Just as Kael Voss paused and listened carefully, a sudden loud voice came from the fifth office hall:
"I swear, I really tried my best! I just can't find him!"
Kael was startled—he hadn't expected anyone here—and instinctively hid behind the glass wall.
His reflexive act of hiding even surprised himself. In this desolate city, now a dead zone overrun by the undead, he had only seen three living people so far.
Those three living souls, apart from Scout Finch who was a bit odd, included a woman who had died and another who had gone mad.
So now, encountering another living person, the normal reaction would have been to immediately show himself and greet warmly, saying something like, "It's so good to see another living person."
But Kael, having experienced how unpredictable people could be, instinctively ducked away. Deep inside, a thought flashed through his mind: "Human nature is like a ghost's lair—better to be cautious."
If before the betrayals by Sylvan Viper and Elena Cross, Kael had clung to some hope in humanity, now he carried only a wary suspicion.
Perhaps in this collapsing apocalypse, not only civilization and order are gone, but also human nature itself. We must naturally learn to guard against everything—including other humans.
On the corridor side of the hall, the entire wall was made of glass panels. Where Kael stood, large posters with "Payment Reminder" and other notices covered nearly half the wall.
Though the glass was transparent, in the dim light inside, those in the hall couldn't see Kael standing behind the posters.
Peeking through a narrow gap of less than half an inch between two posters, Kael saw an old man kneeling on the floor. His security uniform was wrinkled, and his face showed nothing but fear.
In front of the old man, on a sofa, sat two women — one around forty, wearing an air of arrogance, the other a young girl about eighteen or nineteen.
At that moment, the older woman stood up and angrily scolded the old man with animated gestures. The younger girl chimed in supportively, their sharp words beating down the old man until he dared not raise his head.
Watching this, anger surged in Kael's chest, almost uncontrollable. The arrogant behavior of the two women instantly reminded him of the treacherous Elena Cross.
For a moment, Kael's mind replaced the two women's faces with Elena's, and his fists clenched tightly, cracking audibly. He was about to burst through the door to teach them a lesson.
But then the old man cautiously said, "It's not that I'm afraid to die. Even if I risk everything, I just can't find your husband."
His tone was submissive, his expression pleading. This made Kael hesitate. Something about the scene felt off, though he couldn't quite place it.
Then the girl snapped indignantly, "Mom, my dad's workplace isn't far from here — just a few streets away. I don't think that old man even went..."
"Huh!"
Hearing this, Kael made a subtle sound in his chest. These two women were mother and daughter. It was rare to have so many from the same family still alive.
Soon the girl went on, "Let me tell you, that old man is just scared and hiding somewhere. Then he comes back and lies, saying he went looking for Dad."
The older woman nodded sharply, "Exactly, Vivienne, you're smart. That's how it is, old man. Tell me, is it?"
...
Kael continued eavesdropping. Though he didn't understand all the details, the daughter was as fierce and sharp-tongued as her mother, despite her youth and beauty.
The old man bowed his head, "Vivienne, I really went looking. It's just too dangerous outside with all the monsters..."
"Shut up! Is Vivienne even your name to call?"
The old man didn't seem to mind the girl's scolding; instead, he smiled wryly: "Vivienne — isn't a name made just to be called?"
At that smile, Kael frowned deeply. Suddenly he understood why something felt wrong. The old man's teeth were white and neat, and his forehead bore few wrinkles.
He looked old but on closer inspection seemed about forty—his constant frowning and white hair made him appear much older, like a sixty-year-old man.
This only tightened Kael's brow further. The man wasn't feeble; judging by his build, though slightly thin, he was definitely stronger than these two women.
So why would this man lower himself so humbly and act so fearful before the mother and daughter?
With this thought, Kael looked again at the so-called old man, and when he smiled, there was a faint, indescribable wickedness around his eyes and brows.
"Slap!"
Just as Kael was pondering, Vivienne suddenly slapped the man hard across the face.
"Ugh, who do you think you are? Don't you dare call me by my name!"
The slap left five finger marks on the man's cheek. A large black mole on his face, with three long hairs growing from it, made him look even more repulsive.
The man covered his cheek and lowered his eyes, a cold glint flickering in them, but he said, "Vivienne, Vivienne, I won't call you that anymore. Please, don't hit me."
Kael watched this, bewildered. The man said he wouldn't call her by name but kept doing so.
Vivienne stamped her foot, "Mom, look at this old creep! We should just kick him out."
The middle-aged woman glared fiercely, "Barry, if Vivienne tells you to stop, then stop. If you don't, I swear I'll kill you!"
Vivienne was unhappy with her mother's approach, loudly asking, "Mom, why not just get rid of him?"
The woman shot her daughter a sharp glare and shook her head slightly. Seeing this, Vivienne pouted and turned away without saying another word.
Kael thought quietly, "Compared to the foolish daughter, the mother is wiser. In the apocalypse, it's so hard for two women to survive. Maybe this Barry Clayton is their only support. If they kicked him out, they probably wouldn't survive."
But Kael found it strange. If the mother understood how important Barry was, why treat him with such disrespect?
At that moment, the woman said, "Barry, tomorrow you have to go again. You must find my husband."
"It's not that I don't want to. There are monsters everywhere outside. Your husband's been trapped for so many days; I think he's probably dead..."
"Barry, don't forget who got you this job!"
The woman stamped her foot, shouting, "Barry, if it weren't for me, do you think you'd be a security guard at the Blackridge Building? You're a wolf in sheep's clothing, heartless and cruel. I must be blind!"
When life and death are at stake, Barry could only whimper. But he still refused to say whether he'd really looked for the husband, apparently genuinely terrified by the outside world.
By now, Kael was bored by this petty scene. He no longer wished to greet anyone, merely stretching and preparing to leave quietly to continue searching for Scout Finch.