Three days had passed since the Esave incident in Kuala Kubu Bharu. Now, Ilyas and Khai were in Tanjung Malim.
Just like the other places they had passed through, Tanjung Malim had also become a dead town. Corpses and monster carcasses were scattered everywhere.
Before nightfall, Ilyas and Khai hurried to find a safe place to rest.
"Stop."
Ilyas told Khai to stop and stay quiet as a pack of Demigons was passing through the tall grass nearby.
"Ilyas, look."
They spotted a woman hiding close to where the Demigon pack was gathered.
The woman tried to peek and see if the Demigons had left. But her foot accidentally kicked a tin can on the ground.
The sound alerted the Demigons to her presence. She bolted, desperately trying to escape the pack that now chased after her.
She slipped into a narrow hiding spot, praying they wouldn't see her.
But without her realizing it, a Crawler had begun creeping toward her. The sound of her breathing drew the creature's attention.
When the woman looked behind her, she screamed in terror—the Crawler was right in front of her eyes.
AAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!
The loud scream sent the Crawler into a frenzy, and in an instant, it killed her.
The scream also drew the attention of the nearby Demigon pack. The Demigons and the Crawler fought savagely over the woman's corpse.
Ilyas and Khai took the opportunity to slip away from the scene.
They arrived at an empty convenience store. Cautiously, they checked the inside to make sure it was safe.
After confirming there were no Demigons or Crawlers around, they finally managed to rest after a long and exhausting journey.
After dinner, Khai turned to Ilyas and asked a question.
"Hey Il... why didn't you help that woman earlier?"
"For what?"
"What do you mean for what? You just stood there and watched someone die right in front of you! With that same blank face!"
"The way of your thinking is still too naive to survive in this cruel world. I could have helped that woman. But then what? What would I have gained from it…?"
"...I wouldn't gain anything. In fact, it would just make things harder for me. That woman would follow me wherever I went...,"
"...She'd become a parasite, draining all the food supplies we have left. You want that to happen?"
Khai fell silent, unable to argue with Ilyas's harsh but logical words.
"You have to remember. The world we live in now has changed 180 degrees. People say that evil comes from the good who have been hurt..."
"...But for me, there's no such thing as a good person in this world. They just hide their evil inside, deep in their hearts..."
"...You'd be lucky if you ever meet someone good, like Tok Chen."
After several minutes of silence between them, Khai broke it by asking Ilyas a question.
"Il."
"What?"
"Who are you, really?"
Ilyas paused for a moment after hearing Khai's question.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Since I've been with you, I feel like something's off about you..."
"...How do you know all this information about the monsters, when the Armageddon just happened less than a month ago?"
"...And one more thing. How were you able to kill that monster, the size of a truck, with just bare hands?" Khai asked, his curiosity piqued.
Ilyas knew that sooner or later, Khai would ask about it. So, he decided to share some information that would shock Khai beyond belief.
"Khai, do you know why this disaster happened?"
"No, why?"
"This disaster happened because of a thick fog that lasted for five days before the Armageddon struck."
"You mean... the thick fog that spread all over the world?"
"Yes... that fog wasn't just any fog. It carried a new kind of virus that could turn people into mindless monsters..."
"...This virus becomes active when the Earth's temperature reaches a maximum of 50 degrees Celsius. When that temperature is hit, some people experience a phenomenon called 'monsterization'..."
"...That's why so many people turn into monsters at noon..."
"...I don't know why there's some people don't change during that time. But if I had to guess, those who don't change probably have stronger antibodies. But even with strong antibodies..."
"The virus is still in our bodies," Khai continued, now understanding the bigger picture behind the Armageddon.
"Yes."
Khai seemed almost unable to believe what Ilyas was saying.
"So, if we get bitten or die, we'll turn into a Demigon? Like in The Walking Dead?" Khai asked.
"No. The virus inside the bodies of those who survived monsterization remains inactive..."
"...So even if you die or get bitten by a Demigon, you won't turn into one…"
"… One more thing, they turned into monsters, not zombies. So don't go comparing everything that's happening now with all those zombie movies you've watched."
"Oh... but, How did you get so strong that you could kill all the Demigons in the mall that day..."
"...Didn't you say the other day that it takes three armed soldiers just to bring down a single demigon?" Khai asked.
"This virus can transform almost all humans into monsters, and gives them abilities beyond human comprehension..."
"...But have you ever thought..."
"...What if we, the humans who didn't transform, have abilities that are on par with those monsters?"
"Huh?"
Ilyas stood up and grabbed a stone the size of his palm from the ground. He placed the stone in the palm of his hand.
"Look at this stone."
Ilyas clenched the stone with just a bit of force. In an instant, the stone shattered into dust in the grip of an ordinary human hand.
Khai was shocked by what he had just witnessed.
"Whoa. How did you manage to crush that stone?"
"The world's environment has changed after the Armageddon. Even though we didn't turn into Demigons, this virus has been inside us since the first day the thick fog appeared..."
"...After the Armageddon, some of the people who didn't turn into Demigons still have the virus inside them..."
"...Because of that, the body will slowly adapt to the changed environment of the Earth..."
"...Now, this virus isn't just in the bodies of living creatures, it's everywhere. It's in the water, the fire, the soil, the trees—even in the oxygen we're breathing right now."
"But how were you able to take control of it?"
"Have you ever seen fantasy comics?" Ilyas asked.
"Yeah. A lot."
"This virus is similar to 'mana' in fantasy worlds. If you learn to control it, you can use it like magic."
"Wow! Teach me how to control this virus, please!" Khai eagerly asked.
"Tomorrow morning."
Hearing this made Khai's face, which was once full of excitement, immediately scrunch up in disappointment.
"Eh~ why not now?"
"It's already midnight. We've been walking nonstop. You think I'm not tired...?"
"...Tomorrow morning, wake up early, around 4. Don't make me wake you up. Learn to get up on your own first."
"Ugh. Fine," Khai responded in a sulking tone.
Khai quickly went to his bed and fell asleep. After making sure Khai was asleep, Ilyas stepped outside for a moment.
Ilyas spotted a few Demigons patrolling nearby. He intentionally revealed himself in front of them.
The Demigons saw Ilyas and immediately charged at him.
"Alright, let's clear my mind with this."
Ilyas killed each of the Demigons attacking him, one by one, without breaking a sweat.
In just a few minutes, all the Demigons that attacked were dead at Ilyas's hands.
After slaughtering all the Demigons, Ilyas then sat down on the pile of Demigon corpses.
"Even though I know what their fate will be if they head south, my mind still isn't at ease..."
"...I wonder what their situation is like now."Ilyas asked, gazing at the beautiful full moon.
Meanwhile, at a shelter in Kuala Lumpur, the soldiers were bringing back a few survivors.
"Hurry! Hurry! Get all the survivors inside!"
The survivors were then given food, drinks, and blankets by the soldiers.
Kamal and Ammar joined in helping distribute the food and drinks while also searching for Ilyas among the survivors.
Lilia then went to a tent where Aira was staying.
Her face appeared pale and gloomy, her eyes, once full of life, now empty, as if they had lost their light. She stood still, directionless, carrying a deep sadness after losing the one person she loved most.
Lilia called out to Aira.
"Aira, the soldiers brought in the survivors. Maybe we can find Ilyas among them!"
Upon hearing this, Her eyes sparkled with hope. Aira quickly left her tent and headed toward the crowd of survivors.
The survivors were then examined to see if they showed any signs of monsterization.
After that, they were quarantined for a week in a place far from the public, to avoid any chaos.
Aira, accompanied by Lilia, approached Kamal and Ammar, who had just finished their tasks, to ask about Ilyas's whereabouts.
"Kamal, Ammar. Did you see Ilyas earlier?" Lilia asked.
Aira hoped for good news, but Kamal and Ammar shook their heads.
Aira felt sad and hopeless, thinking that Ilyas was gone. Seeing Aira lose hope, Lilia tried to comfort her.
"Aira..."
"I'm sorry, Lilia... could you leave me alone for a while?"
Aira said that even though she wore a smile on her face, her heart was aching from the loss of Ilyas.
Lilia agreed to her friend's request. Aira walked away and returned to her tent.
Kamal, Ammar, and Lilia were left feeling worried about Aira's mental state, which seemed to be deteriorating.
"I feel sorry for Aira," said Lilia.
"What can we do? Ilyas has been her friend since they were kids." Ammar replied.
"Kamal, do you think Ilyas is... gone?" Lilia asked.
Kamal paused to think for a moment.
"If you ask me, it's highly unlikely Ilyas could have survived an explosion that big…"
"… But..."
Kamal remembered how Ilyas had taken down nearly all the monsters at the school back then.
"...I believe Ilyas is still alive. All we can do now is hope for a miracle."
Kamal, Ammar, and Lilia held onto the hope that Ilyas was still alive out there, somewhere.
Elsewhere, Khai—fast asleep—began having a strange dream.
"Ergh... Ilyas. Don't... eat that food. That's... our last bit of food..."