Reborn in the Apocalypse :The son In-law's revenge

Chapter 6: The Road to Meridian

They left at dawn.

The safe zone was quiet as Leo's team gathered at the front gate. Twenty-three survivors in total. Twelve fighters. Four support. Seven civilians who had chosen to follow rather than stay and wait for the First Wave.

Principal Chen watched them go with hollow eyes. "You're making a mistake," he said. "The safe zone has walls. Protection. Out there, you're exposed."

Leo didn't look back. "Walls won't save you when the First Wave hits. Only power will."

They moved south through the ruined streets. The System Map pulsed in Leo's mind, a glowing overlay of the city. Red dots swarmed everywhere—monster nests, dungeons, and the massive cluster near the Meridian Institute. But there was a path. A narrow corridor between two collapsed skyscrapers that led toward the city center.

"We'll take the eastern route," Leo said, pointing at the mental map. "Fewer nests. More cover."

Natasha walked beside him, her fire poker replaced with a proper Tier 2 warhammer she had looted from the hospital. "How do you know the way?"

"I can see it," Leo said. "The system gives me a map."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Useful."

Lily walked behind them, her pistol holstered at her hip. She had leveled up twice during the hospital dungeon, reaching Level 8. Her healing had already saved three lives. Elara walked at the rear, her eyes scanning every shadow, her mind clearly working through calculations.

They made it four blocks before the first attack.

---

The Bone Stalkers came from above.

They dropped from the broken windows of a department store, their skeletal limbs clicking against the concrete. Twelve of them. Maybe more.

"Contact!" Natasha roared.

She swung her warhammer, crushing two Stalkers in a single arc. Bruiser and Kevin formed a defensive line, their weapons drawn. Lily raised her hand, golden light flaring as she healed a gash on Kevin's arm.

Leo drew Mercy's Edge. The Tier 3 longsword hummed in his grip.

[Skill Activated: Power Strike.]

He dashed forward, the world blurring around him. His blade cleaved through three Stalkers in one motion, their bodies dissolving into black mist.

[Devour Successful. +2 Strength, +1 Agility.]

"Push forward!" Leo shouted. "Don't let them surround us!"

The team fought as a unit. Natasha was a hurricane, her warhammer shattering bone and sinew. Bruiser swung his fire axe like a man possessed. Kevin, despite his fear, held the line. Lily's healing light flashed repeatedly, keeping everyone on their feet.

But more Stalkers kept coming.

Leo's eyes narrowed. This wasn't random. They were being herded. The Stalkers were pushing them toward the department store. Toward something.

[System Alert: Ambush detected. Hidden enemy: Brood Mother. Level 18.]

The ground shook.

The department store's front wall exploded outward, and a massive creature emerged. It was a grotesque, bloated spider-like monster, its body covered in pulsing egg sacs. The Brood Mother. Level 18. Far above anything they had faced before.

"Formation!" Leo shouted. "Natasha, with me! Everyone else, fall back!"

Natasha didn't hesitate. She charged alongside Leo, her warhammer raised. The Brood Mother shrieked, spitting a stream of acid. Leo dodged left, feeling the heat singe his shoulder. Natasha rolled right, came up swinging, and drove her hammer into one of the egg sacs.

The sac burst, spraying green ichor. The Brood Mother screamed in rage.

Leo activated Power Strike again. His blade carved a deep gash across the creature's face. But it wasn't enough. The Brood Mother swiped a massive claw, catching Leo in the chest and sending him flying into a concrete pillar.

[Critical Hit! HP: 45/120.]

"Leo!" Lily screamed.

She raised her hand, golden light surging toward him. His HP climbed back to 80. But the Brood Mother was already turning toward her, sensing the healer.

"No you don't," Natasha growled.

She leaped onto the creature's back, driving her warhammer into its skull. The Brood Mother thrashed, trying to throw her off. Leo scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth.

The creature was distracted. This was his chance.

He sprinted forward, jumped, and drove Mercy's Edge straight into the Brood Mother's open mouth. The blade pierced through its brain. The creature convulsed once, then collapsed.

[Devour Successful. +8 Strength, +5 Vitality.]

[Level Up! You are now Level 11.]

The remaining Stalkers screeched and scattered, disappearing into the ruins.

Leo pulled his sword free and wiped the ichor from his face. Natasha landed beside him, breathing hard.

"That was close," she said.

"Too close," Leo agreed.

He turned to check on the team. Lily was already tending to the wounded. Bruiser had a deep gash on his arm. Kevin was pale but alive. Elara was untouched, her eyes fixed on the Brood Mother's corpse.

"There," Elara said, pointing.

Leo followed her gaze. Embedded in the Brood Mother's abdomen was a small, metallic device. It was pulsing with a faint blue light. Leo pried it loose.

[Item Analysis: Tracking Beacon. Tier 3. Origin: Meridian Institute. Effect: Broadcasts location data to a central hub.]

Leo's blood ran cold. "They're tracking us."

Elara nodded slowly. "The Brood Mother wasn't random. It was placed here. Someone knew we were coming."

"Who?" Natasha demanded.

Elara didn't answer. But Leo saw the fear in her eyes.

---

They took shelter in an abandoned subway station. The tunnels were dark and damp, but they were defensible. Leo posted guards at both entrances and gathered his core team around a flickering campfire.

"We need to move faster," Leo said. "If they're tracking us, we don't have time to waste."

"We need information," Elara countered. "The tracking beacon is Meridian tech. That means someone inside the Institute is still alive. Someone who knows we're coming."

"Or someone who wants us dead," Natasha said.

Leo looked at the tracking beacon in his hand. It was still pulsing. Still broadcasting.

"We can use this," he said. "If it's broadcasting our location, we can control what they see. Elara, can you modify it?"

Elara took the beacon and examined it. "Possibly. Give me an hour."

Leo nodded. He stood up and walked toward the tunnel entrance. The red sky pulsed overhead, visible through a crack in the ceiling.

"Leo," Lily said, following him. "You should rest. You took a bad hit."

"I'm fine," Leo said. "The system heals me faster now."

Lily hesitated. Then she said quietly, "You're different. Than before. When we first met."

Leo looked at her. "Different how?"

"Harder," Lily said. "Colder. I know you have to be, to survive. But... don't lose yourself. Please."

Leo was silent for a moment. Then he reached out and squeezed her hand. "I won't. As long as you're here to remind me."

[Lily Chen's Loyalty has increased: 40% → 50%.]

---

An hour later, Elara called them back.

"I modified the beacon," she said, holding it up. "It's still broadcasting, but I've added a loop. It will show our location as three miles east of here. If anyone is tracking us, they'll be looking in the wrong place."

"Good work," Leo said.

"There's something else," Elara said. She pulled out the data drive Leo had recovered from the hidden lab. "I decrypted part of the data. It's a personnel file. From Meridian."

She projected the file onto the tunnel wall using a small device. A photo appeared. A woman with sharp features and cold eyes. Dark hair. A scar on her neck.

Name: Dr. Helena Vance

Role: Lead Researcher, Project Apex

Status: Missing

"Vance," Leo said. "You're related."

Elara's jaw tightened. "My sister. She was the head of the project. She created the system."

The team fell silent.

"She's alive," Elara said. "I know she is. And she's inside the Institute."

Leo stared at the image. Another Vance. Another piece of the puzzle.

[New Objective: Find Dr. Helena Vance. Uncover Project Apex. Survive the First Wave.]

"Then we go to Meridian," Leo said. "And we find her before the First Wave hits."

Natasha grinned. "Now it's personal."

---

That night, Leo couldn't sleep. He sat alone at the tunnel entrance, watching the red sky pulse. The system map flickered in his mind. The Meridian Institute was still three miles away. The red dots around it were multiplying.

He heard footsteps behind him. Soft. Deliberate.

He turned. A woman was standing at the edge of the firelight. She was slim, dressed in black tactical gear. A mask covered the lower half of her face. Only her eyes were visible—pale grey, cold and sharp.

[System Alert: NPC detected – Mia. Class: Assassin (A-Rank). Loyalty: ???. Status: Unknown.]

"Don't move," Mia said. Her voice was quiet, but there was steel in it. "I've been watching you for three days. You're strong. Stronger than the others."

Leo didn't reach for his sword. "Who are you?"

"I was a test subject," Mia said. "At Meridian. Project Apex. I escaped when the system activated. But I know the way inside."

Leo studied her. "Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't," Mia said. "But you need me. The Institute has defenses. Automated turrets. Bio-locks. Things that will kill you before you reach the front door. I know how to bypass them."

She stepped closer. The firelight caught her eyes.

"Let me join you," she said. "And I'll help you reach your sister."

Leo was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Deal."

[Mia's Loyalty has increased: ??? → 15%.]

She sat down across from him, pulling her mask down to reveal a pale, sharp face. She couldn't have been older than twenty.

"You're the first person to say yes," Mia said. "Most people try to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm different," Mia said. "The system didn't give me a class. I was already like this. Before the apocalypse. The system just... enhanced me."

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"

Mia held up her hand. A faint shimmer of blue light danced around her fingers.

"I was born with the system," she said. "Before it was even activated. My body was already compatible. That's why Meridian wanted me. That's why they did tests. They wanted to know why I was different."

She looked at Leo. "You're different too. I can feel it. Your system is stronger than the others. You're not just a survivor. You're something else."

Leo stared at her. The system flickered in his vision.

[System Analysis: Mia's genetic structure is anomalous. Origin: Unknown. Connection to Project Apex: Confirmed. Potential: Unlocked.]

"I don't know what I am," Leo said honestly.

Mia smiled faintly. "Then we'll find out together."