Just as I was about to ask what that figure up ahead was, Ares lowered his binoculars and closed his mouth and looked like he wanted to throw up...

  I picked up the binoculars and took a look. Turns out, it was a zombie—hunched over, gnawing on a human leg. My stomach churned, but I managed to keep it together better than Ares. I whispered to him,"You'll get used to it. Just hold on."

  Ares nodded, and we quietly crept toward the zombie. Step by step, slow and careful. The sound of its chewing was loud enough to mask our approach. We were right behind it when I gave Ares a look. He raised his ax, hands trembling, but after a long moment, he still couldn't bring it down.

  Damn it. I cursed internally. Just as I was about to take action myself, a bead of sweat dripped from Ares' shaking hands—right onto the zombie's head.

  Oh, hell no!

  The zombie froze for a second, then lifted its head and immediately locked eyes with us.

  "Take it down! Now!" I growled.

  Ares panicked, his face turning red. He shut his eyes tight and swung the ax down with all his might—but missed! The blade embedded itself in the zombie's shoulder instead. The creature let out a deafening roar, and Ares desperately tried to yank the ax free, his hands slipping. Tears of frustration welled in his eyes.

  And then—more zombies. Five, six, maybe more, sprinting toward us from a distance.

  "Oh, for—!" I spat out a curse, grabbed Ares, and ran. The wounded zombie, still with the ax stuck in its shoulder, staggered after us, howling. Its cries echoed through the air, and in response, more zombie roars erupted all around us.

  Shit. Both of us felt a jolt of terror and bolted toward Ares'apartment building. But before we could reach it, another group of zombies appeared out of nowhere—twenty, maybe more.

  And behind us? Seven fast-approaching zombies.

  To our right, an artificial lake. To our left, a narrow gap between two buildings.

  "Left! Go left!" I shouted.

  We ran, but almost immediately, three more zombies emerged from the alley ahead.

  "Dammit!" I roared. "Take them down! Go!"

  Ares stammered, "Wait..., George, I—I don't have a weapon..."

  I snapped, "Find something! Bricks, rocks—anything!"

  Without hesitation, I lunged forward and smashed a zombie's head with my metal rod. It bent even further from the impact, but the zombie dropped. Meanwhile, Ares frantically searches the ground. But this was a well-maintained neighborhood—Spotless. No bricks, no loose rocks.

  Then, he spotted a broken tree branch. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and rushed forward, swinging at the nearest zombie.

  I blinked.

  Was that really going to do anything?

  I got my answer pretty quickly. The zombie took a few hits before turning and swiping with one massive arm—Ares’ branch snapped in half.

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  The zombie lunged at him.

  Ares froze.

  I yelled and surged forward, but I was too far away.

  And then Ares did something unexpected. Instead of running, he gritted his teeth and thrust the broken branch straight into the zombie's eye.

  With a sickening squelch, it went in deep. The zombie shrieked and collapsed.

  For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. A faint glow surrounded Ares, barely noticeable.

  Level up?

  No time to think. More zombies were closing in.

  I grabbed Ares and sprinted forward, kicking down another zombie in our way. But suddenly, Ares wrenched free of my grip and ran straight toward the horde.

  I stopped dead in my tracks.

  What the hell was he doing?

  Ares ran a few steps, then stopped in a patch of sunlight. He lifted his head toward the sky, raising his hand. And then—a beam of light shot down from above, gathering in his palm.

  I rubbed my eyes. Was I hallucinating?

  Ares swung his arm forward, and a burst of white light exploded outward. The zombies in front of him recoiled, screeching. The ones closest to him disintegrated into ash on the spot.

  I... what the—?! This was a level one skill?!

  Ares wobbled, visibly exhausted. I grabbed him before he collapsed, and we took off running again.

  Now, crouched in the underbrush, catching our breath, I turned to him. "Dude. What the hell was that?"

  Ares smirked. "Ugh, my legs hurt..."

  "Oh, come on!" I cursed. Do you seriously expect me to help you right now? ... I clenched my fists, bones cracking, and asked, "Are you sure? ...”

  Ares waved his hands frantically. "No, no, forget it! George, listen. Right after I stabbed that zombie, I heard a voice in my head—kind of mechanical, not like the raspy voice you mentioned before. It said: 'Seed of Evolution has reached Level 1. Strength, stamina, reflexes, movement speed, and poison resistance increased by 10%. One skill point obtained. Two skills available for upgrade.'

  "Then I checked my skill list. Two new ones popped up:

  Shield (Light): A blessing-type skill. Grants a shield infused with light energy to a designated target, reducing damage by 20%. Effectiveness increases by 8% during the day, and decreases by half at night. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

  Purification (Light): A special skill. Removes toxins and negative effects from a target while restoring 10% of their health. It can also be used in attack mode—projecting purifying light to cleanse enemies. Area-of-effect. Daytime effect increased by 8%, nighttime reduced by half. Cast time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 2 hours.

  "So," Ares continued, "I decided to put my skill points into Purification. And... well, you saw what happened."

  I nodded, processing everything. "Wait—your skills all have ‘Light’ in parentheses?"

  "Yeah," Ares said, puzzled. "And they all get a boost during the day but weaken at night. Weird, right?"

  "You're level four now, right? Got any new skills?"

  Ares grinned. "A couple of passive ones. Kinda like yours, but... I don't think they're as good."

  Physical Enhancement (Light): Passive. Skill effect: Increases defense, movement speed, and virus resistance by 20% overall. The effect increases by 8% during the day and is halved at night.

  Skill Enhancement (Light): Passive. Skill effect: Increases damage-related skills by 10%, boosts blessing-type skills by 15%, and extends their duration by 15%. The effect increases by 8% during the day and is halved at night.

  I was secretly surprised. Although Ares's initial skills were extremely powerful, they seemed to lack the overall versatility of mine. Plus, the limitation of enhanced effects during the day and reduced effects at night was a clear weakness. I whispered, “Ares, never tell anyone about this secret. If someone with ill intentions finds out, they'll exploit your weakness.”

  After thinking for a moment, I added, “Let's head to Loki's supermarket and wait for rescue. But in front of others, we must never reveal our special abilities!”

  Ares nodded, and the two of us crouched low as we moved toward the supermarket where Loki and his classmates had taken shelter. Strangely, the entire street was devoid of zombies. Before long, we reached the supermarket. I knocked on the door and said, “Loki, it's me.”

  A moment later, Loki opened the door and greeted me with excitement, “George, you're back! That's great!”

  But just then, I suddenly noticed a green shadow flash past the alleyway to my right. It was blurry—so fast that even I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things. I turned to Ares and said, “Go inside first. I'll be right back.” Then, I gave Loki a nod.

  Ares asked, “Where are you going? I'll go with you!”

  I shook my head and said seriously, “Listen to me. Go inside first.” Without waiting for a response, I turned and sprinted toward the alley. That shade of green looked eerily familiar—just like Sophie's.