The sewers were large concrete pipes, around 10-15 meters in width and height—following what appeared to be a Downhill Cave system. The downhill structure of the sewers caused the current in it to become lightning-fast.

David very skillfully steered the little two-person boat on which they sat, traversing the rapid currents of the sewers.

He didn't need much effort to maneuver the rowing boat, just some minuscule touches to the water using the oar here and there—keeping the boat in a straight line.

Only turning in a direction or controlling the speed required a bit more force. David also executed this part with skill which could easily be called "Athlete level". He used a tactic called "Feathering the Oar". Simply put, he steered the boat by kissing the top of the water on both sides of the rowing boat with the Oar causing something called a "Rudder effect" and changing the direction or speed of the boat.

Meanwhile, Doctor Richard sat on the end of the rowing boat, clearly not pleasant with the current circumstances.

David had asked the Doctor to throw his phone into the small rowing boat, he did the same thing with his own as well. The Doctor didn't see anything wrong with it as he was in a sullen mood and not clear of mind.

David glanced back at his father, "There's no need for you to continue sulking Father. It was his choice, and no one else's", he spoke calmly, eventually turning his head back to the front again to focus on maneuvering the boat.

"I know that......I know that...yet.....I can't believe that we've lost so much in a single day", Doctor Richard stated, slouching back into the wooden seat on the boat, a sullen look evident on his face.

"....", David knew exactly what to say to his father to appease his sullen mood. But he opted to stay quiet and let his father be for a moment.

"It's my fault isn't it?", Doctor Richard inquired. Looking over the boat, his gaze fixed on the murky waters of the sewers, yet his eyes seemed distant.

"Depends on what you're talking about?", David spoke honestly, his tone not humble and words not sugarcoated. He knew that being honest was better at times like these.

"I'm talking about the project........The Virus........The Apocalypse. It seems like I've let all the praises and achievements get to my head.....Maybe if I hadn't been delusional and optimistic in thinking that I could somehow find a way to have your mother back with us....to somehow make our family whole again and dabbled in finding a way to resurrect the dead...Maybe then all of them would've survived. Maybe then Ahmed would've still been with us instead of planning to blow himself up. I was wrong.", Doctor Richard spoke, self-depreciation and regret evident from his words, tone, and the impassive expression on his face.

"Optimistic beliefs always lead to disappointment, as reality seldom aligns with lofty expectations", David sternly reminded his father of the reality of this world.

"I...see...", Doctor Richard mumbled out, his eyes slowly falling to the floor of the boat, seemingly looking down in regret.

"But", David said calmly, causing Doctor Richard to instinctively look up, his eyes falling on David's back. "Although many would say that you've done a felony against the world by creating the virus many more would blame you for spreading it as well. But Remember this Father—Even if the whole world were to condemn you. I'd still take your side and watch the entire world get fucked over...Again and...Again", David concluded, a unique coldness radiating in his eyes. But this coldness was hidden from Doctor Richard as David was sitting with back towards the Doctor.

"I see... So you'd support me even if I were to bring the destruction of the world. I wish I had that kind of resolve", Doctor Richard chuckled, his mood significantly better after hearing his son's words.

"You don't need to be like me, you're perfect as you are", David stated, not a hint of doubt on his face brewing another confidence boost within Doctor Richard.

"I see than-", Doctor Richard's words were cut off mid-way as the sound of a huge explosion, accompanied by an earth-shaking tremor assaulted the entire cave system, shaking the sewerage water and almost toppling over the little rowing boat. The water pressure and flow became much more frantic than it had previously been

"HOLD ON TIGHT!", David shouted, putting both his feet on the plank on which he previously sat, and started to balance the boat by throwing his weight in the opposite direction to the wobble of the boat.

Doctor Richard didn't even think for a second, heading his son's call and grabbing onto both of sides of the boat, further slouching down into the boat.

David used great balance control and maneuvered the rowing boat as a much larger surfing board and moved it along the smaller unsettled water waves with great finesse.

The intense shockwave from the explosion had caused the entire sewerage system to frantically shake. This in turn became the cause of many different after-effects such as occasional falling debris from the ceiling of the sewerage pipes.

"Do you think that got them?!", Doctor Richard asked, seemingly needing to shout to make his voice overcome the loud noises of the splashing waves.

David simply shook his head, portraying his inner thoughts with a subtle action. Which didn't go unnoticed by Doctor Richard.

"I see. Well, I pray Ahmed finds a nice place in heaven", Doctor Richard clasped his hands, praying for the now-deceased comrade—the one he saw as a son.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Amen", David nodded, still not moving his gaze from the path ahead. The waves had not yet calmed down, causing David to remain vigilant instead of letting his guard down. But despite the turbulence in the waves, the surrounding noise had significantly calmed down, enabling the two to have a decent conversation without the need to shout.

"So what's next? When we get out of this place I mean", Doctor Richard Inquired, seemingly looking out into the sewerage water which was just a sewer for name as no polluting materials were located there—it was just a way for the excess water from the laboratory to leave the facility.

"Don't be so sure that we'll get out of here just yet", David said calmly as he looked around for something until his eyes landed on something near the walls of the sewer, "Aha"

Doctor Richard followed David's gaze, his eyes falling upon what seemed to be a small door, a platform which was barely enough for four people to stand on.

"Don't tell me we are going through that? The current's too fast, we won't make it", Doctor Richard stated, his move agape in bewilderment and disbelief.

"Don't worry we'll make it. You'll just have to jump a bit", David said calmly, his eyes not leaving the exit platform as he grabbed Doctor Richard and threw an arm around the Doctor's body.

"W-wait a minute, What do you think would happen if we were to not make the jump and accidentally fall into the water?", Doctor Richard, prepexled with the unexpected situation, asked with a face full of anxiousness.

"Well, nothing much. It's just that the subjects should be flowing down the canal system in a few minutes. And I don't think you'd wanna be in the same waters as them. That's if we're able to survive a few minutes under these high-speed undercurrents in the first place", David didn't sugarcoat his words. He knew for a fact that telling the truth be better in his situation as the Doctor would most likely be nervous but agree to the jump.

David casually hinted that the walkers would have fallen into the sewerage waters after the explosion. Some are dead, some not so much.

Doctor Richard gulped at David's words, clearly knowing what fate awaited them if they were if fall into the water.

"Alright, hold tight. We'll jump on three", David stated, their boat rapidly approaching the miniature platform. And soon, just as the boat was a few meters away from the platform, David continued "Three"

He jumped along with Doctor Richard who he had grabbed under his left arm causing him to yelp in surprise as the sudden jump caught him by surprise.

"We're not going to make it!", David shouted in mid-air, using his mind's thinking capacity to measure hundreds of possibilities in under a hundredth of a second—Instantly arriving at a conclusion.

He pushed Doctor Richard towards the platform—which was around two meters above the water level in the sewers, making him gain a temporary boost and land safely on the concrete platform, tumbling a bit from the landing.

"David!", Doctor Richard shouted, immediately recovering from the landing and running towards the edge of the platform with an almost broken expression—to find David who had not landed on the platform.

"I'm fine!" Before Doctor Richard could even move. David's voice rang out from the edge. The Doctor peaked over to find him hanging over the edge by the support of one of his hands.

"Oh Thank God!", The Doctor let out a sigh of relief at David's appearance. Thankfully he didn't fall into the water. Rather he was hanging over the edge, the tips of his boots barely kissing the water's surface, "Here Grab my hand"

David took the hand that Doctor Richard had offered him, pulling himself on top of the platform.

Both the Father and Son sat in silence for a moment. Their breaths huffed as their chests rose in response.

"So, mind telling me why we took this route instead of the main one?", Doctor Richard Inquired, looking at his son with a serious expression. He knew that David didn't do anything without a proper reason.

Hearing his father's inquiry, David took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Come on. We don't have much time to spare, We'll talk as we walk", David stated, getting up dusting his clothes, and giving a supporting hand to Doctor Richard who was sitting on the platform floor.

"Sure", The Doctor took his son's hand, pulled himself off the floor and both father and son began to walk towards the door.

"Father, tell me honestly. How many organizations are after us right now?", David inquired, his expression firm and his tone serious. He opened the door, slightly peaking his head in to look for any potential danger—and then moved inside the door after finding none.

"Honestly speaking, I don't actually know the exact number, but it should be more than a hundred at least.", Doctor Richard answered honestly, not thinking too much about the question. He followed his son into an

"Yes. Well, that would be correct under normal circumstances—it does not apply to the current one. I was asking about the ones who'd be after us right now", Correcting his Father, David made it clear what he asked and Doctor Richard also understood what his son wanted to Emphasize. He continued the conversation with his father, moving through the narrow and dimly lit maintenance corridors of the sewerage tunnels—the shotgun in his hand ready for anything that would move, be it Zombie or Human.

"....Hmm...Let's see, if we're talking about the organizations currently after us then their number would be two—The Military and that shady Organization calling themselves Manticore or whatever—Well, three if we count the one you're in contact with. Now that I've mentioned this, what's up with you contacting this secret organization, and how come I've never heard of this before?", Bring perplexed at how his son could do such a thing as contact another organization and potentially betray the government.

Doctor Richard did think that David could betray the Government. But not once did he ever think that David would betray him—he never even entertained the thought. He knew that David would do anything for him and he would also do the same for his son.

"Ohhh....that.....", David began, a surprised look flashing in his eyes. It seemed as if he realized that his father had not yet forgotten about those words, A playful look appearing in his eyes as he chuckled, "I kinda lied about that"

"What?", Doctor Richard asked, puzzled by David's answer.

"I have no connection to such an organization—but it is not as if the organization doesn't exist. I've heard some rumors about the organization—it is said that although unknown, they have roots in some of the major organizations in the world. From the UNO to the FBI, to the Mafia, to some of the most advanced research facilities, and even the World Bank—Nowhere in this whole world is safe from their influence. No one knows who the members are, the location of their bases or what their motives are. It seems as if they don't even exist as they don't even leave any traces of their actions. But there is one thing that I know for certain—that poltergeist-like organization does indeed exist and when it does decide to come to the surface. It'll shake the very world with its presence", David spoke out in a monotone, his voice and expression not moving an inch.

But Doctor Richard knew that he was on guard against this organization. He also etched their existence into his memory.

"I-i see", Doctor Richard's voice trembled, a bit from the presence of the organization and a bit from David's chilly tone.

"Anyways, I should answer your previous question as well.", David stated, successfully acquiring Doctor Richard's attention as he stood next to a door at the end of the hallway.

Doctor Richard wanted to say something but was silenced in sign language by David, who put his head against the door to listen, and after a few seconds, he stepped back and pushed the door open.

As soon as the door opened, David rushed into the door and pointed the shotgun in his hands in all directions, seemingly waiting for something to move.

But after finding no such movement, he continued albeit in a hushed tone so as to not draw attention, "Do you think Father, that the bastards in those two organizations wouldn't have seen through our escape plan or that they wouldn't have anything to keep our escape route closed off?"

"W-what? You don't mean what I think you do? Right?", The Doctor asked, perplexed at his son's words. He desperately prayed that his thoughts wouldn't be true.

The both of them climbed the Multiple stairways to make their way into what seemed like the last corridor where rays of light were faintly visible, signaling the fact that that was the way to the surface.

"Yes, Indeed. The bastards are already there—they've made an interception point at every possible exit point. No matter how small or big", David growled out, his hate for Manticore rivaling that of his hate for the Government.

"They sure are trying hard to catch us", Doctor Richard chuckled at the situation.

"Yes, Indeed. They have us surrounded. The poor bastards, I pity them", David stated confidently, his voice without any kind of doubt or anxiety.

Both of them rapidly approached the corroding steel door at the end of the corridor and David put his hand on the handle to open it. But it didn't open.

"Huh?", Doctor Richard became confused. He didn't know the reason behind his son's confidence, but deep down, he felt like something big was about to happen. And he felt like his son would be the center of it.

David looked to the side to see a digital touchpad, he pressed a button on it, causing it to lighten up and reveal a sort of screen that displayed the words.

Enter Access Key

David pressed a few buttons at high speed and the door opened with a clicking sound, with dust and debris entering a great speed, reminding them that it had not been opened for quite a while.

As soon as the door opened they were barraged by a bright gleam of light, their eyes squinting in response as they had been in a completely pitch-black corridor.

Eventually, they rubbed their eyes and opened them, and the scene in front of them surprised Doctor Richard to an unimaginable degree.