“No, I’m not him.”

  “Look, I don’t want to call someone who kills a dozen rats a liar,” Ein called after him as Rue was about to leave the receptionist area.

  “Yet, here you are,” Rue remarked, almost sneering. He turned back at Ein, leaning against the exit again as he held both of his swords.

  Ein took a hesitant step back and almost tripped because of the rat’s blood. “Look, I just want to make sense of what's happening. Why are you back here with this... this power?”

  “I told you I’m not him.”

  “Fine. James,” he chewed the inside of his lips. “Who are you? Why can you do what you do?”

  “I will explain when everyone is here, so I do not have to do it twice.”

  He was about to complain, but Rue tapped his longsword against the reception desk.

  “Tell you what, Ein? If you tell everyone you knew me as James, then I will let you have this kind of power.”

  “So you’re not…” Ein shook his head and drew a deep sigh. “You will do that? I can use magic?”

  “Yes, now we know each other as kids, but we don’t really remember. And you know I got bad burns and prefer to hide my face.”

  “Fine, let's go with that. How do I get this power?”

  This guy. He was probably a no-nonsense type. Rue did not doubt that he would be willing to lie about his identity.

  “Before that, what about this canister? Where is it?”

  “Change of plan. With your power, we should stick together rather than risking an independent strike,” he said. “You already killed a dozen of them that easily. If no man-rat coming then we should be fine.”

  Man-rat?

  Ein knelt just under a monitor and opened a drawer. When he did not find what he was looking for, he kept searching around, pulling apart the dresser.

  “There it is,” he lifted a keyring.

  Rue should have asked this already, but everything just happened so fast. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Supply run,” Ein hopped on the desk and jumped down. “Our group had nine thousand, plenty of mouths to feed. Come on, we need to secure our gateway vehicle.”

  Nine thousand?

  Well, now he was interested.

  Rue was salivating, thankfully not literally, since it would be hard to wipe because he taped his helmet.

  “Nine thousand? That can’t be everyone.”

  “Most dead,” Ein said as he kept walking. “And before, most disappeared into thin air.”

  They walked the hallway into a circular emergency room, made to roll the bed faster into various rooms inside. Crash carts were spread with defibrillators on top. Ein tried to roll one up and down before saying.

  “This is good, get another two for me, would you?” The man said.

  Rue shrugged and followed him, dragging two carts.

  It turned out they were heading toward the hospital’s cafeteria, more accurately, the hospital’s storage room just behind.

  “Food secure,” Ein muttered. Then he opened a door into the courtyard where a basketball court stood untouched. Rue was about to follow, but hesitated. The sunset was a dusky orange, blanketing the city with its husky gleam.

  He walked forward. Wind drafted to his body, and inside his helmet, Rue tasted the sweet air around him.

  The sky spread in an endless roll of dark crimson.

  Blocky red brick apartment towered just beyond the hospital parking space, which still held a dozen cars. Some caved in as if a huge stone had fallen on them. In fact, debris surrounded a dark SUV, and the car itself had its window smashed apart.

  Still, the sight was peaceful.

  That was until Rue saw a faraway figure. A glowing green object was slung behind it, and the figures stood with two legs, under the orange light of random streetlights. Rue faced it, sword ready. He tried to make out anything, but it was a bit too—

  [Blight Rat, Tall Rat—Level 40]

  It was a canister, carried like a backpack by the standing rat. Two short swords were held by it, and each sword’s pommel was attached to thin pipes that were probably connected straight into the canister—green’s shimmer gleamed around the weapon’s edge.

  The rat itself did not wear any clothing, but from faraway, its gray fur looked thick enough to cover most of its body except its limbs and snout. It was also tall, but not tall enough for it to be ridiculous. Perhaps about two meters tall. Rue tried to inspect its limbs, but could not make them out well.

  This one probably was not the Canister carrier the old woman spoke about. It was too lean for it to be so.

  “Hey, James! Come on, we’re going back. I secure the ambulances…” Ein word stopped dead. The man, who volunteered to go on a strike mission with Rue, shivered. With a quivering body, Ein made his way beside Rue. “Rifles, Snipers, Explosion, none of them work on that one.”

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  Ein’s breath convulsed. His breathing quickened until Rue tapped his shoulder, calming him down.

  “Why then, your group of nine thousand is still alive?”

  “Because we got lucky. It targets bigger groups first, and they are dying.”

  --

  --

  [Quest]

  [The Guard’s Duty]

  [Protect helpless one from certain death (14/100)]

  [Reward: Frontier Guard Plate]

  They found another medical satchel, so they brought bread upstairs toward the rest of the survivors, all of whom, for some stupid reason, decided to take the highest floor. Ein panted and twice took a break just because of how high it was.

  "You're good?"

  "I'm fine. Come on, let's go."

  They eventually reached a meeting room with a glass wall that took two-thirds of the room, giving a rather sublime view of the broken city.

  Comfortable circular carpet lay below, and two dozen comfy sofas were there with extravagant painting lining the wall where the glass did not touch.

  Ein had quickened his steps as they neared the door, and the moment they entered, a young woman threw herself to him. Ein cried out and hugged her closely. The other humans grinned and smiled at the interaction until they saw Rue with his half-broken knight helmet enter the room, causing a sudden tense atmosphere.

  Rue dropped his longsword and strode into an open sofa, where he let the plush seat engulf his body. This was so damn comfortable, damn Perez, did he live in this kind of luxury? Actually, he did not even know what Perez's position was within the hospital’s hierarchy.

  The one who would know was… the young woman in front of him, who by all rights should have died if not for Rue.

  She was Penelope Jameson—Perez’s daughter.

  The humans shuffled stiffly. Slowly, they rose from their seat. Some were comfortably seated on the carpet, looking down at the city, but now they faced Rue—their hands slowly reached into their pocket. Some had actively clutched their guns.

  “Stand down—” Ein commanded, but then Penelope cut him off.

  The young woman hastily stepped over to Rue. And Rue did not see the resemblance between her and Perez.

  Taking his bias aside, Perez was ugly with a balding head and crooked nose. But this young woman was beautiful, with her chestnut hair framing her oval face. She played with her fingers and gathered the courage to look at Rue’s half-helmeted armor head.

  The room was dark now as the sunset had fallen. Only moonlight lanced in, framing her in light; Rue, who was purposely chosen a seat in the room’s corner, was covered in darkness.

  “That vial you gave me. It saved me. Thank you.”

  “It’s nothing,” Rue smiled. “It’s normal to help those who need it, right? Especially if it won’t harm someone else.”

  The girl tilted her head, arching her eyebrow, confused. Meanwhile, Ein, behind her, shifted uncomfortably.

  The military man met Rue’s eyes, and behind those eyes, he just confirmed that the one in front of him was Rue Hazard.

  Rue needed to keep him in check somehow.

  “Yes, exactly.” The girl chirpily said, and her gaze hardened toward the humans who had taken the other corner together.

  Penelope peeked at him, once. Her hair flapping. Something colored her eyes.

  What is it? Did she...

  She then said. “Lower your weapon, guys, he is on our side.”

  Some weapon lowered, but then the fat man pushed over a sofa and loudly proclaimed:

  “Hold on a second,” he aimed a finger at Rue. “That one. What is he? He uses Magic. He summoned Ice! Am I the only one seeing those?”

  “Roland,” Ein sighed heavily. “I still have some problems with you, but for now, sit down. He will explain everything.”

  Ein eyed Rue with his last statement.

  Did you doubt me, Ein? Well, Rue did ask him to lie about his name.

  “No, I’m not listening to anything until I know what he is,” Roland said.

  “I remember. You’re the one who wants to throw a grenade at her and her,” Rue pointed to Penelope, who stiffened, and the middle-aged woman he remembered.

  “You what?” Penelope sharply addressed Roland.

  “What? I—I.”

  “Roland!” Penelope bristled.

  “Wait,” the middle-aged woman said. Roland winced as the woman rose, and her greying hair rustled around her neck. She stepped beyond Roland and lightly pushed him behind her. “We want to listen to you first before we talk about what's next.” Said the woman, stopping any chance of them fighting.

  That was immature of Rue. Their fighting would serve him no purpose.

  “That is right, Edna,” Roland sounded off.

  “Shut up, Roland. Please,” Edna exhaled. “You, can we have your name?”

  Ein sharply glanced at Rue. His eyes silently begged. But, Rue chuckled smally.

  “Ein know me.”

  “Really?” Penelope asked softly, latching her hand with Ein’s.

  “Yes, we were in the same kindergarten.”

  “It’s a long time ago,” Rue nodded along. So, they were kindergarten friends now?

  “This is James,” Ein introduced. “He got a bad burn on his cheek, so he wears…that.”

  “Bad burn? Who the fuck cares about burns? We’re in an apocalypse!” the fat man shouted. “What with that knight helmet anyway?”

  “Shut up, Roland,” Ein snapped, and Roland actually slinked down.

  So, he was the leader of the group. Good, having Ein on his side would work wonders.

  “Why are you here? You didn't connect with Ein? Who even remembers a kindergarten friend?” This time, Penelope asked. Her eyes narrowed on Ein, who tried to avoid her gaze.

  “Who cares about that?” Rue said. “Anyway, I want to hear about what's been happening first.”

  “Hold on, you don’t know what's been happening?” Edna jumped in, and the rest of the humans roused with their hands once again about to reach for their handguns.

  Rue did not think this far. He had not thought much about these humans, seeing them too weak to fight him anyway. But now he needed their connection to their bigger group. Nine thousand. Rue sought Ein’s eyes, and he gave a small nod.

  Now, it came to this: they have to bullshit their way through.

  “She is just like your mother, isn’t she, Ein?” Rue sighed, relaxing both hands behind his head.

  “Ein’s mother, huh,” Penelope mumbled, gaze now boring on Rue.

  What?

  “Yes,” Ein chuckled softly. “My father always told me how my mother had the talent to prolong talk when she absolutely did not have to.”

  Your mother died before you were born?

  Okay, they should have talked about this.

  “Edna, this is unnecessary. I briefly met James when we were in the military.”

  “Boy, I was at military as well. Teaching you, remember?’

  Ein’s eyes widened at this, and he whipped his head at Rue.

  This guy is a bad liar.

  “He was on special ops,” Ein said.

  “Special ops?” Edna stared at Rue. There was no way that the woman would take that reason. “Is that why his head is covered? How can he fight like that?”

  “Yes, of course,” Ein said.

  Rue was truly amazed. Two lies stacked together become a truth.

  Yes, they could do this. No need to reveal his identity.

  “But I thought the military was hit first. Are you off duty? Like Ein? Wait, special ops would have an emergency warning to assemble before these rats’ meteor hit our atmosphere…” Her eyes hardened into a fiery anger. “Are you a deserter, lad?”

  And somehow the situation turned for the worse again. “I was injured,” Rue said. “A bullet through my cheek, and I was inside this hospital. Survive by hiding so far.”

  “You do?” Edna blinked, still not taking his reasoning.

  “James… James. Oh! James Lisbon!” Penelope half-shouted, startling Ein beside her. She even walked toward Rue with both hands clasped. “I saw your picture before,”

  What is this?

  “How do you know my name?”

  “My father is a doctor here; I may or may not sometimes peek at his patient list.”

  Rue gives a soft laugh. Inside his helmet, however, his face darkened. “That is illegal.”

  “Penelope, is this true?” Edna asked.

  “Would I lie, Edna?”

  “No, you won’t.”

  Penelope bobbed her head, and she extended her hand toward Rue. The moment Rue took it, her smile wiped out. She leaned close, and Perez's daughter whispered. “Rue Hazard.”

  It seemed he was bad at lying, too.

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