Martial Law was lifted due to public pressure and protests as days passed. But just as Theo had expected, the situation outside only grew worse.
AMSO continued its efforts to maintain peace and order by isolating infected areas, sealing them off with reinforced barriers, and designating them as Red Zones. Only AMSO personnel were allowed to enter these zones until they were completely cleared of infectees and could be reclassified as Green Zones.
But despite AMSO's best efforts to contain the chaos, deploying teams to quarantine infected zones and eliminate threats, the world was still far from safe. The infection continued to spread, quietly and persistently, into places the governnt couldn't fully reach.
And that wasn't the only threat...
Another growing concern ca in the form of Rift activities, strange, unstable openings that appeared near teorite impact sites. These weren't ordinary cracks in the ground. They shimred unnaturally, pulsing with unknown energy.
Scientists believed the Rifts were sohow connected to the teorites, but the exact cause or purpose remained unclear.
What was certain, however, was that they were dangerous.
Each Rift had to be reported, monitored, and secured at all tis. AMSO deployed specialized teams to guard them around the clock. Why? Because it was suspected that otherworldly beings, creatures not of this Earth, were slipping through them.
Thankfully, Theo's estate, now known as Twinfront Sanctuary, remained untouched. It had beco an effective haven for those who lived within its walls.
But safety didn't an peace of mind.
While everyone else was fast asleep, Theo stayed wide awake. Quietly, he geared up to head outside. He didn't tell anyone, not even Aries. He didn't want to worry them. This wasn't just a spontaneous decision. He needed to hunt. Not just to test his abilities, but to level up his stats, especially his EXP.
Opening the system interface, Theo browsed through the available Main Quests targeting MB Infectees and teorborns of various types. There were dozens listed, but he filtered them by proximity, narrowing the options down to threats within his area.
[Choose One Available Main Quest:
Silence the Wraith
Hunt the Stalker
Ravage the Ravager
Crush the Wind
Shatter the Howl
Drain the Drencher
Silence the Siren
Unmask the Husk
Scatter the Swarm
...
Theo squinted at the list. "What's with these quest titles?" he muttered, scrolling down.
He switched the filter to sort the quests by danger level. It was smarter to start small. Sure, he was stronger now, his body was fit, and his combat skills had improved through constant training, but his power was still limited.
One quest with a low danger level stood out.
[Main Quest: Cleanse the Dregs
Target: teorborn Dreg (MDreg)
Details: Mindless, slow-moving creatures that resemble standard MB infectees.
Reward: 500 EXP, 50 Gold Coins, Common Shard, Contamination Sample
Warning: A system penalty will be issued if at least one MDreg is not eliminated within twelve hours.]
"Better to start with these common, low-threat teorborns," Theo mumbled as he walked toward his car and opened the door.
Just as he was about to climb in, a voice cut through the silence.
"You're really just gonna leave without telling ?"
Theo froze. Slowly, he turned around to see Aries standing there, frowning at him. Her face was dim and crumpled with emotion, her hands firmly planted on her hips. Beside her was Calix, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. A faint smirk tugged at his lips, but his eyes were sharp and serious.
"Aries, I have to go," Theo said quietly. "Things are getting worse out there. I need to stabilize my powers, and to do that, I need to face the infectees directly. I've already explained how this works. My abilities aren't sothing I can just improve with training alone. I need real experience, real combat to grow stronger."
"I know," Aries said, her voice rising. "But I can't believe you were just planning to sneak out and leave us in the dark! What if sothing happened and we didn't even know where to find you? Don't you think we at least deserve to know where you're going?"
Theo gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was worried you wouldn't let go alone. And honestly, it's dangerous. I don't want to risk dragging any of you into this."
Aries stepped forward. "Coming with you doesn't an I'll go inside and fight infectees. Calix and I can stay in the car. No fighting. No heroics."
She pouted and added, "We'll just be nearby. If sothing goes wrong, we'll be the first to know and we can call for backup. You might be strong, Theo, but you don't have to do this alone."
Theo looked at her in silence for a long mont. He didn't want to admit it, but having soone nearby, soone who cared, might ease the weight on his shoulders, just a little. Still, he couldn't picture Aries out there. Not her.
"Calix is enough," he said firmly. "You stay here and look after the kids and the estate, Aries."
She t his eyes with a steady gaze. "Can you let go out at least once? Just this once? I'll stay inside the car the whole ti. I promise."
Theo sighed. He knew that look, his sister wasn't going to back down.
"Fine," he muttered. "But you stay in the car. If I don't respond within three hours, you leave and call for help."
"Deal," Aries said instantly, a wide smile spreading across her face.
Calix grabbed a few radios and earpieces. "These will keep us connected, aside from our phones."
Theo took one and clipped it on, watching with a furrowed brow as Calix handed another to Aries. Sothing clicked in his head, and he raised an eyebrow. "You two. Why are you together and still awake at this hour?"
Calix cleared his throat a little too quickly and glanced at Aries, who flashed him an awkward smile.
"I... couldn't sleep," Aries said, stamring. "I was going to get so milk and just... accidentally ran into Calix."
She gave Calix a not-so-subtle elbow. "Right, Calix?"
Calix nodded, forcing a laugh. "Yeah, sa. I was about to make coffee. Total coincidence. Then we saw you sneaking out..."
Theo squinted at them, his expression unimpressed. "You two are terrible liars," he muttered. But instead of pressing further, he tossed the car keys to Calix. "You're driving."
They all climbed into Theo's truck. Just as he settled into the passenger seat, a soft chi rang in his head.
[Do you wish to accept Main Quest: Cleanse the Dregs? YES / NO]
Theo selected YES without hesitation, and his tir began.
"Where are we headed?" Calix asked, starting the engine.
"At the Abandoned Housing Sector - Red Zone H3," Theo said.
Aries frowned. "But how are you even going to get in? You're not part of AMSO."
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