Molly and the others were all exceptional—pre-apocalypse, any one of them could have easily married into a wealthy family.Of course, marrying into the top-tier elite was another matter entirely. That required more than just beauty; family background mattered. If your origins weren't strong enough, you had to prove yourself—win a few Olympic golds, make a name for yourself—and then, perhaps, you could marry into a prestigious household.Molly and the rest were willing to follow Ray because reality had already beaten them down. They knew surviving on their own was impossible. But with him? They not only survived—they thrived, living better than almost anyone else.And right now, Ray was the pinnacle of elite status—the top of the top, unmatched.Celine hadn't reached that stage yet. So naturally, she could still indulge in a little stubbornness.Ray didn't intend to miss out on such a superb ally. Once they located a military base, Celine could become a top-tier killing machine.B

One night passed."Honey—" Celine rolled over and reached to hug Ray, but grasped only empty air. She didn't fully wake, only murmuring softly, her breathing steady and calm.Ray, meanwhile, sat by the window. Early to bed, early to rise—it had become a habit.What to do today? Ah, the happy troubles of life.If he were anyone else, waking up would mean immediately thinking about meals, scrounging for supplies. But Ray had no worries about food or drink. His concern was how to kill time… and, of course, how to get stronger.Not for the sake of strength itself—it was simply to safeguard the life he currently enjoyed.'Maybe I should go scavenge fuel again…'He considered it. But now, with factions rising and fuel elevated to the status of strategic resources, every group was hoarding it alongside food. Collecting fuel was no longer easy.Fortunately, at the start of the apocalypse, he had cleared out numerous gas stations. The manor's heating ran mostly on the boiler, which burn

This was no empty boast from Ray.Before, he hadn't fully understood his own strength, but after defeating Lucas, his confidence skyrocketed—and with it, a clear understanding of just how powerful he had become.Especially after wiping out Channing's building materials market in a single strike, Ray realized that against most powered individuals, he was an overwhelming force.After that battle, he absorbed a massive amount of abilities and awakened Spatial Compression, making him even more formidable.The key difference with a spatial ability was preparation.Weapons like supersonic stones or reinforced steel beams were ridiculously simple to source, and deploying them required virtually no energy—once stocked, he could fire endlessly. Anyone confronting him head-on would need an absurd surplus of abilities, or they'd end up literally blown apart.Mass tactics? Ha. Against his crushing firepower, numbers were meaningless.So, when Ray spoke, he wasn't bragging—he was simply stat

The burly men surged forward instantly.Each one's face was twisted with vicious anticipation, their eyes alight with excitement for the "fun" that awaited them.The woman was stunning. Young, pure-looking—obviously had only known one man before. In a wasteland like this, where could one find someone so untarnished?So each of them lunged with savage eagerness, fearing to fall behind.Katie's face went pale.But before she could even react, Ray moved. With a casual flick of his hand—thump, thump, thump—the men were compressed together like fish trapped in a net.Technically, he didn't need the gesture at all. But the flourish added style, and it confused the enemy into thinking this ability required hand motions.The men jostled, shoved, and collided, completely immobilized.He didn't kill them. That task was for Katie.Only then did Katie regain her senses. Trembling, she called out to the woman ahead, "We bear no grudges! We don't even know you—why are you being so cruel?"

If we tried to quantify the woman's ability, it was roughly equivalent to thirty abilities.She had to be one of Mary's top lieutenants; otherwise, how could she have absorbed so much power?And if just one subordinate could wield this much strength, what about Mary herself? How many abilities must she have absorbed?As time went on, the leaders of these major factions only grew stronger, snowballing their advantages. Owning a "base" that provided a place to survive naturally attracted followers—both ordinary people and other ability users—allowing them to expand effortlessly and grow ever more powerful.Mary's group had just eliminated Robert's faction. One house falls, and another feeds. Just like how Ray wiped out the building materials market and instantly absorbed countless abilities, Mary had "devoured" Robert too.Ray never underestimated anyone."My advantage lies in the fact that no one knows where I live. And my villa in Mallory Avenue can serve as bait." He murmured to