Later that day, Ares gathered what remained of the villagers and buried them himself. One grave after another, he dug with his own hands until the sun dipped below the mountains and darkness swallowed Oakhaven. There was no one left to help him. No one remained to offer prayers for the fallen or stand beside him in mourning. The village that had once echoed with laughter had become nothing more than a cemetery, and Ares was its only survivor.When he finally reached Elena, his hands trembled uncontrollably. With the greatest care, he wrapped her in a clean white cloth before carrying her to the great oak tree overlooking the village. It had always been her favorite place. Countless evenings had been spent beneath its sprawling branches, watching the sun disappear behind the mountains while they spoke about the family they hoped to build together. Now, the tree that had witnessed their happiest memories would become her final resting place.Ares gently lowered her into the grave before

Back to the present moment. Ares’ massive footsteps echoed heavily throughout the cold steel chamber as he slowly advanced toward Timothy Winston. Every step sounded like a war drum, causing the remaining soldiers to instinctively tighten their grips around their rifles. The bodies of the four guards he had dispatched moments ago still lay scattered across the polished floor, blood slowly spreading beneath them. The air had become suffocating, saturated with the overwhelming pressure radiating from the Iron Warlord.Timothy remained where he stood, straightening the wrinkles on his expensive suit after being thrown to the ground. Although Ares had nearly crushed his throat moments ago, there wasn’t a trace of panic on his face. Instead, he calmly adjusted his collar as though the entire situation was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.Ares’ deep voice rumbled through the room.“You asked me why I serve under General Jaden Rift.”He continued walking, his enormous frame casting a

Their guttural growls echoed through the enormous hall as dozens of twisted figures crawled, sprinted, and leaped toward the lone Iron Warlord. Their gray skin glistened beneath the flashing emergency lights, while their bloodshot eyes burned with an insatiable hunger for flesh.The soldiers stationed around the chamber immediately panicked.“Open fire!”“Kill them!”The deafening roar of automatic rifles filled the air.Rat-tat-tat-tat!Muzzles flashed continuously as countless bullets tore into the charging creatures. Several of the experimental subjects were riddled with holes, chunks of rotten flesh flying from their bodies. A few collapsed to the floor.But they got back up.Others ignored the bullets entirely.One creature pounced onto a soldier before he could reload.“AAAHHH!”Its jaws clamped around his neck.Blood sprayed across the floor as it ripped away an entire chunk of flesh.Another soldier tried to help his comrade.A second creature landed on his back.Then a third.

“What?” Ares barked as he crushed another bio-soldier beneath the head of his hammer. The creature’s skull caved in with a sickening crunch, but three more immediately lunged to take its place. “Then how the hell am I supposed to get out of here? Every damn exit is sealed!”Inside Special Forces Headquarters, Hope’s fingers danced across the keyboard as streams of data raced across her monitors. Facility Zero’s schematics rotated before her eyes while she rapidly searched for the quickest escape route.“Then don’t use the doors,” she replied calmly.Ares frowned as he backhanded another creature into a steel pillar.“…What?”Hope didn’t even hesitate.“Break through them.”Ares blinked once.Then a grin slowly spread across his scarred face.“Heh…”“I like that plan.”The monsters continued pouring toward him from every direction, crawling over the corpses of their fallen brethren without the slightest concern. Their guttural growls echoed endlessly throughout the chamber.Ares plante

Ares stood silently at the end of the corridor, his sharp gaze fixed on the twenty elite guards stationed outside the reinforced chamber. The soldiers maintained a flawless defensive formation, rifles raised and ready, their eyes constantly sweeping every corner of the hallway. Unlike the ordinary personnel scattered outside the facility, these were seasoned veterans. Every entrance was covered, every blind spot accounted for, and every movement around them was met with unwavering vigilance.Hope’s voice came through the communicator once again.“Ares, listen to me carefully. There are maintenance tunnels roughly sixty meters to your left. If you circle around—”Before she could finish, Ares slowly shook his head.“I don’t have time for that.”Hope frowned.“What?”Ares tightened his grip on the handle of his hammer, his eyes never leaving the guards standing ahead.“Timothy isn’t stupid. He already knows I’ve escaped, and he knows exactly why I came here.” His expression hardened as