The pungent smell of synthetic lemon was the first thing that hit Marsel's nose.It wasn't the fresh scent of newly mopped floors that usually greeted him every morning at seven. This was the thick, chemical odor of spilled floor cleaner, mixed with something far more metallic and fishy. Blood."Ugh, my head," Marsel groaned, trying to lift his body off the cold, sticky ceramic floor.The world spun. The long fluorescent lights on the ceiling of A-117 Supermarket flickered as if having an electrical seizure, creating a nauseating strobe effect.Bzzzt. Bzzzt.The electrical buzzing sounded like a giant fly trapped inside his ear."Hey, who spilled So Klin here?" Marsel shouted, his voice hoarse. He clutched his throbbing head, then realized his hand was wet. Not water. Thick red fluid.His eyes widened. He stared at his palm. Blood."Damn it," he hissed, his heart instantly pumping adrenaline through his body. "What is this? An earthquake? A robbery?"He looked around. The gondola shel

The black claw stopped a millimeter in front of Marsel’s cornea.The wind generated by the claw’s swing made Marsel’s bangs flutter. The Crawler’s breath—a mix of ammonia and rotting meat—slapped his face. The creature hissed, ready to press down just a little more to turn Marsel’s head into a kebab.Suddenly, a giant, glossy brown hand gripped the Crawler’s neck from the side."IMPOLITE!" Tyrex roared.With a brutal yank involving triceps muscles the size of a 3-kilogram gas cylinder, Tyrex pulled the Crawler away from Marsel. The creature shrieked, its legs scraping the ceramic floor, creating a jarring *skreeet* sound."Release the King!" Tyrex slammed the creature onto the floor. CRASH!The Crawler tried to get up—its flexibility was incredible—but Tyrex gave it no chance. The bodybuilder leaped, his knee landing squarely on the creature’s back. The sound of cracking bone was crisp, like a dry branch crushed by an elephant.Tyrex raised his clasped hands high into the air."HAMME

The morning sky outside A-117 Supermarket was neither blue nor orange, but a dreary, static gray, as if the sky's resolution was being downgraded by a central server. Inside the store, however, the atmosphere was far more tense than the color of the sky.Marsel stood atop checkout counter number 4, holding a barcode scanner that glowed like a scepter. Before him, Tyrex, Nana, and Mr. Budi were lined up neatly between the gum and alkaline battery racks."Alright, listen up," Marsel said, his voice echoing in the silent room. "Our fortress energy is zero. Big zero. The side door I upgraded last night is only holding up because its physical structure is now steel, but the energy shield is dead. If one more horde of rabid dogs comes through, we're canned food.""Your servant is ready to be a meat shield, Your Majesty!" Tyrex roared, hitting his broad chest with a solid *thud*."I know, Rex. But a meat shield isn't enough," Marsel aimed his scanner at Tyrex. "The System says we got a 'Perf

The midday sun felt like an overly bright stage spotlight, glaring down on the cracked asphalt in front of the A-117 Supermarket. For Marsel, however, the most dazzling and annoying light was the line of holographic text floating in his field of view.**[Marsel - Fortress Manager Lv. 2]****[XP: 995/1000]**"Just five points short," Marsel grumbled, kicking a pebble. "Only five points. The stingy System."It had been two days since the Scavenger attack. Bullet production from the pizza oven was running smoothly, and food stocks were secure thanks to Mr. Budi’s 'creative' management (who turned out to be adept at mixing canned sardines with instant noodles). But Marsel’s level was stagnant. The Ekorupts around the supermarket had been wiped out by Tyrex during the morning patrol, and they only gave a measly 1 or 2 XP."We have to go out," Marsel stated firmly, tightening the straps of his backpack, which was loaded with ammo and first aid supplies.Next to him, Tyrex was flexing his ch

The proximity alarm sounded like a panicked heartbeat—fast, rhythmic, and deadly.BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!Marsel slammed the server room door open, his eyes immediately locking onto the monitor wall displaying the 360-degree CCTV feed around Supermarket A-117."They're back again?" Nana asked, running in behind him, carrying a medical bag."Worse," Marsel growled, his fingers dancing over the holographic keyboard. He zoomed in on Camera 3 (Front Parking Sector). "Look at that."On the blue-glowing monitor screen, a line of people was visible. About thirty of them. But it wasn't their numbers that made Marsel's blood boil.The front line wasn't armed Scavengers. They were ordinary citizens—old men, mothers in torn house dresses, crying teenagers. Their hands were tied in front of them, and ropes around their necks were being pulled by the Scavengers in the second line.They were being used as human shields."Bastards," Marsel hissed. "They know we have the Wall Shockwave. They know I won'