"Come on!"
Aaron followed the two children. Since he couldn't interfere with this world, all he could do was silently cheer them on.
The passage wasn't long. Before long, the two children emerged with the bread.
This seemed to be the back of the bakery, but in their excitement, they moved a little too roughly and kicked a small piece of wood, making a faint noise.
In an instant, the little boy and girl went pale.
The boy let out a howl, apparently telling her to run, and shoved the girl forward.
Behind them, the terrifying monster was already in hot pursuit. Its tentacle-like arms sprouted wildly, piercing straight through the wooden boards.
The monster burst through the wall!
Aaron wanted to do something, but he couldn't.
There was no way these two children could survive a monster like that!
Just then, a loud crash came from the side!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Amid the crash, several flying stones struck the monster, drawing its attention away.
A nimble female scavenger, as swift as a huntress, rushed over, grabbed the two children, and quickly fled.
Clearly, the crash nearby had just been a decoy.
"Good... It seems the people in this world aren't all crazy, and there doesn't seem to be much difference between our races, either..."
Aaron followed the woman, studying her closely.
She was young, probably in her twenties, and wore sturdy, practical clothes that were somewhat dirty, much like a scavenger's.
She had blonde hair and blue eyes, like a German, and was tall and strong. Her tanned face was set in a determined expression as she ran without a word.
As she leaped and moved, her steps were light and barely made a sound. She seemed to have received special training.
Even carrying two children, one big and one small, she showed no sign of strain. Soon she had run out of the city and reached a human camp.
It was a mill by the river, now fully converted into a military stronghold. A thorn-covered iron fence surrounded it, with dark scraps of flesh clinging to the rails.
Several people came out of the building with weapons in hand, their faces wary. They only smiled when they saw the woman.
"Good. A gathering point."
Aaron followed them inside. The place wasn't large, with only about twenty people, but they had a decent stock of supplies. He immediately decided to stay and slowly learn their language and writing.
After all, having one more invisible ghost around wouldn't make any difference to them.
Before long, Aaron saw the woman arguing with her companions over the two children.
After all, in a world like this, taking on two extra burdens was no easy matter.
Fortunately, things turned out well, and the two children were eventually accepted.
The scavenger woman who had rescued them took out a can of what was probably meat and handed it to the children, speaking gently to them.
After they finished eating, she even took out a book and began pointing to the words, reading them aloud slowly.
To Aaron's delight, the woman hadn't forgotten about education, even in a situation like this. Perhaps she was teaching the two children to read!
How quickly could someone learn a language?
Aaron knew that some extraordinary geniuses could learn the local language on a single flight and speak it by the time they landed.
He was also a genius with a form of controllable hyperthymesia, and it had taken him—ten days!
It wasn't that he lacked aptitude. He could only acquire knowledge passively, which had slowed his progress.
Thanks to his ability to remember everything he saw, the conversations among the people in the settlement, and, most importantly, the two children's lessons, Aaron could finally understand the language of this other world and read most of their writing.
At the same time, he learned the scavenger woman's name—Xiu!
As for the two children, the older one was called Aike, and the younger one was Lin.
Technology in this world was clearly more advanced than in the Green Forest. Aaron had seen flintlock guns used for defense, at the very least.
During this time, the word Aaron heard most often was "the Cataclysm"!
It was what the people of this other world called the solar disaster and all the consequences that followed.
One day.
The trap bells rang outside the mill.
Everyone hurriedly grabbed their muskets and aimed toward the triggered trap.
Even Aike clutched a small knife, shielding his younger sister behind him.
A figure soon appeared in the direction of the bells.
"Aunt Xiu!"
Lin cheered, and Aike lowered his weapon. But his expression changed the next moment: Xiu had a wound on her arm, and blood was steadily running from it.
"She's hurt! She needs treatment!"
A woman in her forties shouted among the survivors.
"No... Xiu! You can't come any closer."
A man raised his gun. "Who knows if your wound's infected, or if you'll turn into one of those monsters? A normal hunter wouldn't set off her own traps! But you set those bells ringing... Can you no longer control yourself?"
Xiu stopped outside the mill and gave a helpless smile. "I'm still clearheaded. I shouldn't go crazy right away. To be safe, I'll stay outside the mill!"
She stopped and sat down against the wall of the mill to rest. "Sorry... I ran into a very dangerous monster and couldn't bring back any food."
Aike said nothing. Suddenly, he stepped forward and used a bandage to wrap Xiu's wound.
Xiu smiled and pinched Lin's cheek.
"How can they treat her like that?" Aike felt sorry for Xiu. After all, she was the one who brought in most of the food at the Shelter.
"Don't blame them. Ever since the Cataclysm, everyone's gone mad!"
Xiu lit an unfiltered cigarette and slowly exhaled. Her voice was heavy. "Yes... We're all mad, really. We're just mad beneath the surface, and everyone's madness is different. The most deranged turned into monsters right away. Those who weren't quite as far gone became cruel, bloodthirsty, cold, indifferent, and insane... A small number of survivors had it easier, with only a little more anxiety, compulsiveness, nervousness, and paranoia... But we can still fall into the abyss and turn into monsters—if we're injured and infected, or if we get especially agitated. So caution and care are the rules you must live by from now on... And don't trust other people too easily!"
She was sharing her hard-won advice for surviving the apocalypse, her voice growing quieter.
Aike's eyes filled with tears, but he fought to hold them back.
Over the next few days, Xiu seemed to be doing all right. At least, she didn't turn into a monster, and her wound didn't get infected.
At the same time, though, there was bad news: the monsters near Saro Port were growing stronger and moving faster.
After Xiu, several more groups of scavengers met with misfortune. One entire team never returned!
Heavy clouds hung over every survivor.
Before you continue