11 Yeah, about that...

Chris hesitated for a moment upon hearing Bruce's offer. It appeared to be a fair proposition, but Chris wasn't foolish enough to immediately say yes to a stranger, especially when his and his sister's lives were at stake.

"My sister and I were planning to search for other survivors. There's strength in numbers, after all," Chris said. "However, she believes we should choose our allies carefully and only join their side when we both agree. So, I can't give you an answer right now. Only after my sister wakes up and decides for herself."

Bruce sighed. Chris wasn't stupid, but he wasn't a genius either. His sister seemed quite intelligent as well, but it would be a hassle to align himself with people who were so distrustful of him.

"I've changed my mind," Bruce said. "Give me your sword and the night vision goggles, and we'll be good."

In the end, Bruce was fully aware that he wasn't someone others would consider trustworthy. His peculiar behavior only made him appear suspicious, and since he didn't want to change himself to fit into any group, it would be a waste of time to deal with them.

"Hurry up and decide; this is a limited-time offer," Bruce urged. "As you can see, the monsters are growing stronger by the minute. So, while time isn't money, using our time wisely might give us a better chance of survival."

"Okay... those goggles aren't mine, but I'm sure my sister won't mind... much," Chris replied. "Follow me."

Oddly enough, the building where Chris and his sister were when everything happened was right across from where Bruce lived. It was a small world, but Bruce had never seen them before, and he didn't want to get acquainted with them either, given their cautiousness. Fortunately, Chris and his sister had already moved to the lobby of their building when she got injured. At that moment, she lay unconscious, hidden behind several large vases and chairs.

Now that Bruce was in a well-lit area, he could see Chris clearly. As he had imagined, Chris was a teenager, around fifteen years old. Despite his meek attitude, he was fairly well-built, better than Bruce himself. His hair was black and cropped short, as if he were preparing to serve in the army or something.

Chris's sister, Diane, also had black hair and was quite tall. She seemed to be around 1.85 meters in height. Much to Bruce's surprise, she wasn't slim like a model, but she wasn't overweight either. Her body was well-toned, as if she played volleyball or basketball. Although she wasn't dressed like a princess, she bore a resemblance to Sleeping Beauty, with her pale complexion due to blood loss, but mostly because she was naturally beautiful.

"Her name is Diane," Chris said while checking her pulse.

"I didn't ask," Bruce shrugged. "Rather, where is your sword?"

Chris appeared to be a well-educated kid. Despite Bruce's words, he didn't get angry or anything. Instead, he grabbed two swords that had been hidden inside the vases. Without wasting any time, Bruce handed him a health potion. He would ask for the night vision goggles once he confirmed the effects of the potions.

Without wasting any time either, Chris made Diane drink the potion. Bruce wondered if it would be better to apply some of the liquid to the wound, but upon opening the bottle and catching a whiff of the strawberry scent, he concluded that it should be ingested.

Bruce watched everything with his arms crossed. Although he didn't display any expression on his face, he was quite excited to witness the effects of those potions. Within moments, Diane regained color in her face, and Chris felt her weak pulse grow stronger. After exactly ten seconds, Diane opened her eyes and suddenly sat up.

"Diane!" Chris exclaimed and embraced his tall sister.

"It appears there are no side effects," Bruce murmured to himself, satisfied. "Maybe her stomach will feel unsettled or something since she just consumed a magical substance, but I won't wait to confirm that. Now, give me the goggles."

"...Who are you?" Diane stepped back and positioned herself between Bruce and Chris.

"His name is Hoo Lee Fuck," Chris said, making Bruce feel extremely uncomfortable. "Despite his appearance, he seems to be Korean. Thanks to him, you recovered from your wounds much faster."

"Hoo Lee Fuck? Are you an idiot?" Diane raised her voice angrily. "Why did you trust someone who gave you such a name?"

Though Bruce wanted to retort that it was because he was naive as hell, he refrained. Instead, he extended his right hand and gestured towards the night vision goggles. When Chris began to remove the goggles, Diane raised her voice once more.

"What do you think you're doing?" Diane asked. "Those are mine!"

"They were yours," Bruce stated, taking the goggles from Chris' hands. "To facilitate your recovery, Chris asked me for a potion, which I gave him. In exchange, I received his sword and the night vision goggles. That's all. Hasta la vista."

Chris forced a smile as Diane glared at him. However, after a while, she sighed and gave up. Though Diane found those goggles pretty cool, as she had a fondness for collecting peculiar items, she realized that Chris had done what he did to save her. Seeing her clothes stained with so much blood, Diane realized that she had nearly died from blood loss. Strangely enough, her neck no longer hurt, and upon inspecting the area where she was supposed to have a wound, she found nothing.

"These potions are more potent than we thought," Diane remarked in astonishment. "Hey, you..."

Before Diane could finish her sentence, she noticed that she and Chris were alone in the lobby. Bruce had departed without hesitation. Diane realized that she had been quite harsh earlier, likely due to shock, but that wasn't enough to justify her behavior.

"What do we do now, Diane?" Chris inquired. "I checked the other apartments, and..."

"We need to search for other survivors outside this building," Diane replied. "How long was I unconscious? Did you see any signs of the police or the military?"

"Twenty minutes," Chris responded. "No... not a single sign."

"That's odd..." Diane said, retrieving her sword and shield, which were also hidden behind the chairs. "That guy didn't seem like a good person, but he didn't seem bad either... probably. There was something peculiar about the look in his eyes, but... we'll have to work with him until we find a larger group of survivors."

"Yeah, about that..." Chris began but was interrupted by an unexpected notification.