The streets were unnervingly quiet.

  Ethan and Lisa moved carefully, weaving through the ruined cityscape, their footsteps muffled by debris and dust. The shattered remains of a once-thriving world surrounded them—colpsed buildings, burned-out cars, and bloodstains smeared across pavement. Shadows stretched long beneath the eerie glow of the rifts above.

  They had already dodged four monsters. Each time, Ethan had tensed, ready to fight, but Lisa had subtly pulled him away, signaling when it was best to avoid confrontation. Despite her earlier unsettling words about her Stalker ability, she was clearly more than just a reckless follower.

  The silence between them was finally broken when Lisa let out a sigh.

  “You’re kinda dumb.”

  Ethan’s expression hardened instantly. His grip on the bloodstained pipe tightened as he shot her a gre.

  “…Why?” He asked, keeping his tone even.

  “Because you went out alone,” Lisa replied matter-of-factly. “You didn’t seem to care if you got surrounded, didn’t have a pn in case you got cornered. And back at the Safe Room, you could’ve made a group with those two guys instead of charging into the unknown solo.” She folded her arms. “That’s not badass. That’s just stupid.”

  Ethan didn’t respond immediately. He hated admitting when he was wrong, but… she had a point. His desperation to get stronger fast had made him reckless. Had that Ravager been a bit stronger—or had there been two instead of one—he could be dead right now.

  “I’ll be more careful next time,” he muttered, his gaze fixed ahead.

  Lisa smirked. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”

  They were close to the Safe Zone now—an abandoned apartment complex that the System had marked as a temporary haven.

  The moment Ethan and Lisa stepped inside, a dozen pairs of wary eyes turned to them. The survivors huddled in the corners, their faces pale, their expressions ranging from exhaustion to fear. Most of them weren’t fighters. They were just people, civilians thrown into chaos with no way to defend themselves.

  And then there was Jason and Michael.

  Jason, the fire user, was built like an athlete—broad shoulders, muscur arms, short curly brown hair. Right now, his arms weren’t flickering with fmes, but there was a sharp edge to his amber eyes. Michael, the telekinetic, was a stark contrast—taller, leaner, his pale blond hair a mess, his blue eyes calcuting.

  Jason stepped forward first, his gaze locked onto Ethan.

  “Hey, you,” he called out. “I saw you leave earlier. Alone. Thought you’d be dead by now.” His eyes flicked to the Ravager’s corpse that Ethan dragged behind him. “And why the hell did you bring a dead monster in here?”

  Ethan dropped the Ravager with a dull thud and straightened.

  “I thought someone might be able to use it. Skin it. Cook it. Whatever.”

  Jason narrowed his eyes, then turned to Michael. The two whispered to each other for a moment, their conversation brief but intense. Then Jason turned back.

  “You both can’t stay here.”

  Ethan’s eyes darkened. “Why not?”

  Jason smirked. “Because we don’t want you here. And besides, we don’t need you.”

  Ethan’s jaw clenched. Every instinct screamed at him to break Jason’s smug face. But he knew better. He might be strong, but not strong enough to take on a fire maniputor and a telekinetic at the same time. Right now, that was suicide.

  Before he could respond, Lisa tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “We should go. I know a pce we might be safe. Not a Safe Zone, but safer than here. And I know where we might find some items.”

  Ethan exhaled sharply, weighing his options. Staying here with these people would only lead to more conflict. If there was another pce—one that gave them a chance to grow stronger—then that was the better choice.

  Lisa gnced at Jason before adding, “And sorry for saying you should team up with these two. I thought they were competent, but turns out they’re just idiots.”

  Jason’s smirk vanished. His jaw tightened, and for a split second, his arm flickered red with heat.

  Ethan stepped in front of Lisa, gripping the sharp pipe with both hands. His voice dropped into something dark and deadly.

  “You would NOT want to do that.”

  Jason’s fiery glow faded slightly. His eyes darted between Ethan and the weapon in his hands. Something about Ethan’s stance—the way he held himself, the confidence in his posture—made Jason reconsider.

  Michael pced a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Leave it.”

  Jason scoffed but turned away, muttering under his breath.

  Ethan rexed slightly but didn’t let his guard down. His eyes lingered on Jason’s back before he turned to Lisa.

  “Where’s this pce?” His voice was sharp, but beneath it was an eagerness—a hunger for something more.

  Lisa grinned. “Let’s go. I’m tired of being around cowardly dogs.”

  Her voice was loud enough for Jason to hear.

  Jason’s expression twitched, but he didn’t turn back.

  As Ethan and Lisa stepped out of the apartment, Jason’s voice finally reached them.

  “You’re gonna die out there,” he called after them.

  Ethan didn’t stop walking. “Better out there than rotting in here.”

  Lisa punched his arm pyfully. “You two sound like petty kids fighting.”

  Ethan scoffed. “Maybe. But I don’t have time to waste on weak-minded idiots.”

  Lisa just ughed. “Then let’s find you something to kill.”

  With that, they vanished into the ruined city, leaving the Safe Zone—and its fragile alliances—behind.