The police station door finally swung open.
One by one, the passengers stepped out into the street with hesitant strides, looking around as though they still expected to wake up from a nightmare.
No one had slept. Their luggage was still scattered wherever it had fallen during the chaos of the previous night.
When they saw the body lying on the ground, many looked away and headed toward the bus.
The townspeople also began emerging from their homes, watching the newcomers with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Every new survivor meant another mouth to feed. That had never been much of a problem before, but the arrival of this group changed the situation completely.
Before Boyd could say anything, the front door of the house across the street opened abruptly.
Tian-Chen hurried across the road.
Kenny barely had time to react before his mother wrapped him in a tight embrace.
He gave her a sheepish smile as he returned the hug.
"I'm okay."
"You scared me half to death yesterday!" Tian-Chen pulled back just enough to examine his face. Her hands quickly ran over his shoulders and arms, as if needing to make sure he was truly in one piece. "Don't ever do that again."
"I'll try."
The answer earned him a mild frown just as another voice chimed in behind them.
"That's a nice promise."
Jade strolled over.
"Considering you live in the deadliest place in the known universe, I think 'I'll try' is about the strongest guarantee anyone can honestly give. Just try not to end up like that poor guy."
He finished by pointing at the corpse.
"Good morning to you too." Kenny rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I gave up expecting good mornings a long time ago."
Tian-Chen let out a quiet breath before gently patting her son's arm.
"I need to get back. Your father is still resting, and I'll be opening the diner soon."
Once she went back inside, Boyd and Kenny walked over to the dead man.
The sheriff took hold of the ankles while Kenny grabbed the shoulders. Without a word, they lifted the body onto a wheelbarrow and covered it with a cloth.
Kenny headed toward the church, where they would bury him later, while Boyd and Father Khatri retrieved the spike strip before tossing it into the back of the pickup.
Once the deputy returned, he joined Boyd, Donna, and Khatri, who were watching the newcomers retrieve their belongings from the luggage compartment.
"We need to decide where they're all going," the sheriff commented.
Khatri nodded slowly.
"We can split the group. Some can stay at Colony House, while others can stay in town, assuming any of the residents are willing to take them in."
Donna let out a sigh.
"I can still make room." Her gaze swept over the roughly twenty passengers gathered around the bus. "Colony House is always packed, but we always manage to squeeze in another mattress here and there."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The real problem is food."
Boyd turned toward her. "What about the crops?"
"I was planning to harvest them after we dealt with that tower. We'll be able to feed everyone for a while, but with twenty extra people, our supplies will run out long before the next crop is ready."
Donna studied the group once more, silently calculating.
Khatri followed her gaze before tilting his head slightly.
"Then why don't we expand the fields? We have more hands available now."
Donna remained silent for a moment.
"We can try." She folded her arms. "Manpower isn't the issue anymore."
"Then what is?"
"Water." She pointed beyond the town toward the lake that supplied the community. "The level's already started dropping. We still have to divide the water between the crops, the residents, and the livestock. Brundles isn't going to stay full forever, and we have no idea when it'll rain enough to refill it."
Kenny cleared his throat. "What if we dug a well?"
The other three looked at him.
Boyd frowned slightly.
"It's a good idea," he admitted. "But it's not like we can just pick a spot and start digging. We'd need to know where the groundwater is, how deep we'd have to go... that sort of thing."
"I don't know anything about that." Donna shook her head.
"Neither do I." Khatri shrugged.
"Me neither." Kenny scratched the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "But maybe Jim does."
The sheriff pondered the suggestion for a few moments.
"It's worth asking."
Before they could continue the discussion, Kristi approached.
Kenny instinctively straightened his posture, but discomfort stiffened his shoulders as he remembered the rejection he'd suffered the previous afternoon.
For a brief moment, the two simply exchanged an awkward glance.
She was the first to break the silence.
"Is anyone injured?"
Her voice carried its usual professional calm, though a faint trace of embarrassment still lingered beneath the question.
"Nothing serious," Boyd replied. "One boy had a seizure last night, but he seems stable."
"I'll check on him anyway."
Just then, a woman with blonde highlights stepped out from behind the side of the bus. Marielle stopped the instant she spotted the doctor.
"Kristi?"
Her voice came out hesitant, barely above a whisper amid the surrounding chatter.
Kristi froze, her eyes slowly widening as she turned toward the voice. For a moment, it felt as though the air had vanished from her lungs.
Marielle ran to her, and the two collided in a desperate embrace.
Tears came immediately, accompanied by muffled sobs against each other's shoulders.
Around them, the bustle seemed to quiet on its own.
"Has this ever happened before?" Boyd asked.
"As far as I know, it's the first time." Khatri watched the scene with his usual restrained interest.
Seeing it, Kenny felt a growing weight settle in his chest.
Part of him still hoped it was simply the miraculous reunion of two close friends.
Once they managed to pull apart enough to catch their breath, Boyd stepped closer.
"Kristi... who is she?"
Kristi turned toward the sheriff.
Her tear-streaked face radiated genuine happiness.
"She's my fiancée."
Those words struck Kenny like a gut punch.
The little hope he still had simply disappeared.
He blinked once.
His mind went completely blank for two full seconds before he managed to gather a coherent thought.
Kristi didn't even notice.
Her eyes remained fixed on Marielle, as though looking away for too long might make her disappear again.
"I... I'm going to look for the two passengers who ran off last night." Kenny's voice came out quieter than usual, but steady enough to conceal the effort it took to keep it that way. "If they survived until now, maybe they haven't gone very far."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.
Only then did Kristi notice the state he was in.
A knot of conflicting emotions tightened in her chest.
There was guilt, but also sadness, knowing that, even unintentionally, she had just hurt someone she genuinely cared about.
…
Moments earlier, inside the motorhome, Julie bit down hard on her lower lip, trying not to let a single sound escape.
Her daily mission was already complete. The points, carefully redistributed, had pushed her Endurance to its maximum limit and begun increasing her Speed.
[Life Level 1 — Peak Human]
Strength: 11 / Endurance: 15 (Max) / Intelligence: 11 / Speed: 12
Now lying face down, naked from the waist up, she clenched her teeth as the needle slowly traced across her back.
"Almost done," Daniel murmured, the concentration evident in the slight furrow of his brow.
Even with Pain Tolerance cutting the sensation in half, the discomfort was still intense. Julie wasn't as used to pain as he was.
"You've been saying that for the last three minutes," she grumbled through gritted teeth.
"And it gets truer every time I say it."
One final stroke, and the symbol was complete.
The rune glowed with a soft white light before fading away, leaving behind nothing more than a thin, pale tattoo between her shoulder blades.
Daniel took a step back, tilting his head slightly as he examined the result.
"Perfect."
Julie finally released the breath she'd been holding for several minutes, her shoulders relaxing.
"I thought it was going to hurt less."
"It did. You just still have low tolerance." He stored the needle in his Inventory. "That'll come with practice."
"How comforting."
At least now she'd be able to see any spiritual entities that appeared.
After Julie got dressed, the two left the vehicle and soon spotted Kenny walking in the opposite direction, lost in thought.
A little farther ahead, Daniel noticed Kristi chatting happily with Marielle.
It didn't take much effort to piece together the whole picture.
[Terminal-stage heartbreak detected. It is recommended to avoid all topics involving fiancées, weddings, or happy endings for the next twenty-four hours.]
Poor guy, Daniel thought, without the slightest trace of mockery—which, by itself, said quite a lot about how serious the situation was.
As they passed by, Boyd called out to them.
"Daniel," the sheriff began, getting straight to the point. "If you find those two passengers who ran off last night, bring them back."
"Sure. Julie and I were already planning to check the traps anyway."
Their conversation was interrupted by Randall's approach.
He walked with the arrogant swagger of someone convinced he was in complete control, carrying a long bag whose shape unmistakably revealed a rifle inside.
Boyd's expression hardened.
"We have rules here. Nobody walks around armed."
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Randall scoffed. "You expect me to deal with those things empty-handed?"
"A gun won't make any difference against them."
"It sure made a difference last night when I saw him and his little girlfriend carrying guns," Randall growled, aggressively pointing at Daniel. "Why do those two get to play sheriff while I don't?"
He didn't question Donna. He had already heard about the divide between the town and Colony House.
Boyd's face grew even sterner.
Randall had just touched on one of the very issues that had been bothering him since the previous night.
"Because their situation is different," the sheriff replied firmly.
Randall let out a derisive laugh.
"Different how? I know how to shoot too."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"Then explain it."
"They have their own motorhome, their own food, their own water, and a roof over their heads every night. You, on the other hand, where exactly do you plan on sleeping after dark? Out in the woods?"
"What about Colony House? Didn't they say there's more freedom over there?" Randall pressed.
"The deal is exactly the same for every newcomer, whether they're here or there," Boyd continued. "If you want the protection of this community, you'll follow its rules. If you'd rather make your own rules, then grab your rifle, head into the woods, and try surviving on your own."
Silence lingered for several moments.
Randall's jaw locked.
He knew Boyd had backed him into a corner. After the previous night, arrogant as he was, he had absolutely no intention of facing those creatures without a talisman protecting him after dark.
"Well said, Sheriff." Daniel couldn't resist throwing a little more fuel on the fire.
Boyd and Randall turned toward him at the exact same moment, wearing the exact same annoyed expression.
Daniel merely raised both hands in mock surrender, the corner of his mouth curled into an utterly unapologetic grin.
Randall snorted.
His fingers tightened around the strap of the rifle bag for a split second before, against his own will, he held it out to Boyd.
Backing down was the smartest move.
Even he could recognize that.
With the matter settled, the townspeople followed Donna and Father Khatri toward Colony House.
Marielle was the only one who went in another direction, accompanying Kristi to the clinic.
The two of them still had a lot of catching up to do.
The sheriff lingered for another moment.
"And what about her gun?"
"No need to worry," Daniel answered before Julie could speak. "I've been training her. She won't put anyone at risk." He paused briefly, adding weight to his next words. "Besides, you saw what happened yesterday. If she hadn't reacted when she did, maybe two more people would be dead."
Julie nodded before adding,
"I'm not even carrying it. I left it in the motorhome. I only brought it with me yesterday because I thought there might be an emergency."
Boyd gave her a quick once-over. There wasn't the slightest sign that she was carrying a weapon.
He pressed his lips together.
The sheriff wasn't entirely convinced, but she'd saved lives the night before. That counted for something.
"Fine," he said with a restrained sigh. "But the first time you slip up, I'm confiscating it. And don't carry it out in the open."
"You got it." Julie lifted her chin confidently. "It won't happen."
Fortunately, the pistol remained safely stored in her Inventory.
With the matter settled, Boyd returned to the sheriff's station to lock away Randall's rifle before heading off to look for Kenny.
With no more distractions, Daniel and Julie resumed their usual walk. They passed by Colony House, watching the bewildered newcomers receive their first instructions, before crossing the tree line to check the traps.
Halfway there, the smell of roasting meat reached them before anything else caught their attention.
Daniel stopped for a moment, testing the air with a slight frown before exchanging a quick glance with Julie.
They found Dilan in a small clearing, crouched beside a makeshift campfire, slowly turning a spit with something about the size of a rabbit roasting over the flames.
When he noticed the two of them, he looked up and offered a friendly, almost warm smile before turning his attention back to the meat.
"Morning," he said in such a casual tone that it felt almost out of place.
Neither of them commented. Once they were out of earshot, Julie subtly tilted her head toward Daniel.
"Didn't that seem strange to you?" She glanced back over her shoulder. "He always looked at us like he hated our guts. Now he's smiling."
"Strange doesn't even begin to cover it." Daniel kept walking, making no effort to hide his suspicion. "People don't change overnight without a reason."
The answer came the moment they reached the first trap.
It had been completely destroyed.
The restraining cords had been torn apart, and the support structure lay shattered across the churned-up dirt.
Dried blood stained the surrounding leaves, proof that the Hunter's Web had caught something before being ripped apart by brute force.
They moved on to the other traps.
Every last one of them shared the same scene of destruction.
Julie crouched beside the wreckage, examining the snapped cords with an expression of deep disgust.
"It was probably him, wasn't it?"
"I think so too."
The answer came in an eerily calm voice.
[A particularly greedy primate has mistaken your traps for public property. Recommended corrective action: educational amputation.]
Julie shifted her gaze from the ruined traps to Daniel.
At first glance, he looked calm. But the muscles in his jaw were clenched so tightly they seemed carved from granite, and the rigid set of his posture made it clear that his composure was only skin-deep.
"What are you going to do?"
A cold smile slowly spread across Daniel's lips.
He was going to make that idiot understand exactly who he'd messed with.
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