January 28, 2025
The next morning, after breakfast, everyone gathered outside the training hall. This time, there were twenty-six of them, with Serena as the newest member.
"Sylas, come with me," Major Kyle called out.
Leading him into another room, Major Kyle pointed at several packages stacked inside. "Store these in your spatial dimension—just in case something happens."
Sylas walked over and examined the packages. "Are these food and water?"
Major Kyle nodded. "Yes. We don't know what will happen, so apart from the compressed biscuits and bottled water everyone is carrying in their backpacks, I want you to store these as a backup."
Sylas had no problem with it and immediately waved his hand, storing the supplies inside his dimension. The packages vanished before their eyes.
"Amazing! With you in our team, things are so much more convenient," Major Kyle said with a smile. Among all the awakened abilities so far, he was most impressed by Sylas's spatial power.
With everything set, the team once again left the safe zone, heading east.
"There don't seem to be any zombies around here," Dylan remarked as he looked out the car window.
Leo, who was sitting next to him, chuckled. "Wait until we enter the red zone."
"Last time, when we went out to get gasoline, we cleared a lot of zombies along this road," Shuan, who was driving, added. "But the convenience store is farther in. Major Kyle said the area around it can be considered a red zone, so we have to stay alert."
"How does the Major know which areas are red zones?" Sylas asked curiously.
"Major Kyle marked the areas with the highest population density before the outbreak," Leo explained. "Combined with patrols he did when the zombies first appeared, he roughly mapped out red zones. So far, his markings have been accurate, but he also warned us not to rely on them completely—zombie activity can change depending on different factors."
After a twenty-minute drive, the cars ahead suddenly stopped.
Major Kyle, gripping his gun, stepped out of the vehicle, scanning the surroundings with vigilance.
"Dylan, we need your help. A truck carrying a heavy load overturned and is blocking the road, along with a few smaller cars. We need to move them so our vehicles can pass through," Major Kyle said, calling Dylan over.
"Don't worry, Major, I got this," Dylan said confidently as he jumped out of the military car.
"Leo, stay in the car. Three of you guard him. The rest, spread out and keep an eye out for any wandering zombies. Sylas, follow Dylan and protect him," Major Kyle ordered.
"Yes, Major!" everyone responded before immediately getting to work.
Dylan approached the overturned truck and placed his hands on it. However, since it was loaded with heavy construction materials, even with his superhuman strength, moving it was difficult.
"I think I need to unload the materials first before I can move the truck," Dylan said, walking toward the back.
"Wait! We don't need to do that," Sylas suddenly called out.
Dylan turned back, raising a brow. "What? Don't tell me you awakened a strength-type ability too." He joked.
But Sylas only smirked. "Well, I don't have your superhero strength, nor am I awakening any strength-type ability, but…"
He paused and smiled before waving his hand toward the truck.
In an instant, the massive vehicle disappeared.
"F--k!"
"Oh my god! Sylas, you can do that too?!"
"So simple!"
"Why did no one think of asking Sylas to move the truck?"
Dylan and several team members cursed in shock at what they had just witnessed.
"Sylas, you're stealing my job! This is daylight robbery!" Dylan widened his eyes, half-jokingly. He was genuinely surprised at the versatility of Sylas's ability.
For the first time in his career, Major Kyle felt dumb. He was one of the youngest majors in the military, known for his sharp mind, intelligence, and strategic thinking. But at this moment, he was questioning himself.
Why didn't I think of using Sylas's ability to move the truck?
But it wasn't entirely Major Kyle's fault. Even Sylas himself hadn't thought of it at first. Everyone instinctively associated Dylan with strength, so when they saw an obstacle, they immediately looked to him for a solution. No one had considered that Sylas could do it in a far more efficient and effortless way.
"Guys, even I didn't think of it at first," Sylas admitted with a helpless smile. "But now I realize I can do this too."
"Well, Dylan, you can save your strength for the battle later. I think Sylas's method is much more efficient," Major Kyle coughed, patting Dylan on the shoulder.
"Looks like I'm not needed anymore," Dylan chuckled, folding his arms as he looked at Sylas.
Sylas waved his hand again, and the truck reappeared on the other side of the road. He repeated the process with the smaller cars, storing them in his space and moving them off to the side.
"Wow! I'm so envious of Sylas's ability. Look at Brother Dylan's face—he looks like he's questioning the usefulness of his strength now," Shaun laughed, nudging Leo.
Just then, Serena, who had been standing a few meters away, threw out a plant seed. Under her control, the seed rapidly sprouted, and green vines shot out, wrapping tightly around an approaching zombie.
"Watch out, everyone," Serena's cold voice immediately snapped the team back to attention.
Serena skillfully manipulated the vine, and under her control, the green tendrils pierced through the zombie's temple, drilling into its head and killing it instantly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out as the team members swiftly took down the approaching zombies.
"Everyone, get in the cars!" Major Kyle ordered.
After eliminating the nearby threats, the team wasted no time. They quickly boarded their respective vehicles and sped away before the noise could attract more wandering zombies.
"Another twenty minutes, and we'll reach the convenience store," Shaun, who was driving, said.
Sylas looked outside and saw smaller shops, ransacked and damaged.
"Last time, we took supplies from this convenience store," Leo said as the car passed by a ruined store.