Lucien, having run out of the house, afraid his brother would catch up to him, finally calmed down as he drove. He made a list of things he needed to buy. He decided that over the next few months, he would buy things in small quantities.
That way, he didn't risk people knowing too much. He didn't need others questioning what he was doing.
For medicine, anything he could get over the counter, he would try to get.
As for things like grains and meat, that was the least of his worries.
Plants and animals do mutate. However, some animals are still fine for consumption. That is, if you can catch them.
The animals were becoming stronger, and humans were not able to adapt. The evolvers could, of course, get food by hunting. But regular humans were dying out.
Many people died in the pursuit of chicken.
Have you ever seen a seven-foot-tall chicken? Well, Lucien has. He watched one use its claws to rip a man to shreds, then eat him. Many non-aggressive animals became aggressive during that time.
But there were even more animals that died.
So, although edible meat was available. People would have to live to be able to eat it.
Lucien couldn't help but shake his head, thinking about the memory. One chicken could feed a team of ordinary people.
Scientists found that the meat eaten has an impact on the human body. For evolvers, the meat contained energy that would have them become stronger. For ordinary people, they have the opportunity to become an evolver or become a zombie.
They were never sure what gene it was that decided what the person would become. There are still others that do not show any symptoms at all. They are the most normal of ordinary people.
The sad news was, being able to eat meat only lasted for a year. After that, it was as if edible animals disappeared. Finding one took an immense amount of effort. And most of them were found in the forest. In places that people are unlikely to ever walk away from.
Vegetables and fruits were where the problem lay. While some animals mutated and were still edible. Known fruits and vegetables either became poisonous or tried to kill you.
There are also new plant species. There were a few edible ones. The normal rule or brightly coloured thing being dangerous didn't apply to those. At times, it was the seemingly harmless plant that would kill you with a touch.
So many people died for food, fruits, vegetables and from zombies. The population dwindled drastically.
Lucien arrived at the pharmacy and bought things such as anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen for pain and fever. Just like in ancient times, a fever used to kill people.
Evolvers were unlikely to get fevers. However, he wanted to make a team. He knows not all people in this team will be evolvers.
He made sure to get antihistamines for allergies. Different kinds of things that could be applied to the skin to help with joint pain. He also got lidocaine patches for nerve damage.
Even after three years, a lot of these things either weren't saved or were no longer useful because of the constant weather changes. Mould and all sorts of fungi would grow on things that haven't been properly contained.
Lucien visited three pharmacies within the city. When he bought the items, he considered what might be the average and tried to buy them slightly above average.
When the time got closer, he would try and find a way to get Arthur to order some. If that didn't work, he would take some when the world went into chaos.
In addition to medicines, he needs to get weapons.
While there isn't a ban on purchasing weapons, the number of weapons that people were able to have was very controlled. A person is only allowed to have one registered gun. Special permits are needed for additional guns. Normally, the people who have more than one are persons in special professions.
Regardless, Lucien decided to try his luck. He knew that although the law allowed one, there were ways to get others. So he pulled into a weapons store. However, what he needed wasn't a gun.
The store was empty when he entered.
He lazily walked in and looked at the selection of guns, axes, swords and daggers. Each item was placed in a display case, only looking, no touching.
Lucien walked up to the counter. A tall man with large muscles stood behind the counter, arms folded. Lucien wondered if he was trying to intimidate him. He could feel the bloody aura coming from the man. Lucien ignored it.
"I need two longswords, two daggers and a halberd," Lucien stated, his face impassive.
The man looked at Lucien as if he were scum on his shoe, "No can do," his gruff voice sounded.
Cocking his head to the side, reaching out to tap his finger on the counter, Lucien smiled sweetly. He had previously noticed some things about the store when he walked in.
The small black flag, placed inconspicuously in a corner of the store. The small red marking, shaped like a dagger. It was small enough that someone might think it was a stain if they didn't look closely.
The ring on the man's index finger and the tattoo, slightly peaking out of his shirt.
"I think you might change your mind," Lucien said, taking a small black card from his pocket.
The gold lettering on the card said Caleb.
The tall man immediately straightened up, his eyes widening. His mouth opened slightly as if to say something, but he thought better of it. He knew what kind of person would have a card like that. He didn't expect someone who looked so harmless to have it.
Yes, in his eyes, Caleb, with his small body, even if he was 182cm (6ft), seemed harmless.
The tall man scrambled to get the items Lucien asked for. Once packaged, he didn't even ask him to pay. Lucien didn't insist. He took his items and the card and left. He knew he would be getting a call from the person who gave him the card soon.
Lucien considered whether to tell his friend about the apocalypse. But considered it too early. If he wasn't mistaken, his friend was overseas and wouldn't be back for some time. He decided to mention it when his friend came back to the country.
He needed to do everything he could to not alert others. Just because he doesn't say anything doesn't mean others don't have eyes. Lucien knew that some people were smarter than they seemed.
Although the system could get him the things he was planning to buy. He did not want to use points to do something money could buy.
After his workout, he noticed that some of the techniques in the system were open. He couldn't afford them right now, but maybe in a few days.
He decided he would buy them and learn some tricks. Just in case he is in a situation where he isn't able to use his powers as an evolver, brute force is the next best thing.
Making a team was also on the agenda. Although there were people who betrayed them, there were also people who helped. These were the people he would go on missions with.
Since he wasn't welcome most of the time with the "harem team", he had his own group he would find when he needed. This time, he wanted to make some of those people a part of a formal team, instead of temporary teammates.
After getting the weapons, he stopped at a grocery store and picked up an absurd amount of groceries. He had to use four trolleys to fit everything. When he found a quiet place, he put everything in the space.
By the time he got home, it had already passed 8:00 pm, and his brother was nowhere in sight.
He got some food from a restaurant on the way back, so he went straight to his room. He wanted to see what functions the system had that he had missed the night before.