With the upheaval in the Safe Zone, Starlight City had entered a strange, delicate phase.

He'd turned the Safe Zone into his personal dictatorship, pulling every Enhanced and Awakened under his command.

At the same time, he started winning people over, using the crystal cores in his hands to cultivate even more Enhanced.

Anyone paying attention could see it—his ambition was massive. He wasn't just trying to survive the apocalypse. He wanted to break free from the state government entirely and become a full-blown warlord.

When the world ended, most people fell into despair. But not him. He saw opportunity.

Because if the apocalypse hadn't hit when it did, that ongoing corruption investigation might've finally caught up to him.

In a twisted way, the end of the world had saved him.

From the very beginning, he'd been planning in secret—using Colonel Reyes' obsession with saving lives as cover while quietly eliminating dissent and building his own power base.

Now, he had full control of the Safe Zone.

And once his forces were strong enough, not even the state government could touch him.

This wasn't the old world anymore. Communications were down. Even the feds couldn't reach him now.

Sooner or later, Starlight City would be his.

...

Meanwhile…

Zach led the National Guard in retaking a massive military base that had been overrun by zombies. Once secured, they immediately began reinforcing the perimeter.

It had been a brutal journey to get here—long marches, constant fighting—and the soldiers hadn't even had time to rest before diving straight into work.

Mia watched them move with purpose and grit, but her heart felt heavy.

They'd escaped, sure. But compared to the government Safe Zone, they were miles behind. Catching up in terms of resources? Nearly impossible now.

With over a hundred thousand people under its protection, Mayor Marks' Safe Zone was only getting stronger.

Revenge? That was starting to look like a pipe dream.

"Looks like we'll have to find outside help," Mia sighed.

Beyond the military and government, many high-tier Enhanced and Awakened who'd left the Safe Zone had started building their own compounds.

And some who'd never gone to the Safe Zone in the first place had already established their own bases of power.

America wasn't short on ambitious people. Plenty were looking to carve out their own empires in the apocalypse.

Especially the Awakened—those with powers. Many of them believed they were chosen, destined to rise in this new world.

Starlight City was huge. Before the fall, it had a population of five million. Now, nearly a month into the apocalypse, the number of survivors might not even break a million.

Among those still alive, aside from the government Safe Zone and the Guard, many had found shelter in the compounds built by Awakened.

As for the survivors still out there on their own? They barely counted anymore.

Even with food, the zombies had grown too strong. Hiding at home wasn't enough to stay alive.

Now, these Safe Zones, shelters, and compounds were the only places left where people had a real shot at surviving.

Everyone understood the new rules of survival. Any Awakened with even a bit of power was gathering people and building their own compounds.

The stronger Awakened would go out to hunt zombies, bring back crystal cores, and hand them off to regular people or low-tier Enhanced. Those people would level up fast, then join the next hunt.

That kind of positive cycle made each compound grow stronger by the day.

This was the new law of the apocalypse.

But… were these places really safe?

About seven miles from Starlight Ridge, there was a compound that had been established early on. By now, it had grown to house over ten thousand people.

Its founder, Marcus Kane, was a fire-type Awakened. Before the apocalypse, he was a nobody—just another aimless young man.

Then the world ended, and he awakened his ability by sheer luck.

He started killing zombies, built a team, and slowly, his ambition began to show. Eventually, he founded his own compound here.

But the atmosphere inside Marcus's compound was nothing like the one Calvin and his group had built.

Maybe it was because he'd spent his old life feeling powerless, but once he had control, Marcus became a tyrant.

Those who obeyed him lived well—food, water, even crystal cores to boost their strength.

But anyone who defied him? Their fate was brutal. Beatings, mutilation, even murder were common.

Worse, Marcus was a lecher. Every woman who entered his compound—if she was even remotely attractive—was dragged to his quarters and violated.

If she played along, she might live comfortably afterward. If not… her end would be ugly.

People in the compound were furious, but no one dared speak out.

Most of Marcus's inner circle were just like him—strong and cruel. Anyone who couldn't stomach his behavior either ended up dead or pushed to the margins, cut off from resources and opportunities to grow stronger.

Right now, inside one of the compound's largest rooms, Marcus was lounging with several women draped over him, his top lieutenants nearby. The air was thick with laughter, whispers, and tangled limbs.

Then—BANG! BANG! BANG!—a loud knock slammed against the door.

"Boss! Bad news! A huge horde of zombies is headed this way!"

Marcus frowned, shoved the women off him, and started pulling on his clothes. "What's going on?"

"A ton of zombies are coming straight for us!"

"How many is 'a ton'!?"

"At least twenty thousand!"

"Shit. Get everyone to the walls. Now!"

Within minutes, every Enhanced and Awakened in the compound had gathered on the walls. As they looked out at the endless tide of zombies charging toward them, their faces turned pale.

"What do we do, boss?!"

"What else? We fight!"

The horde hit fast. Marcus hurled a massive fireball into the front lines, instantly incinerating several zombies.

The others followed suit—guns, bows, crossbows—clearly, they'd come prepared.

But their supplies were limited. After taking down a few hundred zombies, the horde reached the base of the walls.

Then the real nightmare began.

The zombies slammed into the concrete barriers with relentless force. The walls, though reinforced, didn't last long. Cracks formed, then a section gave way.

The horde poured in.

Chaos erupted.

The compound had over ten thousand people. Against twenty thousand zombies, they should've had a fighting chance.

But too many inside were only Tier 1 or Tier 2—people who'd been sidelined for not kissing up to Marcus. They'd been denied resources, denied growth.

When the zombies broke through, those people were the first to die.

The battle raged. Blood soaked the streets. Screams echoed through every corner of the compound.

It didn't take long before the entire place was reduced to rubble.

Marcus and a few of his top lieutenants, all Tier 5 peak-level, managed to hold out until the very end.

But once it was clear the compound was lost, Marcus didn't hesitate—he threw his own men under the bus and bolted.

Several Tier 5 zombies immediately gave chase.

At that moment, the Fallen Star Squad, who'd been clearing zombies in the distance, heard the commotion and rushed toward the scene.

Soon, they spotted Marcus sprinting toward them, zombies hot on his heels.

Marcus's eyes lit up the moment he saw Ethan and the others. Without missing a beat, he veered in their direction, dragging the horde with him.

"Perfect. These idiots can take the heat for me."

…

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