Turning off the television, Everest promptly left the embrace of his comfortable bed and stood up with unprecedented vigor. He felt fresh and new, which signified the effects his short yet pleasant nap brought. Perhaps the security and solace gave him an unusual feeling of tranquility.
Stretching his arms upward, a smile creeped into his face, unbothered by the latest breaking news concerning the declaration of a state of emergency alongside the executive order of a quarantine.
The peace and certainty of the modern era was nearing its unfortunate conclusion. As enjoyable as it was, he understood the importance of accepting that things simply weren't meant to be.
New York was amongst the coastal cities listed to have its people evacuated into security zones. In my former past, I wasn't able to evacuate as chaos erupted throughout Manhattan.
To be honest, I was lucky to not have evacuated with the military.
Everest wryly smiled, remembering the time when he thought all hope was lost as the last bus heading towards the security zones left him behind. He was forced to return to the confines of the apartment building, meeting Old Man Kanor along the way.
The security zones are death traps. They would fail, overrun by the aberrants. When the military failed to contain the contagion, they carried out bombing campaigns throughout major coastal cities.
The so-called security zones were bombed as they collapsed under the sheer weight of the apocalypse.
I'd rather not be inside a security zone filled to the brim with people. I remember hearing one of them consisting a million people. Just the thought of it makes me understand what kind of a hellhole it was.
He calmly shook his head and resolved to avoid the security zones at all costs. However, while the security zones were meant to fall, Lower Manhattan was just as dangerous, perhaps worse than the zones established by the military and national guard.
Staying within the island would be no less than a death sentence. In addition to those infected with the aberrant-syndrome, there were bandits and marauders who were no different than the monsters of the apocalypse.
I'll have to gather a group of survivors for myself. While surviving alone is definitely plausible, a group would ensure that aberrants wouldn't cause too much trouble unless we were separated.
If I was alone, I'll have those monsters knocking on my front door every now and then.
Concluding his thoughts, Everest glanced at the biomechanical hawk, Zephyr, a companion of his. The mechanoid stood in an unyielding manner, akin to a firmed statue. But thanks to its suspension, his energy reserves wholly recovered.
"I'll wake you up once I'm prepared, Zephyr."
He softly muttered and turned his attention towards the bluish translucent digital screen hovering before him. It was none other than a notification display, inside was a notice referring to the establishment of an apocalypse quest.
[ Opportunity / Adversity ]
-[ Quarantine has been declared throughout the City of New York. The user must survive the dreadful adversity, and escape the uncertainty and danger of Lower Manhattan. However, alongside adversity comes a fruitful opportunity. A termination of aberrants has been issued... AXP granted from aberrant elimination will be doubled until the conclusion of the quest! Required for quest completion is the withdrawal from New York. ( Duration : 72 hours until quest termination! ) ]-
-[ Rewards : 200 AXP, 20 Attribute Points, 30 Natural Attributes, random skill card ]-
Hm. Quite long...
His gaze narrowed, scrutinizingly observing the apocalypse quest displayed within the bluish and translucent digital screen. It was long and somewhat complicated. However, it was true to its name. An opportunity amidst an adversity was what it was.
AXP granted upon killing an aberrant would be doubled within the duration of 72 hours. It was an excellent prospect that would ensure his goal of leveling up within the chaos that consumed the metropolis. The Double-AXP event presented him the best time to farm levels.
If he could withdraw from the city before the conclusion of the duration, he would be graciously rewarded with AXP, attribute points, natural attributes, and random skill card. Even if he didn't stay to harvest some levels, the rewards alone from the apocalypse quest would transform him.
It was no doubt an entanglement of opportunity and adversity.
[ Does Sir Everest wish to tackle the Apocalypse Quest? ]
Another notification followed, intending to confirm whether or not Everest sought to complete the established apocalypse quest. It materialized below the sizeable quest display, awaiting for his response.
The edges of his lips rose as the answer was relatively evident.
I'll take the challenge.
Survival was paramount even without the apocalypse quest while leveling was of greater importance, which meant he wouldn't shy away from a confrontation against aberrants. Like before, the rewards of the quest was nothing short of a blessing.
A gift he would gladly accept.
[ Understood, Apocalypse Quest - Opportunity / Adversity has been initiated! ]
[ Goodluck, Sir Everest! ]
It looks like I'll have to hunt aberrants no matter what.
Following the initialization of the apocalypse quest, Everest took a deep breath and prepared himself for the future. His path into the apex of the mountain would be a bloody one, but as long as he survived and stood at the very top, it would be enough.
Opening the front door, he walked out of the small studio and stepped into the long-winding hallway of the apartment building. Right away, a rough voice briefly called out with a tinge of concern.
"Hey, kid!"
It was none other than Old Man Kanor, who promptly left the confines of his apartment after the news about the quarantine and pandemic broke out. He wanted to converse with neighboring tenants, intending to know their opinion regarding the so-called outbreak.
Social interaction was difficult to avoid, especially during times of disaster. Humans have always been social creatures, and in times of trouble, they would generally flock one another to confront the disaster that awaited them.
It was a strategy that stood the test of time.
Otherwise, humanity would have long been extinct if each and every one of them were introverted and lonesome individuals. An unfortunate fate indeed.
"Have you heard about the quarantine?"
Old Man Kanor continued, pondering about the thoughts of the young man concerning the quarantine. The world had already experienced a global pandemic years ago, which meant that none of them were ignorant of the life in quarantined.
It wasn't bad on paper, but it brought long-term effects to many people.
"It is difficult to avoid something reported everywhere, old man. Anyhow, do you think the reports are true?"
Even though he was already aware of the truth, in the eyes of others, he was nothing more but a college dropout. It was better to avoid acting suspicious until the complete collapse of the modern era, which shouldn't take too long.
The old man furrowed his eyebrows, but subtly nodded at the young man.
Although he was usually distrustful of the government, he had already confirmed the validity and reliability of the pandemic. He could only accept the truth, nothing more, nothing less.
"The pandemic has made multiple landfalls throughout a couple of continents. That much is easily confirmed through the internet. It seemed that the disease was already spreading a couple of days ago, which meant that the Federal Government had failed to contain the outbreak."
"Smart, you haven't change, old man."
Everest smirked at Old Man Kanor, understanding the resourcefulness and investigative qualities of the old man. Despite Kanor's proclamation of being nothing more but a retired mechanic, it was difficult to not doubt the identity of the old man.
"The military already began constructing of the security zones this early morning. Even a blind man would hear the propeller blades echoing."
He remarked as he pointed up towards the ceiling. While avoiding the suspicion of others was an adequate strategy, there was no way he would be passive in the ways of survival. Revealing his abilities slowly and steadily was the way to go.
Old Man Kanor was somewhat impressed by the observant nature of the young man.
Others would have thought of the passing transport helicopters as part of military training operations. After all, it wouldn't be the first time the military trained in an urban environment.
"Are you planning to evacuate off Manhattan?"
The old man questioned, wanting to know the plans of the young man before him. On the other hand, Everest pretended to think about it, despite already being determined regarding what he wanted to do.
"I'll be staying behind and probably lock myself up to avoid interacting with others. The security zones give me a bad feeling, it sounds too good to be true. Besides, even with the national guard, it would be difficult for the military to manage a herd of people that numbers around in millions."
"I'd rather avoid getting myself stomped to death if a stampede ever happens in the so-called security zones."
Everest shook his head, revealing a bit of his intentions while also concealing his actual thoughts. The words that escaped his mouth were logical and rational, resulting in a reasonable decision most would accept as the truth.
Others shouldn't be able to perceive his well-manipulated responses, but the reaction of the old man made him somewhat wary of its effectiveness.
"Alright... That makes sense."
The old man merely narrowed his gaze before nodding in understanding. The delayed reaction was enough for Everest. It practically confirmed his doubts and suspicions that Kanor might be more than a retired mechanic.
He rarely entertained such unreliable thoughts as Old Man Kanor was someone who he considered a savior. Without the old man, he doubted he would have lasted a couple of weeks in the first month of the outbreak.
Old man... what are you hiding?
I guess I'll bide my time until he tells me himself.
Although the old man could be hiding more of his identity, Everest understood the importance of privacy and as long as it didn't impede his leveling and survival. He didn't care much about the concealed identities of others.
Besides, he also had secrets that others shouldn't know no matter what.
Before the two could continue their discussion, an argument clamored as a black man exited his apartment, carrying a packed duffel bag over his shoulder. An infuriated expression smothered his face while a woman's voice rang out from the apartment.
"Don't leave, John! Trying to leave the city is too dangerous..."
A hand reached out, revealing a black lady smeared with tears. Her words were ignored by her lover as he climbed downstairs, intending to leave the city through wheels. Tears dripped from her cheeks, unable to accept the abandonment of her boyfriend.
Everest and Old Man Kanor glanced at one another, their previous suspicions and wariness disrupted, replaced by uncertainty and helplessness. The old man stepped forward and patted her back as she bawled even further.
"What happened, Mariah?"
The black woman was Mariah, a 24-year-old lady who was supposed to be in a loving relationship with her lover. He proposed to her a month ago, and they were already preparing for their wedding.
The outbreak of the pandemic halted their plans and her husband suddenly wanted to leave the city after the reports about the contagion. According to him, it was too risky to linger in Manhattan, which she agreed.
But Mariah disagreed with his plan of leaving the city since she had an inkling that the situation was not as simple as it seemed. Leaving was a bad idea and was riskier than staying behind.
The argument escalated as pent up stress alongside the apprehensive circumstance blew out. What started as a mere disagreement transformed into a dispute of their relationship.
"I see... Let him blow some steam. He should be back sooner or later."
Old Man Kanor sighed, understanding the complexities of relationships and its fragility. Meanwhile, Everest observed with intrigue as memories of Mariah flooded his mind. She was a vital part of his first and former survivor group as her instincts weren't to be underestimated.
Unfortunately, however, she separated from the group after meeting her supposed-lover, John.
Perhaps I'll start with her...