The car door closed behind him, completely isolating the sturdy cabin of the Rezvani from the chaos outside.
A wave of turbid air rushed to meet him, carrying the stench of blood, the acrid smell of gunpowder, and the distinct ozone scent peculiar to the falling data streams.
Screams, the roars of monsters, the crash of collapsing buildings, and sporadic bursts of gunfire converged into a deafening symphony of chaos, relentlessly pounding against his eardrums.
This was the apocalypse.
Real, cruel, and completely devoid of reason.
Aiden Cross stood beside the vehicle, his figure as unmoving as a reef weathering a raging storm.
The ordinary kitchen knife in his hand reflected the cold gleam of the residual light from the falling data streams beneath the dim, eerie sky.
The Slightly Sharp trait of the mantis imbued to the knife made it give off a chilling murderous aura.
But Aiden wasn’t merely holding the knife. He was also testing himself.
After all, this was his first fight since the descent of the apocalypse.
His first opportunity to find out exactly how much the power he had accumulated before the apocalypse.
His fingers tightened slightly around the knife as he activated the Gecko’s Adhesive Dominion.
A faint sensation spread across his palm. The friction between his skin and the knife’s handle increased, causing the weapon to feel almost fused to his grip.
Aiden gave the knife a small tug, yet it didn’t move. ’Pretty useful.’
The sensation was subtle, but unmistakable.
The knife felt more secure in his hand, while the friction beneath his shoes increased until his feet seemed firmly anchored to the asphalt.
Aiden shifted his weight experimentally, his feet barely moved. With that he confirmed something, ’So I can control where the adhesion is applied.’
Aiden’s gaze lowered briefly. ’Adhesive Dominion is pretty cool, I can think of countless ways to use it, just like Spiderman...’
He had already experimented with the trait in controlled circumstances, but this was the first time he intended to use it in actual combat.
A faint sensation spread through the soles of his feet. The friction between his shoes and the ground increased.
Not dramatically. Just enough, enough that when he deliberately shifted his weight, his feet remained planted exactly where he wanted them.
Aiden’s lips curled upward. "Interesting."
A low growl suddenly interrupted his thoughts. A nearby wandering monster had noticed him.
It was a Level 1 Mutated Dog. Its body was over a circle larger than an ordinary wolfhound, its fur a sickly grey, with faint, unstable blue sparks of electricity dancing across it.
Saliva dripped continuously from its exposed fangs, while its turbid eyes contained nothing but pure bloodlust and madness.
With a low growl, it abandoned the shivering office worker hiding behind a nearby trash can.
Its four limbs compressed. Then...
BOOM!
The Mutated Dog launched itself forward. It transformed into a grey blur streaked with crackling blue lightning as it lunged straight at Aiden Cross.
Its speed was astonishing, far beyond that of any ferocious dog in reality. If an ordinary person had been standing here, they probably wouldn’t even have had time to react before their throat was torn open.
But Aiden Cross was no ordinary person.
He had spent years fighting for survival in Eclipse Online, and countless life-and-death battles had honed his instincts to their absolute peak.
Facing the Mutated Dog’s ferocious charge, Aiden Cross’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
His eyes remained calm, cold, and precise.
But this time, there was something else hidden beneath that calmness.
It was curiosity. He wanted to know just how strong he is now....
Smiling, his body sank slightly as the Mutated Dog closed the distance in an instant.
Ten meters...
Five...
Three...
One...
Then the beast opened its jaws. Its claws tore toward his chest.
Aiden’s pupils narrowed. Thermal Perception activated.
The world didn’t change. Not exactly. Instead, another layer appeared over it.
Heat. The Mutated Dog’s body suddenly became a moving silhouette of warmth. Its heart burned brighter than the surrounding flesh. Blood surged through its arteries in branching streams. The muscles in its shoulders contracted a fraction of a second before the claws moved.
Aiden saw the attack before it happened.
’So that’s what it looks like. By tracking it’s heat patterns I can actually predict it’s movement.’ Aiden smiled in satisfaction at the unexpected utility of the Pit Viper’s trait.
His foot shifted as Adhesive Dominion released its hold on his rear foot while strengthening the other.
His body rotated. And by a hair’s breadth, the Mutated Dog’s electrically charged claws grazed the edge of his clothes before slicing harmlessly through empty air.
Aiden could feel the electricity crackling against his sleeve.
He smiled. ’Too slow.’
The Mutated Dog’s body sailed past him. But instead of immediately attacking, Aiden turned and watched.
The beast landed several meters away, claws scraping violently against the asphalt.
It spun around. Its eyes locked onto him.
Aiden raised the knife. "Again."
Perhaps it understood nothing of his words. But it understood the challenge in his posture.
The Mutated Dog snarled, clearly enraged by the fact that its prey continued to evade it.
This time, it lowered its body even further before charging, its claws scraping sparks from the asphalt.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. ’It’s adjusting. Interesting.’
This time, Aiden didn’t dodge immediately. Instead, he waited.
The distance disappeared.
Five meters.
Three.
Two.
Aiden suddenly stepped forward and the Mutated Dog’s expressionless eyes widened as their trajectories intersected.
At the last possible instant, Aiden planted his left foot.
Adhesive Dominion surged through his sole. His foot locked against the ground.
Titan Strength activated. The muscles throughout his body tightened.
For the first time, Aiden deliberately released a portion of the strength granted by the dung beetle’s Soul Trait.
The result surprised even him.
His body moved with explosive force. Rather than retreating from the beast, he stepped directly into its attack.
His shoulder slammed into its chest.
BANG!
The Mutated Dog was knocked sideways.
Aiden’s eyes widened slightly. ’That much force from a shoulder check?’
He hadn’t even used his full strength.
Anyways, the Mutated Dog tumbled across the ground before quickly recovering.
Aiden laughed softly. "Now we’re talking."