Fighting against one or two of these mobs was actually not difficult because they only had around 30 HP each. However, the problem was not just their numbers but the fact mission stated that they needed to save more civilians, which meant that they were not allowed to kill any of them.

Each death of a civilian by their hand would have a negative impact on their end grades, and it was something that Alan didn't wish to happen.

"No... No! We are in Big ass trouble, aren't we!" said Luis, who was still terrified.

Alan shook his head. He could not believe that Luis was this terrified and panicked, even just against mobs of civilians.

He wondered how he would become when they had to fight against monsters in a later round.

Afterward, well aware that these mobs would eventually break in within a short period. Without wasting any time, Alan spoke to the others.

"You all stand guard. I will prepare something," he remarked and quickly walked back toward the cafeteria, leaving the three in confusion, yet none of them raised a contra argument and followed his instruction.

Seeing this, Laura, on the other hand, went to chase him all the way to the back kitchen.

"What are you doing, Alan?"

Alan chose to stay silent and quickly went toward the fridge and found dozens of cold packs, something that hospitals normally used for swelling or bruising injury. Immediately, he ripped them all apart and was elated to receive marked items out of them.

Out of 20 packs, he got 2 marked items.

[Name: Ammonium Nitrate]

[Type: Miscellaneous]

[Rarity: Common]

[Attributes: None]

[Effects: None]

[Able To Bring Outside The Game: No]

[Remarks: Good for gardening]

Alan swiftly grabbed a pan and lit the stove with his [Lighter].

Although still confused, Laura volunteered, "Let me help."

"Alright.. we need some sugar and baking soda. Also, some pepper or chilli." Laura nodded seems to understand what Alan was trying to make

After that, he started to cook all the ingredients in the pan with specific measurements.

He focused on the mixtures, which were starting to coagulate. After that, Alan swiftly emptied one of the food cans and filled it with the mixture he had just made. He then put the lid back, made a few holes, and made a fuse with the left-out mixture and paper.

All was done in under 5 minutes.

At this very moment, a notification came to his mind once again.

[Your (Science - novice) allows you to successfully create a common item]

[Name: Pepper Smoke Bomb]

[Type: Weapon]

[Rarity: Common]

[Attributes: 1 HP damage per 3 second - 90 seconds durations]

[Effects: Disorientation]

[Able To Bring Outside The Game: No]

[Remarks: Not as good as original, but still can make your eyes teary]

Alan manages to create two of them with the material he has.

Laura was completely stunned when she saw what Alan had just created. "How the hell did you do that?" she asked while still in a state of shock, yet was also amazed at the same time.

The surprise was not because of him making the items themselves, but the fact that Alan was able to create a marked item out of an unmarked one.

"This is what we call crafting," Alan said casually as he packed the finished product ready to be used. In the meantime, Laura could only narrow her eyes and glanced suspiciously at the man in front of her.

It was one of the game secrets that started to be known during the fourth year and was tested in the fifth by the government.

First, one needed to have an appropriate skill, which was why Alan raised his intelligence and his [Science] to (novice) to meet the prerequisite that was needed to have a chance of creating finished (common) items.

While the other prerequisite was to have at least one marked item as part of the material and a tool used in the crafting process, and this time it was the use of his [Lighter].

One of the tricks he used was combining Ammonium Nitrate + Sugar + Baking soda + Pepper and then cooking the mixture using his [Lighter]. This was one of the things he had once done during his past life. The hack helped him survive the apocalypse games, just like what he was about to do at this precise moment.

"Alright, all done. Let's go!" said Alan as he had everything set up.

It was also right at this very second when Alan could hear a commotion coming from the front door. Now it was the right time; he then immediately used [Lighter] to burn the fuse and threw the [Pepper Smoke Bomb] out from a small window.

"Let's give it one minute."

The group waited anxiously. The group peeked through the window and saw the plume of smoke become bigger and thicker. Along with it, the mobs also started to disperse.

"It's working, man! You are a genius!" said Luis excitedly, hugging Alan tightly.

Alan was only smiling awkwardly while trying to let himself go of Luis's hug. He then continued to brief the three."Ok, we are gonna rush out together. We will head straight across the street."

This time, all three of them nodded in agreement simultaneously. They followed Alan's words attentively, as he said,

"3… 2… 1… Open!"

As soon as they opened the steel door, Alan dashed to the front, and the other three quickly followed behind him. The mobs started to become chaotic once again.

Alan pushed and kicked a few of the disoriented mobs along the way while he himself received a notification from the smoke he inhale.

[You Received Status: Disorientation level One]

[Perception lowered by 30%]

Added with the stamina penalty because of the cold, it became even harder to break through the mob.

"A little bit more!"

Unfortunately, just as he was about to reach the other side of the street, a familiar voice distracted him. It was Laura who was shouting at the back, "They got Luiss!"

Alan let out a heavy sigh. "Him again…."

"Please, Help me!" The Mexican man was screaming as he was being caught by the mobs.