Mag-log inI stood watching Reid Hale, genuinely taken aback by how quickly he had mobilized into action.“This is far too perilous. Absolutely not,” Vera protested, her voice tight with strain. She firmly believed that minimizing our exposure to external threats was our safest path forward, convinced this calamity mirrored the toxic downpours of the past. In her mind, if we simply barricaded ourselves indoors, we could weather the storm safely until it passed.“That is simply unviable. Come look at this immediately,” Daniel Hale urged, gesturing toward his device. He had stumbled upon an official Hillcrest mobile application that was actively broadcasting critical updates.“How on earth is there a cellular signal?” Madison Reed queried, her eyes wide with bewilderment.“This software doesn't rely solely on conventional network infrastructure,” Ian Carter clarified, stepping closer to the screen. “It also leverages a secondary emergency radio frequency. It operates similarly to traditional wire
Ivy: Jude sat miserably on the edge of the living room cushion, his knuckles bleached bone-white as he stared vacantly at the carpeted floor.The heavy silence hanging in the living room was deafening, broken only by distant sirens."Wait a minute..." Jude looked up sharply at Ian, his voice choked with raw desperation and denial."You... you awakened an ability too?""Yep," Ian said smoothly, hopping down the final two steps of the stairs with youthful energy."I have a big spatial storage pocket. Miss Collins said my capacity is super rare."Jude looked like he was about to violently vomit right there on the rug.Four different people in this single household had awakened extraordinary supernatural abilities, and he—the one who always considered himself intellectually and socially destined for absolute greatness—was completely empty-handed."It's going to be okay, Jude," I said, putting on my absolute best, drippingly sympathetic tone to twist the knife deeper."Not everyone can be
Ivy: The external city sirens were wailing in a chaotic, multi-part harmony, piercing the cold night air just as they had in my devastating previous life.Inside the quiet safety of my bedroom, a violent, painfully familiar surge of raw energy tore mercilessly through my bloodstream.My heart hammered wildly against my ribs as my subjective perception of time suddenly slowed to an absolute crawl.I looked across the room at the wooden window frame, then focused intently on the heavy bedroom door five meters away.Flash.I was suddenly standing directly against the wooden door panel.I hadn't physically run or stepped across the floor—I had simply bridged the spatial distance in less than a fraction of a second.[Host has successfully re-awakened: Speed Element Superpower.][System Title Triggered: "Hardworking Awakener."][System Reward Issued: One (1) Second Superpower Selection Card!]A Second Superpower Card already unlocked?In my past, tragic life, I hadn't managed to unlock this
"Director Llyod? Did you ask for the technical trace on that incoming private routing?"Lewis, the lead technical analyst for the Federal Security Bureau, stood awkwardly in the open doorway of the director's private office, holding a heavy tactical tablet.Warren Llyod sat heavily behind his massive mahogany desk, his graying head resting deeply in his calloused hands.He looked up slowly, his eyes bloodshot and burning from ninety-six consecutive hours without sleep."Did your team finally pin down the geographic origin of that transmission, Lewis?""No, sir," Lewis admitted, shifting uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny."The call completely bypassed every single signal tower in the region. It didn't hit a military satellite either; it just... magically manifested on our internal switchboard for four minutes and then vanished into thin air. Is this bizarre communication somehow related to the family matter regarding your granddaughter that you mentioned earlier?""It's nothing
Ian reached casually into the empty air beside him in the dim hallway.Without emitting the slightest sound, a sleek, matte-black compact handgun materialized directly in his open palm.It was lightweight, beautifully custom-engraved in geometric patterns along the metal slide, and perfectly proportioned for a woman's grip."This is for you, Miss Collins."I stared intently at the heavy lethal weapon resting steadily in his small hands, evaluating its condition.Memories of my past, brutal life flashed vividly behind my eyes—back then, Ian had done the exact same thing during our darkest hours, constantly pulling rare military-grade weapons, pristine medical kits, and fresh, unblemished fruit out of thin air to hand to me like humble trinkets."Where on earth did this come from?"I played along perfectly, widening my eyes in feigned astonishment."Are you secretly performing magic tricks for me?"Ian’s pale face broke into a bright, triumphant grin that made him look his actual age fo
Good.That was my exact strategic plan all along, and having Daniel initiate the proposal saved me from having to force the issue prematurely.The moment the rain finally stopped, the massive volume of accumulated floodwaters would rapidly drain into the overburdened storm sewers, leaving a very brief, critical window of opportunity before the newly awakened infected fully saturated every single block.Staying in a densely populated residential district like this one was a guaranteed death sentence within seventy-two hours."We can head straight out to my grandmother’s old secluded property up in the northern hills," I suggested aloud, deliberately steering the family away from doomed municipal shelters."It's naturally isolated, boasts a very low population density, and is exceptionally easy to fortify against both human and inhuman threats.""Your father’s old military friend owns a massive commercial resort compound on the western outskirts of the metro area," Vera added softly, re







