'Holy crap… what kind of nose is that?'Ray hadn't deliberately let any blood splash on himself when he took out Mord and the others. The faint blood scent on his clothes came from their corpses—the blood had mingled with the air and drifted onto him with the wind. Barely anything. A normal dog probably couldn't even smell it.And yet, this woman had caught it.Her senses must be freakishly sharp. Or… could her ability be related to sensing blood?Ray laughed loudly on purpose. "I'm not on my period—what blood?"The fiery woman's eyes narrowed, cold and displeased. "Don't waste my time with jokes like that."Ray patted the big bag slung over his shoulder. "I went out to gather supplies and ran into a few troublemakers… had to off them. Must've gotten a bit of blood on me then."He let his eyes roam over her in a shamelessly predatory way. The side effects of absorbing powers were starting to kick in, sharpening the aggression in his gaze.The woman glared at him. "Try anything

The attacks on Mary and the death of Lilian, though known only to the hotel's top brass, had set off a quiet investigation. On the surface, everything seemed calm, but behind the scenes, the hotel leadership was digging deep. They asked detailed questions about everyone's past, why they had joined the faction, and what they had done before.Fortunately, Ray had only lied about his ability type. For everything else, he said he'd been hanging around the residential area, waiting until the people there were all dead. Then, by chance, he learned about Mary's faction and came to join them. His record appeared clean and unremarkable.In truth, the apocalypse had lasted barely over sixty days. Who could have too many stories by now?Ray passed the scrutiny with ease.He had committed his acts using spatial perception and spatial severing, all while "sleeping" soundly in his room. As long as he didn't expose his abilities, no one could guess he was the killer.He remained in the hotel,

The pigs were fat and ready to slaughter. And people like Ray? They were prime fattened lambs. No wonder Genevieve had to make sure she got to enjoy Ray one last time.Mary was truly ruthless.Couldn't find the culprit? Then kill them all. The identity of the perpetrator didn't matter. It was the perfect way to force someone out while simultaneously harvesting a massive amount of abilities—cutting down on the hotel's day-to-day expenses, and with more recruits coming in later, the cycle could continue.But, as the saying goes, when the mantis stalks the cicada, beware the oriole behind it.Ray smiled faintly. Naturally, he was the oriole.The problem was, he'd come as an undercover, waiting for Guillermo and his men to arrive—so how had he ended up accidentally dismantling this whole faction? Plans really couldn't keep up with reality.Well, if Guillermo didn't come, harvesting a massive pile of abilities would do just fine.Finally, the night passed.After breakfast, Ray notic

"None of the attackers from the day before were among these people.""That's fine. Deal with the side effects first, and tomorrow we'll pull another group out to finish the job.""Tori, you can't go back. Find some random place to resolve your side effects."Mary organized the instructions, and the eleven of them quietly returned to the hotel. They left and came back without alerting a single person—except Ray.Ray had already returned earlier, made a few minor arrangements, and now waited leisurely to watch the show unfold.Soon enough, Mary and her team returned to the hotel.Perfect timing—lunchtime. Ray planned to play the footage he had just captured, gathering everyone together for maximum impact. He waited calmly, showing not the slightest hint of impatience.As the lunch hour arrived, people steadily made their way to the dining hall.Mary herself appeared, her ample figure making her presence immediately noticeable. Ray estimated she hadn't yet resolved the side effect

"Huh… why hasn't it started yet?"Ray watched the tense standoff, the kind where swords were practically drawn and tempers flared, yet no full-scale battle broke out.Ah, of course. Both sides were holding back.They were hoping for some kind of agreement, a way to walk away without bloodshed. After all, a clash of superpowered beings could easily leave a dozen dead.'Well, if that's the case… I'll give you a little push.'With a thought, Ray triggered the scene. One of the other superhumans screamed suddenly, activating their ability. A layer of vibrant feathers enveloped their body, flashing a kaleidoscope of colors.This person's ability was Beast Transformation—he could become a fierce bird of prey, even gain the power of flight.But against spatial compression, he didn't stand a chance.He raised his talon-like legs and kicked wildly, as if trying to shatter something, yet it was completely futile. The movement range of his legs shrank before their eyes, until they were