As planned, after securing their camp, grabbing a quick meal, and resting for about half an hour, they ventured deeper into the city. At first, nothing really stood in their way. The Colonel's group had made sure that this part of Sacramento was as clear as today's sky.

Then, once they were about twenty minutes of walking distance away from their camp, the Wretched finally appeared in their path. Not too many, though, just lone stragglers that probably somehow avoided the cleanup in those parts. Isaac let his teammates deal with them. Those beasts wouldn't give him a level-up anyway.

Of course, with a city so large and housing four different groups of survivors, it was only a matter of time before they ran into some people. In those situations, they always let Tyler do the talking. The problem was that he had a habit of asking way too many questions, thus wasting a lot of time.

If not for James dragging the older man away, they would have never gotten anywhere today. Thankfully, once they reached the inner neighborhoods of Sacramento, the presence of Wretched increased drastically, meaning fewer stops for idle conversations.

All throughout their venture, Isaac stayed on the ground. As much as he liked using his new form, getting over-reliant on it also wasn't a good idea. Besides, even after Elaine tried explaining where her aunt lived, he still had no clue where to go. He might know some of the districts in Sacramento, but specific streets?

Yeah, that was way beyond him.

Maybe if they had a map or GPS, he could have flown ahead to scout the area, but as things stood, staying grounded was the smarter move. Also, even if his teammates weren't weak, some of the hordes they encountered on the road were way too large for three people to face.

The fact that some of the Wretched here had already reached level three also didn't help. The Quarantine must have affected them even outside of its territory.

"Hey, wait a moment," Elaine called out after they eliminated another smaller horde. "Am I the only one feeling like something is crawling underneath my skin? It's making me sick."

"Nay, lass." Tyler shook his head. "Feel that too. Lads? That means a Quarantine Site is nearby, right?"

Isaac nodded. "Could be the double-layered one. We're quite close after all," he said, gesturing to the crimson fog visible in the distance. It was still a couple streets away, but with Elaine and Tyler having only about half his levels, it might already be affecting them.

"Don't know about that, boss," James said. "Sounds more like what Ari and I felt close to the schools at first." He turned to Elaine. "Princess, is there a school or something similar nearby?"

She furrowed her brow. "No, no schools, but…" Her eyes widened. "Shit! The hospital. It could be that."

Wonderful. Isaac sighed. "Where?"

Elaine pointed toward a street on their left. "If we go through there and head straight, we should hit the main road. The medical center is there."

"Is it large, lass?" Tyler asked.

She grimaced. "I think you should see it yourself…"

That doesn't sound good at all, Isaac thought as he took the lead. However, instead of using the Wretched-infested street, he guided them through the backyards of nearby houses. If this was really another Quarantine, then they better save some strength.

Before long, their target came into view.

"Bloody hell," Tyler muttered. "That ain't a hospital but an entire medical campus. And it's crawling… How the hell did I forget about this place…"

Isaac silently agreed. His visits to Sacramento had been few and far between, but he had passed this place at least a couple times. UC Davis Medical Center, it was called, as proved by his waking memory and the multiple signs on the massive parking garage on the other side of the street.

"If that's a Quarantine Site, we might have a problem," he admitted, drawing everyone's attention. "Small schools are one thing, but this will take hours, if not days, to clear out."

Tyler grimaced. "Aye, true that. Lad, can you check real fast? If not necessary, I would rather not fight all of that," he said, gesturing to Wretched swarming the entrance to the medical center.

Isaac nodded. "Give me a minute."

Just like that, he reached for his Legacy and transformed. He pushed himself off the ground and shot toward the massive parking garage. He didn't have to wait long for a notification to arrive.

Warning! You're approaching a regulated Quarantine Site. The Immortal Mana in this area has been corrupted by the Broken Strain and is harmful to certain Hosts. All monsters within this area are slightly enhanced.

To destroy this Quarantine Site, eliminate at least 50% of the infected and kill Patient Zero.

Current progress: 2%

Huh. That's new. Also, two percent, really? Who had a death wish?

He flew a bit further, slowly circling the entire campus, hoping to see or hear anything that might catch his attention. Yet, after the third lap, he found nothing, just Wretched trying to claw their way inside from every possible direction. It was as if something was luring them in.

That patient zero, maybe?

It was the first time the Interface mentioned an entity like this, so it was a possibility. He almost dived inside in search of it before reminding himself that he had a team waiting for him.

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With that, he returned to their hiding spot and relayed what he learned. To no one's surprise, James was the first one to speak up after him.

"We can take it easily," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Could be a nice warm-up before the double-layered site."

Tyler raised his hand. "Not so fast, big man. Elaine's family is the priority for now. Once we deal with that, we can return here, hmm? No point in rushing it—we have no idea where that Patient Zero is hiding anyway."

James chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah, right. Sorry, T. Got a bit excited there."

"All good, lad," Tyler muttered as he scanned the street ahead. "I don't know about you lot, but it might be a good idea to stop fighting everything in our way. Our Viron isn't infinite, and it's getting dangerous."

Isaac nodded right away. "I can lead you in my other form. Just tell me the general direction, and I'll scout the path ahead."

Tyler snapped his fingers. "Good thinking. Lass?"

Elaine looked around them, frowning. "There." She pointed right at the medical campus. "Remember, we have to reach the river."

"Right…" Isaac mumbled. "Wait for my signal then."

Just like that, he transformed and flew off in search of the safest path.

"That's the place," Elaine muttered, staring ahead.

Isaac followed her gaze to a row of small, three-story buildings. Each one looked like it could house only a couple of tiny apartments. His eyes then flicked to the Wretched roaming the area, and an almost unnoticeable grimace crossed his face.

It seemed like nobody had been here in a while. Not a good sign.

"Let's go," Elaine ordered, taking the lead for the first time. A long blade of light manifested in her right hand while her left began to glow.

Meanwhile, Isaac and the two other men glanced at each other and nodded. At this point, all they could do was support her. Trying to slow her down and getting in her way probably wouldn't end pretty.

Time to clean up this place then, he thought, resummoning Root of Blood. Ahead of him, Elaine opened her left hand and hurled an orb of light at the nearest group of Wretched.

Isaac quickly averted his gaze and put a hand over his eyes as the orb exploded, filling the area with a brief flash of light. Agonized howls followed, and when he looked again, he saw at least a dozen Wretched writhing on the ground, their flesh scorched beyond recognition.

Ouch. Just how much Viron did you put into that?

Yet, he knew better than to ask that out loud. Instead, he summoned a couple of Blood Daggers and threw himself at the Wretched alerted by Elaine's skill. Close to him, James also joined the fight, while Tyler stayed behind, shooting small sparks of lightning out of his fingers as if he were using a gun.

Before long, the area was cleared. They all rushed after Elaine, who sprinted toward the second building on the street and sliced the door open with her light blade. Inside, they climbed the staircase, stopping at the second floor, right before a nice brown door.

Elaine raised her hand and knocked. Once, then twice.

What answered them froze the blood in their veins.

"No," Elaine whispered as inhuman screeches erupted from somewhere inside. "No… it can't be. Please…"

"Lass, mayb—"Tyler tried to say, only to get his hand swatted away. He stepped back. "Just be careful, please."

She didn't answer. The sword in her hand shrank, becoming a small dagger. Without hesitation, she plunged it into the lock, cutting through it without any issue. A moment later, the door creaked open.

"Wait here," she muttered. "I will be right back."

Even as she disappeared into the apartment, Isaac stepped forward, unsure. But before he could try to follow, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Tyler shaking his head.

"Don't," the man said. "Unless she calls for help, we stay. Trust me, it's better this way."

Isaac very much doubted that, but he also wasn't the best at social interactions. So, with a reluctant nod, he stepped away and leaned against the wall. Still, a Blood Dagger formed in his hand, just in case.

He wasn't about to let Elaine die just because Tyler told him to wait.

That said, there was no need for any of them to interfere. Within a minute, the screeches became a thing of the past, returning silence to the small apartment building. They waited for Elaine to come out, but she didn't.

"I'm going in," Isaac said, ignoring the looks thrown his way.

He opened the door and slipped inside, the sound of quiet sobs instantly reaching his ears. Speeding up, he left the entrance corridor behind, pushed another door open, and stepped into a fairly small living room.

The first thing he noticed was the blood splattered across the floor. Then, his gaze snapped to Elaine. She was sitting in the corner, arms wrapped around her knees as her entire body trembled with quiet sobs. He ignored how almost every inch of her clothes was painted red.

"Hey," he muttered, sitting down next to her.

Elaine lifted her head from her knees, her red and puffy eyes staring right into his soul. "I told you to wait."

Isaac shrugged. "You weren't coming out. I had to check on you."

She snorted, tears still streaming down her face. "Still can't believe that… You, of all people, caring about me. What has this world come to?"

He frowned. "I thought we were past that."

"We are. I hope so, at least." She sniffed. "I just… I don't know, Isaac. I lost them. They are gone. And this fucking Interface even had to take away their bodies. I have nothing left."

What do you even say to that? I'm sorry? It will be fine?

All of it felt like empty words that wouldn't help.

Worse, Isaac could only imagine how Elaine felt now. Aside from the old man, he had always been used to being alone, but her? She had been losing her family piece by piece over the years. And now, just as she said, she had nothing left.

"I will find them," she muttered suddenly. "Whichever fucker did this, I will find them. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, or even a year from now, but one day. They will regret giving us the chance to grow."

Revenge.

It wasn't a healthy coping mechanism, Isaac knew that much. Yet, he could also understand where Elaine was coming from. If the Breakout had taken the old man away from him, he would have wanted the same thing. It was not his place to convince her against it.

Although…

"Maybe I can help you."

Elaine's eyes had never widened so fast before. "What?"

Isaac averted his gaze, choosing to look at the wall in front of him. "I can help you," he repeated. "I might not care for revenge like you do, but I'm still curious who is behind all of this. And besides, I doubt they will go down easily. So why not work together? See where it goes?"

Elaine blinked, then let out a sound caught between a laugh and a sob. "It's crazy how much an apocalypse can change," she said once she calmed down a bit. "Us? Working together? I probably would have slapped you if you offered something similar last week."

"And now?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Now…" A weak smile tugged at her lips. "Now, I don't know anymore… But I think I could use some help." Then, without a warning, she moved, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Isaac, and… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything…"

He stiffened, more than a little bit surprised. Then, before he could make it anymore awkward, he returned the embrace.

"It's fine… it's fine..."

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