Shane Reed

As Brick was moving around and using the same tactics against the remaining zombies, there was noise coming from within the halls from upstairs.

A lot of the zombies had fallen down the stairs and had either hit their heads, damaged another part of their bodies or had recovered enough to crawl or climb back up.

It was possible for the average human to die when falling down some stairs and it was the same for the zombies if enough damage was done to their head during the fall so there was a chance of some of them dying or becoming injured before they even reached Brick.

They gradually joined the battle but were greeted with the steps which caused their fall once again, Brick had finished with the first wave of zombies which had chased him then greeted the slower zombies which had been injured.

They were much slower as they took more time to reach the steps then fell down so Brick could take more time on them.

As he was finishing off some others, there were sounds of humans speaking among themselves as they used his efforts to seize control over the top floor.

There were a couple of thuds and crashes as some had attacked and missed the zombie which resulted in them hitting the wall or other things that were in the way but they had others to cover for their mistakes.

The zombies upstairs had become much less so the groups numbers had helped to overwhelm them.

A loud gunshot went off within that was followed with a brief silence.

At a closer range, the shotgun was shot towards two zombies and caused them to be knocked back, one had died while the other was heavily injured which allowed the others to handle the clean up.

One strange scene was that the person who delivered the final blow to the zombie had displayed remarkable strength which was above that of a normal person as if they possessed a very strong physique.

One swing of a baton had inflicted a deadly blow and had caused the skull to be shattered, the security guard looked at their arm in shock the moment that they released that type or strength.

Superpowers were beginning to appear of some people whether it was survivors who had unknowingly drank and survived the polluted water or those that had gained the power after being exposed to the slightly polluted atmosphere.

They were the first generation of the evolved and one had awakened suddenly without warning even without using the method which Brick was using.

They were much rarer and would help humanity hold on until later when a solution was discovered but they would still be stuck in their current level of power unless they gained mastery over their power and body before discovering the way to increase their power.

Their powers were just a small boost to their combat potential and would not be truly powerful until they had begun to use the crystal nucleus.

The middle aged man reloaded the shotgun and waited for his security team to handle the rest of the clean up before he started to step down the stairs.

Brick was just finishing up as he removed a knife from the head of a zombie and looked over, he was not aware what had happened inside and if he did then he would be filled with feelings of envy.

It was not envy towards the type of power but more towards the fact that he had yet to awaken his own.

He wished to find out what his power would be so he could think over the various uses for it in his future plans.

A middle aged man holding a shotgun stepped forward but he kept it facing towards the ground. "You there. Are you one of ours? Do you work here? Thanks for the help."

Although Brick was alone and was much younger than others, the middle aged man had seen his displays through the monitors.

Even though a lot of areas had begun to lose power, there were still places that had a backup supply and system in place in case of emergencies.

It had activated automatically and the master of the Reed household had still been able to monitor the movements inside and outside of his own home.

Brick recognised the man right away due to him being related to Tanya so he put on a brief show of respect as he bowed a little while sorting out his clothes. "I am just a small trainee who was brought in years ago by the young lady. I rushed here to provide some assistance and to ask if the young lady is safe? I owe still owe her a great debt which I intend to pay back."

It was obvious that someone like him could not contact the young lady of the house and he could not know of her timetable or whereabouts so he brought the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go.

The middle aged man showed confusion on his face then turned to ask someone by his side. "Do you know of him?"

They thought for a while then answered. "It was the orphan that the young lady brought back and asked to sponsor. He was in training to join the security team but I did not realise he was this useful. Sir.. he seems very loyal to the young lady, if you place him by the side of the young lady then you will have to worry less."

The middle aged man nodded. "You have a point, he could be useful. So long as he is loyal and does his job without having any extra thoughts on my daughter then he can be placed by her side."

The other man showed a confident smile. "Master, leave it to me. If he shows any such intentions or causes trouble then I will make sure he disappears from your and the young lady's sight."

They talked in a hushed tone so that Brick could not hear and Brick waited patiently like an obedient subordinate waiting for their master to speak up first. "…"

Although he was a poor father who could sell his own daughter for some gains, he still had some set limits on what kind of pedigree of people were friends and potential partners with her.

It was not strange for someone who was close to or was hanging around Tanya to suddenly be approached and then warned away or be given an envelope filled with notes so they would stay away.

It was one of the main reasons why she had such an unapproachable and cold appearance to others, it was difficult for her to maintain real friendships that were not based on status and benefits.

The only solace which she had was her archery club where she could bond with others in something that she enjoyed.

It was an all girls club and it was difficult for her father to interfere with those relationships without earning his daughter's hatred even more so he had not interfered with it.

Seeing the young man before him, he knew that Brick was someone to be used well and could be discarded later if he became problematic.

Brick was someone which would only be useful since he had shown great potential at a young age and was loyal enough to pay back what he owed to his daughter.

That usefulness would be useless once Brick did not know his limitations and crossed the line.

Brick did not know the thoughts of the man that was the father of Tanya and the uncle of Lucy but he was well aware of what kind of man he was and would become in the future.

There was no need to make an enemy out of the father of who he was bound to, it would only make his relationship with Tanya difficult and it would be harder to keep her alive.

He played the role of a grateful person who wished to aid the family in its time of need.

The middle aged man spoke to him after some thought and displayed a little worry and sadness as he did so. "Hmm.. as you should have heard and learned by now, I am the master of this house and am called Shane Reed. My daughter Tanya is not home but we have been in contact with her. She is safe but in need of rescue…"

As Shane was explaining the situation, Brick spoke up and interrupted in a hurry. "Sir, please allow me to go on this dangerous mission. I will work hard to being her back safely! Even if I can just join a team to go there then I wish to contribute to the house. Even if I have to borrow a car and have to go alone, I do not mind going if I can ensure her survival and return."

Shane studied the eager and resolute expression of Brick then thought to himself. 'This will save me sending those who are to guard me but I cannot let him go on his own or with people who he has selected. It would be best to send someone with him to watch over his actions and to make sure the task is done successfully.'

He thought about the many other variables and what could possibly happen on the road or having the chances of Brick betraying or stealing the vehicle then running away. "You can borrow it but you must take one or two of my assigned people with you. They will be driving and assisting you. I ask that you prioritise saving my daughter first then any high profile people that are with her."

His intention was that his daughter came first then those of value could be saved if there was enough room to transport them to safety.

Those of importance or high status would be valuable bargaining chips and could be worth a favour or two from their parents which would make Shane have a smoother time transitioning into the new world's power structure.

As for the friends of Tanya that were lower on the priority to be saved, they were of no use to him unless they had a parent of worth too.

If they were not useful then Brick would have to abandon them as instructed.

While he listened to the words of Shane, Brick thought to himself. 'Trash is trash indeed..'

However he showed no disgust or anger towards Shane as he showed his willingness to carry out the task. "I will do my best. The outer area is secured and a lot of the inner area has been cleared of zombies that are roaming around, all that is needed is to check every building for survivors. So long as I can get the key for the inner security post then the gate can be opened and I can head out as soon as possible to retrieve the young lady."