LOGINThe fire in Building 21 burned for more than half an hour. The flames gradually weakened, but the smoke never let up.By any reasonable judgment, no one inside could still be alive. There was no ventilation and no way to keep the toxic smoke from flooding their lungs. The only possible outcome was a slow, agonizing death.Even if someone had miraculously survived that long, remaining inside meant death sooner or later. The smoke would not clear anytime soon.Cyrus turned and headed toward Building 26. "Let's go. Next one."The neighbors from Building 25 had gone blood drunk. This was their first experience with killing in such a clean, overwhelming way. The sensation of holding other people's lives in their hands sent a thrill through bodies that had been suppressed for far too long.They whooped and followed Cyrus toward the Titan Gang's territory.People in Building 26 watched from their windows. When they saw Cyrus approaching, terror hit them like ice water.Someone shouted
The windows were sealed shut, frozen solid beneath layers of ice and snow. No amount of pushing or kicking made them budge. The building had become an oven, and they were sitting ducks trapped inside. Smoked ducks.Cyrus stood outside with his rifle. Yellow firelight bathed his face, warm and steady. He remembered a bonfire night in college when everyone laughed, sang, and danced beside the flames. It was a good memory.Tonight's bonfire dwarfed that one. This fire was bigger, wilder, and far more honest.Only then did the neighbors grasp what he was doing. Screams and corpse-like coughing rose from within the building, sending a chill through them.The building had become a death cage. There was no escape.Cyrus had blocked the only exit. They could stay inside and die, or they could come out and die faster.Soon, someone broke. A figure staggered down the smoke-filled stairwell, choking, eyes useless. He stumbled and fell straight into the flames.A piercing scream rang out. T
The residents of Building 25 followed Cyrus' orders. They armed themselves and formed a loose ring around Building 21.None of them understood his plan. If a fight broke out, the flimsy "encirclement" would look pointless.Inside the building, the Mad Wolves finally sensed that something was wrong."Cyrus brought people! They're surrounding us!" a lookout shouted.A chill tore through the gang, their hair standing on end. Cyrus had slaughtered so many earlier, including their boss, Marco, that the survivors already teetered on the edge of collapse. Hearing that he had come for them pushed their fear toward outright panic."We're finished! How are we supposed to fight that demon? He's too terrifying!" a blond kid wailed, clutching his head.Damon, the Mad Wolves' second-in-command, stormed over, seized him by the collar, and slapped him twice.He spun on the others and roared, "What are you afraid of? This building is our base! Even if Cyrus has guns, he bleeds the same if he com
Multiple bodies littered the ground. The snowmobile sat abandoned in the blizzard, with bags of food scattered around it, a painfully tempting sight.Once Cyrus left with Kenneth, a few desperate people, fearless or starving beyond reason, rushed out of their buildings and hauled the supplies inside.Cyrus descended one step at a time. His stride stayed steady, untouched by anger. They had fired the first shot. It would have been rude not to answer.He had planned something quieter, poison. If they wanted escalation instead, he'd have no objection to meeting it head-on.Dusk settled over the complex. As he continued downward, he pulled out his phone and tagged every surviving resident in the main group chat.[All residents, gather on the fourth floor.]He slipped the phone into his chest pocket and took position on the fourth-floor landing, rifle in hand, and waited.People began to emerge. Heads peeked nervously around corners. No one dared provoke him, and no one dared ignore
Cyrus shoved the generators aside and drew a white hospital bed from his pocket dimension.Chloe froze at the sight, eyes wide. "Is that… magic?"She could not grasp what she had just seen, and Cyrus made no effort to explain.He turned to Zoey. "Do whatever it takes to keep Kenneth alive. Tell me every drug and tool you need. I will get it."Zoey had seen worse. Even with Kenneth drenched in blood, she stayed calm and rattled off a list of supplies. Cyrus retrieved each one without delay."How bad is it? Can he be saved?" he asked.Zoey slipped into surgical gear, her focus sharpening until she looked almost sanctified. She cut open Kenneth's shirt and frowned. "It's not good. The bullets are lodged in dangerous positions. If any organs are torn, we may not be able to save him with the equipment we have."Cyrus drew a slow breath and squeezed her shoulder. "Do your best."He had done everything within his reach. The rest belonged to fate.Chloe tried to cry again."Shut the
They carried Kenneth all the way to Cyrus' door on the 24th floor. Two teams had already rotated out during the climb. Even so, the remaining men were gasping for breath, yet no one dared complain. They all knew that if Cyrus grew displeased, he would kill them without hesitation.He ordered them to set Kenneth down. "You can all leave."Relief swept through the group. They scattered down the stairwell as fast as their legs could carry them.Chloe stayed behind, clutching her child as she cried over Kenneth's body.Cyrus frowned. "Chloe, go back downstairs. We need to remove the bullets soon. You can't help here."She shook her head, her voice trembling with rehearsed devotion. "No. He needs someone with him. I can't leave his side."She seized Kenneth's hand as if on cue. His expression softened a little at her touch.Cyrus felt the urge to shoot her, but Kenneth lay right there. Saving him took priority.He unlocked the door.To Chloe, the click of the lock sounded like the







