If what Elsa said was true, then there family wasn't just well-off.
In the United States, he was once listed among the wealthy elites, worth over $92 billion.
And now, that same person—was following behind him quietly, not even daring to make eye contact.
If someone had told Elric this before the apocalypse, he would have laughed and assumed it was some delusional fantasy novel nonsense.
But right now?
Money didn't matter.
Family background didn't matter.
Influence didn't matter.
In the apocalypse, all that mattered was strength.
So even if her grandfather had been one of the most powerful man in the country…
As long as she was useful, she would stay.If she wasn't?
Then she would go.
Elric's mentality had shifted.
He no longer waited patiently for qualified adopters to show up willingly.
From now on, if he encountered someone who met the system standards—
She would either willingly become his woman, or he would make her his woman.
There was no third outcome.
The three of them soon reached the third floor of the Art & Dance Building. If the school's famed ballet prodigy was still alive, this would be where she'd taken shelter.
"Interesting," Elric murmured, scanning the hallway.
Every glass window had been barricaded with desks and chairs, stacked methodically to prevent entry. Whoever was here understood how to defend against the mutant insects that could swarm through any opening.
Smart.
He pushed open the first studio door. Empty.
The second. Also empty.
"Don't tell me the entire floor is deserted..."
Elsa and Liana systematically checked the remaining rooms, but found nothing. No people, no sounds—only dust particles dancing in dim light and the faint scent of rosin powder from old ballet practice sessions.
Just as Elric prepared to activate his Clairvoyance ability, footsteps echoed from around the corner.
A man appeared—sturdy build, clean buzzcut, slight military bearing in his posture. He was directing several male students as they reinforced the window barricades with furniture.
"Hey! Get away from the glass!" he called sharply when he spotted the trio. "It's dangerous. Come with me."
The moment he spoke, Elric recognized him.
Warren Zane. Former Marine. Campus hero.
Last year, Zane had personally stopped two armed attackers who'd stormed the university cafeteria. If not for his intervention, over a dozen students would have died. Elric had wanted to seek his help back when he was being tormented in the dorms, but at that time, Zane had already been hospitalized from his injuries.
"Which department are you from?" Zane asked, his voice firm but warm. "It's not safe wandering around. Come up to the fifth floor—everyone who survived in this building is gathered there."
Elric nodded. "We'll follow."
If the survivors were grouped on the fifth floor, then Yvonne would very likely be among them.
As Zane led them upstairs, he continued talking. "Don't worry. As long as you're with us, you won't starve. We've secured a small convenience store up there."
"A convenience store?" Liana whispered, surprised.
Elsa blinked. "We're... lucky."
Zane sighed heavily. "Lucky, yes. But resources still have to be rationed carefully. And my strength alone..." He trailed off, jaw tight. "It isn't enough to protect everyone here."
He was a good man—the kind who genuinely tried to save others even in the apocalypse. Elric respected that, even though he knew kindness alone would eventually get such people killed.
When they reached the fifth floor, Elric could see the makeshift base Zane had organized. The convenience store had been barricaded behind stacked chairs and metal shelving units, but supplies were still visible inside—water bottles, instant meals, enough to last a while if rationed properly.
Zane turned to address them. "For now, you three will stay here. Two packs of ramen and one bottle of water per person, per day. Contribute where you can. We survive together."
Elsa and Liana nodded obediently.
But Elric didn't respond.
The moment he stepped into the large classroom beside the store, his eyes locked onto her.
A girl in a ballet leotard, hair tied into an immaculate bun, exposing a long graceful neck and slender back. Her body proportions were nearly flawless—the result of years of rigorous training. Her eyes were bright and sharp, carrying the confidence of someone who had spent years commanding attention under stage lights.
She was pacing near the window, anxiously scanning the campus below. Even worried and disheveled, her presence was magnetic.
Yvonne.
The dance department's rising star. The campus's widely acknowledged beauty.
The system's voice chimed immediately in Elric's mind:
[DING! Eligible adopter detected.]
Name: Yvonne
Appearance: 93
Figure: 93
Purity: 100 (No experience)
System Score: 93
Reward Count: 25 times (resets monthly)
[System Evaluation: Meets adoption criteria. Taking her in will cause the Devil Fruit Tree to grow.]
Elric's lips curved slightly. He had found his next target.
Her rating was even higher than Natasha's—the highest score he had encountered so far. And the number of system rewards she could trigger? Twenty-five. Even Elric raised an eyebrow at that figure.
Behind him, Zane frowned when he noticed Elric's distraction. "Student? You hear me?"
But Elric was no longer listening. His focus was entirely on Yvonne. The plan was simple: take her in.
He glanced toward Elsa and gestured subtly for her to follow as he began moving toward Yvonne.
Elsa understood immediately and fell into step behind him.
Liana followed as well, though when she caught sight of Yvonne's elegant posture and perfect stage presence, something tightened in her chest—an emotion she chose not to examine.
But before Elric could close the distance—
The world outside suddenly roared.
WHUP—WHUP—WHUP—WHUP—WHUP—
The unmistakable sound of rotor blades. Close. Very close.
"What?" Elric immediately activated Clairvoyance and felt his breath catch.
Seven military helicopters flew over the campus, descending directly toward this building—toward this exact floor.
"Helicopters? Here?" Elric muttered. "And they're coming straight to us?"
This was no coincidence. He paused his approach to Yvonne. Whatever was about to unfold, he needed to see how it played out.
The windows suddenly shattered inward as armed troops repelled through on tactical lines.
Body armor. Tactical helmets. Assault rifles. Formation discipline.
The students erupted into chaos:
"They're here!"
"It's the rescue team!"
"We're saved!"
"Finally! You took long enough!"
Some even started yelling demands:
"Hey! We've been starving up here! Move faster!"
"Hurry up and take us out of here!"
"If you don't, I'm reporting you to your superiors!"
But Elric didn't cheer. Didn't move. He studied them in silence.
These men didn't move like a rescue force. They moved like a strike squad—precise, cold, mission-focused.
"Enough noise."
The squad leader slowly turned around—a lean young man with close-cropped hair and eyes like ice.
His rifle came up.
BANG. BANG.
Two students—the same ones who'd been yelling loudly—dropped instantly, blood pooling beneath them.
The classroom fell into shocked silence.
Then screams erupted a heartbeat later.
"They're not here to rescue us!"
"Who are you people?!"
"You... you just killed them!!"
Zane immediately stepped forward, flames forming in his palm. "Whoever you are—this is a school, and these are students. Drop your weapons now!"
He hurled the flame forward. It expanded mid-air into a blazing arc, intense heat washing over the room.
But—
WHAM.
The commander stepped forward, twisted his body, and a transparent shockwave-like fist struck the flame head-on, dispersing it like smoke in wind.
"A Level-One ability user dares to posture in front of me?" The commander's voice dripped with contempt.
He flicked his arm casually.
CRACK—!!
Zane was slammed backward into the wall with devastating force, his body embedded into cracked plaster. He slumped, gasping for air.
The commander raised his rifle again, pointing it at Zane's head with cold efficiency. "To attack a Dragon Unit officer is treason. The penalty is death."
But then—
"Jhon! Stop!"
Yvonne stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
"As a member of the family, I am ordering you directly—leave him alive. He is a good teacher who protected us. I will not allow his execution."
Hearing her voice—clear, elegant, carrying the natural authority of someone used to commanding stages—confirmed everything.
They weren't here to rescue anyone.
They were here for her.
Jhon, the squad leader, didn't even look at Yvonne. "Orders stand. The Dragon Unit answers to Dragon Unit law—not even you, Miss, can interfere with military operations."
He waved a hand dismissively.
Two soldiers immediately seized Yvonne and restrained her arms, ignoring her struggles.
Her voice rose with indignation. "Get your commander out here—now! Is this how your unit 'escorts' me?! Your men are completely out of line!"
From the broken window frame, a figure stepped through.
The classroom went silent—breath stolen all at once.
Not just because she was beautiful, but because her presence was overwhelming. Cold. Controlled. Regal. The kind of beauty that made even Yvonne look like background chorus in comparison.
Her boots clicked lightly on glass shards as she stepped inside.
Long military coat. Silver-gray eyes. A calm expression like carved marble.
Everyone in the room felt it instinctively: this was someone used to absolute obedience.
"Enough."
Her voice was quiet.
But it ended everything.
There is 50 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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