The silence wasn't peaceful.
It was unnatural. Pressurized.
Even the pigeons that once flocked Connaught Place were gone. No honks. No hawkers. Just long-abandoned motorcycles rusting beneath crumbling flyovers.
Arjun Rathore — dust-covered, arm bleeding — kept moving.
His breath was steady. Professional. Controlled.
But inside? His gut twisted with unease.
Not fear. Something deeper.
System Notification:
+15 EXP Gained – Ravager Kill x1
Skill: Improvised Combat (Tier I) - Skill Proficiency +3%
Total EXP: 30 / 100 (Level 1 → Level 2)
He blinked. A sudden headache made him grit his teeth.
"I didn't ask for this," he muttered. But it didn't matter.
The world no longer asked permission.
It demanded survival.
Two hours of stealth, improvised melee, and tactical observation later — Arjun spotted a tiny Hanuman Mandir nestled near a ruined roadside dhaba. Amid chaos, the mandir stood untouched, glowing faintly orange.
No Ravager entered.
They circled it like it was a fire they feared.
He felt it too — that protective pressure in the air. Like the scent of incense and steel.
He slid into the broken dhaba next to it.
The smell of dried spices and cement dust greeted him.
His first shelter.
Safe Zone DetectedMandir: Active SanctumSanctum Level: 1
You may now access the Apocalypse Coin Store
Stamina Recovery Activated
Would you like to open Apocalypse Coin Interface?Y/N
He answered with a breathless, "Yes."
[Apocalypse Coin Store – UNLOCKED]
User: Arjun RathoreLevel: 1 (30/100 EXP)Coins Available: 3Divine Favor: LockedKnown Sanctums: 1
[Resources]
- Basic Survival Pack – 1 Coin (Food + Water for 3 days)
- Rechargeable Flashlight – 1 Coin
- Wound-Seal Gel (x2) – 1 Coin
[Gear & Weapons]
- Kevlar Vest – 3 Coins
- Telescopic Baton (Upgradeable) – 2 Coins
- Police Handgun (Unbound) – 5 Coins (Locked: Level 3 Required)
[System Utilities]
- Tactical Map – 2 Coins
- Passive: "Sixth Sense (0.5)" – 5 Coins
- Reputation Tracker – 5 Coins
[Blessings]
Divine Tier 1 Unlock – 15 Coins (Requires Favor + Coin + Reputation)
Leveling Up Rewards (every 100 EXP):- Stat Boost (Choose: Strength, Agility, Awareness, Endurance)- Random Trait (e.g., Iron Will, Reflex Burst)- 1 Passive Skill Point (usable for abilities)- Unlock new gear tiers and systems
Improvised Combat (Tier I) - +3% Proficiency (↑ Damage & Fluidity) - Next Tier at 100%
Weapon Handling (Hidden: Growing) - Grows with every weapon use
Body Endurance (Passive Tier 0.5) - Boosted slightly by pain threshold management
Tactical Instinct (Locked) - Potential unlock on reaching Level 5
He stared at the holographic menu. His instincts — hardened by police raids, violent gang hunts, and years of inner city conflict — told him one thing:
This wasn't a game.It was a system of survival built for a very specific soul.
His.
He used 1 coin for a Survival Pack.A brown satchel materialized, radiating a warmth that didn't burn — almost like a blessing from the gods themselves.
He opened it:
- Rationed Protein Meals
- Purified Water Capsules
- Reusable Tin Cup
- Antibiotic Paste
- Dried Coconut
- Small Hanuman Pendant (Item Tag: [Sanctum Reactive])
"Huh," he muttered, holding the pendant. "Protection... maybe?"
He put it around his neck.
The glow from the mandir intensified by a fraction.
He sat back, staring at the street outside. Dead cars. Bloodless windows. Twisted lampposts.
No corpses.
Only dust and craters that didn't belong to any bomb.
"Thirty EXP," he whispered.
Seventy to go.
He didn't know what this all meant. Not yet.
But he knew what his badge had always stood for.
Order. Protection. Sacrifice.
The world had fallen.
But he was still a cop.
And someone had to hold the line.