Chapter 42: CHAPTER 41 - A New World.
In just one day, the world had changed so much that it turned from a civilized world—where people lived by rules and regulations—to an apocalyptic world.
All of this happened because of a strange being or something that called herself the Gamer System.
She just arrived on earth out of nowhere and forced the humans to fight against some fantasy beasts that they had only heard about or read about in stories.
The system didn't tell its motive; it just gave them tasks, and if you don't do them, then you will face the penalties.
With no choice left at their hands, the humans followed through; many died, and the population of humans decreased by more than 50%.
Now, there were different types of people in this apocalypse; some who failed to adapt to the changes and died, some who were still adapting, trying to somehow survive, and then there were those who were made for the apocalypse.
The last category of people were the ones that were doing better than others in this unforgiving apocalypse.
It was as if this unruly, unfair, and uncaring world was easier for them.
They didn't have to worry about anything or anyone stopping them or restricting them; they could do what they wanted to, and they could be what they wanted to be.
Our main character, Alex, is one of those people.
"Please! I'm sorry! Let me go!"
Right now, his cold, golden eyes were staring at a guy who had his legs chopped off, yet he was crawling away from him while screaming out to Alex, pleading to let him go.
That guy was crawling with the support of his arms, his back turned toward Alex, leaving a trail of blood behind.
*Step**Step**Step*...
Alex, on the other hand, just kept following him slowly, letting the guy struggle for a while.
"H-hey, p-please bro, l-let me go…"
The guy on the ground could hear the steps following his snail-like movements, and his voice couldn't help but break.
He could feel Alex's cold eyes looking at him without a shred of sympathy or pity. He could tell that Alex didn't have a plan to let him go, yet he couldn't help but hope that maybe he would be able to escape.
*Step**Step*
"What d-did—Sob—I e-even do—Sob—?"
The guy tried his best, but with every step Alex took, his heart rate rose. Now it was so bad that the veins in his head were pumping so much blood that even his vision was blinking along with his heart.
*Badump**Badump*
He couldn't help but sob at his own situation.
"At least, s-say—Sob— somet-thing man—Sob...."
The guy didn't turn back, but he still requested between his sobs.
"...."
*Step**Step*...
But again, like before, no sound was heard; only light steps that followed him as he dragged his body echoed in his ear.
*Sob**Sob*
"Please….Hic—I don't w-want to—Hic—d-die…."
His sobs had now turned into a cry as tears streamed down his cheeks, making a new trail as he dragged his body.
*Hic**Sniffle**Hic*...
As Alex watched the guy drag his body—hoping that some miracle would happen—Alex heard the AI's voice in his head.
*Hic**Sob**Hic*...
For a while, he didn't answer; he just kept staring at the grown-up man, crying in pain and desperation.
'I want him to suffer a bit more, and the more hope he has, the more he will suffer.'
Alex then replied to the AI, his voice devoid of any emotion, making it hard to judge his emotional condition, but the AI didn't want to look at Alex's emotional condition right now; it had been the same since earlier.
After Alex recalled something from his past, his emotions were stable yet eerie at the same time.
<His heart rate is going higher and higher, almost to the point that if he had a heart attack, I wouldn't be surprised.
Then there is the fact that he has been losing blood for a while, and he is losing a lot of blood; he won't survive for long.>
The AI's word made Alex look back, and he found out the trail of blood had been extended for more than 20 meters.
"Hic—I-I don't—Sob—want to d-die…."
Alex's eyes sharpened as he heard the whisper leaving the man's lips.
He wasn't talking to Alex anymore, and his breath was getting hollower.
His fists were clenching the ground as he tried to pull all of the weight from his body with his arms, yet he failed miserably.
The AI commented, but Alex just remained quiet.
He could tell that as well; the guy wasn't moving, but his voice seemed to be saying something else.
"Just a—Sob—b-bit more…."
The guy muttered as he again tried to drag his body forward. His voice was barely a whisper now, and his sobs got lighter.
*Step**Step*
Alex finally stepped in front of the guy.
"Huh?"
The guy, however, let out a confused voice; he couldn't understand what was happening.
"Do you want to die?"
But the moment he heard Alex's words, a chill ran down his spine, and his body started to tremble.
"N-N-N-No!!!"
The guy suddenly got a boost of energy that he used to pump his body away from Alex's feet.
He forced his body away from Alex by pushing the ground with his arms.
But now, his body went still; he couldn't even move his body.
All he could do was lie on the floor with his face toward the sky.
The sunlight fell over his face, giving him some relief, but soon those rays were replaced by a cold shadow, and the guy, who turned out to be Rohit from the second tutorial, closed his eyes.
"A-All of this... Sob... because... I screamed…. Sniffled… at you…?"
His breaths were getting delayed.
His voice turned all-time low, almost inaudible, but he still questioned.
He wanted to know the answer to his question; was he dying simply because of a yell that he let out in the heat of the moment?
"No."
Alex uttered a single word, and then he paused.
Rohit opened his eyes with great difficulty; his face was already drained of color, and he was taking his last breaths.
He stared at Alex, hoping for him to continue, and Alex did just that.
"I believe that a dead enemy is better than a potential enemy."
That was all Alex let out before he bent down.
'Ah…'
Rohit, who saw the black dagger gleam with a cold light—reflecting the sunlight moving closer to his heart—let out a sigh.
'I wish…'
*Pierce*
His thoughts were cut off as Alex's dagger made its way into the guy's heart, taking his breath away once and for all.
*Slick*
Alex pulled out the knife and stared at Rohit for a while.
The moment Rohit showed killing intent, Alex labeled the guy as a potential enemy and asked the AI to keep track of him.
The AI then predicted the path that the guy was following after he ran away from the Mewari Circus, and Alex, who saw the route was not away from him, ran to a spot that Rohit was supposed to pass through.
The moment Rohit arrived there, he was greeted by two slashes on his knees that cut off his legs.
Now, he was lying dead with regret painted on his face.
*Slash*
Alex stood up and slashed the air, causing the blood on his blade to make a slashing trail in the air before it fell to the ground.
Alex looked at his now clean dagger and nodded his head.
His head then turned toward the west from where he was standing.
'Dehradun…'
He muttered inwardly.
The capital of Uttarakhand, the state he was in at the moment.
Even in the apocalypse, that's the best place he could be right now—much better than the spot he was at right now.
Why did Alex think that?
There was nothing more than one single reason…