On the other side…
"Ethan, I don't get it," Chris said as they walked. "Those girls weren't bad. Quick on their feet, didn't ask dumb questions, and they're easy on the eyes. Why not bring them along?"
"Now's not the time to take on more people," Ethan replied without looking back. "The bigger the group, the more resources we burn. Unless someone's a stronger Awakened than us, they're just dead weight."
"Okay, but then why give them all those crystal cores?"
"What, you want us to dig them out one by one ourselves?" Ethan shot him a look. "We're free to move now. That time's better spent hunting Tier 2 zombies. More risk, more reward."
"…Fair point."
"Tier 1 cores are everywhere now. We're not short on them. Giving those girls the leftovers saves us time and earns us a favor. Win-win."
He paused, then added, "Grace is sharp. If nothing goes wrong, they might actually surprise us. That kind of investment might pay off later."
