Oscar looked at Lee with a surprised expression. He could still remember Lee's wild fight against Rono, the short-faced bear, and the power Lee displayed in that encounter had been beyond what a human should possess. This development shocked Oscar greatly. He thought, 'He grows stronger and more mature with each fight he faces. Who the hell are you, Lee?'

Oscar voiced his amazement, saying, "Wow, he's gotten stronger since the last time I saw him."

The two girls managed to take down another big bird that had flown in through the window. Ira shot the bird several times, severely injuring it, while Jan approached and swung her Machta, creating a large wound on the bird's body. The bird died a few seconds later.

Lee then reminded them of their primary objective, saying, "Okay, now that we've taken care of the birds, we have to get the key. Let's go and retrieve those stupid keys."

However, Oscar stopped Lee, saying, "Wait a second, Lee."

Lee asked impatiently, "What, Oscar? We have to hurry and get the keys to get us out of here."

Oscar cautioned, "I know we have to hurry, but look around you, Lee. We're too tired to get the keys."

Lee observed Jan and Ira, noting that Jan was still breathing heavily from their previous running and fighting, while Ira, though in better shape, had a headache from the concentration required when using her guns. She had to be accurate to avoid hitting the doctors who were nearby while targeting the vital spots on the birds.

Realizing his mistake, Lee lowered his head, feeling ashamed of his previous request. Oscar comforted him by placing his large hand on Lee's shoulder, saying, "It's okay, Lee. You're still new to this leadership thing. Let's rest for an hour and then continue to get the keys."

Lee nodded, agreeing to Oscar's suggestion.

After an hour of rest, Oscar got up and headed towards the exit. Jan, noticing this, ran after him, while Ira turned to Lee and asked, "Are you coming, Lee?"

Lee responded, "Yes, just a minute."

Before leaving, Lee turned to the doctor, smiling warmly, and said, "Thank you for all your help, Doc."

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The doctor returned the smile warmly and offered some parting words. "Be careful out there, kid."

Lee nodded in acknowledgment and then joined his friends.

Lee reopened the map and began discussing their next steps. "Okay, from what I see, we're on the second floor."

Jan pointed out a problem, saying, "But there's an issue. We don't know where Adam went."

Oscar added, "If I were him, I'd go to a safe place like a bunker until the situation calms down."

Ira agreed, "You're right, Oscar. But according to this map, there's no bunker in this building at all."

Lee closely examined the map and spotted a location that caught his attention. He pointed to it and said, "Wait, what about here?"

Oscar looked at the spot that Lee had marked and inquired, "This is the lab area in the basement. Why would Adam go there?"

Lee reasoned, "He's the head professor here, right? So, the lab area here falls under his area of responsibility. Maybe he created a hidden bunker there without anyone knowing."

Oscar, Ira, and Jan were shocked by Lee's deduction.

Ira looked at Lee and said, "You might be right, Lee. But there's only one way to find out – we need to go there and check it out for ourselves."

Oscar wore a worried expression as he added, "But there's another problem we have to face. To get to the lab area from where we are, we need to go through the lobby of the building, which is on the first floor, where the main entrance of the building is located."

Oscar took a deep breath and continued, "In the best-case scenario, the animals are still fighting the people in the lobby. In the worst-case scenario, they've already lost, and countless animals have entered the building by now. So, there's a big chance we'll encounter deadly wild animals that want to eat us there."

Ira chimed in, "Let's hope they're still holding their own and fighting the beasts. After we get there, we'll need to go down in the elevators to the lab's area."

Lee addressed his teammates, saying, "Keep yourselves ready for any battle that may come, guys. It's going to be tough."

Ira tightly held her two guns, Oscar clutched his axe, and Jan gripped her Machta.

Lee focused on the stairs in front of him and said, "Okay, let's go down."

Lee, Ira, Jan, and Oscar descended the stairs to the first floor.

As they moved downstairs, the smell of blood grew stronger. Several dead bodies lay in pools of blood on the stairs, bearing claw marks and showing signs of violence. Some dead animal bodies were also present, including the big birds they had fought earlier, as well as wolves and wild boars.

The sounds of gunshots became increasingly intense with each step they took downstairs.

Voices echoed in the hallways:

"Watch out, they're coming!"

"Shit, no matter how many I kill, they just keep coming!"

"Less talk, more killing, guys!"

These voices belonged to the men who were desperately fighting against the deadly beasts that had entered from the entrance. Occasionally, screams of pain pierced the air, signaling that another unfortunate soul had become prey to these relentless creatures.