The Status Window. (Part 1)

As he struggled to climb to the second floor. Werner appeared before him, telling off the bound young men.

The tied guy with the glasses resisted the most, threatening them that he would kick them all out at the snap of his fingers.

"Do you even know who I am? My daddy, he..."

"Your daddy didn't raise you right! If he grew up where I did..."

Without shutting up, the young man said something about his father and how he had powerful friends. But Werner quickly pushed his own handkerchief into his mouth.

With a surprised eyebrow raised, Gray looked first at the young man in the rich jacket and stylish glasses, and then at Werner.

At this time, the man was reprimanding the young men and lecturing them on how to treat guests and the elderly.

Werner turned toward Gray and made a face as if nothing special had happened at all.

With a perfectly righteous look, he went on to instruct the young men.

Ignoring them, Gray closed the window and began to take out the food he had brought with him.

"Well? Are you coming?"

Gray looked questioningly at his teammates.

No one refused to be refreshed and recharged.

At last, they could rest properly. Each of them was stressed in his own way.

Some had aged and rejuvenated by ten years.

Some almost lost their lives.

Some had lost a boyfriend they loved.

Someone was very confused.

And it all happened in just a few hours.

Everyone just wanted to get some rest. And they were given that opportunity.

But everyone had a piece in their throats under the stares and the sounds of their stomachs rumbling.

"Guys, that's... We've been stuck here for hours, can you share a little with us? Please?"

"Yes, please! Just a little bit, please!"

"Hm! What do you want with these bandits? They broke into someone else's room and all of a sudden tied us up here, and now they're trying to humiliate us! Wait till Uncle Milo finds out, he'll be all over you!"

Spitting out the gag, the boy with the glasses glared angrily at the group of uninvited strangers.

As his comrades greedily swallowed their saliva, looking at a backpack full of food.

"Werner, is it true? Did you beat and threaten them and then abuse them?"

Gray raised an eyebrow in surprise. And Werner almost choked on his spam.

"No way! When I climbed through the window, the first thing I did was ask them for help, but they suddenly got scared and started threatening, pushing me back out."

Gray carefully handed him a can of soda and couldn't stop watching Werner diligently defend his honor as a gentleman.

"So I tied them all up. These kids have no manners! What were their parents looking at? In my day..."

Several people blushed with shame on the spot.

"Don't listen to that old fool, it's a blatant lie and a provocation. Yes, that's right! He's pretending!"

At this point, Werner choked and hurriedly chugged down what he had heard with water.

Gray couldn't take it anymore. A resounding laughter erupted throughout the office.

Caira wasn't far behind either, chuckling lightly to the side.

"Maybe we should share a little..."

"I think it's time for our guests to go back, too."

Interrupting the young girl, he stood up and dragged the bound people out of the room.

"Thank you for welcoming us, but now we need to rest. So long!"

"Do you even know who you're messing with?! Do you even know this young gentleman's name?!"

"I don't care."

Without waiting for that brute's henchman to continue his show, Gray threw everyone out the door.

Slamming the front door shut tightly, Gray walked out into the back of the room without turning around.

"What a greedy bastard!"

"How can you be so rude?! Young master, let's break down the door and tell them who you are and what awaits those who do this to you!"

"Shut up! You've got to be kidding me! For a piece of a tin can grovel like that..."

Spitting out his handkerchief again, the young man in the rich suit glared angrily at his henchmen.

"Have you seen that old man?! He's no weaker than Uncle Roo, you'd have your stupid skull caved in by the next one!"

Soothingly, they untied each other and headed down the stairs.

"Come along! We'd better tell Uncle Milo what happened!"

***

In the office room.

"First rule. No one is allowed to give food to strangers!"

With a serious look, he looked at everyone present, including Betty.

"Soon, food will be a key resource in this new world."

Sliding the closet toward the front door, he backed it up tightly with the rest of the furniture.

"And anyone who disagrees with this rule can leave this group now. Later, you won't have that opportunity."

Everyone was bowled over by what they heard, roughly understanding where this guy was going with this. All this time he acted as if he was sure that what he said would happen.

These little details did not escape their attention. The seeds of doubt were planted in the minds of every member of the group.

"Did you see that old man?! He's no weaker than Uncle Roo; you could break down a door and have your stupid skull caved in next!"

Soothingly, they untied each other and headed down the stairs.

"Come along! We'd better tell Uncle Milo what happened!"

***

In the office room.

"First rule. No one is allowed to give food to strangers!"

With a serious look, he looked at everyone present, including Betty.

"Soon, food will be a key resource in this new world."

Sliding the closet toward the front door, he backed it up tightly with the rest of the furniture.

"And anyone who disagrees with this rule can leave this group now. Later, you won't have that opportunity."

Everyone was bowled over by what they heard, roughly understanding where this guy was going with this. All this time he acted as if he was sure that what he said would happen.

These little details did not escape their attention. The seeds of doubt were planted in the minds of every member of the group.

...

Hours later, Gray stared out the fog outside the window. The dense, red fog had taken on a slightly golden hue.

'It's getting late...'

"It's pretty late, let's go to bed."

After thinking for a while, Gray made a decision.

Since he is the leader of this group, he is in charge of its condition. Both physically and psychologically.

"I'll take the lead and be the first one on duty. Everyone will be on duty for two hours at a time. You can choose the rotation if you like, I don't care."

Gray settled himself in a chair at the main table.

"By the way, young man! I still don't know what that thing you gave me. I feel ten years younger, and I have more strength than at the peak of my youth!"

Scratching his gray beard, Werner looked strangely as he crumpled the tin of a carbonated drink with ease.

"It's like I'm holding a plastic cup!"

'Power type! He has the rudiments of an evolving power type, great!'

"There's no need to complicate things. We can just go by the name."

"Okay."

"What you ate is called the zombie core. It can be found in the back of the heads of converts or those halfway there."

With a slight chuckle, the guy looked at Werner's green face and continued.

"That infected one, for example, was halfway to conversion. Her core was the weakest, but I got a second one just like it. Which was enough for a successful evolution."

"What kind of evolution? And who are those who evolved?"

With great interest, the three men listened to Gray's explanation.

Gray glanced at Kayra and then continued.

"An evolved person. It is a person who has undergone changes under the influence of an unknown virus. Each such person had their own supernatural abilities. Often common and formulaic."

Everyone looked at Gray strangely, as if he was talking nonsense comparable to world conspiracies and alien invasion. But quickly remembering how people went crazy, they decided to listen to him patiently.

"The world knows two ways of becoming evolved. And the first is the natural evolution. It is also the most powerful, but rare. Few people survive a zombie bite. That senior policeman was a great example of a survivor. In the future, he will probably become a key figure in the fight against evil."

Gray lied to them a little. He also knew a third way. He had learned it from a friend of his from the distant future.

But they didn't need to know that. Anyway, in Gray's opinion, they were not capable of it.

"What about the second way? And zombies, aren't those crazy people?"

Kayra couldn't sit still; she couldn't wait to learn more about the so-called superhuman.

"I'll tell you all about it later, but for now, let's gather our strength."

At that answer, Kayra sulked unhappily.

To which Grey merely grinned and closed his eyes.

'Will I be able to awaken through the tattoo?'