Delhi was quieter today.
Not safer. Just... quieter. The kind of quiet a lion makes while watching you from tall grass.
Arjun stood on the rooftop again, overlooking the battered skyline. The civilians moved below like ghosts—too tired to hope, too alive to quit.
The warehouse had become something. Not a home, not yet. But a pause in the madness. A space between deaths.
He lit a cigarette. The last one.
"Tch," he muttered. "Should've stocked from evidence room when I had the chance."
Then the system pulsed again.
Zone Anchor Detected – Jagatpuri Police Warehouse
Sanctum Conversion Available
Establish as Tier 1 Sanctum?–
Cost: 5 Apocalypse Coins
– Requirements Met:
1. Survivor Group (✓)
2. Fortification Level: Basic (✓)
3. Active Defender Present (✓)
Effect:
– Grants Passive Buffs to all within
– Slows Ravager Lure Rate
– Attracts Traders & Divine Messengers
Warning: May trigger Faction Interest
He tapped the cigarette ash onto the ledge.
"Make this place louder, and people will come.Some to pray. Some to kill."
But before he could choose, Varun climbed up with a makeshift map in hand—marked with red chalk.
"Sir," the teen said, breathless. "We picked up a signal."
Arjun turned.
"What kind of signal?"
"Beacon. Same frequency as the system interface.It's coming from a Gurudwara—far side of Preet Vihar.Not burning. Not broken. Just... humming."
Arjun's jaw tightened.
Another chance.Another step toward the divine.Or a trap.
New Side Objective: "Investigate Beacon of Steel Kirpan Gurudwara"
– Distance: 7.3 km (Urban Zone)– Hostile Activity: Moderate-High– Rumored Sightings: Cloaked Entities, Non-verbal Witnesses– Estimated Reward: Unknown
Time Window: 36 hours before beacon fades
He now had two paths:
Fortify the warehouse into a Sanctum.
Chase the unknown toward divine resonance.
Arjun's Current State –
– Level: 2– EXP: 72 / 200– Apocalypse Coins: 7– Reputation: +5 (Outer Delhi)– Blessing Alignment: Hanuman (Incomplete)– Status Effects: Mild Arm Injury – Healing, Rest Fatigue – Low– Inventory: Police Baton (Cracked), 9mm Sidearm (2 Rounds), Tactical Vest (65% Integrity)– Vehicle: Ashva Mk I (Operational – Damaged 60%)
He stepped back from the rooftop and looked down into the warehouse.
People depended on him now. They had nowhere else to go. And yet—
"I wasn't built to settle," he muttered. "Not yet."
He opened the system menu.
Base Management Interface – Temporary Sanctum Control
Options:
– [ ] Convert Zone to Tier 1 Sanctum (Cost: 5 Coins)– [ ] Leave as Temporary Safehold (No coin cost)– [✓] Assign Civilian Roles (Passive XP Gain Unlocked)– [✓] Broadcast Safehold Message (Increases Random Survivor Attraction Chance)
"Let them decide if they come," Arjun said."But I'm going."
He left Varun in charge.
Gave him a shock baton, some instructions, and the sidearm with two bullets.
"Don't use the second one unless you've got nothing left to save."
The boy didn't nod. He just stood straighter.
Good.
The Jeep rolled out just as the sun dipped into red. The world became a silhouette of spires and smoke.
He passed buildings where prayers had turned to whispers, and temples where echoes clung to bell towers. Nothing alive. Nothing human.
Zone Transition: Outer Ring Road → Preet Vihar Sector Active Hostile Movement: Detected Anomaly Detected: "Cloaked Witnesses" (Non-Hostile – Unknown Nature)
He passed a wall marked in dried blood:
"DON'T PRAY. THEY HEAR YOU."
The Gurudwara loomed in the distance.
Untouched.
Lights still flickered inside.
There were no bodies.
No monsters.
Just... presence.
He stepped out of the Jeep slowly, baton in one hand.
"Let's find out what kind of god you are."
As he approached, his system went haywire.
Divine Proximity Detected – Tier 1
You are standing on Blessed Ground– Passive Fear Immunity Applied– Passive Corruption Delay Activated– XP Gain Boost (x2) within perimeter
Gurudwara Steel Kirpan RegisteredSanctum Type: Warrior's FaithDeity Association: None Yet Manifested
He stepped inside.
The air was heavy with memory. Not sound. Not light. Just the feeling that hundreds had knelt here—and meant it.
Then he saw them.
Five figures. Kneeling. Still. Unmoving.
Cloaked in grey. No faces.No names.
The system pinged.
Divine Envoys – Silent Witnesses
– Status: Non-Aggressive– Role: Offering Receivers– Interaction: Limited
One rises.
Arjun stiffened.
The cloaked figure stepped forward, holding out a blade.
A kirpan, etched with something glowing. Old scripture. Not in any known language.
The system translated anyway:
"Your hands are bloodied, but not for glory.""You carry weight not born of faith, but of duty."
You may now CHOOSE:
Receive First Divine Infusion (Tier 0)– Oath of Hanuman – Passive Buff: "Veins of Fire"— Increases melee impact. Immune to fear effects.— +10% to survival chance under 20% health.
Coin Offering Required: 10Reputation Requirement: 10 (Current: 5)
Arjun stared at the blade.
And whispered:
"Not yet. I'm not ready to carry a god."
He stepped back.
And the Witnesses vanished.
Objective Complete: Investigate the Gurudwara Beacon— +35 EXP— +1 Reputation— Hidden Node Discovered
— EXP Total: 107 / 200— Coin Total: 7— Reputation: 6
He drove back in silence.
The city was quiet again.
But in the silence between sanctums and screams... something waited.