As soon as the woman and her soldiers disappeared down the hallway with the guards, Janet turned sharply toward Gerald.“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Gerald?” she demanded. “Do you even know who they are?”Gerald remained calm.Ms. Alden stepped closer, her expression serious. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t accept people in, but we could be putting everyone here in danger if we allow dangerous people into the bunker.”“Relax,” Gerald said. “I know they’re not a threat.”Janet folded her arms. “And how exactly do you know that?”Gerald sighed. “Because I do. Besides, this is part of my mission. It’s something I had to do.”Janet stared at him. “This mission? Who is giving you this mission?”Gerald paused for a moment before giving her a small, knowing smile.“That’s a story for another day.”Janet's expression immediately hardened. “Gerald—”Before the argument could continue, Ms. Alden calmly walked toward the kitchen.“Well, since you’ve assured us they won’t cause any troub

The seven men stopped their snow bikes as they stared at the massive structure standing in the distance.Raphael frowned deeply as his eyes moved over the bunker. Its enormous walls rose from the frozen landscape, reinforced with thick steel and concrete. Floodlights illuminated the surrounding snow, while the towering entrance and fortified exterior made the entire place look more like a military fortress than a simple shelter.For several seconds, Raphael said nothing.One of his men slowly removed his helmet and stared in amazement. “Boss... look at that. It’s incredible. How can someone build something this magnificent out here?”Raphael’s expression remained cold, but his eyes narrowed.He recognized the location.“This...” he muttered.His mind immediately went back to the cave Gerald had purchased before the apocalypse. Back then, Raphael had considered Gerald a useless fool who had wasted his money on an isolated piece of land in the middle of nowhere.But now, that same locat

Meanwhile, later that night, Janet heard a knock on her bedroom door.She frowned and looked toward the door. “Who is there?”“It’s me. Gerald. Hannah is with me,” Gerald replied from outside.Janet hesitated for a moment before walking over and opening the door. She stepped aside, allowing Gerald and Hannah to enter. Although she had agreed to listen, the anger was still visible on her face.Gerald noticed it immediately but said nothing. Once the door closed behind them, he looked at both women.“I just wanted to talk to you about the mission,” he said. “The mission is for me to follow Katina to the military headquarters. It’s something I have to do. I’m not intentionally trying to leave you two behind.”Janet folded her arms. “Then who gave you this mission?”Gerald remained silent.She stepped closer. “Gerald, we’re close to you. We’ve been through all of this together, and we’re supposed to know what’s going on. So who is giving you these missions?”Hannah nodded. “Exactly. Is th

Raphael hurried deeper into the laboratory, followed closely by several of his armed men. He expected to find scientists running around in panic, desperately trying to protect the serums.Instead, there was nothing.The laboratory was completely empty.Raphael stopped in the middle of the room and slowly looked around. Tables had been left overturned, equipment was still running, and several papers were scattered across the floor. A few containers had been abandoned in the rush.But there wasn't a single person in sight.Raphael's face darkened."They were just here," he muttered.One of his men looked around. "Sir, there are no bodies either."Raphael frowned deeply. He walked toward one of the tables and noticed a chair that had been knocked over. He picked it up and examined the surrounding area."They didn't leave long ago."He could feel his anger rising."Where the hell did they go?"He suddenly grabbed the edge of the table and slammed his fist against it."Fuck!"The sound ech

Gerald tightened his grip on the sword and poured every ounce of strength into the blade. The steel hummed with raw power as he charged forward. The Ice Snake lunged, jaws wide. Gerald ducked under the snapping fangs and swung with everything he had.The impact was brutal. The blade bit into the scales with a heavy, jarring clang that rattled his bones. Sparks flew. His arms screamed from the force. The monster’s hide was like living iron; the sword barely sank an inch before it stuck. Gerald yanked hard, boots sliding in the snow, muscles burning as he forced the edge deeper between two thick plates.“Fuck… it’s hard!” he growled through clenched teeth, twisting the blade with a savage pull. Ice cracked. A thin line of dark blood finally welled up.Katina stared, eyes wide. “Do you get another sword? Or blade?!”Gerald didn’t hesitate. He shouted at the system, “Give me another sword from my virtual space—now!”A second blade materialized in his free hand with a soft blue flash—long,