Faust considered the request.
The forest was an unknown environment, and he had already been planning to investigate the changes caused by the apocalypse.
Joining the gathering team would give him an opportunity to observe mutated organisms without attracting unnecessary attention.
'That works.'
"Sure."
Aphelia nodded.
"Good."
She then turned toward Billy.
"As for us, we'll look for a suitable house to fortify."
Billy raised an eyebrow.
"Just one house?"
"For now."
Aphelia glanced toward the western side of the village.
"Asura might be an arrogant bastard, but his suggestion does have some merit."
She looked back toward Billy.
"If things go badly tonight, we might not be able to defend every building."
Billy nodded slowly.
"So we prepare somewhere to fall back to."
"Exactly."
Aphelia pointed toward the nearby houses.
"We need a building with solid walls, limited entrances, and a good view of the surrounding area."
She paused.
"If worse comes to worst, we can concentrate our defenses there rather than getting surrounded in the open."
Billy looked toward the village.
"Sounds reasonable."
"Of course, we should still help defend the rest of the village if possible."
Aphelia folded her arms.
"But I'd rather have a fallback position prepared than discover we need one when it's already too late."
Faust listened quietly.
'She's planning for the possibility of failure.'
That was sensible.
However, he wondered how effective a single fortified building would be against a large number of goblins.
If the monsters were capable of destroying the surrounding structures, hiding inside one house might only delay the inevitable.
'Well, that depends on their capabilities.'
For now, there wasn't enough information to judge.
Aphelia looked toward the others.
"Alright, then. Let's get moving."
She pointed toward the open area where they were standing.
"We'll meet back here two hours before the first wave starts."
Nex nodded.
"Got it."
Billy checked his gun once more.
"See you then."
Aphelia turned to leave with Billy, but stopped after a few steps.
"And Nex."
He looked back.
"What?"
"Keep an eye on Leslie."
Nex frowned.
"You don't have to tell me that."
Aphelia nodded.
"Good. And don't start another fight with Asura if you can avoid it."
Nex clicked his tongue.
"Then tell him to stay away from her."
With that, he turned toward the forest.
"Come on, Leslie."
"Okay!"
Leslie hurried after him.
Faust followed the two, leaving the village behind.
The forest was much thicker than it had appeared from the village.
Tall trees stood close together, their branches blocking much of the light from above. Thick roots spread across the ground, while bushes and tangled vines covered the spaces between them.
Nex walked at the front, holding his spear in one hand.
He frequently looked around, paying particular attention to the bushes and the spaces between the trees.
Leslie walked a short distance behind him.
Faust followed beside her, examining the surrounding vegetation.
'The plants look fairly ordinary.'
He studied the leaves of a nearby tree.
Their shapes and colors were similar to those he remembered.
However, that didn't necessarily mean their internal structures were unchanged.
The apocalypse had already caused significant changes in living organisms.
There was no reason to assume plants were exempt.
'I'll need samples to confirm anything.'
Faust looked toward Leslie.
She was still holding her book against her chest.
"Leslie."
"Yes?"
"Can I have a look at your notes?"
She blinked.
"My notes?"
"Yes. You said you've been recording mutations."
Leslie nodded.
"Oh, right!"
She opened the book, but hesitated before handing it over.
"Um..."
Faust looked at her.
"What is it?"
"Well, you can read it, but..."
She glanced down at the pages.
"Please don't judge it too harshly. I know the quality isn't the best."
Faust raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I judge it harshly?"
"Because..."
Leslie hesitated.
"You're Faust McHollen. You've published so much research, and I..."
She looked embarrassed.
"I'm just recording things I've seen. I don't even have proper equipment to test most of my observations."
Nex glanced back at her.
"Don't sell yourself short, Leslie."
She looked toward him.
"What?"
"Your notes are good."
Nex adjusted his grip on the spear.
"I've seen how much work you put into them. You spend hours writing down every little detail."
He smiled.
"I'm sure even Faust will find something interesting."
Leslie's cheeks reddened slightly.
"Nex, you don't have to exaggerate."
"I'm not exaggerating."
Faust extended his hand.
"May I?"
Leslie nodded and handed him the book.
"Here."
Faust took it and opened the first few pages.
Almost immediately, he noticed how carefully the information had been organized.
Each entry contained a title, a description of the organism, and observations about its unusual characteristics.
Several pages also included sketches showing the creatures or plants from different angles.
'Quite detailed.'
Faust continued reading.
Despite the lack of proper scientific equipment, Leslie had made an effort to distinguish what she had directly observed from what she merely suspected.
There were even small notes beside some entries indicating which details still required further investigation.
'She's more careful than I expected.'
He turned to the first relevant entry.
Mutated Flora: Luminescent Fungi
Observed a cluster of fungi emitting a soft, bioluminescent glow.
The light appears to pulse at regular intervals. Several fungi within the same cluster seem to follow a similar pattern.
Possible explanation: The light may function as a communication signal between individual fungi.
Further observation is required to determine whether the pulses serve a purpose or are simply the result of their biological processes.
Faust studied the accompanying sketch.
It depicted several small mushrooms growing around the base of a tree.
Their caps were covered in tiny dots, with lines drawn beside them to indicate the changes in brightness.
'Bioluminescent fungi.'
He had encountered similar organisms before the apocalypse.
However, the synchronized pulses were worth investigating.
'Communication is one possibility, but the synchronization could also result from their shared environment.'
He turned the page.
Animal Mutation: Avian Species
Encountered a bird with feathers resembling thin sheets of metal.
The feathers reflect sunlight strongly and appear unusually durable.
The bird also demonstrated greater speed and agility under direct sunlight.
Possible explanation: The feathers may function as solar collectors, absorbing light and converting it into usable energy.
The exact mechanism remains unknown.
A detailed sketch occupied the lower half of the page.
Leslie had drawn the bird from the side, with several smaller drawings showing the structure of its feathers.
Faust stopped walking for a moment.
'Metallic feathers capable of collecting solar energy?'
That was an interesting possibility.
If the bird could absorb sunlight through its feathers and convert it into usable biological energy, the adaptation would be extremely valuable.
However, the observation alone was not enough to establish that conclusion.
'It might simply be more active in warmer conditions.'
He examined the sketches again.
'Still, if those feathers really are functioning as solar collectors, I'd like to see how they work.'