Into the Zombie World

After that small squabble, the group of four returned to their previous position. The assassin, the scout, the mount, and the 'support' was just about to leave the area when they heard a rustling noise from the distance. 

Maximo and Nile and was the first to notice the commotion. For Nile, it was because he's already a level two being and was even now approaching the late stages of it hence increasing his hearing capability. Paired up with the enhanced Instant Adapter talent, noticing a commotion tens of meters away is not really a problem for him. 

As for Maximo, he was a cautious animal by nature and even went to upgrade as a tank to avoid hurting himself, hence, at its next evolution, he must have decided to enhance his hearing capability. That way, he would always be prepared for what's coming as he will already hear the danger even if it's still far from him. 

The next who noticed the rustling was Ogis. He's already atop the tree so aside from hearing the commotion, he was also able to spot the source of it without any problem. 

Croco being the last to notice the commotion couldn't help but be wary while blending into the surroundings. He might be the last to notice but compared to other mutated animals within their level, he could confidently say he wouldn't be the third in terms of noticing dangers. 

Even though Croco was the last to notice it, he actually wasn't disheartened by that fact as he knew that it isn't his job to notice a disturbance first. His job was to kill silently, leaving no traces as while retreating. He is an assassin, a Crocosassin. 

Ogis hurriedly reported what he saw to Nile. Ogis described it as two human male with huge backpacks. They were also carrying mutated weapons. The weapons were either hung on their waist or were attached to their back. Ogis also reported that the two human male had considerable strength. Of course, by using his own analogy method, Ogis said that his master is stronger than the two combined. 

Nile nodded his head in appreciation to what Ogis had just said. 'It's good that you know!' 

He then instructed them one by one on what they should do. 

"Ogis, monitor them and immediately report if something unusual happened. Croco, stay hidden and try to condense your presence as little as possible. For you Max… just continue to be my mount." 

For starters, Maximi had such a huge body that even though he wanted to hide him it would still be impossible. However, it also works as a favor for him as he could sit atop Maximo comfortably without worry. Ogis still hasn't fully recovered but diving with fast speed was no longer a problem for him. So, if a fight breaks out, he wants to let Croco take care of it, and if not he could also send Maximo, and if it's still not enough, then Ogis would be the backup, and he was there too.

Although Ogis said that the two humans were weaker than him, the same could still not be said comparing them to Croco and Maximo. He could only confirm their strength if they are on sight and are close enough for the System Stats function to be used. 

Anyways, it's still not apparent if a fight would break out. And Nile wanted to avoid trouble as far as possible. Especially to humans, where he could gain nothing while killing them. Fighting with zombies, animals and even hybrids could bring him a profit, the human survivors on the other hand are only capable of making trouble for him. Investment with no returns. 

Nile decided to wait for the two on the spot. Judging by their sneaky behavior while constantly scanning the area around them, he could right away tell that they are experienced in this kind of situation. 'They must be retired scouts.' He thought. 

As the two were moving at snail speed, Nile could only rely on Ogis' report to monitor the two's movement. He was also against the notion of using the 360° sensor, it costs a lot. As long as he could withstand just a little more time, the two would sooner or little be within his sight. 

Indeed, after a while, the two really did emerge. They were so focused on following the trail that they didn't notice that they are already in an open area. 

Nile was sitting on a boulder while Maximo laid beside that same huge boulder. He stared at the two middle-aged men with buff physiques and observed them closely and carefully. After a while, he already manages to determine their current level. 

'Ogis was right, the two of them are indeed weaker than him. They are currently at the midstage of level two humans. Let's hear what they want first.'

"What are you looking for?" He asked in a loud voice as he stared at the two newcomers.

The two were still busy moving along with the track at snail speed and didn't notice that their target had already appeared in front of them. Earlier, they noticed that the bended grass had already started to look like it was just bended. So instead of hurrying, the two decided to slow down while still following the trail.

And then, they heard a plain voice ahead of them. The voice startled the two of them like frightened cats, they hurriedly took a step back and scan their surroundings again to locate the soul who had spoken. 

Without delay, the two spotted the source of the voice a few meters away. It was a man clad in black with red lines as decoration. The man was also wearing a creepy black mask that felt like it was giving them a threat after seeing it. 

He was seated atop the boulder and beside him, they could also see a huge monster lying beside the boulder. The huge monster also stared at them like it was already eyeing them as food rather than as a human. 

The two gulp a mouthful of saliva. Fortunately, Burge was able to calm his turmoiled emotion in such a situation. It was commendable.

Using a polite tone he said, "Join our faction…"

"No, I mean, could you please join our faction. We knew that you are strong and as you don't have a blue bandana we could assume that you are independent. To be honest, even though you are strong, it's still very hard to survive in this zombie and hybrid-infested town. But with a companion to look out your back, you would at least have a higher chance of survival." Burge did his best to explain the advantages of joining their faction. 

He explained a lot. On the other hand, Nile didn't even bother to think about it as he hurriedly declined Burge's offer. "I must apologize but I don't intend to join a group." He said confidently. 

Burge and Damian were taken aback by his refusal. Burge even promised Nile something like having the monopoly of level one and two apocalypse virus that he manages to kill, which unlike them who need to report it to the leader directly. 

On Damian's side, he even thought he was dreaming. In fact, he was also startled by Burge's decision to recruit this unknown man so suddenly and even offering him such valuable and good offers. What was even more shocking is that the other party seems to not care about it and still nonchalantly stares at them. 

"If it were me in your shoes, I would surely agree without hesitation." Even though he didn't know why, Damian still decided to trust Burge's decision. Hence he decided to do a little advertising towards Nile.

"Nope... I still refuse." He said without any emotion in his voice. But the two could definitely feel that he was disappointed. 

"I see. Could you give us a reason why you don't wanna join?" Burge said. As far as he knew, it was already the best offer throughout the whole town of Daan that he could think of. Still for him to reject it, he must've had his reasons. 

"Hmmm? It's simple really, what you offered, I could get it myself. I also felt that your group would only hinder my progress." Nile replied, still with a deadpan expression under his mask. 

"No, you wouldn't be hindered at all, we can give you your own dwelling to focus on absorbing apocalypse virus, you don't need to fight every day, as long as you help us during crisis, it would be enough." Burge hurriedly said.

Nile could only shook his head upon hearing that piece. 'That's precisely why I would be hindered by your group. Instead of killing zombies to gain stats points and apocalypse points, you actually want me to just stay inside a house while being fed with apocalypse virus? How laughable.'

"Forget it, you wont understand even if I explain it to you!" Nile said while shaking his head. The idea of being fed with apocalypse virus was actually not a bad idea. However, he knew that it wasn't the right way. 

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Thanks for reading guyss...