Looking behind Han, Jade turned her attention at the other members of his and Jackie's team. She first directed her sight on Jackie's team, saying, "Though I'm fairly certain Han knows what he's doing, with inviting a green group like your's, I want to make it clear that this isn't going to be a leisurely excursion in the outside world. Even my team hasn't been far from the university, mainly focusing on guarding this place when it's our turn, but we've dealt with things you guys could only imagine from your nightmares."

Han kept his back to everyone as he faced Jade. Using his ability, he took a look at Jackie's group. They hadn't engaged their helmets yet, so he was able to take this moment to gauge their facial reactions to Jade's words. What Han found interesting was not Jae-Hwa's reaction but the others aside from Hina. Even more interesting was seeing how Jade reacted to Jackie's group. Take a quick peek through her helmet, Han saw that Jade thought something was odd about the group.

"From what I've heard, Jackie was it, you've had some experiences outside of the facility?" Jade asked, her forehead creased as she was trying to figure out a puzzle.

While keeping an eye on Jade's expression, Han decided to look back at Jackie's group.

Jackie nodded her head at Jade's inquiry. "My group has been on the road, and before reaching this place, we encountered the creatures you, guys here, call Modified Humans. It was like something out of a horror story, their appearance and abilities." Her shoulders shuddered as if remembering something. "I floored the accelerator, but they were still able to keep up with us."

The others were having similar expressions, though the sheet-white expression on Jae-Hwa's face let him know how devastating the experience was for their group. Looking at Ruby and Ivy, they had looks of sympathy from their own experience inside of the van before Han found them. Hina placed a hand on Jae-Hwa's shoulder in a reassuring manner, and from the slight trembling smile on Jae-Hwa's face, it was appreciated.

"You sure about that one?" Steve commented, seeing the way Jae-Hwa looked like she was going to faint.

Han turned to Steve and the rest of Jade's group. "She should be okay, I think? Hina seems to have bonded with her, and she's good enough to look out for both herself and that girl." Moving a little closer to Steve, he mentioned the second part not wanting to damage the girl's confidence.

Steve's sister, Lexi, moved closer to Han and Steve. In her usual callous voice, she said, "I'm more curious about the others in that group. When our Team Lead was talking about nightmares, likely to be found out there, none of them really flinched." Lowering her voice, she continued, "Something seems to be a bit off with them, at least that's what my senses are telling me."

Hearing his sister's words, Steve frowned thoughtfully. "I think our Leader also noticed such things. It looks like they've been on the road longer than that girl has, so they may just have more experience, comparably."

"You thinking it may be something bad?" Han inquired.

Lexi tilted her head slightly as if mulling over something. "I just think that I'll have to keep an eye out for them."

Han nodded his head at Lexi's words. With the skills, they've picked up from scouting, he knew that Jade's team was no longer the same semi-professional team they were before the world had collapsed. It wasn't unusual that they would be able to pick up on subtle behaviors, which could be annoying at times. He could think of numerous times where Lexi would be calmly looking at him, whenever he was in view inside of the facility. It was as if she could tell that he was something foreign inside of this world, though it was akin to the feeling when you have something at the tip of your tongue.

"We've taken enough time. I want to head out before it gets too dark." Jade yelled out at everyone, getting their attention.

There was a look of grim determination on his team's faces, before being covered by the suit's helmet. Han saw Jennifer fiddle with the armored straps on her shoulders, making the pack on her back shift slightly.

Using the comm system, he sent her a private message asking, "You okay, sis?"

"I guess, I'm just a little nervous about my first overnight mission on this new world," she said, the training they had received coming through her voice, keeping it calm and steady. "Wearing this pack is throwing me off a bit, but I guess that's the reason we have to do this."

"It'll be okay. You have everyone here to watch your back, especially mom and me." Han reassured her. A part of him wanted to walk over to his sister and give her a hug, but he thought it would defeat her efforts so far. Even his mother only gave Jennifer a light pat on the shoulder, understanding that Jennifer overcoming her cold feet would be good for her.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

His mother seemed to be doing a better job at assimilating the typical butterflies a person feels when exposed to something new.

Sensing he was thinking of her, his mother said to him, "Don't worry, Han. I'll keep an eye out with Jennifer."

It never stopped surprising him how his mother was able to sense what he was thinking. The power of being a mother was an impressive ability, even inside of this upside down world.

Jade and her team divided themselves into two groups, where Jade, Kimberly, and another member led the front. Lexi and Steve were with two other members in the back.

Considering they had more experience being outside, in addition to their skills in the Arena, Jade's team was in charge of making sure nothing surprised their group. Jade and Kimberly were the more senior in the group so they could concentrate mainly on what was happening in the front while deciding on the direction they went. The additional members were borrowed from other teams that had extra members and had experience working with Jade's group.

Han could tell that the one member in the front was a woman, while the other two were male. Judging by how they moved, the three new members were skilled and not to be underestimated. They reminded him of those evil corporations that had special operation security units that had members that were deadly. It was a good thing to have them for their purposes, especially without knowing what was out there.

"We're going to pick up the pace, so don't plan to walk for some time," Jade announced to the group as they began to increase the pace.

As they were running through the campus, Han was reminded of past memories.

"It feels like when we first arrived at the facility," Ivy mentioned to the group.

Ruby giggled, "I remember you panting as you tried to keep up with the Captain."

Ivy snorted, "I remember you looking like you were going to pass out before reaching the facility."

There was a giggling sound from Harmony, from hearing the two going through their typical banter.

"It feels like a typical training session, hearing the two of you," Grace commented and laughed in response to hearing Harmony's giggling.

Han enjoyed hearing his group of friends and family getting into their usual groove. In front of him, Kimberly quickly glanced back at them talking to one another and use a hand to tap on Jade's shoulder.

The two of them seemed to be talking to one another, with Jade making nodding motions and a slight shake of her head. They didn't comment on the tomfoolery going on, though this was likely due to them still being inside of the campus and the two thinking such talks were more helpful than detrimental.

As Han continued to listen to his group's discussion, now joined by Jackie's group, he kept an eye out for their surroundings. They were going away from the route they first took when coming from the mall. Instead of going towards the main road, they seemed to be heading away from civilization. This meant that they were going through the bulk of the university.

On top of the buildings were players in pairs, likely assigned by their team leader. The unsettling part of the campus was how all the buildings were abandoned. Only the guards on duty hinted at what this place used to be. Han thought it was interesting how all the fountains were emptied of water and wondered if this was decided to eliminate standing water. Various disease-carrying insects used standing water for breeding grounds, so getting rid of such things would make sense.

It was then that he noticed how all the windows were bricked up, not allowing people to see into the buildings.

All these precautions made him wonder if it was just simple precautions or if it was related to Jade's words. He had gone through scenarios that depicted the Modified Humans, but maybe there was something else going on that he wasn't aware of. He was trying to remember if such things were prevalent when they first followed Becky that day.

In front of them was the border of the campus that had an increased number of people patrolling, some walking on the ground while others were jumping from rooftop to rooftop. There was a definite feeling of apprehension in the air, the silence in their group indicating the others sensing the same mood. Beyond the campus, Han noticed something that was different from the last time they were outside.

"Is it just me or do those trees look larger?" Jackie asked no one in particular.