2026-08-25 17:18:13The gray mist was still chasing Fabian's footsteps when he reached the glass doors of the underground convenience store along Tottenham Court Road.
The automatic doors were jammed half-open. The scent of disinfectant mixed with damp dust greeted him. The neon lights inside flickered weakly. Shelves were nearly empty. A few baskets lay overturned on the floor. In the cashier corner, a man in his forties stood wearing a red store uniform, his face pale.
"Store's closed!" the man shouted as soon as he saw Fabian walk in. "The mist has reached the street! Go find a pillar like everyone else!"
Fabian pushed the glass doors shut with both hands, then pulled an empty metal shelf over to block them. "These doors won't hold back monsters if they stay open. Help me lock them."
"I don't want to die here!" The man stepped back. "Everyone ran to Regent's Park. You should go, too!"
"I've already calculated the odds," Fabian replied while shoving a second shelf into place. "Outside, the death rate is 98.4 percent. Here, if we secure the generator and supplies, the chances are significantly higher. Do you want to follow the numbers or follow the crowd?"
The man fell silent. A System screen materialized in front of his face. He stared at the scrolling red numbers, then swallowed hard. "Fine. But if a monster shows up, I'm running first."
"Lock the back door first," Fabian instructed. "Then check the emergency generator. I'll handle the front door."
They worked quickly. The man, who finally introduced himself as Marcus, locked the staff door in the back. Fabian secured a spare chain around the glass doors and stacked metal baskets in front of them. The sound of the mist outside sounded like a long, drawn-out breath.
The neon lights suddenly cut out completely. Darkness enveloped the room. A few seconds later, the generator in the back hummed to life, and amber emergency lights flickered on.
"The generator has fourteen hours of fuel left," Marcus reported from behind the staff door. "I just checked."
Fabian nodded. He had already pulled a notepad and pen from his bag. "Give me an inventory of what's left. Start with canned food, water, batteries, and tea."
"Tea?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously thinking about tea right now?"
"Earl Grey has a long shelf life and high trade value if things get worse," Fabian said flatly. "Same with batteries. People will need light and power for their devices."
Marcus let out a long sigh, then began pacing between the aisles. "Twenty-four cans of tuna left. Twelve cases of bottled water. Three full boxes of AA and AAA batteries on the back shelf. Tea... wait. There's a box of Earl Grey in the corner, untouched. Six large tins."
Fabian jotted it down quickly. "Take all the tea and batteries. Move them to the staff room. Canned food, too. We'll set up a separate storage area."
While they moved the supplies, the System screen appeared in front of Fabian again. The same mechanical voice echoed in his head.
[Individual: Fabian Hart]
[Verified Intelligence Stat: 98.7]
[Provisional Status: Candidate Hero]
[First Main Quest Offered: "Head to the nearest Golden Pillar of Light and register as a Chosen Hero"]
[Reward: Random Rank-A Skill + 500 Contribution Points]
[Prior refusal recorded. Second refusal will trigger an advanced warning]
Fabian stared at the screen expressionlessly. "Decline."
[Refusal Accepted]
[Warning: Individuals with extreme statistics are required to contribute to species survival. Coercion protocol will activate within 72 hours if refusals continue]
Marcus, who was looking at his own screen, turned sharply. "The System says you're a Candidate Hero? Your stat is 98.7? That's insane! You have to take that quest!"
"I don't have to do anything," Fabian replied as he packed the tins of Earl Grey into a box. "The System is only offering. I'm declining."
"But the reward is Rank-A! You could become strong!"
"Being strong is useless if I'm dead in the first minute because of the 98.4 percent." Fabian closed the box. "I'd rather secure inventory than chase status."
Marcus ran a hand through his hair. "You're out of your mind. Everyone out there is fighting to become a hero, and you're in here counting tea."
"Because everyone is fighting out there, this stock will become scarce." Fabian looked at the nearly bare shelves. "In two days, survivors will need batteries, water, and something comforting. Earl Grey tea will sell at a premium."
The System screen flickered again.
[Alternative Quest Offered: "Protect this convenience store for 24 hours and establish it as a Chosen Hero base of operations"]
[Reward: Title "Local Protector" + Limited System Store Access]
Fabian shook his head. "Declined as well."
[Third Refusal Recorded]
[Observation Protocol Escalated. Individual will be monitored closely]
Marcus sat on the cashier stool, his face a mix of fear and annoyance. "You keep rejecting it. The System isn't just going to let it go. I heard on the emergency news earlier that some people were forced into quests because of high stats."
"Then I'll keep looking for loopholes," Fabian answered. He opened his pocket calculator and tapped a few keys. "As long as the numbers favor staying here, I stay here. You can leave whenever you want. I locked the front door, but I can unlock it for you."
Marcus went quiet for a long moment. Then he gave a subtle nod. "Fine. I'll stay for now. But if a monster shows up, don't expect me to play the hero."
"I'm not asking anyone to be a hero," Fabian said. "I just need someone who can count inventory."
They resumed the inventory. Fabian noted every can, every battery, every bottle of water. He set the Earl Grey tea on a separate shelf, marking down a temporary price in his notebook: one thousand percent above retail. Marcus watched him, mouth agape.
"You're already thinking about resale prices?" Marcus asked, incredulous.
"Of course. An emergency creates scarcity. Scarcity creates value." Fabian closed the notebook. "First, we secure the power and the doors. Tomorrow, people will come. They'll need what we have."
The emergency light flickered once. Outside, faint screams still echoed through the mist. The System screen appeared before Fabian one more time, now displaying crimson text.
[End of Day 1 Warning: Individuals with extreme potential are not permitted to deviate from the main path. Main Quest will be resent in 6 hours]
Fabian stared at the text, then dismissed the notification with a flick of his wrist. "Resend it all you want. I'm still declining."
Marcus sighed deeply from behind the cash register. "Are you really not afraid the System will force your hand?"
"I'm afraid of bad numbers," Fabian replied calmly while arranging batteries into a box. "Not threats that haven't happened yet. Now help me recheck the generator. Fourteen hours isn't enough if we want to survive long-term."
Marcus stood back up, grumbling under his breath, but followed anyway. Inside the nearly empty underground convenience store, two people began turning bare shelves into a makeshift supply depot. Outside, the mist kept shifting, and the System kept watching.
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Chapter 126: The First Breach at Dawn
The northern perimeter of the settlement woke not to the gentle chirping of morning birds or the quiet rustle of autumn leaves, but to the cold, unforgiving bite of a winter frost and the sudden, violent shudder of frozen earth. At first light, breath pluming in the freezing air like thick white smoke, a heavy, muffled thud vibrated upward through the hard-packed soil. It was the kind of deep, concussive impact that did not merely rattle the ears; it settled directly into the bones of everyone standing near the barricades.Before the reverberation could even fully fade into the gray morning mist, it was followed immediately by the sharp, splintering crack of stressed pine. The sound was distinct, ugly, and entirely unmistakable—the unmistakable shriek of wood fibers tearing apart under immense, unnatural pressure.Vance’s advance guard had initiated their surprise dawn strike against the newly patched northern gate. They were not knocking politely, nor were they waiting for the mornin
Chapter 125: Preparing for the Siege
"If anyone else tries to requisition extra timber without my direct, written authorization, I’m personally nailing their boots to the floorboards of the command hall," Fabian roared, slamming his heavy brass paperweight down onto a stack of requisition forms with a force that rattled the inkwell."Stop shouting at the carpenters, Fabian, or you'll be the one building the wall when Vance's advance guard crests the northern ridge," Evelyn snapped back, marching past his outdoor desk without breaking her stride. Her boots crunched sharply over the scattered wood shavings that carpeted the central square. "We don't have time for your administrative tantrums. Miller needs every available hand at the western gate right now.""My tantrums are the only thing keeping this settlement from collapsing into a disorderly pile of kindling and debt!" Fabian shouted after her, jabbing his quill into a fresh sheet of parchment with venomous precision. "A settlement without an accurate log of its timber
Chapter 124: The Unseen Watcher
"If you drop that strap in the mud, Kael, I'm going to charge you administrative fees for soiling municipal evidence," Fabian muttered, not looking up from his endless columns of grain distribution figures as the scout kicked the command hall door wide open.Kael didn’t apologize. He tossed a heavy, oil-darkened strip of supple calfskin directly onto the center of the clerk’s freshly inked ledger, the wet mud splattering across the pristine margins with a soft, offensive thwack."Save your ledgers, Fabian," Kael said, his voice flat and dangerously low. He leaned his palms against the edge of the desk, his dark eyes locking onto the administrator's round spectacles. "Look at the buckle. Standard-issue brass plating, double-stitched with waxed hemp. That didn't fall off a stray merchant mule."Fabian dropped his quill, his face turning an alarming shade of mottled crimson as he stared at the soiled parchment. "Do you have any absolute conception of the bureaucratic damage you have just
Chapter 123: Lily’s Bargain
"If you think a basket of wilted root vegetables entitles you to priority water rights during a municipal drought, Lily, you fundamentally misunderstand the statutory boundaries of the agricultural ledger," Fabian snapped, his quill scratching an aggressive line across the parchment.Lily did not flinch. She set a heavy, woven wicker hamper directly on top of the administrator’s open accounts, her fingers stained deep with dried loam and crushed dandelion stems."They aren't wilted, Fabian; they are winter-hardy feverfew and iron-root leaf, freshly harvested from the southern beds before the morning frost locked the soil," Lily said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, measured cadence. "And you know damn well that without those herbs, half your clerical staff will be coughing up black lung from the workshop dust before the week is out."Fabian’s quill froze half an inch above a new column. He stared at the woven rim of the hamper, his jaw working as his mind calculated the precise e
Chapter 122: The Carpenter’s Blueprint
"If you spill a single drop of ink on these charcoal lines, Fabian, I'll staple your collar to the outer gatehouse and let the crows settle the administrative dispute," Miller growled, sliding a massive, dirt-smudged scroll across the scarred oak workbench with a heavy thud.Fabian didn't even flinch. He adjusted his round spectacles, peering down at the crude, dark streaks smeared across the rough-cut parchment. "Threatening an administrator with avian-inflicted property damage is a Class Four infraction under the municipal charter, Miller, but given the appalling lack of straight edges on this draft, I'd say the wind is going to ruin your fortifications long before the crows arrive.""Straight edges don't stop a Westminster battering ram," Miller snapped, planting both thick, calloused palms on the edge of the wood and leaning aggressively across the table. "Look at the angle. Thirty degrees off-center. Any iron ball or heavy timber they hurl from the ridge hits this shield and glan
Chapter 121: Dawn Logistics
"If another apprentice brings me lukewarm chicory instead of true leaf tea before the first ledger entry is balanced, I am locking the rations bin and throwing the iron key directly down the dry latrine," Fabian snarled, slamming his brass-weighted ruler against the edge of the weathered crate with a crack that sounded like a dry pistol shot.The trembling young boy standing opposite the makeshift desk flinched so violently he nearly dropped the steaming tin cup onto the ink-stained parchment. "The kettle wouldn't draw, sir. The damp got into the peat stacks behind the northern wall during the night fog.""Damp is an environmental variable, boy, not a legal defense for administrative incompetence," Fabian snapped, snatching the tin cup from the youth's blistered fingers and glaring into the murky brown liquid. "Look at this film on the surface. It tastes like stagnant ditch water boiled over charred fence posts. Go back to the quartermaster and tell him if he issues me another pound o
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