Morning came.
There was only half a day left before the second stage would begin.
Most of the survivors didn't have a good sleep, while others hadn't even slept a wink.
I didn't know when I had drifted into sleep. When I woke up, Apple was no longer beside me.
"You're finally awake." The muscular man walked towards me, beaming while waving his hand.
This guy looked much better after a night's rest. It seemed like he had also awakened a trait related to vitality. "How's your wounds?" I asked. He was wearing a tattered shirt so I could see the dried blood on the bandages wrapped around his body.
"Still hurts, but I can manage." He responded with a chuckle. He then leaned against the wall and took out a packet of cigarettes from his trousers' pocket. "Do you smoke?" He asked as he extended a cigarette to me.
"I already quit for some time, but I think I need one right now," I muttered as I grabbed the cigarette.
Seeing me take the cigarette, he smiled and lit it up for me with a lighter. "I'm Kevin. What's your name?"
"Mark." We didn't shake hands, but it felt like we had gotten closer now that we were smoking together. It sounds stupid, but that's how the male brain works. We don't need so much nonsense to befriend someone.
"You look like an office worker. Under which company are you working for?" Kevin stared at me curiously. He probably guessed it based on my attire.
"I'm a bookkeeper at Island Bank."
"What about you?" I looked at him and made a few guesses in my mind.
"I'm a gym instructor and also a boxing trainer," Kevin responded after blowing a puff of smoke.
'No wonder he's got that kind of body.' I thought. He was a head taller than me and had the standard bodybuilder physique.
We talked for almost an hour and I learned a lot of information about him.
Kevin was older than me by three years. He was already a married man and he even had a two-year-old daughter. He looked happy when he mentioned his wife and daughter. I also noticed the worry in his eyes while we talked about his family.
I didn't know how to console him so I just stayed silent as I smoked my cigarette.
"I'll get the nurse to change my bandages. Let's catch up later." Kevin patted my shoulder before he walked away and left. His back looked lonely for some reason.
I looked away from him.
I flicked the cigarette butt and sighed.
A moment later, I saw the old veteran, Fabian. He was talking with the kid we saved. The girl was crying and it looked like she only learned that her parents didn't make it out alive.
'What a pitiful child.' I shook my head with a gloomy look.
Uncle Fabian also noticed my presence. He beckoned to me with his hand. Seeing this, I hurried to his side and nodded at him in greeting. "Have you slept, Uncle Fabian?"
The old man nodded and responded with a humming sound. He then looked at the little girl and let out a deep sigh. "She woke up earlier."
The old man gently rubbed the girl's head as he spoke to her. "Lia, this is the person who saved us."
The little girl stopped crying when she heard his words. She lifted her head, revealing her watery eyes. "Uncle, can you save mommy and daddy?" She muttered in a trembling voice.
I bent my back and wiped off her tears using the back of my hand. "I'm sorry, Lia." I felt sorry for her, but there was nothing I could do.
The girl was heartbroken. It must have been a huge blow to her to lose her parents.
All I could do was rub her back as she cried her heart out.
I also lost my parents at a young age because of a car accident so I could understand the child's pain. That heart-gripping feeling and that void-like emptiness, I still remember it clearly.
At this moment, the best thing to do was to comfort her torn heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the little girl finally stopped crying. I realized that she had fallen asleep.
I handed the girl back to Fabian. "She must be tired after crying a lot. Do we have any food for her?"
Hearing this, Fabian shook his head and sighed. "I asked the other survivors, but they are not willing to give away their food."
I furrowed my eyebrows upon hearing this, but I couldn't blame those people. There was nothing wrong with prioritizing one's self during emergencies. Even so, their selfishness still irked me.
'Once the chaos shop is open, we can buy food using our chaos coins, but it will only be available after we clear level 1. We still need to complete two more stages before we can clear level 1 so it might take a few days. The adults will be fine without food, but the children and the elderlies will be sick.'
"There might be some food inside the train."
Fabian raised his eyebrows when he heard my words. "Are you thinking of… Absolutely not! It's dangerous out there!"
"We have no options left. If we don't find food for the children, they might get sick. We also don't have medicines to feed them so we can't let that happen."
'When I played the monster wave game, I also had to feed the characters to prevent them from dying. However, I always waited for the chaos shop to open before feeding them.
I didn't have to worry about them starving since they were just characters in the game. I felt no pity or remorse when I saw their hunger status showing up. Is this karma?'
Fabian knew that they had no choice. "You should discuss it with the others. You can't gather all those supplies on your own."
I thought for a moment upon hearing his words. I only had ten slots in my inventory so I might not be able to bring back many supplies. "Alright. I'll find someone to work with me."