When mutants like him first awakeheir abilities, many of them dreamed of being invincible, superhero-like figures straight out of the movies. Reality, however, was a harsh teacher. Mutants weren’t as powerful as they imagiheir numbers were limited, with only one or two emerging per 8,000 to 10,000 people. And even among them, abilities ranged from impressive to utterly useless. bat-ready mutants were rare, and even fewer could withstand bullets. “Damn traitors,” the burly man growled, g his fists. “They sold their souls to Kane for scraps.”

  A young woman, hot-tempered and full of fire, jumped in, cursing loudly. “I ’t believe those dogs got powers while det people like us are left to suffer! It’s like fate’s got it out for us!”

  The group of rebels, a ragtag band of about a dozen mutants, had resisted Kane’s rule. Unlike most mutants in the Washington base, they refused to join him despite the tempting promise of food, fort, and luxury. Instead, they lived in a crumbling prefab house, surviving on rations aermination. “If Kane runs, his pack of pdogs will follow him,” a quiet girl wearing gsses remarked, breaking the tense silence.

  “What about the 600,000 survivors in the base?” the fiery girl asked, her voice trembling with frustration.

  The girl with gsses, known to everyone as Scarlett, adjusted her frames and sighed. “That’s the problem. Kane’s locked down all information. We don’t even know he the zombie horde is.”

  “Scarlett, you’re the smartest one here. You must have a pn,” the burly man urged.

  Scarlett hesitated, her calm demeanor masking the weight of the situation. “If Kane had a way to stop the horde, he wouldn’t be pnning to run. He loves his life here too much. The fact that he’s ready to flee means the horde must be massive—easily over 20 million.” Her words sent a shiver through the room.

  “That ’t be right,” the fiery girl stammered. “How could there be that many?”

  “Think about it,” Scarlett tinued, her voice steady but grim. “Kane’s not stupid. He’s calcuted every option, even nukes. If he’s ready to abandon the base, it’s because hod stop them.”

  The group fell silent, the weight of Scarlett’s clusioling in. “Even if everyone in the base fought, we’d still lose,” Scarlett added. “This… this might really be the end.”

  While despair gripped the Washington DC base, the atmosphere in NYC was entirely different. Under Zack’s leadership, the city buzzed with activity, a stark trast to the chaos elsewhere. Every resource was mobilized. Over 300 manufacturing bots worked tirelessly, supported by meical beasts, ing out Avalon transport pnes oer another.

  The steel mill bzed day and night, recasting endless streams of metal. The military factory operated non-stop, produg mountains of ammunition that filled warehouse after warehouse. NYC wasn’t preparing to run—it was gearing up for war. “Where’s the horde now?” Zack would ask daily, keeping a close eye ouation. Each time, Ego provided updates, and Zack tinued w without pause.

  Days ter, the Titan Armor was pleted. The specialized suit, carried in modules on a modified Avalon, could be deployed mid-air, allowing Zack to equip it seamlessly. “Sir, the zombie horde has reached Pittsburgh and will arrive in Washington, D.C., within 12 hours,” Ego reported one m.

  Zack stood in silence for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, his voice cut through the air like steel. “It’s time. How many Avalon units do we currently have?" Zack asked in a deep, calm voice.

  "Sir, there are 21 Avalon multipurpose fighters and one Avalon F2 currently operational," replied Ego, his AI assistant. Though the Aegis project isn’t plete yet, its prototype—the Avalon F2—has already been manufactured. Ava, a highly skilled pilot, is currently operating it. This cold and calg woman adapted quickly to the immense poerformance of the sed-geion Avalon. The Avalon F2 bines sleek aerodynamics with vertical take-off and nding capabilities. Its streamlined improvements have pushed its top speed to an astonishing Mach 7.5—far exceeding initial expectations and approag the performance of advanced spacefaring craft.

  To ensure Ava could hahe extreme acceleration of the Avalon F2, Zack mahat both she and Sophia undergo iions of a modified super-soldier serum. Unlike Zack, whose own iion had caused a dramaticrease i and muscle mass, the serum had a subtler effe them. Their physical capabilities were enhanced without altering their appearance signifitly.

  The only notable ge was their fwless skin. Before, even the most beautiful faces have imperfes, no matter how small. But now, both Sophia and Ava appeared unnaturally perfect—like living works of art, surpassing any digitally enhanced celebrity image. Zack, overwhelmed by the transformation, found himself struggling to stay posed. "Ava, you’ll lead the meical army and hahe escort operation," Zaanded firmly.

  "Uood," Ava replied. Her tone, while still reserved, cked the icy detat she once had.

  Soon, Avalon transport pnes loaded with meical legioed NYC Base. Following them was the Avalon F2, piloted by Ava, apanied by five automated MV-03 armors. The fleet of over thirty flying units set out, their formation dominating the skies. It was a force powerful enough to challenge a nation's military strength—even before the apocalypse. "This is the first mission for the meical army. Don’t let me down," Zack muttered as he watched the fleet disappear into the horizon.

  This deployment sisted of only a portion of Zack’s forces: 100 Spiders, 50 Meical Dogs, 2 Goliath, and all 5 automated MV-03 armors. The rest of the meical units were left behind to defend NYC Base. “You ’t fight a war and leave your home undefended,” Zack had decided, prioritizing both offense and security.

  "Ego, what’s the status of the zombie wave?" he asked, turning his attention back to the immediate threat.

  "Sir, the vanguard of the zombie horde has passed through Pittsburgh City and will reach Washington D approximately eight hours," Ego reported.

  "A vanguard, huh? Pull up satellite images—I want to see the scale of this horde," Zastructed, curiosity piqued.

  Within moments, the satellite feed appeared before him. Unlike regur snapshots, the images came from Anne-1, Zack’s satellite stationed 35,000 kilometers above Earth. The dispy spahe entire northern hemisphere of the p. "Wait… what’s that bck mass c the surface?" Zack asked, his instincts immediately on high alert.

  Then it hit him. "That’s the zombie horde?!" The wave of undead stretched for hundreds of kilometers, a massive, bck tide swallowing cities in its path. "If this keeps up, they’ll bulldoze everything in their way," Zack muttered, stunned by the realization.

  "Indeed, sir," Ego responded gravely. "If no a is taken, the horde will reaYC Base within days."

  The grim scale of the apocalypse became clear. Humanity had onumbered seven billion, but ht, 80% had turned into zombies—over 5.6 billion ied. Including subsequent casualties and mutations, the global zombie popution exceeded six billion. This northern horde, prising tens of millions, was just one of many such swarms that could form. Adding to the chaos were the mutated nd animals and aquatic life forms, which posed their own threats. Zack exhaled sharply. "This p is done for. Maybe it’s time to find a new one."

  He muttered the words half-jokingly, but the overwhelming challenge before him was no ughing matter. "Sir, I do have blueprints and informatioed to spaceships and ielr migration stored in my database," Ego responded holy to Zack’s joking remark.