2026-08-03 03:04:48The bus rolled through the city, stopping every few minutes to pick up passengers.
No one paid attention to Arjun. No one noticed the calm expression on his face. But inside his mind, every second mattered. 99 Days, 22 Hours, 41 Minutes. The countdown kept ticking. He looked out of the window at the crowded streets. People laughed. Couples argued over ice cream. Children chased pigeons in the park. Everything looked so... normal. Arjun knew the truth. Exactly one hundred days from now, these same streets would be flooded with blood. The pigeons would disappear. The parks would become monster nests. And the laughter... Would turn into screams. The bus finally stopped outside Phoenix Sports Club. Arjun stepped down and looked at the massive building. It was one of the largest fitness centers in the city. Members walked in carrying gym bags. Music echoed from inside. Nobody had the slightest idea what was hidden beneath the building. He pulled his cap lower and walked toward the entrance. "Welcome, sir." The receptionist smiled. "Membership card?" Arjun smiled back. "I forgot it." "I'm sorry, sir. Without a membership—" Before she could finish, a loud commotion erupted behind them. A famous fitness influencer had arrived. Everyone rushed toward him for selfies. The receptionist also turned away. Arjun didn't waste the opportunity. He quietly slipped inside. He moved confidently through the corridors. Left. Right. Down the emergency staircase. He remembered every corner. Three years in the apocalypse had burned this place into his memory. Finally, he reached the basement. It was silent. Dust covered the floor. Old gym equipment lay abandoned in a storage room. Arjun closed the door behind him. "This is it." He walked toward the far wall. To anyone else... It looked completely ordinary. But Arjun knelt and brushed away years of dust. A small metal symbol appeared. A triangle inside a circle. Exactly as he remembered. He pressed three hidden points on the wall. Nothing happened. Five seconds later— Click. The concrete wall slowly slid open. A cold gust of air rushed out. A hidden passage. "It's still here..." The tunnel stretched nearly thirty meters underground. Emergency lights flickered weakly. At the end stood a massive steel door. The words painted across it had almost faded. Government Emergency Storage Facility. Arjun's heart raced. In his previous life, survivors had discovered this place almost six months after the apocalypse. By then... Almost everything valuable had already been looted. This time... He was first. He pushed the heavy door open. The room inside was enormous. Shelves filled with military supplies stretched across the hall. Boxes of emergency food. Water purification tablets. Medical kits. Bulletproof vests. Camping equipment. Military-grade knives. Communication radios. Solar charging units. Arjun smiled. "This alone is worth billions after the apocalypse." But he wasn't here for supplies. He walked straight toward the back of the warehouse. There... Resting inside a thick glass container... Was a crystal no bigger than a fist. Dark blue. Glowing faintly. Tiny streams of light flowed inside it like living lightning. "The Evolution Crystal..." He whispered. The treasure that had changed his destiny. Just as he reached for the glass— Ding! Hidden Quest Completed First Explorer You are the first human to discover a Hidden Government Cache. Reward: 500 Survival Points Reward: Beginner Gift Pack ×1 Another notification appeared. Would you like to open the Beginner Gift Pack? YES / NO Arjun immediately selected— YES. Golden light burst before him. Congratulations! You have obtained: • Infinite Inventory (Level 1) • F-Rank Skill: Eagle Eyes • Steel Combat Dagger • 10 Attribute Points Arjun's breathing became heavier. "Infinite Inventory..." This was one of the rarest abilities in the entire apocalypse. In his previous life, only a handful of people possessed spatial storage skills. Now... He had obtained one on the very first day. A smile finally appeared on his face. "This timeline..." "Is already changing." He touched the blue crystal. The moment his fingers made contact— The crystal dissolved into countless blue particles. Every particle entered his body. A burning pain exploded through his veins. "Ahhh!" Arjun collapsed onto one knee. His muscles tightened violently. His heartbeat accelerated. Every bone in his body felt as though it was being shattered and rebuilt. Blue light burst from his eyes. Then— Everything became silent. A cold mechanical voice echoed inside his mind. Evolution Complete. Host has awakened a Unique Talent. Talent Name: Absolute Adaptation (SSS Rank) Arjun's eyes widened. His breathing stopped. "SSS..." His voice barely came out. "In my previous life..." "There wasn't a single SSS-Rank talent..." Before he could recover from the shock— A loud metallic sound echoed from the tunnel outside. Clang! Someone had opened the hidden entrance. Then came footsteps. Not one person. Several. Arjun immediately extinguished his flashlight. A cold voice echoed through the warehouse. "Search every corner." "Our information says the artifact is hidden somewhere inside." Arjun's expression turned serious. "They're here..." "But how does someone already know about this place?" To Be Continued...
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Chapter 201: The Things We Cannot Decide
The rain had stopped, but water still dripped from the library roof.Nox arrived early the next morning. Mara was already inside, checking the repaired shelves and arranging a new stack of books near the entrance.“You're early,” she said.“I wanted to finish the labels before the children arrive.”“Then I have something else for you.”She placed a small cardboard box on the table.Nox opened it. Inside were several envelopes, a handful of photographs, and a folded sheet of paper covered in handwritten names.“Someone donated these yesterday,” Mara explained. “They belonged to an old community reading group. We don't know whether the people named here want their photographs displayed or their letters kept in the library.”Nox examined the box.“Should we return them?”“We don't know who donated them or how to contact the people involved. That's why we need to be careful.”He lifted one photograph. It showed a group of children sitting beneath a large tree. Their faces were bright with
Chapter 200: The Choice to Knock
Leena returned to the library three days later.This time, she carried a small photograph.Nox was arranging returned books when Mara called him over. Leena stood near the desk, holding the photograph by its edges.“I found this while looking through an old suitcase,” she said. “I thought you might want to see it.”Nox approached.The photograph showed two children standing beside a railway platform. The younger one held a blue cloth bag. The older child stood close, one hand resting on the younger one's shoulder.“Is that you?” Nox asked.Leena nodded.“And the boy?”“My brother Daniel.”Nox looked at the photograph again. The boy's face was slightly blurred, but the expression was unmistakably cheerful.“Do you remember when it was taken?”“Not the exact date. I think it was shortly before we were separated.”Mara brought a clean folder and placed the photograph inside a protective sleeve.“Would you like us to compare it with the photographs in our records?” she asked.Leena nodded
Chapter 199: The Visitor Who Remembered the Ending
The second copy of the traveler's book arrived on the library table the next morning.Nox was helping Mara compare the pages when a familiar voice came from the entrance.“You found another one?”The woman from the previous afternoon stood by the door. This time, she carried no bag. She looked at the two copies lying side by side.Mara welcomed her inside.“You said your brother used to read this story,” Nox said. “Do you remember his name?”The woman hesitated.“Daniel.”Nox looked at the book again.Mara noticed his expression. “Do you know someone named Daniel?”“Not exactly,” Nox answered. “We've heard the name while looking through some old records.”The woman pulled out a chair.“My brother's name was Daniel Vale. We lived in the northern district when we were children. After our mother died, things became difficult. I was sent to stay with relatives, and Daniel went somewhere else.”Nox remained quiet.“Was it an assistance center?” he asked.“I think so. I was too young to und
Chapter 198: The Day the Story Changed
The argument began over a missing page.Nox noticed it while arranging the books in Story Harbor. A thin picture book lay open on the table, its pages held together by an old piece of thread. The story followed a young traveler searching for a place where the stars could be seen clearly.But halfway through, the numbers jumped from twelve to fourteen.“Someone tore out page thirteen,” Nox said.Sami looked over his shoulder. “Maybe it was the best page.”“Why would someone remove the best page?”“Maybe they wanted to keep it.”The little girl who had been listening shook her head. “Maybe it got damaged.”Nox examined the binding. The thread around that section was loose, but there were no fresh tears. The missing page had been removed a long time ago.Mara joined them. “That book has been in the library for years. We don't know its original condition.”“Can we find another copy?” Nox asked.“We can check the catalogue.”They searched the records, but the title appeared only once. Ther
Chapter 197: A Place for the Unfinished
The library’s reading corner was busier than usual.Sami had returned with two friends, and the little girl who loved the first book was sitting beside them. They had gathered around the shelf marked **Story Harbor**, arguing quietly about which story Mara should read aloud.Nox stood nearby, holding a box of donated books.“Can we read one that doesn’t have an ending?” Sami asked.Mara raised an eyebrow. “Every story in this box has an ending.”“I mean one where the ending doesn’t explain everything.”“That’s a different request.”Nox set the box down. “Maybe we can find one.”They searched the shelves together. Some books ended with a journey completed. Others ended with a door opening, a letter arriving, or a character deciding to try again. The children rejected each one for a different reason.“Too sad,” said the little girl.“Too easy,” Sami said.“That one has a dragon,” his friend pointed out.“Dragons can have unfinished stories,” Nox replied.Eventually, Mara chose a short b
Chapter 196: The Book That Came Back
The book arrived at the library in a paper bag.Nox noticed it because Mara set it apart from the morning’s donations. The cover was worn, the spine had been repaired with clear tape, and a faded label on the inside read: **Story Harbor**.“Is it one of ours?” Nox asked.“I’m not sure,” Mara said. “Someone left it at the desk before opening. No note, no name.”Nox looked at the cover. It was a collection of short stories, the kind with small drawings at the start of each chapter. He opened it carefully.A folded sheet slipped from the pages and landed on the table.Mara reached for it, then paused. “You can read it if you want. It was left with the book.”Nox unfolded the paper.*I borrowed this when I was little. I never finished it. I don’t remember who gave it to me, only that someone read the first story aloud. I found it while clearing a box. I thought it belonged here.*There was no signature.Nox read the note twice. “Maybe someone used to come here.”“Maybe,” Mara said. “But w
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