The pen felt heavier than it should have.Leo stared at the divorce papers on the mahogany desk. Three years of marriage, reduced to a single sheet of paper and a cheap plastic pen. He could hear his mother-in-law, Eleanor, pacing behind him, her heels clicking against the marble floor like a ticking clock."Don't just sit there like a mute fool," Eleanor sneered. "Sign it. You've wasted enough of my daughter's youth. A useless live-in son-in-law who can't even buy her a decent handbag. Pathetic."Leo didn't look up. He simply slid the papers back to Sophia.His wife—his soon-to-be ex-wife—didn't even glance at him. She was too busy checking her makeup in a gold compact mirror. "Just sign it, Leo. Mark is waiting for me. We're going to the Maldives tomorrow.""Mark," Leo repeated, the name tasting like ash in his mouth.Mark, the billionaire heir. Mark, who had been sending Sophia roses for months while Leo was cooking and cleaning for her family. Mark, who was currently waiting outsi

The high school was a fortress.Someone had already organized the survivors. Cars were pushed into a barricade at the front gate. Teachers and students patrolled the perimeter with baseball bats and fire extinguishers. It wasn't much, but it was something.Leo walked through the front gate, his torn shirt hanging off his shoulders, the pistol tucked into his waistband. A dozen eyes followed him. He could hear the whispers."Is that a survivor?""Look at all that blood. He must have fought his way here.""Where did he get a gun?"A middle-aged man with a clipboard stepped forward. He wore a security guard uniform, but the name tag said Principal Chen. His hands were shaking. "You... you're not bitten, are you? We can't let anyone in if they're infected."Leo shook his head. "I'm clean."Principal Chen hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. We have a makeshift infirmary in the gymnasium. Get yourself checked out. And... welcome to Northside Safe Zone."Leo walked past him without another wor

The System Shop was overwhelming.Leo sat alone in a supply closet on the third floor of the hospital, the door barricaded with a metal shelf. The others were downstairs, distributing gear and tending to wounds. He needed a moment to think.[System Shop – Tier 1 Access][Available Points: 500]The shop was organized into categories: Weapons, Armor, Consumables, Skills, and Special. Leo scrolled through the options, his eyes widening with each new item.Weapons:· Iron Edge (Tier 2): 50 points. +5 Strength.· Hunter's Bow (Tier 2): 75 points. +7 Agility. Ranged.· Blade of the Fallen (Tier 3): 200 points. +15 Strength. 15% bleed chance.Armor:· Reinforced Jacket (Tier 2): 60 points. +5 Vitality.· Shadow Cloak (Tier 3): 180 points. +10 Agility. Reduces detection by enemies.Consumables:· Health Potion (Tier 2): 25 points. Restores 50 HP.· Stamina Elixir (Tier 2): 25 points. Restores 50 Stamina.· Experience Boost (Tier 3): 150 points. Double XP for 1 hour.Skills:· Power Strike (C-

The trap worked perfectly.Elara's modified beacon had been broadcasting a false signal for six hours. Leo and his team watched from the rooftop of a collapsed parking garage as a group of armed survivors walked directly into the ambush zone—three blocks east of their actual position."There," Mia said, pointing. "Scouts. Six of them. Well-armed."Leo studied them through a pair of binoculars he had looted from a sporting goods store. The scouts wore matching black armbands with a red fist painted on them. They moved with military precision. Trained. Disciplined.[System Alert: Faction detected – Iron Fist Guild. Threat Level: Moderate.]"Iron Fist," Elara said. "Victor Kane's people. They control the eastern district. Largest guild in the city. Over two hundred members.""And they're looking for us," Leo said."They're looking for anyone strong enough to threaten their control," Elara corrected. "Victor doesn't tolerate rivals."The scouts searched the empty street for twenty minutes

Twenty-four hours.Leo stood on the rooftop of the Meridian Institute's outer complex, watching the red sky pulse. The hidden lab beneath the mall had given them a secret entrance, but the main building was still a fortress. Automated turrets. Bio-locks. Security drones that patrolled the perimeter in endless loops.Below him, the Iron Fist survivors—now his survivors—moved with purpose. They had set up a forward base in the mall's ground floor, fortifying the entrances with concrete barriers and makeshift barricades. Marcus had organized the fighters into squads. Bruiser and Kevin led the defense teams. Lily had set up a triage station in what had once been a food court.They had twenty-four hours until the First Wave. Twenty-four hours to prepare.Leo opened his status screen.[Name: Leo Vance][Class: Apex Plunder (SSS-Rank)][Level: 14][Strength: 55 | Agility: 42 | Vitality: 40 | Intelligence: 18][Skills: Basic Beast Tracking, Golden Tongue, Intimidation, Basic Command, Rally, D