The World Cataclysm

"Bleurgh!" Dave immediately pressed his nose as he opened the metal door. Opening with a creak, it revealed a dark pathway as a water streamed in the middle. Dave could swear that he could see a green gas flowing out of that pathway. 'Darn! Well, welcome back, I suppose.'

Opening his backpack, Dave took out a flashlight that he had found in the dormitory, and a piece of cloth, intending to cover his nose with it. Holding a flashlight in one hand and a Steel Sword in another, he stepped in the pathway as he closed the door after him. Though he could probe his surroundings with Mana Sensing, Dave still preferred to see everything rather than have a blurry understanding of where he was stepping.

'I suppose, it's not the worst that happened to me. I have lived through many gruesome periods of my life,' Dave thought inwardly as he walked through the sewage. Although he was walking on the concrete, he could still see trash and poop flowing with the waste water below him.

...

Walking for 20 minutes, Dave was already used to the smell and darkness in the sewage system. 'If I ignore the smell, it's not bad down here. Actually, I never knew that our sewage system was that big, not to say about the underground tunnels. I don't know who had structured our university's underground pathways, but the person responsible for it has surely put the soul into it.'

Considering everything he had seen so far, Dave thought the structure of the sewage pathways was well thought off. Its structure was quite simple, but it was advanced enough for the sewage system to serve its primary function.

Looking at his map, Dave thought, 'Region A should be somewhere here. Moreover, if I read the map right, it should be adjoined with region B and have pathways leading to most of the other regions, except for region C and D.'

Retracting his glance from the map, Dave stopped in front of the ladder. As he put away the map back into his backpack, Dave casted a last glance at the stinking sewage system and went up by the metal ladder.

Reaching the top, he pushed open the metal lid as he ended in another corridor adorned with white tiles. It strongly resembled the style in which the region C was made, except for the fact that it had more light sources than the former.

'Hmm...According to the map, I should have ended up inside region A. Considering the state of region C, it's obvious that this place is maintained regularly to keep it in good condition. However, it's quite strange that there is a big disparity between two regions.' Dave thought inwardly as he scanned his surroundings for signs of survivors here.

The corridor was lightened, so there must be someone who lightened them, right? Furthermore, if someone knew about those underground tunnels, then they should have understood that it was the best place to hide down here.

'Bingo!' Dave thought when he heard the nearing voices of several people.

...

"Do you know why Professor Dylan suddenly asked to bring test subject #8 to him?" Dave heard a female voice.

"I don't know what that madman's thinking about? If you ask me, I don't think that it's time to experiment on those monsters. We should quickly find a way to leave the university and find the remnants of the government." A hoarse male voice answered the woman.

"Graaagh! Eeergh!" Next, Dave could hear a growling of a zombie. He guessed it was the test subject #8 they were talking about. With his Mana Sensing, Dave could sense that the zombie had its limbs cut off. It was lying on an emergency bed normally used by ambulance. 'They're sure quite talkative for people transporting a zombie.'

Dave frowned when he heard them. At least, he learned that Professor Dylan was here. No wonder he didn't find the signs of him on the surface, as a leading professor, Professor Dylan should have been told about those tunnels. 'Then, I believe I should find Professor Dylan before everything. But first...'

"How long are you going to hide there? Maybe, you would show yourself and tell me what's going on here," Dave said as he glanced backwards. Actually, he had noticed someone observing him after using Mana Sensing to scan his surroundings.

At his words, someone came out from the corner of one of the passages. He had dishevelled black hair with some white strands among the black ones, spectacles covering his eyes, long messy hair and white lab coat. Judging by his looks, he seemed to be a person over his forties.

'Heh...And no need to search for him.' Dave thought inwardly as he recognized the person, standing before him. He was Professor Dylan, whom Dave held quite in high regard. Despite seeing him only once in his past life, it was hard to forget a person who had eyes as dead as him. The man standing before him shouldn't have slept for several days already, considering the bags under his eyes.

Aiming at Dave with a gun in his hands, he said sharply, "Stop right there. Who are you? I don't recall having a young assistant like you nor I saw you among the students we were able to save on the surface. Believe me, I would have remembered someone with your face, so don't lie to me."

Putting a strained smile on his face, Dave said slowly, "David Murckly. I'm a freshman student at the School of Business. If you would be kind enough to lower your gun, I can show you my student card."

Saying it, Dave slowly pulled out his student card from his backpack. He wasn't saving it for this moment, it just happened so that he always had it lying in his backpack. Anyway, it didn't take much of a space. Then, he passed his student card to Professor Dylan.

Staring at Dave indifferently and checking information on his student card, Professor Dylan heaved a sigh as he put away his gun, "Serve yourself, then. Follow me, I have no interest in talking with you, a test subject is awaiting me. I'll lead you to someone who'll be more willing to chat."

Then, Professor Dylan headed somewhere along the corridor. Well...It was kinda indifferent of him. But Dave believed that Professor Dylan wasn't someone to fuss over a student like him. However, Dave was more interested in the gun rather than in chatting.

Having found Professor Dylan, now Dave could just wait till his research on zombies would bring good results. Actually, he had no immediate business with Professor Dylan. Dave just wanted to benefit from getting acquainted with him.

"I believe keeping a gun on yourself is illegal, especially in the walls of university. How are you carrying one with yourself?" Dave asked in interest. Either way, he needed more information about this place.

Glancing at Dave, Professor Dylan said in an indifferent manner, "Carrying the gun is illegal only when you don't have a license assigned by a military. But I highly doubt that this license holds any meaning now. As for carrying it in university, it's not prohibited when no one knows about it. Also, I feel safer with the gun."

Chuckling, Dave smiled as he found Professor's logic foolproof. "Heh...I like your logic. Can I ask where are we? I don't remember visiting this place when I had my tour through the university."

"Everything you need to know is that this place is my laboratory grounds and usually, it's banned to enter it without my permission," Professor Dylan said coldly. "But considering that you're new here, I'll let it slide for once. Your other questions will be answered by a person to whom I'm leading you. So be kind and save me from unnecessary chatter."

Dave had never spoken with Professor Dylan in his past, yet he hadn't expected that he was that hard to approach. Dave had always thought that he was the one to seem as unapproachable, but Professor was on a whole different level. 'Whoa...Compared to his assistants I overheard back there, he sure doesn't like to talk.'

Walking next to him, Professor Dylan was deeply pondering about something in his mind. Having nothing to do, Dave closely observed him along the way. Normally, Professor Dylan frowned a lot like he was solving a difficult problem in his head. However, sometimes, his cold facial expression would soften a bit as life is breathed in his dead eyes. Well...Professor Dylan was quite an eccentric person.

After five minutes, Dave followed after Professor Dylan through the wide doors and ended up in a large hallway. Students, professors and university staff were walking through the hallway. Although zombies were crawling on the surface, people were peacefully living under them.

Everyone was busy with their own things. Someone was reading a book, while someone was lifting boxes and transporting them somewhere. They should be lucky to end in a place like this. Well, he wanted to see how they would act in front of a zombie.

Observing all the people walking past him, Dave thought that it was quite pathetic of them to live that peacefully when zombies were stepping on their heads. Living in the unknown like nothing happened above them and indulging in their daily activities, if they would keep living like this, they would be useful only as cannon fodder, nothing more.

"We're here." Professor Dylan said waking Dave up from his thoughts.