The attic wasn't large, only about 40-50 square meters.
To the left of the window, near the wall, there was a dark passage, which must have been the one discovered on the second floor earlier.
When Shawn looked, there were three people in the attic.
Two women and one man, the man was lying on the bed, his face somewhat pale.
His left arm was wrapped in a blood-stained bandage, and his forearm was gone.
A woman with curly, wavy hair had her back to Shawn.
And behind the wall near the side of the passage, a young Asian woman with a high ponytail and a compound bow stood vigilantly.
Apparently, she was the one who shot that arrow earlier.
Song Yoon-ah Reference
Shawn truly hadn't expected that with Walkers still present in the library, they could stay in the attic so quietly; where did they usually go up from?
However, as this thought flashed through his mind, Shawn saw the blonde with wavy hair retreat towards the window in fear, and he didn't intend to waste this good opportunity to control them.
It was inconvenient to use long-handled weapons here, so Shawn formed his fingers into a claw and lunged at her!
Clang--!
The glass shattered in response, and then attracted by the sound, the Asian woman also appeared.
Her eyebrows furrowed, but she saw her companion's neck tightly held by a large hand, unable to move no matter how she struggled.
"Shh--"
"Don't move, or you'll die."
Shawn held her neck, pressing her against the glass shards embedded in the window.
Perhaps feeling the stinging sensation on her skin, the woman with wavy hair stopped struggling, but the heartbeat from her carotid artery told Shawn that she was extremely nervous at this moment.
'Just this level of psychological fortitude?'
Shawn found it a bit strange and silently lowered their threat level by one notch.
Then, he looked at the Asian woman leaning against the wall not far away.
"Drop your weapon, or you'll all die."
Shawn's tone wasn't heavy, merely stating the inevitable outcome they faced as a matter of course.
"Yun'er, save me."
The woman with wavy hair was trembling with fear, tears welling up in her eyes, about to cry out.
The Asian woman, called Yun'er, was somewhat unwilling, but when she looked at the controlled woman with wavy hair, and then at the amputated man lying on the bed, after a moment of hesitation, she dropped the compound bow in her hand.
"Daryl! Come up!"
Shawn shouted, and then footsteps sounded as a group of people rushed up.
They were all burly men, instantly filling the already small attic space.
Daryl, in a hunting stance, kicked the compound bow away with his foot, his eyes constantly on Yun'er, his gaze lingering on the quiver on her back for a moment.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Shawn released the woman with wavy hair, propping himself on the window sill with both hands, supporting his body to avoid the glass fragments, and landed nimbly.
He brushed off the broken glass remaining on the back of his hand; the gloves, part of his suit, kept his palm perfectly intact.
It was only after seeing Shawn's series of actions that a flicker of understanding crossed Song Yoon-ah's eyes.
With such a strong and agile body, it was no wonder he could sneak up on them so quietly.
"I was the one who shot you earlier. Let them go, and I'll go with you."
Song Yoon-ah didn't collapse like the woman with wavy hair; she still maintained her composure.
Shawn grinned at her: "You are all my spoils of war, so whether you are released or kept is not up to you, it's up to me."
Song Yoon-ah's face paled a few shades.
She hadn't given up; she still wanted to find a way to escape.
But when Shawn brought them to the location of the convoy, when she saw the number of survivors, even more exaggerated than a Walker horde, she couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.
In front of such a force, even if she had a car, she wouldn't get far; she would always be caught and brought back.
"Thank goodness you're finally back."
Diana came forward; even with Elynn's assistance, those Zealots still gave her a headache.
"We can prepare to depart. Find me an empty vehicle."
Shawn looked at her.
The 900-odd people caused supplies to be consumed very quickly, and several vehicles were already empty, perfect for holding these three individuals.
After giving his instructions, Shawn looked up and saw Jessie among the crowd.
She was wearing a denim jacket, and when her eyes met Shawn's, she smiled, a certain indescribable charm about her.
Shawn returned her smile, both of them very happy.
However, this scene, witnessed by Pete nearby, made him a little unhappy.
With a dark expression, he pulled Jessie back into the car.
The wheels slowly moved. This time, Shawn uncharacteristically didn't get on the fire truck, but instead went into the back of the empty cargo truck where the three were confined.
When the vehicle stopped again, Shawn emerged from inside, having already figured out the identities of the three.
All three were students from 'University of South Carolina,' and since the apocalypse, they had been hiding in the attic to avoid Walkers.
The Asian woman was named Song Yoon-ah, Korean, and a sports student specializing in compound bow.
The woman with wavy hair was named Zoe, the vice-captain of the college cheerleading squad.
The man who had been unconscious on the bed was named Jack, also a sports student specializing in compound bow, and also the star archer of the college.
He and the wavy-haired Zoe were a couple.
However, shortly before Shawn and the others arrived, Jack was bitten by a Walker, so they tried a desperate measure and amputated his arm.
"It seems he won't be able to hold a bow anymore."
Shawn said, looking up.
Before them was the State Library, located further south in Columbia City, which was also convenient.
Following the previous rhythm, about two hours later, when the sky darkened, Shawn emerged with 61 newly collected magazines.
Getting into the car, everyone drove through the night towards Georgia.
Shawn, meanwhile, sat in the car, his eyes half-closed.
With the massive increase in numbers, he no longer needed to drive himself.
The Zealots considered serving Shawn an honor, and someone would take the driver's seat of the fire truck without Shawn even needing to speak.
Indeed, there was a crowd of people in the back seats, eager for the chance to drive Shawn next.
And Shawn, with his eyes half-closed, began to tally his gains from this trip.
...
59 copies found on the first floor of the university library.
23 copies found on the second floor.
61 copies found in the State Library.
So, a total of 143 copies!
From the initial activation of the seven days to die system until yesterday, Shawn's backpack had never contained such a significant number of magazines.
This almost made up for all the magazines that were missing before the system was fully activated.
However, through this, Shawn could confirm that perhaps the rule for upgrading using magazines later might not be one magazine for 5 levels, as it was initially.
Because Shawn saw many highly duplicated names among the magazines in the system backpack.
These duplicates already exceeded the maximum limit of the magazine's level.
"But it doesn't matter."
"I found 143 copies this time. When I return to Georgia, I'll find time to search again. Am I afraid I won't be able to raise my magazine level?"
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