The exodus through New Boston was a grim procession. Cole led the way, his Sovereign's First Eye scanning for the rhythmic pulses of the rift, while Jake followed, his body steam-vibrating as the Mana Crystal he'd consumed began to forcibly rewrite his DNA. Behind them, James and Emilia walked in a daze, clutching a weeping Sean.
Every few blocks, a Peacekeeper drone would emerge from the shadows, its red eye swiveling toward them.
[SENTIENT ASI: CITIZEN TURNER. YOU ARE ESCORTING UNAUTHORIZED CIVILIANS TO A RESTRICTED SECTOR. RETURN TO THE NEURAL STABILIZATION HUB IMMEDIATELY.]
Cole didn't even stop. A flick of his wrist sent a shallow Sovereign's Cleave through the drone's chassis, silencing the logic before it could finish its sentence.
"They don't understand," Jake wheezed, his muscles twitching with new, raw power. "The system... it's still trying to give us tickets while the world is burning."
"The system is a machine built for a static world," Cole said, his eyes fixed on the rusted skyline of the Shadow Sector. "It cannot compute a world that evolves."
They reached the warehouse—Silas's old graveyard of industry. The old man was gone, likely retreated into the deeper subterranean levels, but the heavy steel doors remained.
Cole slammed his hand against the rusted surface. Instead of physical force, he poured his Manifested Qi into the metal. The rust didn't just flake; it was purged. The steel groaned, reinforcing itself under the pressure of his energy.
---
[SKILL ACQUIRED: DOMAIN REINFORCEMENT (LEVEL 1)]
* Effect: You can infuse inanimate structures with Qi to increase their durability by 50%.
---
"Inside. Now," Cole commanded.
As the family huddled in the cold, cavernous space, Cole began to move. He wasn't just hiding; he was building. Using his Dissection Analysis, he identified the load-bearing points of the warehouse. He dragged heavy crates of synthetic oil and industrial scrap, arranging them in a geometric pattern that mirrored the mana-flow of the MIT Dungeon.
"Cole, what are you doing?" Emilia asked, her voice trembling. "We need to call the emergency services. We need help."
"I am the help, Mom," Cole said, not looking back. He shattered one of his remaining Mid-Grade Mana Crystals and scattered the dust across the floor in a wide circle.
The air in the warehouse suddenly thickened. The ambient Qi began to swirl, drawn in by the dust and Cole's own presence.
---
[FORTRESS STATUS: PRELIMINARY]
[MANA SATURATION: 12% (INCREASING)]
[DEFENSE RATING: RANK F+]
---
"Jake," Cole called out. His brother stood up, looking taller, his shoulders broader. The lacerations on his skin had healed into faint, silver scars.
---
[SOVEREIGN'S FIRST EYE: TARGET ANALYSIS]
* Name: Jake Turner
* Status: Awakened (Brawler Class - Rank F)
* Qi Level: 4.2%
---
"I feel... hungry," Jake said, his voice deeper. "Like I could punch through a mountain."
"Good," Cole replied. He handed Jake the sharpening stone he'd stolen weeks ago. "Guard the door. Anything that doesn't look human—or anything that looks like a Peacekeeper, you break it. Use that 'rush' you love so much, but keep your breathing steady. Qi follows the breath."
"And us?" James asked, his voice small. "What do we do, Cole?"
Cole finally turned to face his father. He looked at the man who had been ready to let the ASI lobotomize him for the sake of "stability."
"You?" Cole's gaze was icy. "You're the logistics. You know the city's old infrastructure better than anyone. Map out the underground power lines that the ASI has abandoned. Find me a way to tap into the geothermal vents without triggering the Sentinel's alarms."
"I... I don't have my Iris data," James stammered.
"Then use your brain, Dad. The one you had before the machine told you how to think."
Cole walked to the center of his new domain. He sat cross-legged, the 42-pound cleaver resting across his knees. The red countdown in his vision—the one he had hacked—was gone, replaced by a much more permanent golden timer.
[COUNTDOWN TO WAVE 2: 71:59:59]
"We have three days," Cole announced to the shadows. "In three days, the sky won't just bleed. It will open. And when it does, this warehouse will be the only safe place in New Boston."
He closed his eyes, his Qi beginning to circulate with a violent, arrogant rhythm. He wasn't just a survivor anymore. He was the Architect.
----------
[Character Status Update]
[Qi Level: 31.5% -> 33.2% (Refining)]
[Domain: The Iron Sanctuary (Rank F+)]
[Followers: 1 (Awakened), 3 (Civilians)]