Semua Bab The Apocalypse Hoarder: Bab 571 - Bab 580

Cyrus studied Ilyana's message and fell silent in thought.He remembered her clearly, a skilled longsword wielder. Even starved and exhausted, she had forced herself to face Buttercup head-on. At full strength, she would be far more dangerous.She had only recently joined the West Ridge Base, yet she was already operating alongside the SF unit. That implied status.But why contact Barbara? Did she need help, or was this bait?If Florian could not breach the shelter by force, a shift in strategy would make sense. They could persuade Barbara to open a door and create an internal breach.Cyrus crossed his arms, a sign of caution, and looked at Barbara and Keira. "Tell me about Ilyana."They shared everything they knew.Ilyana was 27 years old, a national-level martial arts champion with mastery of 300 traditional forms and more than a dozen foreign combat systems. She specialized in blade work and grappling.She had once served as a bodyguard for a high-ranking official, then was

Cyrus felt no surge of emotion. He filtered Ilyana's words with care and extracted what mattered.Ark Sector Four consumed protein slurry. Cockroach-based protein was not surprising. Processing human corpses was.That meant West Ridge's total reserves were limited. The so-called upper class might lack morality, but they would not abandon basic human taboos unless scarcity forced them to. Desperation eroded dignity.What concerned him most were the bodies. Residents of Ark Sector Four were taken away at intervals and never returned. Ilyana had seen corpses with signs of mutation, injection marks, and radiation exposure. They were experimenting and manufacturing Awakened.Cyrus' gaze shifted. He thought of how abilities awakened around him, triggered by extreme stress and near-death conditions. The West Ridge Order likely sought to mass-produce powerful combatants through forced mutation."That explains it," he said quietly. "The missing students were taken for experimentation."He

Cyrus finalized the terms with Ilyana and agreed to cooperate on one condition. She would assist him in undermining the West Ridge Base from within.For Ilyana, that was no sacrifice. She already despised the place. If she could see it collapse, she would not hesitate.They reached an understanding quickly. Extracting the students would be her responsibility. Cyrus would provide limited support at most, and he would not march into West Ridge to rescue anyone.Still, he was curious. How did she plan to move more than 30 students?He looked at Barbara and Keira. "How's your teacher's judgment?"They smiled."She's stubborn but not stupid," Keira said.Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Then I look forward to seeing how she pulls it off."At Willowford East…After securing Cyrus' conditional promise, some of Ilyana's tension eased. At least she now had a fallback.Next came the real problem: getting her students out. One or two people would be manageable. As an ACE captain, she had movem

Magnus drew a slow breath and fixed Florian with a steady gaze. "That proposal is too difficult to execute. We won't consider it for now. And I've said before, I want Cyrus alive. What use is a corpse to me?"He wanted the vast stockpile inside Cyrus' pocket dimension. If Cyrus died, access to those supplies would become uncertain.Florian had expected this response, so he moved on to his second proposal. "Then we rely on our captain-level Awakeneds. We maintain continuous, sustained attacks against the bunker. The drawback is the time required."Magnus asked evenly, "How long?"Florian hesitated, then answered, "Half a year."He was not certain. He simply dared not suggest a longer timeline. Even so, the number made Magnus' brows tighten."You're suggesting we tie up multiple captain-level Awakened for six months? That would significantly weaken West Ridge's defenses. What if another faction attacks? What if unrest breaks out inside the base? Would you return in time to reinforc

This was the first time Cyrus and Magnus met face to face, even if only through a screen.Magnus had already reviewed Cyrus' full profile, or at least everything from before the Frostfall. Based on that file, he felt confident.In his view, Cyrus was nothing more than an averagely educated young man with a measure of nerve and boldness. He had no political background, no executive experience, and not even a white-collar profession.In the old world, someone like him would never have qualified to stand in the same room as Magnus. That certainty showed in Magnus' calm smile."Hello. You must be Cyrus."Cyrus felt no warmth toward him. The man appeared gentle and refined, but after hearing Ilyana's account of the West Ridge Base, Cyrus knew exactly how ruthless he was."You're the leader of the West Ridge Order?" Cyrus replied evenly, a polite but cold smile on his face. "How should I address you?""My name is Magnus Blackwell.""Mr. Blackwell," Cyrus said lightly. "What brings yo