Alexander was cornered, with nowhere left to retreat.What would he do next?Ray's lips curved into a faint smile as he took one step forward.And then Alexander did something astonishing.He spun on his heel and, without hesitation, punched straight into the wall. Boom! Even though it was a solid layer of underground clay and stone—reinforced slightly to look decent—his fist slammed through, blasting a massive hole over a meter wide and half a meter deep.He didn't stop. Blow after blow, the hole deepened rapidly, soon forming a proper tunnel.Alexander charged, smashing through the opening he'd created, continuing to punch and carve a path beneath the earth. The tunnel slanted upward, breaking through to the snowy surface in less than a minute.Boom! A figure burst through the snow—Alexander himself.What a terrifying force. From nearly 200 meters underground, he had carved his way out with nothing but raw strength. A true powerhouse."Huff! Huff!" Alexander panted heavily,

A long night passed.Though "long" is relative. If you fall asleep, it's over in a blink. But if you keep your eyes open, every second stretches on, torturous and unending.Why couldn't Ray sleep?Well, a little minx was insisting on extracting the "true essence," and he couldn't refuse. Naturally, rest was impossible.He did manage a brief nap—truly brief, less than two hours—but woke refreshed and alert. Such was the benefit of enhanced physiology.Time to move.Ray thought for a moment and decided to bring Honey along—two humans and a dog—heading toward New World.Why bring another girl?It sent a subtle message to Agatha. "See? I have no intention of starting trouble. I'm just here to observe."Tonight, Agatha was holding an awakening ritual.Ray was curious.How exactly did they awaken?He could help others evolve, but that required the target to first be infected with the poison hail. Only after ten days could he intervene. But he'd observed the people in the New Worl

Huh… Sonya didn't show up today.Ray realized a little late, recalling what she'd said yesterday. Had she already been handed over to Keith by Agatha?Of course, he didn't care about some random woman—especially one clearly sent as a "sugar-coated missile," a trap that couldn't even be peeled.A quick sweep with his spatial perception revealed Sonya. But she hadn't been given to Keith—she'd been locked up instead.Maybe because Alexander had arrived, Keith wasn't important enough to reward with a pristine little beauty? Possibly.Ray, however, found himself curious about Alexander. Using his spatial perception, he quickly located the men and women Alexander had brought yesterday and went to see them.He immediately demonstrated his ability, then pulled out a bag of frozen steaks. Instantly, these people raved about Alexander like he was some kind of saint.In reality, Alexander had only stumbled across them seven days ago. Before that, they'd been hiding in a commercial building

Under Ray's enhanced perception, every detail of the buns became crystal clear.Ray could only conclude: plain white buns, no filling whatsoever.But what if there was something mixed into the flour? He couldn't tell. Any subtle ingredient hidden in the dough would be completely undetectable to him.He turned his attention to the fifty participants.They lifted the buns high in apparent gratitude before taking a bite, their expressions charged with excitement.Within ten minutes, each one began trembling violently, collapsing to the ground. Yet, those around them showed no concern; instead, they raised their arms and cheered.Ray "saw" it all—the energy seeds forming in their minds, coalescing effortlessly, needing no external aid. Each seed matured perfectly, then shattered, spreading energy throughout their bodies.It was as easy as drinking a glass of water.In moments, all fifty were on their feet, displaying their new powers. Fire, ice arrows, magnetic control… the hive er

Strange… and utterly terrifying.This masked woman wasn't Agatha—but she had to be her sister, a twin even. No one could look this identical otherwise.Clone? Nah, forget that.Agatha clearly had a twin, so why weren't they together? Could this mysterious figure be the sniper everyone had whispered about? But that sniper had always seemed like a singular force—not a group.So why now? Had the sisters turned against each other? Or was there some deeper plot at play?Ray rubbed Cassandra's shoulder for comfort. Yep, stress relief.Cassandra was speechless. She gave him a clear-eyed glare.'Forget it. Stop overthinking. Let's take her down!' Ray thought.But he didn't act immediately. Instead, he watched. What was this woman doing here? Could she really be Agatha's long-time rival? Yet, she wasn't a group—just one person.The mysterious woman stepped in front of the forty-three supply collectors.At first, the group stiffened at the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest. But w