The city was no longer silent.
It was worse.
It was alive.
Grey stepped off the broken overpass slowly, his grip tightening around the blood-stained metal rod. His breathing was steady—but his senses refused to calm.
Every sound felt amplified.
A faint scrape somewhere far ahead.
A distant scream—cut short.
Something moving behind a collapsed car.
"…This isn't just me."
His eyes narrowed.
The world wasn't empty.
It was hunting.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Claimants must establish a Territory Core within 24 hours]
[Failure will result in termination]
Grey froze.
"…Termination?"
A cold weight settled in his chest.
"Of course."
He exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order.
Panic wouldn't help.
Thinking would.
"First… I need a safe zone."
A low growl echoed from the street below.
Not one.
Multiple.
Grey crouched slightly, peering over the edge.
Three Feral Husks.
Moving erratically around an abandoned bus.
Their movements weren't random.
They were searching.
Grey's grip tightened.
"…Three."
His instincts screamed.
Too many.
But something else surfaced beneath the fear—
Clarity.
His eyes tracked their movement patterns.
One moved fast but erratic.
One slower, dragging a leg.
The third stayed near the bus—guarding something.
"…Not mindless."
Grey's breathing slowed.
His mind sharpened.
"If I rush, I die."
He scanned the environment.
Broken railings.
Loose concrete chunks.
A tilted signpost hanging by wires.
A plan formed.
Grey stepped back quietly.
Then—
He kicked a chunk of debris hard toward the far end of the street.
CLATTER—CRASH!
The noise echoed loudly.
The Husks froze.
Then—
Two of them sprinted toward the sound.
"…Good."
One remained.
The largest.
Grey dropped down silently from the overpass.
Landing behind a wrecked vehicle.
The creature twitched.
Its head snapped slightly—
But didn't turn fully.
Grey moved.
Fast.
Silent.
Then—
A misstep.
A small crunch under his shoe.
The creature turned.
Instantly.
Their eyes met.
"…Too late."
It lunged.
Grey surged forward at the same time.
No hesitation.
The metal rod swung—
Low.
CRACK!
The creature's leg buckled.
It collapsed—but didn't fall completely.
Its claw slashed wildly—
Tearing through Grey's sleeve.
A sharp sting.
Blood.
But Grey didn't stop.
He stepped in—
Twisted his body—
And drove the rod straight into its skull.
THUD!
Silence.
Grey stood there, breathing heavily.
Blood dripping from his arm.
"…Still alive."
Then—
The body dissolved again.
But this time—
Two fragments appeared.
Grey blinked.
"…Two?"
[CLAIM OPTIONS AVAILABLE]
[Select one]
The fragments pulsed.
Different.
One glowed faint red.
The other dull gray.
Grey hesitated.
"…So it's not random."
His eyes narrowed.
"…It's choice."
Far behind him—
The other two Husks screamed.
They were coming back.
Fast.
Grey reached forward.
"…Then I choose."
[CHAPTER 2 END]