Together, they climbed back into the living room while Jayden struggled to find an unexpired product to feed the kids.
Disappointed, he prepared simple tea for them and went out to look around while Jones stayed behind.
The other groups of five were also done with their search, so Jayden quickly regrouped with them.
"Any findings?"
They shook their heads. Some reported that they had encountered trapped survivors, but they didn't know the couple at all.
He sighed, not really disappointed. He already found the couple's kids. Still, he turned to Alex, the scholarly evolved.
"You've got blood on you. And that's definitely human blood."
Alex's teammate looked away, unwilling to talk.
As for the guy himself, he just shrugged.
"Nothing to worry about. I met a man who was eating his son. The sight disturbed me, so I killed him."
The others were shocked! That was clearly cannibalism. Had the apocalypse really gotten to the stage where humans could degrade to such a level? Perhaps, staying at the Red Wings shelter had made them quite comfortable and complacent.
"That's… unbelievable. What about the boy?" Asked Sylvia, a female evolved, worriedly.
Alex wiped the bloodstain on his glasses and said casually. "He wouldn't survive, so I killed him too."
Again, the others were shocked, if not appalled. If judged critically, his act was merciful since he released the boy from his suffering. However, the way Alex said it, and his tone, gave a wrong feeling.
'Damn! So many people are becoming abnormal!'
Jayden cursed inwardly, but didn't comment. He only nodded, then addressed the issue at hand.
"I already found the Holmes kids. But according to them, their father is missing, while their mother had been taken away. I'll look around with Jones and Alex. You guys should take the kids and the remaining survivors back to the shelter."
"You sure Boss will agree?"
Everyone was aware of Leon's indifference to saving survivors. Only Old Oliver was adamant about saving people. Jayden rolled his eyes with a confident smile.
"When did Boss concern himself with such things? As long as Professor agrees, it's fine."
The other evolved agreed, but insisted that he bring one more person along with him. Without any reason to refuse, Jayden agreed. In the end, Sylvia joined them, making a team of four.
After gathering the survivors, Jayden turned to the nervous kids.
"You can go back with them. Don't worry, they wouldn't hurt you. And you'll get to eat too. As for me, I'm going to check for your parents."
The last part of his words relieved the two children and they complied with the rest of the evolved, returning to the shelter.
Exhaling through his mouth, Jayden rolled his shoulders, his eyes sharp.
"Alright. Let's go, shall we?"
The revving of bikes responded to his call as he, Jones, Alex, and Sylvia drove towards the nearest shelter described by a survivor from the area.
...….
Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the city, Leon and his cohort were currently speed-running a dungeon that had appeared on the rooftop of a hotel.
Slice!
Daddy Ye cut through a horde of Smoke Hyenas, their blood splattering on the walls. He huffed, feeling a new strength coursing his veins.
'So this is what being a Second Level Evolved feels like…'
He couldn't help but smile bitterly, feeling intoxicated by the new realm of power. It felt like he had just found a new brand of wine. His strength had increased by at least tenfold. So did all his physical attributes.
Beside him, an old man laughed heartily while swinging his hammer with wild abandon. Naturally, this was Old Pipe. The old man was excited by the new level of his class. At Level Two, the 'Lightning God' class was starting to reveal its true prowess. He had gained a new skill called 'Judgement'.
Boom!
His hammer struck the chest of a minotaur, the sound like a thunderclap. From the impact, blue lightning burst forth, sizzling the flesh like roasted meat.
Unlike before, where his lightning attack was an AOE skill, this new ability added short lightning bursts to every one of his attacks.
"Hahaha! My old bones feel unbelievably alive!"
Not far away, Ice's lips twitched, hearing the old man's loud laugh.
'He's probably feeling too good.'
She noted mentally as she sliced down the monsters around her. Although she didn't receive a class upgrade card, she had advanced into the Second Level of Evolution. Thus, her prowess naturally increased by several levels.
Before these monsters who were only slightly stronger than First Level Mutated Beasts, she was a menace. Her sword shimmered blue, cutting through monster flesh and immediately sealing the wounds with stinging ice.
Scarface, Rebecca, and Aisha were not any less magnificent. These three had also just become Second Level Evolved and had gained much more physical abilities.
With the combined efforts of the team, they quickly arrived at the Boss Room in just an hour.
While they rested, Leon surveyed them with a calculating gaze.
'Old Oliver's new skill is great, but it drains his energy quite quickly. As for the new second level, they're alright. And their performance is expected. Still, I'm surprised by Shadow's new ability.'
The reclusive young man had received a skill that allowed him to freeze an enemy's movements once he stepped on their shadow. Although it couldn't hold for more than a second, and wouldn't even work on opponents far stronger than him, it was still impressive.
'A perfect stun ability.'
Leon gave a thin smile. As for Scarface, the man hadn't gotten a new skill like Leon expected. Instead, his skill [Earth Spike] had evolved from creating less than ten spikes to over twenty spikes. Coupled with its greater strength and sturdiness, it proved fatal even to Second Level Creatures. The same occurred with Little Tiger. The boy hadn't received a new skill, but rather, had the old one improved. Now, his blades were just as deadly as Leon's, if not better.
Cassie and Anna were also cool. Their new abilities weren't mind-blowing or flashy, but simply effective. Cassie gained a new ability that made copies of her in a target's vision. Although it only worked for a single target, it was more than enough.
As for Anna, her skills simply improved. Even far beyond what Leon had taught her. It seemed like she was already immersing herself into her class as a [Warrior].
Nodding to himself, Leon finally turned.
"Get up. We're finishing this now."