He didn’t bother asking where they were going. It wasn’t really his concern.

After exchanging a few words with Samson, she glanced at him, then walked away with Reymond—towards the restaurant they had visited over a week ago.

Leon turned to look at the work on the buses, then an idea came to his mind.

"Hey, Sam. I thought of an idea and I think you should hear it."

The man looked over with interest. Any idea was welcome, as long as it was good and achievable.

"These." Leon picked up one of the unfolded spider legs. It looked like a spike with a wider base, perfect for stabbing a person.

"If we arrange it as spikes on the buses, then we’ll be able to ward off zombies or beasts from hitting the bus directly." He said, turning it in his hand.

Samson’s eyes widened, and he immediately pictured it in his mind too. "This... this is actually a brilliant idea! Anything that tries to come close would only get skewered."

Leon hummed, and the man patted his shoulder. "Great idea, Leon. I’m definitely going to try this."

The man immediately got to work and began welding the sharp spiky legs to the body of the buses, turning them into porcupine vehicles.

When Selene and Reymond returned in the evening, they were covered in blood, and were dragging a mutated antelope corpse over to the field house.

Seeing the porcupine buses, the duo were startled. However, they immediately deduced the functional use of those spikes, and were impressed.

Reymond smiled. "I almost can’t believe it. It’s been weeks now. We’re finally going to be able to leave the University."

Selene hummed, something flashing in the depth of her gaze.

He perceived it as worry and immediately comforted her.

"Don’t worry, I’m sure your family would be fine. Once we’re out, I’ll try getting in contact with my family. They’d have definitely survived by utilizing their private military forces."

His back straightened slightly, and confidence seeped into his eyes.

"Once we’ve found them, we can link up with Gwen’s grandfather and your family. Then we can focus on stabilizing the country and eradicating the zombies. Damn, that feels like a lot of plans."

He laughed at the end, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hm, perhaps."

Selene smiled mysteriously, then left the mutated antelope for him to carry.

"Ugh. You really like delegating work to me."

Smiling bitterly, he lifted it over his shoulders and carried it to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Leon was having an important conversation with Thyra.

"Can you tell me what you know about zombies? Their classes and species or whatever."

The demon’s smile dimmed. "Well, zombies are quite common. They’re not really a race, but simply an infection that can affect any race. All worlds that experience evolution have zombies, and most eventually lose to the zombies."

Leon gulped, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. He had read many novels, and he had seen someone get turned into a zombie, so he knew what exactly made them dreadful. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It was their ability to turn others with a simple bite or even a small scratch.

"Fuck... I know that. But you said they grow stronger too. Tier One Evolved zombies. What kind are there to look out for?"

Thyra exhaled, then answered. "Well, their evolution paths are wide, and there might be over 1000 classes of zombies. However, there are a few ones that are common."

Leon leaned forward, his gaze focused.

"I already told you about Brain zombies. They’re smart, and when they reach a very high tier, their intelligence might reach genius human level, capable of even giving strategists headaches." She explained casually.

Leon nodded, though the information didn’t lift his spirit. Instead, his expression turned grim. Intelligence like that of genius humans...

’Oh goodness...’

He didn’t want to think about it. Thyra noticed his expression but didn’t stop.

"Then there is a type of zombie called Berserker. This one is purely about muscles and hard defense. It’s a total nightmare for weak people."

Leon blinked, and a name involuntarily slipped from his mouth. "Hulk?"

Thyra paused, tilting her head. "What’s that?"

"It’s nothing. You can continue." Waving, he gestured at her.

"Alright. Apart from the Berserker, there’s the Killer Zombie. These ones are very fast, and have razor sharp claws. I’m guessing you met one around a week ago." She said casually, causing Leon’s eyes to widen.

"Wait. That long-clawed zombie?" He asked just to be sure.

Thyra nodded her head. "Hm. Though, it’s a bit strange. Killer Zombies usually don’t have claws that are that long. Maybe it mutated differently or something."

Leon sighed, burying his face in his hands. "What other type?"

"There’s a last one." She said with interest in her voice. "Mutant Zombies."

Leon froze, his face darkened. "Mutant? Like how?"

"Mostly, they’re mutated beasts that were infected and turned into zombies. Then, there are those who are a mixture too. Do you know about centaurs?" She asked, prompting him to nod with a blank expression.

"Great!" She grinned. "Sometimes, mutant zombies might look like that. Centaurs or satyrs."

"Huh..." Leon released a breath, then stood up. He paced around the room for a while, seemingly agitated.

Then, he paused. "I..."

Without turning his back, he said to Thyra. "Be honest, Thyra. What do you think are the chances that Clara is alive?"

Thyra raised a brow, adjusted her bangs, then answered. "You want me to be honest? Alright. If your sister wasn’t turned or bitten in the start, then she’s probably alive. But that’s also if she isn’t extremely unlucky."

Leon sighed. "Alright."

He turned around, his expression calm and focused. Thyra was astonished. Was this still the guy who was pacing around worriedly just now?

"Hm? You look like you just got a revelation." She smiled charmingly.

Without glancing at her, Leon replied in a calm voice.

"I simply realized that I’ve been too comfortable. Every day I spend here is another day of the possibility of Clara’s death. I can’t risk it for too long."

He picked up his sword, unsheathing it slightly. The black blade glinted under the solar light bulbs, reflecting the darkness swirling in his eyes.

"I now know what I need to do."