Part I: Lin Kai's Stand: The Unstoppable Tide
The atmosphere over the fortified apartment block was a suffocating mantle of gloom. The clouds remained heavy and dense, a charcoal ceiling over the ruined city, but the rain had mercifully decreased.
It was no longer a blinding sheet, but a miserable, persistent drizzle that turned the street into a treacherous expanse of wet concrete and reflective shadows. This slight concession from the elements provided a narrow window—enough visibility for battle, but not enough hope for flight.
Lin Kai stood at the head of his small, assembled group. He barely spared a glance at Huo, still whimpering and convulsing behind the pillar, his skin slowly darkening into the cursed, charcoal hue of the undead.
Huo was a distraction, a mistake of the past, and Lin Kai's tactical mind had no room for distractions. His purple eyes, now blazing with controlled, focused Aether, were fixed on the terrifying energy signature rushing toward them.
He channeled the Aether through his perception, pushing his sensory range further than he ever had before. His internal map of the oncoming threat materialized, and the cold, inhuman scale of the enemy chilled even his always-calm mind to numbness.
It was an ambush, a coordinated assault driven by some unknown, singular malice. They weren't just facing the local patrol.
The scale is unacceptable, Lin Kai thought, his chest tightening. This is not a hunting party. This is a damn city purging itself.
He counted the behemoths leading the charge: four towering Zero Order (Peak) corrupted, Nine Zero Order (High) corrupted, and trailing them was a chaotic, surging mass of dozens upon dozens of Low and Mid Rank creatures—the remnants of the entire block, all mobilized by the Higher Rank's psychic call.
There was no time for deliberation. The horde was moving with a terrifying, singular velocity. Fleeing was not only impossible—they would be overtaken within minutes—but unthinkable.
If they ran, this entire, mobilized force would march toward the nearby residential areas and, eventually, the school where the other survivors taking refugee will be perished. He would never forgive himself for drawing this disaster only to abandon the city to it.
Fight. That is the only action left.
Lin Kai could sense the corrosive fear radiating from his own group. The powerful, crushing Aether auras of the higher-rank corrupted were like a physical weight, pressing down on Rong, with other Mid Rank and the Low Rank members. He had to act now, before morale completely broke.
He took a deep breath, the cold, wet air stinging his lungs, and roared his command, his voice echoing with the absolute authority of a man staking his life on the word:
"LISTEN UP! I will handle those Higher Rank corrupted beings—the Peaks and the Highs! You, the core group, must focus only on the Mid and Low Ranks. Trust your training, trust your weapons, and trust your comrade's back!"
He continued, his tone a mix of desperation and fierce pride. "I know this is a tough situation! This looks like a losing battle, but the only thing we can do now is fight! If we win, it will be a glory to remember and a legend we carry forward. If we lose, we perish here, saving countless lives by holding the line!"
His eyes swept over all the members of his group who had evolved alongside him. "Rong, and other Mid Ranks! Try to kill as much as you can! The Low Ranks, protect them and focus on support and cleanup! Trust each other!"
With the final word, Lin Kai barked, "CHARGE! LET'S GO!"
He didn't wait for a response. He launched himself off the ground with a controlled explosion of Aether, moving with such phenomenal velocity that to the others, it was as if he had simply teleported twenty meters forward. He was an arrow aimed at the heart of the threat.
The corrupted were now closing the distance, their snarls and lumbering footsteps filling the street. Lin Kai moved so fast he arrived before the main group could even process his presence. From the stealth concealment of his waist holsters, he whipped out his twin blades.
He didn't hesitate. Targeting the two closest Peak Rank behemoths, he crossed the blades in a devastating, energized strike. The blades produced a fierce, shimmering cross-shaped energy wave that crashed into the corrupted's chests with the force of an armored vehicle.
The two Peak Ranks staggered backward, their dense bodies momentarily fractured, but the blow was not fatal. They began to regain their footing, their single eyes locking onto the slight human who dared to strike them. The other High Rank corrupted, sensing the intruder, broke formation and charged Lin Kai, their focus singular and deadly.
Lin Kai didn't spare a glance at the surrounding action. His focus was absolute: eliminate the Peaks first. They were the greatest threat to his own life and the most powerful commanders of the horde. He dodged a wild, armored swing from one Peak Rank, the force of the missed blow cracking the concrete wall behind him.
He spun low, driving one blade deep into the creature's midsection, and as it roared, he used the creature as a springboard, leaping onto the other Peak's armored shoulder. With a precise, downward stroke fueled purely by his formidable body strength and iron will, he severed its spine.
He pulled his blade free, the creature collapsing, and immediately wheeled around to face the first one, which was still recovering. He dodged, weaved, and slashed, using the momentum of his body and minimal Aether to keep his speed inhumanly high.
It was a dance of death, a brutal choreography of cuts and evasions, and after what felt like an eternity, the second Zero Order (Peak) finally fell.
Lin Kai stood over the two dissolving corpses, his chest heaving, his body slick with rain and sweat.
He was already breathing heavily, his muscles screaming from the exertion. He knew he needed to conserve his precious Aether for his Blade technique—his ultimate power—saving it only for a life-or-death scenario when simple strength would fail.
He pushed the pain aside, focused on the remaining Higher Ranks charging him, and leaped forward, becoming a blur of motion once more. The battle had just begun.
Part II: Lin Mei's Descent: The Sin of Weakness
Meanwhile, miles away in the silent, cavernous shell of the Lin Franchise corporate tower, Lin Mei was pursuing her own brutal agenda.
After an hour of rest, her Aether had recovered to a healthy halfway point, giving her the strength and clear-headedness she needed. She was determined to clear the lower floors, meticulously descending the stairs, the only functional path in the skyscraper.
On the 25th floor, she encountered her quarry: a small group of Low and Mid Rank corrupted. Her heart, which had steeled itself over weeks of survival, still gave a painful, hollow thud as she recognized the faded, decaying uniforms of her former employees.
Helplessness. She remembered their faces, their daily complaints about deadlines, their laughter in the break room. Now, they were just objects—mindless, violent husks.
She moved with an almost surgical silence, a grim reaper in a damp corporate ruin. With a silent, cold precision born of necessity and growing experience, she dispatched them one by one.
The corrupted fought back with primitive ferocity, but Lin Mei was faster, smarter, and driven by a terrifying resolve.
She deliberately focused on channeling her Aether to her fists and legs, not for a named technique, but for simple, raw augmentation—better fight, better movement, harder strikes.
It was slow, meticulous work, but she was slowly, intuitively understanding how to use the Aether herself, a sign of deep, foundational growth.
After an hour of brutal massacre, the final corrupted dissolved. The primal decree voice, the cold, ancient whisper of power, echoed in her mind:
Zero Order (High) attained. Souls Reclaimed: 16.
Lin Mei sighed, the number feeling like a physical weight. Sixteen lives taken, even if they were now corrupted husks. She looked at the scattering of charcoal dust, feeling a profound exhaustion, but also a renewed sense of energy coursing through her body. She was refreshed by the evolution, her minor exhaustion erased.
She then checked her mental interference to check her condition,
Vitality: 330/350
Aether: 400/500
Order: Zero Order (High)
Rune: Locked
She was satisfied on seeing this and thought, I need to keep going. This was less a choice and more a command. She continued her descent, floor by floor, a one-woman cleansing crew.
When she reached the Tenth Floor, a distinct, chilling sound pierced the sterile silence: a high-pitched, desperate cry of whimpering.
Lin Mei froze, her entire body snapping to a state of heightened, animal alertness. She moved silently toward the source of the noise. The closer she got, the clearer the sound became—multiple voices, all female, interspersed with loud, crude cheering and celebrating from several men.
She reached a partially opened door and saw enough to immediately guess the horrific tableau inside. The distinct sound of begging and helplessness of women, juxtaposed with the loud, lustful voices of the men, confirmed her deepest, most sickening suspicion.
Disgust. A primal, visceral rage boiled in her gut, overwhelming the icy calm she had cultivated. Her first instinct was to charge, to shatter the door and unleash a storm of violence, but the memory of her previous reckless charge stopped in her tracks.
No. Recklessness is death. Calm. Decisive. You can't fail them.
She analyzed the situation from her hidden vantage point. The scene was sickening: men in various stages of undress, basking in their depraved pleasure, forcing themselves upon others. Her former colleagues, turned from humans into predators.
She took a grim inventory: 12 men in the room, a few had reached Zero Order (Mid), but most terrifyingly, their leader was a large man who had achieved Zero Order (High). The victims—15 women—were visibly weak, mostly Zero Order (Low), traumatized and helpless.
Lin Mei's mind clicked into a cold, transactional logic. Weakness is a sin in this calamity. They were targeted because they were too weak to defend themselves. She fought down the wave of anger and focused on the path to victory.
I will first kill the High Rank one. With its death, the others will be terrified and disorganized. Then I can proceed with the massacre.
She checked her gear: the heavy long rod, perfectly weighted for her hands, and the two pistols concealed in her pockets. Her plan solidified: use the long rod for a high-speed takedown on the High Rank, then use the guns for rapid elimination of the Mid Ranks.
But if they try to take a hostage… She shook her head violently, erasing the paralyzing thought. Do I need to give them a chance if I explained this, she is thinking whether it's okay to kill them.
The men's voices drifted out, their conversation turning vile. They were discussing about her—Lin Mei—the former CEO, speculating about her beauty and their lustful desire to enjoy her now that the apocalypse had supposedly leveled all hierarchies. "Imagine, the boss lady… she won't be so high and mighty now, will she?" one sneered.
No, no. Don't hesitate. You can do it. Just need to kill these scumbags. They are beyond redemption; they cannot be trusted to live. The last flicker of doubt vanished. This was not about resources or survival; this was about justice and the complete eradication of a sickness more corrosive than the corrupted Aether. She would not—could not—stand by.
After a few minutes of meticulous strategizing, confirming the best angle of attack, she got her chance.
With a deafening BANG!, she delivered a forceful kick to the door, shattering the frame and sending the door flying inward.
The room erupted in confusion. Lin Mei, fueled by Aether-enhanced speed and pure, righteous rage, moved like a missile. She charged directly toward her target—the arrogant, grinning man with the Zero Order (High) aura. Before he could even turn fully, before his mind could register the intruder was a woman, the long rod smashed down with the full, devastating force of her rage and her new rank.
The man's skull crumpled instantly beneath the blow. He died immediately, his consciousness extinguished in a violent, final spray of crimson that coated the walls.
All activity in the room stopped. The remaining men, still recovering from their shock and interrupted pleasure, turned to face the intruder. They saw the face of their former CEO—Lin Mei—her beauty replaced by a ferocious, terrifying expression, her eyes burning with cold, murderous intent. A bad premonition, a chilling certainty of their impending doom, rose within them.
Lin Mei didn't wait for the terror to set in. She leaped over the crumpled body of the High Rank man and charged again, the long rod raised for the next execution. The massacre had begun.
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Author's Note:
Ah, my dear readers, how is it? This had actually taken some time and I hope this can meet ur expectations also and wait for upcoming future chapters. Hope u stay well and good.
Higher ranks - High or peak of Zero Order, Lower ranks - Low or Mid of Zero Order (It can be any order also). Hope u undertand this!!