. 'To increase our survivability, I need to help them get stronger. I can't do everything on my own like what I did in stage 1. More powerful monsters will appear in the next levels so I have to make some preparations.'
'The first thing I have to do is to choose some people who will become the core fighting force in our group.'
'Should I abandon them instead and set off on my own? No… That would be more dangerous.'
While I was coming up with a strategy, someone came to me which interrupted my thoughts.
"What are you thinking about? You look like you had a lot on your mind." It was the old veteran, Fabian. He looked much better after resting for a bit.
"It's nothing," I responded with a miserable smile.
Fabian patted my shoulders. His hand was light and gentle. "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault that those people died. You did your best. That's all that matters."
He probably thought that I was thinking about the victims.
I thought that I would be unaffected by his words. However…
It was only when he uttered those words that I realized that there was an emotional burden in my heart. Perhaps the woman's words earlier unknowingly affected me. Although I had the cold-blooded trait, it wasn't omnipotent enough to remove my human nature. The deaths of the passengers still affected me.
I forced out a smile.
"Where is the girl?" I asked to change the topic.
Fabian also noticed that I didn't want to continue with the topic. He pointed his finger somewhere and said. "There's a nurse among the survivors. She is monitoring the girl right now."
"I see. That's good."
Our conversation deepened and we soon talked about each other's lives. We became closer the more we learned about each other.
Just I like had guessed, he was indeed a retired soldier. I tried asking Fabian about his designation, but he pretended like he didn't hear my words. It looked like he was hiding something, but I didn't force the old man. Maybe one day, he'll tell me. That is if we're still both alive…
A few hours later, three of the critically wounded people died. Their death made the atmosphere even more tense and hopeless. Surprisingly, the man who had his chest cut open was still alive. I guessed that he had somehow received a kind of trait that increased his vitality or endurance. There was no way for a normal human to survive that kind of injury. So there was a high chance that he awakened a trait related to endurance or vitality.
Another two hours passed by. The female student I saved woke up. She still hadn't fully recovered so her face was pale and haggard. Even so, the first thing she did was to look for her savior.
I didn't hide from anyone so she found me right away.
"Thank you. I heard from the others that you saved me." She muttered with a grateful look.
I noticed that she was trembling. I wasn't sure if it was because of her weak body or the fear for her safety. However I was sure of one thing. She must have been traumatized by the incident.
"I'm glad you're safe. You should get some rest. You look like you need it." I convinced her.
She lightly smiled at my words and asked. "Can I sit next to you? I am scared, but when I am close to you, I feel safe."
In this situation, it was normal for a woman to be helpless, what more a teenage girl like her? She must be seeking comfort and some kind of guarantee for her safety.
I also noticed that she was nervous when she uttered those words. I didn't want to make things hard for her so I nodded my head. "Alright."
She looked relieved when I agreed. "Thank you."
The next moment, she sat on the floor right next to me.
She was wearing a short pleated skirt and I noticed that she was uncomfortable in her position. I also discovered that some of the nearby men were already attracted to the sight.
Seeing this, I hurriedly took off my coat and handed it to her. "Cover yourself with it," I told her.
She seemed a bit surprised by my gesture. She lowered her head and grabbed my coat. "Thank you."
She covered her legs with the coat and adjusted to a more comfortable sitting posture.
She didn't speak after that.
I also don't know if I should speak with her so the atmosphere between us was awkward.
It was like that for more than ten minutes before she finally broke the silence. "Uhm, can you tell me your name?"
"It's Mark Joseph," I responded.
"Hello! Can I call you Mark? My name is Apple." She nervously extended her trembling hand to me.
While looking at her calmly, I shook her hand. "Whatever suits you."
Her hand was smooth and when I pulled back my hand, there was a lingering fragrant scent unique to women.
"Do you think the government will send a team to rescue us?" She suddenly asked.
I was a bit taken aback by this inquiry.
"Probably…" In truth, I didn't have high hopes that rescuers would come to save us, but I didn't want this girl to lose all hope so I could only offer some words of comfort. "Once those in position learn about the incident here, they will definitely send people to look for us."
Our conversation continued and she started to open up to me. It was probably because she had no one else to talk to or she was just seeking solace from someone.
As a responsible adult, I stayed silent and listened to her story. Well, it was more of her complaining about life.
She told me about her school life. She said that she was a top student and was one of the best in her school. She even told me about her family's situation. Like how she was pressured by her parents to study hard to prepare for her future.
It was an experience that everyone had to go through at some point in their lives. I was once in her position when I was still young. It made me recall all those distant memories from my childhood. The friends I made and the memories we shared.
Unknowingly, Apple had already fallen asleep on my shoulder.
I didn't want other people to misunderstand so I had to move her.
I took off my suit and folded it neatly before I placed it on the ground. I then carefully laid her head on the folded suit. It wasn't much, but it was better than sleeping directly on the cold, hard floor.
"Sleep well."