Ethan remained at the edge of the forest. The man's final words continued to echo in his mind. You're closer than you think. His grandfather. The people in black. Number seven. The accident. And the strange symbol. Too many pieces were appearing at once. But they still didn't form a complete picture. Ethan slowly looked down at the metal tag in his hand. 07. He turned it over again. Nothing. He looked toward the darkness where the man had disappeared. " Did my grandfather prepare people to protect me?" No answer came. Ethan's eyes narrowed. "And why hide it from me?" A cold breeze passed through the trees. For a moment, he thought he saw movement. He immediately raised his hand. The Guardian mark glowed faintly. "Come out." Nothing. Ethan waited several seconds. Still nothing. He lowered his hand. "They're gone." He looked back toward the shelter. Then he started walking. As he approached the shelter, he noticed Sophia stand

The room remained completely silent.Ethan stared at the place where the System notification had disappeared.THE APOCALYPSE EVENT REMAINS SUSPENDED.He slowly repeated the words in his mind."The apocalypse is still on hold..."He leaned back in his chair.That meant whatever was happening around him wasn't the beginning of the apocalypse.The creatures.The people in black.Marcus.Victor.Sophia.The strange messages.The accident.His grandfather.They were all connected to something else.But what?Ethan looked down at the metal tag.07.He turned it between his fingers."Seven..."He remembered the stranger's words.Your grandfather prepared us.Ethan's eyes narrowed."How many people did Grandpa prepare?"Six more?Or were there more than seven?He had no idea.And there was another problem.The man had warned him about Sophia.You shouldn't have brough

The forest exploded into chaos. The masked men charged forward. Subject 07 moved first. He disappeared from Ethan's sight for a split second. Then— BOOM! One of the masked attackers was sent flying through the air. He crashed against a tree and dropped to the ground. Ethan froze. "He's fast..." Another attacker rushed toward him. Ethan raised his hand. The Guardian mark immediately glowed. A transparent barrier appeared. BANG! The attacker's fist slammed into the barrier. Ethan pushed forward. The barrier expanded. The man was thrown backward. "Ethan!" Victor shouted. Ethan turned. Two attackers were running toward him from opposite dir

Ethan stared at the System.HIDDEN HISTORY UNLOCKED.THE GUARDIAN PROJECT — YEAR 1.ACCESS REQUIRES MEMORY RECOVERY.He didn't move.For several seconds, he simply stared at the words."Memory recovery..."He slowly sat on the edge of his bed."What exactly did I forget?"The System remained silent.Ethan rubbed his forehead."System."Nothing."Can you recover my memories?"A few seconds passed.Then—DING!MEMORY RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE.Ethan's eyes widened."How?"Another message appeared.TRIGGER REQUIRED."What's the trigger?"Silence.Ethan sighed."Of course."He looked at the metal tag.07.Then the red card.THE GUARDIANS WERE NOT THE FIRST.He picked up the tag.The moment his fingers touched it—His vision suddenly blurred.Ethan froze.A sharp pain passed through his head."Ah!"He dropped the tag.His hand immediately we

Ethan remained frozen in the control room. His eyes stayed on the monitor. SUBJECT 01 — CURRENTLY INSIDE THE SHELTER. He slowly looked toward the hallway. Nothing. The lights were still on. The shelter was quiet. Too quiet. Ethan glanced at the security cameras. One by one, the hallways appeared empty. "Inside the shelter..." He whispered. "Then where are you?" The System disappeared. Ethan didn't move. He knew one thing. If Subject 01 was really inside the shelter, then whoever it was had been watching him. Maybe for hours. Maybe for days. Maybe even longer. Ethan slowly reached for his phone. He didn't call anyone. Instead, he opened the shelter's security system. He checked every entrance. The main entrance. The storage are