When the enemy thought Ray would strike back under the cover of night, he had no such intention.He slept in—deeply, soundly, blissfully.When he woke, he felt refreshed. After breakfast, he decided to visit the Zimtam Outpost.At his speed, getting there was quick. Upon arrival, the guards at the gate recognized him and let him in without question.Jaime came out immediately, sizing him up from head to toe. Seeing that Ray was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to see you're okay!"Perhaps Ray had just been boasting and hadn't actually gone to Fanghold.Ray handed Jaime some frozen food—couldn't show up empty-handed, after all. Besides, he admired these veterans. He didn't need to play the saint, but as long as being virtuous didn't involve his own team, that was fine.Jaime accepted the food warmly, growing even more enthusiastic toward Ray.Next, Ray checked on Steve. The hot-blooded young man was now brimming with energy and purpose, as if he had finally found hi

Ray was more than a hundred meters from the enclave entrance, yet thanks to his spatial perception, not a single word of Travis and Rupert's conversation escaped him.He shook his head.Were the alliances between the top five major factions really this fragile? The Jayzepanese hadn't even been dealt with, and they were already scheming among themselves.Then again, Rupert's suggestion wasn't entirely unreasonable. If the two factions truly joined forces, a well-timed ambush could easily eliminate any one ally.If they managed to absorb an enemy leader's ability user ability, they might instantly break the balance and dominate alone. From that perspective, Rupert wasn't as foolish as he appeared.Ray shook his head again. It seemed the alliance of Guillory City's top five major factions was on the verge of collapse. Rupert would likely approach the other four factions individually—how could any of them trust the others? Had any secretly allied with him? Without enforceable laws or

"Let's go check over there," Ray said, not waiting for Steve's response, and started walking toward the woman in the red wedding dress.Steve blinked, then hurriedly followed. "Ray—wait for me!"Ray moved with deliberate purpose. Steve, though puzzled, didn't ask questions. Everyone had their secrets; it wasn't his place to pry. Besides, he was curious—why did Ray suddenly want to go that way? Surely something was about to happen.The woman in red was over seven kilometers away. Walking that distance would naturally take time. After about three kilometers, Ray noticed someone entering his perceptual range, following the footprints left by the red-dressed woman.It was a strikingly handsome man—definitely an ability user. Ray could sense that his cells were far stronger than a normal person's, though only moderately so—roughly ten units at most.Ray quickened his pace slightly. The man's objective was obviously the same woman. He intended to get there first."Ray, do we really nee

Seeing Paige openly expose the family's shame, Jeffrey's face flushed bright red. His eyes darkened with lethal intent, and the way he looked at Ray and Steve made it clear—he was already considering eliminating them.Steve was utterly stunned, mouth agape, while Ray remained calm. In this apocalypse, he had seen every kind of human tragedy, comedy, and moral drama. No matter how twisted, nothing could shock him anymore.Jeffrey took a deep breath. "Take whatever grievances home. Don't make a scene here!"Paige's condition was clearly unstable. Her face burned like fire from a high fever. She should have been unconscious, yet her intense hatred forced her to wake the moment she heard her husband's voice—and speak with clear-headed defiance.She gave a bitter laugh. "Making a scene? Isn't it more disgraceful that you gave your own wife to your cousin? Ha! You don't care about getting cheated on, so why do you care if I talk about it?"Jeffrey glanced at Ray and Steve, but was uncer

Ray swung open a spatial portal. Several massive fireballs shot straight toward Emmett.This was a feint.The air blades had struck earlier, but the spatial portal had effortlessly absorbed them. Emmett, impressive as he was, let out a sharp bark of breath, summoning a violent gust around him that snuffed out the fireballs without effort.Still, he frowned.Judging by the intensity of the fireballs, Ray's ability level seemed low—roughly on par with one of the fire-wielding subordinates under his command. But if that were truly the case, the three air blades earlier should have cut him into pieces.Something didn't add up.Low attack, high defense? That didn't fit the profile of a fire-type ability user. Strange.Emmett might be arrogant and lustful, but no reckless fool could rise to head a major faction. The stupid ones died long ago.He studied Ray for a moment, then unexpectedly smiled, as if greeting a long-lost friend. "I am Emmett, leader of Bunker's End. And you, mister