Night settled over the western district again.
But this time, the atmosphere felt different.
More controlled.
More prepared.
Zhao Ren stood on the rooftop overlooking the northern perimeter.
He had not announced the evolution of Grave Sovereign.
There was no need.
Power did not require display.
It required application.
Below, a patrol unit was rotating positions when Threat Detection pulsed sharply.
Multiple presences approaching from the side street.
Six signatures.
Level 2–3 range.
Chen Wei's voice carried quietly from below.
"North barricade. Reinforce."
Zhao Ren did not descend immediately.
He observed.
The variants moved in loose formation.
Not organized like the Field Commander wave.
But coordinated enough to pressure defenses.
The barricade held.
Survivors maintained formation.
One variant fell.
Another.
Then a third.
Zhao Ren remained still.
Watching.
The moment the third creature collapsed
He felt it.
A faint pull.
Like a current in the air.
Residual Extraction activated automatically.
Without touching the bodies
A system prompt appeared.
Subtle.
Smaller gains than direct absorption.
But efficient.
He hadn't moved.
Hadn't risked exposure.
Yet growth occurred.
This changed battlefield dynamics significantly.
He descended calmly now.
By the time he reached the barricade, two more variants had fallen.
Residual Extraction triggered again.
Chen Wei noticed the change in Zhao Ren's posture.
"You didn't engage," Chen Wei said quietly.
"I didn't need to."
The remaining variant retreated down the street.
The patrol did not pursue.
Controlled defense.
No reckless chasing.
Zhao Ren looked at the fallen bodies.
Direct absorption would provide higher gain.
He placed his hand on one.
Residual Extraction did not replace contact.
It supplemented it.
Efficiency layered over dominance.
Good design.
He turned toward Chen Wei.
"Rotate perimeter more frequently."
"Why?" Chen Wei asked.
"More patrol exposure means more controlled engagements."
Chen Wei understood immediately.
Steady conflict.
Measured.
Frequent.
That meant consistent absorption without overextension.
Far beyond visible range, across the dark water
A brief system pulse echoed again.
Han Qian was still advancing.
Competitive pacing maintained.
Zhao Ren closed his panel.
Thirty-five hours remained.
The city was no longer collapsing.
It was dividing into structured hunting grounds.
West: stability and controlled growth.
East: adaptive scaling.
Independent operators: silent movement.
And above all
The system was compressing timelines.
Residual Extraction meant Zhao Ren no longer needed every kill personally.
But to evolve fully
He still needed unique variety.
And Phase 2 would force exposure soon.
He looked toward the bridge.
The line between territories was still intact.
For now.