Jyera World Apocalypse

"Swish"

"Sssk"

"Thud"

[You killed a level 1 zombie!]

[Obtained x4 Creation Points]

After more than two weeks of practicing with the bow and arrow, Lucien had finally become proficient with the weapon. Any target he shot at within 50 meters was always an instant kill.

Shots between 50 and 80 meters weren't lethal. But they still did their job of hitting, wounding, and slowing down zombies and mutants. The problem lay in the 80-100 range. According to the system, this was something he could only improve upon when he advanced to level 2 or if he continued practicing for a few more months.

Lucien wasn't bothered by his limitations; he was quite satisfied with the results he'd achieved over the past two to three weeks. And he was more confident in completing the upcoming mission.

After another morning walk with Mr. Mustache, and after his last archery practice before the mission that would begin tomorrow, Lucien returned home, but before climbing the makeshift stairs connecting his apartment to Mrs. Helena's, a system alert sounded:

[Attention! An intruder has broken into the building!]

[New Emergency Mission Issued!]

[Protect your father and the supplies!]

Lucien's eyes widened, and he quickly climbed the stairs back to his apartment. Using the system to view the cameras he had installed, he couldn't find the intruder until the man was spotted on the camera near the top-floor stairs.

Despite the dark environment, the man walked calmly, without any fear. Lucien remained silent and let his traps take care of the intruder.

"Boom"

"Boom"

The man was unlucky enough to be caught by two Level 1 Crystal Bombs. One fragmentation bomb and the other acidic. Injured, he dragged himself back to the stairs, where he sat down to nurse his wounds.

Here, the camera could only see him from above as he removed the fragments of the cluster bomb and removed his clothes, which had been melted by the acid.

Speaking of the "camera," this was one of Lucien's latest creations. It looked nothing like a traditional camera. It was a red ball with small suction cups on the back and a front shaped like an actual eye that moved disgustingly in various directions. Because of the small suction cups, the "eye" could pick up sounds. It was attached to another new item, the speaker.

After creating the eye/camera, Lucien was grateful that the speaker was just an ordinary, unobtrusive item… though it was also red and had suction cups on the back, making it easy to position on the ceiling. Lucien was increasingly worried about the frightening appearance of these items and how other people would react when they saw these bizarre creations…

Lucien took a final deep breath, cleared his throat, and took the initiative to use the speaker and initiate a dialogue, forcing a more adult voice:

"Who are you? Why are you breaking into my house?"

Lucien asked firmly, but the intruder's next words quickly shattered his facade…

"Lucien, is that you?" The voice sounded normal and calm.

"Oh, you know me?" Lucien asked, returning to his normal tone without even trying to keep up the pretense.

"My name is Marco, I know your father… Are you guys okay?"

"Uh… My father isn't doing so well, but I'm taking care of him…" Lucien let his guard down again and revealed part of the problems involving his father.

"Maybe I can help you? Do you need anything?"

"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING, GO AWAY!"

"That's… I'm serious, Lucien. If you need medicine, I can bring it to you…"

"Rum, do you think I'm going to believe you? You're probably just another bad guy after my stuff… If you don't leave soon, I'm going to detonate the bombs in the stairwell!"

After that last line, Lucien really meant it. His vision focused on the system screen where he could detonate the bombs remotely with just a thought. After what happened with the Doorman and the Building Administrator, he couldn't trust adults again, especially with the system's constant warnings to be careful.

"Hey, Lucien, calm down, I'm hurt, but I'm leaving now, okay?"

Lucien only relaxed when he saw the man named Marco start to descend the stairs, but he stopped after descending a few steps, and looked back, leaving one last sentence:

"Lucien, do you see the office building with the blocked windows? It's in the direction where the sun rises, five blocks away from here... That's where my group and I live. If you or your father needs help, you can come find me there, just tell that you want to speak to the leader of the place..."

When Marco left, Lucien checked the system and collected the rewards for protecting his father and the supplies. However, this time, they were quite mediocre, thanks to the invader's lack of hostility.

Soon the sun set, and Lucien ate some instant noodles and dried meat, lacking the energy to cook, and went to sleep. According to the system, he didn't need to sleep for so many hours since he was a level 1 mutant, but the system always encouraged him to do so because it said there would be a valuable reward for him to reap later…

The next morning, Lucien woke early and began preparing to face the monsters on the streets of Kaelor. He was scared, but at the same time very excited to see all his friends again…

***

Far from Lucien's house, a group of ten strong men in orange helmets were also preparing for another day of facing the monsters and looting the shops near where they were hiding…

Thanks to the message from the survivor named Rick. This group had consumed crystals and were now much stronger and bolder in their expeditions…

And today, coincidentally, their target was a group of popular mansions in the city of Kaelor, where they planned to find plenty of quality supplies, as well as a luxurious place to settle and endure the harsh winter they had been warned about in advance…