Victor led the survivors through the business district.
The office complex stood apart from the surrounding ruins.
A six-story glass building enclosed by steel barricades.
Abandoned cars had been welded together to form a makeshift wall.
Watchtowers had been built from shipping containers.
Armed guards stood on top, scanning the streets with rifles and crossbows.
For the first time since the apocalypse...
It looked organized.
"...They really built this," Noah murmured.
Marcus remained cautious.
"Or they took it from someone else."
Victor only smiled.
"Judge for yourself."
The heavy steel gate creaked open.
As Liam stepped inside, he stopped in surprise.
People.
Hundreds of them.
Children played with handmade toys near the lobby.
Volunteers distributed bottled water and canned food.
Several Healers moved between rows of injured survivors, their hands glowing with soft green light.
The smell of cooked rice drifted through the air.
Someone had even started a small vegetable garden on the rooftop.
For a brief moment...
It almost felt normal.
Emma let out a long breath.
"I never thought I'd see something like this again."
Ben smiled for what felt like the first time in days.
"We made it..."
Liam wished he could believe that.
Victor led them to the lobby.
A large whiteboard hung on the wall.
Written across it in black marker were the settlement's rules.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Settlement Rules
1.No stealing.
2.No attacking other survivors.
3.Every able-bodied person contributes.
4.Food is shared equally.
5.Follow the Leader's decisions.
Rachel read them twice.
"Seems reasonable."
Marcus nodded.
"So far."
A middle-aged woman approached with a clipboard.
"New arrivals?"
Victor nodded.
"Forty-three."
She smiled warmly.
"I'm Hannah."
"We'll register everyone."
"Names."
"Classes."
"Levels."
"So we know how to organize supplies."
The process began immediately.
"Marcus."
"Security."
"Level 5."
"Rachel."
"Spearman."
"Level 5."
One by one, everyone stepped forward.
Then...
"Liam."
Hannah looked up.
"Class?"
Liam hesitated.
"I don't have one."
The room grew quiet.
Victor frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The System rejected him," Emma answered.
Hannah blinked.
"...That's impossible."
"So I've been told."
She stared at Liam for several seconds before writing something on her clipboard.
"Special Case."
Those two words made Liam uncomfortable.
A sudden burst of applause erupted near the center of the lobby.
People quickly gathered around someone entering through the main doors.
Victor smiled.
"Perfect timing."
"Our Leader just returned."
The crowd parted.
A man in his late twenties walked inside wearing polished black armor.
Unlike everyone else...
His equipment looked brand new.
A crimson cape flowed behind him.
At his waist hung a sword whose blade shimmered with blue light.
Above his head floated a status window.
Adrian Cross
Level 15
Class: Sword Saint
The strongest Awakened Liam had seen so far.
Adrian smiled at the crowd.
"You all did well today."
"We rescued another twelve survivors."
Cheers filled the lobby.
People genuinely admired him.
Even Marcus looked impressed.
"A Level Fifteen already..."
Adrian greeted the injured, spoke to children by name, and thanked the guards personally.
Nothing about him felt fake.
He looked...
Like the kind of hero people needed.
Eventually, Victor introduced Marcus' group.
Adrian shook Marcus' hand.
"Welcome."
"Anyone who survives out there deserves a place here."
Then he turned toward Liam.
His smile remained.
But his eyes changed.
Only for a second.
Just enough for Liam to notice.
Curiosity.
Followed by calculation.
"So..."
Adrian said calmly.
"You're the one without a class."
Liam nodded.
"I've heard rumors."
"There aren't many impossible things anymore."
He chuckled lightly.
"I suppose you're one of them."
The surrounding survivors laughed.
The tension eased.
Yet Liam couldn't shake the feeling that Adrian was studying him.
Not judging.
Measuring.
That night...
Everyone finally received a proper meal.
Hot rice.
Canned stew.
Clean drinking water.
The children laughed again.
Some people cried quietly while eating.
Others simply stared at their bowls, grateful to still be alive.
Liam sat alone near a window overlooking the courtyard.
The gray Administrator window appeared.
Rule Detection
Scanning Environment...
Several gray lines spread across the settlement.
Most connected people.
Buildings.
Supply rooms.
Normal things.
Then...
A single crimson thread appeared.
Unlike the others...
It led downward.
Deep beneath the office building.
Straight into the underground parking garage.
Liam frowned.
Crimson.
Not gray.
The thread pulsed slowly.
Like a heartbeat.
Exactly the same as before.
"Can't sleep?"
Emma sat beside him.
Liam pointed toward the ground.
"Do you feel anything strange here?"
She looked around.
"No."
"Why?"
Liam hesitated.
"I think..."
He looked toward the underground levels.
"...there's something beneath us."
Emma followed his gaze.
The concrete floor looked perfectly ordinary.
"Maybe it's just your imagination."
Liam wanted to agree.
He couldn't.
Because at that exact moment...
A faint voice echoed in his mind.
So soft he almost missed it.
...Administrator...
His blood ran cold.
The voice...
Had come from underground.