As the timer continued its countdown, Isaac dropped onto the hood of a crashed car. Not the most comfortable seat, but it was better than sitting on the cold, bloodstained pavement. Then again, he couldn't really complain about the last part. He was already covered in blood from head to toe anyway.

I will run out of clothes at this rate. Maybe I should join the looting of some stores… Or just ask Daryl to get me some change. He nodded. Yeah, much better idea.

Last minute.

Isaac tilted his head back, eyes locking onto the sky. Their time was running out. The Sun was well on its way toward the west. Give it another hour or two, and it should be completely dark. That definitely wasn't enough time to clear the remaining part of the city.

Tyler and Daryl better have a plan for this, he thought, averting his gaze from the clear sky.

He probably should have asked if the leaders had anything prepared for the night, but it had slipped his mind. To be honest, after the conversation with Elaine, all he wanted to do was fight something. Daryl had been happy to oblige, even if the man looked like he was holding himself back from saying something.

Isaac could guess quite well what that 'something' was.

Either way, just like he had hoped, killing some—easily over a hundred—Wretched helped to clear his mind. Helped to clear out a small part of the city too. Now, he could focus on what was important.

Like the Virus advancement.

Shit!

Similar to when the Breakout began, the moment the timer hit zero, Isaac's body filled up with liquid fire. He slid down the hood, clutching his chest as his heart pounded like it was trying to break free. His muscles spasmed and writhed, yet he held the pain in, refusing to collapse to the ground—not so close to other survivors.

Thankfully, after a couple more seconds, the pain began to fade. His eyes fluttered open, and he released a shaky breath as his muscles finally relaxed. His legs still felt wobbly, but at least he was standing. Quickly, he leaned against the car next to him and took a few deep breaths.

So that's how it's always gonna go? Wonderful…

Yet, he couldn't deny that despite all the agony, he felt better than before, stronger. Not by much, but after so many recent improvements to his body, he was starting to notice even the smallest changes.

Then there was also his Viron.

It still ran wild like before, tearing across his body like an angry river. However, there was definitely more of it now. Like always, it was hard to say just how much more, but Isaac was pretty sure something major happened to his new energy.

The incoming Interface notification pretty much confirmed that.

Congratulations, Host! Your Virus has advanced to the Replication stage. Viron potency, production rate, and storage capacity have been slightly enhanced. Your resistance to the Broken Strain has also risen. Additionally, from now on, your Virus will passively improve the effectiveness of all your attributes by 5%.

Isaac smiled. "Worth the pain, after all. Seems like it always is, really…"

Pushing himself off the car, he raised his hand and waved James over. It didn't take the man long to jog toward him.

"All good, boss?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "Saw you drop for a moment there."

Isaac grimaced. So he wasn't as sneaky as he had thought. "Just what we talked about. Hurts like hell, so spread the word. Would be a shame to lose more people because they were trying to fight Wretched during their advancement."

James snorted. "Doubt we will have to worry about that anytime soon. Even with that gem you gave me, I'm still only at phase three. Most of the others are most likely still at the first or the second one."

"True enough… Let's get moving, then. The streets won't clean themselves."

"I'm right behind ya!" the man exclaimed with a grin.

Blood Dagger.

Viron surged out, its enhanced wildness forcing it to move faster than before. Miasma coalesced at his side, shifting into long crimson blades—stronger, sharper than they had been before the Virus' advancement. The way they tore through the Wretched without stopping only proved that.

It wasn't quite the power nor the level of control of a Sacrificial Blood Dagger, but the improvement was more than noticeable. The same went for Blood Draw, but for now, Isaac stopped himself from using that skill too often. It worked well, very well even. He just had a small issue with controlling the power output, and with other people fighting around him, that wasn't good.

The last thing he wanted was to kill someone by accident.

Gonna need to work on that later.

He grinned as he cleaved through another Wretched. The daggers at his side shot forward right after, nailing a couple more monsters to the wall nearby. Before he could finish them, though, metal spikes erupted from the wall, impaling the beasts through their skulls.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

He glanced to his left just in time to see James shoot him a wink. The man then yanked his transformed hand out of the ground and charged another nearby Wretched.

Isaac huffed.

Kill stealer.

The Root of Blood in his hand shivered, sending something akin to an angry growl across his arm. The corner of his lips curled up. So he wasn't the only one annoyed.

Good.

With the Symphony playing in his veins, he charged ahead, passing all the fighters on the way and heading for the Wretched trying to escape. Dagger after dagger materialized at his side, each leaving it a second later.

Should be good here.

Crimson liquid spilled over the Root, and Isaac let it free, slicing through the surrounding Wretched with waves of blood, one after another. By the third one, the skill's power ran out. Not that he needed it anymore.

There were no more monsters around him left.

Isaac clicked his tongue, watching the few remaining groups of Wretched escape. They didn't get far. Elements of all kinds descended upon them, killing them before they could round the corner of the street.

Fire, lightning, stone, crystals, and even some ash. Those were only a few of the Origins that the people in his group wielded, and they all did their job as well as any other. Some, of course, didn't have any long-range capabilities and tried to chase after the runners, but Isaac's raised hand stopped them.

"Enough!" he shouted. "Gather the gems, then we head back."

Most listened right away, turning around and starting the search for the gems hidden across the street. Others, though, looked skeptical, like they thought they could still keep going. They weren't even wrong, but that was not the issue here.

Sighing, Isaac nodded at James, who was standing a few feet away from him.

The man nodded and clapped his hands loudly. "You heard him! Start looting and prepare for the walk back. It's too late for us to continue."

That got the remaining crowd to move.

"Thanks," Isaac said.

James shrugged. "Just doing my job as your second in command."

"They should have made you the leader of the party. God knows I'm not made for this. Would much rather go out alone."

The older man chuckled. "Know what you mean. Having this many people around has its perks, but man, I much preferred it when it was just you, me, and Ari."

"Yeah…" Isaac muttered, glancing at the darkening sky. "Go help the others, make sure everyone is alright. I got to contact Daryl or Tyler."

"Will do. Don't take long, boss."

"I won't," he said under his breath and unclipped the portable radio from his waist. Yet just as he was about to activate it, the earth beneath his feet shook.

It began with a weak vibration, barely strong enough to notice. Then, within seconds, the full force of the earthquake hit, almost knocking him off his feet. The streets cracked, buildings groaned, and debris rained down from above.

Not good!

Just barely keeping balance, he rushed toward his group, trying to get his voice past their screams. "Get away from the buildings, now!"

James' voice joined his, echoing his order. Somehow, even as a store next to them crumbled in front of their eyes, they quickly got everyone to the middle of the street, away from any potential danger.

The falling lampposts became the next threat, but with their enhanced reflexes and physical abilities, dodging wasn't too difficult. Still, Isaac had to slice through one mid-fall to pull an older man out of harm's way.

This continued for a good minute, maybe less. More buildings around them collapsed, sending thick clouds of dust billowing into the streets. Car alarms blared across the entire city, with occasional screams joining the symphony. All the while, their group huddled together, with James and Isaac hovering near, looking out for anything that could harm them.

"Holy shit!" James cursed as the shaking stopped. "What the fuck? That was much worse than the last one."

Isaac ignored him for the time being, his eyes on their group. "Everyone alright? Are we missing anybody?"

Still scared and barely able to stand up, the survivors looked at each other, most shaking their heads. Just to be sure, Isaac did a quick headcount and nodded.

Seems about right. Still…

"James!" he shouted, snapping the man out of his daze. "Get a grip and make sure everybody's fine. I must contact the others. Maybe they need help elsewhere."

James nodded without a word, and Isaac took it as a sign to walk away a bit. He waved the dust out of his face and activated the radio. Instantly, a chaotic flood of voices erupted from the speaker.

Tyler, Dylan, he heard them all, but there were so many more people trying to speak—most likely other team leaders like Isaac. For a moment, he feared he would have to somehow step in and calm everybody. Thankfully, a sharp, commanding female voice did that for him.

"Shut up, everyone!" Mrs. Cooper, an ex-military and someone who also gathered quite a large group in the southern part of Galt, shouted. "Stop squabbling like little children and focus! First, Daryl, Tyler, your camps still standing?"

It took a moment for either of them to answer.

"For the most part, yes," Daryl said. "Some tents went down, and I wouldn't trust any of the houses nearby, but we should be fine."

"What he said," Tyler added.

"Good. We're putting all our plans on hold for now," Cooper ordered. "Take care of the injured, fix the camps, and get everyone out of the buildings. We're all sleeping outside tonight. As for those who are still out hunting, return to your camps. Understood?"

A collective but scattered 'yes' answered her call.

"Very well. Keep your radios on, but only use this channel for crucial information. We will talk again in an hour. Until then, stay safe."

Silence.

Isaac sighed and lowered the device, hooking it back to his pants. This wasn't how he expected the day to end, but at least no one had reported casualties yet. Maybe, just maybe, their plans to clean up the city wouldn't get delayed too much. Only a bit over two days remained on the timer now, and the progress went up by just three percent since he last looked.

Current progress: 24% | Your contribution ranking: 2nd | Time left: 51h:58m:32s

His math might not be the best, but he doubted this pace was good enough to complete the Second Phase task on time.

Either way, we have to go back for now.

With that thought in mind, Isaac returned to his group and relayed the orders to everyone. Unlike before, when some still wanted to fight, now no one even bothered to complain.

The earthquake had shaken everyone, literally and mentally.

Maybe we're at least a bit lucky, and the Middle School collapsed, too. That should make clearing it much faster… or not… If they get stuck in the ruins… Yeah, no.

Isaac shook his head, and with him at the front, the group set off toward the camp.

I could use another nap…

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