One week had passed since the first Armageddon occurred, transforming almost all of humanity into monsters.
After a long journey and numerous obstacles, Ilyas and Khai finally arrived in Kuala Kubu Bharu.
They stepped into the town that was once alive, now reduced to fragments and remnants of destruction.
Seven days of the monster attacks had left an indelible mark—buildings collapsed, streets were filled with rubble, and the air was thick with smoke.
Each step was accompanied by the sound of shattered glass and the rumble of the remnants of the attacks.
The town, once filled with memories, now existed only as a grim shadow, as if the future had been stolen away by the relentless violence.
They then rested in an abandoned building after ensuring that no Demigon was nearby.
Night arrived.
After they finished their dinner, Khai discussed with Ilyas to relieve their boredom.
"Hey, Ilyas. We're almost there, right? How much longer to Teluk Intan? Our food supplies are running low." Khai sighed.
"Who's the person that needed a break every 3 km for 15 minutes but ended up taking 20 minutes? And then got lost just because they had to go to the bathroom in the forest, and I had to search for them for 4-5 minutes…"
"... And who's the person so hungry that they almost ate all the food supplies I had carefully packed to last two weeks for two people?"
"Ehehe. Sorry."
"I don't even know anymore if this kid is human or a monster. If I followed my heart, I would've just left him at Batang Kali when he went to the bathroom."
Ilyas took out the map they had found during their journey. He searched for a place with enough food supplies for them to take.
"Why are you looking at the map? Don't we have phones?" Khai asked.
"Did you forget? Phones can't connect to satellites anymore, and there's no signal here," Ilyas replied.
"Oh, right."
"We're currently in Kuala Kubu Bharu. We've got 109 km left to reach Teluk Intan…"
"…Before we can get to Teluk Intan, we'll have to pass through several places where there's a high chance of encountering a lot of Demigons and Crawlers roaming around."
"Wow! that's a lot. Is there no other way?"
"This is the fastest route to get there."
"So, how many more days until we get to Teluk Intan?"
"According to the calculations, we should reach Teluk Intan in 2 days and 2 hours…"
"Oh, that's quick."
"…Unless there are any setbacks. If there are any issues along the way, we might take more than 5-6 days to get there," Ilyas answered.
"WHAT!! ONE MORE WEEK! UGH...!" Khai exclaimed, feeling exhausted, his body heavy, his head dizzy, not knowing how to keep going.
"If we're lucky, we might be able to use a horse or a motorcycle during the journey…"
"…But I recommend a horse because it's quieter than a motorcycle," Ilyas said.
"I don't care, as long as I don't have to walk anymore."
"Before we continue the journey, we need to gather our food supplies first."
Hearing the mention of food, Khai's eyes lit up as if he had seen a glimmer of hope. He quickly glanced at the map.
Ilyas, seeing this, could only sigh at his friend who only seemed to think about food.
"What do you think about gathering supplies here?"
Khai pointed to an Esave shopping mall that wasn't far from where they were resting.
Ilyas's expression changed as he seemed to know what was inside the shopping mall.
His face grew gloomy, his eyes slightly squinting as if trying to hold back unwanted memories.
His forehead creased, his lips pressed tightly together, and he let out a heavy sigh, as though every corner of that place brought back painful memories he didn't want to remember.
"Are you sure you want to go there?" Ilyas asked, looking at Khai. His face seemed to hold back deep anger towards that place.
"Why? I used to go there with my sister when I was a kid. Besides, it's the closest place to us right now…"
"…Maybe we'll find useful stuff there…"
"…Or perhaps we'll meet other survivors."
"Other survivors? Heh… I hope not," Ilyas whispered.
"Did you say anything just now?" Khai asked, having heard a whisper.
"Nothing. We'll go there tomorrow. You go sleep first. I'll check the surroundings to see if there are any Demigods or Crawlers around."
"Okay. We'll take turns keeping watch. Wake me up at 3."
"No need. Even if I pour 3 buckets of water on you, you still won't wake up."
"Hehehe." Khai grinned after hearing his friend's teasing, as if unaffected by the words.
Ilyas then began to patrol the area of the building. After making sure there were no Demigods or Crawlers nearby, Ilyas started meditating throughout the night.
The next day, they packed their belongings and began their journey toward the shopping mall.
A group of people could be seen watching them from a distance as they left the abandoned building.
"Bro. Do you think those kids have anything valuable?"
"We'll see. If they do, we just need to take it. If not, you know what to do."
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Without them knowing, Ilyas had already known about their presence since the night before. He chose to let them enjoy their moment before they faced the consequences.
After walking for 15 minutes, they were almost at their destination. However, Khai felt that something was off about the atmosphere around them.
"Il…"
"I know. Once we get here, there's no turning back."
"What do you mean...?"
"We've been watched since we left that building."
A few armed individuals appeared, approaching Ilyas and Khai on motorcycles and in cars, holding flags with their gang's logo and name—Iron Fist.
They began to intimidate Ilyas and Khai.
A man named Mamat got off his motorcycle and began speaking to them in a mocking tone.
"Oi. What are you kids doing walking in such a dangerous place? Aren't you scared you'll get eaten by a monster?"
The gangsters laughed at Mamat's teasing of Ilyas and Khai. Khai tried to reason with them.
"Bro, sorry about this. We didn't know this place was your territory. We just wanted to gather food supplies at the mall up ahead…"
"…If you don't mind, we'll gladly leave this place."
Hearing that, they immediately burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Hey kid, don't be scared. We're not eat people. HAHAHAHA!" said one of the gang members, laughing loudly.
"Hey Mat, stop scaring them. They might end up peeing their pants. HAHAHAHA!!" another gang member added.
"Sigh… enough. Playtime's over. Hey kid. If you want to enter this place, you'll have to give us food or drinks as payment to get in," Mamat said.
"We only have pillows and clothes," Khai replied.
"Hehe. If you don't have anything, follow us. You two will have to do whatever we tell you as payment for not having food. Got it?" Mamat said while tapping a metal rod on Khai's head.
Khai nodded, but Ilyas remained silent, staring into their eyes with a blank expression.
Mamat, seeing Ilyas who had been silent all this time, tried to threaten Ilyas.
"Hey, kid at the back. You didn't hear what I said!"
"Bro, my friend is a bit shy. He rarely talks to other people." Khai replied, trying to calm Mamat Ilyas.
"Hey! Are you mute or what! I rarely hit kids. "Don't make me swing this iron rod at your face!" Mamat threatened, pointing the iron rod at his face.
Even though Mamat had threatened Ilyas, Ilyas still looked at Mamat with a blank stare. That gaze made Mamat feel uneasy and annoyed.
"HEY, YOU REALLY WANT TO CHALLENGE ME, DON'T YOU!!"
Mamat swung the iron rod towards Ilyas's face with speed. Before it hit Ilyas's face...
"MAT!"
Mamat stopped his swing upon hearing the command from a deep voice. The deep voice belonged to a man named Khan.
Khan was the vice leader of the Iron Fist gang. He had a large, muscular build and was capable of killing three Demigons with just an axe.
Khan was quite shocked because Ilyas didn't flinch or blink, even though his head was almost struck by a metal rod wielded by someone who was a former baseball athlete and could swing at speeds of up to 100 mph.
"Oi, kid. You better follow us quietly if you don't want to face the consequences." Khan said, his tone slightly threatening.
In the end, Ilyas followed them. Ilyas and Khai, along with several others who were captured, were tied up and taken to their headquarters at Esave, the shopping mall that had been their intended destination.