"You killed a government officer from the Safe Zone Authority?" Ray asked the moment he stepped through the door.

"Yeah," Ethan said with a calm nod, like he'd just taken out the trash.

"..."

"Well, congrats," Ray said, throwing his hands up. "Mayor Marks is losing his damn mind. The whole Safe Zone's got a BOLO out with your names on it."

But Ethan caught the slight curl at the corner of Ray's mouth. The guy was enjoying this way too much.

"Let them put out the warrant," Ethan said, unfazed.

Still, he had to admit—he hadn't expected the government to go this hard. Which only confirmed what he'd started to suspect: the system was rotting from the inside.

"This is a government-issued warrant, Ethan. You're not even a little worried?" Ray asked, exasperated.

"What do you want me to do?" Ethan replied with a shrug.

"You can't do anything. But I can." Ray leaned in, practically bouncing with anticipation.

"Let me guess—join the Harlan family?"

"Exactly! You join us, and I guarantee you'll be safe." Ray thumped his chest like a proud salesman.

"Sounds like the Harlan family's got some serious pull."

"You better believe it."

Ethan gave a noncommittal nod. "Alright. I'll think about it."

"Ethan, come on," Ray said, his tone sharpening. "You need to see the bigger picture. You don't have time to sit around and think. If you don't make a move soon, the government's gonna find you—and when they do, it's game over."

"It's the apocalypse, Ray. Surveillance is dead. They're not gonna find us that fast… unless someone rats us out." Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Ray raised both hands. "Come on, man. You know I'm not that kind of guy."

"Good. Then you can head back for now. I'll give your offer some serious thought."

"You—" Evan started to speak, but Ray cut him off with a look.

"Alright," Ray said, backing off. "We'll go. But I hope you really do think it over. You don't have much time left." With that, he turned and left with his crew, knowing better than to push too hard. Ethan had cracked the door open—that was enough for now.

As soon as the door shut, Garrick turned to Ethan. "Why not just kill them? Tie up the loose ends."

"Yeah," Sean added. "If they tell the government where we are, we're screwed."

Ethan chuckled. "They won't. Not anytime soon. In fact, they'll probably go out of their way to cover for us."

"Why the hell would they do that?"

"Because they want us bad. They're not gonna let the government snatch us up before they've had their shot. We're a prize to them."

Garrick scratched his chin. "Huh. When you put it that way, keeping them alive might actually work in our favor."

"Exactly."

Sean leaned back, arms crossed. "Still can't believe Mayor Marks is going this hard. What's the plan now?"

"We wait and watch," Ethan said. "We're strong, but not strong enough to ignore bullets. Going head-to-head with the government right now would be suicide."

"But the government can't just throw their whole army at us either," Garrick said. "The military's still focused on rescue ops. If Marks tries to pull troops for a personal vendetta, the brass might not play along."

"Right. Judging by how the military's been operating, they're not exactly cozy with the politicians."

"But we're not counting on anyone else to save our asses," Ethan said, voice firm. "Tomorrow, we head out at first light. Pack extra food. No one comes back until they've hit Tier 5."

"We camping out?"

"Yeah. Time to leave the comfort zone and put some pressure on ourselves."

"Got it."

—Elsewhere—

"Ray, you really think they'll say yes?" Evan asked, skeptical.

"They don't have a choice," Ray said with a grin. "They're out of options. Joining us is the only way forward."

He looked downright pleased with himself.

"I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to bring them in, and now—bam! The government hands us the perfect opportunity."

He turned to Evan. "Tell my dad to keep a close eye on the Safe Zone. If anything starts to stir, I want to know immediately. We can't let the Authority get to them first."

"Got it."

—Inside a Safe Zone operations room—

"Uncle Reyes… is that for me?" asked a tall, sharp-featured young woman, her wide eyes locked on the Tier 5 crystal core in Colonel Reyes's hand.

"Yes," Reyes said, his tone serious. "I thought it over. You're the best candidate. If you can reach Tier 5, your ability might give us a real shot at taking down that Tier 6 zombie."

"But… aren't high-tier cores supposed to be distributed through the Safe Zone Authority? Voted on?"

"If we go by the book, this core ends up in Mayor Marks's hands. And right now, we don't have time for politics. That Tier 6 is a ticking bomb. We need to kill it—fast. And that means this core stays out of the government's hands."

He stepped closer. "Your ability is the only thing I can think of that might give us an edge."

"I served with your father for years. I've known you since you were a kid. Trust me—this core belongs with you."

Mia hesitated. "But…"

"No buts," Reyes cut in. "Call it a favor. Once you hit Tier 5, you're joining the rescue team. You're going out tomorrow. Until that Tier 6 is dead, we can't keep sending people out there. It's too dangerous."

Mia sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. But I'm not sure how much help I'll be against something like that."

"You don't need to kill it," Reyes said. "Just hold it for one second. That's all the sniper team needs. One second, and the Barrett .50 will take its head off."

"Okay."

Mia nodded, then took the crystal core from his hand and swallowed it without hesitation.

Moments later, her aura flared—she'd reached Tier 5.

—The next morning—

At first light, Ethan and his squad were already on the move.

The goal this time was clear: every single member of the team had to reach Tier 5. And Ethan himself? He was aiming for the peak of Tier 5.

That meant they needed at least ten more Tier 5 crystal cores. Maybe more.

The pressure was real—but pressure was fuel.

They stuck to their usual strategy: climb to the top of a commercial building, scan the area using Ethan's [True Sight], locate a Tier 5 zombie, and move in for the kill.

It was safe, efficient—but slow.

Ethan knew this method wouldn't cut it for long. Once the rest of the squad hit Tier 5, he planned to change tactics. No more rooftop scouting. They'd head straight into the residential blocks and start force-clearing.

It was riskier—zombie density was way higher in the housing zones—but that also meant more Tier 5s. The problem was, those areas were meat grinders. Killing a single Tier 5 there could mean fighting through thousands of undead.

But if everyone was Tier 5?

Then it was doable.

The government's bounty had lit a fire under Ethan. He wasn't playing it safe anymore.

He moved like a machine—up one building, scan, down again, onto the next. No breaks. No wasted motion.

By the end of the first day, they'd taken down six Tier 5 zombies.

Ethan handed out the cores without hesitation, boosting the rest of the squad to Tier 5.

That night, they didn't go home.

Instead, they climbed to the roof of a mid-rise and camped out under the stars, surrounded by silence and the distant groans of the dead.

No lights. No fire.

Just the cold wind.

...

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