The first gunshot echoed through the ruins like a lie.Too loud. Too desperate. Fired by someone who believed noise still meant authority.I crouched on the rooftop across from the sports complex and watched the chaos unfold exactly as I had predicted. The barricades had failed. The boys’ group was breaking apart from the inside, panic shredding whatever formation they’d pretended to have.Zombies poured in through the gaps like water finding cracks.I haven’t moved yet.Timing mattered.A man fell near the entrance, pipe slipping from his hands as three infected descended on him. Screams ripped through the air, raw and animal. The girls who had followed the boys stumbled backwards, faces pale, mouths open in disbelief.This was the moment hope died.The system pulsed in my peripheral vision.Combat Authority detected.Exclusive User Privilege confirmed.Weapon Module unlocked.A second panel slid open beside it, crisp and precise.Available Arsenal:Handguns × UnlimitedAmmunition ×