Park Su, having gotten the answer he wanted, was delighted and quickly got up. "Don't worry, you're now my... person, no, friend. I won't bully you." With that thought, he waved his hand, attempting to draw the pothos back into his dantian. A flash of green light, and the pothos vanished from the spot.
Now, in his dantian, there was an additional vibrant, adorable pothos. Seeing that it posed no threat to him, and with no time for further study, he grabbed his dagger and headed out. The sky outside was already bright, but the museum was empty except for the bodies of the zombies he had killed, their corpses adding to the eerie atmosphere with the shrill sound of the alarm. The apocalypse had indeed arrived.
As he stepped outside, he saw zombies wandering around and couldn't help but frown. These must have been residents from the surrounding areas or people on duty last night who had unexpectedly turned into zombies.
He gripped his dagger tightly and ran towards his parked car. Zombies, sensing fresh flesh, naturally followed. With his increased abilities, Park Su didn't hesitate, quickly dispatching the zombies around him before getting into his car.
He let out a sigh of relief, knowing how worried he was that his car might have been taken. After all, he had stayed in the museum far longer than he had anticipated.
In the apocalypse, stealing someone else's car to escape was a common occurrence, let alone taking one that appeared to be abandoned. After all, who knew if its owner was dead, alive, or in between.
Perhaps it was because the apocalypse had just begun, and humanity hadn't yet descended into complete chaos. With that in mind, he started the car, quickly turned the steering wheel, and accelerated towards his home. On the way, he removed the somewhat tattered mask from his face, observing the zombies roaming the streets and the closed doors, which made his mood even worse.
Without hesitation, he hit any zombies that got in his way, sending them flying. The streets were not empty; after all, City S was a bustling metropolis, and even at night, there were people out. Once the anomaly occurred, the living naturally fled to the streets, and zombies, instinctively chasing the scent of flesh, followed. Despite choosing less crowded routes, Park Su was still forced to stop several times to clear the path of zombies.
Once the zombies were dealt with, some survivors, seeing his strength, wanted to get into his car, with some even crying and clinging to his legs, begging him to take them along. Park Su couldn't possibly take them all. Such acts of kindness would only lead to more people seeking help.
The streets were filled with people; who would he save and who would he not? He understood the principle of 'small kindness leads to great resentment.' Moreover, he couldn't tell which of these people had been bitten or scratched by zombies. Who knew if he would be inviting danger into his sanctuary? Besides, he had no intention of taking care of others.
Of course, his behavior drew criticism, with some crying and accusing him of having no conscience, despite having the ability to save them, saying he didn't understand human solidarity. They tried to bind him with moral obligations and even incited other survivors to steal his car.
However, covered in blood and with an air of menace, after Park Su dealt with the instigator, the survivors dared not speak further. Instead, some timid ones continued to cry and accuse him of murder, stating that killing was illegal, and once the situation was resolved, they would report him and see him jailed.
Regarding such naive statements, Park Su didn't even bother to respond. He knew that resolving this situation might take years, if not more; he hadn't figured out why the world had changed overnight when he died in his last life. These survivors, with their current weakness, would eventually be weeded out by society, while others would slowly learn to toughen up.
Their naive thoughts were simply because the apocalypse had just begun, and they hadn't yet transitioned from a law-abiding society. Hadn't he, too, had such childish ideas when he first experienced the apocalypse?
He thought back to when he went to save Sun Muyang, how he also saved many from their company. But in the end, how many of them were truly grateful? Most of them probably thought it was just expected, right?
They never considered that in such a world, helping them was a favor, not helping was the norm. We aren't even close; what right do they have to demand that I do this or that for them?
Although he didn't plan on taking any of them with him, he still dealt with the zombies chasing them before he left, and those who had seen his capabilities didn't dare to stop him further.
The journey took some time, but Park Su finally arrived at the house he had prepared. Looking at the house, he sighed; this was where he planned to spend a month cultivating and preparing for the future.
He got out of the car and first called his mother. The phone was still somewhat usable, and as soon as the call connected, he heard his mother's anxious voice, "Su Su, is that you? Is it you?"
Hearing his mother's urgent voice, Park Su felt a twinge in his nose. He hadn't brought his phone with him to avoid interruptions in his plan yesterday. As soon as he turned it back on, he received no less than a hundred messages, almost all from his mother. Thinking back to his past life, he realized he hadn't been filial enough. He steadied his mind and said, "It's me, mom. How are things over there?"
"Why did you turn off your phone? I was about to ask you the same. How are you doing? There are people with a strange illness everywhere outside. Last night, your father called me, told me to lock the doors and not to go out, to stay safely at home.
Then this morning, I heard screams from upstairs, but I didn't dare to go out. I just peeked from the window and saw that the world seemed to have changed; there are so many people outside eating others.
I tried calling your father, but his phone isn't connecting. I'm too scared to go out. I wanted to see the news on TV, but there's nothing. With all this chaos outside, I'm too frightened to leave. I was worried about you, calling you, but no one answered. I was nearly going mad with worry! How are you? Are you hurt?"
Listening to his mother's rambling voice, Park Su felt a sense of relief. It seemed his father had noticed something was wrong last night and had warned his mother in advance. He wasn't entirely heartless towards her. Park Su had also seen a call from that man when he checked his messages, just one, but at least it showed he hadn't forgotten him.
He sighed and comforted his mother, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You know I've moved to a new place, you've been here before, and there aren't many people around, so I don't really know them. Yesterday, I went to bed early and forgot to charge my phone, so I missed your calls. I'll be okay. Stay at home; that man should come to save you. I'll also find a way to get to City B to meet up with you. Mom, you must wait for me."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Park couldn't help but worry, "Then don't go running around. With your thin arms and legs, you've never even been in a fight. These sick people out there scare me. Why don't you stay there and wait for him to come get you? No matter what, he's your father. I'll beg him; he definitely won't abandon you."
"Mom, don't always worry about me. You know the situation at the Park household; you'll be better off without me. If I'm there, neither of us would be accepted. You might think I'm weak, but I have a high combat ability now. Even if it's just for you, I'll definitely make my way to the base in City B. So, mom, wait for me, don't worry too much about me, and don't beg him on my behalf. It'll only make the family dislike you more. Just focus on waiting for me, okay?"
"Whether I'm doing well or not doesn't matter much; I'm already half in the grave. If only one of us can be taken care of by the Park family, I'd prefer it to be you. Though I've never said it, Su Su, you've always been the hope of my life." Park Su heard his mother say such words for the first time, her voice slightly choked, making him realize how much of a jerk he had been in his past life.
"Mom, you're also my reason for living. If you're there, I have the strength to keep going to find you. They might allow him to find you, but not necessarily me, especially since City S and City B are so far apart. Mom, wait for me, please wait for me properly." After saying this, Park Su immediately hung up. He was afraid that if he kept talking, he wouldn't be able to hold back his tears.
He had always known his mother truly loved that man and was genuinely good to him, but he hadn't realized how important he was to his mother.