“…You can actually swallow that here?”Eli looked disgusted.But what could I do?I had to eat now if I wanted to avoid gaining another negative trait.Honestly, it felt less like eating food and more like chewing sand.Of course, I couldn’t exactly explain to Eli what a “High Metabolism” trait was.“I haven’t eaten anything for several days.”Crunch, crunch—I felt a little sorry for Eli, but the food disappeared in an instant.Three sandwiches.Two cans of ham.One bottle of drink.Only after consuming all that could I finally deactivate the ''High Metabolism'' trait.Guilt aside, I didn’t feel the slightest regret.Eating wasn’t just for turning off that trait, after all.– Stress Level: 80 –My stress dropped in an instant.As expected, nothing reduces stress as easily as a solid meal.There were other ways—sleeping soundly, enjoying some entertainment—but in this world, “sleep” was a luxury, and there was no room for “recreation.”So the simplest method was eating good food.Thanks to that, I could finally catch my breath.“Thank you.”“Yeah… sure.”Her tone was curt, her expression sullen.Even though she tried to sound casual, the look in her eyes was still full of conflicted emotions.“Why did you have to do something like this?”“Something like what?”For a moment, I was confused.But after seeing her flustered expression, I realized what she meant.“Oh, you mean you think I went too far?”“This isn’t just ‘too far.’ Once things settle down, there’s going to be trouble for sure.”Ah.So that’s what she meant.Her misunderstanding once again reminded me of the difference in what we each knew.She still believed that one day all of this would come to an end.She didn’t know that mutations were going to start appearing—so naturally, she couldn’t imagine it.To her, this was just a particularly severe disaster.She was still trapped in the world she used to know.Not just her—everyone probably was.The only difference was that Eli was quicker to notice things than most.“Grandfa— no, the Chairman even handed over his glasses, so he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would handle things recklessly…”Her voice was thick with confusion.Then, after a brief silence, she spoke again in a quiet, uneasy tone.“Is there something you’re not telling me?”If she had reached the point of asking that on her own, maybe it was time to let her know the truth.“Do you want to know the truth?”“…Of course I do.”“There’s no need to hide it anymore. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”For some reason, the gray sky above felt even duller.A cloudless but murky sky.Even in a world smothered by smoke and soot, sunlight still managed to shine through.And beneath it, our quiet conversation continued.Her eyes trembled.Then, they filled with disbelief.Whether she believed it or not, I couldn’t tell—but she didn’t outright dismiss it as nonsense either.Her awkward questions and half-believing answers told me she was, at least in part, trying to accept it.Still, I didn’t expect her to be convinced right away.At most, this talk would serve as a kind of safeguard—something to prepare her for what was coming.A mental vaccine, so that when the truly horrific things arrived, she’d be able to think and act on her own.So I told her everything—plainly and objectively.By the time I finished, her face twisted in disbelief.“Ha! You expect me to believe that? That’s ridiculous!”“Whether you believe it or not is your choice. Still, I’d prefer if you chose to believe me.”“So you were trying to shut down the reactor because of that? Because otherwise it would collapse?”“Yes.”“If that’s really true… then there are only a few hours left, aren’t there?”“It’s not that there are only a few hours left—it’s that we still have a few precious hours left.”“…This isn’t really the time for wordplay.”“I’m being serious.”A few hours left?No—roughly six.Six precious hours that could change how this world begins.So it was time to move.There was no relaxing just because the clock hadn’t hit zero yet.“Let’s head to the control center.”“One last question.”“Yes?”“If what you’re saying is true, why go this far? If you knew in advance, couldn’t you just take over a shelter and prepare there?”Why indeed.I couldn’t answer easily.Anything I said would sound self-righteous, maybe even sentimental.And honestly, our relationship wasn’t close enough for me to open up like that—not even as comrades yet.“When you try too hard to understand others, you lose sight of yourself. The more you try to know, the more confused you’ll become.”“Just say you don’t want to tell me.”“Yes, I don’t want to tell you.”Was that too much?Eli’s eyebrows shot up in a sharp, inverted V.The air inside the control center felt different now.More tense.More awkward.From the moment Eli and I stepped inside, there was this strange unease.The eyes of the government workers were filled with fear and hostility—No, something even stickier than that.With every step I took, they unconsciously stepped back.Eli frowned.“These are the people you helped, aren’t they?”“Apparently, the way I helped is the problem.”Ellie nodded slightly, as if she understood.Maybe it was only natural.After all, the apocalypse hadn’t officially begun yet.To people with ordinary mindsets, what had just happened before their eyes must have been impossible to process.It was understandable.But that didn’t make the heavy feeling in my chest any lighter.The officials had grouped together defensively,Some even aiming tasers at me.“D-Don’t come any closer!”“If I hadn’t acted, you’d be the ones dead.”Still—I didn’t want to drag out this emotional standoff.And thankfully, someone showed up to cut through the tension, frowning as he did.“What are you all doing? Lower your tasers.”“Sir, didn’t you see it? Even if he’s not a gang member, what he did was—”“If we let him in, we’ll be the ones in danger!”“You think we can stop him like this? He took down an entire gang alone! Acting like this is even more dangerous—can’t you see that?”Ken Sasaki.He stepped forward, exhaustion written all over his face, and stood between me and the others. “I apologize for this. I stepped out for a moment to make an urgent report, and in the meantime, they made quite a scene.”“I understand.”“Well, I’m glad you’re being understanding.”He said it as though nothing was wrong, but his body was trembling.Was Ken afraid because of what had just happened?‘No… that’s not it.’“While I was dealing with the Monello Family, did something happen here?”“Ah, that… I suppose it’s fine to tell you. Just now, a group of inmates escaped from the criminal detention facility and attacked the 3rd Defense Force base. They’ve seized weapons.”Ah.So that was it.Good.Compared to that disaster, the fear everyone felt toward me had been somewhat diluted.Not surprising—this was destined to happen anyway.‘The Liberation Alliance begins with the 3rd Defense Force.’Those who didn’t know that fact, however, were in a frenzy.“Wh-What did you say, sir? Are you telling us a military base just fell into the hands of criminals?”“…Yes. We just received confirmation from the 3rd Defense Force Command.”Even Eli, who had stayed relatively calm through all of this, swayed as though dizzy.“This is… unbelievable…”“Eli, there’s no need to be too worried.”It’s true that the foundation of the Liberation Alliance comes from criminals and gang members—but that doesn’t make them outright enemies.Depending on the situation, they could even become allies.At first, they’d behave no differently from looters, but as time went on, they’d solidify into a proper clan.Their combat capability even surpasses that of the so-called Reconstruction Committee.It was simply the process of a new faction forming—Nothing worth fretting over.While I was thinking that, Ken Sasaki’s expression grew conflicted.“You make it sound nice and tidy, but honestly… I don’t know. Should I be grateful? Or wary?”Ken wasn’t that different from the others.Fear flickered in his eyes as well.But then, he bowed.“…Thank you.”No reply was needed.There was no point in making his mixed feelings any heavier.Now it was time to do what I came here for.No more delays.I walked past Ken.The government officials no longer stood in my way.Finally—almost there.Every sense in my body was focused on the heart of the control center—the Central Control Core.I was vaguely aware that two people were following behind me:Eli Wayless.And ken Sasaki.Step by step.My heartbeat pounded like it was going to burst.This was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement—something only possible during the prologue.To seal away the source of the apocalypse.That was where it all began.My pace quickened.So did the footsteps following me.It didn’t take long to reach the core of the Central Control Center.Bzzzzzzzt—click.Inside, as if the chaos outside didn’t exist, people were still running about in a flurry.“Still no further response from the 3rd Defense Force base?”“The director of the Weizen Research Institute just called—they’re under attack by unidentified assailants! They’re urgently requesting reinforcements!”Requests for help were flooding in from all major city facilities whose communications were still intact.Even though, realistically, there wasn’t much they could do in a disaster this large, they were still trying.It was… pitiful, in a way.They can’t even begin to imagine what’s about to happen.“H-Hey, who are you people? This is a restricted area for authorized personnel only… Sasaki Officer? Who are these people?”Someone tried to stop us, but I gently pushed him aside and walked past.At last—we were here.To change the beginning of the apocalypse, even slightly.This was the turning point.The faint tension pressing down on my shoulders quickly spread through my entire body.I approached the City Control Interface, idly rolling the ring on my finger.On the giant screen before me, countless red dots blinked in clusters.

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