Chapter 458: Maybe you should just endure it...

Chapter 458: Maybe you should just endure it…

“What?!”

Everyone in the room looked stunned. Headquarters had picked up a signal from beyond Earth—did that mean… aliens?

The young executive from earlier leaned forward, curiosity written all over his face.

“Richard, that alien signal… what exactly did it say?”

“After decoding, it turns out the alien species is friendly,” Richard replied. “They said they want to help us fight the zombies. And they’ve sent us a piece of advanced tech—something way ahead of anything on Earth. It’s the core technology behind the fifth-generation Cyborgs: the NeuroCore™.”

“Holy shit!” gasped one of the execs, echoing the shock rippling through the room. No wonder this was top-level classified.

The fourth-gen Cyborgs were already at their peak—powerful enough to take down most Zombie Kings. And now they were already working on Gen Five? It was hard to even imagine how powerful that would be.

Richard continued, “The NeuroCore™ in the fifth-gen Cyborgs has computational power a trillion trillion times greater than the fourth-gen. Plus, it’s got advanced autonomous learning capabilities. Once it’s deployed, it’ll be the ultimate killing machine.”

The room fell silent. The implications were staggering. This thing sounded like it was beyond human control.

“Richard… is there a chance these fifth-gen Cyborgs could become a threat to us humans?”

“No idea,” Richard said with a shrug. “But even if they are, it’s still better than getting eaten alive by zombies, right?”

“Yeah, true.”

The execs all nodded in agreement. It made sense. The flicker of hope that had sparked in their hearts now burned even brighter.

Maybe things weren’t as good as they hoped—but they weren’t as bad as they feared either.

If they could really pull off the fifth-gen Cyborgs, and combine them with the ‘Perfect Team’… they’d be unstoppable.ity could still reclaim its place as the dominant force on this planet.

Seeing the renewed fire in his team’s eyes, Richard felt a surge of anticipation.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s start assembling our best fighters. The future of humanity… is in your hands!”

“Yes, sir!” they all responded in unison, the gloom that had hung over them now completely swept away.

But off to the side, Nathan looked around awkwardly, clearly not fitting in with the sudden surge of enthusiasm.

“Uh… so I don’t need to go to HQ for backup, right?”

“You…” Richard paused, clearly exasperated. He was in the middle of rallying the troops, and Nathan had to go and kill the vibe.

“Yeah, don’t bother. You wouldn’t be much help anyway.”

“Cool, works for me,” Nathan said, nodding, clearly relieved.

The Genesis Biotech meeting was just about to wrap up.

But right as everyone was getting ready to leave, Nathan tossed out one last question.

“Hey Richard, what are you planning to do about Sophia?”

The room went quiet again. The other execs turned to Richard, clearly curious about that too.

Richard paused for a moment, then said coldly, “Sophia betrayed the company. We’re not letting her off the hook.”

Ah-choo!

At that exact moment, Sophia sneezed. She rubbed her nose and muttered to herself, “Someone must be talking about me…”

She was back in Blackhand City now, following Slade. A former high-ranking exec now living like a runaway, she looked completely out of place among the thugs and lowlifes.

The place was dark, bloody, violent, and soaked in vice. From the moment she arrived, she could feel the leering eyes of the men around her—hungry, predatory stares that made her skin crawl.

Right now, she was holding a mop, cleaning out a dingy room they were using as a temporary hideout.

“Ugh, this place is disgusting…”

Sophia frowned. Back at Genesis Biotech, she’d never had to lift a finger. Now she was doing grunt work, and doing it badly. She was clumsy, inexperienced—truly a fall from grace.

From riches to rags.

Thankfully, she wasn’t alone. Selene, the girl she’d tricked into coming with her, was still by her side, wiping down the windows nearby.

“Thanks for your help, Selene,” Sophia said with a tired smile.

“Eh… it’s nothing,” Selene replied, shaking her head. Before the apocalypse, she’d worked as a hotel maid, so this kind of work came naturally to her.

You should probably worry more about yourself, she thought silently.

Sophia straightened up and said with quiet determination, “Selene, don’t worry. One day, I’ll rise again. You know I have what it takes.”

“Y-yeah… I guess,” Selene replied hesitantly.

She still hadn’t fully processed how she’d gone from being an Awakener at Genesis Biotech HQ to a member of the Black Hand Legion. Everything felt surreal, like she was stuck in someone else’s nightmare.

Sophia gave her a reassuring look. “Trust me, I’ll make sure we survive this. This mess we’re in? It’s temporary. One day, we’ll have more resources and supplies than we’ll know what to do with.”

Her eyes burned with conviction. She might’ve lost her title, but her talent for spinning a dream was still razor-sharp.

But just then—BANG! The door slammed open with a violent crash.

Slade stood in the doorway, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips as he stepped inside.

Behind him, a bunch of Black Hand Legion thugs crowded around the entrance, craning their necks to watch like it was some kind of show.

“Well, well, Sophia… the big shot from Genesis Biotech. Gotta say, I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Yeah, let’s see how Brother Slade deals with her. This is gonna be good.”

“Think we’ll get a turn after?”

“Where’s my phone? Gotta record the highlights.”

The crowd murmured with sick anticipation, a few of them even pushing into the room, phones already recording.

Sophia’s brows furrowed into a sharp crease. She turned to face Slade, who was now slowly closing the distance between them. The floor she’d just cleaned was already smeared with his muddy boot prints.

“You—what the hell do you think you’re doing? Ever heard of knocking?”

“Knocking?” Slade let out a low, mocking laugh. The Black Hand Legion tattoo on his jaw twitched as he grinned, making him look even more twisted.

“Sweetheart, this is Blackhand City. We don’t do things your way here.”

“Then stay the hell back!” Sophia snapped, backing away like a cornered kitten, her voice trembling.

But her retreat was cut short—her back hit the cold, unforgiving wall. No more room to run.

Slade’s massive frame loomed over her. He grabbed her slender wrist in one swift motion.

The scene was eerily familiar—just like the night they first met.

“I let you off easy that night,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Maybe it’s time I finish what I started. Now that you’ve fallen all the way down to Blackhand City… what’re you gonna do, huh?”

Sophia struggled, but his grip was like a steel vice. She slapped at his chest with her free hand, panic rising in her throat.

“Let me go!”

“The more you fight,” Slade sneered, “the more fun it is for me.”

Sophia’s breathing grew ragged. “Selene! Don’t just stand there—help me!”

“I… I…” Selene froze, paralyzed.

Slade turned his head, locking eyes with her. That same predatory gleam flickered in his gaze.

“What’s the matter? You wanna take her place? Or maybe… join in?”

Selene’s face went pale. She understood exactly what he meant.

She glanced toward the door—still packed with Black Hand Legion goons, all of them watching with sick excitement, like wolves waiting for the kill.

She was an S-rank Awakener, sure—but this was Blackhand City. Their turf. Their rules.

“Sophia… maybe… maybe you should just endure it…”

…