On their way home, the car was quiet for a while. Empty and calm after everything that had happened.Lizzy was the one who finally broke the silence.“You really did the impossible,” she said, eyes still on the road. “Tell me honestly. How were you able to go into the Hole Realm and come back alive with the Kyoul Stone?”Natasha leaned forward from the back seat immediately. “Yeah. I’m curious too.”Charles exhaled and began telling them everything. He narrated the entire journey, from the two border monsters, to the desert filled with creatures, to the cave, the serpent, and the realm spirit that guided him. He explained how Aries helped him after he spared the guards and how the realm itself wasn’t chaos, but a place where monsters lived peacefully and only reacted to invasion.It took a long time to tell. The story almost covered the entire journey.Lizzy shook her head in disbelief. “So an unknown spirit helped you just because you didn’t kill the guardians.”Charles nodded. “Yea

The next morning, the bunker was unusually quiet.Katina and her men had finished preparing their equipment. Weapons were checked, ammunition secured, and supplies packed into their bags. Gerald was ready as well, dressed in his tactical gear with a rifle strapped across his back.Just as they were about to leave, Gerald stopped.“Wait.”Katina turned. “What?”“You’re leaving three of your men behind.”Katina immediately frowned. “No. I need every man I have. This journey is dangerous enough already.”Gerald folded his arms. “And this bunker is important. If Raphael discovers it while we’re gone, Janet, Hannah, and Erens will have almost no protection.”“I’ll be left with fewer men,” Katina argued. “You understand how dangerous this mission is?”Gerald smirked. “Well, you have me.”Katina stared at him for a moment before scoffing.“I don’t care who gifted you this bunker or how powerful you think you are. The moment we encounter real scavengers, you’ll understand just how dangerous t

The sharp ringing in his ears drowned out everything else as the doctor's words echoed inside Dylan Lyon's mind."I'm sorry," the doctor said quietly. "The tests confirmed it. It's late-stage cancer. At most... you have three months left. There isn't a cure anymore. All I can do is make your remaining time as painless as possible."For several seconds, Dylan simply stared at the report in his trembling hands. Three months. Soon, every sunrise would bring him one step closer to death. His lips twitched into a bitter smile before he slowly nodded."Okay... thank you, Doctor."He left the hospital carrying nothing but the diagnosis and a heart that felt impossibly heavy. Every step home seemed slower than the last.When he entered the Lyon mansion, the old butler greeted him with a smile."Young Master, wonderful news! All eight young ladies are returning home tonight. Madam Serena ordered a lavish family dinner. Please prepare everything before they arrive.""I understand." Perhaps... T

Before either of them could react, the hole above them suddenly opened. A man and a woman in their sixties appeared at the edge, both pointing guns directly at them.Katina immediately raised both hands. “We are not a threat!”The elderly couple frowned suspiciously. The man kept his weapon trained on them. “Where are you from? What are you doing here?”Gerald slowly raised his hands as well. “We're going on a journey. We got caught in the storm and decided to rest here.”The man's eyebrows lifted. “In this fucking apocalypse? You're going on a journey?”Katina nodded quickly. “We have something urgent to deliver.”The man and woman exchanged a long look. Neither seemed convinced, but the woman finally lowered her weapon slightly.The man looked back at them. “Can we search you, just to be safe? There's a settlement nearby. We live there. You can stay for a day or two, but we need to be sure you're really no threat.”Gerald glanced at Katina before nodding. “Fine.”They climbed out of

Seeing Jude remain silent, Sapphire’s gaze sharpened slightly.“I asked you,” she said again, calm but firmer this time. “What is going on here?”Jude jolted, then immediately pointed at Charles and Serena.“It’s these two,” he said quickly. “They are disturbing the peace of everyone here. Causing trouble. They came with some proposal I already told them we weren’t interested in, but they refused to leave.”Sapphire tilted her head slightly. “Really.”Collins stepped forward at once, eager. “If I may,” he said smoothly. “They almost broke Ms. Linda’s leg just now. That’s the reason Mr. Jude wanted to teach them a lesson.”Sapphire’s eyes shifted to Serena and Charles. Her gaze was steady, unreadable.“Is that really what happened?”Serena’s heart pounded, but she forced herself to speak. “No,” she said. “He didn’t even listen to our proposal before rejecting us and ordering us to leave. He—”“Stop lying,” Jude snapped, cutting her off. “You are just disappointed I didn’t accept your p