Inside a room in the Safe Zone...

"Major Taylor, how did Uncle Reyes die?" Mia stood over Colonel Reyes's body, her face carved from ice.

"He was ambushed," Zach Taylor said grimly.

Then he laid out the whole story for her—how it happened, who was there, what little they knew.

"I think Mayor Marks was behind it," Zach finished, fists clenched tight. "But the three attackers took poison and killed themselves. Dead men don't talk."

"What about the soldiers who rescued them? The ones who brought them straight to Colonel Reyes—have they been questioned?"

"They're from 2nd Battalion. Solid guys. They didn't suspect anything—hell, we pull in survivors every day. No way to vet every single one that thoroughly."

"Question them anyway," Mia said. "They walked those three right into Uncle Reyes's office. Sure, it's not impossible they were just doing their job, but it smells off. Marks is too careful to leave something like this to chance. He'd have planted someone to make sure it went off without a hitch."

Zach paused, thinking it over. Then he nodded.

"You're right. I'll get them in here now." He turned and strode out of the room.

Mia stayed behind, staring down at Reyes's body. Her eyes slowly reddened.

"Why are you all so damn stubborn?" she whispered. "My father was like this. And now you too."

"I warned you. Why didn't you listen?"

A few minutes later, Zach burst back in, his face dark.

"They're gone," he said. "All of them. Vanished."

Mia nodded, unsurprised. She'd already guessed as much.

"I'm telling you, this was Marks. I'm going to kill that bastard right now." Zach turned, fury in every step.

"Don't," Mia said sharply. "That's exactly what he wants."

"What do you mean?"

"He's the top dog in Starlight City now. You've got no proof, no leverage. If you go after him openly, he could kill you on the spot and no one would lift a finger. Worse—he'd take full control of the military the moment you're gone."

"He'd kill me? That snake? You think I can't take him?"

"You can't. He's already at Tier 5 peak."

Zach fell silent.

"While the National Guard's been out there bleeding to save people, he's been building his power base inside the Safe Zone. No one knows how deep his roots go now."

"If you charge in blind, you're just handing him your head. Uncle Reyes gave you command before he died. That means you carry the weight now. You can't afford to be reckless."

"Then what do we do?"

"We leave. Take our people, break away, build something of our own. When we're strong enough, we come back. And when that day comes, we won't need proof. We'll kill him, and no one will dare say a word."

Zach nodded hard. "Good. I've wanted to break off for a long time. Reyes never agreed. But now…"

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.

He turned and left to start making arrangements.

Mia stayed behind, her thoughts heavy.

Leaving sounded simple. Doing it? Not so much.

Marks wouldn't let them walk out that easily. He'd be watching for this. And all the weapons and supplies Reyes had brought back—they were locked up inside the Safe Zone. Getting them out would be next to impossible.

Even if they managed to escape, building a new Safe Zone from scratch? That was a whole different kind of hell.

Looks like we'll need outside help, Mia thought.

A face flashed through her mind—sharp eyes, a crooked grin, a man who never played by the rules.

Maybe it's time to talk to him.

Elsewhere…

Ethan and his crew moved through the ruins, cutting down zombies as they went. By the time they stopped for lunch, both Sean and Garrick had reached Tier 5 peak.

Maybe it was just the times—Tier 5 zombies were more common now—but they'd already taken down over a dozen that morning alone.

What used to be a brutal, drawn-out fight was now a one-sided slaughter. The moment Ethan spotted one, it was as good as dead. He'd teleport in, swing his bat, and that was that. Didn't matter how many lesser zombies were around to shield it—none of them could stop him.

If Ethan laid eyes on you, your fate was sealed.

They ate on a rooftop, passing around ration bars and canned meat. As usual, Ethan activated True Sight and scanned the horizon. His gaze caught on something in the distance—up on a hilltop, nestled among the trees.

He squinted, focused.

Then his eyes lit up.

"Holy shit! Mansions on the hilltop!"

He jumped to his feet. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Sean asked, already perking up.

"Our new home," Ethan grinned. "Let's go, boys—we just found ourselves a place to live!"

"Where? Where?" Garrick asked, craning his neck.

"Top of that hill. Couple of big-ass mansions. You just know it's comfy as hell up there."

"A mansion on a hilltop? Hell yeah!"

The group was instantly fired up. They packed up fast and headed out, practically skipping down the stairs.

Oddly, the further they went, the fewer zombies they saw. The streets were eerily quiet. Too quiet.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Sean muttered.

"Yeah, this isn't a residential zone. You'd think we'd see more action," Garrick added, glancing around.

Ethan frowned, but didn't say anything at first. Then something clicked. His eyes narrowed, and a grin crept across his face.

"Guys… we might've just stumbled onto something big."

"Big?" Garrick asked, eyes wide. "You mean—Stage D?"

Ethan nodded.

"There's gotta be over ten thousand zombies on that hill. And this isn't a populated area—no way that many just wandered here. They were drawn in. Gathered. And the only thing that can pull that many together…"

"Is a Stage D zombie," Sean finished, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Hell yeah! Let's kill it!" Garrick whooped, like someone had just handed him a naked woman and a winning lottery ticket.

But then they actually looked up the hill—and their enthusiasm wavered.

The slope was crawling with undead. A black tide of bodies, shoulder to shoulder, packed so tight you couldn't see the ground.

"Jesus," Sean muttered. "How the hell are we supposed to fight that?"

Ethan just chuckled. "Slow and steady. We finally found a Stage D—we're not walking away from this."

Truth was, with their current strength, most zombies weren't a threat anymore. Anything below Tier 5 barely registered. But numbers were still numbers. Even the strongest could be worn down eventually.

And ten thousand was a lot of damn zombies.

"Ethan, what's the plan?" Garrick asked, eyes flicking between the hill and their leader.

"We pull them down here. Fighting uphill's suicide."

"Got it."

"Get ready," Ethan said, already moving. "I'll go poke the hornet's nest."

The others spread out, weapons drawn, eyes sharp. There were no buildings nearby—no walls to funnel the horde, no rooftops to retreat to. This was going to be a straight-up brawl.

Ethan climbed the hill, boots crunching on gravel. He hadn't gone more than three hundred feet before the first zombie spotted him.

A shriek tore through the air.

Then the whole hillside erupted.

Thousands of undead turned as one and charged, a wave of snarling mouths and clawed hands.

Ethan blinked. "Holy shit! Can you guys chill? One at a time maybe?"

...

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