​The sound of crunching bone was the only thing Han Jin could hear over the howling wind of the Mana Storm.​It was a wet, sickening sound—the sound of his own ribcage collapsing under the weight of a Level 4 Shadow Beast. The creature was a mass of shifting black smoke and jagged obsidian talons, its eyes glowing with a hateful, violet hunger.​"Please... Captain... don't leave me!" Han Jin wheezed. Each breath felt like swallowing broken glass. His fingers, frostbitten and blood-slicked, clawed at the frozen, purple-stained earth.​Ten feet away, the extraction portal was shimmering. Captain Steve—the "Golden Hero" of the Dawn Squad—didn't even look back. He was busy ushering a crying, beautiful woman into the safety of the light.​"Sorry, Han," Steve’s voice carried over the roar of the storm, sounding impossibly calm. "You’re a Shield Class. This is what you were born for. Your sacrifice will save the future of humanity. We'll make sure your name is on the memorial wall."​Liar.​

The red dot on Han Jin’s chest pulsed like a steady, mocking heartbeat.​In the silence of the quarry, the clicking of safeties being disengaged sounded like thunder. Han didn't raise his hands. He didn't flinch. In his past life, he had faced down monsters the size of skyscrapers; a few men with assault rifles were just a nuisance.​"I’ll repeat myself once," the voice came again, closer now. A tall man in slate-gray tactical gear stepped out of the shadows. He wore a beret with a golden sun insignia. "This quarry is under the jurisdiction of the Solstice Group. You're trespassing on a high-security research site. Turn around and walk, or we’ll find a hole to put you in."​[Target Identified: Captain Miller][Organization: Solstice Group - Scout Division][Threat Level: Low (Mortal)][System Analysis: They are searching for the 'Mana Fissure' located 300 meters below this point. They are 100 days early.]​Han’s eyes narrowed. So, the Solstice Group—the future tyrants of the wasteland

The air in the quarry didn't just get hot—it turned into a vacuum.​Silas Thorne stood amidst the shattered granite, his golden eyes burning with such intensity that the rocks beneath him began to turn into molten glass. The "Director" wasn't just an Awakened; he was a walking sun.​"I was going to offer you a quick death," Silas hissed, his voice vibrating with the power of a solar flare. "But now, I’m going to melt the skin from your bones and turn this bunker into your crematorium."​Silas raised both hands. A sphere of blinding white light formed between his palms, crackling with enough energy to level a city block.​[WARNING!][Target is channeling 'Solar Nova'.][Base Integrity Risk: 85%.][Recommendation: Deploy 'Phase 2' immediately.]​Han Jin didn't panic. He felt the Kinetic Suit humming against his skin, vibrating from the sheer heat Silas was radiating. "System, I didn't spend $75,000 and a Mana Heart just to have the roof blown off. Activate the [Tungsten Siphon]."​[Tung

The Solstice Group didn't get to be a global superpower by playing fair, and Han Jin wasn't about to start now.​In the passenger seat of the modified SUV, Zhao Wei gripped the door handle so hard the plastic groaned. The blacksmith looked at the neon-blue HUD flickering on the windshield, tracking three red dots moving through the city’s industrial district.​"You’re insane," Zhao grunted, his eyes darting to the massive hammer resting between them. "We just slapped the son of a billionaire into the harbor, and now you’re raiding an armory belonging to the people who basically own the government?"​"Correct," Han Jin said, his hands steady on the wheel. "In forty-four days, the government won’t exist. But the 'Engine of the Apocalypse' sitting in Warehouse 12 will. If Solstice finishes building it, they’ll have the power to enslave every survivor in a thousand-mile radius. I’d rather have it in my basement."​[Target Approaching: Solstice Logistics Hub - Warehouse 12][Security Level

The sterile elevator lobby turned into a pressure cooker.​Steve stood there, his Solstice uniform crisp, his hand resting on the hilt of a high-frequency blade. In this timeline, he was still the "Golden Boy" of the corporation, his ego bolstered by a nascent Level 3 Awakening. He didn't see a threat; he saw a bug to be crushed.​"Kill me twice?" Steve laughed, the sound echoing off the metallic walls. "Han, you were always a delusional laborer. I don't know how you got this gear, but you’re still just a foundation-layer. Move aside, and maybe I’ll let you live as a janitor in the new world."​[Target Identified: Lieutenant Steve (Future 'Golden Hero')][Current Level: 3 (Light-Speed Affinity)][Threat Level: Moderate][System Note: Host’s adrenaline levels are peaking. Suppress or Channel?]​"Channel it," Han Jin hissed.​"Aris, get behind the pillar!" Han commanded.​Before the words had even left his mouth, Steve moved. In a blur of golden light, he closed the ten-foot gap. His bl