Relieved to have some extra help for the manual bor, Zack headed ihe Mansion. He went straight to the basement, where he removed his armor with the help of a meical arm. Despite the suit’s air circution system, sweat g to his clothes after the intense bat.

  “I need a shower,” Zack muttered with a smirk, wrinkling his nose slightly before heading upstairs.

  On the main floor, Zack spotted a familiar figure sprawled on the couch—Sarah, still unscious. Annie was nearby, watg her with wide, curious eyes, her childlike fasation apparent. On another sofa, Sophia eyed Zack with an expression that was hard to read as he stepped off the elevator.

  “Why did y her back?” Sophia asked, her tone holding a mix of disbelief and something that might have been jealousy.

  “Huh?” Zack looked genuinely fused. He hadn’t inte Sarah back—he’d po seo the steel pnt. But with everything going on, she’d slipped his mind.

  “Guess it’s fine,” he shrugged, muttering to himself. “We’ve got enough room anyway.”

  Sophia murmured something under her breath, but Zack cut her off. “Sophia, why don’t you head upstairs a some rest?”

  She looked away, a little indignant, but allowed Ao help her to the elevator. As they disappeared, Zack turned his attention back to Sarah, still unscious on the couch.

  “Ego, you know what I’m thinking, right?” Zack asked, a sly grin on his face.

  “I must caution you, sir,” Ego replied dryly, “your idea could earn you three to five years in prison.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Zack retorted. “I’m just worried she’ll wake up and roast me alive.”

  Though Zack’s physical strength had been improving, he knew his real power came from his armor. Sarah, oher hand, was a walking danger—like a tig time bomb. Determio minimize the risk, Zack hurried back to the basement. Wheurned, he was holding a neckce-like device.

  Without waiting for her to wake up, he gently but firmly fastehe device around her neck. It wasn’t just a neckce—it was a failsafe, a remote-trolled bomb Zack could detonate if necessary. Just as the csp clicked into pce, Sarah stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She gnced around, her gaze sharp as it nded on Zack.

  “Where… where am I?” she demanded, her voice rising in arm as she took in her surroundings. Her hand flew to her neck, fingers brushing against the device. Realization dawned, and her expression shifted to incredulous anger.

  “What the hell?!” she snapped, gring at Zack. “Did you seriously put a colr on me? Don’t think for a sed this makes me yours.”

  Zack tried to keep a straight face, but her rea was a bit much. “Rex. It’s just a trag device,” he said, though even he didn’t sound particurly ving. “It’s for identifying friend from foe.”

  The look she gave him made it clear she didn’t buy it. With a sigh, Zack dropped the act. “Fi’s a remote-trolled bomb. If you step out of li’ll go off.”

  For a moment, she just stared at him, stuhen her expression shifted, her eyes narrowing with something almost pyful. “Oh, I see. So, if I don’t behave, boht?”

  Her gaze lingered on him, and Zack couldn’t tell if she was amused or plotting revenge. “You say you’re not a pervert, but here you are, putting something like this on me,” she added, her toeasing. Then, almost shyly, she mumbled, “It’s not like I’d be that hard to get…” Her face turned faintly red as the words trailed off.

  Zack was at a loss for words, mentally grumbling to his AI panion. "Ego, I’m starting to think her brain’s not w right. Her way of thinking is just… strange."

  Finally, he shrugged and decided to py along. “Think whatever you want,” he sighed. “But listen—don’t mess with it. If you try to take it off, it’ll blow up immediately. So, just behave, okay?”

  Sarah huffed, curling up on the sofa with a muttered pint. “Everyos like they know him, but they don’t know a thing.”

  Zack ignored her, grabbing some clothes and heading toward the bathroom. Meanwhile, oskirts of what was onew York City, now a sm wastend, a helicopter desded. Its spinning bdes kicked up thick bck dust, briefly exposing scorched bones scattered across the ground.

  As soon as the helicopter nded, a hulking man, t over three meters, stepped out impatiently. His heavy boots ched against the charred remains, making a siing sound. “Finally, some fresh air! Lane, couldn’t we have used a bigger aircraft?” he grumbled in his deep voice.

  “Maybe you should sider losing some weight, Willis,” retorted Lillian, stepping off the chopper with a sharp, icy tone.

  Behind them, a silent figure dressed in sleek, futuristibat gear emerged. The figure’s neon highlights glowed faintly, their mask obsg any expression. Willis sed the desote surroundings, taking in the barren, scorched earth and faintly glowing patches of irradiated soil.

  “How the hell are we supposed to find anything here?” he muttered, sounding frustrated. The nd stretched endlessly, devoid of life—no trees, no pnts, nothing. He shifted unfortably. “And we don’t even have radiation suits.”

  The masked figure finally broke their sileheir voice cold and even. “The mission is over. We should leave.”

  Willis nodded iant agreement, brushing at the fine yer of radioactive dust colleg on his gear. “Yeah, Lane, I think it’s time to call it. There’s nothi.”

  Just then, the soldier piloting the helicged over and handed a bunicator to Lillian. “It’s Bd,” he said briskly before retreating back to his post.

  Lillian’s face darkened as she accepted the device. “What is it, Bd?” she snapped.

  Even Willis’s attitude shifted at the mention of the hough Lillian’s tone carried only thinly veiled disdain. A cold, syic voice crackled through the unicator. “Return to base. The mission is over.”

  “I keep searg,” Lillian insisted, her voice firm. “I might still find the leader’s body.”

  “You’re not searg for the leader,” Bd cut her off sharply. “And don’t fet—your daughter is gone.”

  Lillian’s stoic expression faltered for a fra of a sed. “But… I ’t shake the feeling she’s still alive. Just let me searore time.”

  “You saw her body, Lillian. The D firmed it,” Bd’s voice remained unyielding, each word hitting like a hammer.

  For a moment, Lillian seemed to age years. Her shoulders sagged, aeely demeanor softened. “What’s the objective?” she asked quietly, her gaze drifting back toward the wastend as if ging to a shred of hope.

  “Head to Texas. There’s a biological sample waiting for retrieval,” Bd ordered.

  “And New York?” she pressed, her voice barely hiding her desperation. “Who’s handling the man who killed the leader?”

  “That’s not your . Others will deal with him,” Bd replied, his tone id final.

  With no further argument, Lillian lowered the unicator and turned back toward the helicopter. Willis and the neon warrior exged brief gnces but said nothing as they climbed aboard. The helicopter rose into the ash-filled skies, leaving behind the ruins of the once-great city.