"W-Whoa... What the hell?" Ares''s voice rang out in alarm. "Where did that wall come from?!"


    A sudden jolt shot through my head—Sophie! What happened to her? I whipped around to check and saw her sprawled on the floor of the backseat. Just as I was about to open the door and pull her out, I felt something warm and sticky trickle down my forehead. I wiped at it, and when I looked at my hand—red. Blood.


    "Ares, you idiot!" I snapped, pointing at my forehead. "Do you see this? What the hell, man?!"


    Ares turned to me, his expression dazed. He blinked a few times and muttered, "Huh? Uh... yeah, that''s blood. George, why are you bleeding? "You sure you didn''t just scratch yourself on something?"


    "Are you serious right now?" I groaned. There was no point arguing with this moron.


    Still feeling lightheaded, I yanked the car door open and pulled Sophie into my arms. Her forehead had taken a hit too—not bleeding, but already bruising. I glanced back at Ares, who was still sitting in the driver''s seat like he had all the time in the world. The sight of him only made my irritation worse.


    "What are you waiting for? Planning to live here now? Get moving!" I barked.


    Stumbling slightly, Ares and I made our way down the eerily silent street. It was unsettling. After all that noise, not a single zombie in sight? Something wasn''t right.


    Ahead of us loomed a luxurious gated community, its empty streets littered with abandoned cars and dark red bloodstains. The silent remains of some horrific event. Many of the houses stood with their doors ajar, left wide open in a desperate escape or a struggle cut short.


    Carrying Sophie, I nudged Ares toward one of the houses. Inside, I flipped on a high-beam flashlight we''d scavenged earlier and swept the place. The house seemed safe—no signs of recent movement, only faint traces of old bloodstains. Except for one locked door on the second floor, everything else was accessible. I shot Ares a look, and he, still groggy, simply nodded, stumbled into a nearby room, and locked the door behind him. Within seconds, I heard the unmistakable sound of snoring.


    I sighed and carried Sophie into another bedroom. It was a cozy space, painted soft pink, with walls covered in posters of cartoon girls. A pile of stuffed animals filled one corner, remnants of a life long abandoned. I checked under the bed, inside the wardrobe—anywhere a threat might be lurking—but found nothing dangerous.


    Turning my attention back to Sophie, I placed a hand over her forehead and activated Heal.


    Still level 10. Looked like until Robot G woke up, this ability was stuck at max. A warm glow radiated from my palm, forming a sphere of light that drifted toward Sophie.


    Then, pain—sharp, searing agony tore through my skull. A strangled groan escaped me before darkness swallowed my vision.


    Blackness.


    Cold.


    Where was I?


    The scene was the same as last time I blacked out, but something was different. This void—I was aware of it. Was this... a dream?


    A voice echoed from the abyss, distant and ancient. "This is no dream..."


    The speaker sounded old, their voice rough and worn by time.


    "Not a dream? Then where am I?" I asked instinctively.


    No answer.


    Instead, I felt a force shove me forward, propelling me toward a blinding light. As I was consumed by it, the voice spoke one last time:


    "Stop recklessly using the power of the Evolution Seed... or you will die."


    I woke with a gasp, my vision blurring against a too-bright light. Ares was hovering over me, glowing with an unnatural white radiance, his energy spilling into me. Sophie was beside him, watching with relief flooding her face.


    As my senses returned, Ares grinned smugly. "Well? What do you think? Do I look cool or what? Don''t I look like a high priest?”


    I sprang to my feet and kicked at Ares. He dodged and yelped, "Whoa, chill! "I was talking about a high priest! You know, like the ones blessing people in those epic movies!"


    "Yeah, right. You look nothing like him," I scoffed.


    "Come on! I saved your ass twice now! The least you can do is explain what the hell just happened!" Ares demanded, glaring at me.


    "Go ahead and be mad," I muttered, ignoring him. I turned to Sophie instead. "What happened last night?"


    She took a deep breath before answering. "The box I gave you—it had a strange jade stone inside. That jade has healing and detoxifying properties. It was actually. That jade was found clutched in the hands of an ancient warlord in China. His body was eerily well-preserved until they removed the jade, and then it turned to dust. He was clutching it when they found him. Until they removed the jade, and then it turned to dust... This jade was secretly stored in the basement of the city''s museum. I went to retrieve it yesterday, but I ran into Duke. He was after it too. He’s gotten stronger—I couldn''t defeat him. So I used my stealth ability to escape... but he still managed to track me down. It must''ve been that woman with him. She must have some kind of special ability."I took the jade from Sophie. It was cool to the touch, and the moment my fingers curled around it, I felt a faint surge of energy flow through my arm and into my mind, restoring my strength. Using "Heal" twice has left me utterly drained—not just physically or mentally, but in a way that felt... deeper. Like something inside me had been depleted. Was this the "Seed of Evolution"’s exhaustion? But the jade—it was replenishing that energy. It was unbelievable.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A wave of relief washed over me, and I let out a satisfied sigh.


    Suddenly, Sophie let out a soft gasp. I snapped my eyes open and followed her gaze. She was staring at a glass of water on the table—the surface rippling ever so slightly. An earthquake?


    Before I could voice the thought, a scream pierced the silence. It wasn''t from any of us—and it was coming from inside the villa!


    We exchanged glances, then cautiously opened the door, voices guiding us to the room that had been locked last night.


    I knocked and called out, "Is someone in there? We''re survivors too. If you can hear me, please open the door."


    For a long moment, there was nothing. Then, slowly, the door creaked open.


    A young woman stood in the doorway, looking to be in her early twenties. Her hair was a tangled mess, clearly unwashed for days, but even in her disheveled state, her delicate features stood out. Her lips trembled as she stared past us—out the window.


    Curious, we turned to look as well.


    A massive dark shadow stretched across the horizon. My stomach clenched. It was a horde—tens of thousands of zombies, all moving in the same direction.


    The villa district was backed against the mountains, a secluded place. Beyond the area was an open field, not even reaching the main road. But the zombies weren’t wandering aimlessly—they were chasing something.


    Three people.


    The figures sprinted across the grass, barely ahead of the wave of death behind them. As they drew closer, the sounds of heavy footfalls and guttural growls filled the air. But the strangest thing was... the zombies weren’t just growling—they were chanting, their voices twisted and broken:


    "Ma... rn..."


    Ares muttered, "Those three dumbasses are leading the whole damn horde straight to us... So... do we run, or hide?"


    Sophie glanced at me. Ares did too. Even the terrified young woman, realizing they were looking at me for an answer, turned her pleading eyes my way. "Please take me with you. I beg you."


    I hesitated for only a second.


    "We run. Now."


    Without another word, we bolted downstairs.


    The zombies, driven by the presence of the three fleeing humans, surged closer. The earth rumbled under their stampede, their collective roars deafening. Standing in the street, I could now clearly see the three figures racing toward us.


    Two men. One woman.


    One of the men was turning back repeatedly, launching enormous fireballs to slow the zombies'' advance. The other wielded a crystalline ice blade, gripping the woman''s hand as they ran.


    They had spotted us.


    And they were coming straight for us.


    Aris, completely unfazed by the incoming horde, was still trying to chat up the disheveled woman. "What''s your name, beautiful?"


    She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Zara."


    I kept my eyes locked on the approaching swarm of zombies and pointed to the parked cars near the entrance. "Where are the keys?"


    To my surprise, Zara reached into her pocket and pulled out the whole set. "Right here! I''ve been ready for days."


    I blinked, momentarily stunned, before taking three keys from her hand. "Good." I tossed one to Sophie, who pressed the remote, making the lights of a sleek black sedan. Just as we were about to get in, a voice—soft, feminine—whispered directly into my mind.


    "Please help us. We need a car."


    I turned toward the distance, hesitating. Then, without another word, I pressed a button on one of the remaining remotes. A silver luxury car''s headlights flickered on. I set the key fob on the roof of the car. The voice in my head returned: "Thank you."


    Without wasting any more time, I slid into the car. Sophie, unlike Aris, actually knew how to drive. A gentle press of the gas, and we were off.


    In the rearview mirror, I saw the three figures clambering into the Volkswagen, speeding in the same direction as us. Once again, the voice reached me:


    "Let''s stick together. Survival chances are better in numbers. Elite survivors are banding together. There are hunters out there targeting weaker or isolated Chosen Ones."


    It was clear—this woman was a Chosen One too. But her ability was... different.


    The three of us were currently at our peak, and with Aris''s power amplified during the day, I figured we had the upper hand. I considered my options and then answered in my mind: "Alright."


    I knew she would hear me. And if their intentions weren''t pure, well... their Evolution Seeds would be mine.


    I quickly briefed Sophie and Aris on the situation. Hopefully, this woman''s ability wasn''t so insane that she could eavesdrop on us, too.


    The highway was eerily silent. There were no other cars, just endless stretches of grassland on either side. Sophie gradually slowed the car to a stop. I stepped out, leaning against the door. While in the car, I had already activated "Sunflower Codex" on myself, Sophie, and Aris. Surprisingly, using it three times now drained me about as much as once before, and my recovery time has been cut down to just three minutes.


    I summoned my "Mutated Thunderlight Sword," gripping it firmly. Sophie, with a flicker of energy, conjured a sleek black dagger. Ares, standing tall, let a beam of light shine down on him from the sky, making him look—at least for the moment—like some kind of divine warrior. Zara, watching all of this, gasped and covered her mouth in shock.


    In the distance, the silver Volkswagen CC approached slowly before stopping about twenty meters away. Its three occupants stepped out.


    The first was a young man in his early twenties, clad in a bloodstained white suit. Without sparing us a glance, he casually conjured a flame in his palm, blew it out, then reignited it—over and over again, as if testing his control.


    The second man, dressed in a casual outfit, exuded an icy aura. As soon as he exited the car, frost gathered around his hands, forming into a crystalline longsword. He looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five. Without a word, he moved to stand protectively in front of the woman between them.


    The woman, the one who had spoken in my mind, studied us carefully.


    Tension crackled in the air.


    We weren''t enemies—yet.