The sharp, golden chime echoed through Ethan's mind with the clarity of a church bell, cutting right through the heavy, freezing fog clouding his brain. As his body temperature plunged toward a lethal low, the intense agony in his fingers suddenly vanished, replaced by a strange, tingling warmth that spread outward from his chest.[HOST DESPAIR THRESHOLD REACHED.][ABSOLUTE SURVIVAL SYSTEM ENGAGED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLAIM THE NEWBIE STARTER PACK?]Ethan didn't hesitate. With whatever little cognitive strength he had left, he mentally shouted his affirmation. Claim it! Claim everything![DING! NEWBIE STARTER PACK SUCCESSFULLY CLAIMED!]Passive Skill Unlocked: Absolute Thermal Equilibrium (Immune to all environmental temperatures between -100°C and +100°C; body maintains a constant, comfortable 36.5°C regardless of external conditions).Consumable Item: Steaming Pork Buns (x5) and Pure Mountain Spring Water (x5). Special Utility Tool: Target Detection Radar (Level 1).Whoosh.A sudden

The remaining two scavengers lay whimpering on the floor, clutching their burns and shattered knees. Ethan didn't give them a second glance. He stepped back into the bedroom, pulling two high-protein survival bars and another bottle of warm spring water from his spatial storage, placing them into Sarah’s hands."Can you stand?" Ethan asked, his voice softening.Sarah nodded, taking a small bite of the protein bar. The divine nourishment of the System food was working rapidly through her system. Her cheeks had regained a healthy pink flush, and the weakness in her limbs had almost entirely faded."I'm fine, Ethan.” She said, looking down at the groaning thugs in the hallway. "Drake is going to run straight to the penthouse. Marcus has at least fifteen armed men up there, and they've barricaded the stairwells above Floor 30 with iron plates and heavy furniture."Ethan walked over to the broken window, looking up at the towering shadow of the thirty-five-story building. Outside, the

The snowstorm raging over Northport had intensified into a blinding whiteout, wrapping the city’s frozen avenues in a dense, swirling shroud of ice. Three blocks east of the high-rise district, the Northport Military Supply Depot stood as a grim concrete fortress surrounded by twelve-foot security walls.Inside the perimeter courtyard, the situation had deteriorated into a desperate slaughter.Captain Victoria Vance of the military garrison leaned heavily against an overturned tactical armored vehicle, her breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. Her long silver-blonde hair was matted with sweat and frost, and her striking icy-blue eyes burned with fierce, unyielding defiance. Her heavy tactical body armor was cracked down the left shoulder, and a deep, crimson trail of blood stained the snow beneath her boots.She raised her right hand, channeling the last dregs of her Awakened energy. A jagged wall of solid ice erupted from the concrete, forming a temporary barrier between her dwind

The concrete courtyard buckled and split like brittle glass as the forty-foot Acid-Frost Serpent reared its massive head into the storm. Its translucent ice scales glistened with a sickly, bioluminescent green, and clouds of acidic, sub-zero vapor hissed as they hit the freezing air. Where the creature’s corrosive saliva dripped onto the ground, armored steel plating dissolved into bubbling slush.Corporal Miller scrambled backward in absolute panic, clawing at the mud as he screamed. "It’s a subterranean threat! The rifles won't do anything! Run!"Victoria’s instincts kicked in instantly. Even with her energy restored by the System bond, the sheer size of the beast made her breath catch. "Ethan, stand back! The green mist is hyper-corrosive,it dissolves physical armor and freezes flesh on contact!""I see it." Ethan replied smoothly, his eyes narrowing as his System vision flared.Thanks to Sarah’s passive Medical Accuracy buff, glowing crimson outlines lit up the serpent’s anatomy

The low, guttural roar of heavy diesel engines rattled the frosted glass frames of the depot courtyard as two massive, iron-plated tread-crawlers smashed through the outer perimeter security gates. Snow and ice sprayed into the air as the vehicles ground to a halt, blocking the main entrance and sealing the courtyard into a closed kill-zone.Over thirty heavily armed mercenaries clad in dark, insulated fur coats and reinforced steel body armor spilled out from the armored transports, spreading out across the snow-covered pavement with automatic shotguns and heavy assault rifles.Standing on the hood of the lead tread-crawler was Commander Vance, a brutal, scarred lieutenant of Warlord Boris who shared no blood relation to Ethan, despite his name. He carried a heavy anti-tank rocket launcher slung over his shoulder, his gray eyes scanning the quiet, snow-dusted courtyard with sadistic pleasure.Behind the lead crawler, crouching near the smashed iron gates, were Marcus Vance, Laura Ste