The Director's private room was behind the movie screen.
It was decorated like a king's bedroom. velvet curtains, gold statues, and a massive bed covered in silk sheets.
"Tacky," Aria sneered.
She sat on the edge of the bed. Her shoulder was burning. The Director's wire had cut deep, slicing through muscle. Blood was soaking her white shirt underneath the ruined jacket.
Onyx jumped onto the bed, sniffing her wound with concern.
"I'm fine," Aria gritted her teeth.
She opened the Skill Book she picked up earlier.
[Skill Book: Puppet Mastery (Grade B)]
[Do you wish to learn?]
"Learn."
Knowledge flooded her brain. She understood how to create mana threads, how to attach them to joints, and how to manipulate nervous systems.
Most users would use this to build an army of zombie slaves.
Aria had a different idea.
She raised her hand. A thin, invisible thread extended from her fingertip.
It wasn't made of cotton. It was made of pure mana. Sterile. Strong.
She poured a bottle of vodka (found on the Director's table) onto her open wound.
Hiss.
The pain was blinding. Her vision whitened for a second. She didn't scream. She just exhaled sharply.
"Onyx, hold the skin together."
The cat obeyed, pressing his paws gently on either side of the cut.
Aria manipulated the mana thread.
Stitch.
The thread pierced her own skin. It looped around, pulled tight, and pierced again.
She was sewing herself up.
No anesthesia. No doctor. Just a girl and her magic thread.
Stitch. Stitch. Knot.
Two minutes later, the wound was closed. The bleeding stopped.
[Ding!]
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Puppet Mastery (Level 1)]
[You have discovered a sub-skill: Suture (Medical).]
Aria wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was pale, but her eyes were alive.
"Better than a hospital," she muttered.
She stood up and walked to the corner of the room. A large steel safe sat there.
She didn't have the combination.
She didn't need it.
She placed her hand on the lock. [Talent: Dimensional Storage].
She visualized the space inside the locking mechanism.
"Store."
Click.
The tumblers inside the lock vanished into her inventory. The door swung open.
Aria peered inside.
[Loot List:]
1. Gold Bars x10 (Heavy, useless now, but shiny.)
2. Potion of Stamina x2 (Green liquid.)
3. Military Encrypted Radio (Rare Item).
Aria ignored the gold. She grabbed the potions and downed one immediately. The color returned to her face.
Then, she picked up the radio.
It was a heavy, black tactical radio. The light was blinking red.
Static...
"...This is Alpha Team... crash site... Sector 7..."
Static...
"...Target secure... The 'Package' is still inside... We are surrounded... Requesting backup..."
Aria's eyes narrowed.
Sector 7. That was the park just two blocks away.
And "The Package"?
In her past life, rumors circulated that the military was transporting a "Patient Zero" or a "Cure Prototype" when the city fell. Whoever controlled that package controlled the future of humanity.
Or at least, they had the best leverage.
"Onyx," Aria said, clipping the radio to her belt. "Change of plans."
She picked up the Director's Cane. It was a silver-handled walking stick that concealed a blade. A gentleman's weapon.
She swung it. Swish.
It suited her better than the kitchen cleaver. Elegant. Deadly.
"We are going to a crash site."
Onyx tilted his head. "Meow?" (Is there fish?)
"No fish," Aria smiled, checking her new stitches. "But maybe some guns."
She walked out of the room, stepping over the Director's headless body without a second glance.
The mall was cleared. The boss was dead.
She had leveled up, healed up, and geared up.
Now, she was ready to face the real powers of this world.