2025-12-10 04:22:47Zane stood atop a rusted water tower overlooking the abandoned warehouse district he now technically owned. The sun had set, and the area was shrouded in the industrial grime and silence of a forgotten corner of the city. Below him, the largest structure, the former main factory, hummed with activity.
The intelligence alert on his secure phone was absolute: Unknown Hostiles are currently clearing the area and fortifying the central warehouse. Mark of the Serpent confirmed.
The Scions of Chaos had not followed him; they had simply anticipated him. They knew the God of War would seek out a sanctuary, and they had prepared the trap in the most logical location for a man with a sudden influx of cash.
"Amateurs," Zane muttered, pulling his new, cheap black cargo pants and hooded jacket tight. He had shed the clean, borrowed clothes of the Son-in-Law for the functional anonymity of a predator. He was empty of resources save for the Temporal Shift (Lv. 1) and Iron Fist (Lv. 1) skills, and the $400,000 left in his offshore account for emergencies.
His core power was still only 20%, far too low for another catastrophic burst of energy. He had to be surgical.
[Mission Generated: Reclamation.]
[Objective: Infiltrate, neutralize Scion presence, and secure the Sanctuary (Warehouse 7). Reward: Core Power Boost + Skill Unlock: Tactical Field Awareness.]
Zane began his descent. He used Temporal Shift (Lv. 1) to predict the patrols, identifying the precise four-second window between the security rounds. He dropped from the tower, landing silently on the gravel without disturbing a single pebble—a feat that required perfect, System-assisted kinetic dampening.
The First Test: Iron and Blood
The warehouse perimeter was guarded by three figures in dark, reinforced tactical gear—Scion foot soldiers. They weren't using the Mark of the Serpent sigil openly, but their movements were too precise, too coordinated for mortal mercenaries.
Zane used his Basic Surveillance (Lv. 1). It wasn't just visual; it was an energy scan. He saw the weak, pulsing shield emitters woven into their armor—low-grade Scion tech.
He approached the first guard from the blind side of a corrugated metal sheet. The guard was armed with a heavy automatic rifle.
Target: Neck.
Zane surged forward, not using speed, but acceleration. He bypassed the guard's peripheral vision and, with a controlled application of Iron Fist (Lv. 1), delivered a single, sharp chop to the guard's carotid artery. The force was enough to fracture the cervical spine without making a loud, messy crunch. The guard dropped, utterly neutralized.
The second guard heard a subtle shift in the gravel. He spun, raising his rifle.
Zane didn't wait. He used the System's predictive mapping from his Temporal Shift data and knew the exact trajectory of the first three bullets. He sidestepped the burst, then closed the gap in a single, devastating movement. The second guard tried to transition to a close-quarters knife, but Zane was faster. He used the same Iron Fist precision, targeting the solar plexus—a knockout blow that ruptured the diaphragm. The guard collapsed, gasping for air.
The third guard was smarter. He had already ducked behind a heavy steel container and was communicating on a wrist device.
Zane didn't hesitate. This one knows too much.
He pulled out the silver pistol he had taken from Caius. It wasn't a projectile weapon; it was a focused energy emitter. He fired a single, silent pulse. The dark energy projectile, refined and controlled by Zane's System parameters, drilled straight through the steel container.
The guard screamed once, the sound instantly muffled. Zane retrieved the pistol. It was nearly empty of charge, but useful.
[Hostile Neutralization: 3 Scion Foot Soldiers.]
[Core Power Boost: +10% (Now 30%).]
[Skill Update: Tactical Field Awareness (Lv. 1) unlocked.]
A new layer of data flooded Zane's senses. Tactical Field Awareness was a perfect scouting tool: it gave him a real-time, low-energy map of the entire warehouse interior, showing heat signatures, internal traffic patterns, and—most importantly—key energy concentrations.
The Inner Sanctum
The map revealed at least eight more Scion personnel inside the main warehouse. They were clustered around a central point—a newly installed, high-tech piece of equipment.
They are not fortifying the base. They are setting up an operation, Zane realized.
He slipped inside the warehouse through a broken vent. The interior was vast, cold, and lit only by emergency lights. The air smelled of ozone and ancient magic, not just dust and rust.
He moved along the rafters, using the newly acquired Tactical Field Awareness to navigate the shadows. The Scions below were busy assembling a massive, circular array etched with dozens of the Mark of the Serpent sigils.
He zoomed in on the central device using the System's vision enhancement. It wasn't a weapon. It was an Amplifier and Channeling Unit—a powerful array used by the Scions to draw massive amounts of dark, chaotic energy from a remote location and stabilize it for local use.
If they activated that, the entire city would be plunged into a chaotic energy field, perfect for a full-scale Scion invasion.
His internal monologue was interrupted by a new voice—cold, female, and utterly commanding.
“Stop hiding, Ares. We know you are here.”
The voice originated from the cluster of Scions. A woman stepped into the circle of light cast by the array. She was dressed in white tactical gear, a stark contrast to her dark-clad subordinates. Her features were sharp, precise, and entirely non-mortal.
“My name is Vara. I am the Overseer of the Containment Protocol," she announced, looking directly up at the rafters where Zane was concealed. "We let you think you were breaking free, but you merely followed the bait to your designated containment unit. The Chens served their purpose, but this warehouse is your final prison, Ares.”
She held up a small, obsidian shard—a piece of crystallized dark energy.
"Caius's bullet was a tracer. Your 'Temporal Shift' signature confirmed your identity and your current power threshold. You are too weak to fight us, and too reckless to stay contained."
Vara’s declaration hit Zane with the weight of absolute truth. His entire battle for survival against Caius had been nothing more than a carefully orchestrated diagnostic.
The Calculated Risk
Zane knew he couldn't fight them conventionally. Vara and her team were prepared for a direct assault. He had to disable the Channeling Unit and secure the base, and he had to do it using his most dangerous asset: his strategic mind.
He let go of the rafter and dropped twenty feet, landing perfectly in the center of the warehouse, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"An Overseer," Zane said, his voice carrying the calm authority of the Commander, dismissing the woman’s show of force. "You always were too fond of theatrics, Vara. But your Channeling Unit is running on a flawed energy matrix."
Vara laughed, a cold, grating sound. "Bluff, Ares. My matrix is flawless. Kill him!" she ordered the nearest two guards.
The guards charged, two heavy-set figures with short-range energy shotguns.
Zane didn't fight them. He dodged the first blast, his Temporal Shift predicting the weapon’s brief recharge time. As the second guard raised his shotgun, Zane darted past them both toward the Channeling Unit in the center.
"Your matrix is drawing power from the wrong node," Zane announced, ignoring the fire around him. "The temporal loop on the far-left stabilizer is drawing too much residual energy from the city's power grid. It's not amplifying Scion energy; it's short-circuiting your own power source."
Vara’s eyes narrowed. That specific flaw was hidden deep within the code and should have been impossible for anyone but the original architects—which included Zane.
As the guards closed in, Zane slammed his hand against the stabilizer. He didn't use Iron Fist to destroy it. Instead, he channeled a tiny, almost imperceptible surge of Divine Code (Lv. 1) into the vulnerable temporal loop.
The effect was instantaneous and disastrous for the Scions.
The Channeling Unit didn't explode. It went silent, but the dark energy it had collected—tens of thousands of units of chaotic power—was instantly reversed into the Scion guards closest to it.
The eight foot soldiers surrounding the array collapsed simultaneously, their own suppressed power turning violently against them. The dark energy shields Zane had scanned earlier instantly imploded, leaving the soldiers convulsing on the floor, their mortal shells shattered.
Vara staggered back, horrified. "You tricked them into killing themselves!"
"No, Vara," Zane corrected, catching his breath, the Divine Code consuming the last of his energy buffer. "They violated their own safety protocols. I simply gave the chaos a more efficient path."
He had won, not through brute force, but through strategy. The warehouse was his.
[Mission Success: Reclamation.]
[Core Power Boost: +25% (Now 55%).]
[Sanctuary Secured. Hostile Threat Neutralized.]
[Warning: Primary Target (Vara) is attempting extraction.]
Vara was already retreating toward the back door, her expression a mix of fury and grudging respect. "You may have won this skirmish, Commander, but you cannot protect your prison forever! The key will be retrieved!"
Zane was too exhausted to pursue her. He sank to his knees, his hands resting on the now-silent Channeling Unit.
He had secured his base, confirmed the depth of the Scions' threat, and successfully used his combined mortal skills to win a divine battle. He was no longer the zero; he was the Commander, operating in the shadows of the world he was destined to save—or destroy.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 15
Liya Chen stared at the flashing red warning on the Sanctuary's main console: ACTIVATION OF REGIONAL CHAOS ANCHOR IN 12 HOURS. The message was clear, absolute, and terrifyingly precise. In half a day, the city—her city—would become the launching pad for a global Scion invasion.She looked down at Zane, who was completely unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady. He was a dying god encased in a broken shell, and she was the only one left to operate his fortress.Twelve hours. I almost killed him. And now I have to save him, or the world ends.The guilt and terror transformed into the icy focus she usually reserved for ruthless political maneuvering. She had been the most effective Student Council President for a reason: when faced with chaos, she prioritized the objective.Stabilizing the CommanderLiya's immediate priority was Zane's mortal shell. She dragged him onto a clean metal table near the central pillar—the brains of the Sanctuary. She used her phone’s flashlight to
Chapter 14
Liya Chen drove a borrowed, nondescript utility van—one of the Chen family’s logistics vehicles—at terrifying speeds through the deserted industrial roads toward Warehouse 7. Zane lay inert on the passenger seat, his body unnaturally still, wrapped in a blanket salvaged from the back. The silence in the van was broken only by Liya’s ragged breathing and the distant wail of emergency sirens heading toward the Student Union.I broke him. The thought hammered at her. She wasn't processing the god-war; she was processing the shock of her own, accidental violence. She had aimed for control, and she had achieved utter, devastating destruction."Hold on, Zane," she muttered, gripping the wheel until her knuckles were white. "We're almost there. You said this was the only place."The Commander's Last CommandZane’s mind was a black, chaotic void. His consciousness was reduced to a flicker—a single core process fighting the systemic failure of his mortal body.[Host: Zane (Ares)][Core
Chapter 13
The fist charged with the malevolent, raw power of the Dormant Containment Unit was rocketing toward Zane's face. Liya, eyes blazing with ecstatic, purple light, was determined to end the life of the "zero" who had dared to control her.Zane was pinned, critically injured, his Core Power plummeting from 40\%. His body was too slow to dodge, and his shell integrity was too low to absorb the impact. This was the end.But the Commander’s mind, honed by millennia of warfare, never accepted defeat."System! Execute Zero-Point Gambit!" Zane roared, the command ripping the last ounce of air from his burning lungs.[Warning: Zero-Point Gambit is an unstable, self-destructive protocol. Requires full Core Power commitment.]"Commit! Use the fall damage! Inject the remaining Core Power into the Unit's source code!"In the fraction of a second before Liya’s blow landed, Zane didn't try to defend himself. He let the Temporal Shift (Lv. 2) run one final, devastating prediction: the exact mom
Chapter 12
Zane did not take a car. He was operating at 70% Core Power, and the Temporal Shift (Lv. 2) was his only way to traverse the city's chaotic streets in seconds. He focused his mind, pushing the limits of the mortal shell.Temporal Shift: Full Activation.The city blurred into streaks of light and color. The cars became slow-moving obstacles, the people frozen snapshots of motion. In the space of three breaths, Zane had covered three miles, arriving at the deserted East Wing Student Union—the site of his original humiliation and now the stage for his most critical battle.The area was silent, eerily devoid of the police presence one would expect after the Museum heist. The silence confirmed Zane's dread: This was an Obsidian Hand operation designed to be unnoticed.He burst through the main doors, his eyes immediately locking onto the primary energy signature: Liya. She was standing in the center of the vast, dusty lounge—the very spot where he had scrubbed wine stains just days ag
Chapter 11
Zane stepped out of the Chen compound, the early afternoon sun doing nothing to mitigate the cold resolve in his eyes. Liya was safely contained, her terror-induced compliance confirmed by the hidden micro-sensor he'd planted on her desk. Mr. Chen was busy manipulating the mortal media to blame the Zhangs for the Museum heist, creating the perfect smoke screen. The battlefield was prepared.His objective was singular and urgent: Asset Sigma.The Scions had deployed a superior operative specifically to target the Containment Key (Liya). Zane could not allow this asset to familiarize itself with the campus environment or the city's power structure.Search Protocol: Temporal Shift and Divine CodeZane slipped into a large, deserted campus parking garage, the silence broken only by the hum of the air conditioning units. He needed to find an operative who was actively trying to conceal themselves.He initiated his search, combining his two most powerful utility skills:Temporal Shif
Chapter 10
Zane emerged from the sewer tunnels an hour later, shedding his ruined, debris-caked suit near a secluded storm drain. He walked toward the Sanctuary, the Void Fragment now fully absorbed and integrated into his core. The pain was gone, replaced by a cold, absolute sense of control.[Host: Zane (Ares)][Core Power: 99% (Stable).][Mortal Shell Integrity: 85% (Recovery Protocol Complete).][Acquired Skills: Temporal Shift (Lv. 2); Divine Code (Lv. 1); Iron Fist (Lv. 1); Basic Surveillance (Lv. 1).]The 99% power level was a revelation. He didn't just feel stronger; he felt correct. The limits of the mortal shell were still there, but now they felt like sturdy, well-maintained armor instead of a fragile cage. The trauma of the heist had strengthened his vessel.He activated Temporal Shift (Lv. 2). The world didn't just give him predictive data; the entire environment subtly slowed down around him. He could perceive the flicker of a fluorescent bulb, the minute vibrations of the co
You may also like
The Indestructible Alexander
Adam Aksara102.5K viewsBack From Prison!
KMyay176.9K viewsAn Understated Dominance
Marina Vittori11.3M viewsThe Billionaire Husband in Disguise
Banin SN187.9K viewsMan Of Honour: Never The Loser, Ex-wife!
Brightwell468 viewsTHE MAFIA'S FORGOTTEN SON
Freezy-Grip866 viewsThe Forgotten Hilton
Freezy-Grip211 viewsThe Rise Of Nicholas Hensaw
Ellen630 views