As the modified jeep rolled to a stop in the middle of a quiet, broken street overtaken by weeds and silence, Julian looked out through the cracked windshield. The ruins of the city loomed like ghosts.
"We’ll rest here for the night," he said.
Everyone began moving without a word. They set up their portable tents in a cleared area, surrounded by collapsed buildings and rusted-out cars. The sky was darkening, the stars barely visible through the dusty air.
Clarissa stepped forward once the tents were up. "Julian, you should rest first. You’ve been driving for hours."
"She’s right," Emma chimed in. "You should lie down. We’ll take the first watch."
Julian nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Alright. I’ll get some rest."
As he ducked into the tent, Veronica stretched and yawned. "Guess I’ll rest too, then," she said, casually walking toward the same tent.
Before she could unzip it, Emma grabbed her arm. "Hold on. You’ve been napping all day. Let someone else go in there."
Clarissa folded her arms. "You just want to sleep next to Julian again. That’s not fair."
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl who literally used his lap as a pillow this morning."
Clarissa flushed red. "T-that was just... the moment! I got carried away!"
Emma turned to Clarissa. "So? Are you going to explain yourself?"
Aya, flustered and trying to calm things down, nervously waved her hands. "P-please, let’s not fight about this..."
Inside the tent, Julian stared up at the ceiling and sighed internally.
"Can I just sleep in peace for one night...?"
And Julian finally drifted off to sleep, his body succumbing to exhaustion.
The girls gathered around their small portable stove, working together in an almost choreographed way. Clarissa opened a few cans of preserved meat and began heating them up in a pan over the fire.
Veronica sniffed the air. "Mmm, smells amazing. Honestly, it’s a blessing Julian has that inventory skill, these canned meats never expire."
Emma, deep in thought, suddenly chimed in. "That reminds me... what if we stop by a butcher shop next time we’re in the city? Some of the meat in storage might still be frozen. We could stash it in the inventory and not worry about supplies for a while."
"That’s actually a good idea," Clarissa nodded.
Aya looked up from organizing the utensils. "We haven’t seen live animals in a while either..."
"Maybe they turned into zombies too," Veronica added with a shrug, half-serious.
Clarissa dropped some vegetables into the pan, stirring gently. "Well, at least we don’t have to hunt for now."
"You’re so good at cooking," Veronica complimented. "Makes me feel spoiled."
"I just really like it," Clarissa smiled. "Back home, I cooked all the time."
"I can vouch for that," Emma added. "Her food’s amazing. I basically lived off her cooking when we were neighbors."
Aya looked a little shy. "I’d love to learn, too..."
Clarissa smiled warmly. "Then I’ll teach you. No problem."
Eventually, the food was ready, and the aroma of warm stew filled the camp.
"I’ll go wake up Julian," Veronica volunteered, standing up.
"Don’t fall asleep in there with him," Emma teased.
Veronica walked over to the tent, knelt down, and unzipped it quietly. Inside, Julian was still fast asleep, his breathing deep and calm.
"Hey, dummy. It’s already the middle of the night," she whispered. "Time to eat."
Julian didn’t move.
Veronica poked his cheek repeatedly. "Are you seriously still sleeping? Don’t you want food?"
Still nothing.
She sighed and softly brushed his hair. "You’re looking more handsome lately, you know that?"
Then, with a mischievous grin, she leaned closer. "If you don’t wake up... I might just kiss you."
Just as her face got inches from his, the tent flap suddenly burst open.
"What’s taking you so long?" Emma peeked in. "You’re waking him up, not tucking him in."
Veronica jumped back in surprise. "Don’t scare me like that, idiot!"
Emma smirked. "What were you about to do, huh?"
"Nothing! I was just... checking if he was breathing."
"Sure you were. I thought you fell asleep too."
Julian groggily opened his eyes, blinking at the commotion. "What’s going on..."
"Finally," Veronica said, relieved. "Come eat before you pass out again."
Emma added, "The food’s hot. Eat up, then back to sleep."
The group gathered around the small campfire, sharing hot stew under the quiet, starlit sky.
After a restful night, the sun peeked over the ruins of the city. The group had a quick breakfast, then packed their things and hopped back into the military jeep. Julian started the engine, and with a roar, they were back on the road.
As they cruised through the abandoned city, Emma, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke up.
"If we pass by a butcher shop, let’s stop. I want to check for frozen meat."
Julian nodded. "Yeah, good idea."
Veronica, who was lounging in the back, added, "And if there’s a clothing store nearby, I’m stopping. I need new clothes. I’m done washing these by hand."
"You’re so lazy," Emma replied, rolling her eyes.
Veronica shrugged. "What do you expect? I never did my own laundry before the apocalypse."
Aya chimed in. "If you want, I can try building you an automatic washing machine."
Veronica leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Wait, really?! Can you actually do that?"
"It’s possible," Aya said modestly. "I just need the right parts."
Not long after, they spotted a small butcher shop, its sign still intact but faded. Julian parked the jeep nearby and approached the door, which was chained shut with a heavy lock.
"Looks like someone tried to protect it," Julian said, inspecting the chain.
Emma cracked her knuckles. "Want me to smash it open?"
Clarissa intervened. "Don’t. You might set the whole place on fire."
Julian shrugged. "I’ll just break the door instead."
With one powerful kick, the wooden frame cracked open. The group entered cautiously and made their way to the back storage room.
Inside, to their surprise, they found rows of frozen meat still preserved in sealed freezers.
"Jackpot," Veronica whispered.
Julian began transferring the meat into his inventory one by one, quickly clearing out the room.
Aya hesitated. "Is this really okay? What if this store belonged to someone?"
Veronica gave a tired sigh. "Aya, this is the apocalypse. If we don’t take it, something else will. It’s survival of the fittest."
Once everything was packed, they returned to the jeep. Just as they were preparing to leave, a sudden rumble shook the air, followed by sharp cracks of gunfire and a distant explosion.
Everyone turned at once.
Aya’s eyes glowed slightly as she activated her [Eagle Eye] skill. She scanned the horizon. "There’s a unit up ahead, looks like a military squad. They’re fighting some kind of mutated zombie."
Emma turned to Julian. "What do we do?"
Julian’s expression hardened the moment he heard the word "military."
"If they’re from the base, we’re helping them. Let’s go."
He slammed the pedal, and the jeep roared toward the sound of chaos.
------×------
Gunfire echoed through the ruins as the military squad huddled behind broken vehicles and sandbags, pinned down by a wave of mutated zombies. Dust and ash swirled in the air. One of the soldiers shouted desperately, "This is our last batch of bullets! We’re running dry!"
Amid the chaos, a silver-haired woman stood tall, her uniform torn and stained with blood and dirt. Her icy gaze swept across the battlefield.
Lieutenant Celestia Virelle, a calm, composed woman in her early twenty with piercing steel-gray eyes and a presence that commanded respect. Her long silver hair was tied in a tight braid, and the insignia on her jacket marked her rank with pride.
"I’ll go," Celestia said coldly, stepping forward.
"But Lieutenant—!" one of the soldiers called.
"Support team, back me up. Now," she ordered without turning.
Without hesitation, Celestia activated her skill [Silver Thread]. Threads of glowing silver energy danced from her fingertips, weaving intricate patterns in the air. They shot forward like blades, binding a charging mutated zombie and slicing it cleanly in half.
Then she moved, a blur of elegance and death, weaving between the enemy lines, threads flashing and tearing through flesh. But even her skill was not enough.
More zombies emerged, overwhelming the frontline. The assault team, despite their fatigue, rallied behind her.
"Let’s go!" a young man shouted, drawing his blade.
"[Precision]!" he cried, his sword glowing with surgical sharpness as he slashed through enemies.
Another followed with [Quick], his movements doubling in speed, zigzagging through the horde.
A third activated [Suppression], causing an invisible force to weigh down on the monsters.
And another added [Ignite], his fists burning with fire as he punched into rotting flesh.
But it wasn’t enough.
They were outnumbered, outmatched.
Celestia, panting but unyielding, stood her ground. "Run. Leave me behind and regroup. That’s an order."
"Never!" one of the soldiers yelled. "We follow you, Lieutenant. To the end!"
Just as a colossal mutated zombie raised its massive arm to crush them—
BOOM!
A burst of fire erupted from the distance.
A modified military jeep soared over a collapsed wall, its mounted turret firing flaming rounds. Shadows swirled like smoke around the man in front.
He leapt from the vehicle, katana drawn, shadow tendrils dancing around him like living weapons. With one precise slash, he split a mutated zombie cleanly in two, his blade howling with dark energy.
Clarissa floated behind him, her eyes glowing as she extended her hand. Her telekinesis gripped a hulking monster mid-charge, freezing it in place.
"Go, Emma!" she shouted.
Emma launched forward with blazing fists, her pyrokinesis flaring as she drove a fiery punch into the monster’s gut, sending it reeling in flames.
From the rear, Veronica stood focused, her staff glowing faintly. "[Enchant Boost]," she whispered, casting layered buffs across the team, enhancing speed, strength, and focus.
And above them all, perched on rubble, Aya’s sharp eyes scanned the battlefield. Her new custom-modified rifle, crafted from reinforced steel and integrated with an energy channeler core, gleamed under the sun.
With her [Eagle Eye] skill active, she pulled the trigger.
CRACK!
The bullet pierced through a mutated zombie’s thick hide, blasting a hole clean through it. The creature dropped instantly.
The military squad, now watching in awe, could only whisper.
"They’re... incredible..."
Celestia’s eyes widened slightly, her usual cold expression softening as she watched Julian’s silhouette amidst the flames and shadows.
"A god of war..." she murmured, breath caught in her throat.
With one final leap, Julian activated his ultimate skill. Shadow energy surged from his body, forming a vortex of blades.
"[Abyss Break]," he muttered.
With a thunderous roar, his katana slashed through the air, and through the mutated zombie’s neck. The creature’s head flew, crashing down with a shockwave that shook the earth, and its body collapsed like a toppled tower.
Silence fell.
Then, dust and smoke drifted away, revealing the victorious team.
And Celestia... couldn’t take her eyes off Julian.