Before coming here, Mia had been pretty confident. But after seeing how Ethan and his crew were living… she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Still, she wasn't the type to give up easily.

"To be honest, I haven't seen anyone else living this comfortably in the apocalypse," she said, forcing a smile. "But I don't think you'll be able to stay here much longer. If we could track down your location, I'm sure Mayor Marks can too."

"You've got history with him. And knowing the kind of man he is, I'd bet he's already planning his next move."

"This time, he'll come prepared. Maybe he still won't be able to take you down, but this place? He could level it."

"You can't keep moving forever. If you come to our compound, I'll make sure you get the best accommodations. Maybe it won't be as nice as this, but at least you won't have to keep packing up and running."

Ethan didn't respond right away. He just stared at her, eyes steady and unreadable.

Mia started to shift under his gaze, unsure what he was thinking—until he finally smiled.

"I thought you were just here to talk big. Turns out, you've got a brain."

"..." Mia was speechless.

"Honestly, you make a solid argument. But I've got no plans to move to anyone's compound. Still, you did remind me—guess it's time to start prepping. I'm not letting this place get wiped out."

"You're really not worried?" Mia asked, her tone serious. "I know you're strong, but the Safe Zone's got heavy weapons. We're talking tanks and artillery. I don't care how powerful you are—nothing's walking away from a direct hit from that. And they've got over a dozen of those things."

"Oh, they've got that kind of gear, huh? Thanks for the heads-up," Ethan said, eyes narrowing slightly. "But that's not enough to scare us. So no, we're not moving. You can drop it."

He leaned in a little, voice dropping just enough to make her tense. "But you… you've got guts. Coming here with just a handful of people, looking like that. You're not afraid I might do something to you?"

"I trust you're not that kind of person."

"Pfft. I don't even trust myself. What makes you so sure?" Ethan said with a smirk.

"..."

"You're bold, I'll give you that. Every one of your people's carrying high-yield explosives. What, if I tried something, you'd blow the whole place sky-high and take us with you?" he asked, amused.

Mia's body stiffened for a split second—but she recovered quickly. "Just a backup plan. Sorry if it offends."

"Heh. Ruthless. I like it. What's your name?"

"Mia."

"Mia, huh. Not bad. Ever thought about joining our Fallen Star Squad?" Ethan said, half-joking.

"Yes," Mia answered seriously, nodding.

"..."

"Uh… I was kidding," Ethan said, caught off guard.

"I wasn't," Mia replied.

"Wait—you're a high-ranking officer. Why would you want to join a little squad like ours?"

"I'm not military," Mia said calmly. "Colonel Reyes was a close friend of my father's. He promised to look after me, so I stayed with him."

"..."

"You do realize our squad's all guys, right? You sure you're okay with that?"

"What's the problem? I was in the National Guard—thousands of men. I managed just fine."

"..."

"You're trying to get close to us so you can lure us back to your compound, aren't you?" Ethan said, narrowing his eyes. "If this is some kind of play, it's not gonna work."

"I just want to be part of your squad," Mia said honestly. "The way you live… I envy it. You actually invited me. I'd be an idiot to say no."

"..."

"Alright then," Ethan said after a pause. "You can be a provisional member. Whether you make it in for real depends on how you do."

"As for Mayor Marks, I'll handle him myself. I don't need anyone else's help."

"If he really dares to come at me again, I'll kill him."

"..."

"There are over a hundred thousand people in the Safe Zone," Mia said quietly. "He's got tens of thousands of Enhanced under his command. How exactly are you planning to kill him?"

"That's my problem, not yours. You just focus on building up your compound."

"Fine," Mia said, backing off. "I'll head back for now, Captain. When you're ready to make me official, come find me at the Lakeview District base."

With that, she turned and led her people away.

Ethan watched Mia and her team disappear down the path, eyes narrowing slightly. That woman… she was a lot sharper than Colonel Reyes ever was.

"Ethan, that girl's way hotter than the campus queen back at our school," Chris said, nudging him. "Why didn't you just keep her?"

Ethan shook his head. "I can't quite get a read on her. Better not to rush it."

"Then why'd you invite her to join us?" Chris asked, confused.

"Uh… she's an Awakened. I just said it out of habit. Swear to God, I was joking. How was I supposed to know she'd take it seriously?" Ethan said, looking a little embarrassed.

"..."

"I'm just saying," Sean chimed in, "having a woman around wouldn't be the worst thing. It's been a sausage fest in here for way too long."

"Exactly. And she's smart, plus she's Awakened. She wouldn't drag us down," Skinny Pete added.

"We'll see," Ethan said. "I still don't fully trust her."

"Alright, whatever. Let's get back to the game," Sean said. "No powers this time!"

"Fine, fine. I swear I won't use any abilities," Ethan replied.

They kept playing until midnight, then finally headed out to the courtyard.

By then, Marcus was already awake. As soon as he saw them, he started begging.

"Please don't kill me! I'll do anything—be your slave, whatever you want! I'm Awakened too, I can be a huge asset to your team!"

"Pfft. Like you're the only Awakened here," Big Mike snorted.

"Alright, Big Mike, wrap it up," Ethan said. "We've got stargazing to do on the roof."

"Got it." Big Mike cracked his knuckles and walked toward Marcus.

"Die!"

Suddenly, a massive fireball flared to life and shot straight at Big Mike.

"Hmph." Garrick let out a cold snort. A thick wall of earth rose instantly in front of Big Mike, absorbing the blast.

A split second later, a jagged spike of stone erupted from the ground, punching clean through Marcus's chest.

"Been waiting for that," Garrick said with a smirk.

As an elemental-type Awakened himself, he knew full well that even with broken limbs, someone could still cast abilities—it just took more effort. He wasn't about to take chances.

"Appreciate it, Garrick," Big Mike said, glancing back at him.

"No need for thanks between us," Garrick replied.

Though in his head, he added, Just don't come sniffing around my powers again.

He still remembered the way Big Mike used to look at him—like he was a science experiment waiting to be dissected. Even after joining the Fallen Star Squad, Big Mike had never quite stopped eyeing his abilities.

Now that Big Mike finally had his eye on a new power, Garrick was more than happy to help him get it.

Soon after, Ethan transferred Marcus's fire-type ability to Big Mike. With that, every member of the Fallen Star Squad was officially Awakened.

They tossed Marcus's corpse to the zombies outside, then headed up to the rooftop to stargaze and absorb mysterious energy.

Ethan could feel it—he was getting close. Tier 6 peak was just around the corner. Maybe even within the next few days.

This time, he might not need to gaze at the stars at all.

This time, he might try to activate autonomous absorption and level up on his own.

...

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