Aya stood alone in the vacant chamber, waiting for an answer. However, there was no response. Still, she didn’t mind it as she knew that the spirit she was calling had an attitude. She whispered again, and this time, it sounded firm... "Come out..." Finally, the air shifted. A shadow moved at the edge of the chamber. It was faint and formless, yet undeniably present. Aya ’s heart pounded. She had felt this presence since the day she awakened her Talent, but she had never dared to speak to it directly when there were others around. [ Talent: Fifth Sin (Epic): Power grows as wealth is accumulated. Wealth includes food, tools, weapons, valuables, and resources. A Spirit companion bound to the user. ] When everyone was discussing their Talents before, she had lied. She had repeated the words whispered by the shadow at her side, Physical Strengthening Talent... Uncommon Rank... At first, she didn’t really want to lie, but the spirit companion sounded so scary. It was like

’What’s this?! Why am I still alive?’ She opened her eyes and saw the ground swaying beneath her. For a moment, she thought she was falling. Then the pain in her shoulders reminded her that she was still being hanged, upside down, tied cruelly to the chest of a marching Reaper. Her name was Sera, though the machines didn’t care. To them, she was nothing more than a living shield, a body strapped to steel. Her long, ash‑blonde hair dangled toward the dirt, streaked with grime and dried blood. Every step of the machine jolted her, giving pain through her spine and ribs. It was horrible... She no longer struggled. She no longer screamed. Her cracked lips parted only to whisper to herself. They were words no one could hear. ’Just let it end... let me die without pain.’ Sera had once been a medic in the old world, tending to the wounded in a refugee camp after the collapse. She had saved lives with nothing but scraps of cloth and stubborn will. But when the Mechanical Civi

The heavy steps of the Reapers shook the garbage field. At the same time, the chains rattled as the captives strapped to their mechanical bodies swayed helplessly. Clank... Clank... The Hound prowled ahead with its claws scraping against the ground as it scanned for enemies. Max didn’t hesitate when he saw what was happening. He raised his hand, not for another collapse, but for something different. "Smoke!" he commanded. Immediately, survivors pulled the small canisters from the Stealth Cache . Pins were yanked, and thick plumes of gray smoke erupted across the battlefield. The haze spread quickly, swallowing the Reapers and the Hound in a choking fog. "Good..." Soon, their optics started overworking as they struggled to adjust. For a moment, the machines halted, scanning wildly with their vision disrupted. The survivors then disappeared into the haze, with their silhouettes slowly vanishing. Thanks to their camouflage suits from the same pack, they blended even furthe

Max ’s eyes swept the field. He knew the victory was temporary. According to the system, the mech siege lasted seventy‑two hours or three days, and this was only the first batch. More mechanical soldiers would arrive soon, so they had to move quickly. "Resource team," Max called out. "Start the salvage. We need every part we can get." The Resource Gathering Team hesitated for a moment. The process would be grim since there were human remains everywhere... Furthermore, none of them had much experience dismantling machines of this scale. These machines are too advanced for them. They might also make mistakes and destroy important parts of them. However, realizing that Max and the others would also assist, they immediately felt more confident. "We... we’re on it, Leader Max !" "Let’s go!" The team moved as they looked at the three Reapers and two Hounds that were trapped in the collapsed part of the east tunnel. It was painted red since the blood and fleshly remains of hum

While Max was looking after the two rescued people, the salvage continued. In the store room, they pulled an Energy Power Cell from a Reaper. To their surprise, it was still humming faintly! "What?!" "Be careful! It might explode or something!" Ryan and Xander couldn’t help but feel worried that it might cause a disaster. However, Jett’s eyes remained calm. "It’s alright. This... this is gold. Maybe we can power more devices, maybe even recharge the rifles if I can stabilize the output." Of course, he wasn’t sure how the rifle worked just yet. Still, he couldn’t help but imagine what he could do with this energy source. Soon, he looked at the Plasma Rifle. [ Item Obtained: Plasma Rifle ] [ Description: A damaged standard‑issue rifle for the Reaper unit. ] It was scorched and dented but not destroyed. He lifted it carefully, and it was heavy! Perhaps, if he didn’t consume the Gene Serum, he would struggle carrying this thing. Ryan turned to Jett. "Can you fix i