Mag-log inThe helicopter touched down beside Maisie.The cabin door swung open.The first ones out were several members of the West Sea Base.Colin led the way. The moment his boots hit the familiar wall of their base, he froze for a second, feeling like he had stepped into another lifetime.They were back.They had actually made it back!It had only been a day and a night, but that rescue mission felt like it had stretched on forever.So many high-level zombies. The underground swarm. The Sovereign Legion… More than once, they had run for their lives with death right on their heels. Somehow, every single one of them had made it out.It completely shattered everything Colin thought he understood about this world.Behind him, the others who had been running on fumes for days could barely stand. Excitement and exhaustion hit them all at once.They were home.They never thought they would see this place again.Back when they were trapped in that underground warehouse, they had already
Hayley finished her barrage, hacking Decider Three into nothing but shredded remains. As the last fragments fell, a cold voice cut through the chaos."You need to go. The Sovereign Legion is about to move."Hayley, who had just reduced Decider Three to bone dust, looked up and saw 5587 clutching his chest as he staggered away.Behind him, she spotted a massive horde of zombies, like something was holding them back.A dense, endless sea."Raarh!""Raarh!"Their snarls rolled forward like a wave."Where are you going?" Hayley called out.But 5587 didn't answer. He kept walking straight toward the horde.At that moment, the Sovereign Legion of zombies lost all restraint. One after another, the foreign zombie soldiers in heavy military coats charged forward. They had speed-enhanced, strength-enhanced, and element-based gifts. More importantly, almost all of them were high-level zombies above level 5.This was the Sovereign Legion, made up of zombies!Hayley sucked in a sharp
Hayley rushed in with her blade and brought it down hard across Decider Three's neck.Still caught up in his triumph, he never saw it coming. He hesitated for a split second, then sparks burst where the blade struck.His head separated cleanly from his body. Not a single drop of blood followed, only the crackling hiss of machinery.That was when Hayley realized his entire body was mechanical.She remembered what Ruby had once told her.Ascendant Creed was full of people like this; fanatics who cut away their own flesh and replaced it with machines because they despised their human bodies.That said, seeing one of their Deciders reduced to nothing but a head still shook her. The man had actually rebuilt himself down to that.Decider Three's head rolled far across the ground."Hahaha."His voice came out distorted, electronic.He turned his head, red mechanical eye locking onto Hayley as his mouth opened to count down."Twenty-one… Twenty… Nineteen…"Hayley walked toward him,
The moment Hayley finished speaking, the man's smile froze. It faded from his face. "With your kind of ability, you shouldn't be stuck in a cesspool like this, living in a bubble. You should be aiming higher," he argued. "But I like my cesspool," Hayley said calmly. "I'm perfectly happy rolling around in it. You're chasing the stars and the ocean. I'm focused on my base, the people beside me, and the ground under my feet. Everyone wants something different. I can't take on your grand ambitions."Hayley lowered her blade and drew a line across the ground."What's done is done. From here on out, we stay out of each other's way. You don't come after us, and we won't interfere with you."With a flick of her wrist, the blade bit into the earth, carving a trench several inches deep between them.Decider Three looked down at the line, and then, unexpectedly, smiled again."I like you more and more," he said. "If that's what you want, I won't force the issue. Let's call it even."He
"I'm not here to trade jokes with you. What do you actually want?" Hayley asked.The man gave her a small, easy smile and went on, unhurried. "Your aunt's poison has been cured by now, right? Professor K is with you. He knows how to treat it."Hayley's brows drew tight. Her expression hardened, but she said nothing."You've seen it yourself. I have no intention of hurting you. We didn't tamper with the serum. Consider that a gesture of goodwill from Ascendant Creed."There was a quiet arrogance in his tone.He made it sound as if Hayley and Ruby were nothing more than insects to him; that they weren't worth the effort to crush, even though he could do it with a flick of his hand.Letting them go was, in his mind, an act of generosity and proof of their restraint.Hayley tightened her grip on the hilt. "What do you want?" "We'd like to invite you to join Ascendant Creed." Decider Three stepped toward her, eyes sharp with interest."You're the most exceptional individual we'v
Before anyone could even react, Hayley's long blade shot out. The massive bolt of lightning crashed straight into it.Boom!She drew the Desert Eagle at her waist and fired at him.It all happened in the blink of an eye.As the bullets reached him, the man slipped past them with ease.Seeing that, Hayley caught the lightning-drawn blade midair and charged.Clang!The man across from her drew his own blade. Steel met steel, their strikes flashing through the night in a blur. Hayley quickly realized he could match every move she made. They were evenly matched. There was no difference in speed or strength.It wasn't that she was running low on stamina. She could feel something off about him.There was a field around him. It dragged her down, suppressing her enhancements, forcing her onto the same level as him.At the same time, her abilities were being restricted.All she had left were her raw physical boosts and the combat training she had drilled into her body. In a matter
After happily pocketing 100 thousand crystal cores, Hayley felt comfortable from the bottom of her heart to the tips of her toes.Being able to squeeze Scott like this wasn't something just anyone could pull off.He could only blame himself for manipulating people and playing the noble leader. Now
Holding out for another minute or two wasn't going to change their fate.And then, they saw it. The metal spikes anchoring the wall were starting to loosen. Their massive wire net was on the verge of collapse.With a sharp snap, the first steel spike flew loose, and an entire cable tore apart. O
Liam's team threw open the gate. Nobody used guns. They switched to blades and abilities, moving fast and staying quiet. Within ten minutes, every zombie in the area was down.Everyone rushed back to their vehicles and pulled out.Milo left as well, carrying the battery-powered radio Hayley had
After Scarlett's message, Hayley received another one."My dear Ms. Reid, you have an incoming call from your devoted Liam. Would you like to answer the call?""Yes.""Hey, there. I sent out your plan about forming a league and recapturing the cities. Other than Ember Base, no one else responded.







