Sloan tunneled through the muddy underground using the earth-shifting technique. Even though he'd found good cover earlier, the altar's destruction still affected him. Now, his energy was a chaotic mess, and every breath sent fresh pain lancing through his torso.But he had no time to worry about his injuries. He raced toward the Nether Crypt at maximum speed. The grand elder had to be warned. They need to relocate their base.Hidden beneath the gnarled roots of a 1,000-year-old banyan tree, the crypt's entrance would stay buried forever unless one knew precisely where to look.Sloan tunneled at full speed, burning through his internal energy reserves as he drove forward. After 15 relentless minutes, he finally reached the Nether Crypt entrance.He flicked three bone talismans from his fingertips. The banyan's root system parted slowly like snakes, revealing a pitch-black passage. As soon as he slipped inside, the soil behind him churned violently and sealed the passage shut.Sloa

Inside a temporary camp in Reedcrest, thousands of civilians huddled together in cramped conditions. Many were wounded, and countless others showed signs of plague infection. When the zombie horde had attacked, there hadn't been time to deal with the outbreak. Saving lives had come first. Though the horde was eventually wiped out, the damage caused by the virus was far from over.However, the plague remained the biggest threat. With the crowd in chaos, it had spread like wildfire. Infections had climbed from hundreds to thousands, even under Grace's containment efforts. Without the medication keeping it under control, the outbreak would have been catastrophic.Even so, Reedcrest was doing remarkably well compared to the other three cities. Those three had already descended into chaos. Even without the threat of the zombie virus, it would take time to restore any kind of order.Dustin rode a trail of golden light back to the temporary camp. He saw Grace kneeling inside the tent,

When Grace and Dustin led the rescue team into the slums of Harbortown, the sight that greeted them left them stunned.The muddy ground behind the wooden walls was soaked in filth and stank of rot. Dozens of people were crammed inside like caged animals. Their eyes were dull and empty, filled with nothing but numbness and despair.Some wore nothing but rags, while others were stripped to the waist. Their emaciated frames cast ghastly shadows under the dim light.In one corner, a gray-haired elderly man lay curled up on the ground. His legs were rotting, with white maggots crawling in the wounds, yet he seemed numb to the pain. With trembling, bone-thin hands, he kept scooping mud from the ground and stuffing it into his mouth.Nearby, a young woman clung tightly to her child's lifeless body. The little girl's face was grayish-blue, with dried black foam at the corners of her mouth.The woman kept stroking her daughter's cold cheeks, murmuring, "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll take you

"You damn troublemakers! You have some nerve for attacking a Dragonmarsh military commander! I'll make sure you regret this!"Even while bound, Harlan kept thrashing and shouting threats.Without saying anything, Grace raised her hand and slapped him across the face several times until he was seeing stars. His cheeks were swollen, and blood trickled at the corner of his mouth."You think you deserve the title of Dragonmarsh military commander?" she said coldly. "You should be court-martialed and stripped of your rank.""Court-martialed? Ha! Who the hell do you think you are? Don't make me laugh," Harlan spat.He wasn't intimidated in the slightest. As one of Tristan's trusted officers, nobody except Valon could dismiss him."Hold it!"Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out behind them.Tristan had arrived, dressed in full protective gear and flanked by a large unit of soldiers.When Harlan saw him, his face broke into a huge grin. He laughed and said, "His Highness is here. You

Tristan's expression darkened. He was the crown prince, the one who commanded respect. Yet now, all eyes were on Grace. Of course, that didn't sit well with him.If those plague-infected civilians had died, he could've sealed off the city and buried the truth along with the bodies. But now that Grace had stepped in, there was no covering it up.Worst of all, she was the one who saved them. Compared to that, he seemed somewhat incompetent. No matter how bitter he felt, he had to keep up appearances.The rain had just stopped, and a damp mist still clung to the ruins of Harbortown.Tristan trudged through the mud toward Grace, wearing a warm smile."You must be exhausted," he said. "Come back to the tent with me. I had the chef prepare some chicken soup to help you warm up."Raindrops slid down Grace's cheek, and she wiped them away. Her black field clothes were already soaked through with mud.She glanced at the civilians huddled in the ruined church nearby. They'd just been resc