[ Day 1 - The Road to the Capital ]
The heavy tires of the Armored Rover crushed gravel and asphalt as it sped away from the Satellite Mountain, heading down toward the basin where the ruins of Eden Capital lay.
Throughout the day, Murphy drove through several small, abandoned towns along the route. The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed compared to the tension of Gaiman's territory. occasionally, they would stop to "knock the rust off" some old security droids that were still stumbling around.
BANG!
Murphy's shotgun roared, blasting the head off a charging droid. It crumpled to the ground, sparks flying.
"Pathetic... Compared to Gaiman, these things are just walking tin cans."
"Don't get cocky, Murphy. Save the ammo," Philip grumbled, walking behind him to scavenge batteries and chips from the wreckage. "But I guess it's good practice. I can use these parts for repairs."
[ Afternoon - The Abandoned Outfitter ]
They stopped at an old commercial district to scavenge for supplies. Murphy wandered into a building with a rusted steel sign that read "The Iron Edge." It looked like a high-end survival and tactical gear shop from the old world.
The interior was coated in thick dust, but the reinforced shutters had kept looters out for sixty years. Murphy browsed the shelves, checking out combat knives and hatchets, until his eyes landed on a reinforced glass display case at the very back.
Resting on a faded red velvet stand was a sword.
It was a "Tactical Ninjato"—a straight-bladed sword designed for modern combat.
The blade was matte black, forged from a special high-carbon alloy that refused to rust. The hilt was wrapped in high-grip leather, and the scabbard was made of a durable, heat-resistant polymer. It was simple, unadorned, and radiated a lethal aura.
"Hello, beautiful..." Murphy whistled. SMASH!
He shattered the glass and picked it up. It was lighter than he expected, but the balance was perfect in his hand.
Whoosh!
He tested it, slicing through the air. The blade sang a sharp, high-pitched note.
"It fits..."
Murphy decided to strap it to his back. His thoughts turned inward:
'The stabilizer Philip built for my arm is fried... If I throw punches with raw Kinetic Energy now, the recoil will shatter my bones. I need this sword to fight at close range without wrecking my own body.'
[ The First Night - Outskirts of the Capital ]
The sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness. Murphy parked the Rover inside the ruins of an old commercial building to set up camp. A small fire crackled, warming a pot of canned soup.
Philip sat cross-legged on the Rover's tailgate, tinkering with a spherical object made from drone scrap and components from The Core.
"Done!" Philip grinned, pressing a button on the device.
Whirrr...
The sphere hummed softly and levitated, hovering steadily beside his shoulder. A blue light emitted from its central camera lens.
"This is the 'Seeker Orb,' bro," Philip explained proudly. "I used anti-gravity code from The Core. It flies silently, can scan through walls within a 20-meter radius, and identify hostiles... We won't be easily ambushed anymore."
"That's pretty badass, little brother," Murphy smiled, tossing a log into the fire. "You're getting better every day."
Philip smiled shyly at the praise before packing the orb away and crawling into the Rover to sleep. "Get some rest, Murphy. We enter the city limits tomorrow."
"Yeah... I'm gonna watch the stars for a bit."
Murphy sat alone against a brick wall, surrounded by the silence of the night. He removed his glove, staring at his right hand. Faint scars from the battle with Gaiman were still visible.
He clenched his fist tight... trying to stimulate the "Kinetic Energy" within his body.
Usually, Philip's stabilizer absorbed the shockwave. Without it, using his power was like setting off a grenade in his own hand.
'When I fought Gaiman... I pushed so hard my arm nearly melted,' Murphy thought. 'But I remember... years ago... there were moments. Brief flashes where I punched, and it didn't hurt. The energy didn't explode; it flowed through me like water.'
It had happened only once or twice—a fluke. Like the time he saved Philip from that collapsing building. He remembered pushing a massive slab of concrete away, and his arm had felt weightless.
"How do I trigger that 'flow' again?" Murphy murmured. He tried to focus, channeling a tiny amount of force to his fingertips.
The air around his hand rippled, distorting like heat haze.
SNAP!
A sharp pain shot through his joints—the recoil. He quickly relaxed his hand, wincing.
"Still can't do it... I can't control the backlash yet," Murphy sighed. "I'll have to rely on this ninja blade until I figure it out."
He placed the Tactical Ninjato beside him and leaned back against the tire, gazing up at the glittering stars. His mind drifted, pondering the mystery of his own body, until sleep finally took him.