The wind on the Skyline Tower rooftop was unnatural that night. It wasn't a strong, storm-bringing wind, but a dead wind that felt heavy and sticky on the skin, as if the atmosphere of Jakarta was holding its breath before screaming.Elian sat on the edge of the concrete parapet, his legs dangling over the five-story drop. In his hand, he held an unlit clove cigarette—just sucking on the filter tip to calm his nerves. The cigarette was a gift from Rico, a remnant looted from the pocket of Darius's Enforcer earlier that day."You know, El," Rico's voice broke the silence. He sat next to Elian, busy tinkering with an old transistor radio he found in the security room. "If this were a movie, usually when the sky gets weird like this, aliens would land or Godzilla would emerge from Jakarta Bay.""Don't give the universe ideas, Ric," Elian replied flatly, his eyes fixed on the sky. "God seems to enjoy improvising lately."And Rico was right. The sky abov

The Jakarta sky no longer looked like a sky. Up above, thick cumulus clouds slowly spun, resembling a giant inverted whirlpool. The color was no longer bruised purple like a few hours ago, but had changed to a glowing neon purple, as if a foreign nuclear reactor had leaked right above the city's atmosphere.On the Skyline Tower rooftop, the wind was completely dead. The air felt heavy, static, and electrically charged. The fine hairs on Elian's arms stood on end, not from cold, but from an electromagnetic field so dense it felt palpable."Rico," Elian called softly without taking his eyes off the swirling sky. "Try checking your radio. Still got a signal?"Rico, who was sitting cross-legged near the water tank, tried turning the knob on his old transistor radio.*CRACKLE... WHINE... ZZZZT...*"It's just the sound of a demon doing karaoke, El," Rico replied, tossing the radio aside. "Radio frequency is dead. Walkie-talkies are dead. Even my phone sc

The sound of shattering glass was like an explosion of crystal in the silent night. The wall panels of the hydroponic greenhouse were destroyed, showering the lettuce and tomato plants with sharp shards. From the gaping hole, three Runner zombies leaped in, trampling the PVC irrigation pipes until they broke. Water sprayed everywhere, mixing with soil and black blood. "Fall back! Everyone retreat to the generator room!" Elian shouted, his voice hoarse over the noise. He swung his iron pipe, hitting the head of a zombie trying to pounce on a small child. *Thud!*The blow was hard, but without Mana, it felt like hitting a tree trunk. His hand tingled. "Vara! Rico! Form a defensive line!" Vara was already moving. She stood in front of the panicked crowd of mothers and children running toward the back door of the greenhouse, which connected to the concrete area of the generato

SHREEEEET... THUD! The landing on the roof of the Grand Menteng Hotel was not as graceful as an action movie scene. There were no smooth tactical rolls or superhero landing poses. There was only the loud ‘thud’ of human bodies hitting the concrete rooftop floor, followed by groans of pain echoing one after another. Elian, Rico, and Vara tumbled near the rooftop swimming pool, whose water was now green with algae. The belts they used to slide came loose, leaving raw, red scrapes on their palms and hips. "Ow... my tailbone..." Rico groaned, lying flat on his back with his foot caught in a broken sunbed. "I officially hate zip lines." Elian didn't answer immediately. He lay face down, smelling stale chlorine and dust. His entire body screamed in protest. The effects of Overcharge and excessive Mana use made his muscles feel like they had been forcibly pulled until they snapped.