Chapter Four: The Storm

The commotion subsided quickly.

The man's corpse was swiftly dragged away by the arriving guards, and after savoring his juice, Ferren turned and departed. No one would trouble him; this was a world of order, and strength was always its guarantee. A being capable of effortlessly killing a fourth-level authority wielder possessed, by nature, the right to set the rules.

By the time Ferren returned to his room, midnight had already fallen. With the electromagnetic storm imminent, more and more people sought refuge in the Ninth District, and vacant guest rooms became increasingly scarce. Yet Ferren had no need to worry—he owned a "permanent suite" in this inn, a reward granted after he completed a commission in the Ninth District. He understood perfectly well what such an arrangement meant, but did not refuse it. After all, finding a warm, comfortable place in these lands was no easy matter.

Upon returning to his room, the black cat let out a satisfied purr, then bounded onto the soft, clean bed and closed its eyes. Ferren sat on the nearby sofa, setting the black case he’d carried onto the coffee table. He pressed the hidden lock, and with a soft click, the lid sprang open.

Under the light, nearly a hundred dark green chips, each about the size of a bottle cap, rested inside. They were neatly arrayed in the case’s compartments, and upon closer inspection, one could see a faint glow emanating from each chip.

If these chips were displayed openly, they would undoubtedly spark a frenzied scramble. In the wastelands, the value of these energy chips was nearly equivalent to pre-disaster gold. More crucially, they served not only as currency but also as a means to enhance the powers of authority holders, elevate their ability levels, and increase the authority grade of network coverage zones. Naturally, the higher the zone's grade, the more energy chips were required. For instance, the Ninth District would need nearly ten thousand chips to ascend another level. Yet even so, if Ferren were to hand over the chips in his possession, he could instantly join the ruling class of the Ninth District.

Conversely, acquiring these chips was exceedingly difficult. Energy chips only crystallized on entities possessing formidable power, making their procurement both perilous and labor-intensive. The wasteland was rife with hunters dedicated to tracking and collecting energy chips, though most never returned alive. The few fortunate enough to survive became prime targets for recruitment by various organizations and factions. Even if all these hunters combined their efforts for a year, they would likely fail to amass so many chips.

How many mutant creatures, zombie mothers, and energy-leeching monster leaders must be slain to gather such a trove of chips? The answer is beyond even the wildest imagination.

Yet, these items—enough to drive the outside world mad—were, in Ferren’s eyes, little more than refuse.

Seated on the sofa, Ferren narrowed his eyes, and soon, a line of information floated before him.

[ID: Ferren]
[Attribute: Universal]
[Authority Level: LV3]
[Inherent Ability: Swift Shadow (LV2)]
[Inherent Ability: Cutting (LV3)]

In the era of networked energy, everyone could check their own attribute panel in this manner—though only those awakened to authority could do so. If the captain of the settlement's guard were to see this, he’d be so astonished his jaw might drop.

For it clearly displayed Ferren’s authority level: three.

Any awakened authority holder would be dumbfounded by Ferren’s attributes. By rights, a human’s network authority level should equal the sum of their awakened ability grades. Judging by Ferren’s displayed levels, his network authority should be five.

But Ferren’s authority was only three.

Staring at the status bar, Ferren was silent for a moment, then raised his right hand toward the case. With a gesture, the dark green crystalline chips began to shatter, turning to powder. Drawn by an invisible force, the dust streamed toward Ferren’s right hand. The green particles hovered around his arm, then quietly merged into him.

His right hand began to tremble. Only then did his usual mask-like smile disappear, replaced by a grave expression. Ferren lowered his gaze to his arm. With the system’s aid, he could see a curled, shell-like creature—almost insectoid—absorbing the luminous dust. When the last mote vanished, it shuddered and grew slightly larger. Soon after, Ferren saw, just below the insect, a progress bar inching forward like a snail.

A surge of pain erupted through his arm, nearly engulfing his whole body, but it lasted only an instant. Then, a powerful force flooded through him, dispelling the agony. Were it not for the lingering fiery sensation, Ferren might have thought himself dreaming.

He shook his head lightly and refocused on his right hand. Within the system’s frame, the previously curled, insect-like entity unfurled, exposing a pair of small, bat-like wings on its back. Its information bar had changed as well.

[Swift Shadow: LV3 (Host speed enhancement x3, brief flight possible)]

(Master? Are you all right?)

A small, worried voice sounded in Ferren’s ear. He looked up to find the black cat’s bright, emerald eyes fixed upon him, watching in silence. Ferren smiled gently and shook his head.

“I’m fine. The upgrade didn’t harm my body. But... the progress is painfully slow.”

He had consumed over a hundred high-grade chips, an amount that would take hunters nearly a year to gather. Their monetary value, even by pre-disaster international standards, would run into billions. Yet, after all were spent, the ability progress bar had advanced only by a single percent.

It was more exploitative than a pay-to-win mobile game.

“What a nuisance. It seems we’ll have to change our target…”

Any other "authority hound" with so much "dog food" could’ve reached fifth-level authority at the very least. But Ferren was different. Since awakening, every upgrade required several times more chips than anyone else. Still, there were benefits—Ferren’s abilities, both in power and effect, far surpassed those of equal or even higher authority levels. In fact, disregarding levels and considering only strength, Ferren could now challenge a sixth-level authority holder.

But for Ferren, even this was not enough.

“Perhaps it’s time to consider the next phase…”

He spoke as he approached the window, gazing into the night. On the distant horizon, thunder roared, lightning rent the darkness, clouds swirled and rolled, seeming to stretch from sky to earth. All he saw was a whirling cyclone linking heaven and land, advancing like a tsunami.

The storm had arrived.

"Tap tap tap tap tap…!"

Grains of sand swept up by the gale hammered the glass in rapid succession, but the reinforced, bulletproof pane withstood the assault. Yet this was only the beginning—the shouts, curses, and roars outside were now drowned by the howling wind. All that remained visible was the world-shrouding yellow sand and lightning.

The electromagnetic storm had arrived.

From a disaster perspective, electromagnetic storms were not unlike the typhoons before the Great Cataclysm, but their danger was vastly greater. No matter how fierce a typhoon, with proper precautions, one could always survive. Electromagnetic storms were different—without protection, humanity faced only certain death.

After the Cataclysm, a mysterious force altered the world. For reasons unknown, it merged with the network and humanity itself. Under its influence, people no longer worried about energy and even gained tremendous power. In this world, even without access to the power grid, as long as there was sufficient network energy, one could use any device anywhere.

However, people could only survive within zones covered by network energy. Beyond those zones, they perished like fish out of water. The electromagnetic storm would drain all network energy from any area it passed through—a catastrophe for humanity. Everyone swept up in a storm-lost network zone would die, deprived of their vital energy, with only death awaiting them.

For this reason, many settlements were destroyed in storms during the early years after the disaster, their inhabitants dying in agony and transforming into energy-leeching monsters.

Yet, faced with calamity, humanity never surrendered.

Brilliant lights bloomed unexpectedly, and in the next moment, radiant white formed a translucent energy barrier, enveloping the entire Ninth District. This was the power of a fifth-level network coverage zone. Drawing on immense energy, it erected an unbreakable shield to withstand the storm’s onslaught.

"Rumble rumble rumble…!"

Blocked, the electromagnetic storm howled like a furious beast, its massive body pressing against the energy shield, striving to shatter the irksome shell. Lightning flickered ever more intensely; Ferren could see bolts lashing the shield’s edge, igniting bursts of dazzling sparks.

It was like the apocalypse.

But in truth, this was the apocalypse.

This world had become something entirely different. For those who lived here, everything had utterly changed.