Infinite Leveling In The Apocalypse

The Unseen Threat

Just as the group huddled around the maps, a metallic clanking sound echoed from the back of the room, far behind the towering shelves that lined the walls. The sound made all of them instantly tense up, as they all turned their gazes towards that direction.

Hyun-soo, the leader, reacted first. He immediately rose to his feet, instantly pulling out his dagger.

"Stay alert, Jin-ho, Seung-min, with me."

He said, his voice tight with tension. He gestured for Min-joon to stand beside him, forming a defensive line. The other two men in the group, Jin-ho and Seung-min copied their movements, eyes looking around the room for any sign of a threat.

Slowly, cautiously, they crept towards the back of the storage unit. The air grew thick, as they all silently wondered what was the source of the noise. The whole room fell completely silent, with the only sound being their rasping breaths and steps. Min-joon found himself holding his breath, straining to hear any further sounds.

Suddenly, a holographic display materialized in front of his eyes. It was a health bar, complete with a name: Dr. Kim Soo-yeon.

Min-joon's lips parted in surprise. "A person?" he blurted out, his voice barely a whisper.

Hyun-soo and the others froze, their heads snapping towards him. Confusion clouded their faces. "What do you mean, a person?" Jin-ho asked, his voice filled with suspicion.

Min-joon cursed internally. 'Shit,' he thought, 'I spoke up without thinking.' Regaining his composure, he stammered,

"I, uh, just assumed it was a person. I thought I heard footsteps." A thin layer of sweat went down his face under the watchful gazes of his companions.

Hyun-soo didn't seem to buy it. "Dumb assumptions like that could cost your life, Min-joon," he said, his voice low and serious. "Remember, trust your gut, but don't let it cloud your judgment."

Min-joon offered an awkward shrug. "Alright, alright. I hear you."

They reached the back of the storage unit, the towering shelves cast a long shadow on the dusty floor. Hyun-soo exchanged a quick glance with Jin-ho and Seung-min, a silent signal passing between them. In a coordinated move, they lunged forward, rounding the corner of the shelf with a burst of speed.

Their hearts hammered in their chests as they got ready for a fight. But instead of a monstrous ghoul or a group of ravenous scavengers, they found a sight that left them speechless.

A woman, her brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, knelt trembling on the floor. Her green eyes, wide with fear, were framed by a pair of thick glasses. A white lab coat, stained with dirt, hung loosely on her slender frame.

"P-please," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt me!"

Jin-ho, the impulsive one, blurted out, "The fuck? There's are still a person here?" His voice echoed in the cavernous space.

Hyun-soo lowered his dagger slowly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice firm. "And what are you doing here?"

The woman flinched at the sound of his voice, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"I-I'm Dr. Kim Soo-yeon."

She stammered, her voice barely a croak.

"I was working at the base's medical facility when... when everything happened. I managed to hide here after the ghouls attacked."

"We're not going to hurt you," Min-joon said. "We're just trying to survive, as well."

Hyun-soo remained cautious. "How long have you been here?"

Soo-yeon swallowed hard. "Ever since the ghouls attacked." Her eyes darted to the maps spread out on the floor. "What are you doing with those?"

Jin-soo stepped forward, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. "We're trying to find a safe place, another group of survivors maybe. These maps seem to be evacuation routes."

Soo-yeon's eyes widened as she seemed to recognise the said maps. "Evacuation routes? Those wouldn't be any good anymore. The military abandoned the city weeks ago. By now all those routes would be crawling with monsters." Despair could be seen all over her face. "There's nothing left out there."

The room suddenly fell silent, so silent it was unnerving. Min-joon's heart sank. Were they truly alone? Had they just wasted their time finding the map?

'I thought the map would somehow be related to the new skill I got, although I wasn't entirely sure, I thought it would do something.'

Just then, a look of defiance sparked in Soo-yeon's eyes. "But."

"I might be able to help you with something else."

Hyun-soo's brow furrowed, a dark look forming on his face. "If you want to help then answer a question. Help us understand something, Doc." He glanced at the maps spread across the floor, the red lines pretically mocking them at this point.

Lifting his gaze back to Soo-yeon, a serious look entered his eyes. "These evacuation routes – if the military knew things were going south, why wouldn't they warn the city? Why keep everyone in the dark until it was too late?"

His voice grew firm, with a touch of anger. "It's almost like they…" he paused, searching for the right words, "…like they didn't want people to flee. Or maybe they even wanted it use the civilians here, as some kind of…distraction?"

The last sentence hung heavy in the air, an unnerving possibility. Jin-ho and Seung-min exchanged uneasy looks at each other, their weapons held a little tighter. Even Min-joon felt a shiver crawl down his spine. The idea that the very people tasked with protecting them might have had a more sinister motive was a horrifying thought.

Soo-yeon, her expression grim, shook her head slowly. "I don't know for sure," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "There were rumors at the base, whispers of a bigger threat, something the military couldn't contain. Maybe they thought a slow evacuation would… I don't know, slow down the higher ups from escaping?"

Her words offered little comfort, only deepening the mystery and making them feel more paranoid. The room fell silent again, filled with tension and a growing sense of dread.

Finally, Min-joon broke the silence. "So, what can you help us with, Doctor?"

"If these evacuation routes are useless, what do we do now?"