He picked up the helmet and slid it on. For a moment, everythi dark, then the HUD dispy flickered to life, his vision with various readouts. The visor turransparent, letting him see the room clearly. As he focused on different objects, detailed information about them appeared. The holographiterface was smooth and seamless.

  “MV-02 self-test… all systems operational,” Ego's voinounced.

  “Ego, are you soundier, or is it just me in a good mood?” Zack joked.

  “Thank you, Sir. All systems are ready for outdoor testing,” Ego replied.

  “I agree,” Zack said, flipping up the visor. He turo Annie and added, “Once I head out, you and Sophia stay ihe Mansion. It’s secure enough to handle most threats. If anything major happens, get in touch with me immediately—I’ll give you access to the MV-01 if necessary. Got it?”

  Annie nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, big brother! I’ll keep Sister Sophia and the house safe!”

  “Good,” he said, giving her a pat. “Remember, the MV-01 is on the lower level.”

  With everythi, Zack walked over to his modified transport vehicle, which looked more like an armored truck than an escort car.

  “Ego, take the wheel,” Zastructed as he climbed into the back.

  “Uood, Sir,” Ego respohe engine roared to life, and the steering wheel began to turn by itself, smoothly guiding the vehicle out of the basement and onto the road.

  On the desote, debris-filled highway, the armored truck barreled forward like a tank, smashing anything in its path. The front end, equipped with a heavy-duty ram, pushed abandoned vehicles aside with ease. The stant sound of impad the r engine soon attracted nearby zombies, but the truck kept charging forward relentlessly.

  Zombies swarmed from all dires, maing crushed uhe wheels. Those approag from the sides met the spikes lining the vehicle’s edges, while others cwed at the bulletproof exterior, creating an endless, high-pitched scraping sound.

  In the back of the truck, Zack sat in the MV-02 suit, his sound dampening system activated. He leaned back, closing his eyes as the chaos outside became nothing more than background noise. He wasn’t tired—there was simply nothing out there worth his attention.

  It had been nearly twenty days sihe outbreak. By now, most survivors had either found safety or met a grim fate. Only the lucky, bold, or resourceful had formed survival groups. The rest had either fallen to the zombies or quietly wasted away in hiding, succumbing to hunger or despair.

  At first, Zack had sed the surroundings for any signs of life. But soon, he realized that outside of the undead, there wasn’t a single soul along his route. It was just him, his vehicle, and a wastend of crumbling buildings and shattered lives.

  Zack leaned ba his seat, closing his eyes to rest. Suddenly, Ego’s voice came through his helmet speakers.

  “Sir.”

  “What’s up, Ego?” Zack asked, eyes still closed.

  “I’ve detected something unusual that might i you.”

  To avoid running into massive hordes of zombies, Ego had been using satellite imagery to monitor the surroundings. Zack opened his eyes, curious. “Let’s see it.”

  An image from the LSI satellite appeared on his HUD dispy. The se showed a small town, straddling the liween city and tryside. On the roof of a tru the middle of the street stood a woman with bright red hair, a cigarette dangling from her lips, and a brazier at her feet. Zombies swarmed in from all dires, g their way toward her, but she seemed pletely unfazed.

  Just as the zombies reached the truck, the woman flicked away her cigarette and raised her hand. The fmes in the brazier fred to life, as if responding to her and, and whipped into a fiery red serpent that slithered toward the horde. The fire spread instantly, ing the zombies and turning them into t, fming figures. The air was thick with acrid smoke.

  Calmly, the woman took out a gas mask and put it on as if this was routine. Ohe zombies were buro death, she jumped off the truding gracefully—despite wearing high heels. She lit anarette, then casually strolled toward a nearby supermarket.

  “What… is this? A superpower?” Zack’s eyes widened, excitement flooding him. The st time he entered someoh unusual strength, Jacob, he’d dismissed it as a fluke. But this... this was something different.

  “Seems like superpowers aren’t just for the movies…” he muttered. Then, he paused, a thought creeping into his mind. “Wait, I have a system. Maybe superpowers aren’t so impossible after all…”

  A thought struck him: 'Could I be ging too?'

  “Ego, is there any ce I might develop superpowers?” he asked.

  “I ’t firm that, Sir. There isn’t enough data. However, I report that you’re in peak physical ditioer than the most elite athletes,” Ego noted.

  Zaarrowed his eyes. It was true. But part of him resisted the idea. If it weren’t for the system, he might be excited about the ges—they would definitely help him survive the apocalypse. But with the teology of the Power armor, his survival was already guaranteed. Besides, this ge was mysterious, and who knew if it came with any side effects?

  “Ego, let’s find this woman,” he decided.

  “Uood, Sir.”

  The vehicle made a sharp turn, sending a few zombies tumbling to the ground, where they were promptly crushed uhe tires. Meanwhile, in the supermarket, the red-haired woman observed a group of men loading supplies. She took a drag from her cigarette, sneering. “Move faster, you sckers! One more dey, and I’ll cut your food rations in half.”

  “Yes, Lady Erza,” they replied nervously, speeding up their work as they loaded bags onto their shoulders, avoiding her sharp gaze. Occasionally, they stole g her, clearly intimidated.

  Catg one of them staring, she shot him a cold gre. He immediately straightened up a loading supplies without a word. A young man responsible for lookout duty rushed over. “E-Erza!”

  “What’s got you so worked up?” she asked, unimpressed.

  The boy gulped, his face turning red. “T-There’s a car ing!”

  She smirked. “Perfect. I was just thinking we could use a vehicle with more room.” She shrugged, as if the car was already hers.

  Soon enough, the approag vehicle came into view. When the group saw it, they froze in shock. The vehicle looked like something straight out of a nightmare. With a spiked front and a blood-stained body, it was littered with traces of zombies—from scraps of clothing to body parts. Even from a distahey could smell the stench of blood.

  Erza’s casual expression shifted. As the vehicle came closer, she slipped her hand into her pocket and gripped a windproof lighter, her eyes narrowing as she prepared herself. With a screech of tires, the vehicle came to a stop just teers away. “You and you,” Erza anded, pointing to two men. “Go check it out.”

  The two meated, unwilling to approach the blood-soaked vehicle. But when they saw Erza pull out her lighter, they hurried forward. The windshield was smeared with dried blood, making it impossible to see irembling, they opehe driver’s side door.