But this was only the beginning.The steel bars kept coming without end. After more than a dozen strikes, even if Paul was a close‑combat–type ability user, his two arms were still smashed apart—bones shattered, flesh mangled beyond recognition. What a bloody mess.Yet, Paul had no time to scream in pain, because even more steel bars were already hurtling toward him.Both of his forearms were gone—broken and destroyed. How was he supposed to block now?And worse, huge chunks of stone surrounded him on all sides, whistling past his ears as they accumulated, brutally sealing off every possible escape route.Only now did he finally understand: this had all been Ray's setup. An invitation into a trap.And once inside, he was doomed—nothing more than a dead crab in a pot.He didn't want to die."Let's talk this through! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" Paul shouted.Though both his arms were shattered, making him a cripple by any standard, his legs were still intact. If h

Ray tried using the new ability on the table.But… it wouldn't cut.Huh. So the upper limit was only something as "soft" as apple flesh?Then what was this ability even good for?Well, it was useful—extremely useful.Because even body‑enhancement ability users, with their tough skin and hardened flesh, are difficult to injure with bullets. Even sniper rounds usually do no more than tear skin and muscle, failing to damage bones or tendons—let alone an ability that can't even cut through wood.But what about a body‑type ability user's brain? Their blood vessels?Could those possibly be just as tough? Absolutely not.Which meant this ability was a perfect weapon against ability users.The key issue was that the spatial portal was essentially a passive skill. Against ability users, it was unreliable—most of them possessed danger premonition. Up to now, not a single ability user had blindly charged into the otherworldly storage space and died that way.Yes, the otherworldly storag

Before the apocalypse, the women here had been Paul's way of entertaining his "important guests."Some were business partners he needed to curry favor with, and others were powerful officials he wanted to ingratiate himself with.In short, these women were elite hostesses.Their clients weren't just any men—they were the most influential figures in Senna City, some even in the state of Elandrial, or nationwide.Caspian had explained that none of these women were older than twenty-five. Each month, they received a salary of 10,000 dollars. On top of that, Paul showered them with luxury gifts, took them on yacht trips, flew them on private jets—ensnaring them in a trap of material desire until they had no choice but to become obedient, living "golden caged lives," serving him and his powerful clients. Some even gathered intelligence for him.But after the apocalypse hit, things changed. While Paul still kept them, their service was no longer for others—it was solely for him.Char

It was still snowing.Looking at the ground, the snow had already piled up to about a foot deep.Yesterday's snowfall had been light, but it hadn't stopped, and none of it had melted. Little by little, the accumulation grew.Was this snow toxic? Ray wondered. Hailstones had been poisonous, but over a month had passed. The cosmic rays the experts had warned about—weren't they long gone from Earth?If so, the snow might actually be safe to drink. And that could change everything.Before, toxic hail had contaminated all natural water sources. Even without the cold, trees, plants, and flowers outside would have withered. Humans and animals had no choice but to find pure water, or risk poisoning and death.So aside from hunger, thirst had been humanity's second great killer.If snow were drinkable, one of mankind's most pressing survival problems would be solved.Of course, with the temperatures this low, melting snow was still an issue.Eating it directly was even more out of the

The boy laughed loudly, his excitement fueled by the suffering of others."Who's going to answer me?" he shouted, pointing at another man.The man stammered, "Our employer's second son is also an ability user.""What's his ability?" the boy asked."I… I really don't know," the man hurriedly said."You don't even know that? What use are you?" The boy snorted coldly, sending another ice spike flying.The man's throat erupted in blood, and he collapsed to the ground. Dead.This boy's temperament was bizarre—he killed on a whim but also delighted in tormenting his victims. Truly twisted."Tell me, what's his name?" the boy asked, pointing at the fourth man.The man trembled, unable to speak. Answering wouldn't save him—fail to answer any question, and death was certain."Too slow… die!" The boy waved his hand casually, and another ice spike shot forward.The fourth man fell, lifeless.The boy hummed a tune, surprisingly a nursery rhyme."Daddy's daddy is grandpa…"He finally