Ray lay on the floor clutching his ass, face pale as a sheet. That kind of pain? You couldn't describe it—you had to live it. And once you did, you'd never forget.

His metal arm shimmered, reverting back to flesh and blood.

"You're… you're an Awakened too?" Ray gasped, staring at Garrick like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Is that supposed to be rare?" Garrick replied coolly.

"…"

"You done?" Garrick asked, voice dry. "If you're still breathing, get up and try again. If not, just admit you lost and stop embarrassing yourself. 'Invincible among Tier 5s'? You couldn't even take one of my warm-ups."

Ray's jaw clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. But to his credit, he forced himself upright, legs shaking, face twisted in pain.

"That was a sneak attack," he growled. "You think that means you're better than me?"

Say what you will about Ray—he had guts. Even after getting a stone spike up the ass, he still came swinging. His right arm morphed back into black metal, and he lunged at Garrick again.

This time, he kept his eyes on the ground, ready for another dirty trick.

Sure enough, the moment he felt the tremor underfoot, he dodged sideways—and a spike of earth shot up where he'd just been standing.

"Hah! You think I'd fall for the same trick twice?" Ray sneered.

"Ray, look out!" Evan shouted.

Too late.

A boulder the size of a small fridge materialized out of thin air and slammed into Ray's back with a sickening crunch.

"Guh—!"

Ray coughed up a mouthful of blood and hit the floor hard, eyes wide with shock.

Garrick just shook his head. "You're hopeless."

"You—" Ray tried to speak, but another mouthful of blood cut him off. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

"…"

The room fell into stunned silence.

"Damn," Chris muttered. "Didn't think he'd fold that fast."

"Guy's probably never fought a real zombie in his life," Ethan said, shaking his head. "His ability's strong, no doubt. But he's got zero combat experience."

If Ray had actually been out there fighting, learning, adapting—he might've been a real threat. But no. The Harlan family had clearly pampered him, handed him crystal cores, even brought him zombies to kill in a controlled environment. He'd leveled up without ever leaving the house.

And it showed.

All that power, completely wasted.

With Ray out cold, the only one still standing in the room was Evan.

And the moment everyone turned to look at him, the guy broke.

He dropped to his knees, tears already welling up. "Guys, please—I'm nobody! I just tag along! Don't kill me!"

Ethan squinted at him. "Anyone else think he looks kinda familiar?"

"I've been trying to place it," Henry said, frowning. "I swear I've seen him before."

"He looks like Preston," Chris said suddenly.

Ethan snapped his fingers. "That's it! Yeah, he does!"

"You guys know my brother?" Evan's eyes lit up with hope. "You're college students too, right? Were you in the same class?"

"Yeah," Ethan said with a small smile. "We knew him."

"That's great! Then we're basically friends, right? No need for all this violence between friends, yeah?" Evan was clinging to that thread of connection like it was a life raft.

"Wait, who's Preston?" Sean asked, confused.

"The guy who stole Chris's girlfriend," Henry said with a grin.

"Ohhh…" Sean and the others nodded in unison, expressions clearing with sudden understanding.

Evan's face froze mid-plea.

He'd thought he could talk his way out, maybe ride a family connection to safety. Instead, he'd walked straight into a landmine.

"Chris," Ethan said calmly, "he's yours."

Chris didn't say a word. He just stepped forward, barbell bar in hand, eyes locked on Evan.

"Wait, wait—don't kill me! I know things! I know all kinds of stuff about the Harlan family! I even know where their secret base is! You don't understand, they're powerful—really powerful! Even if you're all Tier 5, if you mess with them, you're dead men!"

Chris's voice was ice. "We'll manage."

Then he swung.

The barbell bar came down with a sickening crunch, and Evan's head burst like a melon.

Chris stood over the body, breathing steady. He hadn't done it for strategy or survival. He'd done it because the guy reminded him too much of Preston. And thinking about Preston brought back Lola. Three years of memories he'd rather forget.

Better to end it clean.

"Ethan, what about this one?" Garrick asked, nodding toward Ray, still unconscious on the floor.

"Drag him out back. Get Pumpkin out of that cage. Then lock him in it. I've got plans for him tonight."

"You got it."

They headed into the backyard.

It didn't take long to spot the cages—two massive iron ones, one packed with Tier 3 zombies, the other with Tier 4s. Off to the side sat a smaller cage, and inside it, curled up and bloodied, was Pumpkin.

The moment she saw them, her eyes lit up. She struggled to her feet, tail twitching weakly, ears perked with recognition.

They rushed over, pried open the cage, and gently lifted her out. Henry immediately knelt beside her and began healing her wounds, his hands glowing faintly.

Ethan crouched down and stroked her head. "You've been through hell, huh?"

He couldn't help but wonder—Pumpkin hadn't taken much convincing to follow them back when they first met. So why hadn't she submitted to Ray, even after all this?

What Ethan didn't know was that Pumpkin had only just begun to awaken her intelligence when they found her. Her previous owner had turned into a zombie, and she'd been desperate for someone to follow. That's why she'd chosen them.

But once she made that choice, she stuck to it.

Pumpkin had her own code. She wasn't the strongest, but she was loyal. Some animals, after mutating, turned on their owners. Others would die to protect them.

Pumpkin had been gentle before the mutation. If her old owner hadn't turned, she'd probably still be curled up in their lap.

Now, she had new people to protect.

Under Henry's care, her wounds closed quickly, fur smoothing back into place. Within minutes, she was back on her feet, purring softly.

Just then, Ray groaned and stirred.

He blinked, then realized where he was—and exploded.

"You can't do this! Do you know who I am?! I'm the son of Victor Harlan! If word gets out that I was locked in a dog cage—!"

"Shut up," Ethan snapped. "Keep yelling and I'll toss you in with the zombies."

Ray clamped his mouth shut.

A beat passed. Then he tried a different tactic.

"Alright, alright. What do you want? Just name it. Money? Women? Supplies? Crystal cores? Whatever it is, the Harlan family can get it for you."

Ethan's voice was flat. "I want Tier 6 crystal cores. Got any of those?"

Ray's mouth opened. Then closed.

"Didn't think so," Ethan said coldly. "That's why I can't stand you. All talk. No substance."

"You're being ridiculous," Ray snapped. "No one has Tier 6 cores. Not even the government. No one's ever killed a Tier 6 zombie, let alone extracted a core. There's not a single Tier 6 Awakened in the world!"

Ethan smiled.

Then he walked over to the cage holding the Tier 4 zombies—solid iron bars, each one thick as a man's wrist. The whole thing weighed five tons, easy. It had taken a whole team to haul it in and assemble it.

Ethan grabbed the frame.

And lifted.

The entire cage—zombies and all—rose off the ground like it was made of cardboard.

Ray's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"Wha—?!"

"Sorry," Ethan said, setting it down with a thud. "I'm Tier 6."

Then he turned and walked away, the others falling in behind him.

Ray just sat there, stunned, mouth hanging open.

He wasn't going anywhere. Not with those injuries. Not tonight.

He stared after Ethan's retreating back, voice barely a whisper.

"Tier 6… That's impossible…"

…

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