James Lone walked out of Shengshi Furniture Plaza, fully satisfied with his haul. From there, he descended into the nearby hardware market.

Activating his perception, he swept the area. Everything seemed normal. There were no survivors here, which made sense—there was no food nearby, and it was impossible to sustain life without it.

Huh? His eyes lit up. A steamroller?

James's surprise turned into excitement. Of all the things he expected to find, this was a jackpot. Other vehicles might be hard to start, but a steamroller? Perfect.

Doesn't matter what kind of plants or vines, I'll crush them all beneath those iron wheels.

Buzzing with enthusiasm, James moved under the massive machine and stored it in his subspace. Only then did he return to the surface and continue his exploration of the hardware market.

From angle grinders, electric drills, and motors to water pumps, pliers, wrenches, hammers, light bulbs, and every kind of pipe and sheet metal—aluminum, stainless steel, waterproof tarps, paint—he swept it all into his storage. It was a complete treasure trove.

With these tools, he wouldn't have to worry about basic supplies for a long time.

Afterward, he made his way to the nearby New York Second Women and Children's Hospital, a large public institution. The private clinic he visited earlier had been too small, with limited medicine and equipment.

Standing on the roof of the outpatient building, James activated his perception, scanning the area below. Survivors were clustered on the top three floors of the outpatient building, separated into different offices based on their relationships.

"No ability users." Confirming the area was mostly safe, James descended into the building, curious to observe these survivors up close and gauge the outside world's condition.

As he walked through the halls, a few survivors noticed him, their expressions turning wary. They clutched their meager supplies tightly to their chests. Most didn't even bother to react; they lay weak and lifeless on the floor, their eyes hollow, as if waiting to die.

Not a single person tried to stop him.

Some rooms held only corpses, left to rot without anyone to dispose of them. Flies buzzed thickly, and maggots wriggled on the decaying bodies, filling the air with a stench so foul it was almost visible. Yet, in the neighboring rooms, survivors didn't even flinch—completely desensitized to the horror.

James covered his nose and mouth, striding quickly past.

No leader, he noted to himself. That's why no one has organized any defenses here.

There were barely any women among the survivors, and the few that remained were either hidden away or long dead. Over 80% of the survivors were men. The absence of beautiful women confirmed what he suspected: societal order had completely collapsed.

In the pharmacy, shelves had been ransacked, but plenty of medicine remained. The variety far surpassed that of the private clinic. James swept everything usable into his storage without hesitation.

He continued on to a nearby police station, fire station, and high school. Both the police and fire stations were abandoned, but the high school had a surprising number of survivors, including two ability users. However, just like in the hospital, almost all the female students were dead, leaving behind only the boys.

After visiting seven or eight locations, James found no sign of an official response or organized authority.

Has the government completely lost control? James frowned.

"That doesn't make sense. With modern technology, even a sudden disaster shouldn't make maintaining control completely impossible. They should've been able to protect at least a few key locations. So where did they go? Where are the elites hiding?"

Unable to figure it out, he opened a blue portal and returned to the rooftop of Building C in the Sunshine Garden Complex.

'Byakuga n' perked up as James appeared, wagging its tail excitedly as it trotted over. James tossed the dog a piece of meat, patting its head as he gazed out over New York City.

Above him, the blazing sun shone down. Below, a sea of purple mist covered the city like an endless, otherworldly tide. Skyscrapers pierced through the mist like sparse trees in a forest of clouds.

The once-crippled pine trees, doused in herbicides, now grew taller and stronger than ever before, reclaiming their dominance over the land.

Shirley Inr Won spotted James from below and ran up to him, a look of relief crossing her face as she leaned into him.

But their peaceful moment was interrupted by a deafening sound from within the purple mist.

Bang!

"Gunshot!" James's expression turned serious as he immediately looked toward the source of the sound.

Shirley flinched, startled. "Who else in Sunshine Garden Complex has a gun?"

James patted her hand reassuringly. "Take 'Byakuga n' and go back inside. I'll check it out."

Before she could protest, James sank through the floor, his body phasing as he moved toward the gunfire.

Teresa Taylor and her group hadn't been walking for long when Mike Brown ran up, his voice low and urgent. "Stop! There's movement up ahead. It might be people!"

Crunch! Teresa brought her fire axe down, splitting a rat in half. She frowned. "Survivors? Stay here. I'll check it out."

In the apocalypse, encountering other humans wasn't necessarily a good thing. Teresa needed to assess the situation first before deciding what to do.

Leaping lightly, she cleared three meters in a single bound, landing steadily on a tree branch. She moved gracefully through the trees, leaping from branch to branch until she disappeared into the purple mist.

The survivors watched her go, their faces filled with envy.

"If I had an ability like hers," one muttered, "I wouldn't be stuck with this group of dead weight. I'd find some paradise to live in."

After a few minutes, Teresa came to a stop, her sharp hearing picking up voices ahead.

"Madison Donald, let's just go back! I'm exhausted!" "No! We haven't found any food yet. If we go back empty-handed, we'll starve anyway!" "But..." "No buts! We have to—" "Ow! My feet are blistered! It hurts so much!" "Ah, it's bleeding! Hurry, let's get back and treat it before it gets infected!"

Teresa crouched in the branches as seven figures emerged beneath her. They were young—barely more than kids. Five boys and two girls, all around 18 or 19 years old. Judging by their conversation, they were likely college students.

Deeming them non-threatening, Teresa leapt down from the tree.

"Ahhh!" "Who's there?!" "Wait! She's wearing a uniform—is she a cop?"

Seeing she was a woman, the group relaxed slightly. One of the boys stepped forward eagerly.

"Are you... are you a police officer?"

Teresa gave a small salute. "I'm Teresa Taylor, Second-Class Officer from Peace Road Police Station."

The boy's face lit up with relief. "You are! My name's Madison Donald. We're students from the New York Film Academy. Please, you have to help us!"

Teresa felt some of her tension ease. These were just frightened kids.

"I'm heading to the nearest official aid station," she said. "It's far, and the journey will be dangerous. If you want, you can come with me. If not, I can't help you."

The students nodded eagerly, their desperation plain.

"We'll go with you, Officer Taylor!" "Thank God! We've been starving for days—I thought we'd die out here!" "Finally, someone who can protect us!"

Their gratitude warmed Teresa's heart. For the first time in days, she felt a flicker of hope.

"Alright," she said firmly. "Follow me."

With the students joining her group, their numbers grew once again. Though the road ahead was short, it was treacherous. Teresa spent over an hour carving a path through the dense forest, her fire axe hacking at vines and brush as the survivors stumbled after her.

Exhausted but determined, they finally reached the gates of Sunshine Garden Complex.

Teresa was about to lead them inside when a massive rabbit leapt out from the bushes.

The group erupted in excitement.

"Officer Taylor, it's a rabbit!" "Quick, kill it! We can eat meat tonight!" "Shoot it! Shoot it!"

Teresa's lips curved into a rare smile. She'd killed a mutated rabbit once before, and its meat had been a feast for her group. But rabbits were incredibly fast, and without a gun, they were nearly impossible to catch.

Calming her breath, Teresa slowly raised her handgun, lining up her shot.

Bang!

The bullet struck true, piercing the rabbit's eye and burrowing into its brain. It twitched violently for a moment before collapsing, lifeless.

The group cheered in relief and excitement. Teresa picked up the rabbit by its ears, already thinking about how to distribute the meat when—

Whoosh!

Out of nowhere, a massive tongue shot out from the purple mist, hurtling straight toward her!