Nova walked through the ruined city, his gaze sweeping over the destruction. Buildings lay in rubble, and groups of survivors—likely teams formed for better chances of survival—moved cautiously through the streets. The absence of law enforcement or military presence was glaring. The Federation had likely believed they could control the new world, but reality had shattered their delusions. In Nova’s eyes, only the strongest could manage the chaos, and at this moment, the title was up for grabs. Anyone could rise to power now.

  As he walked, a group of five people spotted him. Nova, dressed in light white armor, now resembled a wealthy young man, and in this world, that was a death sentence. The group—a mix of four men and one woman, all in their 30s—approached him. Nova assessed them quickly. They had probably chosen one of the overpowered classes, but their lack of experience in real combat was apparent.

  One of the men barked, "Leave your belongings on the ground and get out of here. If you don't, you'll die."

  Nova met his gaze, a calm smile curling on his lips. "Do you want to die?"

  The man was momentarily stunned, but his anger flared. "I gave you a chance. Now you're going to die." With a snarl, he rushed forward, a small flame flickering in his palm.

  Nova didn't have a weapon but he took a fighting stance, ready to dash forward and meet the threat head-on.

  Just as Nova was about to dash forward, another group arrived. A feminine voice rang out, "STOP!" The woman, moving quickly, sped towards Nova and the other party.

  Taken aback, the man halted and turned to look. When he saw who was approaching, he immediately retreated to his group, his face hardening with a wary expression. His companions mirrored his caution, all wearing similar solemn looks.

  This new group had already made a name for themselves in just a single day.

  The young woman who had shouted placed herself between Nova and the others. "Stop causing chaos in the city" she said, her tone firm. "If I catch you again, I'll have to cuff you and take you to jail. Now leave."

  Clearly, she still held onto her morals—only a day had passed since Earth had changed.

  The group of five exchanged glances before nodding and taking their leave, smart enough not to provoke a group they couldn't win against.

  The young woman nodded to herself as her team arrived—four people in total, two men and two women, all in their twenties and wearing black uniforms. Nova noted, ‘University uniform?’

  Turning to Nova, the woman observed his unruffled demeanor, and a flicker of annoyance crossed her mind. She had just saved him, yet he acted like nothing had happened. After a quick assessment of his outfit, she concluded he was likely some rich young man unaware of the gravity of the situation.

  "Hello, I'm Cassidy. Friends call me Cassie. What's your name?"

  Cassidy stood at 1.65m (5'4"), with smooth fair skin and dark hair tinged with blue, which shimmered under the light. There was an air about her, like someone accustomed to giving orders, though more in the way of a school club president than a soldier. Her sharp, expressive brown eyes studied Nova carefully.

  Nova smiled and responded, "I'm Nova. Friends call me Nova."

  Cassidy nearly stumbled. ‘What was the point of that?’ She fought the urge to punch him, but after a glance at her team, she nodded at them, signaling them to introduce themselves.

  The other young woman spoke up, "Hey, I'm Rachel. Nice to meet you!" Standing at 1.70m (5'6"), Rachel had a tan and medium-length brown hair with tints of red. Her brown eyes sparkled with energy, and her effortless smile made people feel instantly at ease.

  The first of the two men introduced himself. "Samuel." At 1.84m (6'), he had short black hair with hints of yellow and sharp, dark eyes that exuded focus and intensity. His muscular, lean build radiated strength, and his expression was calm but gave off the sense that he was always ready for action.

  The last man chuckled and shook his head at Samuel's introduction. He flashed a smile at Nova and said, "Don’t mind him, he’s always been like this. My name’s Thomas, nice to meet you." Standing at 1.86m (6’1"), with black hair and brown eyes, Thomas didn't stand out in a crowd. But once you spoke with him, his openness and ease with others made him unforgettable.

  Nova nodded at each of them, noticing they were all carrying swords. ‘Is the sword that common?’ he wondered before asking, "How come that party left as soon as you arrived?" He was curious—usually, it wasn’t easy to gain fame in a day without any fast communication.

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  Cassidy smirked, feeling proud of herself and her team. "Let’s just say we've been patrolling the streets for a day and arrested quite a few people," she said, smug about their achievements.

  Before Nova could respond, Thomas chimed in, "Yeah, and because you're the daughter of one of the richest people in the Federation" rolling his eyes.

  Rachel seized the opportunity to tease Cassidy. "Don't think I haven't noticed a few groups trailing us wherever we go" she winked at her.

  Samuel said nothing, but his gaze at Cassidy was one of quiet judgment, as if he saw her as someone completely unaware of the real world.

  Nova found them a strange bunch, but their closeness was obvious from their banter and body language. They didn’t seem to care about Cassidy’s wealth, and she didn’t care about theirs.

  He smiled softly before asking, "Rich miss, care to tell me what happened to the city?"

  Cassidy looked at Nova as if he were a rare species. "Where have you been for the past day?" she asked. "The Federation decided to abandon control over the cities. The higher-ups retreated and adopted a hands-off approach with everything going on. This is public information" she said with a sly smile.

  Nova caught on quickly. "Public information… so you have secret information too?"

  "Yeah, want to hear it?" Cassidy couldn’t resist teasing him. He looked harmless, but something in his presence made her feel like he saw her as the harmless one.

  Nova nodded. "I need every bit of true information I can get."

  Cassidy didn't waste a moment. "Join my faction, and I’ll tell you everything I know."

  Nova was taken aback. Why would she want him to join her faction without even knowing who he was? "You don’t know me, you don’t even know if I’m strong. Why would you want me to join?"

  Cassidy shrugged. "A woman’s instincts."

  Nova smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I don’t think I can join you, but I can help you once. What do you think of that?"

  Cassidy thought for a moment. ‘If he’s strong, this is better than I could have hoped for. And then there’s that other group...’ An image flashed in her mind when she thought about them. "Can I ask you to do anything?" she asked tentatively.

  Nova thought about it before replying, "You can ask me anything, but if I think it’s too much, I’ll reserve the right to decline."

  Cassidy thought Nova’s response made sense—she wouldn’t have believed him if he’d claimed he’d do anything she asked without hesitation. Feeling satisfied, she said, “Deal. Let’s head back to my house and talk things over.” She turned to her party. “Let’s go. We can rest there while I explain the situation to Nova.”

  Rachel, Samuel, and Thomas nodded. They, too, were ready for a break after hours of patrolling the streets.

  Nova asked, “How far is your house from here?”

  Cassidy looked back at him. “Not far. But as you know, technology is dead. Cars don’t work anymore. We’ll need to walk for about 30 minutes, or we can run—but I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep up.”

  Nova didn’t care about the subtle challenge. He simply replied, “We can run. If I can’t keep up, we’ll walk. What do you think?”

  Cassidy smiled and nodded. “Very well, let’s go then.”

  The group started running. Nova expected them to be fast, given Cassidy’s boasting, but the pace was surprisingly slow. They were moving at about 120-150 km/h, and all four of them seemed focused, like they were running on empty. Meanwhile, Nova felt like he was out for a leisurely stroll. The speed was so slow that he could walk comfortably at the same pace, but he decided to hold back to avoid standing out. He hadn’t researched the wealthiest families in the Federation and didn’t want to become a target, so he started panting after just 30 seconds of running.

  Rachel glanced back at him, forcing out a few words through her own ragged breath. “Are you okay?”

  Nova nodded, barely able to speak through his gasps. “Barely... but we can keep going.” He had to fight back the urge to laugh. ‘If only cinema were still around. I could’ve been an actor.’

  Thomas gave him a nod of encouragement, then returned his focus to the path ahead.

  Cassidy pretended to be indifferent, but Nova could tell she was paying attention. Samuel, on the other hand, was completely unfazed.

  As they continued running, Nova thought about his next move. ‘Once I gather information, I’ll come up with a plan and meet up with Jack. I’m not doing everything alone.’ He quickly dismissed the thought and looked up, realizing he had been following the group without paying attention to where they were going.

  Ahead, he saw a large gate, about 3 meters tall. Beyond it stretched a forest. He turned to Cassidy and asked, “Do you live in a forest? I didn’t know the wealthier people were so primitive.”

  Cassidy’s frustration boiled over. “THIS IS MY GARDEN!” she shouted.

  Thomas and Rachel burst into laughter, and Samuel’s lips curled into the slightest smile.

  Nova nodded. "Okay, shall we go in then?"

  Cassidy gritted her teeth as she approached the gate and pushed with all her strength to open it. The rest of the group stepped in to help, saving her some face as she struggled.

  Once the gate was open, Nova smiled and commented, "Cassidy, you're very strong."

  Cassidy smirked smugly, about to reply, "Than—" but then she caught sight of Nova’s expression. With that smile of his, it almost seemed like he was mocking her. Her face darkened as she harrumphed and said firmly, "Follow me."

  Rachel and Thomas couldn’t remember the last time they’d had so much fun, and Samuel seemed to enjoy it too.

  Soon, Nova’s eyes widened as he saw a mansion that was the size of a football field. He noticed maids, servants, and guards stationed outside, all waiting for Cassidy.

  When they arrived at the mansion’s entrance, every maid, servant, and guard bowed deeply to Cassidy, shouting, “Welcome back, Young Miss.”

  Cassidy nodded, already accustomed to this, and walked past them into the mansion.

  The interior of the mansion surprised Nova. He had expected the usual extravagant displays—paintings, rare collections, and luxurious décor—but instead, he found plain furniture. It was simple, almost understated, which caught him off guard.

  Inside, Cassidy shouted, “DAD, I’M BACK!” Everyone shook their heads, used to her lack of manners. But nobody really cared in the mansion; they’d seen her grow up, treating her like their own child.

  Soon, a man emerged from a side door. He was in his 40s, his hair mostly black with a few strands of silver, and he was around Nova’s height. His baggy white robe looked humble, and if someone had told Nova that this man was one of the wealthiest in the Federation, he wouldn’t have believed it.

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