[126 -> 109 / 126 Hp]
There was a large damage gap between Vincent's Hellfire Bullets and the katana from Cutting Edge, which was made for display, not battle.
The bullets could kill a lvl 2 rabbit with three shots to its head, but the katana barely made a significant impact despite his ambush.
Vincent took this into account. He didn't push his luck and jumped back, dodging the wild strike from the rabbit as it turned around.
It was on the verge of a frenzy, stimulated by rage and the creeping presence of its fellow monsters gradually joining the area.
They exchanged five strikes within half a minute, with Vincent successfully dodging all of them while the rabbit ended up tanking every hit.
[Frost Rabbit lvl 2][80 / 126 Hp]
[Vincent* lvl 4][28 / 28(43) Hp]
Both sides parted by about three meters, weighing their options and considering if it was worth it.
They were staring into each other's eyes while keeping track of the faintest body movements.
This was the smartest rabbit Vincent had encountered so far.
Whenever Vincent saw the rabbit looking in a direction, contemplating a strike in that area, he would shift his sword and feet, ready to dodge or parry.
Ten seconds passed with them repeating this, and their only spectator, Ahmad, was utterly confused.
But Vincent felt as if they had already exchanged another five strikes, and though he had confidence he would win, he feared he wouldn't have enough health left to face the incoming monsters.
It looked like the rabbit arrived at the same conclusion.
Slowly backing off, it waited to see if Vincent had the mind to stop it. Seeing Vincent hold his ground, it sharply turned and bolted, almost hopping instead of running.
Vincent didn't relax. He let Ahmad down before pushing him towards the entrance.
"Make a single noise and I'm leaving you outside."
Ahmad shook his head frantically, zipping his mouth to show his understanding while scrambling to enter the building.
They both crouched the instant they were inside. Vincent locked the door before they moved slowly towards the living room.
The thudding of multiple footsteps soon surrounded them, distorted chipping noises of the Numb Rats cutting through the night.
Vincent could tell it was a large pack—a horde—and his muscles went taut. He had yet to see them behave like actual rats, and he internally prayed they wouldn't start chewing through the walls.
Ahmad was met by the barrel of a gun when they entered the living room, and he quickly put his hands up in surrender.
The professor was sweating, eyes trembling as he checked behind Ahmad, hoping he wouldn't have to pull the trigger.
The tension quickly eased as soon as Vincent's figure appeared.
Noises from the pack outside suddenly grew louder, the commotion stirring some of Vincent's party awake. But as the system wasn't done installing, they were quickly pulled back into a deep sleep.
'Fuck, so I can't even wake them up if we have to run?'
The situation grew dire.
Vincent found Palya's notebook and used it to explain the situation to the professor.
The blood drained from his face right away. After a day of watching the party depend on their leader, the professor found himself subconsciously looking at Vincent, waiting for an answer.
Vincent would have been taken aback in the past. Besides the memories of his biological father, Garret and the professor usually took on the father figure.
But Vincent was getting used to seeing those eyes.
Within the hour, the three men and the elemental husky stared at the door, almost boring a hole through it.
Finnley understood the situation, and Vincent was thankful it hadn't started growling.
The horde of Numb Rats stayed for a total of two hours.
An agonizingly long time that left the three men exhausted from the strained tension.
It should have been safe to speak in whispers, but Vincent's over-cautiousness kicked in.
The professor insisted on taking the night watch as he figured Vincent needed the rest, so to make sure their guest wouldn't try anything funny, the gun was left in the professor's hands.
Ahmad was tied up and obediently complied. He stayed in the other corner, grateful for the warmth that slowly eased his frozen form.
Sleep didn't find him, however, as the outbreak had ground away any sense of security.
The noises from multiple packs of monsters passing the area also didn't help.
By dawn, he was woken up by the sound of a gun clicking.
Angel was squatting a meter away, rotating the chamber of her revolver, clicking it into place, and repeating the process. When she noticed his stare, she swiftly fixed her gun and pointed it at his temple.
"You can start talking. I'll have you know I'm the least patient person in this team. I haven't proven it yet, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to be the first example."
Ahmad's heart trembled, the drowsiness instantly vanishing.
Looking behind Angel, he noticed the entire team had woken up, save for Vincent and the professor who had gone back to sleep.
They were silent. Some looked focused as they checked the new interface permanently stuck in their visions, while others openly stared at him.
Shocked, Ahmad found his throat locked up.
He had been too far away to notice the cohesiveness of the team. But he could feel it now.
One wrong answer and if his brains wouldn't be blown to bits by the girl before him, he'd be beaten to death by the rest.
"I—I don't have any malicious intentions."
"You don't get to decide that. I do. Continue."
Ahmad suddenly felt pressured. It would have been better if she started asking questions, but the only thing she told him to do was talk.
"I mean no harm, really. We were heading back to our base when my partner got ambushed. I-I meant to use the flare for defense... I'm sorry."
Angel didn't say anything, but her stare was pointed.
Ahmad's shoulders grew heavier in response. He had hoped he could save his meagre life with this little lie, but Angel didn't look convinced.
If this team wouldn't kill him, he was sure Joseph would find a way to get him into an accident—that was why he tried to salvage the situation.
'Fuck, why wasn't I a woman?! I wouldn't have minded selling my body by now!'
The silence stretched.
The longer it went on, the clearer it became that Angel didn't buy his excuse.
"P-Please, I don't want to die."
"So why are you lying?" Angel rolled her eyes. "You think just because you blended perfectly with the crowd yesterday, none of us would recognize you?"
Understanding came like a wave crashing. Any other thoughts disappeared as Ahmad went limp, sighing as he leaned against the wall—appearing as if he wanted to disappear into it.
"I didn't know I was busted already. Normal people don't usually remember my face, you know? What's more, there were about twenty of us yesterday."
"Well, we aren't normal." Angel shrugged, but that was the last of her comments.
No matter what topic Ahmad used to steer her attention elsewhere—the arsenal the University group gathered, for example—her eyes and aim didn't waver.
His mouth had gone dry from yapping, and a couple of people's stomachs had started growling.
"Goddamn, he talks, but my stomach is louder. Hey, Angel. Just stab the guy and let him bleed so you can start cooking." Daniel rubbed at his stomach, his face scrunching.
"Oh yeah, I have a sword! I wasn't shooting 'cuz Cents is still asleep."
Angel took out her sword naturally, as if she had long known how to use the system's inventory.
Ahmad was alarmed.
"W-Wait wait, what do you want to know? Just ask the question and I'll answer!"
"Tch, I told you to talk, so talk!"
Angel looked impatient. She stood with her stiletto dagger in hand, abruptly taking a step forward and making a move to stab Ahmad's head.
"No—it was Joseph!!!"
Ahmad closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
But after a while, the handle of the dagger bonked his head instead, causing him to look up in shock.
Angel looked exasperated, the blade now resting on her shoulder.
"We know, you twat! What else?!"
"H-huh? Well, he told us to gather information about the team…"
"And?"
"And? H-He didn't give a follow-up command."
"Were you ready to kill someone?"
"What?! I'm a scout! That's the frontliner's job!"
"Then why the fuck are you being stupid and withholding information??"
Angel was so angry that she discarded her gun and dagger, gripping Ahmad's collar instead and violently shaking him.
She looked ready to give him a black eye.
"B-Because I was spying! No scouts ever come back after being discovered! It's the apocalypse!"
At this point, Ahmad's nerves had been through an ordeal unlike anything in his time at the University. He started yapping about how the team looked from his perspective and assumed they were just like any other group here in Regina.
Angel rolled her eyes again, but her anger had dissipated.
She pushed him back to the ground, picked up her weapons, and walked back to the party, who were now obviously looking at Ahmad with pity in their eyes.
Even Daniel, who had suggested letting him bleed to death, looked like he understood the guy's pain.
Honestly, everyone was just playing along with Angel's interrogation. In terms of human body count, the team had a big fat zero and a bleached conscience.
But since Angel wanted to confirm it for herself so Vincent didn't have to, the whole act happened.