Shu was shocked and in disbelief when he heard the news of Otto's death.
That was Otto! A great boss that left a deep impression on many players, both in the game and out.
Shu had already dismissed the possibility of Otto retiring early on. If he hadn't heard it from Theresa, his first reaction would have been to assume it was a rumor or another one of Otto's schemes.
However, the news came from Theresa, someone who still respected Otto after countless betrayals. It had made Shu acknowledge that Otto was indeed dead.
Shu couldn't accept this. He didn't know what he should do, or how to face this unpredictable world. If even Otto could die so abruptly, what about him?
But as the crowd became more agitated and the tremors became stronger, when true life and death started closing in, Shu gradually calmed down.
Shu lifted his head and gazed into the distance. Now was not the time for sadness and hesitation. Everyone here was in serious danger. Not to mention the missing Kiana and Fu Hua, they needed a plan.
Fortunately, Theresa had calmed down after being stopped in time. She also hoped that everyone would be safe, not just Himeko and Kiana. Everyone there needed her.
Theresa wiped away her tears and faced the frightened people. Everyone's attention was focused on her, like she was their last resort.
"What should we do?!" Someone shouted.
Theresa took a deep breath and started explaining the plan, "Everyone will act in groups. Each group will be led by a leader. Everyone must listen to their leader and not act alone."
People nodded, with a look of relief on their faces.
Theresa knew this was a difficult task for them, but she had no other choice but to believe they would succeed.
"What should we do if we meet those zombies or other monsters?" Someone asked.
"If we can't avoid them, we'll hide and look for a chance to escape. Remember, the goal is survival, not fighting." Theresa replied.
People nodded, understanding what Theresa meant, and quickly formed groups. The scene was like when teachers announced group assignments and classmates who didn't know each other were quickly teaming up and getting to know each other.
Shu watched the quickly forming groups. After a moment of hesitation between joining a group of refugees and looking for Kiana and Himeko, he decided to return with Theresa and Mei, with Bronya, her face impassive, following behind him.
At this moment, even Shu didn't know if he was refusing to give up the protagonist ship and staying by Theresa's side, or was he just afraid for Kiana's safety. Was he going back because he wanted to?
Maybe Theresa's sense of safety was just too reassuring. Maybe he was just choosing the best option.
The group returned to look for Kiana and Himeko. On the way, they encountered a few scattered refugees, their faces written with fear, their eyes filled with a desire for survival.
Shu stopped one person, and facing that person's murderous glare, Shu had no choice but to steel his nerves and ask about Himeko and the others' whereabouts.
"How would I know?! I just saw a giant white monster push through a building and come towards us. How would I have time to care about anyone else?!" The man's gaze was growing more dangerous. Knowing he couldn't hold the person back, Shu had no choice but to step aside.
"Go to the back gate, and tell everyone else to run along the road outside the city." Shu gave his last words and walked off with Mei and the others.
The man looked at the group as they walked in the opposite direction, and after a moment of hesitation, shouted. "A woman with red hair was holding a gun and was leading away one of the smaller monsters!!"
Shu froze. When he turned back, the person was running again.
"Himeko…" Now that he had news of Himeko, Theresa bit her lip and said, "The three of you go find Fu Hua and Kiana. I'm going to save Himeko."
"You're alone?!" Shu looked at Theresa in surprise. "You heard him, right? Himeko led away at least one monster, how can you save her alone?"
"With this!" Theresa, out of nowhere, pulled out a large shotgun. Shu immediately shut his mouth, lost in silence.
"Oh, and one more." Theresa skillfully pulled back the slide and then reached under her skirt, pulling out a cool-looking handgun. She put it in Shu's hand. "Take this. Do you know how to use it?"
Shu looked at the handgun in his hand, stunned for a good three seconds, then looked up in bewilderment and shook his head.
Theresa: "..." How do I explain this?!
"CHNDO-72 Tactical Handgun, a recent model from the last two years. Mid-range power with 18 round capacity. You have to open the safety to unlock the trigger." Bronya suddenly said. "Bronya has studied… related knowledge."
That's right! Bronya is a gun expert!
Shu felt relieved, and then he quickly put the gun in Bronya's hand. "I'll leave it to you!"
Bronya: ?
Mei, Theresa: ?!
Mei felt uneasy, so she picked up a stick, hoping that it would help... at the very least, it would help her against a few zombies.
After Theresa split up with Shu, Shu and his group continued to search for Kiana and Fu Hua. They went down the streets and quickly arrived at the wall from that morning.
But the wall had already collapsed and was now a complete mess.
Mei and Shu exchanged a look. Both of them could see the worry in the other's eyes.
"Someone is hurt..." Bronya crouched down and touched a patch of ground, before suddenly speaking. "It's in this direction."
Hearing this, the two quickly told Bronya to lead the way and followed her.
"I found them!" Mei quickly found a trace of Kiana, and Shu looked over and saw Mei holding a piece of cloth. "This is a piece of Kiana's clothes!"
Shu looked at it carefully, but he couldn't tell that it was from Kiana.
He could only look at Mei with admiration and sigh. Perhaps this was the special telepathic connection between Kiana and Mei…