Prologue: The End Times

The rain continued to fall.

Faron lifted his head and glanced at the sky. In this world, the distinction between day and night had long since lost its meaning. Even during the day, the dense clouds never showed any sign of parting. Whenever anyone looked up, all they could see was an oppressive mass of dark clouds; as for the azure sky, the warm sun, the bright full moon, and the countless stars—they had all faded from memory. The only way now to witness such things was through recordings left from before the “Great Cataclysm.”

But by now, that meant nothing to anyone.

The only way people distinguished day from night was that during the day it was marginally brighter outside, while at night, the darkness was so absolute one couldn’t see their hand before their face. Apart from that, there was no difference between the two.

Last night’s diversion hadn’t been half bad.

Thinking of the young woman now sleeping soundly in his bed, a smile played on Faron’s lips. It had been a most delightful night for him; her reactions were naive, tinged with shyness. From their brief encounter, Faron could tell she wasn’t a woman who lived by selling her body—she might even be someone’s fiancée or lover. But that didn’t matter to Faron. He had enjoyed himself, and that was enough. Whether she would find herself in trouble because of it was not his concern.

Now, it was about time to take care of business.

With that thought, Faron took a green data cube the size of a baseball from his pocket and pressed it lightly. At once, the cube unlocked, and lines of data appeared before him. At the same time, a string of voices sounded in his ear.

“…This is the Scavenger Squad. We’re conducting an investigation in Sector C. We’ve found traces of zombies—there seem to be more than we expected…”

“…This is the Scavenger Squad. We’ve encountered hundreds of zombies—they attacked us, but fortunately, those damn things were no match for us. Still, we’ve lost people… Hank, I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him back. A zombie got hold of him, and… we burned him. It’s not just one horde here. We’ll keep tracking…”

“…This is the Scavenger Squad. We’ve wiped out three zombie hordes. Their numbers are dwindling and shouldn’t threaten the town anymore. But just now, we spotted an Energy Leech. We don’t know if it’s a lone one or a pack, but either way, it’s bad news. I’ve sent someone to investigate, see what we can find…”

“…Damn it, this is the Scavenger Squad. None of the people I sent returned. That confirms my suspicions—we’re in serious trouble! We’ve reached the edge of the Safe Zone. As much as I want to keep going and find those damn Energy Leeches, charging into the Black Hole Zone unprepared is too dangerous. I’m pulling back—the electromagnetic storm is almost here. The town should really strengthen its defen… Hey, what’s that?! Everyone! Get ready for combat!! Damn it…!”

That was the last transmission.

“It seems they’ve indeed run into big trouble.”

Faron smiled as he spoke, glancing at the marked location on the map—the spot where they’d last been. Once he confirmed the target coordinates, he picked up the wide-brimmed hat at his side and placed it on his head, then pushed open the door before him. Instantly, the furious downpour and icy wind swallowed him whole.

All living things have their own way to survive.

Humans always thought they were the masters of Earth, taking everything and destroying everything, convinced they would ultimately bring about the world’s end. But reality proved such thoughts laughable. Earth, through its own actions, would show humanity that no matter how great the destruction, only humans faced annihilation and death. Earth would remain, and even without humans, other species would survive just as before. As in the age of the dinosaurs, no matter how advanced a civilization humans built, in the eyes of the planet itself, there was no essential difference between humans and dinosaurs.

This was especially clear when standing at the edge of the ruins, looking toward the city ahead.

“Those fools really managed to get themselves into quite a troublesome spot…”

Faron’s smile didn’t falter as he gazed at the ruined city in the distance. He looked up at an off-road vehicle crashed into a concrete pillar nearby; there was no blood visible, the rain having washed everything clean. Only a half-severed leg hung limply out the car door, a grim reminder of its owner’s final moments. Of course, even that leg wouldn’t last long—while zombies had no interest in it, for mutant beasts or roaming vagrants, it was a fine meal.

A guttural, bestial roar, barely audible above the rain, echoed through the air. Dark shadows slowly emerged from the downpour—figures clad in tatters, their bodies marred by rotting flesh. From the black pits of their eye sockets shone an eerie, crimson glow, burning with a murderous desire.

As the zombies appeared all around, Faron showed no sign of tension. Instead, he simply stood there, quietly observing the steadily approaching monsters.

When the horde was only a few dozen meters away, a chorus of howls erupted. Suddenly, the shambling creatures exploded into motion, as swift and agile as hunting leopards, lunging at their prey. They extended razor-sharp claws, eager to seize the living man before them, to tear his body to shreds and devour his flesh, so he too might taste their agony.

But in the next instant, their bodies lost all momentum and collapsed.

A gleam of cold light sliced through their fingers, elbows, shoulders, and necks without pause. The zombies’ stiff, armored limbs were, before the small scalpel, as soft as tofu—easily severed, shattered, and torn apart. The gleaming blade slit throats, severed limbs, and pierced skulls. In mere moments, the howls were gone, swallowed by the rain once more. Faron stood unmoving, alone, as the bodies of his attackers lay scattered at his feet—nothing but heaps of flesh.

“Fifteen of them—remnants, it seems…”

As the blood on his scalpel was washed away by the rain, Faron’s fingers twitched, and the shining instrument vanished. He reached up and pulled his hat lower once more.

“Delin, have you found where they went?”

(Yes, Master.)

A gentle, calm voice answered in his mind.

(They abandoned their supplies and vehicles, retreating into the tunnel ahead. It seems they’re not complete fools.)

Faron nodded slightly. Then, with a single leap, he dropped down like a ghost, landing silently. Without so much as a glance at the toppled, rusting shipping containers, he strolled leisurely into the tunnel.

Inside, it wasn’t pitch black; on either wall, dim lights flickered uncertainly. The disaster had changed everything, even the city’s electronic infrastructure. These devices no longer required wires or energy grids—so long as they were within a network energy zone, any electronic device could be used at will.

Once, this was a sign of civilization. Now, it was a warning—an omen of life or death.

The storm was coming.

Faron watched the flickering lights without a word, narrowing his eyes as he studied the tunnel ahead. It was clear there had been a fierce firefight here. Perhaps their plan had been to use the tunnel to escape the storm and eliminate their enemies. The hastily constructed barricades of crates and tires made that clear enough. But for some reason, they had abandoned their defenses and fled deeper into the tunnel…

Faron’s gaze shifted to two nearby corpses. Judging by their clothing, they had been part of the team. Their weapons were still in hand, and terror and despair were etched across their faces. Yet their bodies were unnaturally emaciated—not the result of hunger, but as if everything but skin and bone had been drained away. At the sight, a chill flickered in Faron’s eyes.

“They really are unlucky.”

(It’s an Energy Leech, and more than one. Master, what do you think are their chances of survival?)

“I think…”

Faron suddenly broke off, closing his eyes and listening intently for a moment. Then he opened them again, wearing a serene, elegant smile.

“I think their chances of survival are exactly one hundred percent.”