Survival in the last days of America

The next day.

Brian woke up early and roused Sarah and Alan, who were still fast asleep. Even as they washed their faces, their eyes remained heavy with drowsiness. Without hesitation, Brian slapped their backs to jolt them fully awake.

After a quick bite to eat, they said goodbye to Anna and left the room, heading toward the stairwell.

The morning streets were drastically different from the day before. Gone were the elderly strolling leisurely along the sidewalks. In their place stood soldiers with stern expressions, rifles in hand—and there were far more of them than Brian remembered seeing when he first entered Zone A.

Unsurprisingly, every time Brian and his group appeared in public, they were stopped and questioned by soldiers. On their way to the checkpoint leading into Zone B, they were interrogated at least five or six times. At the checkpoint itself, their belongings were thoroughly searched.

"Phew… finally out!"

After passing through the metal gates of the checkpoint, Alan turned and looked back, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Zone B was in better shape than Zone A. Though soldiers were still present in large numbers, small groups of civilians could still be seen walking the streets. Since it was only a neighboring zone and the military had suppressed news of the incident, the impact here was limited.

Thanks to their prior experience, after crossing Zone B, they quickly located Lulu's residence.

It was already nine o'clock. When Brian knocked on the door, only Lulu answered. Her mother had already gone to work at the factory.

Though it was rare for her daughter to return from school, and though she longed to take another day off to spend with her, her current work efficiency allowed for only one day of rest per month. Any more, and she wouldn't earn enough supply cards to survive.

After learning of Brian's purpose, Lulu nodded and confirmed she would go with them.

She returned to her room, left a note for her mother, and placed all the food she had redeemed from school on the table. Then, without delay, she joined the group and left.

Having picked up Lulu without incident, the group pressed onward toward Zone D. The same situation awaited Lucy and Daphne—they weren't home either, having gone to work, leaving only Dick in the room, waiting for their arrival.

After realizing how hard life was for those outside, the group silently agreed: next time they came out, they would bring more supplies.

Quarantine Zone School.

Brian opened the dorm room door and stepped inside. Amir, who had been sleeping, shot upright at the sound, eyes alert and wary. Brian smirked and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Nice. Good reflexes!"

Amir watched Brian as he took off his backpack, then glanced at the bright sky outside the balcony.

"You're back so early?"

"Something came up. We came back early."

Brian placed the backpack on top of the wardrobe, sat on the bed, and recounted everything he had seen and experienced in Zone A.

As Amir listened, his normally expressionless face twisted into a rare look of regret.

"Man, if I'd known you'd run into something that exciting, I would've gone with you!"

Brian rolled his eyes, too tired to engage. He yawned, lay back on the bed, and closed his eyes. After waking so early and enduring a long morning, he was truly exhausted. A nap was the only priority now.

Seeing Brian wasn't in the mood to talk, Amir didn't push it. He wasn't much of a conversationalist anyway. He lay back down and resumed the sleep that had been interrupted.

When Brian woke up, he got dressed and left the dormitory, heading straight for the library.

During breaks, the library was far busier than usual. Many students who hadn't returned home gathered here. The reading areas were completely full, forcing others to sit on the floor—making for a rare and lively scene.

But it wasn't surprising. The school had almost no entertainment, and without credits, students couldn't exchange for goods. So the library—where reading was free—had become one of the best places on campus.

Whether due to the shock of the previous day's events or some other reason, Brian began spending every day in the library. He studied intensely, aiming for high scores on the monthly exams, and gradually increased the intensity of his physical training.

The others, seeing his relentless routine, became cautious around him. When they spoke, they did so in hushed tones, afraid of setting him off.

Though Brian always wore a smile, they could sense from his aura that his mood wasn't as calm as he appeared.

This state lasted for several months before slowly fading. When it finally passed, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

As Brian had predicted, just a few days later, Anna received a transfer order and was assigned to work at the clinic.

Time flowed like water. Each month, Brian's team earned large amounts of credits, which they used to buy food and supplies from the school supermarket, sending support to Anna and the others living outside the quarantine zone.

They also saved a portion of their credits. Once they had enough, they exchanged them at the school pharmacy for essential medicines—cold medicine, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics—though the quantities were always limited.

This was one of Brian's greatest frustrations. Getting treated at the school clinic cost only a few credits, but taking medicine home required an astronomical amount. Clearly, it was a measure to prevent students from hoarding or selling drugs illegally.

Every time they left the school for the outside of the quarantine zone, Brian carried a large notebook and a pen. Except when sleeping, he spent his days walking through every corner of the zone, recording routes and the locations of landmark buildings. He ate breakfast and lunch on the move.

As he familiarized himself with each route, he carefully sketched every street, every intersection, aiming to create a complete map of the quarantine zone. Back in Austin, he'd done something similar—so this was second nature. Of course, he had to do it discreetly, avoiding patrolling soldiers.

To ensure the map was detailed, Brian wandered through alley after alley. But if he sensed even the slightest danger, he turned back immediately. He took no unnecessary risks.

Military bases and especially chaotic areas in each zone were marked with a red circle, labeled with names and a question mark—awaiting further investigation when he had more resources.

Of course, life was never perfectly smooth. While they earned credits, they also drew the attention of campus gangs.

The leader was Tru, the same boy who had beaten up Amir and later been defeated in return.

Tru's journey had been a painful one. First, he was humiliated by a Black boy he looked down on. Then, he was beaten by other rising delinquent groups. His followers scattered like birds, leaving him completely alone.

After that, Tru reflected. He realized how weak he was. He began training relentlessly, reading combat books, practicing techniques from them. His progress was astonishing. He transformed into a model of self-improvement—so much so that even the military instructors were stunned by his change.

Then, one by one, he confronted everyone who had beaten him. Even when outnumbered, he never backed down. He defeated them all and reclaimed his position as the gang leader.

In his moment of triumph, Tru turned his gaze toward Amir, the Black boy who had humiliated him. Now it was his turn for revenge.

Confidently, he brought his gang and waited for Brian and his group along the path from the library to the dorm.

After his feat of taking on a group alone, Tru had become incredibly self-assured—and also arrogant. He challenged Amir to a one-on-one duel. He wanted to settle the score.

This decision surprised Brian and the others. Why not use his numerical advantage? Was he insane?

But in the end, it wasn't a bad thing. So Amir, deeply "touched" by the gesture, accepted the challenge—and defeated Tru with humiliating ease.

After this small incident, no one else dared to bother the group. Many knew they weren't easy targets and automatically excluded them when choosing victims.

Thus, life on campus continued in calm silence. And so they passed the most peaceful years of their lives within the quarantine zone…