The descent from the convenience store roof was less of a fall and more of a leisurely stroll through the air. Chen landed softly, his new Gilded Folding Fan snapping open with a sound like a starting pistol. Below, the sea of three hundred Bronze-rank Pales surged toward him, their porcelain skin clattering like dry bones.
"Now, now," Chen murmured, the violet light in his eyes dancing with a mischievous glint. "I just bought this fan. I'd prefer not to get zombie gunk on the silk."
[Skill Activated: 'The Breeze of Indifference']
[Effect: Evasion +10%. Style +100%.]
As the first row of zombies lunged, Chen didn't strike. He danced. He moved in a blurred rhythm that defied the frantic nature of the apocalypse, his body swaying like a willow tree in a gale. The "Martial Awareness" ingrained in his soul turned the chaotic horde into a predictable pattern. Every claw that reached for him found only empty air and the faint scent of sandalwood.
"A bit to the left, dear," Chen whispered, tapping a zombie on the forehead with his closed fan, sending it spiraling into its comrades. "And you—posture! You're slouching even for a corpse."
He was enjoying himself, a lone "Bronze" anomaly treating a death-trap like a ballroom floor. He noticed the Apocalyptic Guide flickering in the corner of his eye, tallying his evasion streaks, but he kept his face a mask of neutral curiosity. He had quickly realized that no one else around him reacted to the glowing screens or the pinging rewards. To them, he was just a boy moving with strange, lucky grace.
A mile away, Officer Kael felt the ripple. His eyes, cold and grey as a winter sea, locked onto the coordinates of the old school.
"There," Kael hissed.
He didn't run; he flickered. Every step covered twenty yards, a Silver-Rank technique that left the pavement cracked in his wake. As he neared the convenience store, he saw the horde—and the boy at the center of it.
Kael's brow furrowed. From his perspective, he only saw a youth who looked hauntingly like a legend he'd only heard stories of, yet the boy's movements seemed clumsy—barely dodging the snapping jaws of the horde by the skin of his teeth.
"Out of the way, Bronze," Kael commanded, his voice booming across the lot.
He raised his hand. The blood of the fallen zombies on the ground shivered, then rose, spinning into hundreds of crystalline, crimson needles.
[Warning: Silver-Rank Skill Detected — 'Blood-Thorn Rain']
Chen saw the system's warning long before Kael finished the gesture. He "accidentally" tripped over a piece of rebar, diving behind a rusted dumpster just as Kael released the needles. They whistled through the air, shredding the front line of the horde into red mist. It was a display of absolute power, the kind of strength that made "pillars" of survival.
Chen scrambled up, clutching his fan to his chest, looking appropriately terrified. "Wow! You... you just turned them into colanders! That was amazing, Mister!"
Kael walked through the mist of blood, his silver coat untouched by a single drop. He stood over Chen, the tip of a blood-needle hovering an inch from the boy's throat.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, his voice a low vibration. "And why were you the only one left in this dead zone?"
Chen's Apocalyptic Guide pulsed: [Mission: 'The Perfect Actor' — Maintain cover. Do not reveal the System.]
"I... I think my name is Chen," he stammered, making his bottom lip tremble slightly—a masterpiece of acting. "I woke up in a prop closet. I thought everyone was just really into method acting until they tried to eat my face. Do you have any snacks? I've only had ten-year-old milk."
Kael stared at him for a long beat, searching for a spark of hidden power. He saw nothing but a lucky, hungry teenager with a fancy fan. The needle dissipated into a splash of red on the pavement.
"Chen," Kael repeated, his gaze softening into a mix of pity and annoyance. "In this world, being lucky only lasts as long as you have someone to hide behind. Stand up. If the Sanguine Lord sent me to find a 'Power Spike' and all I find is a Bronze boy with a fan, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do."
"Sanguine Lord? Sounds like a wine taster," Chen chirped, dusting off his hoodie. He followed Kael, keeping his eyes downcast to hide the violet spark that ignited whenever a new system notification appeared.
[Mission Update: The First Deception — Success!]
[Reward: 200 Coins + Skill Fragment 'Mirror of the Sovereign']
Gary would have hated this guy, Chen thought, watching Kael's brooding back. Too much blood, not enough cleaning supplies. But at least he's heading toward a city. I bet they have better milk there.